CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE LOFT

Sami woke up to the feel of Lucas giving her a thorough good morning kiss. She loved kissing him. It was never halfway with him and he could curl her toes even with the quickest of pecks. She ran her hands up to his head and felt the short stubble that reminded her of their situation. She couldn't say that she liked kissing Philip per se, but she might have to get used to it if things didn't turn out well. She felt his hands move up and down her body and could tell from the hardness beneath her that he was getting a bit excited. She wasn't doing much better as she continued to explore his warm mouth with her tongue. "Maybe I could get used to this," she murmured against his mouth.

Lucas' response was to continue groping her. "I think maybe I could too," he replied and grabbed her butt underneath the blanket.

While she enjoyed a good morning kiss as well as the next gal, she had no interest in making out with him while he was in Philip's body. That was just gross. She thought he had felt the same way about making out with her while she was stuck inside Belle. However, he was a guy and they tended to think with their hormones more often than not. She tried to pull away but her lips were caught against his again as Lucas pulled her back to his mouth. Now he was just getting pushy. He should know by now that that wasn't going to fly with her.

She pulled away forcefully and she couldn't ignore the naked lust she saw in his eyes. Sami attempted to smooth her hair out as she leaned back in his lap. "Whoa there cowboy. It looks like someone needs a cold shower." She stretched her arms out over her head dropping the blanket on the floor in the process.

Philip thought Belle was trying to prevent an awkward moment between them but he wanted to show her that he was serious about being with her and that there was nothing to be embarrassed about. She was certainly working wonders with his hormones. For someone who had never had sex before, she was sure doing a number on him. With his hands still on her hips, he lifted himself up and resumed kissing her neck. "I could be up for that as long as you agree to join me." His lips had reached the slight swell of her breasts and he continued kissing her through the thin T-shirt. He warmed to the idea even more when he felt her reach up to put her hands on his chest.

"Ooomph!" That was all he could get out as she pushed him back down against the couch—hard. "You've certainly gotten a lot more aggressive since last night. I kind of like it though."

"Ewwwww!" Sami screamed out and jumped off the couch. "Get your sick mind out of the gutter, General! I was serious about that cold shower."

"Me too," Philip replied. "I like the nickname though. If I'm the General, what does that make you—my own personal new recruit?" he said with a suggestive smile. "I've got a few orders that you might enjoy following." He was starting to like this little game. That was until he felt a balled up blanket hit him in the head.

Sami gave Lucas her most shocked and disgusted look. "You are being so obscene! And you were being so sweet last night. What the hell happened to you. I thought we agreed last night that there would be no hanky panky for a while." Lucas held the world record for speed when it came to pissing her off, hands down. He really could be such an arrogant jerk sometimes.

Philip didn't understand what was going on with Belle. She seemingly went from very hot to cold at an impossible rate. He thought she was just covering up her embarrassment of waking up with him but this was getting ridiculous. He sloppily draped the blanket across the back of the couch. "We never said that! Quite the opposite in fact."

"Don't get technical with me. It was implied. God you are impossible." Sami kicked a pillow that had fallen on the floor, satisfied when it hit Lucas in the shin. "I SO don't need this Lucas. It's bad enough that we're still like . . . this," she said as she gestured angrily at herself.

"What, Lucas?" Philip shouted. "I'm Philip and—" he paused abruptly and looked at the angry woman standing before him. "You're not Belle are you . . . Sami? Oh Man, I thought all that was a bad dream."

Sami really gave him a killer glare and placed her agitated hands on her hips. "This is no dream, you horny little troll. Of course it's Sami." She looked him up and down trying to analyze who was really sitting before her. "Is that really you Philip? Because if it is, you have some explaining to do. I know you and my sister are all hot and heavy now but didn't Lucas warn you to keep your horny little paws off me."

"Hey, I thought you were Belle. I'm sorry." Sami didn't looked convinced as she stood in front of him and crossed her arms in front of her. This only served to piss Philip off. "What's your problem Sami? Were you born angry because all you ever seem to do is yell at me."

