two glasses and handed one to me. We moved back to the living room and sat down on opposite ends of the sofa. She kicked her shoes off and sighed. I'd been barefoot for thirty minutes; my shoes were in the corner of the kitchen.
"Feet tired?" I asked. She nodded. "If they appeared in my lap, they might like the attention they got," I said.
"I think rubbing my feet is above and beyond the call of duty," she said with a smile.
"Who said anything about duty?" I asked.
She shifted on the sofa and set her feet in my lap. I began massaging them for her. As soon as I started, she began moaning in pleasure. I smiled but didn't say anything. We sat there for a goodly while, Petra sinking lower and lower into the sofa as I massaged her feet, one at a time.
Then she sat up. "All right, as good as that feels, if I keep letting you do that, I'm going to fall asleep here. Time to send you home."
She pulled her feet away and we both got up. She took my glass from me and set it aside then walked me to the door. I reached for the door knob, but she put her hand on my shoulder. "Felicia?"
I turned around. "Thank you for your help tonight," she said. Then she stepped up to me, and I found myself looking up into those amazing eyes, the eyes from my dreams. She was going to do it! She was really going to kiss me! My heart began pounding.
She leaned down, past my mouth, and kissed my cheek. "Your good night kiss," she said quietly.
She stepped past me and opened the door for me. I stepped through. "Good night," I told her.
* * *
Dream Petra tried to kiss me. I didn't kiss her back. She pulled away and looked hurt.
"I'm mad at you," I told her. "A kiss on the cheek? I throw myself at you, and I get a kiss on the cheek?"
Dream Petra didn't say anything, but she moved down to my feet and began massaging them for me. It felt good. I was tempted to pull them from her petulantly, but her hands were experts, and my feet hurt.
In my dream I started to cry. "What's wrong with me that the only love I get is in my dreams?"
She moved up me immediately and moved her lips to my ear. "You are perfect," she said.
"Please kiss me before I wake up," I told her.
And she did.
* * *
I used Sunday for cleaning and errand day. I started by trying on my H alloween costume. It included a corset, which no longer fit. I was pleased and disappointed at the same time. It had been an expensive corset. I sighed, took fresh measurements, and ordered a new one.
It was Erika's week to pick everything, so I used her shopping list for what we'd be making for dinner. I cleaned the apartment, hit the grocery store, and then kicked myself that I didn't have wine for my two guests. Wine wasn't available for sale in Minnesota on Sunday, so they would simply have to suffer with tea, coffee and water.
There was a knock at my door. I opened it expecting Karen or Petra, and Andrea was there. "Andrea!" I said.
She could tell I was surprised to see her. "I'm sorry," she said. "You said I was invited any time. I should have warned you."
"No, no, come in," I told her. "I'm happy to have you."
She stepped in. I took her coat and hung it up. She handed me a bottle of wine. "Oh perfect," I told her. I explained how I'd goofed and not gotten any ahead of time.
She laughed. "As if Petra has ever shown up anywhe re without at least one bottle. Can I help cook?"
"Probably," I said. "But we have to wait for Erika. This may not be quite what you're expecting. We're quite silly."
"I'm in a good mood for silly," she said. "Laughter is good for the soul."
"That doesn't sound like the high powered businesswoman talking," I commented.
"Maybe not at other companies," she said. "But part of the reason we're as good at Renea as we are is because we value the human spirit. Don't ever let that go, Felicia."
We moved deeper into the apartment. "Is this something we can open now?" I asked, looking at the wine. "Or something that should wait for dinner?"
"You aren't one of those people
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