Gaining Ground

"Fuckin' hell mate! Gimme a second to get me shoes on will ya?"

Andy was at least pleased to hear Tina's now all too familiar cockney accent coming from close by on the other side of the door and confirming she was nearly ready to join him, even if he'd potentially blown his cool already by ringing her bell three times. She'd been slow to respond initially and he'd started to panic she was going to renege on their earlier agreement - and after he'd gone to all the hassle of getting fitted for a tailored suit as well. Thankfully that turned out not to be the case, and the second she stepped out of her front door it was clear the wait had been well worth it.

"Hey, you don't have to look so surprised I can pull off classy" she told Andy as she noted his giddy, open mouthed expression "Especially with a hundred and fifty grand in the bank."

"I'm sorry, it's just that you look incredible."

"Thanks, you don't scrub up too badly yourself. Now, where are you taking me to eat? 'cos I'm fucking starving."

---

As Andy sat opposite his beautiful dining companion in the most overpriced restaurant in town, he couldn't help but think back to being in a similar position with Elaine nearly a week ago.

This was starting to feel like not only the hottest interview process of all time but also the toughest. If by this point one girl was supposed to be emerging ahead of all the others as the clear winner in Andy's eyes, then it was the exact opposite that was actually happening. Things hadn't felt quite this challenging in the early stages of the continuously looping Fresher's Week. During the first run he felt sure nobody could ever surpass Leah as his absolute favourite. But then that position had been taken from her by Gemma. And then from Gemma by Tamara. And now his top girl seemed to be whichever one was currently sitting in front of him. He had begun to develop genuine romantic feelings for each of them individually too, which made this all harder still. Perhaps the Spirit's entire system was flawed or maybe it was that Andy had selected his candidates too well in that fateful first week. Either way, by now they all seemed too good to ever let go of. Perhaps spending the rest of his life in this loop dating and fucking them all in rotation wouldn't be such a terrible existence.

In Tina's case, she was ironically a lot like the horse she had refused to bet on in the first race that day. Initially she had felt like something of an outsider. She was two years older than Andy and didn't live on campus, both of which seemed like immediate barriers to a relationship forming. She loved and excelled at sports while Andy was inept at them and had next to no interest. She was more laddish than he was, which he found slightly intimidating in a woman. However, the more he got to know Tina the less any of those things seemed to matter. And, for all her tomboyish behaviour, she had proven beyond doubt tonight that she was more than capable of projecting pure feminine beauty and sophistication when it suited her. Furthermore, even though he hadn't quite gotten all the way with her yet, Andy was fairly sure that Tina was the best out of all the girls in bed. That may have been a shallow thing to take into consideration, but in such a tightly contested race it might just be what pushed her over the finishing line in first place.

"So, is this the kind of lifestyle you lead?" she asked "Going from town to town, finding some random girl to impress and then moving on?"

"I've never asked anyone out at first sight before and you are far from a random girl" Andy assured her.

"I'm not sure whether to believe that or not, but thanks for saying it anyway" she smiled back "So are you here all week?"

Andy nodded.

"That actually works out very nicely for me. This week is all about welcoming the new intake at the uni I go to, so since I'm in the third year now I barely need to attend. I should probably show my face later in the week to try and sign some of the newbies up to the sports club I help run, and I have a football match on Wednesday. But otherwise you've pretty much got me to yourself for the whole time you're here."

"I thought you said you weren't a sure thing?" Andy teased.

"I'm not someone who likes to beat around the bush" Tina shrugged "I think we both know by now that, as long as you don't do anything to seriously fuck this up, it's heading towards the bedroom."

Andy could feel himself going hard under the table. There was something about Tina's directness that really turned him on.

"I have no intention of fucking this up" he assured her.

"I actually don't think you will" she decided "But nothing is going to happen tonight. We'll have a nice meal together, you'll kiss me goodnight and then we'll go our separate ways. Tomorrow I'll be happy to join you wherever it is you're staying for the week."

That absolutely could not be the University Halls. Andy would crash there tonight, but tomorrow he was going to need to find somewhere suitably impressive to rent for the rest of this run.

"You seem to know exactly how you want to do things" Andy noted "Which I actually really admire in you."

"I guess you could say that." she shrugged "Let's be even more honest with each other here though. With me being a student who's rooted in Mansfield for at least the next year and you jetting off around the world making your millions gambling, there isn't much potential for a long term relationship between us. But that doesn't mean we can't make this week something that we both really enjoy. In fact, it might even help. I don't know about you, but I'd certainly be more willing to go a little wild and experimental with someone I know I'll never see again as opposed to a potential future husband."

"Er, yeah..." Andy attempted to respond to that revelation as calmly as he could, having found himself almost choking on his drink.

"I should warn you now though that I'm someone who likes to prolong her pleasure and a big advocate of lengthy foreplay, so if you're a quick in and out kind of a guy, I'm not your girl. So much of the best part of sex is the anticipation. The build up. The longing for that climax but also making the most of every moment of the journey there. Don't you think?"

Andy could do no more than nod vigorously in agreement while trying to will his erection to get itself under control as she continued.

"It's like now. Aren't you getting a kick out of thinking about all of the things I'm going to let you do to me further down the line? Even though we're just sitting and talking? That's exactly why nothing is going to happen tonight. So you can have the rest of the evening to let me play on your mind. Then tomorrow..." Tina winked at him rather than finishing that sentence "Anyway, we should probably talk about something other than the fact we're going to end up fucking each other quite soon."

"Ah yes..." Damn, Andy was definitely going to be rubbing one off the second he got back to Halls "So you play football?"

"I do, but the team I play for is shit."

"Yeah, but you're really good"

"What? How would you know?"

Fuck.

"I just can't imagine you not being the star player, even if your side isn't the best."

Hmm, a weak answer but it was more likely she would think he was an arse kisser than a time traveller or, worst case scenario, a stalker. Best to move this conversation along swiftly.

"Have you ever thought about turning professional?"

"Well, it's funny you should say that" she suddenly lit up with excitement "I've been scouted by pro clubs before, but it felt like too much of a risk to take financially. Unless I made it to the big leagues, I just wouldn't be able to support myself. But with today's winnings, I think it's a dream I can actually start to realistically pursue,"

Andy's heart sank, knowing all that money would disappear as soon as the week reset. Although, if the two of them ended up together with his lottery winnings then Tina would be even better set up to shoot for her personal goal.

---

Andy did indeed get his kiss at the end of the date. And he did jerk himself off as soon as he got back to his bedroom while fantasising about just some of the things he might get up to with Tina the following day. Now all he had to do was go to sleep. When he woke up, it would be time to turn that fantasy into a reality.