Part nine....
William maneuvered her leg around until she was straddling
his lap. He placed one hand on the back of her neck and
urged her down until he could find her lips with his again.
The hot shock of contact with his tongue made Buffy gasp,
and she immediately brought her's into the fray. When she
felt his hands move up and down her back, she arched it
slightly, pressing her breasts against him.
It had been a very...very long time since she'd had any kind of
intimate contact with a man. One or two casual dates that had
never amounted to anything had kissed her, but nothing more
than that had occurred since the implosion of her marriage.
Sex with her former husband had been a pleasant enough
experience. He had been her first lover, and she'd had nothing
to compare him with, but he'd always been gentle and con-
siderate.. Their love life had taken on a sort of routine; three
nights a week, with an occasional Sunday morning tryst.
Until the baby had entered the picture.
After Melanie's arrival, the Sunday morning sex had disappeared
completely. She'd been a good baby, and much easier than most
from what Buffy had been able to piece together by listening to
other moms, but she'd been the "early to bed and early to rise"
type, and was always awake by 6:00 am at the latest.
As the months went on, Buffy's disillusion in Angel had caused
her to lose interest in maintaining much of a sexual relationship,
and since he hadn't been pushy about it, she hadn't had a difficult
time believing that he was finding his satisfaction somewhere else.
She had been doing all right without it...up until the other night
when she'd read the adult fan fiction centering around William St.
James. Meeting him and being instantly attracted had cemented
the yearnings, while the realization that he had similar thoughts about
her sent them skyrocketing.
Now...she was sitting on his lap in her kitchen chair, with her body
plastered up against his as though it had been glued there. His mouth
was moving from her lips and blazing a path of moist kisses over to her
ear, and then down the side of her neck. When he nuzzled the base of
her throat and touched his tongue to the shallow cup there, she felt a
surge of pure sexual need shoot through her entire body.
"Buffy," he murmured, burying his fingers in her hair to tilt her head
back. "You're so sweet....so pretty." His mouth moved down to the
opening of her blouse as he lifted his hips to seek harder friction. "God...I
can feel your heat."
She could feel his, too....and it was driving her wild, making her utter
all sorts of mewing little kitten sounds and desperate pleas that had no
foundation in words of any kind.
The top button of her blouse suddenly separated from it's holder. William
took immediate advantage by trailing his kisses down from her collarbone
and just under the starchy cotton fabric.
Feeling the sensation of his hot breath so close to her bare skin made
her want to tear her shirt open all the way, to offer him more than he could
reach. Rearing back, she met his intense blue gaze with hers and froze
for a moment at the expression on his face, one that she'd never seen
before...not even in the early days of Angel's courtship.
It was desire of the most ravenous kind. She could tell just by looking
at him what it was he wanted to do. She could sense his longing to pull
her down to the floor with him and.....
"Mommy?"
Buffy lurched back so fast that she slipped off William's lap and
landed on her butt. Melanie was at least halfway down the stairs and
she'd be heading for the kitchen.
Rolling onto her hands and knees, she scrambled to her feet and
went to head her daughter off at the foot of the stairs.
"What's wrong, baby?" she asked, pushing her messy hair back
off her face.
The problem was instantly apparent. Melanie's chest jerked in
little rhythmic hitches that made her gulp for air. "I need a drink," she
said between hiccups.
"Oh, you sure do." Buffy turned her around and patted her on the
behind. "Scoot back upstairs and I'll bring you one."
After watching her daughter go into her room, Buffy took a deep
breath and refastened the top button of her shirt. As she returned
to the kitchen, she tried to will away the color rising in her cheeks,
but it was a useless effort.
Without saying anything to William, who was standing next to the
rear door, she grabbed a plastic cup that Melanie had acquired at
some fast food restaurant and half filled it with tepid water. Slapping
on the lid, she pushed a straw into it and nearly ran up the stairs.
"Here you go, baby," she said, sitting on the bed beside her
little girl.
Melanie took in a breath so deep that it sounded like she
was draining the room of oxygen. Her little face scrunched up and
she made a conscious effort to hold the breath inside while she took
several swallows of water.
"Better?" Buffy set the cup down on the nightstand where the
child could reach it.
The two of them waited it out for several seconds before Melanie
released the breath she'd been working so hard to keep
"Yes," Melanie finally said, relaxing her features.
Buffy tucked her in beneath her blankets, then smoothed
her hair back and kissed her forehead. "I'll leave your cup here
in case you need more, but if you do then be sure and go to the
bathroom, okay?"
"Okay, but I just did."
Grateful that she didn't ask whether or not William was still in
the house, Buffy kissed her daughter one more time, then went
back downstairs to the kitchen.
"Sorry." She shrugged apologetically. "One of the drawbacks of
dating a mom," she said, wishing that she hadn't the moment the
words left her mouth. He'd never said anything about dating her, and
the comment hung in the air between them.
But he just imitated her shrug. "No problem." There was a long
pause, then he added, "I should really be going."
Unfortunately, that was true.
Not that she wanted him to leave, but Melanie's interruption had
been like a splash of cold water bringing a fainting person back to
consciousness. Everything had begun moving at the speed of
light, and she needed to slow it down.
As immensely attracted as she was to William St James, she'd
only just met him three days ago. What would he think of her if
she hopped into bed with him on such a short acquaintance?
Although her body was in tumultuous chaos, her brain was now
struggling to regain control, the two parts screaming mixed
signals at her and causing sensory overload.
She gave him a tiny nod. "Yeah, it's getting late...and I have
SUCH a day tomorrow."
William smiled. "Me, too."
There was another awkward pause. "Well..." they both said at
the same time, then laughed.
"Right." He moved away from the door and went into the
living room to retrieve his jacket.
"Don't forget your picture," she told him.
"Oh, I'd never do that," he replied. "Did you see this?"
Buffy nodded. "I was there when she drew it. Couldn't help
wondering how you manage to fit inside your spaceship."
"Starship," he corrected her.
A smile lifted the corner of her mouth. "What's the difference?"
"About thirty-five years. No one says 'spaceship' anymore."
"Oh, is that a fact?" Buffy countered. "Well, not according to
what I've read on the Inter....."
She stopped cold, horrified at nearly revealing to him her first
hand knowledge about the sexual exploits of his fictional
alter-ego.
"Thank you again for the lovely evening," she said, hoping he wouldn't
notice her abrupt change of subject and guess the reason for it. She
pulled open the front door and ushered him out onto the porch...where
she stayed.
Buffy had no intention of going anywhere near that big, comfortable
behemoth he drove, lest her desire to finish what they'd started in
the kitchen shoot her resolve not to right straight to hell.
"You're welcome," he replied. Producing his car keys from the
inner pocket of his jacket, he once again pinned his eyes on
hers. "Can I call you tomorrow?"
