kicked off her mocassins and lay down beside me. Her head was on my breast. Her fingers closed about my knee, then traveled upward, slowly, excitingly. Then after making circular motions on my thigh, they crept gently upward.

With the skill of her rhythmic hand, each finger seemed a separate instrument of pleasure. I went wild and my body tossed and lifted, exciting her almost to frenzy. As the intensity of sensation increased I lifted her face and held it between my trembling hands, and pressed her lips to mine. Then my mouth enveloped her lips and I made frantic sucking movements, such as a starved baby might make at its mother's milkswelled breast. My reaction startled me, but it was so intense that pleasure erased the sense of being startled by what I was doing. My body writhed and tossed and and shuddered and quaked until climax brought its torrent of release.

Oh how I longed to stay with Jan all night. But I knew if I didn't get home before midnight, Mother and Beth and Hal would start out after me. Not because they loved me. Only that they wanted to keep tab on me. And not one of them liked Jan. I was sure they didn't suspect that Jan and I were in love. I was certain that none of them considered the possibility of a girl being another girl's lover. And yet instinctively they sensed something about our friendship that they did not understand. And they resented it and us. "I suppose I'll have to take you home, now,” said, sighing.

Jan "Yes, dear. Please," I replied. Then as she was putting my sandals back on my feet, I added, "someday, somehow, we're going to stay together all night long, Jan."

"You bet we are!" Jan said, stroking my ankle. "Melba," she reached up and clasped my hand. "One of these days, we'll get our break. We'll live together.' 36

"Oh, Jan!" I sighed at the blissful idea. And I clung to it all the way home.

When Jan kissed me goodnight in the car, before she walked with me to the door, I held tightly to her hand and said,

"We really will, Jan. We'll live together-someday. As I went into the house, I heard the door of the house next door bang, as if it had been closed by someone in a rage. Then I realized Bob must have been on his front porch when Jan brought me to my door. I knew he was furious because it was so late, and I had been out with Jan all evening.

CHAPTER FIVE

It was Thursday. Almost six o'clock. I'd come home from the Dress Shop early. Jan was still there, going over some accounts. I was in my room. Outside gentle rain pattered against the roof. Fully clothed I lay on my bed and watched tiny drops while they formed trickling, changing patterns of dampness against the windowpane.

This was good cuddling weather. But I was alone. I wanted to have Jan's arms about me.

The phone rang. I answered and my heart skipped as I heard Jan's voice.

Just as if she had received my thoughts, she'd called to say that she too was wishing we were together.

"Darling, I've finished my work. Do you feel like taking a walk in the rain?"

"With you?" I asked eagerly.

"Of course. After all, we're both ducks as far as liking to waddle in puddles is concerned." Her hearty, wholesome laughter delighted me. Then her voice be-