She called him, told him they had a body coming in and she would be there late posting and doing paperwork. Dinner, unfortunately, wouldn't be happening.

Her cell phone rang just after eleven. His voice was a welcome reprieve from the monotony of paperwork, and the sight of him through her open office door made her smile.

"You here by yourself?" he asked, stepping into the cluttered office and sliding his phone into his jacket pocket.

Nodding, she stood up from her chair. "Yeah, I am. Sent everyone else home. Nothing we can do until morning." She brought a hand to the back of her neck, rubbing at the tensed muscles.

He walked around her desk, a smile on his face. "Hmm. So you're telling me that we're all alone here?" His eyes started to twinkle dangerously as he reached for her.

"Joseph Fontana." Her tone was only half sincere, and her smile betrayed the scolding. She wasn't usually one for being affectionate in her office, but it was late and no one was around. On top of that, she missed him; because of their schedules, they hadn't had time for a proper date in a while…let alone sex. She really missed him. Her hands crept inside his suit jacket and slid up his chest.

He let his own hands settle on the small of her back. "Silk. I like it," he commented as his fingers traced circles on the fabric of her blouse.

Smirking, she reached up and loosened his tie. "Why don't you take your jacket off and stay awhile?" She winked as a way of conveying her intentions.

Joe chuckled as he complied with her request, dropping the garment over a chair. When he turned back to her, she noticed that his eyes had deepened in color. "So, Doctor…"

"Yes, Detective?"

Instead of answering her or finishing his thought, he gathered her back into his arms and kissed her. With a contented sigh, she returned the kiss, sliding one hand into his hair while the other rested against his chest. There was a desperation in the embrace which clouded their judgment, an overwhelming desire that made them ignore where they were and focus only on each other and their physical enjoyment.

He made quick work of her blouse, the buttons no match for his swift and nimble fingers. Sliding the garment down her arms, he paused briefly to admire the cream-colored lace bra she wore before searching out the zipper of her skirt.

Liz, in turn, freed him of his tie, then set to work slowly undoing the buttons of his yellow shirt. She began to tug at his undershirt, but was interrupted by her skirt hitting the floor. Stepping out of it, she kicked it aside and looked at Joe.

The sight of her in nothing but her heels and matching bra and panties was too much for Joe. Settling himself on the edge of her desk, he grabbed her hips and pulled her to stand between his legs. He buried his head in her neck and cleavage, lips and tongue greedily and hungrily assailing the soft skin beneath them.

Liz moaned and let her head fall back, surrendering herself to the ministrations of his mouth and hands. She sought out the fly of his pants with her hands, but just as she and released the button, she heard someone call out from the hallway.

"Doc? You here?"

She straightened up as if she had been shocked. "Damn! It's Earl." Earl was one of the morgue's two night security guards. Rodgers realized he must have been doing his rounds and seen her office light on. Thinking fast, she reached behind her, grabbed the lab coat from her chair, and slid into it. At the same time, she used her foot to push her discarded clothing behind the desk.

"Dr. Rodgers, what are you still doing here?" Earl appeared in her doorway, flashlight in hand.

Liz discreetly checked--her lab coat covered her and Joe effectively blocked Earl's view in. "Just, uh, finishing up some paperwork and…talking to the detective."

Earl chuckled a little. "Evening, Detective Fontana." He didn't know that the two were seeing each other, but he did know the detective well enough, having seen him in the morgue so many times.

"Hi, Earl. Don't worry, I'll make sure she leaves soon and gets out alright."

"Figured you would. Well, ya'll have a good evening now." Without waiting for a reply, Earl headed off.

Standing still, Liz waited until the elevator dinged its confirmation that the security guard was off the floor. Releasing the breath she hadn't realized she was holding, she looked at Joe. "That was close." She bent down and grabbed her skirt and blouse.

Once again, Joe reached for her, pulling her back to him. "You don't have to do that. We can just close the door."

She slipped out of her lab coat and back into her blouse. Working on the buttons, she told him, "As much as I want to--as much as I want you--I do not want to risk getting caught having sex in my office." Pulling up her skirt, she yanked the zipper to the top. "Let's at least go someplace a little more private."

"Your place or mine?" he asked, standing and buttoning his own shirt.

"Yours." She pressed his tie into his hand. "I feel like spending the night in your bed."

That was all he needed to hear, and within a minute, they had vacated the office and were working their way out of the building.

At his place, they could do whatever they wanted without the fear of being interrupted, disturbed, walked in on, or caught.