Lindsay surveyed her surroundings with a look of desperation. "Anything would be better than this! What the hell am I doing here?" she wondered for at least the fiftieth time in the last ten minutes. She reluctantly looked over at her companion who was still prattling on about taxes or conveyancing or ... or ... astrology for all she knew. She'd stopped listening to him a long time ago. God only knows what he was saying now. She certainly had no idea or interest. She hadn't listened to him for more than 30 seconds before realizing she could live quite happily without ever hearing another word he said. How she ever managed to get talked into coming here in the first place was beyond her.

But then she was always being talked into ridiculous schemes, albeit mostly by Helen. 'Just call me the statue of Lindsay,' she thought sarcastically to herself, 'except my motto is, give me your stupid plan, your harebrained scheme, your ridiculous idea and I'll blindly go along with it like the fool that I am.' She certainly never expected to be peddling away on an exercise bike, in a fitness center, on a Friday night, bored out of her brain and stuck conversing with a little troll of a ... a ..., hell, she hadn't paid attention long enough to even know what the troll did for a living. All she knew was he was the first man she'd ever met who made Richard Bey look like some kind of Greek Adonis. The sudden image of Bey, in a toga, with a garland of olive leaves and a bevy of goddesses catering to his every whim, amused Lindsay so much she unintentionally laughed out loud. Surprising herself she immediately put her hand to her mouth to smother the laughter and, blushing, looked over at her companion hoping he hadn't noticed.

No such luck!

He was staring at her with a look of absolute love and devotion and a smile so large and unadulterated it contorted his already genetically distorted face into one that it is hard to believe even a mother could love. Lindsay barely suppressed her shriek of terror at the thought she was the object of his affection.

'Oh God!' she thought 'I timed that laugh so well he must think I laughed at a joke of his. Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Now I'm never going to get rid of him.'

Lindsay smiled sweetly at him and began peddling furiously in a vain attempt to get as far away from him as possible. The fact the bike was firmly bolted to the floor seemed to have momentarily slipped her notice. 'If I can't have fun I may as well get some physical benefit from tonight' she thought as she felt her heart-rate rising and muscles she had neglected a little recently screaming at their sudden and unexpected use.

Five minutes later Lindsay realized the little troll was standing next to her apologizing for having to leave so soon. Realizing she was about to lose her 'delightful' companion Lindsay flashed her first genuine smile of the night. "Yes me too" she replied to his stating he hoped to see her here again soon, all the while thinking, 'Yes I'd like that as much as I'd enjoy running naked through the corridors of the courthouse pushing a wheelbarrow of horse manure'. A chorus of cheers began in her head as, smiling, she watched him walk away. She regretted the action immediately though as, when he reached the door, he turned for one last look at his new love and saw her watching him. The delight evident on his face was irrefutable. Her cheers quickly changed into a chant of 'Don't come back! Don't come back! Don't come back! Please God don't come back!' as he appeared to reconsider leaving. She soon flashed him her second genuine smile though when he raised his hand and waved emphatically before turning and walking out the door.

Breathing a sigh of relief larger than the state of Massachusetts Lindsay looked over at his recently discarded exercise bike and wondered why she'd neglected to bring an 'If you touch this bike I'll shoot you sign' with her tonight. 'Bring on the next loser' she thought as her eyes again began a scan of her surroundings and it's inhabitants. 'Loser ... loser ... loser ... loser' she chanted as she looked at each of her next possible companions 'loser ... loser ... loser ... loser ... oh my! ... helloooo baby!" she said before blushing fearing she actually said that last part out loud. A quick glance at those around her eased her mind, as nobody seemed to have heard her if she did.

Her eyes immediately returned to the man with the piercing eyes whose face and body she is sure was designed, not only for her enjoyment, but for her lavish attention too. Suddenly the chant of "over here! ... look this way! ... over here! ... come on come on come on dammit!" started up as she eagerly watched him scan the room. Eventually his eyes met with hers where they paused, and she is positive they also twinkled. Mind you her judgement may have been slightly impaired, as at the same time, she seemed to have also lost the ability to feel her legs. Legs that were now peddling so furiously she was feeling the sensation of her body flying through the air and was imagining said body crashing into him and wrestling him to the ground where she would ... and then the bastard looked away.

