DICLAIMER: I obviously own none of these characters.
Written before Cordelia was demonized and Connor was around.
Chapter One Angel let the cold water run over him. Contrary to popular belief, cold showers did nothing to relieve the sexual tension he was feeling. It was the third one tonight, and all it did was make him even more uncomfortable than his persistent hard-on.
I brought this all on myself, Angel thought. I should have let Wes or Gunn show Cordelia hand-to-hand. But no, I had to insist that I have at least two hundred more year's experience in fighting and that makes me the best choice. If I'd just thought about it a little more, I would have realized it was because I couldn't stand the thought of anyone else being that close to a nearly naked Cordy. Angel groaned, because the picture of Cordelia in her skimpy workout outfit had undone in less than a minute any good that the cold water had done in twenty. He needed to find a way out of this mess.
Turning the water off, he stood for a minute before reaching for a towel. This torture wasn't going to end anytime soon. After the big deal he had made out of training her, it would be impossible to ask Wes or Gunn to take over- unless he explained exactly, truthfully, WHY he could not continue? That was too embarrassing to even consider; and he would make bets that it would somehow get back to Cordelia in the end anyway. There was no way he could stand if she knew.
Wrapping a towel around his waist as he dried his hair, Angel could only come up with two other possibilities. Walking into his bedroom, he paused to stare at his non-reflection in the mirror. Plan A it was. He carefully hung the towels up to dry and sat on his bed naked. Neither plan was really to his taste, but the one thing that could solve the whole situation- having Cordelia- wasn't happening anytime soon. He had to find a way to live through this.
Lying back on his pillows, Angle closed his eyes and allowed the afternoon's sparring session to replay in his head. Cordy, white tank top sticking to her heaving chest, slick with sweat.Cordy, straddling his legs as she immobilized her "attacker". Cordy on the floor beneath the weight of his body, struggling against his hold.
Okay, he thought, reaching down and grabbing his stiffness in his hands and moving them slowly up and down his shaft. Keep thinking Cordy thoughts. Imagine her hands on his hard-on, her mouth playing over his sensitive head. Her breasts brushing against his inner thighs as she slowly took him all the way into her mouth. His hands quickened as his hips bucked against the bed.
Cordy, her lips pressed against his and his tongue exploring her mouth as he entered her... her gasp at the size of him, stretching and filling her. how wide her legs spread only for him.
With a cry, he came into his hands, moist and sticky. He was momentarily relieved, but damn vampiric sex drive, he was still hard. It would take a lot more than jerking off to rid himself of his hard-on for Cordelia.
Plan B would have to be implemented. *****************************************************************
Cordelia waited patiently in the training room in the basement for Angel, stretching muscles out slowly. Cordelia recognized the need for her to learn to defend herself weaponless, but Angel as her instructor made her mind think bad thoughts. Broody boy was always clueless about how hot he was- but I guess, Cordy thought, that happens when you haven't seen your own reflection in over a hundred years. But put "hot" with sweaty wrestling sessions on a daily basis, and you were in Cordelia territory- sexually frustrated with no place to go.
It's not like she hadn't thought about simply hooking up with Angel and taking care of her desire in a very straight forward, Cordelia like manner. But Angel was her friend- and you didn't just sleep with friends. In her experience (Xander!), that was a bad idea. Plus, Angel had that whole sex = no soul thingee. Talk about being a tease. He looks like that and she couldn't touch, not even a little. As much as she loved Angel, Angelus scared her silly.
Angel was taking an awfully long time. Could he have forgotten? Cordelia would have been here with a hundred and ten fever, just to feel that close to Angel. Could he really not sense the tension in the air? She was almost ready to go find him herself when she saw him pad down the stairs. He was shirtless and still damp from a shower. Her heart raced and she momentarily forgot how to breathe.
Angel smiled his shy smile at her and asked, "Ready?"
Cordelia filed that look and those words away in her brain to replay in a later, more private moment. Trying hard to conceal her distraction, she smiled sunnily and said, "Yeah, I'm ready to kick your ass."
Angel lowered his eyelids and thought, Promises, promises.