With her mind on autopilot, she made some sort of an agreeable
comment.
Then, with no warning whatsoever, his hand reached for hers,
dragging her up against his body. "Kiss me goodnight," he
demanded softly.
Her heart beat increased exponentially as she did what he
wanted. When he moved away, she ordered her hands to
relax the death grip they'd taken on the soft leather of his
jacket.
She watched as he drove away, already making plans for
an unpleasantly cold shower.
TBC.....
Feedback is appreciated.
Part ten.....
After dropping Melanie off at school the next morning, Buffy
decided to go in to work early, before the mall opened for
business. Both Willow and Anya wouldn't come in until afternoon,
which would give her some alone time to finish changing the
window displays and tag some new merchandise.
She swung into a space in the far end of the parking garage
and switched off the engine. It made an ominous rattling sound
as it died out, making her wonder just how much longer she'd
be able to extend the life of the elderly Plymouth Sundance. It
was already having electrical problems, the key was constantly
sticking in the door locks, and it was in desperate need of a
tune up.
But as badly as her little car needed some serious TLC, most of
her available income was tied up in other areas. Her store
was just starting to show a profit after it's monthly expenses, but
it wasn't exactly putting her and Melanie in fat city. By the time she
made the lease payment and paid her employee's salaries, she just
about had enough to cover personal expenses...like rent and food.
Although Angel was making a large salary, she had refused to
accept alimony when they'd split up. She hadn't wanted them to have
anything but Melanie in common, and he hadn't argued about it
with her. He was fairly good about child support, more because it
would hurt his 'image' with his firm and whatever political cronies he
was currying favor with if he were to be seen as a 'deadbeat father',
rather than any actual concern about his daughter's needs, she
suspected.
Making her way through the empty corridors where the back doors
of the mall shops were located, she dug through her purse to find her
key. When she pulled it out, there was a small piece of paper stuck to
it. She unlocked the door and dropped her bag inside, flicked on the
interior lights and then unraveled the scrap of paper....it was the phone
number that William had scribbled out for her the night of the convention.
Just thinking about that made a pleasant shiver creep all over
her, giving her goosebumps. She stuffed the little piece of notepaper
back into a side pocket of her bag and headed for the front of the
store.
She spent most of the morning trying to distract herself from concen-
trating solely on William St. James and his deliciously sexy face and
form. It had definitely been too long since she'd been kissed and
touched the way he had been doing last night. Now, it was all she could
seem to think about.
When her watch beeped the hour of 10:00 am, she flicked the switch
that raised the electric door at the front of the shop, then placed her
white signboard advertising a sale she was running on Easter clothing.
The mall was never very busy so early on a weekday morning, so
she decided to take advantage of the free time and began clearing
items out of the display case beneath the cash register. When she
had everything out, she located a bottle of glass cleaner and a roll of
paper towels and proceeded to give the inside of the case a proper
cleaning.
She was so engrossed in what she was doing that she failed to
hear someone enter the shop.
"Good morning!" William was bending over and looking in at her. Buffy
was so startled that she jumped backwards, banging her head against
the wooden frame of the display case and making the glass rattle.
"Are you all right?" he asked, concern on his face as she fell back
onto her rear. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."
Rubbing the back of her head, she grabbed hold of the counter and
climbed to her feet, her face bright red. What an inelegant performance
to put on before a man who had shown definite signs of interest in her.
"I'm fine," she assured him, trying to smile as though the whole
episode was just too funny for words. "Just...surprised."
"Well, I guess you were," he replied, a smile curving the corner of
his mouth. "You're not bleeding, are you?" Without waiting for a reply,
he headed around the side of the display case and joined her behind
the counter. "Let me see."
Placing one hand on the side of her head, he tilted it slightly and
examined the area in question. "Well, there's definitely a bump, but
no blood," he informed her, then bent his head and kissed the injured
spot gently. "Poor baby."
Buffy tipped her head back to look up at him. "It feels much better,"
she said softly.
He stared down into her eyes, hypnotized by the gold flecks in
their green depths. "I really am sorry."
She was equally fascinated by the deep blue gaze meeting hers. "I'm
not," she said, before she could stop herself. Her cheeks instantly
turned pink and she withdrew a little, breaking the spell his eyes had
begun to cast around her heart. "Um...what are you doing here?"
William took a deep breath and backed off a couple of feet. "Turns out
I wasn't needed on the set today," he said, glancing around at the
various displays of merchandise. "I wanted to see 'Melanie's Garden'."
"Oh....well, this is it," she replied, gesturing at the interior of the
store.
Buffy was proud of the small shop that she had put together all
by herself. It was the first completely independent project that
she'd ever undertaken, and she'd put in a lot of time and effort to
make it special.
The store was decorated in soothing pastels and delicate
fabrics. The various racks where clothing hung were made of
heavy wrought iron that she had painted white. There were several
tables covered with different types of clothing, from hats and shoes
to daintily made gloves and scarves.
The left side of the store carried boys wear, while the right side
catered to little girls. At the very end of the center aisle, there were
four fitting rooms around which she'd arranged three plush armchairs
and a white wicker table covered by children's books and fashion
magazines.
The main counter where purchases were made had an antique
wheelbarrow that she'd also painted white and filled with pots of
colorful flowers resting next to it. Behind the counter were three
wood shelving units holding a selection of picture frames and candles.
The top shelves were home to several china dolls in elegantly old
fashioned formal wear, interspersed with teddy bears and other
assorted stuffed playthings.
Inside the main counter, she had stocked a selection of children's
jewelry. There were lockets and tiny pearl necklaces, a velvet
ring case with several birthstone rings in varying sizes, thin gold
chains with fanciful pendants hanging from them, and a display of
pierced earrings designed for very small children.
She had adorned the walls with framed photographs of children. Some
black and white and some sepia toned, most of the kids in the
pictures were dressed in vintage style clothing that could be made to
order in the shop.
William wandered around the store, a delighted smile gracing his
handsome features. He picked up a few items and carefully replaced
them, examining everything with genuine interest and appreciation.
He was standing in front of a display of children's bath products,
uncapping and sniffing the different fragrances of bubble bath and
body wash, when his eye was caught by a large framed photograph
in the front window.
It was Buffy's favorite picture of Melanie. She'd had it enlarged to
15 X 20, and had placed it in a beautifully carved walnut frame, which
she'd then perched on a small easel.
Her daughter had been visiting at a friend's house that afternoon.
The two little girls had found a trunk full of old clothes and they'd
spent the day playing 'dress up'. When Buffy had come to pick
Melanie up, she'd been sitting in a patch of sunlight and wearing
a dressy satin and lace camisole that reached to her knees. The
thin straps had continually fallen down her arms, and her light
brown curls had been mussed and shining in the afternoon sun.