Aaaarrrgggghhh

Her subsequent groan had to have been audible and she swore she heard her legs screaming at her to stop acting like a madwoman and peddle slower. She watched as he continued to survey the room and for one heartbreaking moment he appeared to be about to head in the opposite direction. She felt the scream begin to rise in her throat but then he stopped, turned and casually walked towards her. 'Yes! Yes! Yes!' she chanted and all her energy was focussed on stopping her hands from high fiving and subsequently making a complete fool of herself in public.

"Is your friend coming back?" the dark haired sex god asked in a voice designed purely for seduction.

"My friend? ... What? ... Who? ... Ah... oh ... no!" Lindsay managed to utter whilst mentally kicking herself for being such an idiot.

She received a smile for her effort and to his query of "May I?" she managed to suppress her urge to scream "Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh God yes!" and merely replied with an indifferent smile and a shrug. He climbed up and began to peddle. Silence prevailed but the electricity between them was so strong, Lindsay firmly believed, if she reached out towards him she would receive a nasty shock. Either that or ... but then this was a public place and it's best not to go there.

Eventually he turned to her and in a voice that immediately turned her into a quivering puddle he asked, "So you come here often?"

Lindsay barely suppressed her smile and answered "No first time actually".

"Really!" He replied in undisguised surprise.

Lindsay laughed and asked, "Why are you so surprised?"

"No it's just you..." he paused and looked over at Lindsay allowing his eyes to roam slowly over her body not once but twice before reconnecting with hers and saying "you look ... like you work out."

Lindsay smiled and faintly blushed "I do ... sometimes ... I have been known to ... jog ... but this ... this isn't really my scene."

"So why are you here tonight then? Looking for company?"

Lindsay snorted before replying "Hardly! No a client gave me a free pass so I thought I'd check the place out."

"A client?" he asked suggestively to which she gave him a stern look and indignantly replied.

"I'm a lawyer!"

"Oh"

"Yes and I represented the owner of this place in a small legal matter" Lindsay said, before she leaned over towards him and whispered conspiratorially "but I really shouldn't be telling you that."

He laughed and swore himself to secrecy. They continued peddling in silence before he turned and said "A lawyer hey? I would never have picked you for a lawyer."

"Oh and why not?" Lindsay asked a little piqued.

"You just don't look like the lawyerly type."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's just ... you look like ... like you know how to have fun."

"Lawyers can have fun too you know."

"You ought to know."

'Oh I do know' Lindsay thought to herself as she fondly and vividly recalled the last time she had had "fun". Eventually she tore herself away from her reminiscing and stole a glance at her new companion. He was watching her with at least as much love and adoration as the troll but on him the look was spectacular. He smiled as he caught her eye and said,

"You're not thinking about the law now are you?"

Lindsay laughed "Maybe I am. Maybe I'm 'really' dedicated."

He looked at her challengingly and said "or maybe you're not 'really' a lawyer."

"Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt." She replied "I'm Dole."

"A partner wow! ... Actually, I've heard of them. Donnell is supposedly very good."

"Oh he is ... but ... I'm better."

He looked at her surprised before smiling "modest too"

They continued on in silence until this time Lindsay spoke. "So what do you do?"

"Besides hitting on beautiful women in fitness centers you mean?" he grinned.

"Yeah besides that." Lindsay laughed.

"Oh this and that. Actually I seem to spend most of my time trying to stop the wackos I work with from killing each other."

Lindsay laughs "Sounds stressful."

"You'd better believe it baby"

"Baby?" she mouths laughing to herself.

He sees her but chooses not to comment instead continuing with what he was saying "Yeah long hours, lots of aggravation, little appreciation..."

"Oh poor 'baby'" Lindsay says sarcastically "So is this list of grievances some attempt to gain my sympathy? Am I supposed to be feeling sorry for you right now?"

"What it's not working?"

"Afraid not"

"So you aren't dying to take me home and pamper me until I don't have a care in the world. You aren't going to kiss it better."

"No I have a wonderful hard working never complaining fiancée at home to pamper. I don't need anyone else."

"Never complaining?" he smiles

"A girl can dream can't she?"

He laughs "Wonderful?"

"Yes very ... although... " his ears prick up at this "if you'd asked me earlier today I might not have said so."

"Why what did he do?" he asked genuinely concerned.

"Well for starters this afternoon he suggested it would do me good to go to the gym tonight."

"And it hasn't? Haven't you had fun?"

"I wouldn't say that. It has ... had its moments. But that's not the point."

"What's the point?"

"When he suggested it he didn't say anything about it being fun. He said it would do me good. Which I took to mean, he thought I needed it."

