"Arlene honey!" Her mother's voice froze her in her tracks, and she spun around, yanking her blouse out of her jeans and mussing her hair then pretended to be coming out from the bedroom.

"Mom? That you?"

Ellen came around the corner from the kitchen, smiling, "Of course it's me. What are you doing?"

"Oh, I was just starting to get ready for bed when I heard the door. Is someone with you? Where's dad?"

"Uhm yes, It's Miss Cowley, we're going to put in some overtime on the costumes. I uh- I thought it would be more ah, relaxing, here at the house."

"So where's dad? Oh hi, Miss Cowley." Arlene gave a little wave to Denise who paused cautiously in the kitchen doorway, smiling and nodding at the greeting.

"Your dad wanted to catch up on some work at the office, said he might even sleep there tonight." Ellen shifted about nervously, fingering the collar of her blouse.

"Dad? Sleep at the office?"

"Yes- well, what with the play and all, taking up so much time, he said he was getting way behind with his records, so..."

Denise turned and went back into the kitchen leaving mother and daughter to discuss their family affairs.

"Huh, well... guess I'll go to bed then," Arlene backed down the hall with Ellen following.

"Okay hon, we'll try not to disturb you. We'll just be sewing away out here - quiet as mice." She gave a short laugh and posed her hands in a poor gesture of gaiety.

"Yeah, okay mom. Night." She kissed her mother on the cheek and went to her bedroom, leaning heavily against the closed door and blowing out a long, relieved breath.

"She's quite a pretty girl." Denise said as Ellen returned to the kitchen.

"Must be her father's genes." Ellen blushed, moving to the cupboard and taking out a couple of mugs.

"I wouldn't give him all the credit." Denise came up behind her, resting one hand on her back in a slow circle.

Ellen shivered, setting the mugs down with a careless bang, and turned to face Denise.

"Would you like- like some co- co- coffee..." She felt the edge of the counter dig into her waist as Denise pressed her backward, butterfly fingers rippling over the front of her blouse.

"Maybe later." She whispered, seeking Ellen's lips with her own.

THE COMINGS AND GOINGS

Thursday morning at Dr. Richardson's dental office began with the noisy opening and slamming of the office door, a blaze of neon lights flickering to life, and the military clump of Mrs. Grenoble, marching about the reception, hanging up her coat and banging filing cabinet drawers. Jeffrey jerked awake on the horizontal dentist's chair, squinting about the room in sleepy confusion. Swinging his legs over the side, he stood, stretching the creaking kinks from his neck and back; the chair was definitely not designed for a night's sleep. He went to the sink and soaked a cloth in cold water, draping it over his face with a delicious moan that prompted a harsh query from his nurse.

"Who's in there? That you Dr. D.?" The door flew open and he peered out from the edge of the cloth, wincing at the blocky figure of his nurse in a gladiatorial stance of spread legs and fists on hips.

"Morning Jesse." He managed, removing the cloth and wiping it around his neck.

"How'd you get in here? The door was locked." Her chin jutted defiantly.

"Yeah I know, I- I spent the night here."

She raked him with a slit-eyed glare then frowned and sucked her teeth disgustedly. "Well it's another day now, Doctor. Your appointments will be starting soon." She did a quick about face and quick stepped back to the reception area.

Jeffrey sighed, thankful the little martinet was gone, and went about washing, shaving and donning fresh clothes. The morning passed with reasonable ease, involving some x-rays, a cavity or two, and a rather grueling root canal on a young man with a spectacular overbite that required a complex arrangement of mirrors and spreaders to accomplish the operation. He stood by his office desk going over the charts, wondering how Ellen made out without him; he would give her a call when he was finished his check.

"You have a patient waiting in the chair, Dr. Richardson."

"I do? I don't have a record of any appoi-"

"She's a drop-in." The short, stern looking nurse handed him a chart and waddled off down the hall. Jeffrey glanced at the chart, surprised to see the patient's name - Grace Winston. He opened the door and stepped into the small room, dropping both his smile and the chart when he saw her reclining in the chair.

"G-Grace, what a- a surprise." He picked up the chart and set it on the counter next to the chair, assuming what he hoped was a nonchalant pose, with one hand on his hip and the other on the edge of the counter.

"Hi Jeffrey." She smiled engagingly. "Sorry to barge in without an appointment, I think I might have chipped a molar, could you have look?" She laid her head back and gripped the arm rests, pulling her legs together.

"Uhmm, certainly, no problem. Chipped a molar you think? Let's uh, have a peek." He settled onto the stool by her head and snapped on a pair of latex gloves. "How'd you manage that?"

"Grinding my teeth in frustration over not being able to get you alone." She opened one eye and watched him. His hands hung suspended over her face like a set of white udders, his expression totally blank. "Uh, excuse me?"

Grace leaned up on her elbows, brushing his frozen fingers with her hair. "I'm sorry to be so blunt, Jeffrey, but in my world decisions have to be made stat."

"Decisions? Wha- I don't know-"

"Listen," she sat up straighter, "I've covered every inch of this town in the seven years I've lived here, and I want to tell you, it's a wasteland of spent and used suitors. You're the only man I've met that even comes close to stirring my blood, Jeffrey, so you're the one. I want you, Jeffrey."

"B-blood, stirs? Want- what, you want- you want- what?"

"Oh for god's sake." With a deft move, she wrapped her arms about his neck and smothered his mouth with a grinding, hungry kiss, pulling him off balance and sending the tiny stool skittering across the floor.

Jeffrey fell over the arm of the chair landing on top of her, his hands flailing about, knocking instruments and lamp stand flying.

"Grrc!" He cried out of the side of his trapped mouth, "Grrrrrc, fr gdsske..." He finally managed a short push-up, their noses still bending against one another, and their open mouths panting in each other's face.

"Take me, Jeffrey... here... now!" She squirmed beneath him, her eyes rolling back in ecstasy.

"Uh, oh god, Grace, what's gotten into you?" He tried pushing away but her arms were locked about his waist.

"Nothing... yet." She moaned.

"Grace! Jesus, Grace! What- we- this, I'm- I'm a dentist!"

"Then for Christ's sake pull something out!" She groaned, wrapping her legs about his back.

*****