**** Saturday 7/3 ****

Saturday morning, Zanna nervously got ready for her date with Artemi. This was an actual date that she'd agreed to go on and, in reality that could mean that he had expectations of her. She had no idea how this was going to go. Knowing that he was on the shy and quiet side, however, she was pretty sure he wasn't expecting sex. He knocked on her door five minutes early and she took a deep breath before answering.

"Hi Artemi," she smiled.

"Hello Zanna." He handed her a bouquet of flowers and grinned proudly at her.

"Aww, thank you! They're so beautiful! Come on in and I'll put them in some water." He followed her to the kitchen.

"You are so extra pretty today."

"Thank you! You look really handsome too."

"Thank you… I have nerves."

"You do?" He smiled and nodded.

"Excited nerves, not scared nerves," he clarified.

"Me too."

"Okay, good. Ready to go?"

"Yes!" He held out his left elbow to her and she threaded her arm through his. He opened doors for her, pulled out her seat at the restaurant and even ordered for her. She'd never been on a date with a more gentlemanly guy before. It was a nice change.

After lunch, he asked her if she had time to do one more thing with him. He wouldn't say what it was but she trusted that it would be something worthwhile. She agreed to go to the mystery location and he drove her there.

"Where are we?"

"There are two things near this. We are going in Japanese Garden. Close by is also zoo. It was hard to decide which to go to… but I want to take you to here."

"I've never been to a Japanese Garden!"

"Please wait. I will open door." He got out of the driver's seat and scurried around to the passenger's side of the car to open her door. He held his hand out to her and she took it. Artemi paid their admission then they walked through the gates and into their incredible surroundings.

"Artemi, it's so beautiful." She looked around at the incredible scenery embracing them. It was quiet there other than some birds and the occasional hushed conversation by other people they passed. Feeling that the time was right, he took her hand in his and gave a gentle squeeze. She looked up at him and smiled. Butterflies flooded his stomach before he leaned down to kiss her sweetly. His full, soft lips lingered on hers for a moment until he pulled back to look into her eyes again. A grin brighter than the sun spread across his face and she couldn't help but reciprocate.

"That was okay?"

"Yeah."

"Good," he chuckled nervously. "Come on. We will see all of the Garden."

Artemi and Zanna walked around the gardens for over two hours. That didn't include the 15 minutes they spent sitting on a bench, holding hands and just enjoying the silence surrounding them. They had also stood on the bridge and watched a pond full of koi fish for a time as well.

When it was time to leave, his nerves returned in full force. He had no idea how to end the date. Should he just walk her to her door and kiss her goodbye? Should he ask if she wants to do something else? What if she asked him to come in to her place? They chit-chatted as he drove her home and she too began to wonder how they would part ways. He pulled into her parking lot and the moment of truth quickly approached. He turned off the car and smiled over at her.

"I had so much fun today, Zanna… with you."

"Me too, Artemi. Thank you so much for everything."

"You are welcome."

"Do you wanna come in? We could watch a movie or baseball game or something?"

"Really?" She smiled warmly and nodded. "Yes. I would like that very much." They went up to her apartment and kicked their shoes off by the door.

"Do you want a drink? A beer or a Gatorade or iced tea?"

"I love iced tea."

"Great. Me too." She poured them each a glass of tea then excused herself to go change her clothes. She loved the cute dress she'd decided to wear but she wanted to be comfortable… shorts and tank top it is! After pulling up her hair and checking her makeup, she returned to him in the kitchen. "Let's go in here." He followed her into the living room and they sat on the couch together. "Do you like baseball?"

"Sure. My brother, he plays for his college."

"Oh cool!" She found a Red Sox / Orioles game and left it on as they talked. They talked about their families and where they'd grown up and what they'd focused on in school. She loved listening to his adorable accent and how he would search for the right words in certain situations. He's so damn cute, she thought to herself. After a while, she glanced at the clock and realized it was already almost 7pm. He looked when he saw her look.

"It is so late! I am so sorry, I stayed so long!"

"Don't be sorry! Are you hungry? We could make dinner."

"You are not tired of me here?"

"No," she laughed. "Not at all… I like having you here."

"You do?"

"Yeah." She stood up and held her hand out to him. "Come on. Let's make dinner."

After dinner, they put their shoes back on and went for a walk around her neighborhood. He held her hand as they strolled around the blocks and talked about hockey. They returned to her condo shortly after 9:15. Not wanting to overstay his welcome, he stopped with her at her front door.