"I don't appreciate you insulting me. Excuse me for waking up to who I think is my soon-to-be husband—albeit in your body—and I find you groping me like an teenage boy on prom night."

"Get off your high horse, Princess! So you've got me. You're just so damn irresistible that, putting aside the fact that you are currently in the body of my girlfriend, I intuited that you were really Sami and commenced my plan to finally have my wicked way with you." Sami raised an eyebrow at him and tapped her finger against one of her crossed arms. "Okay, I admit that I perhaps got a little out of control earlier. But come on, I'm just a lowly male who's been waiting FOREVER for your sister to come around." He licked his lips thinking about their encounter from before. "—and you were laying there with all that skin showing, looking all hot and tasty—" Sami was just staring at him stoically. She was secretly flattered that he found her so attractive but she didn't wan to encourage him. Not privy to these thoughts, Philip, was losing patience with her. "Besides, you're the one who started kissing me. I didn't see you complaining, then or—"

"Oh, so Belle's your girlfriend now? Don't even go there Philip. We both know I thought you were Lucas." Backing down a little, Sami let out a big sigh and sat down on the couch. "Philip, I remember changing your diapers for crying out loud. Even if you are a big, strong man now, the thought of getting back into your pants now is just plain disturbing." They both chuckled at the joke. It seved to break the tension a little. "I'm still mad though. Why did you and Lucas switch back but not me and Belle?"

Philip shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Are you sure you were concentrating on the universe hard enough?" he asked with mock suspicion.

"Shut up," she said with a small smile. "We should call over there and see if they're up. No need to let bad news linger."

Philip looked at his watch and saw that it was only a few minutes past 7:00. "Are you sure you don't want to let them sleep a little longer? It's still kind of early."

Sami shook her head and walked over to the phone. "Whatever. Lucas is an early riser and they need to know what's going on. If I have to be miserable in this body then so does everybody else."

'No kidding,' Philip chuckled to himself. "Yeah, Lucas is going to be in for quite a shock when he wakes up on that couch."

Sami picked up the phone and looked over at Philip. "Why is that? What were you two doing when you got home last night?" She got her answer when Philip blushed and looked away. She slammed the phone back down and turned to Philip. "You didn't! Not again. Tell me you two didn't do it on my couch!"

"What," Philip said defensively. "You two do it on the couch all the time. You said so yourself." He could see Sami's anger rising again. He did the only think he could think of to save himself and Belle. He immediately dropped down to his knees and crawled towards her. "Please don't kill us, Sami," he said pleading with her. "You know we're weak."

Sami stared down at Philip as he begged for forgiveness, secretly finding his display pretty funny. "Well, okay, but when I get back into my body—" Her sentence was left hanging as she stood there frozen with her eyes opened as wide as they would go.

When he saw Sami's expression change, Philip quickly got to his feet and grabbed Sami by the shoulders. "Sami, what's wrong! Talk to me." He heard an annoying ringing in his ears and fought to keep from covering them up. He let his head drop as he felt himself getting a little lightheaded. When he looked back up, Sami seemed to be coming around. "Sami are you alright?" he said trying to get her attention.

"Philip," she replied softly looking dazed.

"Here," he said guiding her over to the couch. "Sit down. What's wrong."

"Philip," she repeated. "How did I get here? I was laying on Sami's couch and then I felt all weird and ended up standing here." She looked around and finally her eyes settled on his. She seemed to snap out of her daze and immediately glanced down at herself. "Oh my God! I'm me!" she screamed.

Philip winced at the sound of her shrill scream but a smile quickly spread across his face as he realized that things were getting back to normal. "Is that really you in there, Belle?"

"I think so. I mean, it feels like me. Do I look like me?" Philip nodded and grabbed her hand. He rushed Belle over to the bathroom so she could look in the mirror. Belle gazed at her reflection in wonder and grinned happily. She twirled around to face Philip who was also smiling. "It's good to be me again," she said hugging herself.

