A/N – Thanks for the reviews folks, here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy and please leave a review.

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'Just give it up Jeff, it's not gonna happen.'

'Why not, haven't you ever wondered what it would be like?'

'Nope, don't know, don't want to know. I've got nothing against you but you need to realize that I'm just not interested. Mark's over there, I'm sure he's very interested.'

'Oh I know he is, we hooked up for about three months for a casual fling a little while back. But things went stale and we finished, I need fresh meat now and I want you.'

'Well I'm sorry but I refuse to be your "fresh meat". I can promise you that my ass is, and always will, remain unpenetrated so you're wasting your time.' Jeff pouted and huffed before stalking off to talk to someone else. Seth turned to Summer with a smirk, a smirk she returned. 'God, that guy is unbelievable.'

'Yeah well Jeff's always been kinda forward,' she replied amusedly.

'Yeah but it's been two months and he still hasn't given up. When's he gonna realize that I'm not interested in experimenting with my sexuality and I never will be.'

'Oh he's never gonna realize that, you just have to learn to put up with it.' Seth shook his head and grinned before motioning to the bartender for two more beers. He had been at Smith & Webber for two months now and he could honestly say he was happier than he'd ever been. He had a group of close colleagues that he went to hang out at Joey's bar with almost every night. There was Jeff and Mark, the two campest, most happy-clappy guys he'd ever met. Both had let their interest in him be known and while he was flattered, he always straight out told them that it wasn't gonna happen. Then there was Claire and her husband Andy, both native New Yorkers. They were both really nice people and Seth got on very well with both of them despite not having much in common. Ruth came along too and while no one really liked her, they were civil to her. Yes, Seth was very happy at his new job and despite trying to deny it, he knew the reason he was happy rested solely on one person.

Ever since she'd walked into his office and asked if he wanted some company for lunch, they gotten to know more and more about each other and still Seth was intrigued. While he didn't know anything really personal about her, such as things about her family or her past or why she was so shy, he knew enough about her to call her his friend. Still, that wasn't enough for him though, he wanted more. He thought about her all the time. He sat in his office thinking about her, then when they had a drink together after work, then when he finally went home he sat in his apartment and thought about her too. He even thought about her when he was screwing Danielle and when he used to screw Danielle, his only thought was how fucking good it was. Now though, everything he ever thought about involved her. He thought about her smell, her sound, her body language. When he walked past a shop window and saw a suit he liked, his immediate thought was "I wonder if Summer would like it too." If he decided she would, then he'd buy it, and if he thought she wouldn't, then he wouldn't. Seth didn't know what it was about this woman but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't seem to get her off his mind.

'Hey, have you seen Claire and Andy?' Summer said to Seth, looking round the bar for any sign of them.

'Uhh, no not for a while, why?'

'They live on the same street as me which is only three blocks away so we usually walk home together. What time is it?'

'Umm, nine thirty.'

'Oh, they usually don't leave without me.'

'Well you don't partake in group sex with them do you?' Ruth chimed in from nearby after she'd downed the last of her drink.

'Umm, what do you think Ruth, they are married,' Summer replied stonily. Although they'd apologized to each other, there was still an icy barrier between them. They were civil to each other but there was absolutely no friendship or affection there. Seth imagined that if they both got drunk enough, a nasty catfight would ensue, hopefully with clothes being ripped off. God he'd love to see that, he'd pay money to see that.

'Okay, just checking,' Ruth replied snidely. 'Anyways, that's what they went to do, have sex.'

'How do you know?'

'Because they started making out pretty intensely and when they finally pulled apart and she dragged him away, I could tell that they both had only one thing on their minds.'

'Well that was nice of them to think of you,' Seth said to Summer in a sarcastic and annoyed tone.

'Nah its fine,' she replied. She then leant up and whispered in his ear. 'They're trying for a baby so I can't get too mad at them for wanting to have sex all the time. Don't tell anyone okay, it's a secret.' Seth smiled at her and nodded when she pulled away. Their friendship had definitely advanced a long way if she felt confident enough to trust him with things like that. 'Oh well, I'm gonna go, see you in the morning.' She put on her coat and gathered her purse. 'See you tomorrow guys,' she shouted to Mark and Jeff, who were playing pool nearby. They both bounced on their heels and waved emphatically in the way that only effeminate gay men did. 'Bye Ruth,' she added casually to the blonde, though there was not a hint of warmness in her tone. Ruth just raised a hand limply to acknowledge her, not diverting her attention from the Cosmo she was reading. Summer just rolled her eyes before giving Seth one last smile and walking out.

