Adam arrived at the community center, gliding his bike to the racks. He felt strangely energized today without being quite sure why. There was no cocky smirk on his face or giddy boyish excitement racing through his gut. There was just an unfamiliar confidence.

There was a very good chance that the moment he walked through the door, Lynn would explode all over him. He envisioned everything from a slap to a relentless, serious tongue lashing. He wasn't sure how she could do it, but she could even try to fire him.

Or she could just ignore him. That was the only thing that troubled him, to be honest. He enjoyed her attentions, not like a schoolboy gaining the attention of a teacher, but like a man and a woman. He realized just how much he'd always savoured Lynn's reactions.

As he walked towards the entrance, he felt inside the side knee pocket of his cargo shorts. He smiled, assured of what he had been carrying in it was still there. Just then, Trevor came around from the corner of the building.

"Hey! Yo, Adam," the always 'on' Trevor beckoned, "Wait up, dude."

"Gonna be late," Adam said as he waved him off and continued towards the door.

Trevor fluttered his lips. "Yeah, right. Fuck me, 'frog'. You're always late," he said dismissively. He stepped in front of his co-worker, smiling deviously, and punched him playfully in the shoulder. "I've got a hot little offer for you, you lucky bastard. Me and Cass were talking last night at the club and she..."

Adam angled a grin and side-stepped him. "Later, guy," he insisted, "Don't want the supervisors on my back today."

"Aw, come on!' Trevor pivoted with has hands at his sides as Adam passed through the doors, "They're too busy with their own shit, anyway."

* * * * * * * * *

Lynn was thinking just how much the days needed reset buttons. She would have pressed it right now and woken up in her soft, soft beddings. Then she would have unplugged her alarm clock and tossed it across the room for good measure. Then, with a smile stretched across her face, she would have taken a pillow and smothered herself with it until she passed out.

Possibly terminal unconsciousness would have been a delight compared to what she was experiencing right now.

"Lynn, this is Zoe," Dominic said hesitantly.

The imbecile still hadn't learned that she didn't want to know her name. Now she had a very clear image of the woman to go along with it.

Staring back at her was a person of the same height. She was slightly fairer than Lynn, honey-brunette hair falling in soft waves around her face. Tellingly fit in her orange and grey workout gear, she stood upright and poised. She could have been a dwarf, plump, and bald for all Lynn cared. What she of course was really paying attention to was the nasty scowl pinching over the woman's green eyes and stiff-lined lips. If it wasn't for that, Lynn would admit that she was looking at a pretty attractive woman. Well, that and also thinking that she was a bitch.

Suddenly, she really did wish she was standing before a dwarf.

After a long, frigid moment, Lynn finally peeled her eyes away from Zoe and looked up towards Dominic. She glared at him as if to say, "So now what?"

"Uh...Zoe...this is Lynn," he said, his voice trailing off.

Lynn searched his eyes carefully. He was still that strange, desperately awkward man who left her in her bed on her birthday. Dominic shifted side-to-side on his feet.

"I heard that this place has decent squash courts," an unfamiliar voice spoke.

Lynn had to blink to pull her eyes away from Dominic. She looked at Zoe, "What?"

"Squash courts," Zoe repeated followed by a noticeable pause where the words "you dumb bitch" could have probably been slipped in.

"Zoe wanted to...we were thinking of using a squash court," Dominic clarified.

Drawing a blank, unsure of what emotion to let out first, Lynn remained dumbfounded.

"Uh...we're all booked up at this time," Olivia, standing at Lynn's side, finally broke in, "Maybe you could go..."

"No, we're not."

With Lynn and Zoe still in a staring showdown, Olivia and Dominic turned towards the reception desk. Cassie was looking at her monitor as if she were watching the Weather Channel.

"What?" Olivia asked. She leaned toward Cassie a little and, with a deliberate tone, she added, "No, I think they're all booked for the entire day, Cassie."

The receptionist shook her head. Studiously, she turned her monitor for all to see and pointed to a blank block of periods alongside the squash courts. "See? Lots of time."

Olivia frowned at her but Cassie didn't bother to look up from her screen.

Dominic said reluctantly, "Maybe we should..."

"We'll take Court 1 for an hour," Zoe interrupted. A smile curled up onto her face and she continued, "Then maybe we can check out the rest of the facilities of this nice center of yours, Lynn."

Lynn did not like the way she said her name.

"No problem," Cassie chirped, tapping her keyboard, "Do either of you have a membership card?"

"I know Dominic has one," Zoe offered, looking up at her boyfriend momentarily then back toward Lynn, "From before."

Suddenly Lynn realized all eyes were on her. Everyone was waiting for a reaction. Instead, all she could think of, aside from trying to keep an air of professionalism in this particularly troubling moment, was that damn reset button. She remained silent and unmoving, save for her slowly twisting lips.

Finally, with a noticeable blink, she turned, feeling as if she were pulling her feet out from tar, and headed towards the staff room.

Cassie quickly registered the court for them and diligently handed Dominic his membership card.

"Thanks," Zoe said, "Washrooms?"

"Oh, that way, inside the change rooms," Cassie pointed down the corridor with her pencil.

"Thanks, again," Zoe said. She turned and started to walk down the corridor. Looking back, she asked, "Coming, Dom?"

He started to say something but he suddenly felt a tug at his elbow. Olivia held him fast.

"Can I talk to you?" she hissed with thinly veiled insistence.

He looked at her, then nodded once. "Go on ahead. Be there in a minute," he said to Zoe.

Still being lead by the arm by Olivia, he followed her towards the community center doors. They passed Adam who had been standing unnoticed by the entrance.

"Hey, uh, is Lynn alright?" he asked.

Olivia strode past him, Dominic in tow. "Not now, Adam," she grumbled.

Adam turned and watched them go outside.

"Adam!" Cassie called to him, standing behind her desk.

Offering her barely a passing glance, he continued to watch what was going on outside.

"Adam, can we talk later on?"

Without a reply, he followed Olivia and Dominic back outside.

* * * * * * * * *

After walking a few meters away from the entry way, Olivia finally released Dominic's arm with a noticeable shove. She stood between him and the center. The height difference didn't seem as obvious as she stared him down like a pitbull.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she started into him immediately.

