In the Swim
Avery Sam
In the Swim
by Avery Sam
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In the Swim
by Avery Sam
© 2025 Avery Sam
All rights reserved.
Author: Avery Sam
Contact details: averysam.parachute371@passinbox.com
Book cover, illustration: Avery Sam
Editing, proofreading: Avery Sam
This e-book, including its portions, is protected by copyright and may not be reproduced, resold, or redistributed without the permission of the author.
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Table of Contents
Copyright Information
Table of Contents
Sticky
Mystery Man
Conspiracy Theories
Intruder
Blooming
Trust Me
Cariño
Showtime
A Bit of Pink
Maillard Reaction
Cherish
Round Two
Cracks
Foolish
Beautiful Fire
Sticky
Karissa sighed as she banged on the window A/C unit, but it was no use. The ancient appliance had no hope of cooling off a single room, much less her family's sweltering apartment, not when it was over 100 degrees in the shade.
She'd tried everything, including taking a cold shower, drinking a hot beverage, and fanning herself with a folded piece of paper. But the summer heat was simply relentless.
"Hey, maybe we can go down to the community center this weekend," said her father, pasting on a cheerful grin.
"That's halfway across town," said Karissa with a groan, her top sticky against her skin. "And we have to take two buses to get there. Thanks, but I can sweat to death just fine right here."
"Suit yourself," said her father, straightening his uniform in the mirror before turning to leave for work.
What she really wanted was to jump into a swimming pool filled with cool, delicious water. And then she would lay out and work on her tan.
With cheerleader tryouts coming up in a couple of months, she needed all the help she could get, and a glowing tan would definitely boost her chances.
But it was all just a dumb fantasy. The community center was noisy and overcrowded, and she shuddered to think about what the little kids were doing in that water. And going across town once a week to work on her tan wasn't going to cut it.
That's when she remembered the neighbor's pool, the one she'd glimpsed when she'd dropped her phone that day while walking home from school.
Her phone had skittered across the sidewalk, and when she'd bent over to pick it up, she'd seen the glint on the blue water through a gap in the bushes.
Swimming pools were pretty rare in her neighborhood, so the guy must be rich. But maybe he'd take pity on her if she went and begged him to let him use it. After all, she was considered good-looking by some. Perhaps she could use her feminine charms on him.
At first, she dismissed the idea as ridiculous. But as she continued to sit there, drowning in sweat, she could start to picture herself standing there on the edge of the pool, her hands together as she dove into that crystal-clear water. Oh, how good it would feel on her skin, all of the heat and perspiration instantly sluiced away.
Would it be weird, knocking on a stranger's door and asking to use the pool? Sure. But what else did she have to lose? She gulped down the last of her juice and then laced up her shoes. It was either risk a little embarrassment or else spend the rest of the summer dying of heatstroke.
Pausing for a moment to look at herself in the mirror, Karissa smiled as she admired her appearance. Her hair was long and straight, falling in waves around her face. Her body was slim, albeit a bit too flat-chested, and she had a smile that lit up her face on the rare occasions when she had something to smile about.
Feeling optimistic, she grabbed her towel and a bikini and headed outside, pulling up her sunglasses and slipping them on her head. Then she turned toward the house where the pool was located.
As she walked down the street, she felt nervous but also excited. Maybe this was the beginning of something great.
But when she knocked on the door, there was no answer. Looking around, she didn't see a car in the driveway. And when she peered through the garage windows, there was no sign of a vehicle in there either. The place felt still and empty, the way buildings do when no one is there.
Feeling dejected, she was just about to turn around and go home when a little voice whispered something inside her head.
Maybe she could slip her way through that gap in the bushes and take a quick dip in the pool. If the owner didn't come home, they'd be none the wiser. And if they did come home? Well, she'd just do her best to plead her case.
Checking around to make sure there was no one in the vicinity, Karissa edged her way past the perimeter and stepped into the back yard. Thankfully, there was no sign of anyone around, the only sound the quiet gurgling of water from the filter.
Stepping closer, she marveled at the expanse of pristine blue water. It called out to her, begging for her to come in, promising sweet relief from the heat and the grime of the city. Feeling incredibly nervous, Karissa set down her towel on a nearby chaise lounge and quickly changed into her bikini.
This was nuts, what she was doing, but it also felt right at the same time. Once everything was secured, she stepped forward, her toes curled over the edge of the pool.
Was she really going to do this? Hell yes, she was. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then launched herself into the air.
