I watch as the men across the street bring in the pool table. After knowing her all this time, I can't recollect that she ever mentioned that she played the game. My anxiousness builds as I wait for the men to leave so I can go over and ask her if she would allow me to play the first game with her. If I had known that she liked to play; I could have asked her to go with me whenever I went out to play and have drinks with my friends. I have been trying to find a way to get to know Piper on a more personal level. Perhaps this is the key to that.

Finally the men complete the installation and leave. The truck is still turning off of the street as I am ringing her doorbell. My stomach has butterflies. As soon she answers the door, the words shoot out of my mouth like water from a hydrant which has blown it end caps. "I didn't know that you liked to shoot pool?"

Piper pauses, offers a wily smile, and asks me to come inside before she replies to my question. "I don't really know how to play Alex."

Now my curiosity is peaked. "So you buy an expensive table," I had determined this because cheaper ones aren't brought in by professionals and take several hours to install, "yet you don't know how to play?"

Piper's grin is shy but alluring all the same. "I have watched it played and thought that I would like to learn. Before I realized that I have nobody to show me how to play, I had already purchased the table."

My left eyebrow arched in surprise as I push my black glasses on top of my head. Inside my grin yearns to burst out and spread across my face. "I'd love to teach you how to play." I hope my voice is not too eager.

Piper's voice offers the same level of zeal as she responds. "That would be great Al; I knew I chose this neighborhood for a reason."

I haven't been inside her house but for a brief few times. And I know that I have never been to the back of the house, or I would have remembered a garden room with a hot tub in it. Piper leads me through to an adjoining room. Lying before me is a stunning 8' slat topped table with a cherry mahogany hardwood frame and navy colored felt. The drop pockets are dark woven leather with fringe decorations. The accessories such as balls, cues, triangle and chalk are neatly arranged on the adjacent wall. Impressive.

I don't know how much Piper knows and I certainly cannot chance losing her attention. So my I keep my initial description of the game brief. I tell her about different techniques that will make a difference in her game such as using angles, determining how hard or soft the strokes from the cue need to be, and putting the right "english" on the cue ball to make your shot. Piper looks fairly confused at the new terminology, so we agree to get into the playing part. If questions come up, Piper says she'll ask as we go along.

I demonstrate how the cue should be held. Her discomfort with the cue in her hands is evident as she fumbles with her grip and drops it twice. I catch myself staring at her as she bends over to retrieve the stick. The second time she stands up, she catches me staring. I look away, embarrassed. Piper smirks as she waves the cue at me. "OK, how do I hold this damn thing again?"

This time I decide that I will put my arms around hers rather than only showing her as I did last time. I place my arms around her body as I position myself behind her and my arms underneath hers. My mind drifts, thinking about how nice her hair smells and her skin. Piper's voice startles me back to the table when she asks, "Now what?"

I position the cue in my hands and tell her to place her hands over mine. As she does so, the first thoughts to enter my mind are how soft her skin is, how soft her touch is. This isn't going to be easy. I had a hard time keeping my mind on the game. My thoughts go back to her bending over to retrieve her dropped cue. Once again I am startled back into reality. This time the jolt comes from Piper moving her body into mine, seemingly snuggling backwards to get into the right position.

Piper looks over her shoulder at me. "This feels more comfortable now."

My mind races; my thoughts are not on this game nor on teaching her how to shoot pool. I have never felt this way with her before but then again we have never before been this physically close. She is attractive, her blonde hair drifting around her neck. I momentarily get a strong whiff of peaches when she shakes her hair. My attraction builds; I am tempted. I have to get my mind back to the game or I can easily pull her around into me and kiss her.

OK, Alex. Clear my mind; get back to the game, quickly. I clear my throat, trying to get the words out of my mouth to tell her what to do next. "You will just need to practice on the strokes as you go along on the game" I say softly against her cheek.

"Strokes?"

Hmmm, I've got to keep my mind away from the things that my body is telling me to do with her. With my arms still wrapped around her, I show her how to move the cue in and out, sliding between her bridge fingers. We continue with her lesson for what seems to be hours.

With each new inquiry, I feel myself becoming more attracted to her. I don't realize how close I am hovering until at one point we are so close that when she turns around for my approval on her successful shot, our faces are mere inches apart. I badly want to kiss her but I question the risk. I look into her entrancing blue eyes. She doesn't look away from my stare, simply returns it just as deeply. I would have never noticed the flecks of gray in her eyes if I had not been so close to her as I am now.

My legs quiver. Does she want me to kiss her? I know I want to do so. I move my face even closer to hers. Now our lips are so close that I can feel her breath brush slowly across my skin. I am still gazing into her gorgeous eyes and move ever so closer. Piper closes her eyes, shutting me out of her blue. So I place my lips against hers, lightly. Her lips just barely part, wet. I feel I can kiss her for hours.

Piper pulls me closer into her. Emotions and feelings begin to swell in my chest, my body, my mind. My temperature rises and moisture begins to pool between my legs. I need to pull away from her before I overstep my bounds. I don't want to, but I need to. As I break the kiss, she opens her eyes with a look that seems to say she wants more. I know I want more – to explore every damned inch of her body. I want her to look into my eyes and see what she is doing to me.

Finally the trance and I choke out words. "I should go, really. If it is OK with you, I would like to give you a few more lessons."

She sighs softly and responds quickly. "I would like that very much." She walks me to the door.

I turn to her, wanting to again kiss her but I refrain knowing that there would soon be another time. I turn and step from her porch. Stumbling from my lips, my words fall. "Hey, I wish I had told you that I had played pool before now. Then I could have started to teach you the game much sooner."

As I look back at her stunning face, this evil little grin appears and she devilishly says, "What makes you think I didn't already know?" Piper winks at me and closes the door.