Date: Thu, 06 Feb 2003 00:25:56 -0000
From: Gadfly <cdngadfly@usa.net>
Subject: Sowing Wild Oats, Ch. 3

NOTE: Comments are appreciated (including critiques) to
cdngadfly@usa.net or ICQ#32364537

Ch. 3: The match begins

15-love. Rick's first serve was an ace. "You have been practising,"
said Rob.

"You'll lose your shirt this time."

"I think I already have. Isn't that it over at the side?" Rob
laughed and went on, "But they won't all be aces, and I get to serve
too."

Rick lobbed another ace, but the third point was a volley and Rob
wrong-footed him. "30-15: you have to practise more than your
serves, you know."

Rick responded with another ace. Game point. But the next serve was
a net ball and the follow-on was a gentle serve that Rob easily
returned. After many returns, Rob hit it out. "As you can see, I
have been practising more than serves. My game; your serve."

"Let's see you return this," Rob said as he delivered an ace. He was
not so lucky on the next one, and Rick wrong-footed him on the
return. Rob backhanded the next serve's return into the net and
double-faulted his fourth serve. "Have you been practising nude? I
keep getting distracted. I keep wondering what we'll do when
somebody spots us."

"We'll just keep playing. Anyone wandering by at this time on a
Friday night will be drunk and having enough trouble finding the
dorm. So what if they do see us, anyway? They'll think they're
hallucinating or we get a cheering section. No big deal either way.
15-40, game point, and your serve."

Rob brightened a bit and won the next volley. Then another net ball,
and an easy serve that Rick drilled into the back corner, saying
"Break of service. Two games for me." He went on to win the next
game, but Rob got a couple of points.

Rob won the next and the score sat at 3-1. He had to break one of
Rick's service games or lose the set. But, it was not to be, and
they ended the set with Rick winning 6-4. Rick observed, "That was
quick."

Rob looked at his watch. "It's almost midnight."

"I may trounce you before the bars let out and the party crowd
arrives."

That had the desired effect on Rob, who muffed his first serve.
Stopping to regain his composure, he said, "you're just trying to
throw me off. You're as freaked as I am. Look at you, you're hard as
a bullet again and leaking all over the place."

"Of course I'm trying to psych you, silly, that's part of the game.
Just think about everyone you wouldn't want to catch us like this
and your focus will improve. I have never been this sharply honed
before. It's exciting. You should be playing better than usual, not
worse. It's your serve."

Rob thought for a minute, lobbed an ace and took the rest of the
points, winning the game. As Rick started to line up for his serve,
he paused and asked, "Are you having fun yet? My heart's going like
a jackhammer and it's a real rush."

"Yep, this is great! I thought about who I didn't want to catch us,
but that was too off-putting. I'm imagining my uncle cheering me on,
and that's working. Enough talking. Back to the game, unless you
want us to be finishing at dawn."

"Kinky" said Rick as he served. The pace picked up, both of them
playing a much better service game than they were used to, and the
score was soon four games each.

"We could be here until dawn if we keep playing like this. I can't
see either of us dominating this set for a while. Any suggestions?"
Rob asked as he started to line up his serve.

"Well, you could concede any time. I'll accept. After all, I am one
set up, so you've got to win both this one and the next. I say we
carry on. Eventually one of us will get tired, and that will be it.
I'm still stoked, so let's go."

Rob replied with an ace, again. Then he heard voices in the
distance, and blew the next serve. The voices got louder and closer.
His next serve was easily returned, but he managed to win the point
eventually. As he lined up his third serve, the voices were right
behind him, and his serve went out of bounds. 30-30 - it was getting
close. Rob made an easy lob for the next serve, but blew the return.
The voices seemed to be moving away, and that helped, as he aced the
next.

"Deuce game," said Rick. "That was close. But they didn't even
notice us. I dunno why you let it get to you, though. You had your
back to them and I was on full display. They never even looked our
way."

Rob snapped, "Well, I'm not an exhibitionist!"

"Hey, easy there," Rick guffawed, "That's a strange thing for a
naked man with a boner in public to say."

Rob glowered before starting to laugh so hard he dropped his racket
and the tennis ball. He turned around, put his hands behind his head
and made a couple of pelvic thrusts. Rick clapped, and he turned
around and picked up the racket and ball.

"That's more like it. You're starting to get into this, aren't you?
Good thing, as you're about to lose. Come on, serve before you psych
yourself out again."

Rob delivered a blistering serve, almost an ace, but Rick just
caught it and got into position before Rob's return and nailed it in
the forecourt while Rob was too far back. Rob won the next volley
and it was back to deuce again. They flipped between deuce and
Rick's advantage several times, and just as Rob served he heard,
"Nice buns". He blew the return, and Rick had broken his service. He
looked around, but couldn+IBk-t see anybody.

"She just carried on down the street. It was an old lady out walking
her dog." Rick said, trying to unscramble Rob's confusion.

"She put me off," pouted Rob.

"I told you it would only be a matter of time before you psyched
yourself out. She looked straight at me and winked. I wonder if
she'll come back for a second look?"

"You want her to come back?" Rob was incredulous.

"Sure, why not? She's obviously not going to turn us in, so what's
the harm? Gave me a rush. That's why I cleaned your clock. Of
course, it may be all over before she gets back, as it's my serve
and I have a one set advantage. So get ready for 'game, set and
match' - it's coming up."