They pulled up to Kevin's house where several cars were already parked out front. The rowdy group entered the house together, and Kevin emerged from the kitchen as soon as he heard Kristy's laugh. "Took ya long enough!" he teased as he wrapped Kristy in a big hug. He pulled her into the kitchen for a little privacy and showed her how much he'd missed her.
Their kiss was getting pretty intense when Nick and Brian entered the kitchen, looking for something to drink. "Don't mind us."
Kristy pulled away and blushed slightly. Kevin glared at the two, "Can I help you with something?!"
"Nah, we're fine. Just go back to whatever it was you were doing..." Nick chuckled. "Need any help?"
"NO!" Kevin said, shooing them out of the room. "There's a whole cooler of drinks on the deck..."
Kristy gave Kevin a quick kiss and led him out to the deck to join his party. Kevin introduced the girls to the rest of the people who were there so far. "You know Jeff. That's our manager, and that's AJ's mom, Denise," he said, pointing to the appropriate people. "And those are a few of our dancers," gesturing to an attractive group on and around the lounge chairs. "Everybody... this is my girlfriend Kristy, and her friends: Jessica and Heather."
Although Kristy knew how she and Kevin felt about each other, he'd never called her his girlfriend before, and she felt a rush of excitement and pleasure as she heard the words. She turned to smile at him and saw that he was watching her reaction. He saw the love and happiness in her eyes and couldn't stop himself from kissing her right then and there.
"Well, isn't this cozy!?" a powerful female voice said from the patio doors.
Kristy turned to see a stunning, petite woman who couldn't be anyone but Fatima, the Boys' choreographer.
"Fatima, THIS is Kristy!" Kevin said with pride and love in his deep, rich voice.
Kristy smiled at her, as Fatima critically assessed at the attractive blond at Kevin's side. Kristy had the distinct impression that this woman didn't want to like her.
"Well, I've sure heard a lot about you in the last few days," Fatima said as she walked out on the deck. "Although, I was beginning to think you were just a figment of Kevin's imagination... it's hard to believe anyone could really be THAT wonderful."
Kristy might have been known for being sweet and friendly, but she was also spirited and had quite a temper when pushed far enough. Jessica could tell she wasn't ready to lose her temper yet, but she also knew Kristy wasn't about to let this woman just walk all over her. Kristy decided to play it cool... just like she learned in communication class: you're more effective if you don't get too emotional.
"Kevin's so sweet," Kristy smiled and returned Fatima's even stare, "But I'm sure he and the other guys exaggerated... a little."
AJ coughed to cover his laughter. He could've guessed Fatima would make a stink. They all knew she still thought she and Kevin had a chance, although Kevin had made it very clear he just wanted to be friends and colleagues. From his interactions with Kristy that afternoon and the night before, AJ knew that under that beautiful, sweet-natured exterior, Kristy was spunky. Although the smile on her face was purely angelic, her eyes twinkled with mischief. (This could get interesting,) AJ thought.
Kevin kept his arm around Kristy and gave her a small squeeze and a wink. "Actually," Kevin replied, "I didn't exaggerate a bit... you guys?"
The others all shook their heads, "Nope."
Except Nick, "OK, I may have embellished a smidge..." he said, grinning sheepishly. "She's not ACTUALLY a goddess. There. Happy?"
Kristy bit back a smile, but caught Nick's eye. Nick had been the first to openly accept her with Kevin, so she had a special affection for him. That and he reminded her a lot of her little brother.
Fatima could see that the guys were going to stand together in their support of Kevin and his woman. She decided she wouldn't be overtly confrontational, but would continue to provide some resistance. Little Miss Perfect was going to have to prove herself as far as Fatima was concerned. She smiled, hoping it appeared she was calling a truce, "A mere mortal like the rest of us?" Kristy watched Fatima smile, but still heard the hint of sarcasm.
"Speak for yourself!" Brian shouted, jumping on top of a table. He stood with his feet a shoulder's width apart and his fists on his hips, puffing out his chest. He thrust his chin forward, "I'm Rok-man!" The group burst into applause and laughter and Brian hopped down from the table and bowed. "Thank you. Thank you."
