Penny followed Chris out onto the patio along with Bear, who slumped onto the cool paving stones like a beached whale. The sun glimmered off the water of Chris's peanut shaped pool but even this wasn't enough to distract Penny's attention as Chris unzipped his jeans and slid off his boxers. He sauntered to the edge of the pool and dove in. He popped back up, his hair sticking up in various directions.
          "What? You not joining me?" he asked, spitting out a mouthful of chlorinated water.
          "Um, I don't know how comfortable I am with that idea," Penny shrugged.
          "Why? Bear won't look, will you boy?" Chris teased as Bear opened one eye and then closed it again. "Even I'll turn my back while you get in," he added and turned to study a banana lounge.
          Penny thought for a few seconds, while rubbing the fabric of her t-shirt between her thumb and fore finger. This type of situation didn't present its self very often, especially in Penny's lifetime.
          "All right, I'll join you but you have to keep facing the other way until I say not to," Penny announced.
          "Isn't that what I said?" Chris mused, looking over his shoulder and winking before refocusing on the banana lounge. Penny gingerly pulled her t-shirt over her head and dropped it on a plastic chair, before kicking off her sneakers. The more clothes she removed the more her confidence seemed to grow. It took seconds for her clothes to be piled on the chair and then she approached the pool steps and waded down them. The feeling of the cool water on her bare skin was quite exhilarating and if she was honest, a bit of a turn on. Penny attempted to block those thoughts from her mind as she reached a point where the water was up to her neck.
          "Can I turn around now?" Chris asked.
          "If you want," Penny replied, feeling herself become agitated that he was actually going to see her in the buff and he was sober. Chris turned around and smiled as he swam over to her.
          "See, it's not so bad."
          "Yeah, it's certainly something I won't forget," Penny nodded instinctively crossing her arms across her chest. Chris cocked his head to the side and studied her a moment before gliding forward and pressing his lips against hers. Penny forgot about her embarrassment and wrapped her arms around his neck. Several seconds later they were both gasping for air.
          "Ok, next time we do that," Chris panted as he spat out a mouthful of water, "we do it in the shallow end."
          "I wonder if anyone has ever died pashing?" Penny giggled her bashfulness forgotten.
          "I don't know?" Chris mused. "Nice way to go though," he added as they moved toward each other again. Penny reached out to run her fingers through his sopping hair when there was a huge splash that sent them both flying in opposite directions.
          "BEAR!" Chris snapped glaring at the large, wet dog as it paddled over to him.

          "There's a computer under all that right?" Liam asked as Julia fumbled amongst an assortment of papers on the computer desk.
          "I hope so, this is all Kirsty's shit. For someone who is completely anal, her workspace is a mess," Julia replied as she pulled the papers into a group and dumped them on another desk. She turned back to the computer and switched it on before turning to Liam. "So, what's wrong with the Franklin business proposal anyway?"
          Liam reached into a folder and pulled out a piece of paper with "Franklin Business Proposal" written on it: the rest was blank.
          "What? What am I looking at?" Julia queried.
          "This is all Megan got done," Liam sighed.
          "Oh please tell me you're joking."
          "Am I laughing?"
          "Well, there goes that early night I had planned."
          "I've got all the details and…" Liam tried to open his folder but ended up fumbling and the contents scattered across the floor. "Shit."
          Julia cracked up. "You goof, I'll help you pick them up," she mused and sunk to her knees on the floor as they both grabbed the papers.
          "I see you recovered from last night," Liam perked as she passed him a few papers.
          "Ha, you haven't felt the fog inside my head," Julia mumbled. "Thanks for bringing me home though," she added as they caught each others gaze for a moment.
          "You were shit faced, I had to."
          "How noble of you and you didn't try and grope my boobs," Julia chided.
          "As if I would."
          Julia smiled and tilted her head as she stood up. "Oh but it wouldn't have mattered right? I wouldn't remember if you had?"
          "Ah, I thought you were…" Liam swallowed as he got to his feet.
          "Drunk yes, drunk to the point of memory loss, no," Julia scorned as she dumped the papers on the desk.
          "Look, I'm really sorry about that…"
          "Don't be…I just wish I'd been sober enough to enjoy it," Julia teased as she sat herself in front of the computer again.