Dominic held out his palm past her head. "I couldn't help it. We were driving in the neighborhood."

"Couldn't you have gone to your club or something?"

"It wasn't my choice," he insisted, "Zoe suddenly said to go to the community center."

Olivia tossed aside her hair, scratching the side of her head, and then rooted her hands onto her hips. She eyed him. His voice was anxious and his shaved head was shining with perspiration. She had no idea what Lynn could have seen in him, what she herself and everyone else saw in him. Confident. Cool. Mature. That was Dominic. Not this whipped guy scrambling for excuses.

"You told her that you had been seeing Lynn?"

Remorsefully, he looked away and nodded, folding his arms.

Olivia fumed but she also thought about this carefully. "But why would she want to come to the center? And don't tell me she wanted to play squash."

Dominic frowned and looked at her. "What?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "I mean, girlfriends don't usually want to check out your exes...unless they had a reason to feel insecure..."

Once again, Dominic looked away.

Olivia narrowed an eye on him. She spoke slowly, yet firmly, "You didn't happen to suggest that you might still be interested in Lynn?"

Dominic looked like he had swallowed superglue.

Olivia's face untwisted into an incredulous look. "You don't..."

"I think I made a mistake, Olivia," he said, cutting her off.

Taking a half-step back, Olivia spat, "You're damn right you made a mistake, you jerk!"

"I know that," he sighed, "I mean, seeing her again I can't help but.."

"Stay away from her," she growled. She leaned to the side to catch his eye, snapping her fingers. "Hey, did you hear me? Do you think by saying you made a mistake it makes things better? She doesn't need you. Stay away and keep that woman away from her, too. You got it? It's over. Move on."

Still looking past her, Dominic thought for a moment, then finally shook his head. "I don't know if I can do that," he said, "If we can get past this..."

"You haven't even broken up with Zoe, yet!"

Not really hearing her, he nodded to himself, "We can make this work."

"Are you even listening to me?"

Dominic finally started to turn his head. Immediately, it was whipped back in the other direction as a solid fist careened into his cheek with a stern "crack". Stars filled his eyes and the next thing he knew, he was crumpled on his butt on the hot sidewalk. His jaw slack, and his eyes spinning in different directions, it took him a long moment to figure out which way was up.

Olivia stood over him, a muted look of surprise on her face. Dominic managed to notice that her fists were clenched. The woman sure packed a wallop, he thought in between the short blackouts.

"Ow! Fuck! Merde!" Adam howled off to the side. Hunched over, he held his wrist and shook his hand. He had never hit a guy like that before. It hurt like hell.

It also felt great.

* * * * * * * * *

As soon as she was through the staff doors, Lynn ran into Marek holding out a clipboard before her. She stumbled to a stop, closed her eyes and breathed, "Go away, Marek."

"They just dropped off some equipment in the back," he went on ignoring her plea. He tilted his glasses toward the clipboard, "I'm gonna need time to do the inventory."

"Fine," Lynn replied and side-stepped him, "Go ahead."

"But my shift is almost done in 30 minutes."

"Then do it tomorrow," she grumbled, marching to her desk.

"I'm not in tomorrow."

Lynn fell into her chair and buried her fingers in her hair. She looked up and shot bolts at the young, oblivious staff member. "So do it now! I don't care! Do it until you're done, alright?"

"There's not enough time..."

"Marek! Get out!" she yelled, her entire face and neck flushed red.

He stared back blankly before grudgingly turning and pushing his way out the door. "What a bitch," he muttered.

"I'm not a...," Lynn called towards the door as it closed on her. She shook her head dejectedly and mumbled, "God, I am a bitch."

Alone she fumed. She couldn't believe it . She should have gone off like a bomb on both of them. It would have felt so good. She should march right into the squash court and throw the witch down, make her feel really welcome to the "nice center". She was sure she could take her. Hell, she could kick Dominic's teeth in for good measure, too.

Lynn leaned back in her chair, rolling her eyes to the ceiling, letting out an agonized groan. This was no good. There was no way she was going to be able to do any work today.

"Personal day, " she declared. She grabbed her bag and headed for the exit.

* * * * * * * * *

"Are you okay?" Olivia asked.

Dominic mumbled incoherently, still groggy and still on the ground.

"I'm not talking to you," she corrected.

Adam stood upright, still shaking his hand out, sucking a long breath of air through clenched teeth. "Yeah," he nodded, "Want me to hit him again?"

Olivia pause d unexpected ly. Unsure if she should tend to the fallen Dominic or let Adam take another swing at him, her decision was interrupted as Lynn's sedan drove out from the back of the community center.

"Lynn!" Olivia spun around and called out to her in vain.

Firming his jaw, Adam ran over to his bike and pulled it off the rack.

"Adam!" Olivia shouted, once again in a futile effort as he quickly broke into a sprint, chasing after the car.

One hand on her hip, Olivia rubbed her head contemplating if she had a next move. Dominic, shifted on his seat and grunted painfully.

"Oh, shut up," she said, dismissively.

Just behind the glass doors of the community center entrance, Cassie stood quietly observing the whole situation.

Juan came up behind her, tapping her on the shoulder. "Hey, Cass. Something up?"

Still looking out the window, she simply replied, "I don't know."

* * * * * * * *

Lynn dragged herself into her apartment feeling completely spent. She shut her door and leaned back, thumping her head against it. She felt so antsy, like her skin was crawling. Today, she did notice that her air-conditioning wasn't working, the heat hanging in the air. It was days like this she wished she didn't live on the ground floor of the building. If her windows and backdoor hadn't backed onto the ground level of the complex's garden, she could leave them both open while she was out.

Feeling exhausted and frustrated, she simply sank into her sofa, surrendering to the heat. She curled up like a cat, hugging a cushion in her arms and stared blankly ahead.

She sighed. Much to her surprise , she realized she had calmed down rather quickly, all things considered. Sure, she didn't feel spent , but she also hadn't let one tear drop. In fact, she never cried once during this whole ordeal starting with the night Dominic had just left her hanging. Her eyes had gone red, they swelled with tears, but the dams never burst. That was something to be proud of, she thought.

"Yay, for vodka coolers," she chimed. She hugged the cushion a little tighter as she caught herself chuckling softly.

