Letting Off Steam

"What the hell is Steampunk, anyway?" Olivia Hayden squinted at the invitation as she held it to the desk lamp. "Is this a plumbers' ball or something?"

Her friend sighed. "Sweetie, where have you been for the last few years?"

"Not paying attention, obviously."

"Okay. Listen up." Cora rested her elbows on the low partition surrounding Olivia's cubicle. "Steampunk is a celebration of the past...Victorian stuff. Lots of embellishments, fancy decorative styles, frills, flounces and feathers." She stared at Olivia. "You with me so far?"

Livvy nodded. "Victorian feathers. Gotcha."

"Then you toss in the futuristic element. Machines. Not butt-ugly Zamboni type machines, of course."

"Of course not." Livvy shook her head at the mention of the rink-smoothing monstrosity so beloved of ice hockey fans everywhere, but most especially in Boston.

"Steampunk machines gleam. They shine. They open a door into a future that we never imagined. They move; they clatter rhythmically. They puff out woofs of steam now and again, enhance life, enchant everyone who sees them--"

"Kind of like a new sports car?"

Cora frowned and waved the comment aside. "Mundane stuff. No, Steampunk machines are imaginary and beautiful. They herald a Victorian view of what lies ahead which embraces all possibilities."

"Ah."

"And they can, human nature being what it is, destroy as well."

"Hmm. Is there a death ray in my future?"

Cora glared over her crossed arms. "Yes, if you keep making snarky comments."

"Sorry."

"This is the world of mad scientists, corsets, flying dirigibles and searingly hot sex."

"Aha." Livvy grinned. "Now we're getting to the nitty gritty. I knew that had to be in there somewhere."

"What's wrong with hot sex?" Cora tilted her head questioningly to one side.

"Not a damn thing." Livvy chuckled. "I assume you're talking about having it with another human being?"

Rolling her eyes, the other woman straightened. "You need to get out more. Battery operated devices are no substitute for the skilled touch of a lover."

"Yeah well...find me a skilled lover and I'll consider letting him touch me. But I want to see a signed affidavit first." Livvy put the card down on her desk and leaned back in her chair. "You and I both know I've pretty much struck out in that department."

"Doesn't mean you have to give up." Cora flashed back her response with a challenging lift of her chin.

"And you think this Steam thing is going to provide the impossible? A guy who actually knows his way around a woman's erogenous zones without a roadmap, a GPS system and a compass? Not to mention a handbook written by an expert sex therapist and a hot romance novel tucked in his pockets just for additional tips?"

"Would it kill you to come with me and find out?"