In My Skin by Cassidy Ryan Page B

into the back pockets of her jeans and it had the effect of pushing her breasts forward. I really tried not to look, but I think my eyes might have slipped.
    "My name's Anna.” Again with the gurgling.
    Chaise smiled. “I know."
    I was unbelievably, pathetically pleased that she knew my name. Not trusting my voice I just nodded and left, thankful that I didn't trip over my own feet on the way.
* * * *
    It was an odd thing to discover at the age of twenty-eight that I wasn't quite as straight as I had always assumed myself to be. Odder still that I wasn't freaking out over the discovery. I'd lain awake at night for more hours than I cared to remember analyzing this, waiting for the panic to rise. But it never did. Was it going to be some kind of delayed reaction thing? Was I going to be sitting in a meeting one day and have the reality suddenly hit me, causing me to grab the nearest guy and fuck his brains out just to prove to myself that I was still all woman?
    That evening, I stood in front of the mirror in my bedroom, trying to decide what to wear, and laughed. The guy who usually sat nearest to me in meetings was Oliver Driscoll, the senior partner in my law firm, a wizened old geezer who was pushing eighty and refusing steadfastly to retire. If I put the moves on him he'd probably keel over from a heart attack.
    I'd decided to just go with it. When I was in college I had a friend who developed a drinking problem and ended up going to AA. After that her mantra was "Let go and let God" . That seemed like a pretty sound philosophy to apply to any part of life.
    That's not to say that I was all ready to go out and start marching in Pride parades, but I would keep my mind open and just let it happen, if indeed it was going to happen.
    I finally settled on a pair of black slacks and a skinny, red sweater with a V-neck that showed off a nice amount of cleavage. I added a touch of my favorite Dolce and Gabbana perfume, finger mussed my short hair and checked my make up. When I was satisfied that I looked casual but smart, I collected my bag and headed out.
    I arrived at Goddess at just after seven. It looked different in the evening—candles flickered on the tables, little fairy lights that I had never noticed before twinkled around the bar and on the topiary trees dotted around the place, and soft music played in the background. It was also pretty crowded—mostly with women. It had, of course, occurred to me that Goddess was a lesbian hangout, but that evening just confirmed it.
    I was aware of eyes on me as I wove my way through the tables in search of an empty seat and caught a couple of very interested looks. I waited for the panic to kick in, but still nothing.
    "Anna.” I turned at the sound of my name and saw Chaise waving to me from a table near the back. She beckoned me forward. “Why don't you join us?” she asked when I reached the table.
    I looked at the other women gathered—five including Chaise and the red-headed waitress. “I don't want to intrude."
    Chaise pulled out the chair beside her. “I invited you, didn't I?"
    I nodded my thanks, sat down and hung my bag on the back of the chair.
    "Let me introduce you to the ladies.” Chaise turned to the other women at the table. “Sophie you know, of course. Sophie's my partner."
    That threw me. My heart sank to my toes with disappointment.
    "Business partner,” Chaise added. “We co-own Goddess."
    My heart did such a speedy 180 that I felt positively queasy. I don't think my relief showed in the smile I gave Sophie. The smile Sophie gave me, however, was so knowing that it made me flush.
    Chaise gave no indication that she had sensed my feelings, but continued with her introductions. “This is Claire and Jo—they're partner partners.” She smiled. “And the one at the end there is Max—she's been trying to get into Sophie's pants for nearly a year, but Sophie's playing hard to get.” Laughter ran around the table.
    "I'm wearing her down.” Max gave