After the guided tour we were free to wander the old prison on our own. The marine layer had moved back offshore, so the day had turned clear and sunny, if still not very warm. Despite the cold breeze it still counted as a gorgeous day, and Katrina said as much when we stopped the top of a flight of stairs so we could take in the view of the city of San Francisco in the distance.

"Can you imagine being a prisoner here and having a view like this?" she asked as she cuddled up against me to use me as a windbreak.

"I think that could count as cruel and unusual punishment," I agreed. "Seeing the freedom that others are enjoying, but you can't possibly reach."

We stood there for a few minutes, just enjoying the view. Katrina was leaning back against me, while I had my arms wrapped around her waist.

"You used to live in San Francisco, right?" Katrina asked.

"No, Palo Alto, way down at that end of the bay, by San Jose. I've still got a condo in San Jose."

"So why are we staying at a hotel, if you have a place here?" Katrina asked, but it seemed as if it was more to make conversation than any real curiosity.

"That'd be a bit like asking me why we're staying in a hotel in South Beach while we're checking out Miami, instead of staying in my place in Palm Beach," I replied.

"You have a place in Palm Beach?" Katrina asked in surprise, turning around in my arms to face me.

"No, I don't," I replied. "I was just using that as a sort of comparison of distance. The thing is, San Jose is over an hour from where we're staying in the heart of San Fran if traffic is good, which it rarely is."

"Oh, O.K.," Katrina said, resting her head on my shoulder.

I kissed her hair, and when she looked up at me, I leaned down and her lips met mine in a kiss. It was sweet and slow, but when we parted, Katrina chuckled.

At my puzzled expression, she said, "When I told my friend Sam that I was gonna come here to spend a week with you, she insisted on playing that old Katy Perry song for me, over and freaking over." Smiling, she sang, "I kissed a girl, and I liked it, the taste of her cherry Chapstick."

I really had nothing to say to that that would improve the mood, so I just smiled and leaned in, getting another kiss as a reward.

Katrina was a trouper about walking from the pier up Sansome and then Sacramento Streets to the restaurant. We held hands pretty much the entire way, and when I commented on it while we ate (and yes, the hot and sour soup was just as excellent as I remembered) Katrina reminded me of what I'd said on the phone that night.

"You asked me to think about what it would be like to be in a real relationship with you," she said, looking thoughtful. "If we are gonna do this, I'm not going to park my ass in any sort of closet, you know? If I'm going to be your girlfriend, I'm going to be out about it. This is, I guess, me test-driving what it's like. Like you said, nobody here is ever gonna see me again so it doesn't matter what the heck they think, except in the way it makes me feel. Am I embarrassed to be seen holding your hand? I mean, if that's a problem, then I'm gonna have issues, you know? But if I can walk down the street holding your hand or resting my hand on yours while we eat lunch in a crowded restaurant and not give a damn if people are staring, then maybe…" Katrina explained.

"That is a part of what I was talking about it when I suggested this week together," I admitted. "To be fair, this is probably the world's easiest city to actually be out and proud in, but still…"

"I know," Katrina said with a wry smile. "And don't think I haven't noticed that not a single person has even batted an eye at us."

"If they have, it was just because they wondered how I got so lucky," I said, turning my hand upside down on the table to clasp hers and give it a squeeze.

After lunch we took the car out and dropped the top to drive around to see some of San Francisco's most famous sights. We did drive down Lombard Street, and also admired the beautiful Victorian mansions in Hayes Valley. We drove up to see the views from the top of Twin Peaks, which never disappoint. As the day ended we went to Land's End to watch the sunset, which was actually disappointing. The marine layer was rapidly coming onshore, so all we saw was a wall of cloud and fog to the west. Still, we tried, and laughed about how much of a failure it was.

We went to a nice little hip French restaurant for an early dinner, then walked around the Union Square area afterwards.

"I bet you'd like to see me in that!" Katrina said, pointing at the lacy bra and panty set on a mannequin in the window of the Victoria's Secret boutique.

"Oh, babe," I said. "If you're thinking of shopping for sexy lingerie, we can do a whole lot better than that," I said with a smirk. "This is San Francisco, after all. Heck, we don't even have to go back to Hayes Valley or the Haight. That Saks right there will have a solid selection of hot as fuck French lingerie."

"I've never even been in a Saks before," Katrina said, biting her lip.

"I'm gonna make you a deal. I'm going to take you over there and we're going to find you some ridiculously sexy and mind-bogglingly overpricedf, um, 'intimate apparel.' I'm going to buy you a shopping bag full of the most minimal pieces of clothing you have ever seen, just because every beautiful woman should have some."

"I already have sexy panties!" Katrina protested, but her resistance was only for show.

