"A dragon? But y'all just look like a pretty girl to me."
Lily smiled. "Thank you. You're looking at my human form. If I need to protect myself, I shift into my dragon form, but that's only as a last resort."
"I see. So, you're a shapeshifter?"
"You've heard of us?"
"Oh, honey. You have no idea. But back to the sex thing. I think I get it. That's how y'all blow off steam—so to speak."
"Exactly."
"Well, I'll be jiggered. Can't you find a dildo? I have several upstairs. What's your favorite color?"
She chuckled. "Thank you, but vibrators don't work. I need the real thing."
"Well, there's got to be somethin’..."
"Perhaps there is, but I don't know of anything else and haven’t any clients yet. I just moved here from San Francisco."
"Why, that's clear across the country. What made you pick up and move so far away?"
"I… I'd rather not talk about it."
I wish Morgaine was here. She's way more psychic than I am, and this lady is just confusin' the hell outa me.
"Well, there's gotta be somethin' I can do to help. I can't let you set the building on fire."
Gwyneth could think of only one solution. It wouldn't be her favorite thing to do, but this was an emergency.
She moved closer to Lily and draped an arm around her. "Now, I don't usually swing this way, but for the sake of my neighbors..." She pursed her lips. "Pucker up, darlin'. Looks like we're gonna have to get cozy."
Lily shoved her off the couch, and Gwyneth landed on the hard floor with a thud.
"Ouch! Why'd you go and do that? I was just tryin' to help!"
Lily crossed her arms. "I don't swing that way either, and I don't want to start now."
Loud laughter echoed all around them. Gwyneth shook her fist at the ceiling. "Chad! You know it's impolite to eavesdrop."
"Yeah, but I wouldn't have missed that for the world."
Gwyneth’s lips thinned. "What in blazes—er, I mean, what in tarnation are you doin' here anyway?"
"I wanted to meet the new neighbor too."
"And how long have you been here?"
"I was right behind you, oooo...”
She glanced at Lily who was giving her the oddest look.
"Oh, sorry. You don't know about our ghost, I guess." She picked herself up off the floor and brushed off her skirt. "He can be a smart-ass, but he's basically harmless."
Lily glanced around the room, nervously. "Basically?”
"He only pulls pranks on people he don't like. I'd say not to worry, but burnin' down the place he haunts might really tick him off."
Lily covered her eyes and wailed, "What am I to do?"