The sparring session went as usual, Angel holding back enough strength that Cordelia felt the punches and kicks when she moved wrong, but not enough to hurt her for real. Angel also held back a little, to make sure that Cordelia won a couple of bouts with him just so that he could feel her hands and body so closely on him. After the fourth loss, when she pinned him to the mat by straddling his chest and immoblizing his arms, he had to call it a day. That last loss had been just a little too close to his fantasy of last night- and his body couldn't seem to tell the difference between fantasy and reality. Fantasy, he could jerk off to that picture of a breathless Cordy; reality, if she felt the hard-on that pin had given him, she would really have staked him.
Once truce had been called, both Cordy and Angel headed off for showers. Very cold showers. Chapter Two
Angel listened carefully for sounds of Wes, Gunn, Cordy or Fred in the lobby. It sounded like they had all headed home; no major demons or monsters had materialized for the night. Everyone was taking advantage of the night off and had plans of one kind or another. Angel had turned down their offers for a night at Caritas or the movies; he said that he would make a quick patrol before calling it an early night and turning it in for some much needed rest. Despite their pleas, he insisted this was how he wanted to spend the night.
Once he was sure they were gone, he picked up the phone and called the number he had so recently acquired from a snitch. He had made it sound like part of a case and not for personal use. He hadn't even written it down, he was so paranoid that anyone should find it. The other end rang twice before a throaty voice answered. "Paramour's. How can we help you?"
Angel took a deep, unnecessary breath, his mouth and throat already dry. "I want to book a small party," he stated, remembering the code the snitch told him he had to use.
The voice paused a minute and he heard pages turning. "How small and what kind of party?"
Angel closed his eyes. He hadn't really thought this far beyond actually getting the number. "I, ah, I'm not sure."
The voice made an impatient sigh, and then rather kindly asked, "Is this the first party that you have ever booked?"
Angel felt like a child, but meekly answered "Yes."
The voice continued. "Well, describe your tastes to me and I'll see what we can do."
Angel's stomach roiled. He wanted faceless, nameless sex. He didn't much care what the girl looked like- provided she was human and didn't resemble a troll. "Not blond or too petite. Long dark hair, athletic. Cheerleader type?" His voice cracked as he started describing Cordelia.
The voice chuckled. "You seem to have good idea of what it is you want. I have a party package available in an hour that I think will meet your needs. Your address and credit card number?"
Angel finished the rest of the call with his heart in his throat. He could hardly believe he was reduced to this. In over two hundred and forty years of existence, he had NEVER had to pay for sex before. But Plan A- masturbation- hadn't worked. Plan B required a partner for whom he felt nothing- ensuring no moment of perfect happiness- and he was NOT the one- night-stand-pick-her-up-at-a-bar type.
Angel was so tense waiting for the hooker to arrive that he forgot to take his hand off the receiver and jumped when a tall brunette walked into the lobby. She smiled oddly for a minute, and then asked "Where can I find Liam?"
Angel swallowed loudly. He had given his name as Liam, just to cover his tracks a little more. Falling in to the cadence of his human life, he answered "That would be me. And you are."
The brunette smiled again. "You can call me whatever you like, but my name is Cora." Angel inwardly cursed at the name coincidence as she slid her leather jacket off, exposing an even tighter leather skirt and midriff- baring halter-top. Noting the hungry look "Liam" was giving her, she asked "Do you want to do this right here- or do you have a room?"
Angel was at her side in a minute, taking her coat and guiding her into his office. He inhaled her scent deeply, checking that she was in fact a human- just a precaution. Glancing around, he wondered where to take her. Though he might be forced to do this, that did not mean he had to soil his images of Cordelia in the hotel. Definitely not the lobby, training room, or his room- and, again, he had not thought this out, so no other room was ready. The office seemed safe enough.
Once in the room, with the door shut tightly behind them, the girl looked around appraisingly. "Looks like you got a nice business going here, Liam."
Angel fought to keep his un-beating heart from exploding in tension. If Cordy ever found out about this, she would never speak to him again. The desire for Cordy and the fear of what his lust for her caused him to do being found out made him less a gentleman then he normally was. Angel growled at her as he reached for the hooker. "I didn't ask you here for small talk."
