"So, where are you taking me dancing?" Gina asked as she held Paul's arm tightly.
          "Just a little place I know," Paul replied with a smile.
          "You do realise everything is 'just a little place you know?'" Gina teased.
          "At least I know places, even if they are little," Paul chided.
          "I know places."
          "Like?"
          "The post office, supermarket, my apartment, the paper…"
          "They don't count? Don't you hang anywhere?"
          "A small bakery just around the corner from work," Gina shrugged. "I was going to go to the cinema but had no idea where it was."
          "You haven't been in Sydney long have you?"
          "Is six months long?"
          "You've been here six months and not found the fucking cinema?" Paul gasped stopping to look at her shocked.
          "Your point being?" Gina pouted.
          "You need to get out more," he declared as they started walking again.
          "I'm quite happy alone on my couch watching movies."
          "Ah, so you know where the video shop is then?"
          "Um no, I borrow them from Dan."
          "Oh babe," Paul mused shaking his head. "Thank god you met me when you did. You might have become one of those sad women who adopts lots of stray animals to make up for her lack of a social life."
          "I like animals," Gina grumbled.
          "Don't say that," Paul groaned as they approached an unspectacular building that seemed to be shaking with the thud of techno music. "We're here."
          "Great," Gina sighed.
          "Enthusiasm woman," Paul scorned as he led her inside past two burly bouncers. The second they stepped through the door the music screamed at them. Gina felt a headache starting already and was tempted to make a run for it but Paul held her hand firmly.
          "I hate it already," Gina yelled as Paul paid the entrance fee.
          "I'm sure it hates you too," Paul yelled back as he led the way through the crowds and onto the dance floor. "You can dance right?" he asked as he started to move to the music.
          "Of course I can, I'm not that sad," Gina replied and was pleasantly surprised when he started gyrating in front of her. She only realised she was staring when someone smacked into her from behind.
          Paul laughed at her annoyed look, "Are you going to dance or do I have to make you?"
          "You can't make me," Gina grinned and then instantly regretted it as he grabbed her, his pelvis seeming to have a mind of its own the entire time. It took about half a second before they were dancing together and Paul was happy to see her finally let go and get with the programme.

          By the time they staggered out sweaty and exhausted into the cool early morning air they were both knackered. Gina had to admit that it had been the most fun she'd had in ages, from him gyrating his body against hers, to her deliberate grabbing of his arse and his copious excuses for inadvertently grabbing her breasts.
          "Jesus Christ it’s 5am!" Gina squealed as she checked her watch under a streetlight.
          "So, I reckon I've got a few hours left in me," Paul enthused as he still seemed to be dancing.
          "Tough, I'm stuffed," Gina yawned.
          "Fair enough," Paul nodded and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I think this has been my best date ever."
          "It's certainly been my most memorable," Gina agreed, slipping her arm around his back and letting out another yawn.
          "You right to drive home? I'll pay for cab," Paul offered.
          "I'm right, just keep talking to me so I don't nod off," Gina mused.
          "I can do that? You want me to talk? I'll talk. What do you want me to talk about? How about I tell you about the weird grey thing I found in my fridge today? I had to get a knife to scrape it out. You'll never guess what it was. It was a muffin that had expired some time ago and hidden itself behind a six pack of beer. Which is really weird because the beer was only put in there this afternoon…"
          "Paul, shut up," Gina giggled.
          "But you said…"
          "I was wrong, really, very wrong."