Philip couldn't help himself. He put his arms around her and joined her laughter. "It's good to have you back. Your sister was getting a little hard to handle."

Belle laughed and pulled Philip into a hug. "So what else is new. I wonder why it took so long for us to switch back."

"I'm not sure. Maybe it's because me and Lucas switched first. You guys were a little behind so it took a little longer." Philip enjoyed the feel of the real Belle in his arms as he caressed her back. "I do know that now that I've got you back, I'm not going to let you go." He stared lovingly down into her eyes and gave her his most sincere expression.

"Oh Philip, me either." Sensing that he was being a bit shy, she leaned up and kissed him on the lips. It felt different than what they had been used to in the last few hours but it definitely felt better. The desire that coursed through their bodies was the same as it had always been. As their passion increased, Philip picked Belle up in his arms and headed toward his bedroom.

BACK AT SAMI'S APARTMENT

"—you two are going to—" Sami fell over into the couch as a wave of dizziness overtook her. For a few seconds, she felt like she couldn't move. When she finally rediscovered some of her motor skills, she looked around in confusion. 'How did I get back here,' she thought. She stared at the candles on the table and a pile of her clothes at the foot of the bed. She then looked down at herself and realized that she was completely naked and wrapped in a blanket.

"Why do I always end up naked?" she exclaimed in an irritated tone. "When I get my hands on Belle, we're going to have a little talk." She stood up and looked around the apartment. "At least, I'm back in my own body—finally." She walked around searching for Lucas but there was no sign of him. His shirt and shoes were still lying on the floor along with her clothes but he wasn't in her bedroom or in Will's room.

She still felt a little disoriented but when she finally cleared her head she realized that the bathroom door was closed. She could hear the water running and figured that Lucas was in their cleansing himself of their siblings' love festivities. She sat back down on the couch and reveled in the feeling of being back in her own body. What a nightmare the past few hours had been! Philip and Belle might have had a little fun while in her and Lucas' body but she saw nothing remotely redeeming about becoming her little sister.

She wondered how long Lucas had been in the shower. As she looked down at her blanket-clad body, she also wondered if he would mind some company. She walked over to the bathroom door and suddenly stopped with her hand on the doorknob. An evil look crossed her face as she stared up at the closed door. She immediately dropped the blanket and walked into the steamy bathroom.

Lucas was almost done cleansing himself of his brother's debauchery when he thought he heard Belle talking in the other room. 'Maybe she's finally cracking up,' he thought. 'I know I'm way past that point.' He rinsed the soap from his body and put his head underneath the stream of water to wash his hair. 'I really missed my hair,' Lucas thought vainly. It was interesting being Philip and all but there was nothing like being back in his own body. "It's good to be me," Lucas said out loud.

"I'll say," he heard a voice from close by. He tried wiping the water from his eyes afraid to confirm who the speaker was. Sure enough, there was Belle standing in front of him, naked as the day—well, naked as the day Sami was born. He quickly grabbed the shower curtain to cover himself in panic.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" Lucas yelled. Belle just laughed at his modesty which only served to anger him. "Okay, joke's over. Get out of here. Seriously, you're creeping me out."

Instead of doing as he requested, Sami stepped into the shower with him. "What's the matter, Lucas? Don't you want me?" Lucas looked shocked and frightened at the idea and now he had that pesky Human League song in his head. Sami pushed him back farther into the tub until she was standing under the showerhead. Lucas couldn't help but stare as the steamy water cascaded down her deliciously naked body. She leaned her head back and ran her hands through her hair causing her breasts to practically beg for his touch. He instinctively brought his hands to her waist and made tiny circles across her skin with his thumbs.

Lucas then snatched his hands away like he had been burned. "Belle, this isn't funny. I don't know if you realize this but I am a weak man when it comes to Sami. I know you and Philip had a lot of fun in our bodies but this is going too far."

