"There's something different about you lately, Ellen," State Assemblyman Peter Norbert offered cannily, sipping at his cocktail, his eyes on Ellen from across the small table at Chez Henri.

"Oh, and what might that be, Pete?" she asked, favoring him with a small grin.

She'd known the assemblyman ever since she'd graduated from college and become and aide in the state assembly, which seven years ago had, in turn, provided entrée to The Initiative as a junior staffer. He was one of her organization's more powerful allies in the assembly and she considered him a personal friend as well. They had lunch together at least once a month to discuss up-coming bills that might effect changes in water distribution within the state.

"I've known you forever, El. Can I be candid?"

Ellen took a sip of her white wine. What was this all about, she wondered? But in the end, she simply said, "Sure."

"All of a sudden, you're sexy as hell," the middle-aged politician pronounced, a sly grin on his face. "I can't for the life of me figure out what's different about you, but something definitely is."

Ellen felt her face color slightly, but the fancy French restaurant featured a stylishly dark ambience, so she doubted that Pete could see her blush. She took another small sip of wine and asked coquettishly, "Why, Peter, whatever do you mean?"

"I don't know how to explain it," he began, still smiling, "you look the same as you always have. You're a gorgeous woman, but then you've always been a gorgeous woman."

He picked up his cocktail and still studying her, took a drink. "You dress beautifully, as always. That suit and blouse you have on is perfect-very well coordinated and business-like, not flashy at all-and yet you seem to just sort of...radiate sex appeal nowadays. Help me out here-what's changed about you?"

I know exactly what's different about the new Ellen Markley, as opposed to the old Ellen Markley. But I can hardly tell Pete about it. How would he react if I answered him truthfully, with something like, "Oh, yes, it's my new hobby that's made all the difference. I love to get naked with a bunch of perfect strangers on the weekends, now and suck cock, eat pussy, and get fucked over and over again!"

Feeling the need to diffuse what threatened to become an embarrassing situation, she said playfully, "What do you mean...that you always thought of me as some sort of frigid ice queen Pete?"

The assemblyman laughed and finished his drink, and shook his head. "No, nothing that extreme, Ellen, it's just that you always seemed to come across as beautiful and elegant, but also as sort of...I don't know...detached...almost aloof, if you will."

He clearly thought about what he'd just said and then added, "You look the same, and you dress the same. But now, when you come into a room, every male eye in the place is on you immediately, as if they're drawn to you. You suddenly just seem to be incredibly...sexy, kid! What's your secret?"

I'm not afraid of my sexuality anymore, she thought, I'm totally comfortable with it and I embrace it. When I come into a room now, I'm unabashedly sizing the men up as potential sex partners-women, too. It's not overt; I'm not blatant about it, but the attitude is there...just below the surface. And both sexes pick up on it immediately.

But she wasn't going to admit that to her old friend. Instead, Ellen laughed gaily and shook her head. "I think you're imagining things, Pete. I think it may be some sort of mid-life crisis on your part. Maybe you should buy a sports car or get yourself a young mistress!"

Pete leaned forward and touched her hand as it lay atop the table. He said slyly, "Is that an offer?"

Ellen blushed furiously this time and giggled, "No, I'm very happily married, but thanks for the thought. A girl does like to feel attractive and sexy, now doesn't she?"

After the assemblyman stopped chuckling at this bit of harmless flirtation back and forth, he picked up his menu. "Can't blame a guy for trying, can you, El? Not when the girl in question looks like you."