She watched the action around the room, but her attention never lingered long on any one scene. She was continually observing the room to see who had come in, who was staying, and who fit the bill. She bought a second beer, chose a different seat, and focused on the door, ignoring some obvious signals sent her way by a few of the other patrons.

After about an hour, Lou was wound as tight as a drum, and then she walked in. The height wasn’t quite right, but the build was. And the hair. The hair was absolutely fucking perfect, and that would be enough. It was exactly the same shade as Stephanie’s dark blonde and cut in a similar short bob. Lou breathed slowly as she watched the woman—what she did, where she went. When it was obvious she was staying in Green, Lou followed her journey around the room, hoping to make eye contact. The woman never once looked her way, and Lou feared her opportunity would slip by. Taking a deep breath, she stood and walked very deliberately into the woman’s path. When she looked up, Lou smiled at her. Her hardened resolve gave her much more confidence than usual, and she gestured to the wall. The woman looked Lou up and down, nodded, and walked to where Lou had indicated. Lou took a deep breath and joined her.

“Hi,” said the woman as Lou reached for her hips and pushed her gently back against the wall.

Lou was surprised at her own voracity. She was normally hesitant in starting things, no matter how turned on she might be. But her fantasy was egging her on in a way nothing else had ever done.

“No speaking,” Lou whispered, knowing the voice wouldn’t be the same, and that would spoil the illusion. She didn’t even particularly want to look at the woman, so she leaned in to kiss her and let her imagination take over. She ran her hands into the woman’s hair as she deepened the kiss, letting the thick, blonde strands run through her fingers. The woman was very responsive, arching into Lou’s touch, groaning when Lou pushed her hands up under her bra to stroke and pinch her small but wonderfully firm breasts. Lou wondered if this was how Stephanie would respond, how she would feel. She let images of Stephanie fill her mind as her hands and mouth roamed over this stranger’s body, but as she pushed the woman back, unzipped her jeans, and slipped her fingers inside her, something literally shut off inside Lou. She hesitated as she made to push deeper inside the woman.

Imagination wasn’t enough.