"I really liked today, Zanna."

"Me too."

"Can I kiss you goodnight?" he smiled and she nodded. It was a sweet kiss and it ended too soon for her. "I will talk with you soon, Zanna."

"Goodnight, Artemi." She watched him walk away before going inside. She locked her door and set her keys on the counter. Noticing her phone blinking with a notification, she picked it up. "You called me three times?" she sighed aloud. "And didn't leave a message?" Better judgement told her to ignore Brad's calls… but what if something's wrong? She hit the "call" button and took a deep breath.

"Zanna!"

"Hi Marshy."

"Is Artemi still there?"

"No... How did you know he was here?"

"I drove over today but saw his car there so I kept going."

"Why'd you drive over?"

"Can we talk? In person?"

"Maybe Tuesday after work."

"No sooner?" His persistence was kind of annoying and she was curious as to what the urgency in his voice was about. "Tomorrow maybe?"

"I have plans with Artemi tomorrow."

"Fine. Tuesday after work for sure, okay?"

"Okay."

"Good night, Zee."

"Night Marshy." She didn't really have plans with Artemi on Sunday but that was none of Brad's business. She needed a day away from the guys… all of them.

**** Sunday 7/4 ****

Sunday morning, Zanna rolled out of bed around 9am. It was the fourth of July and she hadn't decided what she was going to do with herself for the day yet. She started the coffee pot then opened the blinds in the living room, letting the sunlight spill in. She was pouring herself a cup of coffee when her phone rang.

"Marshy," she sighed when she looked at it. "Hello?"

"Zee, are you awake?"

"Yeah."

"Can I come in? I'm at your door." She went to the door and opened it. He stood before her, grinning and holding up a bag of donut holes.

"What are you doing here?" she chuckled and stepped aside, motioning for him to come in.

"I wanted to see if I could change your plans for today."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I like your outfit, by the way." She wore only panties and a short tank top.

"I'm gonna go put some clothes on."

"Don't get dressed on my account. I think you look hot, mama." She walked away anyway and he helped himself to a cup of coffee. Zanna pulled on a sundress and returned to him in the kitchen. "I like it… you look really cute."

"Thanks. So what were you going to try and convince me to do today?"

"Me and a few of the guys rented a boat and we're gonna take it out on the river tonight and watch the fireworks. I mean it's like chartered so someone who knows what they're doing is driving it… and I want you to come too."

"Who else is going?"

"Looch and Brittany, Tuuks and his woman, Frankie and Tyler… not sure if they're bringing anyone." She thought about it for a minute. "Come on, Zee. It's gonna be awesome!"

"It does sound fun."

"You know you wanna spend the day with me." He placed his hands on her hips and gave her a cocky smile. "I know I wanna spend the day with you." He leaned in to kiss her and like every time their lips met, she got completely lost in the moment. "I give you goosebumps, baby?" he breathed against her neck.

"Why are you doing this to me?" He held her against him and continued devouring her skin.

"Cause I want you." Completely overcome with desire for him, she pulled his shirt off then removed her dress as quickly as she could. They kissed and undressed their way to the couch. He sat down once they were both nude and he pulled her down to straddle him. She rested her hands on his shoulders and took him into her while looking deep into his eyes. "The way you look at me is so fucking sexy, Zanna." She moved intentionally slowly, sliding up and down the length of his shaft. They felt every centimeter of friction as it built between them. He gripped her hips in his palms but let her dictate the pace. The way she moved above him, the way her hips swished back and forth and the way she controlled her inner muscles drove him insane. She didn't seem like someone who'd only had sex a couple of times. If asked, she would have given all of this credit to him. He made her feel things and think things she'd never experienced before. She'd never be able to look at him again and not want him.

Having successfully talked her into spending the day with him, Brad laid in bed with her after breakfast. As she laid in his arms, she admitted that she hadn't had plans with Artemi today.

"How come you said you did?" Leaning up on her elbow, she looked down at him and kissed him softly.

"I'm super confused here, Marshy. I just wanted a day or two to myself to try and figure out what the hell I'm doing. I shouldn't have lied to you."

"No worries. I get what you're saying. It's a confusing situation we're in. But for today, let's just chill and have fun. Is that cool?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "Sounds like a good plan."

Brad and Zanna boarded the chartered boat with the rest of their group around 6pm. There were meat and cheese platters, bowls of pretzels of chips and many coolers full of assorted beers. The plan was to take a spin up and down the Columbia, do a little sightseeing, find a place to drop anchor, do some swimming then watch the fireworks once it got dark.