Sami smiled at the admission. She made sure to lock that statement into her memory. It was sure to be useful later on. "But Lucas, I realized that you could show me so much more. The next time I'm with Philip, I'm going to be back in my own body and I want to make sure that I show him a good time." Sami slid her hand strategically down her body and then reached out for Lucas.

Lucas quickly moved away from her extended arm and put his own arms up in protest. "I'm sure Philip will be happy just being with you Belle. Listen, I'm flattered that you want my help and all but I'm engaged to Sami. Despite what people might think of me, I have no intention of screwing that up by fooling around with someone else."

"But Lucas, look at me," she said running her hands over her body. "I am Sami. You wouldn't have to pretend with me." She smiled as she saw Lucas bite down on his lower lip and follow the path her hand forged across her body.

"Yeah, you explain that to Sami!" He was beginning to get irritated at Belle's actions and was about to tell her so. "Didn't you hear anything I said before? You're like a little kid to me. That's just too weird even if I weren't committed to your sister. Remember her? Sami Brady—world class vengeance seeker and Queen Bee of her own hive of torture."

"Hey, don't talk about her like that," she said with a pout.

"Oh, now you care about her feelings. She'd kill you right along with me, you know. What were you planning on telling her—you slipped in the shower and fell on her fiancee?"

"That sounds good. Or we could use this whole body switching thing to our pleasurable advantage." She took another step towards him.

"You're completely insane!" Lucas shouted in horror.

Sami couldn't resist him anymore. He was so cute when he was in a panic. She leaped on him, put her arms around his neck and planted a wet kiss on his lips. He was so surprised at first that he couldn't do anything but stare at her in shock. "You really know how to talk to a woman, General. That must be why I love you so much." She then gave him an evil but satisfied smile that was classic Sami Brady.

Lucas pulled away from her slightly and looked her in the eye. "Sami, is that you?"

Sami looked away and shrugged one of her shoulders. "Maybe, she replied, stepping away from him and pretending to return to her shower.

"Oh no you don't you little trouble maker," he said turning her around. He laughed as she tried to act as if nothing was wrong. "You are such a bitch. That was so not funny."

"I think it was plenty funny. You should have seen the look on your face, Lucas," Sami said giggling. "I guess that's how you looked when Belle was chasing you all over the loft earlier."

"I thought Belle had lost her mind." He pulled her body closer to him and began to lather her back absently with the soap. He was too happy to have her back to be mad at her. "I thought being in that crazy head of yours had finally gotten to her and driven her insane." She playfully smacked his butt causing a little smile of surprise to cross his face. "So you want to start with that, do you?" he asked returning the favor with a pinch of his own. "Hopefully, my little brother behaved himself this time."

She frowned slightly and moved his wet hair from his eyes. "He was a little better. I can't say the same for him last night after we left Celeste's house."

"Tell me about it," Lucas spat out. "Those two were out of control." He pushed her back under the water to wash the soap off. "Not like us. We have an incredible amount of self-control." To prove how much self-control he had, he pressed his lips to the now very wet skin of her neck.

Sami ran her hands up and down Lucas' back and then grabbed a handful of his hair. "Oh yeah, you're the epitome of self-control there, General." She pulled his head back and attacked his lips in a fierce kiss.

Lucas couldn't help but notice how good it was to feel her body so close to his again—the real Sami's body. When she kissed him, he knew that things were getting back to normal.

"I was just making sure it's really you. Maybe Belle's a better actress than I thought." Sami pulled slightly away and gave him a stern look. She brought her hand from his back and trailed it across his chest before sliding it down between their bodies to catch his growing arousal in her grasp. "I'll show you who's really here," she said. Lucas gasped as Sami stroked him like only she could.

Lucas sighed into her mouth and kissed her again. "Color me convinced Sami. Now why don't we start getting reacquainted." He pushed her back against the shower wall.

"It certainly is good to be back," Sami said before succumbing to Lucas' passionate embrace.