Summer Boy Ch. 01

"Out Adam!" Lynn pointed her finger sternly to the other side of the reception desk.

Adam sat on the top of the desk belonging to Cassie, a young, very buxom, brunette receptionist. The girl didn't seem to mind much judging by her wide, sparkling grin. He offered an innocent glance towards his supervisor.

"Now!" Lynn insisted, "Stop hanging around reception like some bored monkey, already. You're on morning pool duty in 5 minutes!"

Adam slipped off the desk and snapped to attention on his feet. Flashing perfect rows of smiling white teeth he said, "Mais oui, mon capitan!"

Cassie giggled and he finally pulled himself away. The lanky, sharp-faced young man with the scrunched-teased sandy hair casually made his way past Lynn as she stood by the reception desk's gate.

He stopped and smiled downward towards the shorter woman. "I've got the trunks on underneath my shorts," he remarked through a playful, angled curl on his lips. He always liked to sweeten his words with his curling French accent when he was like this. "I'm good to go, Lynn."

Lynn put her hand on her chest and chided, "Well, that really puts me at ease. Thank you, Adam. Now, do me a favour and get your butt to the pool."

The young man arched his sharp brow and chuckled, "Seeya, Cass!" He winked at Lynn and scooted down the corridor towards the pool.

Lynn sighed, exasperated. She steeled her dark brown eyes towards the young receptionist. Cassie was already cringing. The supervisor had been on a warpath for the last few weeks and the perky girl with the round cheeks --round everything-- had caught a lot of her flak.

"You know that no one's supposed to hang around back here behind the desk," Lynn said in a low, slowly seething voice.

Cassie chewed her lower lip and nodded, sinking into her chair.

"So what was that?"

Cassie's big doe-eyes pinched as she cowered helplessly. "Um...He just stopped by when you...uh...he was just here for a second," she offered, noticeably flustered.

"Adam isn't supposed to be...," Lynn caught herself, realizing the harsh tone in her voice. The girl in front of her looked like a rabbit that was preparing to be flayed alive. Calmed slightly, she started again, "Cassie, no one except you should be working behind this desk, alright?"

Cassie nodded again. The phone rang and she quickly, earnestly, answered, "Hello, Valleyview Recreation and Aquatic Centre. Cassie, speaking. May I help you?"

The receptionist smiled anxiously towards the supervisor and then turned away as she talked on the phone.

Lynn sighed as she walked away. "I 'ave got deh trunks on underneat' mah shorts," she fumed derisively, feigning a brutal French accent. Smirking to herself, she added, "God knows what else he's packing underneath his shorts."

She stumbled for a moment, tripped up by the double entendre of her flippant thoughts. Lord, she was tired, just so tired.

Summer at the recreation centre was not her favourite time of year. She wanted to be outside not stuck working in the center all day. It was constantly busy and the patrons were more demanding as if their lives would end if they couldn't have access to the squash court. To fill the increased demand and hours, the centre offered more shifts to the part-time junior staff, which in turn meant more antics from Adam.

This summer in particular was not going well at all for the staff supervisor. In fact, it started off as a disaster and steadily rolled down the hill from there. Lynn had pinned so many of her seasonal plans on her budding relationship with Dominic. A new boyfriend in the spring had quickened her step and made the already fun and energetic woman just that much more of a pleasure to work with. She always had a smile on her softly curved, fair-skinned face and a natural lightness in her voice. Able to deflect any stress or adversity with a simple laugh and a focused mind, everyone found her to be easily approachable.

So it was a jarring contrast when her mood suddenly took a turn just before the summer peak-period started. She was agitated and aggravated. Every word she spoke had an edge to it. Now a month into the season and everyone knew to take a wide berth when she was around, everyone except Adam. The young man seemed to relish standing on the tracks waiting for Lynn to railroad him. It was either a death-wish or a fetish.

With all her other headaches, the last thing she wanted to deal with was the young Cassanova...or at least he fancied himself that...and most of the girls his age seemed to believe that...along with some of the older women on staff. Lynn shook her head and scolded herself. This wasn't just about Adam. He was a symptom of her lousy summer, not the reason for it.

Apart from supervising his work, he was of no concern in her life.

*********

"You're in charge of the pool staff," Lynn groaned, "Can't you do something about them?"

Olivia tapped something into her keyboard then swiveled in her chair as the two staff supervisors sat at their desks alone in the centre's office. "You mean Adam?" she asked.

Annoyed, Lynn sniffed, "No...not just Adam. I said them."

