"You all right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You seemed a little nervous talking to the cops."

"Wouldn't you be? I mean, a stalker, Chad. You have a fucking stalker, who somehow completely fooled me for half a day, pretending to be your wife." June dropped on the couch with all the weight of his world. "Now what happens?"

"Now, I need your help." He stood across from her, memorizing every detail of her terrified face for the future. He never wanted to see that expression on her face again, so he had to remember it, part fear, part astonishment, and part disgust. Which of those feelings were targeting him, he had no idea, but none were suitable options. "Last time this happened, there were several sensitive and personal items missing from the house, things that should never leave this house."

He held out a hand. "Help me comb the house. See if anything that shouldn't have left did." He couldn't look at her, still embarrassed by the whole thing. He concentrated on his hand instead, wondering how her hand would feel in his. Would she take it? He hoped she would take it. It was a simple way to hide his wants, and he wanted nothing more than to feel her hand safe in his. Like he could do this, protect her if it came to that.

"Chad? You coming?" She startled him, already waiting by the foot of the stairs. She hadn't taken his hand.

"Why didn't you?" he started but abruptly stopped. This wasn't him. This petty guy, all because she didn't need his help to get off the couch. He was off his game because of Cassie, if he'd ever had one.

"Why didn't I what?"

"Never mind, you're already late to work because of me. You have better things to do than play paranoid-Chad alongside me." He brushed it off, deftly shoving his hands in his pocket before she could catch on.

"You helped me out when I needed it. It's my turn now," she said with a smile. "Besides, I messaged Ben saying already to say I might be a couple of hours, so I have a bit of time before I need to go. Now come on, we can start from the top down."

Chad nodded and followed her up the stairs, a little dazed yet glad June was no longer uncomfortable around him after the naked fiasco.

♡

An hour into the search, when nothing seemed missing from his room, June suggested they get some wine before tackling the rest. She bounded downstairs merrily when her bedroom caught his attention.

"We should check your room too."

"Why would she take anything from my room?"

Chad hovered on top of the stairs, unable to shake the feeling that something was amiss there. 

"Go on then, check." Her smile bordered on playful.

"Me?" Chad shook his head. No way. Not after his recent error in judgments.

She ran back, laughing. "I'm only checking so you stop freaking out."

She threw open the door, gave the room a quick glance and nodded. "Bed, mattress, tallboy, photo frame, and laptop. Check, check, check." She turned around with an exaggerated sigh. "Everything accounted for. Happy?"

Chad glanced at her room over her shoulder. Everything looked as it always did, sparse and very 'June', neat yet with a touch of abandon. Her pyjama lay on the edge of the bed, hanging onto dear life where she must have thrown it this morning.

"Shall we continue on, Mr Gilligan?" She threw out a crooked arm for him, ready to escort him away. Chad looked at it uncertainly.

"Oh, stop being so proper. You've practically seen me butt-naked." She grabbed his hand and ploughed ahead, dragging him behind her all the way down. "Wine and dine me before we begin again though. I am starving."

June spooned the last bit of her nasi goreng they'd ordered the Thai place. She took the last gulps of wine from her glass and burped, unable to help herself. She burst out laughing upon seeing Chad's slightly put-off face. "I'm sorry."

Chad shook his head, surprised she ever finished her food. He was struggling to finish his green curry and rice.

"Can't believe we're drunk and stuffed, and it's not even one. Not sure if I'm glad I swapped my shift for the afternoon or if I'm sorry." She dabbed at her mouth with a serviette and glanced at her phone for the first time since she'd put it on silence.

That was when she noticed it was no longer one in the afternoon, and nor was Ben waiting for her to show up to work today. There were many missed calls and messages from him, twelve it seemed, and the last one implied, 'I got you covered today, but next time, let me know when you're not showing up'.

"Shit!" She jumped up to her feet and paced a small circle. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit."

"What is it?" Chad asked mid-chew.

"It's three. How is it already three?" She shook her head. "I was supposed to start work at two, and Ben's pissed. I completely forgot to check the time."

"You've had a stressful morning, and we got side-tracked. My fault, really." He set aside his food. He couldn't eat anymore or he'd literally explode. "Call him now."

"And say what?" She glared at him. "Sorry I put my phone on silent when I was talking to the cops and I completely forgot to turn it back on. He's replaced me already today. What if he fires me? I mean, I'm only new." She eyed the messages on her phone, growing grimmer by the moment, "And apparently full of drama."

Chad pushed off the sofa, rolling his eyes as he did so, and hoped she wasn't paying him any attention. "He wants to fire you?" he scoffed, grabbing their glasses from the coffee table, and growling at the unwelcomed image flashing through his mind. One where Ben smiled at him with his perfect white teeth, glinting as if in a toothpaste ad before pulling June into what could only be described as a disgusting round of tongue-of-war.

Chad shook the image away and headed for the kitchen.

"Chad!" June followed him like a puppy.

"What?"

"I said how would you know?" She thrust her phone at him, showing him the messages. "See... he pretty much says I've been replaced. He's so firing me!"