"Not this sexy, and not enough of them." I answered as I tugged her along.

I did wind up buying her a couple thousand dollars' worth of French designer thongs, bralettes, and so on. That sounds like a lot, but a grand only bought three pairs of panties, so it still really only added up to one mid-sized bag. Katrina wouldn't let me peek in the dressing room while she was trying them on, to my dismay, but I could wait. With any luck at all I'd be peeling them off her soon.

Katrina still wasn't ready for sex that night, but we did cuddle and kiss quite a bit in bed. The kissing got me pretty well worked up, but there was no way I was going to pressure her into anything she wasn't ready for.

After our make-out session, Katrina once again used my shoulder as a pillow, with my arm holding her against my side. She was idly stroking the bare skin of my belly and ribs. It seemed as if she wanted to say something, but just couldn't find the words, so I gave her the metaphorical space she needed.

"I'm sorry I'm not ready yet," she finally said.

"Don't be," I told her, capturing her hand with mine and bringing it up so I could kiss her palm.

"You know, if you'd spent the night with me in my hotel room in Colombia, this wouldn't have been so hard. I guess what I mean to say is that if it was just a hookup, it would be easy. We'd come back from partying, get naked and you'd show me what girl sex is all about, and that'd be that. Or maybe we'd spend all our nights together when we were both in Cartagena, and I could tell my besties that I've got this crazy thing going, but we just both know it's a booty call situation… But this…" she said, trailing off.

I kissed her palm again and put her hand back on my rib cage where it had been, but Katrina slid it up and cupped the bottom of my breast.

"You're not asking me for just some hot sex, and then the walk of shame in the morning. That's what's making this so hard for me. You're asking me for more than that."

"I am," I agreed. "I don't want a quick fuck. Don't get me wrong- I think you're extremely sexually attractive and I'd love to get all hot and sweaty with you, but that isn't all I want. I want more than just that."

"I'm trying," Katrina said, finally fully palming my boob.

"Has it been a hardship?" I asked.

"No! No, that isn't what I meant," she protested. "I meant I'm really trying to think about what it would mean for both of us to, you know, be in a real relationship. That's the part I'm still trying to figure out." After a thoughtful moment, she added, "Today was good. Like, really good, actually. Thank you for everything, and thanks for buying me all those bras and panties. I would never in my life have spent that kind of money on underwear, but they are really, really nice."

"You're welcome," I said, kissing the top of her head. "Thank you for making today special for me."

I woke up early, but Katrina was still sound asleep, so I opted for a quick workout at the hotel's fitness center. Sure, it was all just basic cardio machines, but that was alright. I just needed to get a bit of a sweat going, after all. An hour on the treadmill would do just fine.

Katrina was awake but still in bed when I got back to the room. Looking up from her phone, she patted the bed beside her, so I took a seat. Hoping I was reading her expression correctly, I leaned down and gave her a kiss, which turned out to be well received.

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"What are our plans for today?" she asked.

"I was thinking we'd drive up and do a wine tour in Napa, stop at a few wineries, that sort of thing. We have dinner reservations at The French Laundry this afternoon. That's the three-star restaurant I was telling you about. We'll be staying in Calistoga at a hotel that's famous for its spa, so hopefully we can get in a massage before bed."

"How soon do we have to leave?"

"It's a two hour drive from here, maybe a little more because of the stops for sight-seeing," I answered. "But really, our only actual mandatory time to be anywhere is dinner at four."

"Dinner at four in the afternoon?" Katrina asked. "Why so early?"

"It takes three to four hours to eat dinner, that's why," I said. "Remember that whole 'rich people eat slowly' thing?"

"Crazy," Katrina said, shaking her head.

"So, to answer your question, we take off when we take off. So let me take my shower, then you can take yours. We go downstairs for breakfast, then check out and hit the road."

"You don't want to shower together?" Katrina asked coyly.

"Oh, I absolutely do. Soapy time is good time," I replied with a smile. "But that's up to you. Our sexy time scheduling is entirely up to you."

Letting out a breath, Katrina said, "Give me five minutes to use the bathroom and get the shower going, then you can come in and join me."

"That sounds like an excellent plan," I said, pleased that she seemed to have taken the next step as far as our relationship was concerned.

When Katrina called out that she was ready it took me almost no time at all to join her in the suite's glass shower stall, since I'd already ditched my sweaty workout clothes. The very first thing I did was take her into my arms and hold her close, giving her a deep, slow kiss. I hoped that I conveyed care and affection, but with no demands.

"Turn around," I said, and Katrina did just that, with a puzzled look on her face.

I helped myself do a healthy dose of the hotel's excellent shampoo and lathered it up, working it into her long, straight dark hair and massaging her scalp.

