Zach's body was slick with sweat, but he still shivered. The frigid water had not been his idea. He didn't like being naked in front of anyone except his girlfriend, and even that was a rare occasion these days. His friend Joe had invited him to go swimming at his house after work. It sounded great, Joe always had the best buddies around when they got together for beers on friday nights and Zach really needed some time away from all this paperwork stuff he'd been doing since starting out at an advertising agency just six months earlier. He had entered into the world of business casual as part of the new job, which meant jeans every day until 5 p.m, then a polo shirt paired with slacks or khakis. A jacket only came along if it looked too chilly outside, usually right before the sun set over the horizon each night. A look that complimented his lover far more than it did himself. Zach had always been more accustomed to T-shirts and bargain barrel jeans. Anything that he could afford wit

The room was quiet for several moments after Zach had announced his engagement with Amanda, a woman that he had only just met minutes prior. Amanda didn't seem to take the news well, but the thin man looked even worse. He knew well, that Zach had no relation to the young entrepreneur whatsoever. "You... Engaged to her?" He asked through gritted teeth while holding back the urge to strangle Zach. "I don't see why I should tell you anything, more. It's none of your business what we do with our lives." Zach answered without fear. At least that's how it appeared on the outside. He had been screaming internally since waking up in this situation. He wanted out of it as quickly as possible and this seemed to be the best way. He just needed Amanda to play along. He gave her a glance to alert her to his plan and with a few moments of deliberation, she began to nod slowly as if she understood his intention. "It's just as he said. This man here is my... Loving... Fiance. How could a scandal

Amanda pulled into the property of a luxury mansion that looked to be built within the last decade or so. The building itself was massive, looking almost like two buildings fused together due to its size which spanned an area roughly a quarter mile wide. It was painted in an elegant shade of blue with white trims along each side, though there were also black accents in some places. By all accounts, it was a beautiful house. It was a shame that this beauty was not shared in the yard that surrounded the property. Dead leaves and dirt were all over the ground outside making it seem as if the owners did nothing but neglect their lawn and gardens on purpose. Even worse than the lackluster look of the garden was how poorly kept the landscaping around the grounds seemed to have been left as well. Amanda could tell what Zach was thinking as she watched his eyes scan through the poorly maintained garden. She was well aware of the state of the home's exterior. Many of the home's employees had

"Okay then... I think we're ready to get started!" Amanda announced as she collected an assortment of ingredients and tools needed for her cooking endeavor. Looking amongst the counter top filled with various types of food supplies Zach couldn't imagine what she could be making. She claimed to be making something sweet, but whatever was on the counter looked to prove otherwise. But Amanda looked confident enough that he figured that there must have been some sort of logic behind everything she was doing, even though he didn't understand why any of it made sense. Maybe it wasn't important that he understood. Just so long as she got the job done? He took a seat beside the counter watching quietly while she busied herself by opening up a package of assorted spices and herbs and adding them into a mixer along with a scoop of sugar and butter before turning it on low. She poured in two eggs and beat them into the mixture before continuing to add in vanilla extract followed by a dash of s

"Ugh. Why is this so hard?! It’s like trying to pull a massive fish out of a rushing stream!" Zach grumbled under his breath as he fell backward onto the dirt ground, exhausted after failing to pull a weed from its roots for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.The sun beat down heavily from above as his forehead pooled with sweat. "Man, why can't this just be easy." Zach wiped his brow dry with his arm as he stood up to overlook the progress he had made. The yard was far from finished and he had only been able to free less than a third of the space from weeds and dead grass.It was a slow process but the payout would be worth it. Seeing Amanda's smile after he revived the yard would be more than enough for him to continue on."Well, time to get back to it then." He mumbled softly before reaching bending down to wrap his glove covered fingers around another long stalk. "One. two... three!" He tugged at it sharply which caused the plant to begin to rise off the soil that surro