I hid her from everyone. Not even my husband knew; there was no need. I’d given him all he’d asked from me: children, a nice home and the freedom to bang any woman who crossed his path. I only asked for discretion and a roof over my head. My children wanted for nothing except two parents who respected one another.

But I had her, and even now, almost two decades later, our desire for one another never lessened. She can make me wet with a flick of her tongue on her lips, her eyes hooded and smoky gray. I know what she’s thinking, and it’s the same thing I think about when I rub myself in the shower: our first time together. It was the day she seduced me and introduced a beautiful world into mine: the delicious, secret world of another woman’s body.

We were merely neighbors at first. Waves over the fence, a “Hi” when we passed in the market, a smile when we saw each other at parties. That changed the day of the blizzard.

My children were at their grandparents for the weekend. My husband was supposedly at his office, but I knew better. I was sure he was ramming some pretty, young thing in a motel somewhere. The snow had started falling. Four to six inches, the weatherman said. Within a few hours of the start, I knew it was going to be much, much more. I could barely see my car, and the pine trees in front of the house were now pure white sentinels. I took inventory of food in the house and realized I was all set. The phone rang. It was my husband saying he’d tried to make it home, but he was stuck in the office parking lot and would spend the night at the hotel down the street. I smirked, but he never heard it. All he heard was the understanding in my voice.

Right after I replaced the phone, there was a knock on the front door. I looked outside and saw Kendra, my neighbor, standing on the doorstep. She was wrapped head to toe in a man’s coat. I ran and opened the door to let her in.

“Lisa,” she breathed in frosty puffs. “I hate to bother you, but our furnace – well, something’s wrong with it. The heat won’t work, and I’ve tried everything. The repairman refuses to come out in the storm, and I’m so cold. I know this is an imposition, but do you think you could let me stay here just until I can figure out what to do? Len’s in New York for the week at a convention, and Marissa’s at a sleepover.”

I pulled Kendra into the house and brushed snow from her shoulders. “You can stay here as long as you wish,” I told her. Her relief was enormous. “You’re doing me a favor. Brad’s stuck at his office until he can get his car out, which won’t be until tomorrow at the earliest. I was getting a little nervous with all the snow, so really, you’re more than welcome.”

An hour later, Kendra was finally cozy. I’d lit a fire and gave her some peach brandy to help speed the warming. And I took a little myself. Alcohol on an empty stomach wasn’t a good idea, but it made her feel more comfortable seeing me sip some brandy of my own.

“I never drink during the day,” she said, “but I would have done anything to get warm.” She took another sip, laughed and her breath floated over to me in a wave of peaches.

“If you need to take a shower…” I offered, but she shook her head.

“Not right now. Maybe later. I just want to sit here, talk and get to know you. We’ve lived next to each other for two years now, and we’ve never even been in each other’s house.” She took another sip, and I noticed her cheeks were flushed.