Amanda Sinclair thought she must be hearing things as a few other patrons of the Empty Glass turned to look at them. Billy was calling her out, making a scene? Well, it shouldn't surprise her. From what she learned of the man over the last few months, he did not lack in the audacity department. Afterall, was that not the root of his recent existential crises-his desire to be reckless. To scream from rooftops and drive fast cars on icy Wisconsin roads until the inevitable happened.

Still despite their vast difference in temperament, not to mention all that transpired between them, she could not deny the attraction. And even as she devised a retort to shut his egotistical ass down, she wondered what exactly did he mean. Did he mean that she wanted to be with him, literally or figuratively. Just sex, friends with benefits or a full blown relationshp?

She faced him and crossed her arms. "Somebody got up on the conceited side of the bed this morning."

A patron in the bar who was watching their exchange guffawed and the corner of Billy's mouth lifted in a cocksure grin revealing one of his trademark dimples. Amanda felt her knees go weak. She could practically read his thoughts. He had got up beside *her* that morning-after they slept together. Then they kissed. Amanda's face burned as the recent memories flashed through her mind in vivid detail.

"I'm just telling it like it is Amanda," Billy scooped more peanuts from the dish on the table and popped a few into his mouth.

Before she could stop herself, Amanda advanced on Billy, grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into a dark quiet corner of the bar, of which there were plenty. It was just that kind of place.

"Must you constantly make a spectacle of yourself," she scolded and jammed her index finger into his solid chest. Billy was not so much muscular as he was lean from his daily morning runs. Tall, lean and oh so sexy. So intriguing. The more she got to know him, the more she wanted to know. He triggered that inquisitive part of her nature. Ignoring the fact that she found him irresistible, Amanda continued with her admonishment. "I do not appreciate you broadcasting what's happening between us to the entire establishment."

"So you do admit there is something...happening... between us?" Billy retorted looking down at her, examining her, seeming to peer right into her soul with those soft brown bedroom eyes.

Billy was always leading her toward admitting things. And she knew what he was doing, trying to figure out where he stood. It's not that she didn't trust Billy, she confided in him more than anyone else in years. But the timing was all wrong. They were friends at one point, then, she wasn't sure when, things changed. If she was being truly honest, it happened well before the first kiss. Now they could not go back.

'"I thought we decided this morning that what was happening, whatever the hell it was, was a bad idea and it was over," she said and suddenly became aware of the heady atmosphere surrounding them as they stood in the secluded corner, separated by a few mere inches. Ironically, it was not the bar that made her feel intoxicated. She had nothing to drink and was stone, cold sober, yet the provocative vibe radiating between the two of them practically made her swoon.

"That was before I found you here waiting for me." As he spoke, Billy's eyes traveled from her eyes to her lips, then back again.

"If I was waiting for you, If that were the case, wouldn't it make more sense to wait for you at the hotel where we're both staying?" She wasn't lying exactly. She wasn't waiting for him as she thought he'd spend the day trying to patch things up with Victoria. But she did want to be in a place where they shared so many great conversations, where she felt close to him. Amanda took half a step back trying to create some breathing room before she began to hyperventilate. She couldn't breath, she couldn't think. Oh but she could feel...and desire, This man made her heart feel like it was about to explode into fireworks.

"But meeting at the Grand Phoenix wouldn't be the same, would it?" Billy moved forward so they were even closer than before. "This is our place. Where we met, connected and …" his voice trailed off. "You knew I'd be here."

One thing about Billy, that Amanda noticed, while there was a mysterious air about him, when it mattered, he was quite obvious. When he kissed her just that morning, first he slid in close, giving her every opportunity to object. He was doing the same thing now. Amanda could never claim she was taken by surprise. She knew exactly what was happening as she helplessly watched him descend ever so slowly, their eyes locked, until his lips were brushing against hers. But unlike this morning, he didn't pull back to gauge her reaction. Instead after the feather soft prelude, he closed his eyes, slanted his mouth over hers deepening the kiss. The feeling of being drunk washed over her again as she melted into the hard planes of his ultra lean body. Another song came on, a love song. They kissed and swayed unconsciously to the music.

I should stop this, Amanda thought over and over even as her arms circled his neck and her fingers found themselves entangled in his thick wavy hair. Billy's hands stayed around her waist, and she couldn't help but wonder what he would do if they took this further, if they were alone. The way his tongue teased and tormented, gave her an indication of how good it would be. Not just physical pleasure. They'd discover more about each other. They'd connect on a profound level. She'd fall in love with him. Shivers ran up and down her spine, then radiated out to her finger tips and down to her toes. She clung to him gripping his shoulders then his biceps, finally she wrapped her arms around his hard midsection and pressed into him. "Mmmmm," he moaned softly. Every part of her body lit up and buzzed with need.

"Stop…" Amanda said breaking the kiss and abruptly taking a step back.

"Okay, we're stoppiing. We're stopping" Billy said, immediately releasing her. "Are you okay?" He asked calmly as if they hadn't just been kissing passionately in a secluded corner of a seedy bar. Their seedy bar.

Amanda stared up at him unsure of what to say. Laughter rang out in the bar and Amanda's attention snapped in the direction of the sound thinking they were the butt of a joke. After scanning the entire room, she knew after their initial loud exchange, no one even noticed them. The raucous poker game continued at the usual tabe and the same patrons nodded off at the bar while the bartender sent texts on his phone. A lone couple danced in front of the jukebox as a pop song played.

"No, I'm not okay," she said with unintended malice, which she quickly regretted. None of this was Billy's fault. They'd bonded at a time when they both felt lonely and misunderstood, but now that they'd kissed twice in the same day, the friendship was over and would never be resurrected again. How could they go back to being buds when her lips still tingled even as she spoke. "The best thing for you and me to do is to go our separate ways as we decided this morning." She hated every word that came out of her mouth, but she meant them. A relationship would end in disaster.

"Our separate ways led us right back here together where we both want to be," Billy stated, his deep voice low, but intense. "Amanda we can't deny…"

"I'm not denying anything," Amanda interrupted. How could she deny the natural chemistry percolating between them, which she felt from the first time she laid eyes on the tall, handsome stranger sitting a few tables from her in their bar. A reckless stranger who invited her to be adventurous with him. "If the timing had been different, maybe...but after everything that happened with Ripley and Victoria. All of that would taint everything" Amanda said, her voice held a mournful note. Now she knew what it felt like to be kissed by Billy Abbott, something she'd daydreamed about on more than one occasion. Billy exceeded expectations tenfold, a thousand fold. "And we can't go back to being friends."

'We can go as fast or slow as you need," Billy said. "We can do whatever it takes. Do you really want to lose this Amanda?"

"Billy, I can't do this right now, okay?" Amanda said and turned away before she grew too emotional. She'd already revealed too much of herself to him. She rushed to the table where she'd laid her coat and quickly exited the bar forcing herself not to look back.