The hooker simply nodded and started removing clothes. "It's your money. What do you want me to do?"
Angel sat down in his desk chair and forced her to the ground in front of him. She took her cue, and carefully unzipped and exposed his hard cock. Pulling him into her mouth, she sucked him slow at first, then with gaining momentum as he moaned deep in his throat. He came very quickly- it had been quite some time for him- and she swallowed every drop.
Looking down, Angel felt dirty. He didn't want to do this, but he felt he had no choice. Just as last night, once was not enough to ease the ache in his loins for Cordelia. He was still hard and ready to play. He grasped Cora by the arms, pulling her up and turning her around. He stretched her upper body across his desk and pinned her arms out with his own. One quick shove and his pants were around his ankles. He forcefully entered her from behind and began to pump. Each time, he went deeper into her; it took him several minutes to remember not to hurt this tiny human. He came again quickly.
Cora had not said a word through all of this, and he was glad. He wanted her body to fulfill his own feeble needs. He didn't want to be reminded of what he was doing by her chatter. He sank back into his chair, turning her around to settle in his lap. She seemed to sense his need for quiet, and did nothing but rest on his lap until he guided her to the next position.
This eerily quiet sex ballet went on for several more hours and many orgasms, until Cora, sore from the size of him and frequency of contact, tried to struggle beneath him, once more on the desk. He pinned her arms as his arousal level shot up. He came with a roar against her whimpers, whispering his sorrow for her pain in her ear. He felt sick inside, having hurt the woman, but that last time had been necessary. He was exhausted.
"Get out, please," he blandly stated to Cora as he pulled his clothing back on. Aching, but amazed that he had apologized for her discomfort- hooking didn't exactly bring you into the company of princes- she gathered her clothes and headed out, wondering just what was this guy's deal. Chapter Three
Cordelia let the door to the Hyperion's lobby close behind her. The night was young, no major uglies and no visions. What was she going to do with her time? She had tried to talk Angel into a trip to the movies, but he was insistent that he wanted to be alone tonight. Wes, Gunn, and Fred had already left, so she was on her own. Walking quickly down the block to the bus stop, all of Angel's self-defense tips repeated in her head. Angel was right, she did feel safer walking alone these days. She knew she could defend herself against any human, and most big bads, long enough to run away. It was a strange confidence- it had nothing to do with her looks or how she was dressed, but with what she could DO. She liked that feeling, and owed it all to Angel.
Thoughts went in a full circle again as she got on the bus and headed for home. Angel. Her session today had been worse for her than most. That final pin. she was glad that he had ended the session then and there. She was actually wet for him, straddling his muscled chest.
Cordelia had to stop this line of thought while she was on the bus, to be continued later. She was so busy picturing Angel beneath her that she almost missed her stop. Pulling the cord, she ran to the front of the bus and ignored a dirty look from the driver. Looking cautiously around as she alighted, Cordy continued to her apartment, where Dennis had her door opened just as she reached it.
"Thank you, Dennis!" Cordelia called out as she hung up her coat and looked through the mail. Bills and catalogs she didn't have the money to order from. Sighing, she left them on the table and, flipping on the TV, settled herself on the sofa. All she could get was static; frustrated and thinking it was technical difficulties for the station, she zapped through the other channels. Nothing.
Dennis floated a piece of paper over to her- the shutoff notice for the cable. She hadn't paid the bill again last month and the cable company had cut her off. "Damn it!" she swore, turning off the useless TV. "Now what am I supposed to do all night?"
The door to the bathroom opened, where Dennis already had a hot, sudsy bath running for her. The teapot settled on the stove, and a bag and cup floated down nest to it. "Yeah, Dennis," Cordelia agreed, "I guess I could just relax on my night off." She rose from the sofa and headed in to the bath, stripping as she went. The clothes never hit the floor, caught and gently folded by Dennis the ghost's hands. After testing the water with her toes and finding it just right, Cordelia happily sunk down to her chin, enjoying the warmth.