          "Much better," Kirsty perked as she placed the last tin of baked beans into Ross's cupboards. He now had everything from milk, sugar and flour to steak, frozen peas and pop tarts.
          "Wow, I have food," Ross mused. "It's just a shame I'm a shit cook."
          "Yes it is," Kirsty teased as she checked to see how long the washing had to go. "Another fifteen minutes," she mumbled.
          "Are you finished yet?"
          "Finished? I've barely even started."
          "You've bought food and done the washing. What more is there to do?" Ross asked dumfounded.
          "The vacuuming, dusting, the bathroom needs scrubbed, even the dishes need to be done sometime," Kirsty replied.
          "You really don't have to."
          "I want to, it’s a force of habit. I blame my mother," Kirsty shrugged, grabbing a spray bottle and cloth from the table. "She kinda instilled this rampant cleaning fetish in me."
          "Fetish huh? Couldn't convince you to don a pair of thigh high boots and a corset while you scrub the bath?" Ross smirked and crossed his arms.
          Kirsty thought for a moment. "Scrubbing in stiletto heels is never a good idea, they're slippy on tiles."
          "OK, what about French cami-knickers and a lacy peep hole bra?"
          "God no, my breasts get in they way as it is," Kirsty chided and headed for the door.
          "I can hold them back if you want," Ross grinned as he blocked her exit.
          "Excuse me I have a bathroom to de-mold."
          "De-molding the bathroom is more important than some ‘us’ time?"
          "If we indulge in some ‘us’ time then that’s inadvertently going to lead to me having to use that bathroom and if that's the case then I want it to be hygienic before I do."
          "If we indulge in ‘that’ kind of ‘us’ time then I'll clean the fucking bathroom," Ross declared and stepped forward, wrapping her in his arms.
          "Will you wear only your Spiderman boxers when you do?" Kirsty mused as he started to drop kisses on her neck.
          "I'll wear a fucking leather, studded g-string," Ross breathed. "If we have ‘that’ kinda ‘us’ time."
          "I don't know if I'm ready for that kinda ‘us’ time, we barely know each other," Kirsty announced, the fear that things were going to fast suddenly gripping her again.
          "Only one way to find out," Ross declared and grabbed the spray bottle and cloth from her hands and dumped them on the nearest counter. He brought his lips lustfully to hers as she ran her fingers through his hair.
          "What about the washing?" Kirsty suddenly gasped.
          "Do you want me to throttle you?" Ross panted.

          "What's the noise?" Penny asked as she swept the wet curls off her face.
          "Shit, it’s the phone," Chris grumbled and swam to the side of the pool. He climbed out and walked butt naked into the house, the water dripping off his tanned skin. Penny couldn't help but smile, Chris naked was a very nice sight. She swam over to the edge of the pool and was greeted by Bear who started licking her face.
          "Get off me you overgrown Chihuahua," Penny giggled and fell back into the water to wash off the saliva.
          "Bear, leave the poor woman alone," Chris chided as he reappeared with a towel wrapped around his waist. He had another one over an arm and stretched out his free hand to help her out of the pool. Penny clambered out of the pool and hurriedly wrapped herself in the towel.
          "Important call?" She asked.
          "If only, mother has decided to invite the Peterson's over. This means I have to hunt out a nice suit and go for dinner," Chris spat.
          "You're an adult, you don't have to go."
          "Please, you haven't met my mother. Besides, someone's got to stop Joe, my younger brother from making a dick of himself."
          "I have an older brother and he makes a living out of being a dick," Penny mused, Chris didn't look quite so amused.
          "Joe is the family disappointment, the black sheep…."
          "He wasn't good at school?"
          "It's not just that, he works for Greenpeace."
          Penny couldn't hide a grin. "Oh dear."
          "Yes, last time mother called us all for dinner he spent an hour yelling about how cruel it was that we were eating lamb. He then chucked a glass of wine over Mrs. Brampton when he discovered her make-up was a brand tested on animals," Chris sighed.
          "You poor thing, I'm so glad my family's idea of a posh dinner is Chinese take away." "I'd rather a Chinese take away, believe me. Especially since Joe has decided he's bisexual so god knows what he'll bring with him."
          Penny wrapped her arms around Chris's waist. "I wish I could help."
          Chris smiled down at her. "You could come with me."
          Penny's eyes went wide. "Are you insane? Me at a posh dinner?"
          "Give me something to look at," he mused and kissed her gently.
          Penny blushed. "I have nothing to wear," she mumbled. "I guess I could raid Jools's wardrobe."
          "So you'll come?"
          "Only because it's free food," Penny teased as she headed over to where her clothes were.
          "Oh, thought you might be doing it for me," Chris pouted.
          "No, just the food and it’s not often I get to mingle with the rich," Penny mused. "Do you think your mother will like me?"
          "God no, she'll hate you," Chris laughed. "But I don't and that's what counts," he added with a wink. Chris's face went from flirty to shock as he felt the towel torn from around his waist. His hands shot to his groin as Bear took off across the yard.
          "BEAR!" he yelled as Penny cracked up.