When she got outside, she stopped and looked around nervously. She hated the city when it was dark and she was alone. Due to her low confidence she felt vulnerable most of the time anyway, let alone on a dark street of a city that was world renowned for its high number of daily muggings. With a deep breath to try and calm her nerves, Summer turned and started walking down the street.

'Hey girl, looking for some fun.' Summer rocketed in the air when she heard the voice and spun round to face the owner. It was a horrible looking tramp with a beard and toothless smile, leering at her from a dark alley in between the buildings. Summer was petrified, she just wanted to run away, in any direction, she didn't care which, but her legs just wouldn't start working. When the guy started to advance towards her though, her brain finally kicked into gear and she turned on her heel and ran as fast as she could back towards the bar. When she got there, she closed her eyes and leant her head back against the dirty brick wall, exhaling huge shaky breaths. God she was so pathetic, all she had to do was carry on walking and ignore him but no, she had to freeze and it had resulted in her being here at the bar again, back to square one. Her apartment was only a five minute walk away but judging by the rate she was going, she was never going to get there.

After five minutes of trying to compose herself enough to try to go home again but failing miserably, Summer was interrupted by a voice. 'Hey, what are you still doing here?' She turned to face him with an embarrassed smile.

'I umm, I was just about to go,' she mumbled. 'I was just phoning Claire to make sure that they really have gone home, which they have. Okay, I'm gonna go now, I'll see you tomorrow.' Summer turned to leave. She couldn't let him know that she was too scared to walk three blocks on her own, so her plan was to hide around the corner until he'd left then call a cab. When she began to walk away though, she felt him put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. She felt the warmth spread through her body at his gentle touch. She didn't know what the hell it was that this guy had been making her feel, more and more in recent weeks, but it was both new and amazing. She turned to face him and found that he was smirking amusedly at her.

'It's okay Summer, don't be embarrassed. There's nothing wrong with being afraid of the city, I know I am sometimes.' Summer purposely dropped her mouth open, feigning anger and annoyance the best she could.

'How dare you insinuate such a thing,' she started off strongly but it trailed off into nothingness when she noticed him arch an eyebrow and his smirk grow even bigger. 'It's that obvious huh,' she mumbled embarrassedly, looking down at the floor. Seth put a hand under her chin and lifted her face up to look at him. She stared into his deep brown eyes and saw nothing but warmth.

'Yeah it is pretty obvious,' he said with a smile, 'but don't worry, it's nothing to be ashamed about. New York is a scary place, I've been here for a year and a half nearly and I still don't like it at night.'

'Yeah, umm, I'm just gonna call a cab then.'

''Nah it's alright, if you wanna walk then you're gonna walk. Come on,' Seth replied with a warm smile, extending an arm for her take. Summer nearly swooned, he was so cute, and such a gentleman too.

'No Seth it's fine, really. I'll just get a taxi, I don't want you to go to any trouble'

'Summer it's no trouble at all, really, now come on.'

'Okay, only if you're sure though,' she said cautiously. Seth rolled his eyes.

'For God's sake woman, get your ass over here now. Really it's cool, I'll just get a taxi from your street.' Summer smiled and nodded before walking over and linking her arm through his. All of a sudden, she felt safe, like no New York mugger or rapist would ever even get the chance to hurt her, because Seth just wouldn't let that happen, and she knew it.

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'So, Claire and Andy are trying for a kid huh,' Seth said, breaking the comfortable silence as they walked arm and arm. 'I don't know what the hell they're thinking, I so couldn't deal with a kid.'

'So you're saying that you never wanna be a dad,' Summer replied, looking at him in a surprised and shocked way.

'Well never say never, but marriage, kids, any type of commitment really is just so far from my mind at this point its unreal. I mean I don't even have a girlfriend.' Summer didn't know why, but the fact that he didn't have a girlfriend made her incredibly happy. However, she had no idea about his whoring ways, and he also didn't know about her slutty past. Yes they were getting closer by the day, but she still couldn't call him a true friend because he didn't know the bad side of her.

'If you don't mind me asking, why don't you have a girlfriend?'

'Well I want one, believe me I do, but I've never been in a serious relationship and I don't know how to start one.'

'Just be yourself and I'm sure you'll find some girl pathetic enough to be into you,' Summer countered with a smirk. Although she'd never admit it, she suspected that she just might be becoming that girl. She was definitely feeling something strange and new towards him. It was certainly more than work colleague feelings, maybe even more than friend feelings.