As she relaxed more, sipping her tea, Cordelia's thoughts began to wander down Angel path again. Her brow crinkled up and she thought about this odd relationship for the umpteenth time. She truly loved Angel, she knew. Deep down in her heart, she loved him. But this relationship could never work. Of course, she thought, there can only be a relationship if there are two people. And I don't know exactly how Angel feels about ME. Sure, he followed her to Pylea, but never anything else and certainly nothing romantically inclined. There is definitely something there, but I don't know what. I know there's guilt- hello, visions are his fault, or so he thinks- but is there something else? Good lord, she would even take just pure and simple lust. That at least meant that he was paying attention to her.
And thoughts of Angel and lust took her thoughts off on another path entirely. She rose, stepping into the towel Dennis already had waiting for her, and headed for her room. "Hey, Dennis- can I have some alone time?" she called as the door clicked behind her. All her muscles had tensed up again when she thought of him, and there was only one way to un-tense them from this state. And she SO did not want Dennis here for this. Dropping the towel to the floor, Cordelia rustled through her underwear drawer looking for something. Her hand settled on it, and she pulled the shiny metal vibrator out. Lying back on her bed, she turned to dial up to high and lay it across her nether regions. Thinking about Angel as she rubbed it against herself, her breathing quickly became erratic. Angel, walking down those steps to the training room fresh from a shower.she could picture him in the shower, water cascading off those firm muscles. And the batteries in her vibrator suddenly died. "No!" she screeched. This tension had to be gone before she went back to the office tomorrow. She could not go through another training session with this unresolved. She sighed and settled back. The old fashioned way would just have to do.. Chapter Four
Cordelia had shown steady improvement over the past few weeks, and Angel had lengthened their sessions now that he had found a release for the physical consequences of prolonged Cordy-in-revealing-clothes exposure. He had called upon Cora several times in the past few weeks; none of the visits made him feel emotionally better, but he physically felt much better. And since he was used to feeling remorse over actions- admittedly, most of them while committed while a soulless demon- he coped.
Cordy was coming along well enough that Wes or Gunn could spar with her to keep her in shape and he could stand in once a week for a real challenge. Despite a frail human frame, Cordy packed a near-Slayer wallop when properly motivated- say, when Angel accidentally insulted her taste in clothes. Only Angel had the strength to pose a real challenge to her, but anyone could now take over for technique instruction. Today, however, the others were out working on the latest case during sunlight hours, leaving Angel and Cordelia to tend the home fires. Angel circled Cordelia on the practice mats. She seemed a little out of it this morning, and he wondered what had caused it. She seemed more intent on causing pain than winning the match. Pondering this odd pattern, he paused only momentarily in his attack, but it was long enough that Cordy dropped him to the floor, sweeping his legs out from under him. She quickly pushed her advantage and twisted his arm behind his back and pinned him face-first to the floor. Her breath was hot and close in his ear, erotic and intoxicating. He willed his body not to respond.
Angel called uncle. "Okay, Cordy, you got me, you can let me up."
The pressure on his arm didn't ease up, however. Angel was actually feeling a little pain. His voice sharpened, "Cordy, you win. Let me up, will you?"
Cordy didn't let up in the slightest. "Why don't you make me?" she asked in a husky voice that sent shivers up and down Angel's spine.
Cordy couldn't realize what it was she was doing to him- could she? The challenge in her voice begged him to respond, but he knew he couldn't. That kind of physical struggle, when not in a life-or-death situation, would be tantamount to fore play for a vampire. "I'm not playing, Cordelia," he growled.
Cordy replied by pushing harder on his arm. "Neither am I."
Barely letting Cordelia's comment sink in, Angel closed his eyes and inwardly sighed. He would need to call Cora again tonight after this match, but Cordy had asked for it. He forcibly rolled himself over pinning his own arm- as well as Cordelia's- beneath him. He then held the rest of Cordelia down with his legs as he disentangled his arm from Cordelia's. Reaching behind, he grabbed Cordy's shoulders, flipped her over and straddled her to keep her down.
Cordy's eyes flashed fire at him. "Fine. You win. Let me up."
