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"Do You Want to Dance?" - Bette Midler

After a couple of months, everything seemed pretty relaxed in Denver. Vai had forgiven my rudeness in asking about the baby, or said she had, and settled down to the end of her latest pregnancy, and Star was showing none of the signs of stress that had so worried me before. I heard from Vai that Suria was on the warpath about something or other, but I would have had to work hard to care any less.

I'd tried again to talk to Star about Suria's behavior, but he still seemed to think she could do no wrong. I didn't believe it, but I supposed there was always the chance he was right.

I'd been at the Affair when Dex and his serious overseas lover had their last explosive confrontation. I found out later he'd wanted Dex to move back "home" with him, to Hungary, but Dex didn't want to leave America. Needless to say, Dex was pretty upset and could use some distraction. I decided a trip to New York City with me would do him good.

Still, I hated to leave Star alone, even though Zee promised to keep an eye on him. It was a comfort to know that, wherever I was, I could be at Star's side in an instant.

Dex had never "jumped" before, and having him grab me, eyes like saucers, as we appeared in Central Park only a fraction of a second after leaving downtown Denver, was a kick.

Henry, "Grace," Grayson didn't have a jealous bone in his body, and he welcomed Dex with open arms. I was pretty sure it wouldn't be long before he offered Dex some real New York hospitality… in his bed. I loved them both so that didn't bother me at all; I just wondered who would end up on top.

It seemed as though the Big Apple was a good tonic for the lanky vampire musician. He particularly enjoyed the live jazz, available 24/7, and even sat in on keyboard with some of the groups in the bars I was familiar with. It was fun taking him around.

Grace gave us the use of a vacant apartment over his bar, looking only a bit aggrieved that I wouldn't be sharing his place as usual. We'd been there a couple of days when my life changed forever - though I never suspected it at the time.

So, tell me if you've heard this one: These two aliens walk into a bar-

Except this time only one alien walked in… she was already there.

I'd always spent a lot of time in bars and clubs. I liked being around other people, and what better place for socializing? People come there for all sorts of reasons: on business, to relax, to meet friends or potential lovers, to grieve, to celebrate - pretty much all the human motivators. Alcohol in its many forms is the universal lubricant that breaks down all barriers.

I hadn't been born on Earth, but I'd grown up here, and the only home I acknowledged was the same little blue and green ball we're both standing on right now. Among my friends were other ETs I'd met on Earth and a few that were more or less related to me, namely Star and the kids. Quite a few of those that were native to this planet were my friends, but I was still alone - I'd always known that, even when I was in a lover's arms. I tried not to brood about it, but deep down, I suppose, like many others, I was searching for something.

So, this alien walks into a bar, and there she is, the other alien, behind the counter, mixing something that looks radioactive for the patron in front of her. "Now, Leo," she says to him, "you tell me if you've ever had anything like this before." The guy leaned back a little and looked skeptical, so she added, "And if you don't like it, you don't have to pay."

The drink foamed out of the shaker and into a tall glass, fluorescent green like the stuff inside those light sticks. I couldn't have told you what it was, and I've done my share of time behind a bar. The guy looked it over, finally picked up the glass, and cautiously took a sip. His face broke into a grin. "Hey, this is great! What do you call it?"

She nodded an "I told you so" and said, "Andromeda punch."

At least, I think that's what she said. I was still frozen in the doorway. My eyes saw and my ears heard, but my focus was only on her. From the moment I saw her, everything else had ceased to exist.

Yes, I was staring at her, but not because she was odd looking. Neither of us had any trouble "passing" for Terrans. I was tall with black hair, pale skin and gray eyes, but no one gave me a second glance or, if they did, it wasn't because my equipment included horns or scales. She was… incredibly beautiful. She was small, no more than five feet two, and her skin was dark and lustrous like the best kind of chocolate. My mind shuffled through ethnicities: African American, India Indian, Hawaiian, Puerto Rican… none of them were quite right. Her face was oval, her eyes such a dark brown they were almost black. Her lips were generous and her smile white and stunning. She wore her dark, wavy hair pulled back and secured with a metal clip, a few loose curls trailing over her shoulders. A tunic in swirls of bright blue covered her from neck to wrists and continued loosely down until her torso disappeared behind the bar.

I could feel myself getting hard, and that in itself almost shocked me.

Sure, I always registered sexual excitement in all the appropriate situations, but what guy wouldn't control that reflex if he could? I'd learned to do so, or thought I had, but something in her pressed my "sex" button, and there was no keeping it down. I usually wore a median's body, but ever since I'd seen the woman behind the bar, my form had shifted to completely male, without my even thinking about it.

By this time a couple of minutes must have passed, but I hadn't moved, couldn't move. I was jarred out of my paralysis by a cheerful masculine voice behind me. "Excuse me," it said. I turned, mouth open, chin still on my chest, and saw Grace, the owner of the Camelot bar, waiting patiently for me to unblock his doorway. "Oh," he said. "It's you, Evan. Go on in."

He almost led me by the arm, like I was some kind of zombie, and we sat at a corner table - the one with the card that had "reserved" printed on it. I did my best to focus on Grace, maybe even smile at him, but it felt wooden.

"So," he said finally, "what do you think of the new bartender? She was working for my friend Angelo, but he hired his new brother-in-law instead, and I snapped her up."

I think I might have said, "Uh," but I'm not sure. Grace didn't seem to notice.