"Mmm, that's nice," Katrina sighed, enjoying the attention. After her hair, I took the little bar of French soap and washed her back, then squatted down and washed the backs of her legs and her very lovely backside. I was going for 'sensual' rather than 'overtly sexual', and I think it was working. To soap up Katrina's front, I kept her back to me, just reaching around. She made soft, quiet and very sexy sounds when my hands found particularly sensitive spots, but again- this wasn't about the sex, it was about the connection.

When Katrina rinsed off, I turned around so she could wash my hair and body. She was a bit timid, but didn't shy away from slipping her hand between my legs and getting those hard-to-reach nooks and crannies when the time came. She followed my lead and didn't use the opportunity to slip a finger inside or anything like that, but she did explore my anatomy a bit, which I was perfectly O.K. with.

Once we stepped out of the enclosure I took a towel off the heated rack and used it to dry Katrina off, to her surprise. I didn't play any of the silly peek-a-boo games that I enjoyed with Emmy (or Angela, for that matter), but she did enjoy the further attention and the obvious appreciation I exhibited for her lovely body.

"Do you do this with Emmy?" Katrina asked as I dried off her legs, mirroring my thoughts.

"Yeah, we've showered and dried each other off for as long as we've been together," I confirmed.

"She's a lucky girl," Katrina said, grabbing another towel to use it on me. "I could get used to that. That was really nice. Not what I expected. Better, maybe."

"What did you expect?" I asked as I leaned my head back so she could dry my hair.

"Your roots are showing," Katrina said off-handedly. "You're gonna need to get your hair done soon."

"No, I think I'm going to let it go back to blonde," I said. "The brown hair was necessary for a while, but I think it's time to let it go."

As Katrina towelled off my body, she said, "You know, since you asked me to spend a week with you- and I'm kind embarrassed to say it, but it's true- I've watched a lot of lesbian porn. Just so I'd like, have some idea of what I'm doing, you know? So I guess I thought our shower was gonna be like one of those," she said.

"Let me guess. A minute of kissing, followed by pussy-eating and fingering?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Katrina admitted with an embarrassed laugh.

"If that's what you wanted, you should have let me know," I said, smirking when she looked up at me from where she was drying my leg.

"I think- like I said- that what we did do was better," Katrina assured me, and when she stood up I pulled her into my arms and kissed her again, but this time it was hotter. Katrina held me tightly, our damp skin tight against damp skin, as we kissed for quite a while. Lips crushed against lips, tongues exploring each other's mouths, breathing in each other's breath.

When we finally parted, Katrina turned to go get dressed, but I caught her with my hands on her waist. I gave her a tender kiss where her neck met her shoulder, getting a sigh as a reward. I kissed her shoulder blade, then her spine. I worked my way down, until finally I was kneeling behind her, my hands on her hips and my lips on her Venus dimples just above her lovely round butt.

"If you keep that up we're never gonna make it to dinner," Katrina said, her voice breathy.

"Kat," I said, standing up and pulling her back so I could feel her skin against mine again. "Thanks for this morning. This has been a great way to start the day."

"Thank you," she replied, leaning her head back against my shoulder. "That might have been the best shower I've ever had."

"Just 'might have been'?" I asked. "I need to up my game!"

"You do that," she laughed as she pulled away. "What should I wear today?"

"It'll be warm once we cross the bridge," I answered. "Not hot, but warm enough to run with the top down on the car."

"The place we're going to for dinner at four o'clock in the afternoon- do I need to dress fancy?"

"Dress nice, but you don't need to try to impress," I said, as I picked out my clothes for the day.

In the end, Katrina went for a nice V neck tropic print dress in a mid length. Sexy, but classy sexy, not trashy.

"How's this?" she asked, turning around for me to look.

"Lovely, but wear something over the top until it warms up," I suggested.

"I don't really have anything like that," Katrina replied, looking through her suitcase.

"Throw your hoodie on for now. We'll get you something after we eat," I said.

Katrina was grateful for the denim jacket we'd found for her as we admired the view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the viewpoint on the headlands to the north. It was a beautiful, clear day, but still only in the mid-sixties and the breeze from the ocean had a little bite to it.

"How is it so cold in the middle of summer?" Katrina complained, again cuddling up and using me as a windbreak.

"California seasons are a month later than everywhere else," I told her. "It's because the current brings the ocean water down the coast from the north, keeping it cooler later than most parts of the country. Our hottest month is September. July is just the very beginning of summer here."

"Makes sense, I guess," she said, pressing herself against me closer.

"I've been wondering," Katrina said as we drove north on the 101. "This is a cool car and all, but I guess I don't understand it. First off, why a BMW, if you own a Porsche dealership? And this particular car… It doesn't even have CarPlay or Bluetooth or anything, but, like, it's obviously an expensive car. Is this one of those rich-people things?"