Angel recoiled slightly from the look. There was something beyond mere sparring motivating her actions. He meekly let go and, turning away for a towel, allowed her up. He did not expect the flying tackle she let loose with as soon as she was on her feet.
Cordy sent him down again, this time with her on top. She knew she could not pin him for long, and simply punched him straight in the face before getting off him and turning away.
Angel sat in shock for a moment before jumping up with vampiric speed and grabbing Cordelia from behind. His arms caught hers and his hands locked behind her neck in a modified half-Nelson; she could not move. Instead of asking to be let go, Cordelia simply pulled out a stock move Angel had taught her and stomped down on his instep.
Ready for such a display, Angel pushed her off balance by stepping out of the way of her foot. The momentum created by his action carried him- and Cordelia- into the nearest wall. He crushed Cordelia against the wall with the full length of his body and heard her sharp intake of breath. "What the hell were you doing?" he demanded.
Cordelia snorted in answer. "I could ask the same thing." She did not struggle to get away from him, and not wanting to be sucker punched again, Angel did not take his body weight off of her. He could feel every inch of every curve, though, and wasn't sure how long he could hold her there without her feeling how aroused he was.
"What are you talking about Cordelia?" he rumbled lowly in her ear.
Cordelia swallowed, and then spoke in a wavering voice. "What investigation required eight thousand dollars worth of charges to Paramour's?"
Angel's hold on Cordelia loosened in shock at her question and she managed to squirm so that she was facing him, yet still pinned beneath him. She was waiting an answer with fury in her eyes, yet he couldn't come up with anything. His mind was just blank.
Cordelia shook her head and shoved him away from her- hard. "That's what I thought," she said in an angry voice.
Belately, Angel tried to feign knowledge. "What is Paramour's? And what charges are you talking about?" He felt his heart- stopped though it already was- drop.
Cordelia jabbed a pointy finger in his chest, hard, to stress each word she spoke. "There were charges for eight different dates- at $1,000 a pop- on your company credit card. I saw them when the bill came in and I paid it. Then I decided to call and see just what it was." Cordelia gave him a drop dead, patented Queen C look of disgust. "You bought yourself quite a fuck, Angel."
The look she gave him cut deeply. "Cordelia, why were checking out charges on my card?"
"Hello, that's my job! I pay the bills and check the charges to see what client to pass it on to." She crossed her arms and stamped her foot. "Did you want me to see how you spend those nights you tell me you don't want to see me?"
Angel didn't know what to say. Why on earth was Cordelia this upset about charges on his credit card? Normally, something like this would have been found and brought to his attention at the top of her lungs, not beaten out of her during a sparring session. Granted, he didn't want Cordelia to find out he was frequenting hookers; but she didn't know why he was doing so.
"Do I ask you for a blow-by-blow of what you do on your nights off, Cordy?" he angrily spit back at her.
"That was a bad choice of words, Angel." She coldly spit back.
"Why do you care what I do on my own time, Cordy? It's not like I was with a hooker when I was supposed to be fighting a demon somewhere."
Cordy stamped her foot even harder and poked him in the chest again. "Can you say curse? That means no sex?"
Angel stared at her. "Cordy, the curse was never no sex. The curse was no moment of perfect happiness. The two just happened to be the same with Buffy."
Cordy's face flushed with fire. Her anger was nearly palpable in the air. "Do you mean to tell me that you aren't eunuch boy?"
Angel, angered by the eunuch comment, spat back, "Why does my sex life interest you so much, Cordelia? Aside from the fact that you think I shouldn't have one."
It was Cordelia's turn to blanch in shock, but she recovered more quickly than Angel had. "I just don't think that the company should be paying for it."
Angel pushed against her again darkly. "If the company creates the need for it, the company can pay for it."
"What do you mean 'if the company creates the need for it'?"
Angel felt the demon inside him rise up and want to be turned loose. He felt angry with himself for being so weak; angry with Cordelia for making him feel that way; angry at the gypsies who cursed him in the first place; and extreme humiliation that Cordelia had discovered the whole thing. He simply turned away and headed for the stairs and his room. He could not handle this now.