"This must be the feeling stupid and silly stage," she mocked. So Dominic and his girlfriend dropped by the community center. So what? She managed to keep it together in front of them no matter how much Zoe taunted her. It was a slap in the face, to be sure, but she took the hit, rolled with it and came out undamaged.

Maturity, That's what set herself apart from both of them.

Now she felt bad for going home like that. Besides, what was she going to do in the place with her damn A/C conked out?

Her eyes suddenly widened. "Spa day," she said to no one in particular, "Massage. Facial. Avocado Smoothies!"

Giving in to that impulsive decision, she flipped aside the cushion. Just as she stood up, she heard a rapid knock on her door.

Frowning, she went to the door, and peered through the peephole. The distorted image of Adam stood on the other side.

Oh, right. Then there was that thing with Adam.

Lynn stepped back, looking aside. She wasn't sure if she could deal with him, right now.

Once again, a quick series of knocks echoed through her door.

"Lynn?" he called to her, "Open up, please. I know you're in there. I followed your car." He sounded out of breath.

Lynn rolled her eyes up and thought for a moment. Finally she said, "Go back to work, Adam."

"Are you okay?"

She closed her eyes and nodded, "Yes, I'm fine. I just don't feel like going into work today."

"Me neither," he replied then coughed.

Lynn asked, "Are you alright?"

"Just winded," he said, "Hot as hell out there today."

"Did you bike here?" she asked.

"Yeah."

God, he was going to collapse from heat exhaustion at her door.

Sighing, Lynn reluctantly opened the door. Adam stood on the other side hunched over slightly, his cheeks pink, his hair and neck damp, breathing hard. He grinned.

"Why would you do something like that?"

Adam managed to stand upright. He took a deep breath then tried to speak assuredly, "I wanted to know if you were okay."

"I'm fine," Lynn said, leaning against her door, "Thanks."

"Good. Good," he said nodding.

Lynn craned her neck and peered down the hallway. She looked back at him. "How did you get past the security doors?"

" La petite grand-mere with the blue hair let me in," he declared with a grin, "Said my smile reminded her of her late-husband."

"Don't think yourself all charming. Her cat reminds her of her late husband," Lynn noted.

Adam chuckled and then stooped over again and coughed.

Lynn instinctively slipped under his arm and helped him steady himself. "God, Adam. You're drenched."

He simply nodded.

His arm still slung over her shoulders, she guided him into her apartment. As she led him over to the sofa, she paused and looked at his hand. "Adam. What's this?"

She examined the reddish-purple welts on two of his knuckles.

"Ah, yeah," he replied as he lifted his brows and checked his knuckles as well, "I hit something."

Lowering him onto the sofa, she continued to hold his hand and check the bruising. "You hit something?"

"To be specific, I hit someone."

Lynn pursed her lips. "Someone?"

Adam nodded, watching her hold his hand. He winked one eye shut and said, "To be absolutely precise, I hit Dominic."

"You hit...?" Lynn dropped his hand. She sighed disapprovingly, "Why did you do that?"

"I don't know if you have ever noticed," he said, holding up his hands as if he were clutching a ball, "But the man has this big melon for a head. It's just asking to be hit."

Folding her arms and dropping her head, she said, "That's just so mature of you. That was completely unnecessary."

"Yeah. And you know what?" he continued.

"What, Adam?"

"I dropped him with one punch."

Lynn blinked. "Seriously?"

With a proud smile on his face, he shrugged his brows and nodded slowly as he declared, "On...his... ass ."

An unexpected grin teased itself onto Lynn's lips. She quite liked the way a Frenchman said the word "ass". Her narrowed eyes looked toward the wall a little left of Adam's head as she envisioned the moment when his fist crunched into Dominic's squared jaw. She quickly shook it off, not knowing what had come over her.

"Anyway," she said, hands planted on hips. She paused, unsure of what to say that could come across as remotely convincing. "Just...don't do that again," she finally said rather half-heartedly.

" Quoi ?" Adam asked, leaning forward in his seat, "I didn't quite hear you."

Lynn frowned, then rolled her eyes and waved her hands dismissively towards him. "I said don't be stupid," she sniped loudly as she turned to walk towards the kitchen, "Just don't go do anything stupid like that again!"

Once she was alone in the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge, she muttered quietly, "At least not unless I'm there to see it."

“Well, as mentioned, being stupid is one of my more endearing traits.” Adam sat back in his seat and relaxed. He slowly regained his breath. "Geez! It's hot in here, Lynn!" he noted.

"No A/C."

“You're going to kill all of your plants,” Adam said, scanning the inside of Lynn's apartment. It was decorated very casual-cool, tidy, dark wood furniture and Oriental motifs. There was also a noticeable amount of well-groomed foliage throughout. “Lots and lots of plants,” he concluded.

“ I like plants,” Lynn chimed, “ They're very Zen. They relax me, and they don't give me lip when I tell them to do something.”

“ You mean aside from the command to 'grow'?” Adam chirped.

“ Shut up.”

“ I can obey as good as a plant, ” Adam joked. He regarded the back sliding-door. "You live on the main floor?" he asked, "Aren't you worried about security?"

"I can take care of myself," she shrugged as she walked back to the living room.

"I can believe that."

She came back holding an ice pack and a sports drink. She held out the bottle.

" Merci ." Taking it from her, he checked out the cold blue liquid swishing in the bottle.

She handed him the ice pack and he gingerly placed it on his knuckles, wincing only slightly. Lynn disappeared into her bedroom and came back again holding a towel. She tossed it to him.

"Please don't get sweat all over my sofa," she said half-jokingly.

Adam rubbed his head and neck with the towel and then paused. "Should I take off my shirt?"

Lynn closed her eyes and sighed, "Just...keep it on for now, okay?"

Nodding, Adam simply lifted his shirt and wiped his skin with the towel underneath. When he was done, he handed her back the towel. He ran his hands through his damp hair, scrunching it a couple of times until it returned back to it's normal, casual mess. He smiled warmly up at Lynn.

Lynn caught herself gazing long and thoughtfully into his attentive, deep blue eyes. Firming her lips, she pulled over an ottoman and sat down in front of Adam.