          "What was that last number again?" Julia asked as she rubbed her temples.
          "Um…Give me a sec," Liam mumbled as he flipped through a pile of papers. "I don't know…Wasn't it twenty something."
          "That's not helping."
          "Can I say I don't care?"
          "You can, but it doesn't matter as I personally don't want to lose my jo…"
          "Julia," her mother announced as she knocked on the door and then poked her head around.
          "What?" Julia hissed.
          "Where's your floor cleaner?" her mother asked.
          "In the cupboard," Julia replied. "Why?"
          "I was going to clean the kitchen floor."
          "Mum, no offense but I'm really, really busy. Could you please just go home."
          "It won't take me…"
          "Mum."
          "Your Nanna wanted to spend some more time with you."
          "Yeah, well I spent more than enough with her."
          "Julia."
          "WHAT?"
          Julia's mother looked slightly shocked by Julia's outburst. It only lasted several seconds before her mother perked up. "We've having a BBQ tomorrow for tea, will you be there?"
          "Probably," Julia replied unenthusiastically.
          Her mother smiled and closed the door again. Julia let out a frustrated scream. "I fucking hate my family."
          "So I can tell."
          "Sorry, I'm having a bad day," Julia sighed and looked at Liam apologetically. "Ignore my mood."
          "As long as you don't attempt to attack me with kitchen appliances, sure."
          "No, I save them for my Nanna." Julia sniggered, Liam giggled and then they both cracked up. When they calmed down Julia typed in several numbers and pressed enter. The computer made several high pitched squeals and then switched off.
          "NO!" Julia screamed.
          "Why did it do that?" Liam gasped.
          "I don't know."
          "You saved, right?"
          "On the hard drive?"
          "What about the floppy?"
          "Well the fucking thing died, how am I supposed to get it out of the disk drive?"
          "Fucking hell."
          "Heap of shit."
          "What are we going to do now?"
          "Do we have another computer?"
          "Do I look like I have another one?" Julia spat. "Do you have one?"
          "Yeah, course I do."
          "Well can we use it?"
          "I don't have the programme we need," Liam said sheepishly.
          "Great, we'll have to do it all by hand and then go in early and type it up," Julia huffed.
          "Fantastic," Liam sighed.
          "Yeah, well if Megan wasn't so fucking hopeless we wouldn't have to do it at all," Julia hissed as she grabbed her calculator, pen and a handful of paper before storming out of the room and falling onto the couch. Liam appeared several seconds later and sat on the couch next to her.
          "Is there somewhere I can get something to eat?" he asked.
          "Why?" Julia grumbled as she began going back through copious papers.
          "Because I'm hungry."
          "Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry. I'll make you a sandwich." She sighed and got to her feet.
          "Jools, don't stress ok, we'll get it done," he smiled.
          "I wish I had your confidence," Julia sighed, looking nothing short of defeated. Liam got to his feet and surprised her by wrapping her in a hug.
          "If we can get this done, which I know we can, I'll take you for a drink, my treat."
          Julia smiled as she rested her cheek against his chest. "You're on."