Cordelia did not want to let it go, however, and followed him. Stepping out into the lobby, she tormented him more. "Angel, where did you have her? Just so I know where to clean off skanky hooker dirt in the office!"
Angel continued up towards his room. Everything she said showed her distress, and he didn't know what to make of it. Cordelia stood in the middle of the lobby and continued to yell to him. "Did you have her here, by the potted palm? I think we'll have to get rid of it." Then she ran over to the main counter. "Not here, right? I answer phones here everyday." Then she ran to her desk and plopped down on it. "Oh, no. I know. You did it on the desks, didn't you?"
Angel stopped at her last comment, and turned around on the stairs to see her sitting on her desk with her legs suggestively spread. He headed back down, knowing that she would continue to yell comments up at him until they settled this once and for all. Stalking to Cordelia's desk, he leaned over her and pinned her in place with one arm on each side of her form.
Anger, he noticed, only made her look more beautiful. "Do you really want to know where we did it, Cordelia? Because I'd be happy to show you." Cordelia, anger still evident, looked like this was not the response she had wanted. Angel pressed on with his advantage.
He roughly picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, carrying her none too gently into his office. Throwing her down on his desk, he allowed himself to vamp out. "Right here, Cordy. Right here on my desk. And in my chair..." as he sank down into it and pulled her into his lap, "and on the sofa there, and against the wall here..but" he pushed her face first over his desk, holding her arms to against his, "my favorite was just like this" as he rubbed himself against her so that she could feel his hardness.
Cordy gasped. This was not the response she had pictured in her head. And she was slightly scared at the turn this had taken- until he rubbed against her. Then she was turned on in a big way, much worse than any sparring session. Chapter Five
Angel closed his eyes and leaned over Cordelia's inert form, pressing his full body against hers as he whispered in her ear. "Are there any other details that you would like to know about?"
Cordelia gasped at the feel of his words in her ear. Low and dangerous, but exciting. She didn't know how to respond, torn between actually wanting details and general hurt that her Angel was not just hers. "I think I can fill it in from there." She tossed off in an angry Queen C voice.
Angel held her down a moment longer than was necessary, pressing against her again, before releasing her hands and sitting back in his chair. His anger did not dissipate, and watching her firm ass right in front of him as she got up and straightened herself did nothing to help the situation. Angel was hurt as well as angry. Cordelia had thought he was willing to risk his soul for a good lay! Didn't she know him better than that? He did what he did for her, and he couldn't tell her. The anger was building and he did not think he would be able to control it.
Cordelia moved away from Angel slowly, watching him. She didn't know if he would grab her again and walked backwards towards the door. Cordelia was slowly recovering from her shock, and the anger was returning. "Don't ever lay your hands on me like that again. What gives you the right?" Angel laughed dryly. "If you are going to have Queen C fits, you better be able to deal with the consequences. My private life is just that, private. It is not up for discussion at the top of your lungs in the lobby of the hotel." Unless, Angel added in his head, you are screaming as I make you come. Even with his and her anger between him, he wanted her. "The consequences of honesty?" Cordelia spat back. Angel laughed again, rising from his chair to move on Cordelia before she could reach the floor. "Honesty? HONESTY? That's the least that I am referring to!" Everything he had been made to endure in the past few weeks- self-loathing and berating himself for being so stupid as to actually LOVE this girl he couldn't have- welled up and came out in hurtful words. "I am referring to everything you do around here. You push me around, tell me what to do, like a fishwife! You waltz around here in your short skirts and tight pants, flaunting yourself! And then- you wear even less to train in!" By this time, Angel had reached her and cut off her escape route with a strong arm on either side of her, holding her in place against the wall. "What effect do you think you have on me, Cordelia?" he growled. Cordelia bit back an arrogant reply. Did she really effect him that much? She had never thought beyond HIS effect on HER. Could Angel really feel some of the things she felt during their training sessions? Did her watch her work at her desk the way she watched him? "I hadn't thought about it, Angel." God, those words cut. She really had seen him as a eunuch! Never anything more than a friend, a sexless harmless friend. And he could never be more than that, could he? No matter how much he wanted