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arrange the meeting with him. This was too soon.

"I'm busy," I told him, trying to put heavy regret into my words. "What about the next night?"

He didn't seem happy about that, just as he hadn't liked the delay in me drinking my first batch. But where his urgency had been underscored with an eager curiosity last time, he now displayed an almost panicked anxiety. I wondered just how demanding his master was. "Sooner would be better. You aren't going to be able to go that long anyway, not if you want it this bad already. "

I stayed firm. "I don't have a choice."

He agreed after a little more wheedling, and we set a time and place to meet in two days. As I stood up, he warned me, "Call me sooner if you can't hold out, okay? Here's my cell."

"Okay, thanks."

"Hey," he called as I started to walk away. "Good luck with the shoot."

For a minute, I didn't remember what he was talking about. Then I recalled my alleged modeling gig. I smiled and thanked him, chuckling to myself as I left. In all of the lies I'd just told him, there had been a kernel of truth.

I did have a photo shoot. Tonight was the night Bastien and I were going to take the pictures for Seth.

CHAPTER 16

I rang Bastien's doorbell for the third time and then glared peevishly at the house. Where the hell was he? I was a little earlier than our agreed meeting time but not significantly. I gave the door a petulant kick as I imagined Bastien "held up" in the arms of some panting housewife.

"He's not here," said a cool voice nearby. I looked over and saw Dana standing there, a small leashed dog by her feet. It looked like the product of a tragic accident at the cottonball factory.

"Nice dog," I said.

"My sister's. I'm taking care of him for a few days. You want to walk with us?"

No, but I had promised myself the other day that I would pick Dana's brain to figure out how I might aid Bastien, and this seemed as good an opportunity as any. Besides, he'd kill me if he knew I'd passed up a chance for "reconnaissance."

I fell into step beside Dana and the fluff ball, congratulating myself for the hundredth time on being smart enough to choose cats over dogs. Tutu - yes, that was his name - pranced along daintily, small tongue hanging out. His beady black eyes peered everywhere as he trotted merrily, but otherwise seemed oblivious to the wet sidewalk dirtying his tiny white feet.

"How's your rally going?" I asked after we'd exhausted dog topics.

"Excellent. I'm surprised you haven't heard about it in the news. We're getting a lot of press."

"Haven't paid that much attention to the news."

She told me the date and time. "Think you can make it?"

"I think I'm working that day," I said automatically.

Dana gave me a knowing look. "Tabitha, I get the impression you're not entirely settled on that issue."

You think? I looked away, again fighting the mental battle of speaking my mind versus causing trouble for Bastien. I finally opted for something that sounded vaguely like the truth.

"I just think...there's a lot of different ways to look at it, that's all."

"It's okay to be unsure, you know."

That was astonishing, coming from her. "Is it?"

"Of course. That's why groups like the CPFV exist. To help you see the truth of an issue."

I repressed a snort. I'd thought for a moment she might startle me with a display of open-mindedness. I let the silence collect again.

"So," she began after a moment, "what do you believe then?"

"Er, on what? Homosexuality? Or homosexual marriage?"

"Either."

My opinion was simply that people wanted who they wanted, end of story. There was no regulating love or saying it was wrong. But Dana's views on that were religiously based, and I of all people knew better than to argue the right or wrong of faith.

"I'm just not sure people choose who they're attracted to," I explained, not exactly attacking her question head-on. "So, I guess, it seems weird to me to talk about 'helping' or 'changing' people who can't really do anything about their natures, regardless of whether that nature is right or wrong."

"So you think homosexuality is inborn?" That sweet voice couldn't entirely hide her scornful surprise.

"For some people. I think there are those who engage in...uh, same-sex activities for the fun of it, but for others, it's biological."

I had a feeling Dana wouldn't