Buffy had quickly reached for her camera. When she saw that
Melanie had coaxed her friend's cat up onto her lap, she'd called
her daughter's name softly and snapped the photo when she'd
looked up and smiled.
The child looked angelic in the photograph, and it had been the
inspiration for 'Melanie's Garden'.
"She looks like an angel here," William said as he looked
at the picture. He grinned at Buffy. "I don't suppose this is for
sale?"
She laughed and shook her head. "No. Sorry. But..." She returned
to the main counter and opened a drawer in one of the shelving
units. Returning to the front of the store, she handed him a 5 X 7
copy of the picture. "For you."
His wide smile softened a little as he looked down at the
picture, then turned his eyes on Buffy. "You know that I've fallen
completely in love with this little girl, don't you?"
Buffy felt a swelling in the region of her heart. He was being
truthful about his feelings. She could see it in his eyes and hear
it in his voice. It was a lovely moment, made bittersweet by the
sad realization that Angel had never made such a sweeping
statement of love for his daughter...and probably never would.
This man....who had only known the child for a very few days...cared
more for Melanie than the man she'd called 'Daddy' all her short
life.
"Well, you're in luck," she replied. "Because I happen to know that
the little girl returns the sentiment."
He looked into her eyes, then placed the tip of his index finger
beneath her chin. "And what of her mother?" he asked softly,
tilting his head slightly. "Where do her affections lie?"
Buffy couldn't stop herself. She placed her hands on his
shoulders and lifted her face to meet his intent gaze. "She's...also
quite...fond."
"Is she?" he whispered, lowering his head until their lips
were very close.
With a tiny nod of her head, Buffy said, "She is."
William pressed his lips to one corner of her mouth, and then to
the other. When she didn't make a move to pull away, he slipped
his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, then captured her
lips on a softly indrawn breath.
Buffy's arms slipped up and around his neck as she lost herself
all over again in the heady euphoria his touch roused inside of her.
Making a soft sound in her throat, she pressed closer.
They broke apart for air, but stayed close, their lips not quite
touching.
"Buffy," he murmured, leaning his forehead against hers. "Do you
have to stay here all day?"
"Well," she breathed warmly against his skin, "I guess not. Why?"
"Because....because I want to go somewhere...with you. Somewhere
we can...talk...be alone. Please, honey?" he sighed deeply.
She tried to clear her head and think. Willow would be coming in
soon, then Anya would come later in the afternoon and stay until
closing. There was no reason she had to stick around. Anything she
had been planning to do could wait one more day.
"When Willow comes in," she said, returning the kiss he gave
her, "then I can leave."
"When?" he asked. "Soon?"
Buffy nodded. "Um-hmm. Very soon." They exchanged another long
and lingering kiss. "You could...you could wait in...there's a coffee
shop a few doors down," she panted as his mouth traveled down the
side of her throat. "I'll...I'll come and...and find you when...she gets
here."
"Yes," he groaned, his hands sliding down her back to her hips. "Okay,
I'll wait for you." He forced himself to let go and took one step back, then
lunged forward again and stole another kiss. "Hurry," he hissed against
her lips. "I don't know how long I can stand it."
She watched as he left the store and turned in the direction of the
coffee shop she'd directed him to, pressing her hands against her
warm cheeks, and still feeling the touch of his mouth on hers.
"Neither do I," she whispered.
TBC.....
Part eleven...
Never had a clock's hands moved so slowly.
Buffy had discovered that there was a polar
opposite to the old adage
about time flying when fun was being had; that it crawled when fun was
being anticipated.
Not
that she was anticipating anything. Much.
Staring at her watch for the fifth time in the last five minutes, she
held
it up to her ear, then gave it a good shake, then listened to it
tick some more. There was a wall clock mounted over the
fitting
room area, and she was about to climb up on a chair and make sure
the battery wasn't kaput when Willow walked
in the back door.
"What's wrong?"
Buffy blushed and pushed the chair back into it's original position. "I
thought
maybe the clock had stopped."
"Why, am I late or something?" the other girl asked, stuffing her handbag
into a drawer
behind the cash register.
Buffy grabbed her own purse out before Willow could close and lock
the drawer. "No...I
just...I have to go. Something's come up and...I need
to...um...go. For the day...probably."
Willow nodded, looking
concerned. "It's not Melanie, is it? Did the
school call?"
Although she was perfectly willing to stretch the truth
as to what her
plans were, Buffy wasn't going to do it at the expense of Willow's
feelings. She was...as were most
of the adults in Melanie's life, ex-
cluding her father...extraordinarily fond of the child and would worry
herself
into a state of babbling nervousness if she thought something
had happened to her.
"It's not Melanie," Buffy assured
her. "She's fine. I just need to go
and...do something." She started backing towards the entrance.
"I'll check in later,
okay?"
Not giving her employee a chance to reply, she turned and walked
swiftly down the marbled floor of the mall's
second story, mentally
jettisoning all thoughts of anything else but the man waiting for her.
He was standing outside
the coffee shop, examining the collection
of tea pots and mugs in their window display. His hands were jammed
into the
front pockets of his jeans and he was wearing a pair of wire
rimmed glasses that she'd not seen on him before.
They
didn't detract from his good looks and sex appeal one iota. In
fact, they added to it by giving him a charmingly bemused
expression
and further depth to his dark blue eyes.
He must have seen her coming in the window's reflection, because
he
turned around and reached for her hand. Pulling her back into
his arms, he whispered, "Thank Christ! I was losing my bloody
mind,"
and kissed her on the mouth, long and hard.
Without a moment of worry over who might be seeing what, Buffy
gave
in to the delight his touch evoked in her. She slid her arms
up and around the back of his neck, returning his kiss in
full measure.
When they came up for air, she smiled. "I like those," she said,
indicating the glasses he was wearing.
"Do
you?" he asked, slipping his hands up and down her back in a
very pleasing caress. "Make me look smarter than I really
am, don't
they?"
She laughed a little, tilting her head and getting a closer look. "I'm
serious, I like them
on you. They make you look....."
"Devastatingly sexy?" he suggested.
"....cute."
"Ouch," he winced. "There's
a staggering blow to my ego."
Buffy shook her head. "I'm sure your ego will survive."
"Only if you feed it a
little, darling." He stepped back, retaining
his hold on her hand. "Let's get out of here."
******************************
He
walked with her to the mall entrance opening onto the
back parking lot where his Lexus sat in the late morning sun-
shine.
Opening
the passenger door, he seated her gracefully, then
went around the front of the vehicle and climbed in. "Where would
you
like to go?" he asked, keying the ignition. "How about out for
lunch? I know it's a little early, but....."
"We
could to my house," she said, before she could stop
herself. "I just mean...I could fix lunch...if you'd like. Because...be-
cause
you did...you know...take us out for dinner last night,
and...and there was the peanut butter sandwich on the....."
