Dance into the Fire

Merritt, disillusioned with her luck at the bar grabbed her purse and turned to leave but was stopped by a hand gripping her arm. Outraged, she whirled around to give the hand's owner a piece of her mind, but before she could say anything the owner said evenly, "Stay." Merritt found she couldn't look away as she was fascinated by the woman; and could almost feel the electricity crackling between them.

After the two women took time to get acquainted, the mysterious blonde invited Merritt to her place. After accepting, she had no idea how long they were in the car, but after a while they pulled up into a large, tree lined drive and parked in a circular driveway. Merritt noted somewhere in the back of her mind that this was a fabulously old and expensive house and wondered what this woman's story was. Then she told herself to just keep her nose out of it.'

On entering the huge house, someone was playing a piano then Merritt saw a woman sitting at the piano, her back to them. She had a hard face, yet oddly, cultured as well. This woman wore her clothes exquisitely, she was mature, late forties, blonde. She had an air not unlike the woman who drove her there. Merritt thought, they seemed to be equal, but the woman at the piano was just more equal.