She drew a deep breath, held it then began, "Adam, what happened last night between us can't ever happen again, okay? Putting aside that the center would fire us if it found out that we were...intimate...on the property, and that a supervisor was with a subordinate, it was just wrong."

Adam leaned forward on the sofa, the smile fading into a stoic gaze as he listened.

"I mean we were both wrong," she continued, "I realize I could have told you to stop, but I didn't. I don't know why, but I just couldn't..."

Her words trailed off as she struggled to stay focused. She had never seen Adam so passively attentive. She didn't want to waste the opportunity.

"I'm not angry with you...though, I think I should be," she went on, "I think I'm more disappointed in myself."

It had been lustful and illicit in the showers. As the moments had passed, as Adam moved from one explicit action to another, she had felt nervous anticipation which she should have rejected each time. Instead, it went further and further...

"But it's not going to go anywhere," Lynn said, "I just want things to go back to normal with you and me. The way we just hung out before was nice. You should be with someone like yourself and I need to be with..."

"Someone like Dominic?" Adam interjected, his brow arching sharply. It was a stiff blow and before the stunned Lynn could reply, he added, "Look, you can't know who I'm supposed to be with and you can't just say you want a 'mature' guy. That didn't quite work out, huh?"

There was some bite in his tongue than Lynn hadn't been expecting.

"And for some reason, I seem to have a reputation as a guy who hops into bed from one girl to the next," he griped, "Have you actually seen me do this? Do I have a truckload of women lining up outside my door?"

Adam was taking swings at a variety of topics that obviously had been eating away at the seemingly happy-go-lucky guy. Lynn was taken aback. She had definitely been caught up in the rumors about Adam, allowed them to colour her impressions of him.

"You know," Adam went on, his voice softening. "When I was with you last night, I wasn't thinking about who I would 'score' with next. I wasn't thinking of you as a notch on my belt."

Lynn couldn't deny how focused Adam had been.

"Tell me, Lynn," Adam said, "Did it feel good last night? Did you feel good?"

Lynn scoffed, "I'm not going to answer that."

"Ah. That tells me enough, then."

"I didn't mean...look, Adam. That's not the point. What happened last night was wrong because it's not what I'm looking for right now. I'm not looking for a meaningless fuck." She hoped her harsh words would sink into the dogged Adam.

He didn't hesitate. "I'm not looking for a meaningless fuck, either."

"Did you seriously thinking you would come over here and we would just screw right now?"

Adam said nothing.

Lynn sat upright on her seat. She shook her head. "Where do you think this could possibly go for us?"

"You keep saying that," he said, his voice steady and firm, "You're so sure I'm unreliable. I can't be serious."

She looked away, shaking her head.

"I want to be serious," he offered.

"I...," Lynn stammered, staring back at him, denying the ebbing thought that teased the darkest areas of her mind, "I don't think I can believe that."

"Lynn..."

"Adam," she broke in, "Stop. I'm telling you now...stop."

Adam sat back. His eyes narrowed slightly. Finally, after a long and silent pause, he put his hands on his knees and nodded. "Alright, Lynn," he said rising to his feet, "Alright."

He made his way to the door. Lynn remained on the ottoman, gazing at the empty sofa.

"Thanks for coming to check on me. I appreciate that," she said softly.

Adam paused by the kitchen counter, patting his shorts' side-pocket. "Sure. Just wanted to know if you were okay," he replied without looking back, then made his way to the door.

"Thanks," Lynn said hesitantly, but he had already closed the door behind him.

* * * * * * * *

Adam made his way down the hall and out of the building slowly. He felt unusually calm despite everything that had happened.

He walked over to his bike which he had dumped off to the side of the entrance and picked it up

He smirked as he walked slowly up the pathway. It was true, when he first broke out after Lynn's car as she drove away from the center, there was a moment when some more overtly carnal thoughts had slipped into his head. With the adrenalin kicking in and the rush of testosterone from laying out Dominic swirling through his blood, he allowed himself to imagine breaking down Lynn's door, declaring his macho feat, and then taking her to her bed.

As her car pulled further away from him, though, he realized how stupid that seemed. As he struggled against the waves of heat the noon sun doused him with and as he pumped his legs until he felt they were going to explode, he thought about how Lynn must have been feeling. That thought was what drove him to hit Dominic in the first place.

He had needed to know if she was okay. That was the first and foremost thought in his head.

Adam wheeled his bike up to the street and stopped. Staring down at the sidewalk he thought more about it. She was okay. That was a relief. They had discussed what had happened the previous night and she didn't try to kill him. That was also a relief.

He reached further back to that moment in the showers. Her reluctance had given way to some deeper passions. She had matched his probing kisses with her soft, hungry lips. She had held him close, pulled him in so tight that he had felt her pounding heartbeat against his chest. Her cries and groans had come freely, never telling him to stop, always urging him on.

They had come so close and he could tell it had taken all she had to strain out the command to stop.

It didn't seem like a rash, impulsive, meaningless encounter. It had all felt like a culmination of months of flirting, familiarization, and subtly building urges on both their parts.

Her sweet smell, her beckoning voice, the image and feel of her enticing body filled Adam's head as he stood there on the sidewalk.

He realized he was breathing hard again.

Quickly, he turned and headed back to the apartment.

* * * * * * * * *

Lynn didn't feel like going to the spa anymore. After talking with Adam, struggling with his and her own words and emotions, she felt apprehensive about leaving her apartment again.

Pulling herself up from the ottoman, she went to her bedroom. She changed into an oversized white T-shirt, and traded her Capri's for a cut-off denim shorts.

Barefoot, she went over to the bedroom window and pulled the curtains apart. A glow of buttery sunlight spilled against her and around the room. Already she felt better and even more so as she slid the window open. It was still warm outside but she could feel her apartment breath out the stale air that had been lingering there since the morning.

She went back into the living room and did the exact same thing with the back sliding-door. She admired the trees, flowers, and shrubs dotting the expanse of the garden. It was peaceful and refreshing and she inhaled deeply.

The sudden ring of her phone tugged at her. She allowed it to go on for a few seconds, not really feeling like picking it up.

"Alright," she grumbled and walked to the kitchen.

Picking up the phone, she sighed, "Hello?"

"Hey?" Olivia replied, "How's it going?"