She
stopped speaking abruptly when he slid one hand behind
the back of her neck and pulled her forward, capturing her
mouth
with his and ceasing her nervous chatter.
Buffy had no defense whatsoever against such tactics. It simply
felt too
good to resist.
"You know," William said, a few minutes later, when the first
urgency began to quiet down, "I
haven't done this since I was in
school. Made out in the front seat of a car, I mean. I'd forgotten how
much fun it
is."
She smiled, running one finger over the high arch of his cheek
bone. "Make you feel sixteen again?"
"Oh,
yeah," he chuckled ruefully. "Raging hormones and wild
curiosity, punctuated by an occasional smack when I got a little
too
free with my hands."
"Someone slapped you?" she asked in patent disbelief. "You?"
He shrugged. "I wasn't always
this handsome and self assured,
you know," he said teasingly. "But I pretended to be. Drama classes
helped me put it
across. Then, when I was almost seventeen, I
had my first girlfriend. Alexandra. Gorgeous little Italian bombshell.
Alex
showed me things I'd never even dreamed of. I was nuts about
her."
"What happened?"
"Oh, she met the right
tackle on the football team and decided that
brawn was more appealing than brains...or acting ability. I was un-
ceremoniously
dumped."
Buffy couldn't imagine such a thing ever happening to him. "Bet she's
sorry now."
"I doubt it. Her
boyfriend was drafted by the NFL three days after
he graduated college. So far he's been in two Superbowls AND was
voted
MVP two years in a row. They have a house in Fort Lauderdale
and three kids, last I heard."
He looked cheerful enough,
so she had to assume that his heart
hadn't been too terribly shattered by his first love.
"Actually," he went on,
"it's all worked out for the best."
"How so?"
"Well...now there's you," he said simply. "Worst thing in the
world
is to be involved with someone else when the right person comes
along."
Buffy sat back in her seat and
gave him a speculative look. "Are
you?" she finally managed to make herself ask.
"What...involved with someone else?
No."
He said it quite matter-of-factly, with no evasive tone or guilty
expression, but Buffy had to have it all
out on the table before
things moved too far along to stop painlessly.
"That woman the other night?" she ventured.
"At the convention.
She seemed kind of...angry...when you were talking to me."
Unconsciously, she held her breath.
"Woman?"
His brow furrowed for a moment. "You mean Dru? Dark
hair and eyes?"
Buffy nodded, then shook her head. "It's not
my business, I know..."
"Dru is my agent," he informed her. "Period."
She looked doubtful. "She seemed awfully
possessive for an agent."
William sighed. "Agents ARE awfully possessive," he said. "Their
clients are their livelihood,
and they want them to stay focused on
their careers. Buffy," he added, taking her chin in his hand and turning
her to
meet his steady gaze, "Drusilla Howard is NOT my girlfriend.
At the moment, I'm 'girlfriend free'. Or, I was...until a
couple of days
ago."
He kissed her lips again; a sweeter, softer kiss, with the express
purpose of doing exactly
what it accomplished....melting her heart.
"Now," he said, pulling back and smiling at her. "Did you say something
about
lunch at your place?"
******************************
He drove her around to the parking structure to
pick up her car,
then followed her back to her house.
She instructed him to sit at the kitchen table, trying to
put the
memory of the last time he'd sat there out of her mind, without
much success.
"I haven't been to the
store in a couple of days," she confessed,
searching the contents of her refrigerator. "How about an omelet?"
"Sounds
good to me," he replied, shedding his jacket and rolling
up the sleeves of his shirt. "Keeping in mind the fact that I've
never
prepared a meal in my life...anything I can do to help?"
Buffy looked at him. "Never? What in the world do
you eat?"
"Out. A lot."
Her heart did a little flip-flop. Damn it! Was he TRYING to be so
charmingly adorable?
She
cracked eggs into a mixing bowl, added milk and whisked them
into a yellow froth. After melting butter in a skillet, she
poured the egg
mixture in and waited for it to set, then grated cheese on top, flipped it
and turned the heat down to
a low blue flame. While she waited for it
to get puffy, she made toast and set the table.
"I'm impressed," William
said after taking his first bite. "This is very
good."
She shrugged, pleased at the compliment. "I enjoy cooking.
When I
have the time."
"I enjoy eating," he replied, grinning at her in a way that made goose-
bumps pop up on
her skin. "So we were obviously meant to be."
After they finished, she sent him into the living room and threw the
dishes
into the sink to soak before joining him.
He was standing in front of the fireplace, studying the framed pictures
she
had displayed there. When Buffy came into the room, he turned
and took her hand, pulling her over to the couch.
She
thought for a moment that he was going to say something,
but instead he leaned forward and kissed her, nudging her back
into
the corner of the sofa.
Every bit of pent up emotion that had been churning inside of her
came to the fore, spilling
over into a torrent of desire. She allowed
her mind to drift off and her body to take the wheel.
******************************
William's
own mind was clouded with Buffy. Everything about her
seemed like the only thing he'd ever wanted.
He had never
really been in a serious relationship before, and he
was surprised at how easily he was ready to embark on one with a
woman
he'd only met days ago.
It wasn't for lack of opportunity. He met plenty of attractive and eligible
women. The
business he was in was rife with them.
And it wasn't as though he didn't want to settle down. He was over
thirty,
and so far his life had gone pretty much the way he'd planned
for it to go. He had spent years paying his dues before 'Outpost:
Space'
had been offered to him. Now, he was able to sit back and
take advantage of the results.
Movie offers were coming
in on a regular basis. Nothing he was
particularly interested in just yet, but it was nice to be asked. He
had plenty
of money in the bank, and had just bought his first home.
Everything in his professional life was steaming along nicely.
Then,
just four short days ago, his personal life had been turned upside
down...and given a good solid shake as well...when
Buffy and Melanie
had entered it.
And he loved it! Absolutely and unequivocally loved it!
He was swerving
into this new direction eagerly, with no second
thoughts or worries, and the only warning signal going off was telling
him
not to waste any time establishing himself in the lives of these
beautiful ladies.
Nothing in him was telling him
to slow down, to be careful, to
watch his step. Instead, his gut was informing him that there was
no point in waiting,
no reason to hesitate. The right woman had
finally come along, and she was a highly desirable little package
with an
added bonus holding on to her skirt.
He didn't want to scare her off by being too aggressive in his
pursuit, but
he was also afraid that if he didn't move quickly
he was running the risk of another man possibly stepping
in ahead
of him...such as an ex-husband realizing what a colossal
mistake he'd made and deciding that he wanted his family back.
The
thought of such a thing happening made him feel
remarkably more possessive than he was actually entitled
to be at this
point. His caress became a little rougher, his
kisses more demanding.
Ordering himself to slow down was an exercise
in futility. She
was too lovely, and he was too attracted.
William honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd
been
so hard...so ready...just from kissing a woman. Probably
sometime in his adolescence, before he'd developed the
skill of self control.
