Symphony In Rapture Read Online Free PDF Page A

like that, Penny. I want it tomean something, when I give myself to a man.” She looked down at their linked hands. “Look at me! I don’t evenhave this guy yet, and I’m scared to death to lose him. That’s not normal.”
    “Look, I know you better than I know myself, and I have a feeling about this.” Penny’s ‘feelings’ were legendary. She was something of a mystic, and over the years her friends had learned to listen. She squeezed Michelle’s hands. “You want this, Mickey. You want it,and you need it. You have to go for it, even if it means you might get hurt. Set aside your usual expectations. Stop trying to satisfy your sense of propriety by convincing yourself the two of you will fall in love. There’s nothing wrong with simply enjoying your sexuality, especially if the guy is willing to be monogamous. Besides, are you really looking for a serious involvement in the very first relationship you’ve had since Alex?”
    Michelle shook her head. “You know, you’re right. I can hardly admit it, but—” Her eyes glazed as she remembered the sensations Nick had conjured with his hand. “It was…freeing. He felt so good, inside me.” Michelle’s cheeks reddened. She couldn’t believe she had said that, even to her best friend.
    Penny smiled, amused at her friend’s discomfiture. Michelle glared at her for a moment, then continued on a safer note. “I felt as though the last five years had been black and white reruns of the same old show, and suddenly I woke up and started seeing everything in color again.”
    “Welcome back to the land of the living, Mick!” Penny stood and took their cups back to the counter for a refill.
     
    * * * * *
    The doorbell rang at six fifty-nine, and Michelle made herself count to ten, then walk—not run—to answer. Opening the door, she found Nicholas, dressed in a grey tank top and tight black jeans. Her nipples came to attention so rapidly, it was almost painful. Nick was remarkably muscular and athletic-looking for a classical musician. She found herself wondering whether his penis was as tall and muscular as the rest of him. After a few moments, he smiled. “Are you going to invite me in?”
    “Oh! Of course.” Michelle cursed the heat rising in her cheeks as she waved him in. Closing the door, she took a moment to compose herself before turning around. “Welcome to my humble abode,” she offered lightly, trying to ignore her own tension. She walked past him, leading the way into the living room. “Just let me grab my purse.”
    Nicholas quickly appraised the room, trying to ignore the twang of electric need already strumming in his gut. Well-stuffed, comfortable furniture, yet with clean lines and neutral tones—accented tastefully, but without overwhelming, in shades of muted jungle greens and dark wines.
    Michelle returned with her purse slung over her shoulder. “Very nice,” he said.
    “Thank you, Nick.”
    The restaurant he took her to was one she hadn’t tried since she moved to Ramey, mostly because it was calledHole in the Wall and looked exactly like its name, at least from the outside. But inside it was well-appointed and intimate. The tables were only large enough to seat two people and were arranged between screens, potted trees, and other items so that each was essentially shut off from the rest. Nick asked for a table in a remote, secluded corner.
    After they had ordered their drinks, Michelle studied the menu. She was really in the mood for steak tonight. She glanced up at Nick. “What are you having?”
    Nick’s eyes twinkled. “Isn’t it funny?”
    “What?”
    “How people always want to know what the other person is having, before they decide.”
    “Do we?” Michelle considered for a moment, remembering other dinners out. “I guess so,” she agreed ruefully. “I think women do it, especially when they’re dating, because their partner’s choice gives them an idea what the price range is for that particular