"I'm sure he didn't mean it like that at all" he said sincerely.

"I realize that 'now'" she laughs "but that's not even the worst of it."

"There's more?"

"There's always more." she grinned.

"True." He said nodding in agreement before she shot him a dirty look and he gave her a contrite expression in apology.

Trying to disguise her amusement Lindsay continued. "The worst part is, after he badgered me into agreeing to come here just to shut him up," she paused to look at her companion. He was watching and intently listening to her, with a wry smile on his face, "he then refused my plea that he accompany me, saying 'he' was too busy."

"Bastard!"

"That's exactly what I thought."

"Ditch the guy he's not worthy. You know I'd treat you much better Lindsay. I'd never let you come to a place like this on your own. I mean, you never know who might try and hit on you."

"Someone like you for example" she says teasing.

Laughing loudly he says "Exactly! ... So ... is he forgiven yet?"

"Oh he's working his way up to being forgiven."

"Ooh so I'm still in with a chance?"

Lindsay looks over and smiles but doesn't reply. She looks away and continues to peddle before turning back asking, "So how about you? Do you have someone?"

"I've been waiting for a girl like you all my life," he says deadly serious.

Lindsay laughs loudly at that saying, "I can't believe you just said that."

He gives her a sheepish shrug before smiling a glorious smile challenging her to respond. Unfortunately the effect of his smile has left her relatively speechless. She's sure if she tried to speak it would be only unintelligible "um ... arg ... ungths" that came out and not the witty retorts she wishes she could come up with. As much as she does not want to she finds she has to look away as its the only way to encourage her intelligence back out of her little toe and into her brain.

After a number of deep breaths and calming peddles she turns to him and says "I have to go."

"What? Why?" he says obviously surprised and disappointed.

"Well I'm supposed to meet Bobby out the front in twenty minutes."

"So?"

"So I have to shower first."

"Don't!" he earnestly implores.

She looks over at him puzzled and amused "But I'm all hot and sweaty."

"I know!" he says almost sighing wistfully.

Curious she asks, "What's your point?"

"My point is, where would you rather shower, in a dingy, smelly locker room or at home with..."

The rest of his words were lost to Lindsay as his point was realized and her eyes unwittingly closed and her senses were overtaken with the enticing image and sensation of a hot hot shower, a soaped up Bobby and a tangle of arms and legs and lips and... Suddenly a sultry voice whispered in her ear "So have you decided against showering alone?"

"I'm smelly" she whispered in feeble protest.

"That's kind of the point" he replied "and, if he loves you, he won't mind," came the enticingly insistent reply.

With a deep breath Lindsay opened her eyes, climbed down of the bike and as she looked at him emphatically stated "I have to go."

The obvious shock and disappointment at what he perceived as a rejection almost broke her heart. Resisting the urge to reach out and comfort him she said "Bobby may be early and I don't want to keep him waiting. In fact I'm suddenly quite eager to get home."

The change of his face from disappointment to outright delight was so beautiful she found it almost impossible not to throw her arms around him then and there and kiss him until they both stopped breathing. The promise of what was to come once she got him home however managed to keep her under a semblance of control. Their eyes met and in silent agreement they agreed to hurry. The time for fun and games was over. Or maybe that should be the time for fun was just beginning.

She turned and left him, resisting the urge to sprint to the locker room for her bag and jacket, hoping she presented the image of a cool, calm and collected woman when on the inside she was as excited and giddy as a child let loose in a toyshop. No toy she'd previously owned had ever provided as much joy and contentment as that which she was planning on playing with tonight. Luscious images filled her head as she hastily collected her things and prepared to wait for Bobby outside. She wondered about his emotions. Was he as much on edge as she? She hoped so. If the look on his face when she left him was any indication he too was ready to explode. Tonight was going to be incredible.



Smiling to herself Lindsay stepped out into the cold night air to see Bobby standing on the footpath waiting for her. As his attention was momentarily diverted by the screech of brakes of a near collision and the resulting heated argument he failed to notice her arrival. Lindsay's smile broadened as she watched him and thought to herself 'mine all mine'. The sudden chill of the air quickly reminded her she had better things to do than stand there watching him from a distance. With each step towards him she took the temperature seemed to rise a couple of degrees. When she wrapped her arms around his waist and nestled her chin between his shoulder-blades not an inch of her body felt the chill of the bitter winter wind. Although unable to see his face she swore she felt his smile spread throughout his body and knew it perfectly matched hers in intensity.