          "Washing machine has stopped," Kirsty announced through kisses as she found herself squashed between the back of the couch and Ross.
          "It’s not going anywhere, I promise you," Ross breathed as his hands crept under her top.
          "They'll get stinky if I don't take them out," Kirsty declared as she pulled herself away from him and stumbled off the couch. She headed back into the kitchen and over to the washing machine; she grabbed the plastic laundry basket and piled the various items of washing into it before focussing her attention on the dryer. After several attempts to get it working she gave up and looked over at Ross who was looking at her amused from over the back of the couch. "It's not working."
          "That doesn't surprise me, it’s been threatening to die the last few weeks."
          "Crap, I'll just have to take this lot home with me and hang it on the line."
          "You're going to take my washing home?"
          Kirsty looked at him strangely for a moment and then went wide-eyed. "Oh god, it's been what…Two days and I'm taking over your life. Shit, god…I'm so sorry."
          Ross cocked his head to the side and smiled. "I think it’s really cute. I mean what guy doesn't want a woman who loves housework."
          "Oh," Kirsty peeped. "So, I'm not some horrendously overbearing wench."
          "Nah," Ross mused. "If cleaning my apartment makes you happy, I don't care. As long as it doesn't become an obsession thing, I mean if I get up for a piss at like 3am and you're scrubbing the toilet, I will have you committed."
          "Like I'd let you out of bed," Kirsty cooed as she approached him, her hands toying with his shirt buttons.
          "So, does this mean we can have some more ‘us’ time?" Ross smiled.
          "Maybe," Kirsty teased, brushing her lips against his. "I still want to clean the bathroom and I do have to hang that washing out sometime."
          "How about," Ross breathed and started nipping at her throat, "we set up a washing line in the kitchen. Then we can spend the rest of the day making love. While I'm sleeping you can clean the bathroom, and then I can thankyou in my own special way in a nice hot bath."
          "What's in it for me?" Kirsty asked cheekily.
          Ross looked at her. "I won't bug you while you clean the bathroom," he shrugged.
          Kirsty pushed him away and crossed her arms; he looked at her concerned, had he offended her?
          "So, you got any rope? String? Twine?" she mused; Ross gave her a wry smile.
          "Give me two minutes, there's a shop on the corner. I'll be right back, don't go anywhere," he babbled and hurried out of the door. He returned half a second later to grab his wallet, grinned and left again. Kirsty shook her head and started to sort out the soggy washing.

          "That is so not the right number," Julia sighed and showed Liam the number on her calculator.
          "Did you add the GST?" Liam asked
          "Twice," Julia groaned and dropped her head. Suddenly the door burst open and Penny flew in beaming. "If you've come to tell me your sexcapades I don't have time."
          "Huh? No, I'm going to dinner with Chris at his parent's place. They're very posh," Penny announced. "Please, please can you lend me something to wear?"
          "Sure, I'll just drop the assignment that could make or break my career and help you find a frock," Julia muttered, passing everything to Liam as she got to her feet. She marched past Penny, grabbing her by the wrist and dragging her into her bedroom.
          "I need to look, well…better," Penny shrugged.
          Julia looked and Penny and studied her, then turned back to her wardrobe and pulled out a long black skirt and a black, three-quatre sleeve, v-neck, rose printed top.
          "Shoes?" Penny said hopefully.
          Julia pondered another few moments and then fumbled around in her wardrobe, she pulled out a pair of black, knee high boots "Suspender belt and stockings are in that top door over there," she pointed. "Might as well give Chris some enjoyment."
          "Thankyou," Penny smiled, blushing slightly.
          "Just don't think you're borrowing my underwear," Julia smiled as she left.

