Kori was beginning to regret asking Richard to teach her how to swim. She had slipped into her bathing suit in a restroom by the massive pool and as she looked at herself in the mirror, she wished she had just bought that ugly one piece instead.

She pulled her red hair up in a high pony tail and sighed. It was a bright green push-up halter top that tied at the back and a ruched low-rise "hipkini" bottom. She definitely did not buy this set to entice Richard. Her reflection in the mirror gave her a funny look, and Kori grinned. Okay, so maybe she did. She wanted to see if he would act like a gentleman, especially since the reason she was at his home was to learn how to swim, not other naughty things that could come to mind.

Boosting her confidence with a quick fist pump to the air and a whisper of "Fighting!" like the Koreans often did in their dramas, Kori grabbed her backpack where she hid her clothes and left the bathroom, approaching Richard where he lay on one of the recliners in a fluffy, white robe.

Richard gulped. Oh, hell. The vixen was trying to entice him, and he was definitely enticed. Her plump breasts were pushed up in a way that wouldn't be possible unless they were filled with silicone, but at first glance he could tell they were definitely real. His eyes slid over her narrow waist and flat belly to slightly rounded hips and sculptured long legs. A small golden anklet at her ankle made him groan internally. Standing, he shed the robe and pumped his arms, stretching.

"Okay, first let's get some stretching done."

Kori nodded, a bit disappointed. His ears weren't even red. She set her bag on the table by the recliner Richard set his robe on and followed his movements, stretching her arms and bending down to touch her toes. They stretched their quads and hamstrings before Richard walked over to the railing.

"So we've set out the line for you. From that edge," Richard pointed to the edge she was standing by, "which is at three feet, to the line at five feet is where you can swim. Since you can touch the floor, you really won't be doing any swimming. We'll start off with a few techniques to get you acquainted with the water and how to handle yourself in it. When I think you're ready, we'll practice treading water in the deep end. Sounds good?"

Kori was shocked. He turned to Mr. Serious in two seconds, making it clear that his instructions were to be obeyed. No, it wasn't just that. It suddenly became only about swimming. Maybe he wasn't as immature as she thought he was.

"You're getting pretty serious there," Kori smiled coyly as she touched the water with her big toe.

"I've seen people who thought they were ready swim in the deep end and drown. It's definitely serious."

"And if I drown?"

"Stop playing, Kori," Richard barked at her. He immediately regretted it because she tensed. "Sorry."

"No…" Kori shook her head, "It's my fault. I wasn't taking you seriously. I didn't think you'd be mature about this. I…I've drowned a lot, too."

Richard sighed. "Look, I'm a certified junior life guard and I have CPR, AED, and First-Aid Certification. You won't be in the deep end until you can float, so if you get tired or scared your feet will touch the bottom. Alright? You can trust me when it's this serious."

"Yeah? Because when you accepted my request, you sure weren't taking it seriously."

This time he grinned. "I did say something about having a price. We'll get to that later. Now, get your skinny arse over here, Miss. Anders."

"Fine, Mr. Grayson."

He reached out for her and when he gripped her hand, he was surprised. They were tiny, soft, and…vulnerable. One squeeze could break every bone. Since when were women this…fragile? Or were they always fragile and he just never noticed? The top of her head hardly reached his collarbone. What he would give to bury his face in her thick auburn hair. It smelled like strawberries. She looked up him, concerned for her well-being and confused at his lack of instruction. Richard let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. Those large, emerald orbs flecked with gold and framed with heavy dark lashes could make any man go crazy.

"R-right," Richard cleared his throat, letting go of her hand and diving into the pool. He surfaced and brushed his hair back with his hand.

"Come in, the water's warm."

Oh, damn. Kori's heart pounded at a million beats per second, the blood rushed to her ears, and all else melted away except for those eyes she really wished he'd hide behind his sunglasses. Beautiful. He was an Adonis. His wet hair clung to his neck and that chest; perfectly sculpted pectorals, a frame of deep hard abs, and those black swim trunks that kept slipping down his narrow waist made her shriek inside. Not to mention the calloused hand that held her small hand for a few seconds. She could only imagine what it would feel like when he'd wrap those thick, bulging arms around her waist.

Maybe she'd pretend to drown? Kori slapped herself mentally. Get ahold of yourself, you lusty wench! She chastised herself. This was only a swim lesson. She entered the warm water.

"Okay, give yourself a good dunk. Down you go."

She held her breathe and kicked her legs out, plunging down for a few second before popping back up. She pushed her bangs out of the way.

"First, you're going to use this paddle. Hold onto it like this and kick your legs out. We'll swim back and forth a couple of times."

Bruce watched as his adoptive son maintained a gentlemanly distance from the girl who was indeed a beauty. It was almost amusing, if not a bit of a nuisance. He'd never known Dick to just stay away from a pretty girl, and if he was taking this one seriously, maybe it meant having the talk. He glanced at Alfred.

"Well?"

"I think it'll be too late for the talk now, Master Wayne. He's already in love, even if he doesn't know it yet. I'd say this is going to be quite a romantic story."

"He's still a child. I can't have him waste his future on her, regardless of who she is."

"Let them be, Master Wayne, your son is clever, even if he acts a bit imbecilic at times. Besides, she'll give him a run for his money. Admit it, you like her."

"Too much. But they're teenagers…it's all about fairy tale romance at this point in their lives. Princesses and princes. Those things just don't exist, and they don't understand commitment and certainly can't face the harsh reality of this world."

"But you said the girl was different," Alfred commented, chuckling when Richard took a tense hold on Miss. Anders' waist to hold her as she swam.

Bruce sighed. "That's the problem. You and I both know about her father's instability. She's handling everything, anyone can tell, and it may just kill her in the end. Imagine the hurt Dick will feel when he watches the girl he thinks he loves collapse. He's going to run away from her the second he realizes he's being delusional."

"Or he'll step up and help her through it all. It's too soon to tell. Let them be free and happy for now. I shall prepare dinner for Miss. Anders."

"Get the car ready. I'll be eating out tonight."

"Of course, Master Wayne. If you will excuse me."

Bruce nodded and stepped away from the control room, turning his back on the two love birds. He had his own romantic relationship to pursue, after all."

Authors Note

Hi. Since I haven't posted in a long time, things might be confusing. THANK YOU Vanarias for telling me the chapters repeated, so I think I fixed that. I would not have noticed otherwise. If anyone else also noticed, thanks. None of you are ignored.

If there's anything wrong with the formatting, like the chapters are in an odd order, please tell me.

The chapters should go something like this:

Chapter one: Meet everyone

Chapter two: Pool party/Drowning

Chapter three: Lettuce hating/family problems with Kori

Chapter four: Librarian story/Kori in love?

Chapter five: Kori Apologizes/Kori asks Richard to learn how to swim

Chapter six: Swimming Lesson

If you have any questions about the plot or characters, please ask. Thanks so much for reading!