Her friend and co-worker smiled and folded her arms. "Alright. Who else, then?"

Lynn was hunched over her desk. She scribbled some gibberish onto her schedules and then tossed her pencil down. Leaning back in her seat, she dragged her hands down her face. "Okay! Adam!" she moaned, "He's getting on my nerves!"

Olivia chuckled.

"He's always hanging around doing nothing but flirting with any young thing with breasts and a tweety-pie giggle. He moves like he's going for a stroll on a beach. He smells of smoke. Those stupid baggy cargo shorts of his...I swear it could be below freezing outside and I'd still be forced to look at his hairy white legs," Lynn bemoaned barely stopping for a breath.

Olivia continued to laugh. "You forgot about his hair."

"He must run a vacuum cleaner through it in the morning! Oh! Oh! And that crazy way he arches his eyebrow. What the hell?"

"It's like it's going to detach and fly off into space," Olivia fed her friend's annoyance, "And all those men's magazines he reads?"

Lynn closed her eyes and shook her head. "No wonder he's over-sexed. Worse, he's misguided reading that garbage. I mean how many times can they rewrite the same article about how to pick up and seduce women?"

Swiveling side-to-side in her chair, Olivia looked upwards and sighed, "Ah, it does seem to be working for him, though."

"Pfft!" Lynn fluttered her lips dismissively, "Only with immature school girls who are just as over-sexed as he is."

"It must be that passionate French blood of his." Pouting her lip for a second as she thought, Olivia finally said, "He is really cute though."

Lynn said nothing. She just picked up her pencil and tapped the eraser end on the desk.

"I mean, he has the looks," Olivia mused, "Tall, blue eyes, spiky light brown hair, V-shaped build...even the little bit of scruff on his face suits him. He doesn't look nearly his age."

"He looks like an escapee from a Disney Channel show," Lynn muttered.

"Well, if you ask me..."

Lynn raised her finger aside and interjected, "I'm not asking you..."

"Quiet...if you ask me, that's not necessarily a bad way to be described. He's got Disney looks, naughty boy attitude, Euro-stlye charm, and he's also surprisingly bright. That's a pretty intriguing combination don't you think?"

"Uh-huh. It just means he's still a boy who's growing up and doesn't know what he wants to be."

"No, not a boy any longer," Olivia corrected with a coy grin, "And he's at his sexual peak."

"Ugh," Lynn replied and repeated, "He still has a lot of growing up to do."

"Well, a man your age didn't get you really far with Dominic, did it?" her friend chided, "Adam's harmless. He's playful, likes to have fun. Kind of like you...when you're not so --I'm sorry-- bitchy."

"Olivia," Lynn sighed, "I run into Adam everyday. He's cute, I'll give you that. Sort of like High School Musical guy's evil twin Francophone brother. I'll admit it, it actually makes me laugh on the inside when he does that goofy leer of his. And there's something about him that prevents me from just wanting to kill him when he acts like an idiot."

"He's actually a pretty smart kid," Olivia interjected, "And disarmingly charming sometimes."

"I won't deny that. Sometimes he's quite fun to hang out with and to even talk to," Lynn continued, "But then he just undercuts himself by overdoing it. All I see is his over-confident grin and over-stimulated, hormonally excited swagger. Other than what he can pass off as seduction or romance or sex positions from what he's learned from magazines or tv or the internet, what can he possibly offer to a girl over the age of 16? I just wish he would grow up. He could be so much better than that."

Olivia leaned back in her chair, folded her arms and smirked at her. Lynn didn't like that look. "What?" she asked suspiciously.

Olivia shook her head and said, "Lynn, it sounds to me like you've actually thought a lot about this guy."

"He's not a guy...he's a kid," Lynn retorted, "Why would I be concerned with him?"

"You know, I can see that you two do seem to get along really well a lot of the time."

"I figured I'd mix it up with the times I'm usually chewing him out," Lynn smirked.

Olivia continued, "You have lunch with him, talk with him..."

"It's more like scolding him."

"It sounds a bit like that familiar story of the woman thinking she can turn the rebellious, wild-man into a teddy bear," Olivia said.

"Wow. You're positively delusional," Lynn scoffed.

Her co-worker eyed her even more so now. "I also would say that we're not talking about a meaningful relationship thing with Adam. I know I'm not."

Now it was Lynn's turn to eye Olivia. "Yes, I've been aching to try out this whole cougar-revolution going on," Lynn droned sarcastically. She quickly reversed course and snapped, "Oh my God, you've got to be kidding me! I can't believe you would think...!"