          Penny changed into the skirt and top, which by all means was not something she was comfortable in, and then put on the suspenders and stockings. Granted she had worn such garments before but none of her friends knew about that nor did they know about whom she wore them for. Penny pulled the boots on and laced them up before checking herself in the mirror.
          "You done?" Julia called from the other side of the door.
          "I think so," Penny replied.
          Julia bounded in and looked Penny up and down. "Something is missing."
          "I'm wearing undies."
          "God I hope so," Julia laughed and went over to her dressing table, she hunted out a rose hair clip and slid it into Penny's hair. "Much better."
          "You sure I look ok?"
          "You look stunning," Julia nodded as she sprayed Penny with perfume. They both started to cough as a car horn sounded outside.
          "That'll be Chris," Penny gasped.
          "Well go to him."
          Penny took one last look in the mirror and then gingerly left the bedroom. Julia was close behind and took the liberty to check Chris out as Penny headed to the car. "Nice one Pen," Julia mumbled, not sure herself whether she was referring to Chris or his expensive looking sports car.

          Penny slid into the passenger seat and smiled at Chris, who was unashamedly looking her up and down.
          "You look gorgeous," he breathed. "Makes a change from that bloody lab coat." Chris pulled away from the curb and Penny looked out of the tinted window in an attempt to hide her blushing and silly grin.

          "Your friend looked nice," Liam announced as Julia sat back down.
          "Yeah, I've never, ever seen Pen dressed like that," Julia agreed.
          "She seems happy."
          "I think I would be as well if I were her."
          "Are you happy?"
          "Right now?"
          "Sure."
          "No, I'm livid. I do not feel like doing this fucking business proposal."
          "That makes two of us," Liam nodded. "Want to do something else?"
          "Like what?"
          "We could go to a movie, give our brains a rest."
          "Yeah, what movie?"
          "We can decide when we get there."
          "Ok, sure why not. We're hardly going to get this done at the moment," Julia agreed.
          "I'll drive," Liam offered as they both got to their feet. Julia grabbed her bag, set the alarm, screamed at a couple of cats and followed Liam outside. He went to unlock his car when Julia let out a scream.
          "I'm sorry, I can't get in that vehicle."
          "Why not?" Liam asked, looking to see if there was something wrong.
          "The Port Power stickers, the membership sticker."
          "What's wrong with that?"
          "It shows you have a shit taste in football teams and as a result it may ruin my reputation to get seen in your car."
          "You’re a Crows girl then?"
          "Oh yes," Julia smiled.
          Liam rolled his eyes. "Fine we'll take your car, since you're going to be so petty."
          "I'm not petty, I just hate Port," Julia nodded as she slid into the drivers seat.
          "May I remind you that in the last two seasons we've…" Liam was drowned out as Julia started the engine and turned the radio up. He turned it back. "We’ve been in the finals…" Julia turned the radio back up and fought the giggles. Liam turned it back down and shook his head. "If you mention back to back finals I'm not afraid to jump from a moving vehicle."
          "Hmm, might have to test that theory," Julia smiled as they stopped at the lights. Liam smiled back and they seemed to stay there for ages.
          "Jools, the light’s green," Liam mused.
          "Shit," Julia gasped as the car behind them honked its horn.

          After stringing up several lines across the kitchen and attaching them to various high up objects. Kirsty and Ross managed to hang out all the washing. Ross draped the final pillowcase over the line and smiled proudly.
          "Look, we're done," he perked. "Kirst?" he added and looked around, between the sheets. He fumbled his way out the kitchen and started searching the few rooms for her. He ended up looking around his bedroom blankly. "Kirst, where are ya?" Ross was about the leave the room when he felt her hands wrap around him from behind and her lips drop several kisses on his neck.
          "Where'd you go?" he breathed as turned to face her, his arms sliding up her back.
          "I popped out onto the balcony to get some air, man," she cooed bringing her lips to his, her fingers working on the buttons on his shirt.
          "You know, I wasn't serious about that sex thing," Ross mumbled. "I mean you're right, we barely know each other."
          "We're not kids, who cares," Kirsty chided. "Not getting cold feet are you, since you have been trying to get into my jeans all day?"
          "I've been trying to get in your jeans since I knocked you over in the street." "Me too," Kirsty mused as they fell into a heated kiss, clawing at each other clothes and trying to disguise their shaking hands and rapidly beating hearts.