"I guess you could say it is," I agreed, thinking about it. "First off, I do own a Porsche dealership, but also two BMW dealerships," I said. "I have a lot more BMWs than I do Porsches-"

"You say 'a lot more.' How many are we talking?" Katrina interrupted.

"Let's see… I have two Porsches, I guess… And, um, five BMWs, I think, not counting the race car- no, six BMWs. I used to have an Aston Martin, but I sold that to a friend."

"I have a Camry," Katrina said, crossing her arms in triumph. "So there."

I laughed and reached over, giving her leg a squeeze. She didn't object, so I kept my hand there, enjoying the feel of the warm skin of her thigh just above her knee.

"So, that's reason number one. I do have a couple of Porsches, but neither would have been as good for this little road trip."

"And your other BMWs?"

"Well, almost any of them would have been more comfortable, but none are convertibles, so they wouldn't have been as special."

"And this one is special?"

"It is," I agreed.

"It is a really sexy car," Katrina agreed. "So, you answered one of my questions."

"Right. So, no CarPlay or Bluetooth or whatever because this car is a 2002. I could add something like that, but it would ruin the lines of the dash. As it is, this still uses actual CDs in a changer in the trunk."

"So this car is seventeen years old? It looks almost brand new!" Katrina exclaimed.

"It has been babied," I said with a shrug. "Special cars get special treatment."

"Do special girls get babied?" Katrina asked, and when I looked over she gave me a saucy smile.

"Yes. Yes, they do," I replied, squeezing her leg again.

Katrina had never been to a winery before, so on our first stop we went for the whole tour and not just a tasting. It was a nice place and the tour was well run and informative, but I wasn't impressed enough by their wines to take any home.

We toured the second winery, too, but after that just did tastings. Katrina and I nibbled on fruit, cheeses and so on with every tasting, so there really was no need for a real lunch break.

After our fourth winery, Katrina admitted that she'd had enough for the day. She'd quickly learned to not actually drink the glasses of wine she'd been offered, just to sip and savor, but still, she was wined out.

To kill the hour and a half until dinner we walked around the small town of Yountville, eventually winding up a sort of touristy mall built out of an old brick winery. We bought some extremely overpriced chocolate truffles to save for later.

"Leah! It's great to see you again! Now that you and Emmy have moved to the other end of the state we don't get to see you two often enough!" David said once Katrina and I had been seated for dinner.

"David, this is my friend Katrina, Katrina, this is David Wayne, the chef here," I said, introducing the two of them.

"Katrina, It's good to meet you. Is this your first time here?" When she admitted that it was, he explained how their tasting menu worked and asked if there was anything he should avoid cooking for her. She seemed to not understand the question, so David explained. "Leah doesn't care for seafood, so I take that into consideration, right? So if there is anything you're allergic to or don't like, let me know."

Once he was gone Katrina said, "Are they going to bring menus?"

"Nope," I replied. "David's just going to make us a seven or whatever course dinner, and we're going to eat what he makes for us. Like he said, I don't like fish, so he might make me a chicken dish, but for you he might make scallops or something."

"Like the hotel restaurant in Cartagena?"

"Exactly. That was a tasting menu dinner, too."

"This is definitely one of those rich-people things," Katrina said, rolling her eyes.

Katrina did enjoy the dinner quite a bit, and by the time we finished she'd had to agree that it was probably the best meal she'd ever had. David was quite pleased to hear it, when he came to our table to ask how we'd enjoyed everything.

"I can't believe you're on a first-name basis with the chef," Katrina said as we drove away.

"We used to come a lot," I replied. "At least once a month when we lived here in the Bay Area."

"Do I want to know how much dinner cost?"

I shrugged. "It's only money," I said. "Did you enjoy it? How was the sea trout?"

"It was amazing!" Katrina said. "I know you said you don't like seafood, but that would have converted you."

"The quail I had instead was pretty damned good," I replied.

"You know, when you said it was going to be a seven course dinner, I was thinking I was going to be stuffed to the gills, but each course was just enough to get a real good taste, but not any more. And like you said, it took nearly four hours, so I really don't feel like I ate way too much."

"If you're still hungry we can hit a Mickey D's drive through," I said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Yeah, no, I don't think so."

After we checked in I asked about the possibility of a couples massage that night and was told that there was a slot at ten. At my questioning look, Katrina nodded, so I booked it.

The massage was good, but it wasn't the equal of little old Grandma Ironhands in Japan. Still, it did the job and I felt nice and relaxed for bed.

Even though Katrina opted to sleep naked that night, we didn't do any more than a bit of kissing and some light caressing. We were both too sleepy from all the sun, wine, food and rubs to do much else.

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