'Ouch, low blow Summer,' Seth said with a grin. 'So, what about you, you want kids someday?'

'Yeah I do but I'm the same as you really, I have no boyfriend and I've never been in a serious relationship either.'

'Don't worry, you'll find someone, any guy would be lucky to have you.' Seth went a deep red colour and smiled sheepishly at her. Summer returned the smile, looking just as embarrassed. That had been happening more and more in recent weeks. He would accidentally blurt out something really sweet that would make Summer either want to, a) swoon, or b) jump his bones, then they would settle into an awkward silence.

'Thanks,' she whispered softly, looking at him with an embarrassed grin.

'No problem,' he mumbled shyly in reply. They settled into a weird silence until they heard a voice from a nearby alley.

'Aww, found someone else did you babe?' Summer shuddered at the sound of the tramp's voice again. She wrapped her arm even more tensely around Seth's and shuffled as close as possible to him. She knew he wouldn't let anything happen to her. Seth obviously sensed her apprehension as he switched sides with her so he was closest to the tramp. He put one hand on her arm and the other snaked round her waist protectively. Summer loved it, she felt most of her worry melt away. 'Come on bitch, leave that loser and come to papa, I'll look after you,' the tramp added.

'Just ignore him and keep walking,' Seth whispered in her ear. Summer nodded and looked straight ahead.

'Hey whore, I'm talking to you,' the tramp said angrily, stepping out onto the sidewalk and following them. Seth felt his blood begin to boil, he was trying with all his might to ignore the bastard but he was getting angrier by the second. 'Listen you little slut, if you don't come here right now I'll slit your fucking throat.' Seth snapped this time.

'Hey, leave her alone asshole,' he spat angrily as he spun round to face the tramp.

'Or what you little bitch,' the bum replied, walking up to him and giving him a rough shove. 'What are you gonna do you little faggot. Look at you in your thousand dollar suit you rich little mother fucker, bring it rich boy.'

'Seth, leave it,' Summer said desperately, putting an arm on his and trying to pull him away. She wasn't strong enough and Seth stood his ground, glaring intensely at the tramp with clenched jaw and fists. 'Seth, please,' she said pleadingly. He turned to face her and softened at the sight. She was giving him a pleading look and looked as if she was about to cry.

'You got lucky this time but if you so much as look at her again, I'll kill you,' he spat at the hobo before finally giving into Summer's weak tugs at his arm and letting her pull him away. However, he hadn't counted on the bum spinning him round and punching him square in the face.

'SETH!' Summer screamed as she watched him fall to the floor. 'Are you okay,' she added worriedly as she helped him to his feet. Seth nodded, he was disoriented and dizzy but when he finally focused again he saw the tramp looking at him with a challenging smirk. He felt his anger rise to new levels. He ran towards the bum and speared him straight into a metal garage door nearby. He pinned the bum up against it with one hand and used the other to punch him as hard as he could in the nose. He watched the homeless guy slump down the garage door and groan, holding his nose. Seth turned to Summer and before he knew what was going on, she had his hand in hers and was dragging him down the street at a running pace. He looked over his shoulder as he ran, the bum was chasing them but he was never gonna catch them, he had some kind of limp.

They didn't stop running until Summer stopped outside a tall, old fashioned building. She turned to face him and gave him a glare and the hardest wallop on the arm she could manage. 'OW, what the hell was that for woman?'

'What the hell was that for,' she said disbelievingly in a shrill voice. 'You could've got yourself fucking killed asshole. He could've had a k-knife, o-or a gun, or a-anything, and you get i-into a f-fight with h-him. H-how f-f-fucking dumb are y-you?' By the time she'd finished, Summer had descended into tears. Seth felt his heart break at the sight, she looked so pitiful yet so beautiful at the same time.

'Hey, come on Summer, don't cry,' he said softly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Summer moved forward and wrapped her arms around him. She buried her face in his chest, releasing muffled sobs. Seth was stunned at how perfectly her body fitted against his, it just felt so right. 'Ssssshhh, come on Summer, it's okay, no one got hurt.' She pulled back and stared at him at his words.