          Half an hour later Gina parked her car outside the apartment block and stifled another yawn.
          "I actually think the sun is coming up," she breathed.
          "I think you're right," Paul agreed. "Mind if I come in and use your phone to call a cab? I think my mobile is flat."
          "Whatever," Gina shrugged and stumbled out of her car. Paul followed as she sauntered up the stairs to her warehouse apartment.
          "I used to live in one of these," Paul remarked as she unlocked the door.
          "I know," Gina nodded and headed toward her bedroom. Paul looked around a bit lost and Gina gave him a tired smile. "What are you doing?"
          "Looking for you phone," Paul said blankly.
          "Oh just come to bed," Gina sighed and took his hand leading him toward her room.
          "You sure?"
          "Believe me, we're only sleeping," Gina yawned and kicked off her shoes and socks, chucked her jacket over a chair and removed her belt before falling onto her bed. She grabbed her alarm clock and set it as Paul shrugged and removed his shoes and jacket before climbing onto the bed next to her.
          "You look stunned," Gina remarked.
          "Sorry, usually I only get into a girl’s rooms to have sex. Not used to the whole sleeping thing."
          "It's not that hard, you lie down and close your eyes," Gina mused. "Now shut up and sleep Pauly," she added and brushed her lips against his before turning over and getting comfortable.
          Paul looked at her a moment, here was a woman he'd met just over 24 hours ago and here he was spending the night with her, without ever having had sex. He lay down and snuggled in behind her. He let one arm drape across her stomach and dropped a kiss on her shoulder. "Night Genie," he breathed.

          First Gina thought the apartment next door was burning down and there were loud sirens, then she thought it was an air raid siren, finally she realised it was her alarm and wearily she stretched an arm out to switch it off. She groaned and rolled onto her back as she tried to work out why the damn thing had gone off and what the warm lump next to her was. Gina rubbed her eyes idly and managed to pull them open long enough to find out what the warm lump was.
          'Of course, Paul McDermott is passed out next to me,' she mused, realising how completely insane it sounded. Still, even with bed head and morning breath he was still gorgeous. The next issue that had to be address was why her alarm had gone off. "Fucking hell!" she yelped.
          "Huh? Who died?" Paul groaned without batting an eyelid.
          "You have to leave," Gina babbled as she sat up and nearly toppled off the bed.
          "Why? What did I do?" Paul grumbled, rolling onto his back and rubbing his eyes.
          "You kept me out until dawn," Gina declared as she hurried around her room chucking various items into a backpack.
          "Other than that?" Paul yawned.
          "I have a flight to catch," Gina rushed. "So get up and get your shoes on."
          "A flight, where you going?" he asked sleepily as he managed to sit up and locate his shoes.
          "Adelaide. I promised Abbie I'd go to a party with her."
          "And Abbie would be?"
          "My friend, can't you do that quicker?"
          "It's too early for me to deal with laces," Paul whined.
          Gina gave her hair a quick brush, pulled her shoes, belt and jacket on again and bustled Paul out of the front door with his laces undone, jacket in one had and a serious case of bed head.
          "So how long are you in Adelaide for?" Paul asked following her to her car.
          "I'll be back tomorrow night," Gina replied, unlocking her car and shoving her bag in the trunk.
          "I can't wait that long to see you again," Paul declared and then cursed himself for sounding so pathetic.
          "Aw," Gina cooed and wrapped him up in a hug. "It's only one day, you can still have my children."
          "Oh thanks," Paul scorned but softened as they fell into a kiss.
          Gina reluctantly pulled away, "I have to go."
          "Fine, I'm calling a cab," Paul sighed and pulled out of his cell phone.
          "I thought it was flat," Gina remarked as she was about to slip into the driver's seat of her car. Paul gave her a wicked smile and she couldn't help but smile and shake her head.

