Disclaimers in part 1

He made it downstairs just at noon, to see Mac smiling at him. He walked up to her, and pulled her close and whispered into her ear, "Payback, Sarah. Payback." He stepped back. "Ready for lunch?"

"Sure," she replied wondering how he was going to pay her back for her joke. They went to lunch and had a good time. "Ready to go shop till we drop, Kathy?" asked Mac. She caught AJ and Syd’s look at that.

Kathy remarked, "I don’t know. I am kind of tired. I got up really early so I was thinking about getting a nap before we had to get ready for the ball."

Knowing what Kathy was up to, Syd was suddenly tired also. "Well, Sarah. It looks like it’s just you and me," AJ said with a sexy little grin. She glared at him again.

They went out together to look at dresses. Sarah was a bit worried about the payback that he promised her. She would change into a dress but wouldn’t show him any of them so she was in the changing room trying on different dresses when he asked, "Sarah, am I making you uncomfortable by being here?"

"Well, no. Not really. Yes. I’m just worried about the payback that I don’t deserve."

"Don’t deserve! Please. I thought I was going to have to take down the shower curtain to come out of the bathroom. If that doesn’t deserve payback, I don’t know what does."

She peeked out the door, "How about telling people you train seals?"

"Hey they can assume what they want to from that."

"What about this morning then? That deserved more than what I did."

He looked toward the dressing room where just over the door he could see her pull another dress over her head and he told her, "Why don’t you come out and let me see what you’re trying on?"

"I’m sorry, I’m used to shopping alone and I’m certainly not used to having a man with me while I shop."

"What about Rabb?" he asked before he could help himself.

"It’s just that Harm is Harm. We’re just really close friends. I can take him shopping and I know he won’t laugh at me."

"I won’t laugh at you, I promise," he said.

"I know. I just don’t really think of Harm as a man, just a friend. Ok, what do you think of this one?" she asked as she stepped out of the dressing room. He didn’t miss the fact that she thought of him as a man and not just a friend. He sat stunned at the beautiful woman in front of him. The dress was fire engine red with a high neck. It clung from shoulder to hip where it flared out into a soft flowing skirt.

"Very nice." He finally was able to speak.

She smiled, "Good. I like it too." She turned around and it was only then that AJ noticed that the back of the dress was nearly non-existent. She changed back into her jeans and picking up the dress walked over to the sales lady who had helped her. "I’ll take this one."

"Very good choice ma’am. Your gentleman certainly liked it."

"Oh, he’s not my," she stopped at the look of ‘yeah, right’ on the sales lady’s face. She made her purchase then she and AJ went back to the hotel.