The chilly water was a shock on her bare skin, but one that felt sublimely wonderful. Instantly, her worries melted away, leaving behind a sense of calm and serenity.
Moving her arms and kicking her legs, she glided effortlessly through the water, finally escaping that stickiness that had been haunting her for weeks.
After a few minutes, she reached the end of the pool and climbed out, shaking off the droplets clinging to her skin. She lay down on the lounge chair, sighing happily as the warm sun dried her wet skin. The rays caressed her skin gently, coaxing her into a deeply relaxed state.
Now, this was certainly the life, she happily thought to herself. If this was her pool, she'd spend the whole summer relaxing beside it, sipping on ice-cold drinks until she'd acquired a deep and glowing tan.
She almost felt sorry for the owner, probably out somewhere working instead of enjoying his lovely swimming pool.
When her skin began to tingle, she got up and refreshed herself with another quick dip in the water. Soon, several hours had slipped by, and still no sign of the owner.
Feeling more confident now, she unfastened her bikini top and set it aside. The sun on her bare back was like a warm hand, massaging all the tension out of her muscles.
She could easily stay here forever. Sure, a tiny part of her felt guilty for having trespassed onto someone else's property and used their pool without their permission. But was that really such a big crime?
After all, no one else was using it. Swimming pools were meant for girls to be laying out and soaking up the sun. So, in a way, she was doing the owner a favor.
And just to make sure that the owner was getting their money's worth, Karissa went ahead and slipped off her bikini bottoms as well. This way, she could ensure that her tan would be nice and even.
And oh, how glorious it felt, the golden rays of the sun stirring up a new kind of heat from somewhere deep inside of her.
Closing her eyes, Karissa let herself give into the rising groundswell of passion. With her perfect tan, she would instantly be selected to join the cheerleading squad.
And once she was a cheerleader, all eyes would be on her, including the cute guys at school. Her senior year would be the best one yet, with teachers giving her top marks in all her classes and hotties fawning over one another to ask her out.
"Oh god, yes!" she moaned as her fantasy reached its climax with her being chosen as the school valedictorian by popular acclaim.
College scouts were rushing the stage, vying to give her full-ride scholarships, all while her parents smiled, proud of their amazing girl and all of her accomplishments.
When the aftershocks finally subsided, she opened her eyes, sighing as she reluctantly returned to reality. To her relief, the owner had not returned home, so her dirty secret remained safe.
Feeling slightly chagrined but now bolder than ever, she marched over to the pool and dove in naked, savoring the water one last time on her skin.
She then climbed out and toweled herself dry, leaving her hair wet for the long walk home. She changed back into her clothes and gathered her things in her bag.
Taking one last look around, she sent up a silent prayer of gratitude for the magnificent afternoon and then slipped through the bushes to emerge onto the sidewalk.
When she got to her apartment building, she carefully removed the triumphant smile from her face. If her parents asked, she would say that she had been studying at the library. They never asked about the details anyway.
She'd learned early on that it was better to keep most things to herself unless she wanted to hear the same tired lecture about how she should be focusing on her studies.
As she unlocked the door, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair had fully dried and was looking magnificent, almost as if she'd gone to the salon for a blowout. Even better, there was a healthy glow on her face, and her skin was sparkling with color.
The heat in her room was still as oppressive as ever as she walked over to switch on the fan, but now she didn't care. Somehow, a bit of that refreshing freedom from her illicit afternoon lingered on, giving her hope for making it through the rest of the summer.
The only question that remained was when she was going to go back and try her luck again.
Mystery Man
The next day, Karissa got stuck babysitting her little brothers while her mom did the weekly grocery shopping. The little brats kept pulling on her hair and climbing all over her, their overheated bodies making her want to gag.
But the day after that, she got her chance to sneak back over to the pool. Her mother took the little ones to the library for story time, and her dad had to work a double shift, giving Karissa the perfect opportunity to disappear without a trace.
This time, she was better prepared. She changed into her bikini before leaving the house, and she packed some juice and snacks in her bag, along with her sunglasses and coconut oil.
Once again, there was no sign of a car in the driveway in the car or the garage, and the place felt still and abandoned. Still, though, her heart was pounding as she rang the doorbell.
After giving it the requisite ten or fifteen seconds, she walked down the sidewalk and then cut through the gap in the bushes. The pool seemed to gurgle in welcome at her arrival, and Karissa set down her bag with a happy sigh.
It was another perfect afternoon for laying out, and she smiled as she stretched out on the lounge chair, the bright rays of the sun heating her bare skin to a comforting glow.
