When Loni arrived home the first thing she noticed was the red light on her answering machine blinking, it told her she had some missed calls. The small light was flashing with the speed of a strobe light, she didn't need to wonder who the calls were from.

Without bothering to listen to the messages, she simply picked up the phone and dialed Brad's number.

"Hello? his voice said when he picked up.

"Hello yourself," she responded.

"It's about damned time you called. I must have left one hundred messages on your answering machine. Where were you?" he asked in one breath.

"I was busy," she responded.

"Too busy to answer your phone?"

"Yes, so I turned off the ringer."

"Mom said you were not feeling well this afternoon."

"What else did your Mommy tell you?"

"That you were smoking again."

"What again, I never quit," she snapped back.

"You told me that you were going to quit."

"I said no such thing. I said that I would make an effort try and quit," she responded.

"You seem to have an attitude problem this evening," he said in his pissed off voice.

"Maybe it's you with the problem," she pointed out.

"I am ending this call. There is no point arguing with you," he informed her.

"That works for me," she responded and slammed the receiver down and turned off the ringer.

This machine allowed her to screen her calls. If he called back, she could decide if she would pick up or not, but he wouldn't call back. He would wait for her to call and apologize as she had done numerous times, but not tonight.

Loni went to her closet and began removing skirts and blouses and piling them on the bed. She then began to assemble some combinations and then held them in front of her as she stood before the mirror. After a long search, she finally found what she considered the perfect choice. After placing the unchosen ones back in the closet she fell into a deep sleep.
Saturday morning arrived and found Dan Logan arriving at the mall around nine. He stopped long enough to buy a large coffee before he headed to the backstage area. He greeted the models and the organizers and requested a new backstage pass.

He then took a seat at one of the many tables set aside for those involved in the show.The sounds from the mall became louder and that meant there would be a lot of people here today as expected.

As he smoked, he thought about his meeting with Loni again and the burning kisses they shared in the club and by her car.

He had been alone for a long time. The last girl he was with couldn't handle all the demands for his presence as he moved up the popularity chain of radio personalities and bailed on him.

Now there were a number of very attractive interns at the radio station that had heard about the breakup and managed to convey the fact that they were more than interested in spending the night with him. He never obliged them, that was a sure road to problems.

The sound of high heels clicking against the marble floor aroused him from his daydream and he looked up and saw a tall, lithe figure approaching him. It wasn't until she was close that he realized it was Loni and his mouth hung open.

She was dressed in a black pleated mini-skirt and a blood red silk blouse. Dark pantyhose covered her long legs and her feet were encased in high-heeled boots.

"So, do I meet with your approval?" she asked as she sat down.

"You look fantastic. What are you doing here at this ungodly hour?" he responded almost afraid to blink.

"You did invite me to stop by did you not? You even gave me this backstage pass."

"Yes, I did."

"Well, here I am. Are you disappointed?" she asked.

"Not in the least," he responded.

Dan took her hand and then leaned in to kiss her. That's when he noticed that the engagement ring was missing from her finger, he decided not to say anything for the moment. Over coffee and cigarettes they talked more about their time apart.

She was quicker than he gave her credit for being and saw his glance at her hand.

"I left it at home," she said simply, "Does that make me a bad person?"

"Not in my eyes," he responded.

He found himself staring at her as she spoke. She was even better looking than she was when she was younger and that itself was almost impossible to believe, but then she never looked or acted her true age. That's how he wound up in the bed of someone that could have warranted jail time in some states.

"Ten minutes," the stage manager announced in a loud voice that brought them both back to reality.

She helped him on with his jacket and used a lint brush that he carried in his travel case to ensure he looked perfect. The backstage lights dimmed and the bright colored spot lights came on along with the recorded music and greeting.

Dan Logan became Greg Alexander and stepped onto the stage and the quiet part of his personality became dormant and the performer emerged. Even with her advanced degree in human behavior she was always amazed at the speed of this transformation, it wasn't just mental it also was physical.

He seemed to grow taller and his promient muscles seemed to grow larger. The actor portion of his personality came to the surface bringing the myrad of voices and facial expressions it posessed.

She stood off to the side in the wings so as not to block the path of the models that had to enter or leave the stage and change outfits. She even assisted a few in redressing much to the thanks of the overworked dressers.

"Who are you?" she was asked by a few in between the girls changing.

"I'm his girlfriend," she said simply.