StarIQ.com's Cosmic Correspondent Kim Rogers-Gallagher has been invited to the planets' secret hangout. She's the first astrologer to enter this starry domain, and reports regularly on her findings there.

Cosmic Café 48:
More Intrigue With Mars in Scorpio

It took several hours before I was able to even think about leaving the Café. Fire engines and emergency vehicles lined the block, making it impossible to even walk on the street, much less drive on it. By the time I was ready to go, I was also pretty darned buzzed. My companions had seen to it that my champagne glass was never empty. And what a team to do it! Mars in desire-driven Scorpio, Neptune, the purveyor of altered states and Venus in impulsive Aries.

Since I'd never had so much as a speeding ticket in the past, I wasn't keen on driving in that condition—but with Mars still in his sexy Scorpionic mood, I didn't want to spend the night at the Café, either. My own "respectable" Venus in Capricorn knew better than to cross that line of intimacy with anyone who seemed dangerous, and although I have Mars in Scorpio in my birth chart, I had to admit the sexual energy he was putting out felt anything but safe.

Mars in any sign is a scary kind of guy. War, after all, is his business. Dressed in Scorpionic black, however, he isn't just a warrior. He's as well armed as James Bond, as shrewd as a politician and a master at interpreting body language. Mars in Scorpio knows how to use reflections to watch what's going on in the room. It knows what someone is saying, whether or not the words are clear, by the tone of their voice. In short, Mars in Scorpio is equal parts detective, analyst and assassin. So when he smiled at Venus and me and asked if we wanted to play a game, I knew better than to take him up on it. I sipped my champagne slowly, then asked, "What kind of game?"

He pretended to be hurt. "You don't trust me? I can't believe it. I'm crushed. Absolutely crushed."

Ah, yes. Another Scorpio tactic—and one I was also wise to. "Oh, yes, I'm sure you are." I rolled my eyes and tried not to return the look he was sending me through the mirror across from us.

"Truth or dare," he finally answered.

Uh oh. That was one game I really didn't want to play with Mars in Scorpio. God/dess only knew what he'd ask, or what he'd conjure up for a dare. "No way," I said. "Forget about it."

"Oh, come on," he said, a distinctly seductive tone in his voice. "I'll even let you girls go first."

Venus giggled nervously, and we exchanged glances. "You do what you want to do, girlfriend," I said, "but I'm not going anywhere near this one." In Aries, she was ready for anything—truth, dare or otherwise. There was nothing she wouldn't do to impress her beloved with her bravery.

"Baby, I'll do anything you want to do, whenever you want to do it."

"Is that right?" he said, then whispered something in her ear that made her almost purr.

It was definitely time to go. My Venus was extremely uncomfortable now.

I stepped discreetly away from the lovers at the bar and punched "one" on my galactic cell phone. The phone on the other end rang. And rang. And kept on ringing. Just as I was about to hang up, a familiar voice came on the line.  "Hey, babe! What's shakin'?"

I grinned immediately. It was my Uncle Jupiter, once again coming through for me in the eleventh hour. "Well, I was kind of hoping I'd get ahold of Mercury—I need a ride home from the Café."

Jupiter laughed into the phone. "That's probably not going to happen for a few hours, babe, at least. He's stationing, and he can't move. Plus he's hiding out in Pisces. But I'll come to get you, don't worry. It just might take a while."

I thanked him, and turned off my phone. I hadn't realized Mercury's current condition, but I knew it certainly would be difficult to get around, even for Jupiter in fleet-footed Gemini.

Ah, well. At least Jupiter was en route. I turned back to Mars and Venus, who'd temporarily separated their lips to share a cigarette. Mars grinned at me and winked. "Trying to escape from protective custody, my dear?"

I had to laugh. That was exactly what I was trying to do. It didn't surprise me that he knew, but I hoped he wouldn't be mad about it.

"So no game tonight, huh? Not even a little spin the bottle?" he said.

"No thanks," I answered, trying to sound firm.

"How about some cards before you go? You play poker?" Talk about fixed. This guy wasn't about to give up until he got what he wanted. I tossed him a glance that told him I wasn't playing poker of any kind with him. I was starting to get a little ticked off myself, and he must have felt it. He shrugged. "Okay. Fine. Just trying to keep you occupied while you wait for your ride."

Suddenly, I heard what sounded like a helicopter directly over our heads. I listened for a minute, then decided it was probably a television station filming the aftermath of the tornado we'd just seen. But just as I was about to go over to the window to have another look, the back door to the Café opened, and Uncle Jupiter burst in. "Somebody call a cab?" he asked. He handed me a helmet that matched the one he was wearing, and took me by the arm. "Let's go, babe. We're outta here."

My God. He had actually gotten a helicopter to take me home? Sure. This was Jupiter in Gemini, after all, a quick-moving air sign. I sighed, put the helmet on, and shook my head. It certainly wasn't boring being a friend of this crew.

I waved goodbye to Venus and Mars—who didn't seem to notice—as Jupiter led me out the back door and up a wrought iron fire escape. Amazingly, the roof of the Café had turned into a landing pad. If I hadn't just created my own tornado, I might not have believed my eyes. At this point, however…

Jupiter strapped me into my seat, then ran around to the other side and got in. "Hey, as long as you're here, want to go for a little ride before we go to your place?"

I thought about it for a second or two, then remembered the company I was in. The god of travel in an air sign. And we were in a helicopter. "Why not?" I said.

Jupiter laughed as the helicopter rose up over the Café. "That's my girl!" he shouted. "You won't believe where we're going!"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. One could only imagine…

Next Week: A Ride With Uncle Jupiter