Lynn leaned on her fridge and pulled up the hair that had fallen across her forehead. "Oh you know...not bad. Could be better. Could be in the Bahamas."

"That sounds like a plan," Olivia said , "Better than getting smashed."

"Oh, that's a plan, too," Lynn replied with a tired giggle.

"Just wanted to tell you that everything's fine here. Take all the personal time you need. We'll hold down the fort."

"Thanks," Lynn said, "I'm really sorry about running out like that, though."

"Don't worry about it."

"Are..." Lynn hesitated, "Is he still there?"

"Uh, no. He left," Olivia said slowly, "They both did."

"Ah, well, okay," Lynn said then paused and waited. She realized Olivia wasn't going to tell her about Adam hitting Dominic.

"Um...Adam went chasing after you on his bike, I think," Olivia finally said.

Lynn thought about it then said, "Yeah? I didn't see him. Probably had to go climb a tree or something."

"Well, maybe we'll call him to make sure he's okay," Olivia remarked, "And if he is, then we'll beat him like a piñata for running off like that...or would you prefer to reserve the right to do so?"

"You're very considerate," Lynn chuckled, then added, "I'll think about it ."

"M'kay. Glad you're alright. Just take it easy and maybe we'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes. Thanks, Olivia."

Lynn hung up then remained standing against the fridge thinking. Surprisingly, she barely held a thought for Dominic except for how frustrated he made her. No, for some reason, there was only one person she was thinking about right now.

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. When she opened them, she finally noticed the folded piece of paper resting on her kitchen counter along with a tiny gift box. She reached for the box first and opened it . Two delicate chocolate balls were contained within. She gingerly picked up one. It was soft from the heat but still held its shape. Taking a nibble, her mouth was instantly filled with the flavour of sweet maple and nippy rum. It instantly filled her with a rush of satisfaction and tantalizing warmth.

Popping in the rest of the rum ball, she savoured it, allowing it to simply disintegrate in her mouth as she picked up the piece of paper. It was a letter from the University of Moncton. Lynn walked to her living room as she read through the French print carefully but she didn't have to do so twice. Her expression went blank. It wasn't a simple acceptance letter, but a confirmation of enrollment and start date for the fall semester.

Before she realized it, her heart suddenly sank.

"I'm gone in a month."

Lynn jumped back, her eyes wide as she glared towards her back door. She gasped, "Adam! Wha-what..."

Adam stood on the other side of the screen door, his hands in his pockets. He wasn't in his typical aloof stance, though, and there was serious weight in his expression.

"Less than a month," he continued , "I'm quitting the center just before summer is over."

"Adam, why are you still here?" she asked anxiously. Her heart continued to pound faster.

"So I guess you're right about being serious and whatever," he spoke past her question as if their lines were crossed.

Lynn closed her eyes as she talked, "We have to stop thinking about that. It's not going to get us anywhere..."

"So you have been thinking about it as well?" Adam jumped in.

"That's not what I meant..."

Adam slid the screen door aside. " So forget serious. "

"Please, Adam," Lynn said, "You have to stay outside."

"I can't," he replied, stepping inside. There was an odd strain in his voice.

Lynn could see the look in his eyes as he approached her. To her own dismay, it wasn't a wild, intimidating look. His mesmerizing blue eyes revealed a determined look , unhindered and tenacious .

She recognized that look. It made her shudder. It was the look o f desire from the previous night , only ten times more intense. It seized Lynn and froze her even as he came within inches of her.

Adam's cell-phone rang in his pocket. Neither of them looked away from the other. Adam pulled it out of his pocket, killed the ring and flung it aside on the couch, his eyes always on Lynn.

She felt the blood racing through her body, warming her skin, blushing her cheeks. She looked up at him, into those inviting eyes of his, and pushed words past her quivering lips breathlessly, "A-Adam...you have to..."

"Don't say it," Adam interrupted, shaking his head slowly, "Because I can't. I just can't."

Her lips fluttered open and closed, unsure of what to say .

"I don't know what else to do, Lynn," he said softly, and remained unmoving before her.

Lynn gazed long and hard at him. There was no cocky sneer on his lips, no wink in his eyes, no playful arching of his brow. He really was acting purely on nerves and a raging heart which she could hear beating as she stood in front of him. Its rhythm was matched by her own. She blinked, shaking her head trying to keep a semblance of her senses intact. But they were all betraying her. Her eyes couldn't look at him clearly. She inhaled the heady scent of the sweat on his body. She could hear the genuine urgency and longing in his voice.

She wanted to feel him and taste him.

It was too damn hot to think properly.

"Tell me what to do," Adam said.

"Wh-what?"

Adam closed his eyes and spoke like he was losing his vocabulary, "Tell me what to do...because I want you so much."

"Adam..." It ached to utter his name but she couldn't stop saying it.

"Je te désire, Lynn," he repeated as he reopened his eyes. He reached toward her and touched her soft, dark hair with his fingers.

Lynn didn't flinch. She felt the heat from the palm of his hand near her face. It beckoned her like everything else about him. It pushed every other thought of her head, allowing no room for reasoning.

"I want to make you feel good, Lynn," he breathed, his voice soft yet rich and deep. He leaned forward, slowly bowing his head towards hers, "But I need you to tell me what to do."

She watched his lips part slightly and move closer to her, angling for position. She felt his hand slide around to the back of her neck. Slowly, she tilted her chin upward. A shuddering breath pushed apart her small red lips .

"Tell me," Adam whispered seductively, " What do you want me to do ? "

Her lids settled low over her narrow, almond eyes as she gazed towards him . Her body ached and begged for his touch. With Adam's lips a whisper apart, she swallowed and sighed, "Adam...I...I want you...mmm."

Their lips locked in a lustful, surging kiss. It instantly spiked their desire for one another. They both wrapped their arms around each other, clinging in a desperate embrace. They melted into each other from both the heat that surrounded them and boiled within them. They squeezed their eyes shut, and practically shook from the forcefulness of their passion.

"Uhh...Adam," Lynn mumbled and moaned, her mouth already full with the young man's probing tongue. She clutched tightly at the back of his shirt.

Adam blanketed her with his long arms and hands, holding her slender body against his, lifting her to her toes. His lips were in constant motion, melding with hers, tasting her. He felt her nimble tongue entwine with his -- slippery, warm, tantalizing. It drove him on with feverish urgency.

