Once she'd returned home that night and the magic had worn off, Erica couldn't understand what had come over her at all. Since returning from the Soviet Union, she hadn't even thought about men at all, as she'd never truly given up hope that she and Yuri would be together again some day. Did the attraction she felt for Sam mean that subconsciously she'd already given up hope of ever seeing her husband again?

Her jumbled thoughts caused her to have a much more difficult time than usual falling asleep that night, and when she finally did, she had strange dreams about being about to make love to Sam while somehow knowing that Yuri was watching her.

Saturday night Sam called her. "I just wanted to let you know that I had a really nice time yesterday evening," he told her. "I'd love to do it again sometime, if you want."

"Sure, that would be fine," she heard herself say. Suddenly she couldn't wait to see him again.

For the following week, Erica felt as if she was walking on air. Being with Sam reminded her of the way she'd felt when she and Yuri had been working together on Tex and Willa Jean's farm. Every so often she'd feel a stab of guilt, which she'd try desperately to squash. After all, there was no way to know whether or not Yuri was even still alive, and if he was, he seemed to have made no effort to contact her.

On Wednesday Sam invited her to go to a movie with her on Friday, and she readily agreed. Friday evening, she and Sam were working side by side when Sam answered the phone and Erica saw his face immediately change expression. Quickly he took the call on another telephone that was outside Erica's hearing range. She watched his lips move and wondered what on earth he was talking about, and with whom.

"Erica," he called to her as she was leaving work that day. "I'm sorry, but I can't make it tonight. Something's come up. We'll have to do it some other time, all right?"

"All right," Erica sighed, surprised at how disappointed she felt.

All weekend long, she tried to stay near the telephone, hoping that Sam would call with an explanation of why he'd had to break their date. He never did.

Monday morning she asked him if everything was all right.

"Well, yes. Why?" He looked puzzled.

"That emergency you had last Friday..."

"Oh, yeah. That. I...had to go check on my brother. My mom couldn't get him on the phone. He's an insulin dependent diabetic, and she really worries about him. Turns out he was just in the back yard and didn't hear the telephone ringing."

"Oh, I see. Well, I'm glad he's all right."

"Thanks. Hope we're still on for this Friday night." Sam grinned.

"Sure."

"I told you it was a good movie, didn't I?" Sam asked as he pulled out of the theater's parking lot.

"It was great!" Erica exclaimed.

"Say, Erica, did you promise the sitter you'd be back by a certain time tonight?"

"Well, no. Why?"

"How would you like to swing by my apartment for just a few minutes? I'm dying to show you my new stereo system."

"Well, I don't know..."

"Come on! Just for a few minutes. I'm telling you, you'll love it!"

"Well...all right, I guess."

Sam pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex, opened Erica's door, and led her to his apartment.

Once inside the dimly lit living room, Erica looked around and saw a comfortable-looking sofa strewn with pillows, a large stereo system, and a shelf overflowing with record albums and cassettes. It looked like a typical bachelor's pad, she supposed. She sniffed and smelled a strange aroma, sweetish and a bit oily.

"Incense," Sam explained. "I like to burn it while I'm playing my guitar. Wait till you hear this." He adjusted some knobs on the stereo, and the sweet, clear voice of Taylor Dayne filled the room. "Isn't that awesome?"

Without waiting for an answer, he moved into the kitchen, and a moment later, she heard him pouring wine into two glasses. He glided back into the living room and handed her one of them. She took a sip and set the glass down.

A ballad was playing. Sam took Erica into his arms, and they began to dance as they had at the outdoor concert.

Sam took a sip of wine every so often. "Drink up," he encouraged Erica.

A combination of the music, the wine, and the sweet aroma soon had Erica feeling giddy. When Sam began to kiss her, she responded enthusiastically.

Suddenly his hands were all over her, caressing her, stimulating her. She felt an odd sense of detachment, as if she were standing outside herself, watching herself become intimate with Sam.

"Let's go into the bedroom, where we'll be more comfortable," he murmured into her hair. He took her hand, and she didn't resist.