After work Xanda invited Susan over to her house to get ready for their dates. Susan smiled, pretending that she couldn't wait to see Howie after their 'wonderful' phone conversation. Xanda smiled back, glad to see that at least one of her matchmaking attempts seemed to be working. Xanda followed Susan home to drop off her car and was surprised at the size of her house. "Eh, a separating gift from Jake." Susan quickly explained as she hopped into Xanda's car. "Got everything?" Xanda asked. Susan smiled as she tossed her duffel bag in the backseat. "Yup!" She replied.

***

Once both women walked into the frontdoor Susan let out a low whistle. "Nice place!" She stated as she walked around the house in awe. "A little gift from my ex and the New York office." Xanda explained. "So? What's the plan?" Susan asked. "We get showered, dressed to kill, and the guys will pick us up. Dinner and the theater I guess. I'm not sure. Knowing AJ, he forgot to pick up the tickets so it'll be dinner and the movies if we're not recognized first. Warning about dating Howie: fans can spot them a mile away." Susan chuckled at the thought of the guys running down the street in horror from a group of ten year olds.

Both women went into different rooms to get ready. Susan was the first dressed. She walked out of the bedroom toward Xanda's room. "Xandra?" She questioned as she walked into the bedroom. "Yeah?" Xanda asked back from her vanity mirror. "How does this look?" Susan asked as she spun around. "Good God, girl! We WANT Howie breathing tonight." Xanda reminded as she looked Susan's black dress over. Completely backless and barely covering anything else, Xanda decided that she needed to go to the gym more often. "Um, exactly how much did that cost cause I think you got ripped off. It's missing a few yards of fabric." Xanda joked. Susan giggled as she left the room to go fix her long auburn hair. "Leave it down!" Xanda shouted after her. "K!" Susan shouted back as she tried to blow-dry it straight.

Xanda hopped over her bed toward her walk-in closet trying to figure out what to wear that would compare to Susan's dress. She found the 'death dress' that Keely had given her as a gag gift the year before when Xanda started to venture out of the office to some of New York City's best night clubs. She stared at the dress for ten minutes trying to figure out if it was fair to AJ. 'If I wear this, he's still not gettin' any.' Xanda joked to herself. The black dress went straight down to the floor while the back of the dress was cut out, clear down to her tailbone. A few strips of cloth criss-crossed in the back for 'support' while the sides of the dress was completely cut out. Only small, thin straps kept the dress together on the sides. The low cut front left little to the imagination. Xanda quickly put the dress on and stared at her reflection in the mirror. "Little to the imagination, but he's seen it all anyway." Xanda quickly put her hair up in a lose French twist and did her make up as quickly as possible, living by her 'five minute' law. If she couldn't do her makeup in less than five minutes, than she was wearing too much.

***

"Are you ready? The guys just pulled up!" Susan shouted from downstairs. "I guess." Xanda mumbled, feeling slightly light-headed and nervous. "C'mon!" Susan shouted again. "No, come up here first." Xanda demanded. "Oh jeez, Xanda!" She heard AJ grumble. "Take a chill pill Alex, I'm not done." Xanda shouted back. Susan soon walked into the bedroom wearing a long black coat that covered her dress. "No wonder I didn't hear their chins hit the floor." Xanda teased from her bathroom. "What's taking so long?" Susan asked as she rounded a corner. "Oh my god! That's illegal!!" Susan shouted, pointing to the dress. "Good. That's all I needed to know." Xanda replied. "What's illegal!?" AJ and Howie shouted from downstairs. "Oh my god, girl!" Susan said with a large smirk. "You're gonna drive him nuts tonight. I hope you plan to give him a special good-bye tonight cause if you don't, I'm gonna smack you. You're just teasin' him with it!" Susan replied as she started to walk downstairs. She noticed AJ's questioning face and smirked. "What? What's wrong?" He asked. "I hope you get lucky tonight cause if you don't...well, I feel sorry for you." She explained as she pointed to Xanda walking carefully down the stairs with her black coat on. "Xandra, I have one question for you. Is it possible to wear panties with that dress or are you just going commando?" Susan giggled. AJ continued to look back between both women, unable to guess what they were talking about. "Oh I don't know, Susan. You saw the dress. What do YOU think?" Xanda replied with a smirk. "I'm thinkin' that it's an 'easy access' dress." Susan stated. AJ looked at Howie with a questioning glance before turning his attention to Xanda. "Okay, drop the coat." He demanded. Susan smiled and nodded her head in agreement. "After Susan does, first." Xanda replied. "No problem!" Susan stated, taking her coat off. AJ and Howie's chins dropped to the floor in response, causing Xanda to laugh. "Your turn!" AJ quickly demanded, turning his attention to Xanda. Xanda shrugged and slowly took off her coat.