"She's something, isn't she? Always mixing drinks I never heard of, but the customers seem to love the stuff. And it doesn't matter what they request, she can make them all. You ever have a Fuck Me Blue?"

That question was odd enough to drag my attention away from the bartender for a second. "Not that I know of," I replied, smiling a little now.

"Guy asked for one of those last week, and she whipped it right up. It's blue Curacao, banana liqueur, and Bailey's Irish Cream, layered in a tall glass with a cherry on top. I looked it up."

I laughed.

"It's good," Grace assured me, "but her specialty seems to be the one you see Leo drinking over there. I've watched her make it a dozen times, but I still don't know everything she puts in it. You should try one."

"I should?" I said, distracted again. She was laughing with Ben, the other bartender, and the sound made me want to smile.

Grace nodded. "But it's not my favorite. The one I like is served in a shot glass, so clear it could be water, but one sip and you'll be hooked. I told her she should call it the Gaelen."

"Why?" I said, not really hearing him.

"Because that's her name, Gaelen."

Gaelen? That was a name I'd never heard before, and as lovely as its owner. I would never have thought to find her behind a bar, though she looked perfectly at home there. The sight of her filled my head with images of walking hand-in-hand on a moonlit beach, scuffing through crisp autumn leaves on a path through the forest, watching snow fall while cuddling in front of a cheerful fire, running home together laughing, with thunder and raindrops chasing us.

For a few minutes, those romantic visions filled my head like soap bubbles, bringing a silly smile to my lips, then I caught a glimpse of her dark eyes turned in my direction, and the visions changed. Now it was long summer nights of sex on the beach, cool fall sex alone together in the deep woods, hot winter sex in front of the fire, and warm laughing sex on wet new grass in spring rains.

I sucked my breath in sharply. Her aura, at once strange and familiar, drew me like a bee to nectar, and underneath lurked the smoky musk of sexuality that reached inside me and pulled, like a cord attached just behind my navel.

Gaelen….

The attraction was familiar; I'd felt it before with many people, men and women, but this time the demanding intensity of it surprised me. My body wanted her, and it wanted her now. It was all I could do to stay in my seat and just look, when that insistent pull demanded I go to her and sweep her into my arms.

I was vaguely aware that Grace was looking at me intently. "You want to meet her?" he asked.

I didn't answer, but I may have drooled a little or something because he said, "Just a minute," and walked over to the bar. I saw her glance my way again, further raising my heart rate, and then Grace spoke to her and she came around the bar and walked toward me.

It was like watching a queen headed for her coronation, the way she moved, so stately and proud, her long blue dress swirling around her ankles. It took forever for her to cover the twenty or so feet between us, but finally she was at my side and Grace was saying, "Gaelen, I want you to meet my friend Evan Black. Evan, this is Gaelen."

A jack-in-the-box had nothing on me, and she stepped back a little as I jumped to my feet. Then she recovered and held out one slender, perfectly formed brown hand, and I enveloped it in my own.

And sparks flew. I'd never felt anything quite like it. "Gaelen," I breathed.

She looked up at me quizzically but didn't try to pull away. It felt as though something inside her reached out to me, pulled me closer. Some part of her wanted me, and I had no desire to fight it.

"Dance with me," I said, not releasing her small hand. "Please."

She shook herself as though breaking free of a trance. "We can't. There's no room to dance in here and-" She glanced at the empty bandstand. "-there's no music."

I closed my eyes for a moment, savoring the sound of her voice, and suddenly the Fascination Waltz began to play around us, seeming at once to come from nowhere and everywhere. Had I done that? I didn't question it, I just smiled at her and she nodded, which was all the permission I needed.

I transferred her right hand to my left and stood up, bending to place my other hand on her waist, slender under the voluminous dress. Then we were dancing, stepping and spinning away between the tables, as though the crowded bar were a ballroom. She was infinitely graceful in my arms, following my every lead, her full skirt twirling out like a blossom to reveal tiny feet in blue slippers.

I could sense the form beneath the concealing garments, small and perfect, generous breasts and narrow waist, full hips and perfectly shaped thighs and calves. She smelled of incense, rich and complex and spicy. I was dizzy from more than the dance. Faces swirled past as we moved, people I knew and strangers, all regarding us with surprise and some with pleasure. I was vaguely aware that Dex had come in and joined Grace at the table, but I had no eyes for them, only for the woman before me.

I held her gently, in perfect dancing-school form at first, but as the music continued, I drew her closer, until the folds of her dress brushed against me. When the song was over, her body had come to rest touching mine, our eyes locked together, her breasts pressed to my chest, lips so close we could have kissed, and I knew I had unconsciously lifted her small form so that we might dance eye to eye. I let her down slowly, near the bar, reluctant to let her go, my heart thundering in my chest. She stumbled when her feet touched the floor, her eyes wide and bright, and I steadied her with one hand, then stepped back.

"Thank you," I said hoarsely, and she nodded, now looking up at me again. I spoke without thinking. "Will you walk with me, when your shift is over? The park is nearby; we could go there." I didn't want to let her out of my sight, and I couldn't stand to let her go completely without another promise of her time.

Central Park was never the world's best destination after dark, but if there was one thing I was sure of, it was that Gaelen would be safe there tonight… with me.

Her lovely deep brown eyes held mine. I couldn't breathe. She must have been able to feel my erection when I held her, as I had felt her breasts. What was she thinking?

What if she said no?

"I'll be ready at ten," she whispered.

I almost collapsed from relief as she turned away.