Buffy was making that very concept difficult to maintain,
and he doubted she was even
aware of it.
Her lips were moist and warm, and they tasted of a
cherry lip gloss that he wanted to lick off. Did
she know
what she was doing to him with her mouth, and that he never
wanted her to stop? That she was driving him insane?
Drunk
on her taste, he pressed down harder, pushing
her deeper into the sofa cushions and pinning her there
with his body.
He
groaned softly when she parted her lips, and their
tongues met and mated in a way their bodies were
aching for.
They
finally separated, both gasping for air. William pursued
his advantage, kissing and nuzzling his way down the
slender
column of her throat as she tilted her head
back, offering it to him.
His lips encountered the open V of her blouse.
Only the
top two buttons were undone, denying him access to all
the treasure he'd find further down.
One of his
hands went searching for the third button. It
slipped from it's buttonhole without a word of protest from
Buffy, and
he started on the fourth one.
Before he could complete the task, they were interrupted
by the sound of a small brass
clock on the mantle chiming
half past two o'clock.
He felt her hands on his chest, and he reluctantly allowed
her
to push him slightly away.
"School's out in fifteen minutes," she told him. "I have to
go and get Melanie."
******************************
Buffy
knew her body would never forgive her for what she was
about to do, but there was no hope for it. She stood up on
mildly
shaking legs, smoothing her mussed hair and re-
fastening her shirt buttons.
"I'm sorry," she murmured, hating herself
for the state she was
leaving him in.
William took a couple of deep breaths before he rose pain-
fully to his
feet. "It's all right," he said, trying to sound like he
meant it.
Buffy waited for half a beat, then went looking
for her purse.
******************************
Out on the front porch, Buffy locked the deadbolt, then turned
to
look at William. He seemed a tiny bit less uncomfortable
than he had been.
Wondering what came next, she walked
with him to where
his car was parked. "Can I call you later?" he asked, unlocking
it.
"Sure." She gave him the
sunniest smile she could produce
at the moment and wished he would be more specific. "I'll be
home tonight," she said,
inwardly cringing at the obvious hint.
He climbed into the car, and was about to close the door
when he remembered
something she'd said yesterday.
"Can I ask you something?" When she nodded, he asked, "Did
you say something about
Melanie having a problem at school?"
"Yesterday, she did. Her class has this thing they do called
'Share Time'.
You might know it as 'Show and Tell'?"
"What about it?"
"Well...Melanie doesn't do 'Share Time'. She never has,
not
even once...until this past Monday. She got up in front of the class
and told them that she'd gone to the convention
and all about
you...you know, the picture and the autograph and all." She
sighed deeply. "Some of the older kids found
out and they
didn't believe that she knew you, called her a liar, and...made
fun of her."
Buffy purposely left
out the "My new Daddy" part of the
story, even though he'd probably get a kick out of hearing it.
"So...she got
upset and started to cry, and her teacher had
to go and take her off the playground."
"Hmm. But she's all right
now?"
"Yeah. She's all right."
******************************
She was late. Again.
She
parked in the lot and almost sprinted for the classroom,
making her way through the usual afternoon throng of kids and
parents.
Melanie
was standing next to Miss Ashton, holding a sheet
of paper in one hand, her backpack's strap slipping down her
small
shoulders. The anxiousness on her face faded when
she saw Buffy.
"Hey, baby," Buffy said, taking the paper Melanie
offered
and examining the drawing. "Very good. More art for the
refrigerator gallery," she added, although she was
beginning
to think that if she taped up one more piece of her daughter's
work, the entire refrigerator would topple
forward from
the weight.
She was still talking with Miss Ashton...hoping that there
had been some progress in
ferreting out the bullies that had
cornered Melanie on the playground...when she noticed a
change in the nearby crowd
of parents, teachers, and kids.
Turning around to see what they were all staring at, Buffy's
eyes widened when she
saw William striding casually
across the playground in her direction.
A slow smile tugged at the corners of her
mouth when
they made eye contact.
**Okay, it's now official. I'm definitely falling in love with
this man!**
TBC....
Part twelve.....
Paying no attention to the crowd of gawkers assembling on
the playground, William
grinned and swung Melanie up into
his arms. "There's my princess," he said, loudly enough for
everyone
around to hear.
"You mean me?" Melanie asked.
"Course I mean you." He gave her a squeeze.
"Didja have fun in
school today?"
The child nodded. "We did vowel sounds today. As, Es, Is, Os, and
Us."
As
always, she focused all of her attention on him, not once
looking around to see who might be witnessing the encounter
and
reporting it the next day.
Buffy, on the other hand, very much wanted this vindication for her
daughter and
hoped that every single one of the kids who'd been
picking on her were watching.
Smiling at William, she said,
"How did you know where..."
"I followed you," he interjected, reaching for the drawing she
still had in her
hand and looking it over.
His admission surprised her. "You're good. I didn't
notice you at all."
William
shrugged. "I did a season and a half on 'Precinct Twelve'
I guess something stuck. This is very good," he said to Melanie
as
he inspected her art work. "What are you going to do with
it?"
"Mommy hangs stuff on the frigerator,"
she explained.
"Well, Mommy's very lucky to have so many of your pictures
to hang up. The only thing
on my refrigerator is a reminder
from the vet that my dogs need to be wormed," he hinted
broadly.
She
tilted her head slightly and wrinkled up her small
nose. "Ewww!"
Much as it had at the convention Q &
A, their conversation
was drawing the attention of the people around them, people
fascinated at the rapport between
the two.
"I'd love to have some of your pictures to put up," said
William, setting her back on her feet while
keeping her
hand firmly in his.
After that, nothing would do except that he see her
classroom, and she
dragged him willingly inside with her.
Buffy stayed by the door, watching as Melanie showed off
the evidence
of her scholastic triumphs. Spelling tests with
large red 'A' s on them were stapled up on the "Look How
I'm Doing"
board. A chart with the five food groups that she
had colored was displayed with others at the back of the
room.
"Why is the cheese purple?" William asked, bending over
to examine her work.
"I like
purple."
"Of course."
Grabbing his hand, she towed him up front to introduce him
to the class
mascot, a plump black and white hamster named
Oreo.
"I know it's none of my business," Miss Ashton said quietly,
standing
next to Buffy and preventing anyone else from entering
the classroom, "but I'm beginning to think Melanie knew exactly
what
she was talking about the other day."
With her arms folded across her chest, Buffy looked at the
teacher.
"What do you mean?"
Miss Ashton smiled and nodded at William, who was now being
shown the contents of Melanie's
desk. "He looks like pretty good
'Daddy' material to me."
Her cheeks tinted a light pink, Buffy watched her
daughter peel
a gold foil star from a math test and stick it on William's shirt. "He
does, doesn't he?" she murmured
softly.