Chad read the last of the message and nearly roll his eyes again, but couldn't, because this time, she was staring at his face. "Did you even read it properly? He is not firing you. He wants you to warn him next time if you're not showing up or running late. The key here, being the words 'next time'. So, don't be late next time, or let him know. Simple."

He turned away, feeling slightly nauseous. He was defending a man who was his main competition, and instead of driving a wedge between the two, he was practically pushing her into Ben's sexy arms. Blah! He could vomit only if he didn't hate the vile idea.

June re-read the message. "Really?"

Chad uncorked a fresh bottle of wine with a snort. "The man wants to bone you hard, and you're telling me you have no idea?" he mumbled, feeling like a jerk the moment those words escaped his lips. See, it was the reason he drank in moderation, but today wasn't a moderation day, was it? He poured a bit into his glass and downed it immediately to wash the sour taste of defeat from his mouth.

"What are you talking about?" She chuckled, uneasily.

He ignored the question and poured their wines out and handed her glass back. "Call him and tell him the cops just left and you are very sorry you weren't able to call earlier and thank him for covering you and for being so understanding. Men like him like that sort of thing."

He brushed past her as casually as he could manage with his wine and headed for the office. The near-empty bottle grasped in his other hand.

"That's a brilliant idea. I'm gonna call him right now." She rushed back out to the lounge to place her call.

"Yay!" He raised a mock toast as he disappeared into his sanctuary, "Go Chad, you stupid, stupid Chad."

A moment later, she waltzed into the room squealing like a piglet and rushed over to hug him. "I'm not fired! I'm not fired. In fact, I have four shifts next week to make up for the shit show today!" She gave him one more squeeze before letting go, and asked, "Where's my wine?"

Chad pointed to the kitchen with the hand that held the glass, accidentally launching the red liquid at her. It splashed her face and her chest, staining her white blouse red. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."

She stared down at her blouse with a giggle. "It's okay. I'll soak this little baby. The stain will come right out, trust me." She reached up on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on his cheek before heading off.

"What was that for?" he muttered, touching the spot where she'd kissed

"For saving my job with your brilliant idea. He totally bought the whole cop thing and even apologized for sounding so harsh on the messages." She stopped by the door to glance back at him with a wink. She couldn't contain her smile and skipped out of sight. "I'll be right back."

"Take your time," Chad muttered under his breath. Fuck. Fuck. He stared at the apparent bulge in his pants and breathed hard. "Not this now." He was glad he'd accidentally spilled wine on her now. It meant she wasn't around to see him embarrass himself again.

He went to refill his empty wine glass but thought, fuck it, and chugged the rest straight from the neck. Though wine wasn't to be chugged, he still downed a good quarter bottle as if his life and reputation depended on it. He needed to relax all parts of his body before June came down to help him. He stared at the bottle when it ran dry.

"Alcohol is a suppressor, right?"

"And what are you trying to suppress?" She appeared by the door, changed out of her work clothes and into something that did not help his cause. The white tank top hugged her body so well he was a little jealous of it himself. And those damn denim shorts revealed her long sexy legs, making it hard for him to hide his arousal. He slouched immediately, trying to hide it.

"The crippling feeling that I am about to embarrass myself." He rushed passed her, bumping into her shoulder despite trying to flank her.

"Embarrass yourself, how?" she called out as he ducked into the laundry.

Chad threw the bottle in the sink and leaned over, breathing in deep, trying to calm down. "Picture someone else, anybody else, maybe Terry." He chuckled, trying to imagine Terry's head on June's body, but the thought of her body morphed his chuckle into a squeak.  This was not helping his little buddy.

"You okay?"

He jumped and caught a quick glance of June by the doorway, watching him. He crouched down in front of the wine cooler and stared at the abyss, hoping she would disappear out of sight till he sorted himself, or at the very least stay where she was, at arm's length. He was far too lubricated on wine and entirely too turned on to conduct himself appropriately.

He forced himself to focus on the wine, to not glance at her legs now and then, drawn. "I was just thinking if we find nothing missing, then I would have wasted your entire day and almost gotten you fired over nothing."

He flashed a strangled smile, hoping it did not give away his struggle before he turned back to the wine cooler. "Why don't you start in the office, and I'll pick another bottle and try not to pour it on you this time?" Though the image of splashing something on her white T-shirt to wet, it did not help him any either.

"Okay." She faded away and out of sight.

Chad sighed and dropped to the floor, his head in his hands, his eyes glued to the front of his pants. "Get it together mate, or you will do something stupid, and this time, even Cassie won't be able to distract her."

"Oh cool. You have a record player?" June called from the other room.

He leaned his head back on the washing machine and closed his eyes, still low-key, attempting to wipe her face and body from his mind. "Pick something out."

"Oh, I'm so going to." She proclaimed fiercely. The sound of her voice, excited, made him want to rush over and kiss her evermore. This was so not the time to be aroused.

A moment later, Bee Gees Greatest Hits played, helping him douse his little problem somewhat.

"You coming?" she called out. "'Cause I wouldn't know what's missing in here even if I tried."