Lynn felt like her heart was throbbing up her throat, she could barely breath. A flicker in the back of her mind illuminated the moment. It was the one that was telling her all along that this was wrong, that this wasn't what she wanted.

Adam attacked her soft neck with open-mouth kisses and licks and whispered deeply, "I want you, Lynn. I want you so much."

His words doused her lingering doubts for the moment. Lynn leaned her head back, gulping in breaths of air as he continued to work her neck with his lips.

Sliding a hand around her round bottom, Adam cinched her pelvis against his crotch.

Lynn felt a very pronounced twitch from beneath his shorts, nudging against her. It was an explicit reminder to prepare for what was to come in the next few minutes. With that, Lynn tangled her fingers into Adam's short, spiked, sandy hair and pulled his head back. Allowing a moment to catch a breath, she saw his sharp cheek bones were blushed red, his whole smooth face glowing from perspiration.

Through gritted teeth she urged, “Take me to the bedroom.”

Like a sports car given the green light on a 100 mile stretch of empty road, Adam surged forward with a roar, unimpeded, relentless. With firm hands and strong arms, he hoisted Lynn up and carried her to her bedroom, her legs wrapping around his waist.

Once inside, he reluctantly eased her back to the floor at the edge of her bed, her body sliding down against his.

The sunlight spilled into the Lynn's bedroom from through the window bathing everything in a hazy glow. A damp heat enveloped them but it didn't slow them down. As they continued to share indulgent, hungry kisses, Lynn tugged at the bottom of Adam's shirt, lifting it up. He needed little encouragement to reach down and yank it up. As he pulled it over his head, he revealed a smile to Lynn. It was a boyish, handsome, and gentle smile. The absence of any cockiness in his expression surprised Lynn but also made him even more attractive.

Lynn managed to return his smile with one of her own, but it was quickly squelched by another series of driving, moist kisses. She pressed her hands against his chest, rubbing her palm and fingers across his smooth, muscular body, feeling downward along his svelte V-shaped frame.

Adam pulled away from her lips and crouched down low, almost to her belly. Starting at both sides of her hips, his hands pushed slowly upwards, indulging in the feel of her smooth skin as he raised her shirt. Every inch of revealed flesh he caressed with his lips. Past her sloping pert breasts he lifted her shirt and, as she took over to pull it over her head, he wrapped his mouth over one while cupping his palm and fingers around the other. Her soft breast filled his mouth and he swirled and curled his tongue around her stiff nipple.

Lynn took short breaths of air through her mouth, lacing them with subtle gasps and trembling groans as her bosom tingled at his incessant touches and kisses. She watched him indulge in her giving body, covering her skin with his glistening saliva.

She rubbed his bare back with her hand. It was slick with perspiration. Her other hand dragged roughly through his hair .

Adam's hands slid around the back of her waist, then downward, unbuttoning her shorts and then slipping his fingers under the band of her panties. He pushed them over her round bottom. Lynn shifted her hips and legs as he pulled them down to her ankles then off her feet.

Crouching on the floor, Adam leaned back holding her panties in his fist, rubbing the silky material in his fingers. He grinned upward at Lynn again. The natural light seemed to wrap around her body, highlighting her supple, slender curves and honey flesh.

"So beautiful," Adam approved .

Lynn chewed her bottom lip. She continued to rub Adam's hair and cheek, unable to stop touching him. It was driving her crazy how much she wanted to feel more of him on her body...in her body.

"Lie back down," he said to her, still crouching.

Lynn sat down on the bed and began sliding herself to the top of it. But Adam moved forward and suddenly grabbed her ankles. She let out a quick, gasping yelp, falling on her back as he pulled her back to the edge of the bed. Kneeling there, he draped each of her legs over his broad swimmer's shoulders and wrapped his hands over her thighs.

"Huhn!" Lynn groaned, tossing her head back and blinking towards the ceiling as she felt his tongue press against her slit, then slide up and down. He fingered her folds apart, going deep into her inner flesh and exposing the hood of her clit to his oral assault.

"Ahh-Adam! Uhn, God!" Lynn moaned languidly. It was a familiar sensation --she had felt his touch the night before-- but it was no less welcome or effective. Her back arched and twisted as an illicit fire coursed through her.

Adam painted her pink flesh with his tongue, and sank a finger into her tight, moist hole. He pulled at her clit with his lips and teeth, He panted hot breath on her tender skin. He felt her bare heels dig into his back and he held onto her tight with one hand as she bucked her hips up off the bed.

Lynn's breathing was erratic, interrupted by dry gulps and shuddering groans. There was a twisted strain on her pretty, pink face as she looked down and watched Adam skilfully work her sensitive slit. She pulled at his hair but he was relentless, driving his tongue faster, deeper, following his finger as he pumped it in and out. Another deft shift of his hand and his finger slid down the tight crack of her bottom, circling the rim of her anus.

"Ohh! Oh God!" she cried out, her voice quavering. Her heels locked behind his back and she pulled violently at his hair. She suddenly froze, held her breath, then loos ed a deep groan through her yawning mouth, "Ahh-uhn!"

She twisted her torso to the side as she felt her body release a rush of dripping warmth over Adam's tongue and hand. He continued to slide his finger rhythmically in and out of her, drawing forth more of her wetness.

Lynn's eyes stared off to a corner in the ceiling, dreamy, her thin black brows pinching up and together. Still twisting to the side, her body swayed as she regained her breath with shuddering gasps. As she felt Adam's finger and tongue finally withdraw, she settled back flat on the bed. She sucked in her lips trying to moisten them, gulping in between soft moans. She pushed her palm over her damp forehead and hair.

Though her body slowly began to recover from that exquisite release, she had barely much time to think as she caught Adam rising to his feet at the base of the bed, looming over her.

Adam steeled himself, his abs clenching as he tried to steady his breaths. Hearing Lynn's groans had nearly sent him into overload. His blood had surged to an unbearable, throbbing point in his body. As he stood, he felt his length throbbing painfully beneath his shorts. Looking at the alluring body of the woman presented before him on the bed just ramped up that desperation.