"Hey, who are we waiting for?" Looch's wife, Brittany, asked.

"Waiting on Ryan," Frankie Vatrano responded. That had not been one of the names that Marshy had mentioned that would be on this trip but Zanna bit her tongue. She was 99% sure that Ryan had been the one that started the pool about her and her soon-to-be-sex life.

"I'm here!" Ryan called as he came running up the dock. "Sorry I'm late, guys." He climbed on board the vessel and his eyes met Zanna's. "Hey," he spoke nervously.

"Hey." She turned and walked away.

The boat cruised along the Columbia River while the guys and girls on board sat and socialized. Zanna hit it off with Brittany and she was already friends with Looch so she happily hung out with them along with Marshy.

"Are you wearing your swimsuit, Zee?" her new friend asked.

"Yeah. You?"

"Yep! As soon as we drop anchor, I am in that water!"

"Nice." Ryan sat back and watched the foursome talk. He wanted to be invited into their conversation but he knew that Zanna hated him at the moment. He'd have to try and make things right between them at some point tonight.

The boat's captain dropped anchor at a beautiful, safe place to swim. Ryan watched Zanna and Brittany strip down to their swimsuits. The girls jumped into the water together and some of the guys joined them. Marshy snapped some pictures of them on his phone and posted them on his Twitter feed. He then went to use the head and Ryan took the opportunity to join the group in the water.

"Zanna!" He swam up to her and she rolled her eyes.

"What, Ryan?"

"Look, I know I'm an asshole and I fucked up but we have to work together… so I'm sorry. Can you give me another chance? I did something stupid but I want another chance." She wasn't even close to sure that he was being sincere but he was right. They did have to work together.

"Fine," she conceded.

"Thank you."

"Cannon ball!" Marshy shouted and came plunging into the water. "Man, the water's perfect!" He swam up to Zanna and kissed her on the cheek. "How you doing, mama?"

"Great! The water is awesome!" He grabbed her hand and swam to the side of the boat with her on tow. Holding on to the steps leading back onto the deck with one hand, he pulled her close and kissed her deeply. "You obviously don't care if people see us together," she noted.

"I want people to see you with me."

"You do?"

"Yeah." He smiled and kissed her again. "You don't care if people see us together, right?"

"No."

"Hey Looch!" he called up to his teammate who hadn't yet joined them in the river.

"Yeah?"

"Snap a pic of us and post it on my Twitter feed, would ya?"

"Yeah. No prob." Marshy pressed his lips to Zanna's and the shot was snapped. He continued kissing her and forcing to feel all the things that he brought out in her. Finally pulling back, he gave her a cocky smile. Her chest heaved against his and she breathed heavily through parted lips. "I presume a making out pic is okay to post?" Looch laughed.

"Absolutely. Thanks man." Leaning in close to her ear, he whispered, "I can feel what I do to you… you do the same to me."

"I do?" He nodded. "Everyone will see that post, Marshy… like everyone. Are you sure that's okay?"

"I want everyone to see it. We'll talk later," he smiled confidently. "Okay?" She nodded in agreement but was anything but sure about what he was saying.

Darkness fell over the river and it was almost time for fireworks. Much of the group was happily buzzed and Ryan was just on the edge of completely drunk. Looch was sitting on a bench toward the back of the boat and Brittany happily straddled him and kissed the ever-loving fuck out of him.

"Looks like they're having fun," Ryan chuckled and sat down beside Zanna, handing her a beer.

"Thanks. They do look pretty happy over there."

"Wish you'd given me a shot, Zanna. I coulda done you way better than Marshy did. Guarantee it."

"Oh yeah?" she laughed. "I don't think anyone could do better than him."

"He fucks you good?"

"Yes he does." With impeccable timing, Brad sat down on the other side of her and slung his arm around her shoulders. He leaned over to kiss her just as the first of the fireworks burst over the river.

Sitting snuggled up beside Zanna and watching her watch the fireworks, Brad smiled to himself. He knew he liked her a lot more than he'd originally intended to. She looked over at him and smiled.

"Marshy, they're so pretty!"

"I know, mama. They are… so pretty."

By the time the boat returned to dock, the group made their way back to their cars, they weaved their way through traffic and made it to their respective homes, it was almost 1am. Marshy and Zanna walked into her place and she locked the door behind them.

"I wanna get a shower," she yawned. "Do you wanna get one too?"