"Yeah, I'll be another minute." He pushed up on his feet and made sure he wasn't showing anymore. He escaped into the powder room to sort himself out.

"Don't forget the wine!"

"Right," he yelled back, relieving himself of the tension that had built. Later, he grabbed the first bottle he could reach and strode into his office. He still had to make sure Cassie had taken nothing of value. Somehow that woman had a knack for picking things that meant something to him. Last time, it had been a photo of an old flame, one before Setal, another one he had sadly thought was the 'one'. Until he found her been cheating on him with the neighbour across the hall.

♡

While Chad busied himself checking the desk, June went about perusing his extensive record collection. She pulled out an old album from a slip that was so frayed and faded she had to squint to read the song titles. "I can help you, you know, with whatever you're looking for." She eyed him slam drawers in frustration, or throw up papers and bundles to check under them. "What are you looking for, anyway? Is it valuable?"

He dropped on his chair, closed his eyes and rubbed his eyebrows like a tired man. It was his worst nightmare coming true and he couldn't even tell her what it was. His latest book, the one he had been writing, the one she inspired, was gone. He'd been making substantial progress too. Terry would definitely kill him this time around, or worse, drop him. The thought alone gave him anxiety. Writing was all he was good at, it was all he had, and he didn't want to risk losing it.

A pair of cool hands grabbed his temples and pressed them gently, massaging in small circles. He let out a small moan. June chuckled softly but continued applying slight pressure. "Why don't you tell me what it is you're looking for and I'll help you find it, instead of you stressing out. Or call the cops to report it."

He shook his head.

"Is it sentimental?" She leaned her knees on the edge of the chair between his legs, right in front of him, and his eyes flew open in panic.

"No!" He attempted to push her off, but that would require grabbing her tiny waist. "I mean, it's not a thing, it's the book I was writing." He went to stand before he regretted doing things he shouldn't be doing.

June shook her head and pushed him back down into the chair, her chest in line with his face. Not the best place for them to be right then, when the man was struggling so much already.

Chad shut his eyes and tried to picture Terry again.

"This will help your headache, so let me finish." She continued rubbing his temples. Chad couldn't help himself anymore. He grabbed her hands and tried to peel them away, to escape her touch, which was only burning his skin with desire. With all the things he'd like to do to her but couldn't.

"Stop."

"Okay." She let go of his temples and tried to stand up, but her hands were still in his hold. Her soft gaze studied him inquisitively. "So this book is valuable. You want to tell me about it so I can help you look for it?"

Chad could barely shake his head, caught in the honeyed depths of her eyes. "It's the brown journal I was writing in..." He trailed off, transfixed by her face as she resumed compressing his temples, easing him back into the seat properly.

"What were you writing about?" she coaxed a smile in her voice, and when Chad didn't reply, she peered down at him. He was all but staring at her, transfixed. The look sent butterflies aflutter in her stomach. "What were you writing about?" she asked again in a whisper, inching closer and closer to him. Chad met her halfway, both unable to look away.

Their lips touched, softly at first, like two people, unsure. Then it grew to something more. He could no longer remember his worry. All his focus was on the woman in his arms as his mouth explored hers, as their bodies came crashing together until she was straddling him with those sexy legs he'd longed to touch since she'd donned the damn shorts.

'Your hard on. It's back!' Terry's voice barged into his thoughts and he jumped, dropping June on her bottom to the floor. 'You want me to come back? Replace her head?' Terry continued in jest.

"No,' he mumbled, flabbergasted at the thought.

June, shocked and sore, rubbed her bottom. "You could have said no, Chad. We are adults."

He held a hand out for her with a shake of his head. "I'm sorry. I don't want this to be something you feel I forced you into, especially since you are still angry about the shower indecent."

June laughed, slipping her hand in his, and pulled him down to her instead.  "We're adults."

"Are you sure? About this? About me?"

She straddled him again with her legs and brought his groin to meet hers. "Are you going to do anything about that?" She grabbed his front and bit his lips. "You're not the only one who's been struggling all day," she whispered, guiding his hands towards her own body, and into it. She let out a shuddering moan as his fingers did her bidding.

Mesmerized and under her control, Chad continued to tease her, feeling himself get harder than he thought possible. June, in between kisses and playful bites, unzipped his pants and began stroking him. Soon enough she let his tip touch her.

"Go deep," she tightened her legs around him and Chad slipped in with a shudder of his own. June arched her back and moaned louder with each thrust. She dug her fingertips into his skin, bringing him closer, tighter. Her body rocked beneath his. Their breaths synced, their rhythm synced and their kisses became fervent, exploring each other, rapt. So rapt that neither noticed the tiny red light of a camera, mounted on the top shelf of one of his bookshelves.

Nor had they noticed a similar device sitting in the corner of his room, or June's room, over the windows.

"Keep going," June moaned.

♡

Meanwhile, Cassie sat in her tiny one-bedroom apartment miles away, seething as she eyed the two naked bodies intertwined with one another on her screen. Her hand scrunching the family photo she'd taken from June's nightstand. Chad's journal sat beside her on the bed, open to a page.

(Image by Alexas_Fotos on Pixabay)