          Two and half-hours later Gina found herself half-asleep and wandering in a daze though Adelaide Airport.
          "My god, you look like shit," a voice declared and Gina looked to see Abbie looking bewildered.
          "I got to bed sometime after five, back off," Gina grumbled and thrust her backpack into Abbie's arms.
          "What am I your servant?"
          "You're my chauffeur at least," Gina chided as they made it out of the airport and into the carpark.
          "Seriously, did you sleep in that?" Abbie asked, looking at Gina's wrinkled clothes.
          "Yes, yes I did."
          "This might seem like an absurd question but I know you, you're so horribly anal. So why dear Gina why did you get to bed at the crack of dawn and sleep in your clothes?"
          "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Gina mused as she slid into the passenger seat of Abbie's car. Abbie flumped into the driver's side and thrust Gina's backpack back at her.
          "I don't know, were you up all night cleaning the spare room?" Abbie asked curiously and then wrinkled her nose. "Cancel that, what on earth do you reek of?"
          Gina smelt the sleeve of her jacket, and the front of her top. "I think it’s a mix of vodka, cigarette smoke, deodorant and aftershave."
          "Aftershave huh?"
          "Ah huh," Gina nodded smiling coyly.
          "Whose? Don't tell me you finally fucked Danny," Abbie gasped.
          "God no!" Gina laughed. "You wouldn't believe me."
          "Well how can I believe you if you don't even tell me?"
          "Fine, it's Paul McDermott's aftershave."
          "Bullshit."
          "I swear to you it is," Gina laughed. "He took me on a kinda graveyard shift date."
          Abbie pulled up at the traffic lights and looked amused at Gina, "You're full of it."
          "I can prove it, his number is stored on my phone."
          "Go on then."
          Gina rustled around in her bag until she found her cell phone and skipped through her stored numbers until she came to Paul's. "See," she announced and showed Abbie the stored number.
          "Proves nothing, so you've got someone called Paul stored on your phone," Abbie stated as the lights changed.
          "I'm not going to ring him."
          "Because it's not him."
          "No, because he'll be asleep."
          "You're just making excuses."
          "Fine, I'll ring him," Gina said, frustrated that her best friend had an inability to believe her. She pressed the call button and waited, it took a few seconds before Paul's tried voice answered.
          "Fuck off."
          "Gee thanks hon," Gina mused.
          "Genie? What’s wrong?"
          "Nothing, just trying to prove to my friend that you’re the reason I stink of your aftershave."
          "Right, hand the phone to your friend," Paul ordered.
          Abbie pulled up at the next set of traffic lights and Gina held the phone out to her, "He wants to talk to you."
          "Right," Abbie nodded not looking quite so smug any more. She took the phone gingerly. "Hello."
          "Hi, I'm Paul, you might know from my work in the Allstars or more recently on Good News Week. Yes, I am the reason your friend was out until the crack of dawn and the fact she smells like a cross between a bar and a brothel. I even plan to have her children one day. Now if you don't mind I'm going back to sleep, thankyou and goodnight."
          "Night," Abbie peeped and handed the phone back to Gina who just laughed at her.
          "Sorry for waking you up," Gina apologised.
          "So you should be," Paul mused. "I was having a great dream about beermaids. They're like mermaids but they live in oceans of beer and appear to drag drunken men into their beer soaked lairs of marriage and debts."
          Gina started to giggle and Abbie looked at her amused out of the corner of her eye. "You're an idiot."
          "Will you be my beermaid?"
          "If you're good. Go back to sleep," Gina mused and ended the call. "Believe me now?" she asked looking at Abbie.
          "Yes and I want to know how you met him and why he wants your children?"

          Paul dropped his phone on the bed next to him and rolled over. He felt sleep descending over him again until the phone burst into life again.
          "No," he whined and he fumbled for it with his eyes closed. "Hello."
          "You're late," Mikey declared.
          "Late for what mate?"
          "Lunch, remember the lunch we were planning to have all week?"
          "Fuck, sorry," Paul groaned.
          "I'm going to assume you didn't get home long ago."
          "I got home ages ago thankyou."
          "Liar."
          "I have a tiny hangover and a small lack of sleep problem."
          "Right, you're not dying so get your arse out of bed and meet me for lunch."
          Paul groaned down the phone, "Fine I'll be there soon."
          "Be here faster than soon."
          "Get fucked," Paul grumbled and ended the call. He let out a cry of exhaustion and rolled off the bed. "Ow shit," he grumbled from the floor.