"Oh come on! You need to update your dictionary. We're sure as hell not old enough to be cougars --though personally, I would count as a MILF, if I do say so myself- and we're not doing anything bad, anyway," Olivia went on as Lynn rolled her eyes, "It's just fantasizing. The guy is cute and hot. It's just fun to imagine. Nothing wrong with that. My mother still does it and she's 60. She would be a cougar. You and I just hit 30. We're within acceptable range."

"Acceptable range for what? Here's an update: You're supposed to be a married woman with a child," Lynn looked down and shook her head, not believing what she was hearing. "You're insane."

A naughty thought entered Olivia's head. She leaned forward, the intent of twisting Lynn's screws even tighter smeared all over her grinning face. She said, "But you're not married, are you? And I think it's pretty obvious that young Adam has been entertaining his own 'hormonally excited' fantasies of a certain unattached, pretty supervisor."

Lynn's eyes widened in shock along with her mouth. She looked up at Olivia, her mouth still gaping open but nothing escaping it except for a meager squeak.

"Oh don't give me that look," Olivia waved at her, "A handsome young guy thinking of you like that...kind of flattering, isn't it?"

Lynn's eyes drifted as she thought.

Olivia arched her brow and pointed at her. "Ah-hah!" she exclaimed, "I got you thinking, didn't I?"

"This is totally inappropriate," Lynn said, shaking her head disapprovingly towards her colleague.

"Yes," Olivia nodded, "Isn't it fun?"

Lynn squinted at her and shook her head disapprovingly, "All this time, I had no idea I was working with such a perverted woman," she joked, "Wait until your daughter is old enough to understand how depraved her mother is!"

"Besides, nothing is actually going to happen anyway, is it now?" Olivia smiled and shrugged, unapologetic, and turned back to her computer, leaving Lynn to slowly untwist her incredulous smirk.

She breathed deeply and returned to her schedules on her desk. Out of the myriad of names scattered on the timetable, she suddenly, surprisingly, realized that her eyes were only pulling out one.

She squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh for God's sake," she muttered.

"Hmm?" Olivia looked up from her desk.

"Nothing," Lynn breathed without turning around.

She redoubled her efforts to get her work done, rubbing her forehead as she tried to make sense of the schedules. She really was just now getting over her break-up with Dominic. Her mind was just clearing, the pain in her heart just easing. For the past little while she had been neglecting her work and had indeed probably been a bit bitchy around the rec centre. Now she could finally get some work done and move on with her life. Besides, Lynn had little interest in fantasizing about a jailbait teenager...

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you!" a chorus of voices broke out in song in the adjoining staff lounge, interrupting Lynn's consternation.

"Happy Birthday dear, Aaa-dammm!"

"Oh, shit. You're kidding," Lynn thought, her eyes widening as her shoulders tensed.

"Happy birthday to you-oou!"

As the sound of clapping ensued, Lynn got up and walked to the doorway. When she looked, she saw a gathering of staff in the lounge, everyone circling a not surprisingly proud looking Adam. They feted him with hugs, handshakes, a couple of small gifts and ice cream cake, the candles shaped in the numbers '2' and '0' adorning the top of it.

Adam raised his hands and bowed his head jokingly as he accepted their cheer and declared, "Thank you! Merci! Hey, please start referring to me as Monsieur Dupuis, if you don't mind. I'm not a kid anymore, you know! Au Revoir mon teens!"

The group laughed.

"Finally!" Cassie mocked, "I hate drinking alone! Worse, I hate drinking with younger men."

"Among other things," he added.

The two observing supervisors waited for it. There it was: his arched eyebrow. Olivia snickered.

Cassie punched Adam playfully, but sharply, in the arm.

Now it was Lynn's turn to roll her eyes. She continued to watch him derisively from the doorway as he sliced and served his birthday cake.

"It's Adam's birthday," Olivia said to her from behind with a soft nudge to her back.

"Uh, yeah. So I gathered."

"Did you get him a gift?"

"Very funny. Maybe I should get him some pants!" Lynn replied with a shake of her chin. She turned around to Olivia and added, "Can you believe he's 20 now?"

"Yes, they grow up right before our eyes," Olivia mocked, "Out of those awkward teen years and now a full-fledged man. He's officially legal tender."

Lynn glared at her, amazed by how low Olivia could stoop. She smirked and said, "Legal? Maybe. Tender? I don't think so! Adam's about as tender as my old running shoes!"