AJ looked her up and down before looking at Howie. "Yo D! Stop undressing her, man." Howie quietly apologized and looked at Susan. She winked at him in response. Their plan for the evening was going to work out just fine. "If I demanded that you go change would you?" AJ asked seriously. "Umm...no." Xanda replied. "I didn't think so." He mumbled. "Are we ready?" Xanda asked her friends. "Yup!" Susan answered, placing her hand around Howie's arm as he lead her outside. "Not really." AJ answered. He was not about to let Xanda walk out of the house wearing that outfit but he had no other choice. "Yes you are!" Xanda replied as she pushed him out the front door.

***

Once both couples were at the restaurant it seemed like Howie and Susan were old friends. They talked and talked and hardly said a word to the other couple. When Xanda stood up to use the ladies room AJ stood up with her and put her coat over her shoulders. Xanda looked at the coat then back at AJ. "You're gonna get sick." He explained. Xanda smiled with appreciation as she glanced at Susan. "Be right back!" Susan told Howie as she left to join Xanda in the bathroom.

"I am going to kill him!" Xanda shouted once they had cleared the room. "Why? He's only concerned with what you are wearing." Susan explained as she applied more lipstick. "No Suse, you don't know AJ like I do. If I were some other woman he would be more than happy that I am wearing this dress. In fact, he would have asked me to leave the coat at home so he could show me off." Susan smiled as Xanda fumed. "Can I take a stab at this situation?" Susan asked. "Shoot." Xanda huffed as she folded her arms across her chest, glaring at the wall. "He actually cares for you unlike all the other girls he's been with. He doesn't want any other man to look at you and he doesn't want other women to write you off as a slut. He CARES, Xanda. You should be happy that he's covering you up. He's not doing it because he's embarrassed. I know that for a fact. He looks proud with you on his arm." Susan smiled with pride as she noticed Xanda calming down. "I'm still pissed." Xanda said quietly. "Take a few more minutes then go back out there WITH your coat on your shoulders. At least humor the man." Susan stated as she left the bathroom.

***

Five minutes passed before Xanda emerged from the bathroom. "You okay?" AJ asked as he helped her sit down. "I'm fine, Alex. Thanks." She replied with a grateful smile. "Well, our evening's gonna be cut short." AJ stated as he gestured to Howie and Susan. "We kinda wanna be alone so we're gonna leave early. Anyway, AJ didn't get the tickets to the theater. He 'forgot.'" Howie explained as he and Susan stood up to leave. "I'll see you at the office." Susan told Xanda. Xanda looked from one to the other with a shocked expression. Why are they leaving? "Have a good night." Howie said as he and Susan left quickly. AJ looked back at Xanda and grinned. She seemed genuinely shocked. "You okay?" He laughed. "No!" She stated. "I guess our evening's over." She added. "Who said that it was over just because they left? It's a date. A date is between two people." Xanda felt uncertain about being alone with AJ. At least with Susan and Howie there, they couldn't talk about their true feelings for each other. Another couple was a way out of a sticky situation. "C'mon. You're not eating so we're just wasting our time here. I've got other plans, anyway." AJ stated as he stood up, tossing a twenty dollar tip on the table. Xanda shrugged as she stood up, quick to place her coat on over her shoulders.

***