With only the sounds of their accentuated breaths filling the room, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a condom. He placed the corner of it between his teeth and held it there as he unbuttoned his shorts.

This is where Lynn had told him to stop the night before.

But not now.

Now, she didn't say stop --she didn't say anything-- as Adam unbuttoned his fly and let his heavy cargo shorts drop to the floor. Instead, she allowed her desire to continue to dismiss any doubts that remained in her head...if only for now. For now, her tingling body and her pounding heart dictated what she wanted.

Adam bent down as he tugged down his boxer shorts, and pulled them off along with his heavy shoes, dumping the remainder of his clothing off to the side on the floor.

Lynn watched him, her breaths suddenly quickening again, as he stood upright. As the sunlight filtering into the room wrapped around Adam, her eyes were drawn from his handsome face, down his cut, youthful body, and to his impressive lengthy cock, rigid and angled at full attention. Slowly she pulled herself back up to the head of the bed, feeling her pillows at her back.

The packet still in his teeth, Adam tore it open with a deliberate tug of his fingers. He applied it to the top of his cock, rolling it down with gentle ease. Then he slid onto the bed and crawled up between Lynn's legs, spreading them a little further apart with soft touches of his fingers. He curled over her, kissing her flat, creamy belly, feeling it tremble under his lips. Always moving upward, he suckled on each of her breasts and fondled and teased them with his fingers, plying her nipples to strain ed attention.

"Uhh...Adam," Lynn swooned, turning her face against the soft pillow.

She blinked and when she opened her eyes she saw Adam's face. He was over her now, smiling warmly, brushing her hair gently with his fingers. He offered her a series of impossibly soft kisses and she accepted them without reservation, grasping at the back of his neck. The tenderness he was displaying was in bewildering, stark contrast to the bold, brash shaft of hardened desire she felt lower down.

His weight shifting down to his waist, Adam settled between Lynn's thighs, spreading her legs even further apart. His cock brushed against her soft skin, twitching with intensity. Reaching back behind his neck, he took one of Lynn's hands and brought it forward. He guided it down between them, lifting his hips so he could slip her hand down to his crotch.

Lynn felt him wrap her fingers around his cock. A micro-thin layer of latex and soft skin covered a hard, throbbing shaft of muscle. It felt so warm. Its length was as imposing as it was desirable. She caressed it gently with her fingers before nudging it down, leading his thick tip to the edges of her slit with gross intent. She rolled her hips gently, positioning the head, before letting go and returning her hand back around his neck to pull him in for another deep kiss.

They were at the cusp now, second thoughts and reservations about to be breached and left behind for good. Their desire for one another seemed boundless in its intensity as they kissed, held each other close, and delighted in the feel of one another's hot, nude bodies. They were trying desperately to savour this moment, to indulge in the agonizing anticipation.

Adam leaned up and looked over Lynn's glowing face. He steadied his breathing to match her rhythm.

"Okay?" he said, then swallowed unsteadily.

Lynn shifted slightly beneath him, her hands on his shoulders. She tightened her lips then nodded once.

With a purposeful roll of his hips, Adam sank his shaft into Lynn with one smooth and true thrust. His head listed upward slightly, driving past her outer petals from his tip to his base, and he sighed, "Unn!"

"Ahh, " Lynn matched Adam's gasp. Through strained eyes, she watched the look of release and satisfaction emerge on the young man's face. He filled her completely, and she felt his cock throb deep within her, driving in to the hilt.

As their crotches came together, Adam swiftly broke into a steady rhythm of undulating thrusts. Lynn was delectably tight but he glided into her with broad strokes savouring the tingling warmth wrapped around his stiff cock.

"Uhn! Adam! Ahh!" Lynn groaned between each breath.

He felt the woman's slender yet strong legs clasp against his sides, riding higher and higher as the moments passed, spurring him on. The speed of his thrusts intensified.

"Unn! Is it good, Lynn?" Adam grunted, "Can you feel it?"

"Oh, God! Yes," Lynn moaned aloud. She tightened her tummy, moving her hips and pelvis with his.

"Feels so...uhn...good, Lynn" Adam breathed, his voice aching with satisfaction .

His hips fired forward, mashing his crotch against her. He gyrated his crotch against hers, screwing his buried shaft inside of her, eliciting harsh moans of approval from her mouth directly into his.

He followed that motion with a series of quick, short bursts, each one drawing a squeaking gasp from Lynn, before lifting away from her and rolling up onto his knees. Never ceasing his incessant thrusting, he raised her leg and rested it on his broad shoulder, kissing her ankle. His other hand was drawn to her shimmering breasts and he fondled them with firm squeezes.

Lynn had a clear view of him. She soaked in the image of his body glistening with sweat, every honed muscle working together like a fine tuned machine. It was so controlled and precise and a beautiful thing to see and even more enthralling to feel. His face, glowing from perspiration and blood, told her everything. He was here for her now, that was all that mattered to him. She felt that weight of his intent and focus with every rapturous thrust he rained onto her.

Adam let her leg slip off. He grabbed hold of her hips and pushed her back, propping her up to a reclined position against the pillows and headboard. His strokes were long and deliberate, spiking upward at an angle, raising Lynn's pelvis and bottom up from the bed each time he did.

"Uhn! Uhh-hn!" Lynn winced, her stomach tightening painfully as if it were in a vice. She braced one hand on his forearm, the other behind and over her head, grabbing the headboard behind her. She groaned hungrily, "Oh Adam! Ohh! Oh! "

Each time she called his name like that was like a snapping whip to his back side. Like a wild steed, he bucked harder each time. Adam sucked in air, his body pouring sweat, yet he felt nowhere near close to drained. This unbelievable sensation coursed through every fibre of his body, fuelling him.

Olivia hadn't been quite correct yesterday, Lynn thought through her dreamy ecstasy. Adam was not only at his peak, he was exceeding it, testing his limits as each minute ticked by. If Lynn could utter anything other than moans and his name at the moment, she would give him a stellar grade. Each stroke of his cock was smooth and long. Each thrust of hips was precise and strong. The only thing in the room that was shaky and unsure was Lynn's bed, squeaking under the torrid pace the two of them set upon it.

"Uh-uhn...Is it good, Lynn?" Adam strained, "You like it?"