Olivia started to chuckle but suddenly stopped herself. Lynn didn't notice.

"It's like counting rings on a tree," Lynn went on excitedly, "He's about as old as the number of girls he's gone through!"

Lynn blinked and frowned as she looked at Olivia. He co-worker's face was frozen in a state of guilty bemusement. Lynn finally realized she was actually looking over her shoulder, behind her.

"What...?" Lynn said as she turned, "Oh...uh, Adam."

The young man stood over her holding two saucers with cake. With a slight, crooked grin, he held out a slice to Olivia.

"Thanks Adam," Olivia chirped, "And Happy Birthday!"

"Merci," he nodded curtly. Then he turned to Lynn and offered her the other slice.

Lynn met the gaze of his ocean blue eyes and quickly tilted her face down to look at the cake in his hands. She knew she was blushing but she couldn't let him see.

"Uh, thanks," she said, taking the dish. Adam turned and started to head back to the table. Lynn looked up and said, "Oh, happy birthday."

Adam turned to her and nodded. He was about to rejoin the group when he paused and smiled. He showed off his trademark arched eyebrow and said, "By the way, the legal age of consent in this country is 16."

Both women tilted their heads, brows raised, as if they had spied a squirrel in a tree singing a tune.

"But it's the thought that counts," he said, his eyes narrowed on Lynn.

Olivia hadn't noticed it --it wasn't directed at her, after all-- but Lynn saw a sharpness in his smile. It was completely different from the harmless little flirtatious winks and playful grins he had thrown her before. There was a stiff, assured line on his lips. She wasn't sure what to make of it but, unexpectedly, it made her heart skip and she was sure that her cheeks were glowing an even deeper pink.

Adam quietly turned and went back to the group in the lounge.

They both watched him. Olivia smirked, "Well, that was embarrassing." She stuffed a bit of cake in her mouth and stood beside Lynn. "Don't worry," she said, poking the flushed woman in the cheek, "He probably thinks you're cute when you blush like that."

Deflated, Lynn groaned softly and walked back into the office. She flipped the slice of cake into the garbage bin.

**********

Three summers ago, the new junior staff of the Valleyview recreational centre were toured around the complex before the building opened for the season. Adam was with a group of three other trainees, all around 16 or 17-years old. They all had the same look about them, trying to appear all cool and detached as teenagers could be but actually nervous and anxious as hell.

Adam looked out the windows as they passed through the hallways. He had a loping gait to his walk. He was excited. His hands, stuffed in the pockets of his shorts, were clenched. It was his first paying job, he loved sports, and, since he was attending an all-boys Catholic school during the rest of the year, he finally got to spend the day with girls his age. It was going to be a great gig working at a rec centre.

"Adam," his supervisor, Olivia, called to him, "You're falling behind just a bit. Gotta keep up! Chop! Chop!"

"Sorry!" He smiled and nodded. He jogged over, his hands still in his pockets. The only new female trainee in their group looked at him and grinned. He winked at the frizzy blonde girl.

They continued their tour and came across the second group of new trainees. The small group of three was led by another staff supervisor. Adam tilted his head as he looked at her. Like Olivia, she was also Asian. She may have been a bit younger, fresher looking, but he couldn't guess her age. Anyone over 21 was old anyway. Other than age, though, the two supervisors were quite similar in appearance. They were the same height and slender body shape. Both had almond-shaped, dark eyes that were gently pinched at the outer ends. Olivia was more tanned and had some freckles but they both sported shoulder-length black hair with reddish highlights.

Adam smirked. He was aware of how observant he had become of women, lately.

"Hello, Lynn," Olivia greeted her fellow supervisor.

"Hey," Lynn waved back. "Breaking in the new recruits? Sufficiently putting the fear of God into them?"

"No, just the fear of us," Olivia replied with a grin.

"Oh yes, that's good. Very good," Lynn narrowed her eyes, pointed at the other woman, and nodded. She scanned over all the trainees, "Fear the Valleyview Centre dragon ladies, people. Fear us!"

There was a hesitant chuckle amongst the teens. Despite her mock threats, Lynn had a sweet, playful voice, Adam noted.

"They're so cute when they're terrified," Lynn giggled. It was a surprisingly warm and gentle laugh. Her arms folded, she continued to look at Olivia's group and her eyes stopped on him. He felt a little restless and shuffled a bit on his feet.

"Nice shorts," Lynn said to him, looking down and nodding with her lips pursed. "Looks like you're ready to retire on a beach in Florida."