*************************
After introducing him to her teacher, Melanie tugged
William
outside again and pointed out the various landmarks of her
school, giving him a comprehensive tour of the
swings and slides,
the cafeteria, and every single drinking fountain on the premises.
Gradually, some of the
other children became braver, and the next
time Buffy looked around she saw him sitting on one of the swings
with Melanie
in his lap and a group of kids gathered around them,
hanging on every word he said.
She slowly drifted closer,
listening as he talked with the children,
patiently answering all their questions.
His affection for Melanie
was plain for anyone to see, but what
surprised Buffy was the fact that she was sitting there...virtually
surrounded
on all sides by a growing crowd, a situation she usually
avoided like the plague...calmly. She wasn't participating
in the
conversation, but at least she wasn't hiding in the bathroom.
When the little group began breaking
up, William vacated the
swing and carried Melanie back to where Buffy stood waiting.
"Thought maybe we could
stop and get some ice cream," he
said.
"Before dinner?" the child asked incredulously. This was an un-
precedented
event.
He shrugged and looked at Buffy, leaving it up to her.
She was in far too good a mood to
give a lecture on proper
nutrition. "I think that's a great idea," she said, taking the hand
he held out to her.
Their fingers laced firmly together, he gave her hand a
squeeze as they walked towards the parking
lot.
Without thinking twice, Buffy squeezed back.
********************
"Can
you have dinner with us?" Melanie piped up from the back
seat of William's SUV. "Can he?" she immediately asked her mother.
They
had returned to the parking area of the school and Buffy had
buckled Melanie into her booster seat. After being grabbed
and
thoroughly kissed, she had driven her car home, followed by William,
and they had taken his car to the local Baskin
and Robins.
Surprised at the initiative her daughter had just taken, Buffy auto-
matically nodded and said,
"Sure. If you'd like to," she added as
he pulled into a parking space.
Turning the key and shutting
off the engine, he turned to look
at her with a slow smile appearing on his face. "I would love to," he
said, his eyes
telling her things he couldn't say in front of a six year
old.
Unable to keep a silly smile off of her own
face, Buffy pushed open
the car door and climbed out. Melanie was already out of her seat
and was yanking at the inside
door latch. "It's stuck shut," she
announced, looking out through the rear window.
William opened the door
from the outside and held her hand
as she jumped down to the pavement. "It's not stuck," he said. "There's
a special
lock that keeps little girls from opening it on the inside."
"How come?" Melanie asked, keeping tight hold of
his hand.
William closed the door and smiled down at her. "So that it can't be
opened when the car is moving,"
he told her. "It's to keep you safe,
pixie. It's the first time I've ever used it," he said to Buffy.
As
they crossed the parking lot, Melanie slipped her free hand
into her mother's. "We don't got one of those on our car, do
we?"
she asked Buffy.
"No, baby. Maybe next time."
Melanie looked up at William. "Our door sticks
shut a lot," she
said. "Sometimes Mommy has to kick it."
Holding the door open for them, he gave Buffy an
inquiring look. "You're
having car problems?"
A little embarrassed, Buffy tried to shrug it off. "Nothing
serious. It's
just an old car. You know how they are...there's all kinds of little things
that act up."
He
said nothing for a moment, watching as Melanie examined the
various choices of ice cream available. "You know," he finally
said,
"I have an excellent mechanic. Maybe he could take a look at it."
As much as she appreciated the offer,
there was no way she could
afford to have the work needed to fully repair her car. She had been
letting the minor problems
slide by, all the while hoping that nothing
major would crop up.
William noticed her hesitation and knew
what was causing it. "It
won't cost anything," he added quietly. "He's a friend, he'll do it as
a favor."
He
was an actor, and he knew how to deliver a line, but her ex-husband's
half baked stories had provided Buffy with on the
job experience at recognizing
a snow job when she heard one, and she would be willing to wager that she
was
hearing one right now. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that the
proposed repairs wouldn't cost HER one thin dime.
She didn't want to shoot him down by accusing him of duplicity,
especially when it was so obviously well
meant. But, at the same
time, she wasn't about to have him owe money on her account, knowing
full well that he probably
wouldn't allow her to pay him back.
Fortunately, Melanie saved her from having to turn him down by
announcing
that she'd chosen one of the '31 Flavors' being offered
to her.
******************************
They
sat at a small table in the far back of the shop.
Melanie worked diligently to keep the ice cream from dripping
down
the sides of her cone.
William had opted for a dish, hoping that Buffy would do the
same. He knew that sitting
there, watching her licking an
ice cream cone would result in an uncomfortable situation
for him.
Blithely
unaware, she'd done the exact opposite of what he'd
wanted.
He kept his raging libido as calm as he could
manage, until
his eyes zeroed in on a tiny smear of chocolate on the corner of
her mouth. The napkin holder at their
table was empty, and he
sent Melanie back up to the counter to fetch some.
As soon as the little girl was
out of ear shot, he leaned over
the table and pinned his gaze on Buffy's. "I want to lick that
chocolate off you with
my tongue," he whispered. "It's killing
me."
His comment both aroused and unnerved her. Turning her head
for
a moment to check on her daughter's progress, she decided
to go with the arousal.
"Go ahead," she whispered
back.
William's eyes widened for a bare instant, and he wallowed in
the lust her words had caused in him.
Cupping her chin, he
drew her closer until he could feel her warm breath on his
skin, then extended his tongue and
lapped up the drop of ice
cream.
He lingered on her lips for a moment, nearly choking when
her tongue
darted out and touched his.
Wondering who the uninhibited stranger occupying her body
was, Buffy pulled back
seconds before Melanie walked up
with enough napkins to wipe every face within a three mile radius.
Shoving
her chair back and jumping to her feet, she said, "Time
to go!" in a tone that sounded sickeningly chirpy to her ears.
******************************
Dinner
that night was later than she normally served it.
Needing some time alone to re-group, Buffy turned down William's
offer
to help. She located some leftover lasagna in the freezer
and reheated it, then tossed a simple salad of greens and
tomato
wedges.
After putting the meal on the table, she went upstairs to
announce that it was ready.
Hearing
quiet voices, she paused in the doorway to her
daughter's room, and her heart melted at what she saw.
William
was sitting in the large rocking chair with Melanie in
his lap and a book open in his hands.
"Charlotte and
Wilbur were alone," he read. "The families had
gone to look for Fern. Templeton was asleep. Wilbur lay
resting
after the excitement and strain of the ceremony. His
medal still hung from his neck, by looking out of the corner of
his
eye he could see it. 'Charlotte,' said Wilbur after a while,
'why are you so quiet?' 'I like to sit still,'
she said. 'I've always
been rather quiet.' 'Yes, but you seem especially so today.
Do you feel all right?'
