"Miss Stanford is here."

Damon turned, and Serena scrambled up, her long black hair falling over her shoulders in disarray.

"Thank you, Sam," Damon said. "Would you have Carol bring refreshment for our guest? Julie, would you care for some wine?"

She grimaced. "Beer, if you have it."

Damon smiled. "Of course. Sam, have Carol bring Julie a beer. Serena and I will take wine."

Serena got up and hurried over to Julie. Julie found herself in a hug as Serena squeezed fiercely.

"You have to tell me how it went with Nathan," Serena murmured.

Julie grinned. "Just like I planned. And now I'm here for part two of the plan."

Serena rolled her eyes as she backed away.

"You did tell Damon why I wanted to see him, right?" Julie asked anxiously.

"She did," Damon said with amusement. "Sort of. She said she'd leave the actual details for you to explain but that you were interested in using my facilities for a little fantasy fulfillment."

"Yeah," Julie said wistfully. "I'm totally down for some great sex."

Damon laughed, and that's why Julie liked him. He didn't have an uptight, judgmental bone in his body. Plus, he loved Serena to pieces, and what woman wouldn't want that kind of guy for her friend?

"Come sit, Julie. You can fill me in on these fantasies of yours while we wait for your beer."

"Hell, I might need a few beers before I can tell you about them," she muttered.

Serena snorted and took Julie's arm to guide her toward the couch. "Like you've ever been shy. Come sit down and tell Damon what it is you want. As long as it doesn't involve him personally, I'm cool with it."

Julie sent Serena a sly glance as the two settled onto the couch. "You're sounding possessive, girlfriend. Dare I ask whether or not Damon has persuaded you to accept his proposal yet?"

"Julie, shut up," Serena hissed.

"Not yet," Damon said calmly. "But I will." He winked at Julie, and she smiled back.

"I don't know why you don't just put the guy out of his misery," Julie muttered under her breath to Serena. "It's obvious he's over the moon mad about you."

Julie liked to give Serena shit when it came to Damon, but she was hugely relieved that Serena was taking her time deciding, even if Julie did think Damon was pretty terrific. Julie liked him a lot, but she wasn't convinced he was right for Serena long term, or maybe that Serena wasn't right for him long term.

"You're here to talk about you," Serena said sweetly. "Don't make me throw you out of my house before you get to plead your case."

Julie threw back her head and laughed. "Alrighty then." She looked over at Damon. "Faith told me she came to you when she wanted some help in the fantasy fulfillment area."

Damon sat down in the armchair catty-corner to the sofa and propped one long leg over his knee. "Not exactly. Faith wasn't looking for a fantasy. She was looking for something very real." He smiled and looked over at Serena. "Serena was the one looking for a fantasy."

"They both ended up with the real deal. Yeah, I know," Julie said impatiently. "I'm not after reality here. I don't want a permanent fixture. I want hot sex with two gorgeous specimens, and I want it.. . anonymously."

She held her breath while she waited for Damon to react. Serena was quicker. While Damon didn't look overly disturbed by her announcement, Serena turned sharply.

"Have you lost your mind, Julie? Anonymous? And you thought I was the crazy one."

"No, I've got it all figured out," Julie said patiently. "I don't want messy entanglements. Been there, done that, can certainly live without it. I wanted hot sex with Nathan, and clearly that didn't work out. So I'm thinking the best way to go about this is to set up a situation where I have no idea who my hot guys are. We all get great sex out of it and go our merry way afterward."

"How anonymous are you wanting, exactly?" Damon asked.

She looked at him gratefully, relieved that he was at least taking her request seriously. "So anonymous that I don't know who they are or what they look like ... at any part of it," she said cheerfully.

Serena groaned. "Good God, Julie, what do you want? For them to blindfold you?"

"Yes. Exactly."

"Talk some sense into her, Damon," Serena pleaded.

"Can't do that, love," he said fondly. "What if she'd been able to talk you out of your crazy idea of wanting to be my sex slave?"

"For the love of God," Serena muttered.

Julie grinned. "He's right, you know. You could very well be standing in the way of my future happiness."

"You don't believe that load of horse manure anymore than I do," Serena said.

Laughter escaped Julie, and she shoved playfully at Serena. "No, I don't, you heifer, but you could at least give me my own rope to hang myself with. I may have thought you were nuts, but I didn't tie your ass to a chair to prevent you from signing up for slavery."

"Very true," Serena said with a sigh. "But can I at least talk you out of the blindfolds? It seems so . . . scary."

"It's part of the appeal," Damon said evenly. "Think about it, Serena mine. Total darkness. Having to rely on all your other senses. Touch. Taste. Smell. The feel of strange hands on your body, awakening all those senses."

A warm flush stole over Julie. Damn but the man was good.

"I don't want any emotional attachment," Julie said. "I just want two men concentrating on me and my pleasure. No slave shit, please. Unless they want to be mine," she added with a grin. "Minions to do my bidding would be great too."

"You're incorrigible," Serena said as she chuckled.

"No, just desperate and horny."

Damon broke into laughter, and Serena closed her eyes and touched her forehead with her hand.

"Surely there are men at your pleasure palace who wouldn't mind fucking a woman's brains out," she said to Damon.

"Pleasure palace? That sounds so . . . cheesy." He actually looked affronted.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "House of loooove then?"

He cracked a grin. "You don't want love, remember?"

"Damn straight. Thanks for that reminder."