her, she never saw things turning that way. Well, if he wanted this to be over one way or another, he just had to tell her exactly what he had been feeling. "Then let me tell you, Cordelia." His voice rasped hungrily in his throat. Was he really going to tell her how he thought of her each night? While he was with Cora? This was his Seer, his friend. And this was not good for the relationship. But it was too late to back out. "I watch you everyday, every time you move. I can't wait for training sessions with you, because I can put my hands on the body I think about every night, without any consequences. And it's torture, because I can never do anything about it. Constant, daily torture." Was that really how she affected him? If so- why hadn't he done anything about it? What did he mean that he could never do anything about it? Since he obviously could. Cordelia opened her mouth to speak and closed it again. Her anger at Angel's use of whores was suddenly warring with her anger at this big secret he had been carrying around. "Why didn't you say something?" Angel closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of her, gently nuzzling her neck in a very forward manner. "And just how was I supposed to tell you that I want to jump your bones several times everyday? Awkward much?" He had told her, and he was timidly waiting her response. Cordelia's knees were starting to get weak with Angel so close and touching her. The emotions in the room were draining her. She leaned against his strong body for support, leaning her head on his shoulder so that he could not see her eyes. "Did you ever think that I might feel the same way?" Her breath caught in her throat as she awaited his reply. Angel felt his heart constrict in his chest. He stumbled over the words, "Feel the same way?" Cordelia raised her head to meet his eyes. "Yes." She drew him down to her, crushing her lips against his. She expertly explored his mouth with her tongue, and he eagerly responded once his shock had passed. She pulled away and looked at him again. "Angel, let's face it, you're a hottie! Any woman would jump in your bed the minute you asked them. Which makes me ask why you thought you had to pay?" Angel tensed up again. She seemed to share his physical attraction; but he did not want this to be the way she found out- if she ever found out- that he was in love with her. He turned the corner of his mouth up in an off half-smile and mislead her. "I don't really go for the whole socializing thing. Makes it hard to meet women." Cordelia smacked his lightly. "I really could have saved you the trouble- and a whole lot of money- if you'd just treated me like a friend and told me what was going on." Cordelia's voice, flustered, shook a little. She didn't know how to say what she wanted to say. "I know several very attractive, horny women who would love to help you out.." The look on Angel's face as he pushed her against the wall again, pressing his pelvis against her thighs, stilled her words. Harshly, barely able to contain the desire for her, he whispered so softly that she could not hear him, "Nobody else could take your place but you." As if reading his mind, Cordelia gasped a deep breath, want for Angel filling her as she spoke the words she wasn't sure she wanted an answer to. "Why not just come to me?" Angel groaned inwardly. She had just offered him half of what he so badly wanted- her body. And she did it without a thought. She couldn't know what that one, tiny question did to him. He would have come to her gladly, if he did not love her. She was beauty, perfection, a wonderful soul- and, for all that, as untouchable as the sun. One moment spent with her, and his soul would be lost. Because he had never thought that he could approach her with such a request without telling her how he felt. Cordelia was above mere lust. Yet she had just offered him the chance. He pressed down against her lips forcefully, the not-quite-met hunger of the past few weeks ignited again.
Cordelia was lost against Angel's hungry kisses. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. And he hadn't told her for fear of upsetting her and wrecking their friendship? A simple thing like SEX?!? As much as Cordelia was enjoying herself right this second, now was not the time to tell him that she thought about him so much because she loved him. So she decided to enjoy what she could of him and not worry right this second about the rest.
Because the late night fantasies were about to come true in real, live Technicolor. And she was more than willing to participate.
Angel pulled back from Cordelia, allowing her to catch the breath that he did not need. Cordelia had not spoken of anything beyond physical attraction; nor had he. As long as he didn't know how she felt aside from sex, there was no danger to his soul. Right? God, he hoped so, because he did not have the willpower to resist her right now.
Drawing her up into his arms, Angel asked, "Where?" He so much did not want to do this here, to cheapen the moment beyond the "meaningless" sex he had already made it seem like to Cordy.