Lynn nodded quickly, her dark hair falling across her face.

"More?" he continued to call to her, "You want more?"

"Ahh...yes! Uhh," she groaned and simply nodded again.

"Okay...uhn...okay," he agreed.

Lynn felt him withdraw from her completely. His cock was slick and glistening. Sure hands raised her from the bed and guided her over and in to position with her on her knees and both hands on the headboard now. As she turned her head, she saw Adam move up behind her and place a hand on her shoulder. His other hand slid indulgently over the curves of her bottom, temptingly raised before him, before taking up his length and stroking the hard tip against the line of her slit, teasing her momentarily . His grip on her shoulder tightened and with a grunt he thrust into her again.

"Uhhn!" Lynn tossed her head back and curved her back from the stiff surge of Adam's cock from behind.

Both hands securely around her trim waist now, Adam rattled her with vigorous, rapid thrusts. His crotch slapped against her bottom, every inch of his ample length engulfed in Lynn's warmth, while an audible "smack" reverberated through her bedroom. The bed squeaked and rattled, the headboard banging harshly against the wall as his thrusts became increasingly more potent.

Rough, raspy groans swelled from deep within both of them and escaped their lips. Both of them had beads of sweat rolling down their faces and backs and necks. Muscles strained and every nerve was alight yet onward they plunged into the pool of their voracious desires.

Lynn couldn't believe how impossibly good Adam was. A blend of wild, youthful verve, and energy mixed with an unexpected confidence and strength in his motions made for a powerful sexual tonic. Her lithe body responded appreciatively, wantonly.

Adam could feel her giving herself over to him completely, putting her trust and confidence in him to appease her longing desires. He wouldn't let her down. As he drove his hips back and forth and felt his swollen cock slide into her over and over, every thrust declared his intentions.

"Ahh! Ah, fuck, Lynn!" he breathed lustily, "So good! Yeah..."

He massaged his hand up her smooth, damp back to her head. With a clutch of hair in his fist he tugged at her, pulling Lynn back away from the headboard. Adam's chest met her back as she rose to her knees. He draped his long arms around her, one over her shoulder the other around her waist, holding her as close against his skin as possible.

Lynn felt his hand groping at her taut breasts again. She reached a hand up and covered his. Her other hand reached up and behind her shoulder, pulling Adam's head forward. She craned her neck around and her lips were met with a messy, tongue-lashing kiss.

Adam's thrusts ended with subtle circular rolls of his hips as his crotch moulded against her round bottom. His other hand slid down her belly and pelvis. He teased and swirled his fingers around on her tender clit.

"Oh! Oh, yes !" Lynn groaned, “ Yes! Like that! Ahh!”

Their bodies were slippery, sliding together with a sheen of sweat between them. Their stamina, which they had drawn heavily upon in the last few minutes, was o n its last reserves. Both of them breathed and gasped erratically heightening the pitches of their incessant groans and moans.

Adam leaned hard against Lynn, pushing her body down onto the disheveled sheets of the bed. Lynn lay flat on the mattress, arms and legs spread-eagle. Her young lover blanketed her, his muscular chest pressing into her back. She turned her head against a pillow, her eyes cinched tight, strands of her hair pasted to her sweaty face, she tried desperately to regain her breath through gritted teeth. Her hands reached out and grabbed a clutch-full of sheets. She felt Adam's hands wrap around hers.

Like a rolling tide, Adam surged into her. His rigid length slid relentlessly in-and-out of Lynn's tenderness. His smooth butt tightened with every forward motion, heightening the potency of each thrust. Yet for all his verve, every second he could feel the immense pressure building up in his aching shaft. He shortened his strokes, and filled Lynn with rapid-fire strikes.

"Ah! Uh ! Adam!" Lynn cried out at Adam's suddenly earnest drives. They rattled her body to her core.

The sheets, pulled up from the corners of the mattress, were damp with their perspiration. The bed creaked endlessly, its weary sounds drowned out by the heated groans and cries of the two bodies on the mattress.

This is what they wanted. This is what they needed. Three years of familiarity, of dancing and skirting around one another, teasing and playing. There was no playfulness in their actions now. There was passion, lust and determination. Their bodies collided with resounding desire. They had gone well past the second-guessing and thinking of the consequences. It was all about the now, and right now they were giving each other everything they had.

"Ahn! Ahn! Lynn! Huhn!" Adam pressed the side of his face against Lynn's. His stomach and buttocks suddenly tightened and he reared his head back and upward, the strain on his body evident by the thick red veins on his neck. Through steeled teeth, he grunted, "Huh-nn! Ahh!"

His swollen cock unloaded a torrent of liquid fire, filling the well of the condom. It burst from him like a bottle that had been uncorked, an unbelievable sensation of exquisite release. He continued to tilt his head up, his jaw slack as shorter jets of jism spurted from him.

Hearing Adam groan in unbridled ecstasy, Lynn pushed her pink face into the pillow. Her fingers clutched sharply at Adam's, entwining with his. She sucked in one long, deep, momentous breath, then released it with an aching cry, "Ah! Ah! Ha-AHN!"

From deep within, Lynn covered Adam's cock with her own flowing juices. She spilled over him, around him, saturating his shaft with her sticky wetness. Her body was electric, trembling, quivering uncontrollably as every muscle and nerve spent every last bit of energy in fulfillment of her climax. She felt him throb inside of her and she matched it with a tender, quivering shudder.

"Mmm...unn..." Lynn swallowed and breathed. She pulled his hand close to her, and nibbled on his knuckles as her body continued to swell and subside.

Adam finally lowered himself down, his body blanketing hers once more . Their skin traded perspiration, beads of sweat rolling down their glistening bodies. He pulled aside her hair that was strewn across her face and moved down to kiss her.

Their bodies continued to relinquish their hot energy in an enduring silence as their breaths subsided. Their kisses were tender and passionate as they remained close and connected, the afternoon sun casting their shifting shadows against the walls of the room.

The rhythm of their breaths finally eased to a steady, wistful pace as they both succumbed to the heat and their own exhaustion. With nothing left to say, Adam and Lynn fell asleep in each other's arms.

Outside, the sun settled into the horizon, burning the sky with reds and oranges before the darkness of night seized it for its own.

To be continued...