"But yes, I'm sure there are any number of men who would be more than willing to take you on," he said as he fought another smile. "We'll do the usual background checks, medical histories, et cetera. Give me a week or so to get everything together and I'll do my best to give you your fantasy."

"If it's not asking too much, I'd like to schedule two nights. Now, ahead of time. I don't want to deal with the awkwardness of doing another after the first night, and if it's already set up, then I don't have to stress about it."

 "Of course," Damon agreed. "But if you decide it's not to your liking or if there's anything you want me to change, let me know."

Julie put her hands together in front of her and grinned in delight. "Thanks, Damon. You're the best."

He shrugged. "It's the least I can do to repay you for kidnapping Serena for me."

Serena glowered at both of them, but Julie didn't miss the flash of emotion in Serena's eyes as she looked at Damon.

"I need more details as well," Damon continued. "If you aren't comfortable giving them now, you can e-mail me later, but I need specifics. Boundaries. The do-not-cross lines."

Julie cocked her head and thought for a moment. "I don't have a problem telling you now. I'm not into bondage shit. No way I want to be tied down with strange men, even if I asked for strange men."

Serena laughed and shook her head.

"A blindfold is all I really require because I don't want to know. Don't want to see them, although I'm counting on you not to give me anyone hideous," Julie said.

"Now why the hell should you care if they're hideous if you're blindfolded?" Serena asked in exasperation.

"It's the principle," Julie said. She looked back at Damon. "And no small dicks. If I'm going for the gusto, I want to be treated right."

Damon's shoulders shook as he tried valiantly to keep his composure. "No small dicks. Got it. Anything else?"

"Just give me someone who knows what to do with a big dick," Julie said. "I don't want to have to coach the guy. I want a man who knows what to do with a woman."

"I think I can handle that," he said. "Blindfolds and big dicks. Shouldn't be too difficult."

Then he lost it and started to laugh. Julie grinned before she started chuckling along with him. Serena shook her head but burst into laughter as well.

"I always swore Damon wasn't a pimp, but now I'm not so sure," Serena said ruefully.

"Hey," he said in protest. "Can I help it if desperate women keep throwing themselves at me and begging me to help?"

"He's got you there," Julie said as she dug her elbow into Serena's side. "Between you, me and Faith, the man's got enough experience to run a whorehouse."

"Oh, I'm sure he had plenty of experience before we came along," Serena said dryly.

"Maybe we can retire him after he hooks me up," Julie said mischievously.

"Now I sound like a stud horse," Damon muttered. "Serena better damn well not retire me out to pasture."

Serena smiled that silly, goopy smile she got whenever she looked at Damon, the one that made Julie slightly nauseous. Julie cleared her throat before both of them dissolved into slimy little puddles.

"Okay then, if everything's set, I'm gonna skate on out of here and leave you two to do your slave thing."

"For God's sake, Julie," Serena groaned. "Do you ever just shut up?"

Julie blew her a kiss as she got up. "No, but you love me anyway."

"I do but damned if I know why," Serena said wearily as she got up from the couch.

"I'll be in touch, Julie," Damon said as he rose.

"Thanks, Damon. I really appreciate this." She turned to Serena. "I'll see you later this week for your massage, right?"

"You aren't afraid that Nathan will barge in?" Serena asked.

Julie snorted. "I'll just lock up. You and Faith are my only appointments. Besides, he hasn't been around in a few days. Stung pride and all that. He'll get over it and move on. I know I have."

"Just how hung up are you on Julie Stanford?" Micah asked Nathan as they sat down at Cattleman's to eat lunch.

"What the fuck kind of question is that?" Nathan demanded.

It was bad enough that Julie had completely messed with his mind, but now he was fielding comments from the guys about how fucked up he was over the woman.

"Its a simple question," Micah said calmly. "Either you are or you aren't."

"Nothing is simple when you ask it," Nathan grumbled.

"So?"

"So fucking what?" Nathan snarled. "Give it a rest, man. You know what happened. If a gorgeous woman came on to you, sucked you dry and then off, what the fuck would you do?"

"Toss her over my shoulder and lock us in a room for a week?" Micah said with a grin.

"I'm tempted ... if I could find the wench."

"I just happen to know where she'll be this weekend," Micah said casually.

Nathan pinned him with a stare. "And how would you know that?"

Micah smiled. Smug bastard. "I have my ways."

"Cut the crap, will you?"

Micah gripped his beer bottle and tilted it back, taking a long swig. When he lowered it again, he looked long and hard at Nathan. "There's a reason I'm asking how hung up on her you are."

"And that is?" Nathan asked.

"Because apparently she's serious about leaving you in her dust."

Nathan snorted and downed the last of his beer. "Tell me something I don't know."

"Normally I wouldn't even tell you this, because I usually side with the women, but I think you have a thing for her."

Nathan blew out his breath in irritation. Nice to know he was so fucking transparent. But how transparent could he be if Julie hadn't even figured it out? Hell, she thought he'd spent the last few months ignoring her. As if any breathing man could ever not notice that woman.

"Yeah, maybe," he said grudgingly.

"Well, she's hooked up this weekend for some hot, anonymous sex at Damon's place. And the following weekend as well."

Nathan's jaw dropped about the time the beer bottle fell out of his hand and hit the floor.

"What?"

Micah eyed him cautiously, and maybe he did look a little deranged. He couldn't very well act calm, when he felt like a volcano about to erupt.