          "So, how'd you meet Pauly then?" Abbie asked as she and Gina flumped onto the couch with a mug of tea each.
          "Amanda and Dan thought it'd be a laugh to make me interview him," Gina sighed. "Luckily it backfired on them."
          "You hit it off right away huh?"
          "No, I yelled at him for being late," Gina giggled. "In fact I never even interviewed him."
          "Oh yeah, so what did you do?" Abbie asked with a smirk.
          "Not what you're thinking, we went to the art gallery."
          "And then?"
          "He went to tape Good News Week and I went home."
          "What happened last night then?"
          "Oh, he drunkenly rang me at 9:30 and asked me to rescue him from 'surfie night' at a bar."
          "Good lord!" Abbie laughed. "What happened when you got there?"
          "Don't remember, oh he kissed me."
          "He kissed you? Just like that?"
          "Yeah, just after telling me he was going to have my children."
          "Then what did you do?"
          "We had cake. We were mistaken for a couple celebrating their 30th anniversary." Abbie doubled over laughing. "Then we went dancing for which my head is still ringing but it gave me an excuse to grab his arse."
          "And how was it?"
          "Firm."
          "I meant dancing."
          "I know what you meant," Gina laughed.
          "So, what happened after dancing?" Abbie enthused, nudging her friend.
          "We went back to my place and crashed before I woke up late and nearly missed the flight."
          "You didn't fuck him?"
          "No, I barely know the guy."
          "You watch him on TV, isn't that enough to warrant getting into his pants?"
          "Not in this case."
          "What if you never see him again?"
          "Abs, he's offered to have my children. I don't think that's going to be a problem."
          "Oh dear god," Abbie gasped clutching Gina's arm. "You're actually smitten."

          "Finally, the monkey boy emerges from the jungle," Mikey teased as Paul fell into the seat opposite him.
          "Why did you decide to eat al fresco?" Paul huffed as he adjusted his sunglasses.
          "Because I knew it'd piss you off," Mikey grinned as a small child at a nearby table screamed for no apparent reason and Paul grabbed his head. "So what time did you crawl home this morning then?"
          "Sometime after five, I thought it was surprisingly early."
          "Would you like to order?" a waiter asked appearing and flipping over a page of his notepad.
          "Yes," Mikey said enthusiastically and ordered a large lunch before the waiter turned to Paul who still had his head in his hands. "Just bring him a cup of tea and some toast."
          "Right," the waiter nodded and hurried off.
          "Whose party was it?" Mikey asked, sipping a glass of water and looking at the dishevelled looking Paul.
          "I didn't go to a party," Paul replied, finally lifting his head.
          "Got together with friends then?"
          "No, I drank too much vodka and went on a date."
          "With a woman?"
          "With Gina."
          "The journalist."
          "Yes, the journalist. It's not a disease or anything and she doesn't carry a Dictaphone in her suspender belt."
          "She good in the sack?"
          "Mikey!" Paul gasped. "I'll have you know I care for and respect the woman, I am not going to just fuck her."
          "Ha, bet you wanted to."
          "I got away with a bit of breast fondling," Paul smiled then frowned. "Oh don't make me say shit like that."
          "You said it."
          "You encouraged it."
          "What's it matter anyway, you're not exactly Mr Commitment."
          "Ah see, that's where you're wrong though," Paul countered. "Even as we speak I'd rather be with her than you."
          "Gee thanks," Mikey scorned.
          "I've never felt that instant thing before…"
          "God Paul, it’s sick hearing you talk that that."
          "I know," Paul whined, leaning his head in his hands. "I miss her, that can't be normal can it?"
          "So go see her," Mikey suggested.
          "Can't, she's in Adelaide."
          "Go to Adelaide then. I'd rather you were with her than being nauseating around me," Mikey declared.
          "Thanks, you’re a real friend," Paul announced sarcastically.