"Really? Yeah, absolutely." He had half-expected to be sent on his way once they reached her house so he was pleasantly surprised by the invite to stay. The stripped out of their clothes and tossed them into the hamper in her room before climbing into the shower tomorrow.

"I'll throw that stuff in the washer in the morning."

"Sounds good. If you turn around, I'll wash your back." She turned to face the water while he lathered up her backside. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the feel of his soapy hands on her skin. He rubbed her shoulders while she became more relaxed.

"That feels so good, Marshy," she said softly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She returned the favor then they finished washing before almost running out of hot water.

"Help yourself to anything in the fridge or kitchen or whatever." She climbed into bed, completely exhausted.

"Thanks. I'm good though." He cuddled up beside her in bed after turning the light off. "Good night, Zee."

"Good night, Marshy." She kissed him good night then quickly dozed off.

**** Monday 7/5 ****

The team and all of its staff had Monday off in observance of the holiday. Marshy slept until about 8:30. He was the first to wake up at Zanna's house. He used her bathroom then sat on the bed beside her. He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.

"You want me to make coffee, mama?"

"Sure." She opened her eyes and smiled up at him as she stretched. "Thanks." After going to the kitchen to start the coffee pot, he returned to her room. He opened the blinds just enough to let a little light in before climbing back under the covers with her.

"Did you sleep good?" He pulled her close and she nuzzled against him.

"I did," she smiled. "Did you?"

"Yeah, I slept great. What have you got going on today?"

"Laundry. Not much else… but I'm not ready to get up yet."

"Okay." Wrapping his arms around her, he held her against him and sighed happily. He felt more relaxed than he could remember feeling in a damn long time. He knew it was time for him to have a conversation with Katrina but for right now, he just wanted to enjoy his time with Zanna. They had fallen back asleep about twenty minutes ago when his cell phone rang on the nightstand. Still half asleep, he grabbed it and answered.

"Yeah?"

"You wanna tell me about the random whore you're making out with on Twitter?"

"Can I call you back? When I'm awake?" he whispered.

"No. You can tell me now what the hell is going on." He got out of bed and went into the living room, trying not to wake Zanna.

"Katrina, we should probably talk in person. You know things haven't been working out between us lately."

"So that makes it okay for you to make out with some random bitch you meet then post it all over Twitter? What the hell?"

"She's not some random bitch." He immediately wished he hadn't admitted that.

"What does that mean? Like you know her? She's not just some girl you don't know?"

"Katrina…"

"Brad, that's even worse!"

"Katrina," he tried again.

"You're right," she sighed. "We need to talk in person. I'm at the airport right now leaving for Seattle. Can we talk tonight?"

"Yeah. I'll pick you up when you get in. Just text me the info, okay?"

"Okay." They hung up and Brad sat on the couch, dropping his head into his hands.

"What the fuck am I gonna say to her?" he whispered to himself. "To either of them?" Against his much better judgement, he decided to silently get dressed and leave Zanna's apartment without waking her. Once he got into his car, he texted her: "So sorry but I had to take off. We'll talk tomorrow, okay?" When Zanna woke up about twenty minutes later and he was gone, she felt heartbroken. Then she felt stupid. When she saw that he'd texted her, she wasn't sure if that made her feel better or worse.

Zanna spent the rest of the morning and the first part of the afternoon, sprawled out on the couch watching daytime TV and eating junk food. She felt bad for herself and angry at herself… and angry at Brad. Her phone rang around 2:30 and she grabbed it off the coffee table when she saw Artemi's name on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Hello Zanna. How are you?"

"I'm okay. How are you?"

"Okay."

"What's wrong, Artemi?"

"I have seen pictures of Marshy with you."

"Oh…"

"You are in love with him?"

"No!"

"But you are with him?"

"Artemi, I don't know how to answer that." She decided that she couldn't lie to him and string him along any further. "I do have feelings for him."

"Oh. Okay. Do you want for me to stop talking to you?"

"No! I don't want that at all! I really like you Artemi and I didn't mean for anything to happen with Marshy. I had no idea it would go this way… I just wanted to be honest with you… because I do like you."

"Maybe we just have to only work with each other," he said sadly. "I like you a lot too… so much. But I don't want you to have things be difficult. Tell me what to do, Zanna."

"I don't know."

"Okay. Let's just see each other at work tomorrow. We can talk maybe later?"

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow, Artemi."

"Goodbye, Zanna." She set her phone down and now felt even worse. The remainder of the day was spent by herself at home. She didn't want to interact with anyone at this point.