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Royce’s winter nights were very cozy but only because Lana made them so. He saw her less frequently because of his work load but she always made up for lost time whenever he came off an assignment.

“There’s a really great Chinese restaurant,” she suggested. “They just opened. Let’s go there.”

Royce didn’t particularly care for Chinese food but if Lana wanted it he was ready to go. She insisted on driving and took him to the shopping mall first.

“I need to pick up a few things,” she explained. “This won’t take long.”

It took long enough. Lana eventually purchased a new purse and a pair of boots. But it seemed she had to check every purse in the store and try on a dozen pairs of boots before making her selections. And that didn’t count the window shopping and the stores where she entered and browsed around without buying anything. Royce was very hungry by the time Lana pulled into the restaurant parking lot.

The restaurant was nicely decorated in the Asian fashion and was obviously new. Royce glanced at the name on the sign but at first sight it didn’t register with him. Just another hybrid Chinese-American name. He didn’t catch the significance of that name until he heard it pronounced. Until they entered and the hostess greeted them with, “Welcome to Pei-p’ing Tom’s.”

Royce did a double take and Lana burst into laughter at the way she had set him up with her little joke. But he did enjoy his meal although he couldn’t tell if it was because of the joke or because he was hungry or simply because he was with Lana.

Lana liked to arrange special dinners and parties. In February she made a big deal out of celebrating his twenty-fifth birthday.

“Oh to be young again,” she sighed as she gave him a birthday kiss.

“And when is your birthday?” Royce asked. But she wouldn’t tell him.

The birthday party was in Lana’s apartment. “I’ll cover the cake and you can take it home with you,” she informed him. They had each had one slice and there was plenty of cake left.

“And now I have a special birthday present for you,” she announced enthusiastically. “Wait here while I get it.”

She disappeared into her bedroom and when she returned a few minutes later it was Royce’s turn to burst into laughter. Lana was stark naked except for a large red ribbon tied around her bust with a big bow knotted just below her boobs.

But her real gift to him was something she had been trying to arrange since the nudist club visit. Dancing lessons. The problem was working out something flexible enough to fit his work schedule. But now she had finally set it up.

“We’ll go together,” she told him.

“You don’t need dancing lessons,” Royce pointed out.

“I can help. I can see the moves they teach you and then we can work on them together. In private.” She said those last two words in her most seductive voice.

In such ways Lana kept Royce’s winter happy and unpredictable and cozy. But even though their present happiness seemed to go on always, there was ever that unease he felt because she would not consider marriage and she still had her other friends.

With the return of spring his work load became even heavier and they had fewer opportunities to be together. Still Lana always made the most of whatever time they had.

“What do you think,” she asked. She had brought him on one of her shopping trips and was now trying on a bikini for his inspection and approval.

“You can’t wear that,” he cried. “You’d get arrested.”

“Some places, yes,” she nodded. But then with her wicked grin and that twinkle in her eye, “Other places…” And she left it for him to imagine the rest.

Then she took Royce shopping for his swimsuit.

“This will do,” he said picking one up off the rack. He wasn’t even going to try it on.

“Put it back,” Lana commanded.

“But…” he tried to object.

“You are not buying that ugly, baggy old thing,” she informed him in a voice that brooked no argument. Then to the saleslady, “Bring some Speedos.”

She gave Royce a mischievous look. “Try this one on,” she ordered when the saleslady returned.

“It fits,” he told her when he emerged from the changing room.

“I’m not sure,” she replied. “Turn around. Now bend over. Let’s see the front again. Nope. No good.”

“What’s wrong with it?” Royce protested.

“I can’t tell your religion,” Lana informed him sweetly.

“Wait a minute,” he cried. “I don’t want to get arrested either.”

“Hush,” she smiled holding up another swimsuit. “Try this one on.”

Royce grabbed it and returned to the dressing room.

“Leave the curtain open,” Lana insisted. And when he gave her a startled look, “I want to see how it fits.”

And so she made him try on and model one skimpy swimsuit after another, always keeping the curtain open so she could watch him changing. All of it under the eyes of the jaded saleslady.

“Let’s have a party,” she announced one day when Royce returned from an especially lengthy assignment. It was now summer.

“Sure,” he agreed, taking her in his arms. “What’s the occasion?”

“You moved here one year ago,” Lana reminded him. “It’s the first anniversary of the day we met.”

“I’ve got a better idea,” he suggested. “Let’s wait another week and have a real party when I’ve finished one full year on the job.”

“What makes that a better idea?” she asked.

“Because that means I’ve finished my probation period.”

“Probation? I thought they liked you,” Lana questioned.

“They do and I’m not in any trouble. It’s just a company rule. Applies to everyone. They hire you. The first year you’re on probation. If you don’t work out they can fire you anytime. But after the year is up you’re off probation. You’ve got job protection. And you get vacation time on your books.”

Lana just looked at him.

“That’s right, vacation time. Why do you think I’ve been doing all this work and never taking a vacation? I didn’t have any. But I’m ready to take some now and we can have a real party. Go somewhere together. Like maybe back to the nudist club.”

Lana nodded and agreed that Royce had a point.

“That will be fun,” she said. “Saturday night. The band. Dancing together.”

Royce hadn’t thought about that. Yes, he had been taking lessons. But was he ready to dance in public? He made a quick decision.

“Yes. But if they start a line dance I’m sitting it out.”