"So..." Kevin asked, changing the subject, "You guys wanna eat first or go swimming now while it's still hot?"
Nick, Brian, AJ and Howie all grinned and shot knowing looks at Heather, Jessica and Kristy. "Swimming. Definitely swimming... trust us Kev!"
"You girls want to go inside and change then?" Kevin asked.
"Oh, I think they're ready NOW." Nick wiggled his eyebrows and started stalking towards Kristy, laughing menacingly.
Kristy stood behind Kevin, using him as a shield. She peeked her head over his shoulder and called out, "Nickolas... don't even THINK about it!"
AJ chuckled and grabbed Jessica, "How 'bout you? Ready to go for a dip?"
Howie followed suit and made a lunge for Heather. She darted out of his reach and giggling, ran to the other side of the pool.
"You guys," Denise called out, "Do NOT throw those girls in the pool... at least, not with their street clothes on!"
Kristy groaned and laughed, "Oh, thanks Denise!"
AJ laughed, "You heard what my mom said... strip!"
All three women stood there, stubbornly not moving. Kevin turned to watch Kristy, curious to see what was going to happen.
Nick approached Kevin's side, "Face it. You're going in. But you can decide how... with or without clothes, willingly or not... you know."
Kristy, Jessica and Heather all exchanged looks. Heather pulled the drawstrings at the waist of her shorts, while Jess unbuttoned and unzipped hers. Kristy slowly unfastened the row of brass buttons on the front of her denim shorts, letting them slide off her hips at the same time Jessica and Heather dropped theirs. They had the attention of every male at the party... and they knew it. Kristy grabbed the bottom of her tee-shirt, winked at Kevin, and in unison with her friends, removed her top.
Kevin inhaled sharply as his eyes roamed over Kristy. He knew she had a terrific body, but her pale blue two-piece confirmed it. The style was flirty, but not skimpy. He admired her long, shapely legs, trim stomach, narrow waist and full breasts, displayed subtlely in her functional suit. The light color highlighted her eyes and showed off her great tan. Kevin thought it looked perfect on her.
Nick stepped towards Kristy, also admiring the view. "Ready to take the plunge?"
One of Kevin's muscular arms prevented Nick from getting any closer.
They heard a squeal and a splash, followed by masculine laughter. AJ stood poolside looking down on a submerged Jessica. She surfaced and swam over to the side and started splashing AJ. He decided it would be more fun in the water and quickly stripped down to his trunks and jumped in.
Howie rounded on a retreating Heather. He finally caught her, but she continued to struggle. Soon though, there was a shriek and a splash... this time followed by feminine laughter as Howie came up sputtering. Heather gracefully dove into the pool to join her friends.
Brian and Nick shed their street clothes and jumped in, joining the splashing, laughing group. Kevin turned back to Kristy and slowly started removing his clothing, piece by piece. Kristy felt her breath catch and her heart race as Kevin stood before her only in his black trunks. He scooped her up in his powerful arms and carried her to the edge of the pool. She wasn't going to struggle... she knew it would be pointless. Instead, she snuggled against Kevin's well-defined chest and kissed him softly at the base of his throat. He held her even closer as he carried her down the steps into the pool. Kristy's grip tightened as the cold water hit her skin. Kevin paused. Kristy looked up at his smiling face, then he sank down, letting the water cover both of them.
The rest of the group watched Kevin carry Kristy into the water. "He's twitterpated!" Brian grinned. They waited for their two friends to surface. And waited. And waited. Finally they came up, gasping for breath... though the group suspected their breathlessness was due to whatever it was they were doing while underwater, rather than the fact they they'd been underwater. Kevin brushed a wet piece of hair off Kristy's forehead and kissed her again. They looked like they were ready to submerge again when they started getting splashed from all sides. "Looks like you guys could use some cooling off!" AJ laughed. Kevin and Kristy started splashing back and a full-out water fight began.