'A little tired perhaps.' "
Once again she compared William and Angel...and once again,
Angel came
up short. He had never...not one time...sat in that
rocker with his daughter on his lap, reading to her.
It
was another thing to add to the list she kept in her head of
things that Angel had never done; he had never changed
Melanie's diaper...or prepared a meal for her...or played a game
with her...or gave her a bath...or tucked her into
bed at night. Small
wonder that the child had gone searching for a 'Daddy'.
She'd never really had one.
"Nothing
can harm you now. These autumn days will shorten
and grow cold. The leaves will shake loose from the trees and
fall.
Christmas will come, and the snows of winter. You will live
to enjoy the beauty of the frozen world, for you mean a great
deal
to Zuckerman and he will not harm you, ever. Winters will pass,
the days will lengthen, the ice will melt in the
pasture pond."
Buffy sat down on the side of Melanie's bed, just as engrossed
as she was.
"All
these sights and smells and sounds will be yours to enjoy,
Wilbur. This lovely world, these precious days...."
The
words he spoke were evocative. These WERE precious
days.
The first six years of Melanie's life seemed
to have flown
by at the speed of light. Buffy could only imagine how fast the
next six would go.
Precious
days...
For the first time, she found herself almost pitying Angel
for everything he had thrown away...all
the precious days that
would never, ever come again.
TBC.....
(Excerpts
from 'Charlotte's Web' by E.B. White)
Part Thirteen....
"Drink your milk, Melanie."
"I did."
"All of it, please."
Fighting back a smile, William picked up the glass of
milk that Melanie had poured for him. Her slightly off aim
pouring method had left a white ring beneath the glass which
he quickly wiped away with the sleeve of his shirt.
"Drink it all down, pixie," he said. "Want to grow big and
strong, don't you?"
The child instantly picked up her glass and emptied it,
making it obvious to anyone who cared to look that she
did so because HE had requested it.
Buffy just shrugged it off. She was now accustomed to the
way William's opinions and actions governed her daughter's be-
havior, and she wasn't about to interfere. As long as someone
got the milk down the little girl's throat, she didn't really care
who it was.
Melanie pushed her plate away, a signal that she had no
intention of eating one more bite. She climbed down out of
her chair and ran around to the other side of the table where
William was sitting.
He immediately pushed his own chair away from the
table and lifted her into his lap. "You don't have to eat all of
it," she informed him, a phrase picked up from her mother,
he was sure. "Just do your best."
"Thank you," he replied, "but I still have plenty of room left
for the rest of this very nice dinner."
Buffy watched their interaction with great interest. It seemed
so natural to them both, and they looked so 'right' together
that she had to wonder if Melanie's dream hadn't been as
completely far fetched as she'd thought, more of a premonition
than a dream.
She pushed that thought away, labeling it unlikely. There was
no way that Melanie could have known that her mother and
her prospective 'Daddy' would be so attracted to each other. Not
at the time she'd had that dream, anyway.
Still, she couldn't help imagining how things might have played
out had William been Melanie's biological father in place of
Angel.
For one thing, she'd probably still be married, because if Angel
had been one half the father she suspected William would be,
she would never have left him.
As she mused over that possibility, she suddenly remembered
something that William had said earlier; "Worst thing in the world
is to be involved with someone else when the right person comes
along."
Was Angel the right person? Had he ever been, or had she just
wanted him to be so badly that she'd been willing to compromise,
especially after their child's birth?
In other words, had it all been a huge mistake on her part,
one that Melanie had to pay for by being saddled with a
father who didn't possess the emotional wherewithal
needed for the job?
Angel had failed as a husband. He'd failed as a father. But
maybe...in the long run...it was better that way.
Because now...there was William.
On the day her divorce had been final, Buffy had put Melanie
to bed, then sat beside her and watched her sleep, making a
silent promise that somehow...somewhere...she would find
a man who would love her child as much as she did herself,
a man willing to take on an immediate family.
Of course, she'd quickly learned that it wasn't as simple as all
that. The few men she'd casually dated had pretty much been cut
from the same cloth; uninterested in her child, but willing to put up
with her in the belief that as a divorced woman, Buffy was desperate
for sex.
She hadn't been, although she was beginning to feel more and
more that way over the last few days because now...there was
William.
Buffy didn't realize that she'd drifted into a bit of a daze until
William snapped his fingers in front of her.
"What?" She shook her head. "Did I miss something?"
Melanie giggled as William whispered something in her ear. "We
asked...for chocolate cake..." She stopped and looked at him. "I
don't think we have any," she whispered back.
Before he could reply, Buffy jumped up and went into the
pantry, returning with two small packages in her hand. "I've
got something almost as good," she announced, showing them
what she'd brought. "Hostess Cup Cakes."
She handed one package to William. Opening the other one,
she slid one of the little cakes out, then gave the package to
Melanie.
William chuckled. "God, I haven't had one of these since I
was your age," he told Melanie, watching as she licked
chocolate bits from the cardboard. "I think this calls for more
milk."
"Okay." She put down her cupcake and jumped off his lap. "I'll
go and get some."
To Buffy's everlasting amazement, not only did she pour
more milk for William, but for herself as well!
******************************
After the table was cleared and the kitchen put to rights, Buffy
marched Melanie upstairs for her bath. Although normally the
child was quite playful in the tub, it was Wednesday night, and
she was all business. She was bathed, dried off, dressed in
clean pajamas and back downstairs in less than fifteen minutes.
As the theme music began for 'Outpost:Space', she plopped
down on the floor in front of the television, her arms wrapped
around her stuffed lamb.
Buffy was crossing in front of the couch to sit in the
armchair when William's hand darted out and grabbed hers,
pulling her down beside him.
"This feels strange," he murmured in her ear. "I never watch
myself on television."
She was surprised. "Never?"
"Nope." He shook his head shrugged. "It seems...I don't know,
conceited or something? You know...'Hey, look at me, I'm on tele-
vision! Aren't I wonderful!' "
"Oh, that's just silly," she said. "You're definitely not conceited."
"Thank you." He peered at the screen closely. "Do I look fat to you?"
"Fat? Are you..." Turning to look at him, she saw that he was
teasing her and gave him a small shove. "Very funny."
******************************
"Watch this," Buffy whispered, gesturing at Melanie.
At the show's halfway mark, she had climbed up on the couch
and settled herself between her mother and William. Her attention
had never drifted, right up until the credits began to roll. Then, as
though someone had flipped a switch, she fell instantly asleep.
William watched this, grinning hugely.
"She does this every week," Buffy explained as she stood up
without jostling the child. "She's wide awake until exactly that
same point and then out she goes."
Starting to bend over and pick the sleeping girl up, she was
stopped by William. "I've got her," he murmured, rising to his
feet with Melanie in his arms.
Buffy went ahead of him up the stairs, flicking on the night light
in Melanie's room, and turning the covers down.
