A WHISPER OF ETERNIT

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come to dinner tomorrow night at, say, five o'clock?"

"That is a bit early for me," he replied."How about a movie later instead?" "All right.What time?"

"I will call for you at seven-thirty."

"I'll be ready." She smiled. "See you then." With a wave of her hand, she turned and started up the stairs again.

He watched her go, admiring the gentle sway of her hips, the graceful way she moved. When she was out of sight, he dissolved into mist and followed her home.

Materializing in his basement lair, he dropped into his favorite chair. A wave of his hand started a fire in the hearth. Sitting back, he grinned in mild amusement as he stared at the dancing flames.

He had a date for tomorrow night.

Chapter 2

Tracyhummed softly as she plugged in the blow dryer. She couldn't help noticing that her hand was shaking, or deny the butterflies in her stomach. She told herself it was just a case of nerves. After all, she hadn't had a date in the last five months, not since she'd broken up with that creep, Richard. She'd had plenty of offers, but until she met Dominic St. John, she hadn't been ready to get on the dating merry-go-round again.

Even as she tried to convince herself it was perfectly normal to be excited at the prospect of going out on a date with someone new, and a wickedly handsome someone at that, she knew she was just kidding herself.

There was something intriguing about Dominic St. John, something she couldn't quite put her finger on, something that made her skin tingle with both anticipation and trepidation when he was near. She still didn't understand what it was that had possessed her to ask a complete stranger to come for dinner. She had never done anything like that before and had had no intention of doing so last night. She supposed it was the same sudden impulse that had made her accept his invitation when he suggested going out to a movie instead of dinner.

Thinking of him now, she realized that he looked vaguely familiar buttry as she might, she couldn't recall ever meeting him before. And a man like that would not be easily forgotten.

When her hair was dry, she did it up in a French braid, carefully applied her makeup, and then pulled on a lavender sweater and a pair of white slacks. And all the while, she wondered if she was making a mistake in going out with him. He seemed nice enough, but then, wasn't that what friends and neighbors always said about the boy next door who turned out to be a serial killer?He was such a nice boy.Never caused any trouble.

Tracyshook her head. She was really letting her imagination run wild this time! She hated this part of dating, hated the "getting to know you" stage. Some of her girlfriends thought that was the fun part, but