Chapter 4


	Sam had found his way to Susan's apartment with the directions Al had
given him. Now, he rang the doorbell and waited for the door to open.
	"Coming!" he heard Susan's voice call out. A moment later, the door
opened and Susan frowned at him, looking very annoyed. "What the hell
are you doing, Dick? Why didn't you use the key?"
	Sam hesitated. "I... didn't want to bust in on you. I mean, after that
argument we had..."
	She gave a sarcastic smile. "It never stopped you before." She exhaled.
"Come on in. I was just making dinner. Want to join me?"
	Her attitude was a surprise to Sam. He didn't expect her to be so
seemingly forgiving of his actions earlier. Still, he wasn't going to
reject a chance to stay close to Susan to protect her.
	"Sure," he said as she walked from the door as if she expected no other
answer. He entered the apartment and closed the door behind him as he
took a quick glance.
	Susan's apartment was much smaller than Dick's apartment, which was
understandable given how much less Susan earned. Still, it was
well-decorated and felt very relaxed yet still very upper middle class.
Well-upholstered chairs adorned the small living room. The kitchen,
though also small, was well organized and well applianced. It was
beginning to look as if Dick and Susan were two peas in a pod.
	"Go ahead and pour yourself a drink - wine, scotch, whatever you want,"
she told him.
	"Do you have a beer?" Sam asked as he approached the kitchen.
	Susan laughed. "Cute," she commented. "There's a nice Bordeaux at the
bar."
	Sam frowned a bit. Obviously, Susan and Dick weren't the Coors Light
type. He walked over to the bar and looked at the selection before
taking up the offer for a glass of Bordeaux.
	Susan came out of the kitchen with a whimsical smile.
	"Dinner's in the oven. It won't be ready for another half an hour." She
sauntered over to him and wrapped her arms around his chest. "That gives
you plenty of time to make up for your behavior this afternoon." She
kissed him seductively and started to undo his shirt.
	Sam stopped her quickly, nervous about her actions.
	She frowned strongly. "What's wrong now?" She took a step back. "That's
the second time you've done that today. Am I not attractive to you
anymore?" She seemed scared that the answer to that question could be
"yes."
	Sam frowned slightly. "No, I... I find you very attractive, Susan."
	"Then what is it?" She paused. "It is Al, isn't it? I swear, Dick.
There's nothing between us anymore. You have to believe me. I don't love
him. I love you. Only you. Please, don't turn me away. Please."
	Sam thought about her words carefully. There was something in her voice
that showed a hint of fear. He wasn't sure what Susan was afraid of but
he knew it directly involved Dick. If only Al could come back and tell
me why she's afraid. Maybe she knows what is going to happen tomorrow.
	"I'm not turning you away," he assured her.
	She hugged him tightly. "Then, why won't you make love to me?"
	Sam hesitated. Because I'm not Dick, he thought but didn't answer. "I
don't want to tonight. I can be with you without sleeping with you.
Can't I?"
	The answer seemed to surprise her but she accepted it nonetheless.
	"Of course, you can." She pulled away from him. "I'll go finish
dinner."
	Sam nodded quietly, watching as she walked away. He didn't know why but
he once again got the feeling that Susan was more frightened then
surprised by his answer. He just wished he knew what was scaring her so
much.
	They spent dinner talking about Susan's business. She was so pleased
with how well it was doing and seemed to be making a very good profit.
Sam listened intently, looking at the gleam in her eyes and wondering if
Al still would have fallen in love with her if she hadn't looked like
his first wife. Susan was a wonderfully cheerful woman, full of energy
and spirit. She was the kind of woman that would definitely have
attracted the Admiral in the future, regardless of her appearance. Sam
himself felt himself falling for her.
	"Is your dinner okay?" she asked, suddenly seeming very frightened
again. "You haven't been eating much."
	He smiled at her. "It's fine. Thank you."
	"Are you sure?"
	The question caught Sam's attention and worried him. Something was
definitely happening between Dick and Susan. Nonetheless, he kept his
smile.
	"It's delicious, Susan. Thank you."
	She seemed greatly relieved by his answer. "Good. I'm glad you like
it." She gave him a nervous smile, as if wondering if he was telling the
truth.
