I sat in the whirl-pool, letting the hot water and bubbles soothe my savage breasts. (Okay, so they're not so savage. They're kind of small. But they're feisty.) I didn't have to worry about Eric, his parents, Mike, Jane, work, anything. All I had to do was close my eyes and relax.

I leaned my back against one of the jets, letting it knead my lower back. Heaven, I'm in heaven, I hummed to myself.

"Mind if I join you?"

I opened my eyes to see that, yes indeed, I was in heaven. I gazed upon the most beautiful woman in the entire gym and she wanted to soak in the hot tub with me. My mind zoomed to all those dirty magazine columns: "Dear Xaviera, I never believed your letters. Until it happened to me."

"Is it okay?"

"Yes," I said. "That would be lovely."

Lovely? Don't I know how to be dumb.

I watched her take off her towel and lower herself into the water. I hoped to God my mouth wasn't wide open with a big gob of drool spilling off my lip.

"Hi," she said. "I'm Alexa."

"Fran."

Alexa. She had her hair cut in a bob, like the silent film star Louise Brooks.She also had one of those bodies you'd kill for.

*****

The first time I saw her, I was using the video rowing machine. I'd set it for Level Eleven and was busy pushing myself to beat my animated competition. I was twenty-seven lengths ahead when I saw her.

She was doing aerobics, running in place to a disco beat, the type of woman that makes leotards look good. My eyes followed her for the entire class.

I lost to the machine by ninety-nine lengths.

*****

Now she sat, her eyes closed, inches from me. I wanted to speak, say something flip and witty. Instead, I watched the bubbles dancing around her long neck, the edge of her hair getting wet. I was struck mute.

I felt the tip of her foot nudge and caress mine under the water. She never looked at me, just gave me a closed-eyed smile.

I leaned back and started to hum once more.

Heaven. I'm in heaven...