William held the little girl for just a moment more, then lowered
her into bed. Buffy purposely held back, letting him pull the
blankets back up. Watching him lean down and kiss Melanie's
cheek as he whispered, "Sweet dreams, pixie," made her
heart turn over in her chest.
When she joined him in the hallway, he was leaning against
the wall. "I liked that," he said simply. "Putting her to bed."
"Me, too," she nodded. "It's a special time of day. Very
peaceful."
He reached for her hand and took her back downstairs.
******************************
She made coffee and brought it into the living room. Instead of
finding William on the sofa, she saw him sitting on the chair in front
of her desk. His head was slightly tilted, and Buffy knew exactly
what he was looking at.
The stack of papers next to her computer, the 'Outpost: Space'
stories she'd been printing for Melanie.
Her entire body became one heated blush. It swept from her
hairline to her toes, making her hand jerk and spill a few drops
of coffee.
William glanced up at her, then did a double take when he
noticed her agitation. "What?"
Forcing herself to concentrate on the task at hand, she set
both mugs down on the coffee table. "Nothing," she replied,
trying to sound convincing.
He didn't look at all convinced, but he didn't pursue it. "Got
these off the Internet, right?" Picking up the stack of papers,
he flipped through them.
She wiped her suddenly clammy hands on her skirt. "Well, yes,
but they're...I mean they're not...for me...I just...I thought, you
know...for Melanie. That's...that's who they're for," she finally
choked out, seemingly unable to stop babbling nervously. "Not
me."
"Oh," he said casually, then, "Did you read them?"
Moving towards in baby steps, she attempted to make a
response that was the truth, but not the whole truth.
"I've...I've skimmed over them." She swallowed hard, then
lobbed the ball back into his court. "Have YOU ever read them?"
"No." He shook his head. "I keep meaning to. I know there's
a lot of it out there, but I wouldn't even know where to begin."
Looking as though a light bulb had just popped on over his head,
he said, "Maybe you could..."
**Don't ask me what I KNOW you're about to ask me!**
she yelped frantically in her head.
"...help me out by..."
**Don't say it! Do NOT say it!**
"...showing me where I can find..."
**I don't WANT to!**
"...some of them."
Trapped, she could hardly refuse. "I can do that."
He smiled at her, the smile that always made her blood
course rapidly through her body. They traded places, and he
leaned against the desk...watching as she found the
fan fiction archive she'd been visiting recently.
Scanning the opening page, he looked impressed and
leaned over, one hand on the back of her chair and the
other one on the desk.
Buffy clicked on 'fan fiction' and waited.
"Whoa," he murmured, looking over the long list of
titles. "There must be five hundred stories here."
She scrolled quickly down the page, barely letting him
see what the titles were and searching for the 'G' rated
ones.
William leaned even closer. "Wait a second," he said,
stopping her. "Go back a little."
Resigning herself to the inevitability of it, she scrolled
back up to the 'adult' section. "Where?"
"Right there." He pointed at the screen.
The titles by themselves were enough to make her blush!
She hesitated. "I...I don't think this is a very good idea."
"I do." He smiled his wicked smile again, but she had her
head turned and didn't see it.
******************************
William didn't have to see her face to know what was going
through her mind. The heat she was giving off was enough
to melt the polar ice caps.
Although he felt sorry for her obvious embarrassment, it
was too good an opportunity to miss. Placing his hand over
hers on the mouse, he chose a title at random and clicked
on it: 'Above And Beyond The Call'
Written by: Starlover, who doesn't own a
speck of 'Outpost: Space', though she'd be
willing
to settle for owning Captain Amara.
Rating: Adults only! Keep an eye on your kids.
Summary: PWP (Do you really need to know
more?)
As he read the story, Buffy sat rigidly still, not allowing
herself to squirm in discomfort, and feeling rather foolish for
wanting to.
**You're being ridiculous," she scolded herself. **You're a
grown woman, with a child., and you've been around the
block before...so, stop it!**
Her common sense told her off, but she still wasn't about to
sit there and read along with him. Turning her face up, she
observed his reaction and was charmed to see him just
barely moving his lips as he read.
"Hmm." He straightened up and folded his arms across his
chest.
Buffy had to ask. "How does it make you feel to read that? To
have people write about you..." She couldn't make the words
'having sex' come out of her mouth. "...that way?"
He shrugged. "Honestly? Suddenly inadequate."
"What?" She was truthfully perplexed by his con-
fession. "Why inadequate? In what way?"
Unlike Buffy, William had no problem making certain words
come out of HIS mouth. "Well, it's damn flattering, but I
should probably warn you before we get involved that I can't
possibly ejaculate five times in fifteen minutes."
It was such an amusing, unexpected comment that
she forgot to be embarrassed and just laughed. "Not even
for me?"
"As beautiful and sexy as you are...no can do, honey. I'm
good, but I'm not THAT good." Nudging her over a bit, he
sat next to her on the chair.
"What a disappointment," she sighed.
"You're telling ME!" He pulled her onto his lap, wrapping
both arms around her waist. "And," he added, "when I
DO ejaculate, I don't produce puddles."
Another spurt of laughter burst out of her. Delighted by her
reaction, he continued provoking it by comparing himself to
the author's version. He informed her that he didn't walk
around with a 24 hour a day erection; that he wasn't
possessed of an 'endowment' that had its own zip code; and
that he had most definitely never...and he stressed 'never'..even
ATTENDED an orgy, much less STARTED one.
When her giggling was finally under control, Buffy tilted her
head back to look at him. He returned her silent gaze for a
moment, then glanced back at the computer screen.
"Do you know how much I want you," he read out loud
from the text. "That I've always wanted you?"
He paused, gesturing for her to take up her part.
Buffy looked at the screen. "Those words trip easily off
your tongue, Amara. You must have spoken them many
times."
"Don't think to distract me, princess. I want you...and I
WILL have you." He whispered the words in her ear, his
breath warm on her skin.
Flustered by his actions, she lost her place for a moment.
"Where's...oh, here. Um...why are you so set upon me, when
there are women at every station who would give you anything
you asked of them?"
"But everyone knows that the daughter of Selkira is the most
beautiful and exiting woman in the farthest reaches of occupied
space."
"You have a quick and...and facile tongue, Earth-man."
"Let me show you what I can do with it." More words delivered
right into her receptive ear, making her feel soft and pliable in
his arms.
William turned her on his lap and captured her mouth beneath
his. Their lips parted and their tongues caressed, playing and
probing.
His arms tightened around her as the kiss deepened. There
was passion and hunger, barely restrained, and neither had
the will...or the desire...to stop.
Buffy was the first to break away. She stared into his dark eyes,
a little dazed. "Would you...like to come upstairs?" she asked,
shocking herself right out of her shoes. "To my...bedroom?"
He nodded slowly. "Very much."