	When she was finally satisfied by his response, after he had eaten for
a while, the dinner conversation continued where it had stopped, seeming
as if it had never been interrupted by Susan's question.
	Dinner having been finished, Sam excused himself to leave the
apartment, having an idea of what could happen if he didn't. It wasn't
that he was interested. He had grown extremely attracted to Susan during
dinner. But he knew it wouldn't be fair to either Susan or him to go
through with it. So, politely and with gentle assurances to Susan, he
returned to Dick's apartment, making a mental note to question Al about
Susan's odd behavior.

	Hours later, Angela Cotton walked into the apartment and smelled the
air. There was still a faint scent of cologne and chicken. She huffed,
seeming a little upset by the scent.
	"Susan?" she called out as she headed for the kitchen. "I'm home."
	Susan came out of her bedroom, dressed in her nightgown. "Hey," she
said as she walked up to her twin sister and kissed her cheek. "How did
it go?"
	Angela looked at her with a glare. "I was about to ask you the same
question."
	Susan took a step away from her. "Angie?" she questioned as if she
weren't sure it was her sister before her.
	"I told you never to call me that! He was here, wasn't he?" Angela
shouted.
	"I... I don't know what you're talking about," Susan stammered,
creeping further away from her.
	Angela grabbed her arm and pulled her closer. She gave a small, wicked
smile. "Of course, you do, darling. I'm talking about that guy you've
been seeing. I'm talking about Dick. I could smell his cologne the
moment I walked in." The look in her eyes was absolutely frightening.
	Susan struggled to get out of her grip. "Please," she begged Angela,
her voice a terrified whisper.
	"I told you before. I don't want him around you," Angela continued,
anger in her voice. "When are you going to get it into your head, Susie?
Huh? He's a sick, sick man! How can you possibly prefer him to what
we've got! He'll only hurt you in the end. You know that."
	Susan continued to try to pull away but was failing against Angela's
strong grip. "Leave us alone!" she exclaimed, becoming angrier with
every passing minute. "Get out of our lives! Can't you see what you're
doing to us?" She sobbed slightly. "Please, let me go. Please," she
breathed, in obvious pain. "Don't let him do this to us, Angie. Don't
let him tear us apart this way. Please, Angie." She paused, looking into
her sister's eyes. "I love you, Angie."
	Angela's face softened. She blinked a couple of times before slowly
releasing Susan's arm, finally allowing the latter to pull away. Susan
immediately tended her arm by rubbing the bruised area gently.
	"I..." Angela began, looking at the red mark on Susan's arm. She looked
into Susan's eyes, seeing the fear and concern written in them. "Suz,
I'm sorry. I...."
	Susan gently took her arm and led her into the living room. "It's
okay," she said gently. "It's not your fault, Angie."
	Angela fought to keep the tears from falling from her eyes. "Why can't
he leave us alone?"
	Susan shook her head as she helped Angela onto the couch. "I don't
know."
	The latter couldn't stop herself from crying. "I hate him! I hate him!"
	Susan brushed her sister's hair, seeming nonplussed by the latter's
harsh words. "I know, honey. I know." She raised Angela's head and
turned it so that she was forced to look at her. "You need help, Angie,
especially if you want him out of our lives."
	Angela nodded slightly. "I know. But I'm scared, Suz. What if I get
help and he still torments us?"
	Susan gave her twin a gentle, patient smile. "We'll work it out,
honey." Her smile widened. "We always have before, haven't we?"
	Angela nodded again. "Yeah." She hugged Susan tightly. "I love you,
Suz."
	Susan returned the hug. "I love you too, Angie." She pulled away
gently. "Now, why don't you take Belinda's usual advice and get yourself
a cup of hot tea and a hot bath, slip into your nightgown, and drift off
to sleep."
	Angela laughed gently. "She is one heck of a character, isn't she?"
	Susan laughed as well. "Yes, she is." She took a breath. "Go on, honey.
Get some sleep." She stood and kissed Angela's forehead. "Good night,
Angie."
	Angela looked at Susan with a smile. "Good night." She waited until her
sister was in her bedroom before standing and taking Belinda's advice.