When she started to feel too warm, she took a quick dip in the water, doing a few leisurely laps before returning to stretch out once more on the lounge chair.
When it was time to flip over, she undid her bikini top and set it aside, smiling contentedly as the sun worked its magic on the muscles in her back and upper thighs. The rest of the city was sweltering and miserable, but here, next to the pool with its refreshing breeze, the heat felt wonderful.
Easing down her bikini bottoms to ensure an even tan, it was easy to imagine that she was relaxing in her lover's boudoir. Here, there were no cheerleader tryouts or grades to worry about, no screaming kids, no parents arguing about burned food and unpaid bills, just the sweet kiss of the sun on her backside.
Lifting her hips slightly, she presented herself to her lover, the golden-hued god in the sky that embraced her with his powerful rays, gently stroking her even as her fingers plied her sensitive folds. It was a kind of slow, languorous dance, the two of them rising and dipping to the rhythm of a song only they could hear.
Gasping a bit as the tremors rocked her, Karissa grinned as she got up from the lounge chair and dove into the pool, savoring the silky sensation of the water against her naked body.
If this wasn't all a little slice of heaven, then what was? It was her secret garden, one that welcomed her with open arms exactly as she was.
And then, with a pang of regret, she toweled off and got dressed. Heading home was always the hardest part, knowing that she had a long night in her cramped, suffocatingly hot apartment to suffer through.
Over the next couple of weeks, Karissa took every opportunity to slip out and go spend the afternoon at the pool. And while her all-over tan was coming along marvelously, a part of her began to wonder about the mysterious missing owner.
Who was he? Or maybe a she, although there was a subtle masculine presence lingering about the property.
The house always felt quiet and still but not quite abandoned. It was more as if the owner had a job that kept him away for long hours, perhaps only returning late at night to catch a few hours' sleep before heading out again.
Curious, Karissa walked around the property a few times, peering in the windows for clues about his identity.
Once, she saw multiple packs of playing cards stacked on his kitchen table. What were those for? Was he a collector? Or was he passing time playing some kind of extended form of Solitaire?
Another time, she saw a handwritten note on the edge of the bathroom sink. It was hard to see because of the angle, but it looked like it said something about "Tony's cut."
Was the owner of the house in some kind of debt to this Tony? Or were the two of them involved in business together? It was all so frustratingly elusive.
Once, she thought about leaving him a note, just to explain her presence in case he'd come across signs of her being there. But then she realized how crazy that sounded. I mean, who would want to come home and find out a stranger had been using your pool?
Still, though, her curiosity about the missing owner began to grow. Who was he? How was he able to afford such a well-kept swimming pool? Why was he never at home?
And what would he think if he came across her laying out one day, especially if it was late in the afternoon and she was lost in one of her fantasies?
Perhaps he was a movie star, flying off to exotic locations. Or maybe he was some kind of mafia boss, the house just a ruse to distract the feds.
Either way, she had a feeling he was a handsome guy, the kind that would make most girls swoon at his feet, yet the poor guy was working too much to have time to meet women.
Maybe he loved his job, or maybe he was just doing it for the money, longing for the time when he had finally amassed enough wealth that he could stay home and relax. Maybe what he needed was the right female partner, one who would support him and be there for him when he needed to unwind at the end of a long day.
Of course, Karissa knew that she was being a bit silly. For all she knew, the house belonged to an elderly lady who'd taken a spill and was recovering at the hospital, ready to return home any day now.
But still, she liked to indulge in her idle speculations, making up fabulous stories about the handsome, somewhat secretive man who would be delighted to learn that a naughty little high school girl was using his pool.
In some ways, it was quite frustrating, waiting for him to make his appearance. Here she was, getting more tanned and good-looking by the day, but there was no one to appreciate her.
She had no idea where the cute boys from her school were hanging out during the summer, and most days, she was too busy with chores around the house to go out, anyway.
Most unfair of all, money had gotten really tight in her family as of late, so there was no possibility of her updating her wardrobe to match her improved looks. Her dad was taking on as many shifts as possible, and her mom was always complaining about how expensive everything had become.
In a fairer world, the owner of the swimming pool would fall madly in love with her, bestowing upon her everything that her heart desired.
Alas, as it stood, all she had were those special afternoons to herself where she could forget about all the unpleasantness of her regular, boring life.
But it was enough to sustain her until the third week of July, when things took on a dramatic and sudden change.