"Hey you" he whispered before turning to look at her and saying with a leer "been behaving yourself?"

Lindsay with the most innocent face she could possibly portray without laughing replied "Why of course ... I mean, Bobby, what mischief could I possibly get up to in a fitness center?"

Laughing Bobby leaned in towards her. Lindsay felt the pleasant throb of excitement pulse throughout her body as she anticipated his mouth capturing hers. She watched with joy his lips descending to hers anticipating their warmth against hers. Her eyes closed a mili-second before the expected contact only to open again almost immediately in astonishment as she realized they had passed her by. His face and glorious mouth had moved past hers until his entire body was almost wrapped around her completely. His body covered hers, his arms held her tight and his chin rested on her shoulder. Before she had time to release the groan of disappointment rising in her because of the missed anticipated kiss, Bobby, sniffed long and deep, the sound and sensation of which turned Lindsay's legs to jelly and sent a pulsating heat throughout her entire body.

He then whispered deeply in a voice that rippled through her "mmm ... someone needs a shower."

In an extremely half hearted effort, as she knew full well it was only his arms holding her securely to him keeping her upright, Lindsay's hand rose to his chest and attempted to push him away. Although wanting to say his name in a stern and disapproving tone, Lindsay bit down on her lip, knowing any attempt to speak would only result in a rather embarrassingly breathless moan. Hating him for reducing her to this state and loving him because he so easily could, she held on tight, and willed her body to come back under her control. Willed it to ignore the warm sensuous heat nuzzling into her neck and pressing firmly against her. When finally feeling confident enough to speak she stated emphatically,

"I hate you!"

Unfortunately it came out in an erotic purr which delighted Bobby to no end. Definitely not the effect she was going for. He chuckled as he raised his mouth to hers and whispered "I know" before finally kissing her as she had anticipated being kissed earlier.

The kiss reminded her why her previous statement was so wrong. It also reminded them both they had somewhere far more important to be than a crowded city pavement on a Friday night. They broke slowly apart, resting their foreheads together as they struggled to regain control of their breathing.

"Let's go home." Bobby eventually said and Lindsay was delighted to hear a catch in his voice proving he was just as affected as she.

Hand in hand they turned to walk the block to their car. A couple of steps away from the car and to Bobby's amusement Lindsay stifled a laugh.

"What?" he asked curiously.

"Nothing ... it's nothing at all" Lindsay replied wishing she could stop finding herself so amusing and laughing at inopportune moments.

Bobby stopped, pulling her to a stop too, giving her arm a little tug he pleaded "Tell me!"

She looked up at him and saw the intensity with which he wanted her and the smile on her face grew until she couldn't resist laughing one short quick laugh just from the sheer joy of being here with him. Grabbing his arm and wrapping both of hers around it she looked him in the eyes as she kissed his shoulder and cuddled into him before stating "It's nothing I was just thinking."

"About?" he encouraged when it appeared she wasn't going to elaborate.

Sighing in resignation of having to explain she said, rubbing his arm affectionately, and leading him towards the car "I was just thinking ... Bobby it's lucky we worked together first."

Although not disagreeing with the sentiment Bobby didn't understand her point and asked "Lucky how? ... Or should I say why?"

"Well..." Lindsay began hesitantly "Lucky because if I didn't know you first ... if we'd just met at a bar or a party or ... something ... Bobby, with lines like yours you never would have got to first base."

Bobby could think of no reply. He stood with eyes and mouth opened wide in astonishment.

Lindsay continued, enjoying herself as its not often she got to see that look on Bobby. "Actually that's not entirely true." Bobby's mouth began to form a grin "Your face probably would have bought you five minutes Bobby ... but after that, with nothing to back up the face, we never would have stood a chance."

The grin that had begun fell away quickly and Bobby eyed her seriously for a moment too long for Lindsay's comfort. She quickly began to regret her comments fearing Bobby had taken them way too seriously. She was about to reach out and stroke his dented ego when he suddenly moved forward trapping her between his hard body and their car.

With his mouth against her ear and a voice that left her in no doubt as to his intentions he said "Tomorrow night! Casey's bar! I'll use my best lines! And we'll just see how many bases I cover." Pulling away as abruptly as he had moved forward Bobby left Lindsay a trembling mass of arousal as he walked around to the drivers side of the car.

Slowly turning around Lindsay's eyes met his over the roof of the car. His grin was contagious and before they knew it they were both laughing as they climbed into the car.