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curse, Bellaron pulled away from her, and Apple managed to stifle her startled yelp of
surprise. For a moment, she felt positively murderous toward the person who had
interrupted, but common sense prevailed, and she dropped off of the table and
hastily pulled her dress down. She thought she would be able to present a calm
face, but then she looked over to see Bellaron sucking his fingers clean of her juices.
    “ Bellaron !”
    “ You taste wonderful,” he whispered, straightening
her hair quickly with his clean hand. “Now look like we've been talking about
molecular gastronomy.”
    She didn't even bother to ask what that was, but
when the gallery manager entered the room, she thought that she looked demure
enough. She apologized for going missing, but she had been so hungry, and the
food was so delicious, after all. She batted her large brown eyes at the
gallery manager, who said that there were many important people who wanted to
speak to her, and Apple found herself being hurried back to the main gallery.
    She managed to sneak a quick look back at the
kitchen, and the image of Bellaron , staring after her
with eyes that were afire with lust and longing, was one she thought she would
carry forever.

Chapter Three
     
    After the night was over, and most of the equipment
was put away, Bellaron plated up three last plates,
filling them with the delicious odds and ends that were in some ways tastier
for having been sitting for so long but would have been tossed out after the
festivities. He stripped off the tuxedo jacket, and he was just beginning to
roll up his sleeves when Bryan Hillman and Vicky Campbell came in.
    They were a striking pair, and though Bryan Hillman
was a multimillionaire hero who could turn invisible at a moment's whim, it was
obvious through his shy glances and soft smiles that he would never think
himself grander than his wife. Vicky Campbell was tall and thin with black hair
that she had recently cut fashionably short. Her green eyes snapped with life,
and though her high heels made her tower over her rather slender husband, it
was obvious to see that they were equals in every way.
    “ I saw you in the gallery, but I didn't get a chance
to come over to say hello,” said Vicky, taking a comfortable seat at the
counter. She was a longtime veteran of events like this, and she knew that
sometimes, the best eating occurred after everyone had gone.
    “ Good event,” said Bryan comfortably. “People were
raving about the food, thank you for handling it.”
    Bellaron tugged his tie loose and sat down at his own
plate. He knew when Bryan asked to meet with him after the opening that it
wasn't just for food.
    “ You want me to meet him?” he said, frowning. If he
wasn't careful, he would crush the edge of the table in his bare hand;
carefully, he let go and sat with his hand resting on one thigh.
    “ It's long past time,” Vicky pointed out. “You've
been living in Colossal City for more than two years now. You need to meet
him.”
    Bellaron frowned at her, and she only smiled serenely. He
supposed that after some of the interviews she had run, aliens must be fairly
old news.
    “ We've gone on as we are just fine.”
    Bryan wiped his mouth with his napkin before
speaking, shaking his head. “ No, we've not. Last
winter, when those things came out of the sewers, we could have used you then.
And just a month ago, when that Ichor godling attacked the Third Ward, don't tell us that you
were so pleased to handle that alone.”
    Bellaron found himself baring his teeth at Bryan, and he
forced himself calm. He genuinely liked the other man. As a matter of fact, he
owed a great deal of success to Bryan's patronage, but that sure as hell didn't
mean that he was going do whatever he said.
    “ I did just fine,” he said stubbornly.
    “ You could be doing better, and that's what we're
trying to say,” Vicky said, putting down her fork. When she looked at him with
that clear and earnest expression, it was easy