"Hey Rach, you break." Liz called across the table at her friend, as she picked up her pool cue. The smoke in the bar stung her eyes, but she enjoyed pool too much to let it bother her. "Good shot," she said as Rachel sunk two balls on her break. While Liz waited for her friend to take the next shot, she felt someone come up behind her.

"Hey baby, want somebody to show you how to really play?" Liz exchanged a glance with Rachel who had noticed him arrive, and turned to face the greasy guy who was speaking.

"Hey asshole, you want me to stick this cue where you'll never find it?" They guy took a step back and looked at his equally slimey companion.

"We got one with a smart mouth." Rachel stepped up behind Liz.

"Why don't you just go back to whatever hole you crawled out of?!" The people at the table next to them paused their game to watch.

"Come on girls. We know you want us to teach you to play." The second man reached out to touch Liz's hair. "Don't you?!" She quickly swatted his arm away, but before she could answer, another guy stepped in between them and their harassers. He was wearing a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes and dark glasses even though the lighting was dim.

"I think you should leave the ladies alone." By the look on his face the girls could tell he was glaring at the other two men.

"And what makes you think I care what you think?" Before Liz knew what had happened, she and Rachel had been pushed aside and there was a fight going on. It was over quickly and the guy who had stepped in to defend them, and the friend who had joined him came over to them.

"Thanks." Liz couldn't think of anything better to say. It was an adrenaline rush to realize that guys she didn't know were willing to fight for them.

"No problem. You're both okay?" Both girls nodded. They'd been pushed out of the way, so they were fine.

"Good, I'm AJ, this is Nick." Liz smiled. AJ was cute, as much as she could see past the hat and glasses, anyway. And she knew Rachel would be admiring his friend.

"I'm Liz," she glanced at Rachel, "this is Rachel."

"Cool, so you still playing? Or you wanna start a new game?" Liz looked at Rachel, who shrugged and looked at Nick.

"I'll play you. But I don't bet money. I'm not good enough to risk it." Liz said as AJ grinned.

"You're either too honest, or you're trying to hustle me. Either way, I have a bet for you. If I win, you go to dinner with me." He stopped. Liz was wondering what incentive she had to win.

"So, what if I win?" She heard Nick mumble �you won't.' before AJ shushed him.

"If you win I MAKE dinner." She laughed. How could she say no to that deal? She stuck out her hand to shake on it.

"You got a deal. Let's play." Rachel and Nick moved off to the side, where they could watch, even though they were paying more attention to each other anyway.

"You break." Liz nodded at AJ. She knew she wouldn't sink anything; never did off the break.

Liz still had 2 balls left on the table when he sunk the last of his. "You're too good at this, no fair!" She pretended to whine as if it really mattered.

"I never said I wasn't good." AJ grinned and lined up to sink the 8 ball. Liz watched, curiously, as it just missed the pocket. She lined up her shot and sunk one of the remaining balls. Then she sunk the last one and lined up the 8. "This is close now. Think you can make it?" Liz shrugged, it was a win/win situation anyway.

"Does it matter?" She took the shot and to her astonishment, the ball went directly into the corner pocket. "Ah HA! I win."

Rachel came over and they high-fived for the win. "Alright, girl!"

Liz glanced at AJ as she overheard Nick say, "Nice . . . loss, man." She had wondered when he'd blown the 8 ball shot if it was a set-up. Nick's statement seemed to confirm it. But why did she care? She won either way. AJ wandered back over toward her.

"So, when do you want your reward?" Liz grinned.

"YOU are making dinner, so that's up to you." They arranged for Liz to be at his place at 6 the next night.

She rang the doorbell at five after 6. And the door was instantly swung open by AJ, minus the hat and sunglasses. For a second, she was lost in his brown eyes, and then she quickly recovered and followed him into the house.

"Dinner's not ready yet." He waved to a doorway down the hall, through which she could see a pool table. "Want to play a game while we wait?"

"Sure, lead the way."

When Liz was lining up to take a difficult shot, she felt AJ come up behind her, whispering, "I'll help." He wrapped his arms around her to guide the pool cue. She felt her heart start to race as she felt his breath on her neck. They took the shot and he set the cue down to turn her around to face him. And then he kissed her. The deepest, most passionate kiss she had ever experienced. It took her breath away. They broke apart and looked at each other for a moment.

Liz jumped when she heard the doorbell ring, breaking the moment.

"Shit! Don't move!" AJ reluctantly left the room to answer the door. When she heard him talking to a couple of other people Liz decided to join them.

"Rae is really looking forward to Sunday, man."

"Rae is? So you two are finally together? Took long enough. What happened to just being basketball buddies?" Liz got the distinct impression that she was interrupting something, but by then she had been seen.

"Hey," she recognized Nick right away, but there was another guy with him that she didn't know.

"Oh, Liz. You remember Nick, from yesterday, and this is Brian." She waved. And then she saw the look that passed from AJ to the visitors, meaning that they were interrupting something. Brian gave a look that clearly indicated he hadn't known that AJ had 'company'.

"Well, uh, thanks AJ. For clearing that up. We'll talk to you later." Brian took AJ's hint and motioned to Nick. "Let's go." Nick looked like he wanted to protest until AJ glared at him. The two went quickly to the door and Liz could hear Brian say to Nick, "Man, you shoulda told me we'd be interrupting, you knew."

AJ turned to Liz when the door shut behind them, "Ready for dinner." Liz nodded, she was still thinking about what had happened minutes before.

They chatted while they ate, but they could both feel the electricity building between them. When they finished, AJ said gruffly, "You wanna finish the game?"

"Of course, can't leave it unfinished." They got up to head back to the pool game.

Liz took her next shot, and noticed AJ moving to stand directly beside her. She turned and before she could move his mouth was on hers. When they broke apart, she whispered, "We'll never finish the game like this." A smile played on his lips and a sparkle in his eyes.

"Fuck the game." His arm reached out to sweep the rest of the balls off the table, and then he lifted her up onto the table. The last thing she heard before he pinned her to the pool table was, "Welcome to your fantasy, babe."

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