'No one got hurt? Seth look at your eye, it's already turning purple. Come on, let's get it cleaned up before it gets any worse.' She grabbed his hand and went to pull him inside the building but Seth moved away. He wasn't really comfortable going in women's apartments. After all, he'd only ever been in them to sex before, never to just hang out. He didn't know if he'd be able to go up to Summer's apartment and hang out alone with her without making a move on her. After seven years of doing it, it was like a natural reaction now and the last thing he wanted to do was make Summer hate him just when she was beginning to trust him. she turned and gave him a quizzical look.

'Nah it's fine Summer, I'll just go home.'

'No you won't, not without cleaning that bruise first. Come on, I've got some concealer upstairs.'

'Umm, okay.' Normally Seth wouldn't have given up so easily but there was something about this woman that made him want to obey her every command. Even though he was her boss, she definitely wore the trousers in their relationship. He followed her into the building and up four flights of steps before they stopped in front of a brown wood door with a shiny gold 48B embossed on it. He stood in awkward silence as Summer fiddled with her keys, still sniffling a bit. When she finally got the door open, he followed her in.

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Seth glanced around the apartment, looking for anything that would teach him something about her that he didn't already know. There was nothing, it was plain to say the least. It was neat, tidy, but far from personalized. One of the first things to hit Seth was the fact that there were absolutely no photos. His apartment had hundreds plastered on the walls of him with his friends and family. Danielle, Ryan, his parents and his little sister all held space on his mantelpiece and across his lounge wall, but it seemed Summer had just one solitary photo of her and Claire on the stand next to her sofa.

'Wow, this is a nice place,' Seth said to the empty room.

'Thanks,' Summer shouted in reply from somewhere else in the apartment. 'It's not normally this tidy but I guess you caught me at a good time.'

'Well you seem like the neat type anyway, one look at your desk at work is enough to realize that. I on the other hand, am not so neat, and that is why you'll never see my apartment.' Summer returned to the room with a damp cloth, a tub of cream and a smirk on her face.

'That's not fair, you've seen my place so I should get to see yours.'

'I'll think about it after I've tidied it,' Seth replied with a smirk.

'Good. Okay, let me take a look at that bruise then.' She pushed him down on the couch and sat down next to him. She inched her face closer to his in order to get a good look at the bruise, until their lips were only a matter of centimetres apart. Seth had to use every fibre of willpower in his scrawny body to fight the overwhelming urge to kiss her. Her lips were so pink and full and gorgeous and totally freaking kissable, they were definitely the hottest set of lips he'd ever laid eyes on. 'Ouch, this looks really nasty Seth,' she whispered sympathetically. Her warm breath danced across his face as she said it, it smelled strongly of the strawberry flavoured alcopops she had been drinking back at the bar and it only succeeded in turning him on even more. He felt the bulge in his pants begin to grow, usually he could keep his little soldier under control but there was something about Summer Roberts that gave it a mind of its own.

'Uhh, umm, its fine, I'm gonna go,' Seth stammered out. He knew he had to get out of there before she noticed he had a tent in his pants. He went to get off the couch but Summer pulled him back.

'Oh no you don't,' she said sternly, 'you've got a meeting with high profile clients tomorrow and I will not have you going in looking like a thug. Here, one splodge of this magic cream and it'll clear it right up.' She took a lump of the white lotion on her fingers and began to rub it on the bruise in soothing circles. Seth winced at first but relaxed when the pain eased. His senses were going into overdrive at her gentle touch, he longed to touch her back and was having to use all of his focus not to. He watched in amazement at the way her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed in concentration, every little action fascinated him and aroused him even more.

Seth's eyes widened as she shifted her weight to get into a more comfortable position and it resulted in her hand resting on his thigh, dangerously close to his ever hardening manhood. He didn't think she even knew she was doing it she was that engrossed in cleaning his bruise, but to his sheer horror her hand began to slowly slide down his thigh towards his groin. 'See, I told you that a bit of this would clean it right-………oh!'

Seth knew she'd reached the destination he'd been praying for her not to reach because not only did he feel it, and it felt incredibly good, he also saw her eyes almost double in size and heard her give a shocked whisper. To his surprise, she didn't pull away immediately as he'd expected, but she kept her hand firmly placed on his package. It may have been his mind playing tricks on him, but he thought he felt her lightly stroke her thumb up and down as if trying to feel all of him. He felt pride swell inside of him when he saw her cheeks begin to naturally heat up, and he even saw her subconsciously lick her lips. If Seth didn't know any better, he would've said that she seriously liked what she felt.

When Summer finally realized what she was doing, she snapped her hand away from his area faster than the speed of light. Her cheeks were already quite heated from being sexually aroused but they began to burn an even deeper shade of red out of embarrassment. 'Oh my God, I-I-I am s-so-so sorry, I-I…………I d-didn't m-mean to,' she stuttered out weakly.

'N-no, i-it's okay, it w-was my fault,' Seth stammered in reply. He was praying for a hole to open up in the ground and swallow him. He was also a bright red colour and just couldn't look her in the eye after making such a total idiot out of himself. He bet she must've thought he was such a loser because what kind of twenty six year old man can't control his erection. It wasn't his fault though, this woman made him like a horny teenager again. 'Umm, I-I'm gonna go now, thanks for cleaning me up Summer.' Seth just wanted to get out before he did something stupid that he'd regret, like kiss her. It had taken him two months to get to this semi-friendship state that they were in, and he really didn't want to mess that up by pushing for something more.

'Okay, umm, let me call you a cab,' Summer whispered, still unable to look at him. She'd practically groped him, she'd never be able to look him in the eye again.

'No its fine, it's only ten thirty so I don't think it'll take too long to find one.'

'Okay, I-I'll see you tomorrow, and again, I-I'm really sorry.'

'It's okay Summer, it was an accident. I'll see you tomorrow.' When Summer just nodded at her floor, Seth took that as his cue to leave. He got up and practically ran out the door. When he got outside, he rested his head against the corridor wall and closed his eyes, exhaling huge sighs of relief. Never in his life had he ever been in such a sexually charged situation, and he'd been in plenty. The sexual tension in the room had been so thick it was unreal, you could've cut it with a knife. He looked down at his pants, the massive bulge was still there and he imagined that it wouldn't go away anytime soon if he didn't satisfy his urges. Knowing that if he didn't release soon he would burst, Seth decided that he wasn't gonna go home straight away, but he'd make a quick stop at Danielle's. He'd always been able to rely on her to help him when he was feeling desperately horny.

Back in her apartment, the first thing Summer had done when Seth had left was lock the door and head straight for her bedroom to pleasure herself. Despite the embarrassing nature of the situation, the primary thing Summer felt was completely and utterly horny. It had been six months since she'd last had sex and touching Seth like that had left her feeling more sexually aroused than she'd ever been. She had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't just the fact that she'd got her first touch of a guy's package in a long time that had left her feeling so desperately aroused, it was more the fact that it was Seth who she had touched. She couldn't deny it anymore, ever since their first meeting two months ago she'd felt a strong sexual tension between them, unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Sure she'd wanted guys before, but never as much as she'd wanted him. She knew actually doing anything with him was out of the question though because he was her boss, and if anything went wrong it would leave them in a very awkward position work-wise, the job she loved may even be put at risk.

As Seth sat in the back of the cab on the way to Danielle's, the massive erection still in his pants, he could only think of one person. How he wanted to kiss her, to touch her, to make love to her. He'd never made love to any of his many conquests before, he'd always just fucked them, but Seth knew that if anything were ever to happen with Summer, it would be deeper and more meaningful than the casual sex he was used to. Seth knew he couldn't deny it anymore, and it would be a weight off his chest if he said it out loud and finally admitted it to himself. He took a deep breath and said, 'I like Summer Roberts.' After he'd said it, he felt relief and happiness wash over him, but he also felt sadness and terror. He'd never actually liked a girl before, as in like them so much that he wanted to call them his girlfriend, so why did the first girl he ever fell for have to be one that nothing could ever happen with?

Summer shuddered in ecstasy as she finally achieved release. Throughout the entire time she'd been touching herself, she had only been able to think of one person. About how she wished so badly that it was him touching her, him gently making love to her, him wrapping his arms around her afterwards and spending the night. She finally knew what all those new things she'd been felling were, she just had to admit it to herself. With a shaky breath, Summer whispered to herself, 'I like Seth Cohen.' It felt good to finally admit to herself that she liked him, but it also upset her because she knew that nothing could ever happen with him. It just couldn't, he was her boss and she loved her job, she couldn't put it at risk by chasing him. Besides, she didn't even know if he liked her back. Sure she knew he was attracted to her or else he wouldn't have gotten and erection when she touched him, but that didn't mean he actually liked her. Knowing most guys, he probably just wanted to fuck her. Did Summer like him? Yes. Would anything ever happen? No. 'God, I like my boss but can't do anything about it,' she whispered to herself, 'I am so screwed.'

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A/N – There you go folks, sort of a filler chapter for you. You've been awsome with reviewing so far, please keep it up. Thanx!!