Cordy did not forget how she had ended up in his office. If this was where he played out his fantasies, she was more than willing to oblige, as long as he didn't stop kissing her. She stumbled back toward the desk, and cleared it with one swipe of her arm. Hopping up, never letting her lips leave Angel's, she pulled him down on top of her.
Chapter One Angel let the cold water run over him. Contrary to popular belief, cold showers did nothing to relieve the sexual tension he was feeling. It was the third one tonight, and all it did was make him even more uncomfortable than his persistent hard-on.
I brought this all on myself, Angel thought. I should have let Wes or Gunn show Cordelia hand-to-hand. But no, I had to insist that I have at least two hundred more year's experience in fighting and that makes me the best choice. If I'd just thought about it a little more, I would have realized it was because I couldn't stand the thought of anyone else being that close to a nearly naked Cordy. Angel groaned, because the picture of Cordelia in her skimpy workout outfit had undone in less than a minute any good that the cold water had done in twenty. He needed to find a way out of this mess.
Turning the water off, he stood for a minute before reaching for a towel. This torture wasn't going to end anytime soon. After the big deal he had made out of training her, it would be impossible to ask Wes or Gunn to take over- unless he explained exactly, truthfully, WHY he could not continue? That was too embarrassing to even consider; and he would make bets that it would somehow get back to Cordelia in the end anyway. There was no way he could stand if she knew.
Wrapping a towel around his waist as he dried his hair, Angel could only come up with two other possibilities. Walking into his bedroom, he paused to stare at his non-reflection in the mirror. Plan A it was. He carefully hung the towels up to dry and sat on his bed naked. Neither plan was really to his taste, but the one thing that could solve the whole situation- having Cordelia- wasn't happening anytime soon. He had to find a way to live through this.
Lying back on his pillows, Angle closed his eyes and allowed the afternoon's sparring session to replay in his head. Cordy, white tank top sticking to her heaving chest, slick with sweat.Cordy, straddling his legs as she immobilized her "attacker". Cordy on the floor beneath the weight of his body, struggling against his hold.
Okay, he thought, reaching down and grabbing his stiffness in his hands and moving them slowly up and down his shaft. Keep thinking Cordy thoughts. Imagine her hands on his hard-on, her mouth playing over his sensitive head. Her breasts brushing against his inner thighs as she slowly took him all the way into her mouth. His hands quickened as his hips bucked against the bed.
Cordy, her lips pressed against his and his tongue exploring her mouth as he entered her... her gasp at the size of him, stretching and filling her. how wide her legs spread only for him.
With a cry, he came into his hands, moist and sticky. He was momentarily relieved, but damn vampiric sex drive, he was still hard. It would take a lot more than jerking off to rid himself of his hard-on for Cordelia.
Plan B would have to be implemented. *****************************************************************
Cordelia waited patiently in the training room in the basement for Angel, stretching muscles out slowly. Cordelia recognized the need for her to learn to defend herself weaponless, but Angel as her instructor made her mind think bad thoughts. Broody boy was always clueless about how hot he was- but I guess, Cordy thought, that happens when you haven't seen your own reflection in over a hundred years. But put "hot" with sweaty wrestling sessions on a daily basis, and you were in Cordelia territory- sexually frustrated with no place to go.
It's not like she hadn't thought about simply hooking up with Angel and taking care of her desire in a very straight forward, Cordelia like manner. But Angel was her friend- and you didn't just sleep with friends. In her experience (Xander!), that was a bad idea. Plus, Angel had that whole sex = no soul thingee. Talk about being a tease. He looks like that and she couldn't touch, not even a little. As much as she loved Angel, Angelus scared her silly.
Angel was taking an awfully long time. Could he have forgotten? Cordelia would have been here with a hundred and ten fever, just to feel that close to Angel. Could he really not sense the tension in the air? She was almost ready to go find him herself when she saw him pad down the stairs. He was shirtless and still damp from a shower. Her heart raced and she momentarily forgot how to breathe.
Angel smiled his shy smile at her and asked, "Ready?"
Cordelia filed that look and those words away in her brain to replay in a later, more private moment. Trying hard to conceal her distraction, she smiled sunnily and said, "Yeah, I'm ready to kick your ass."
Angel lowered his eyelids and thought, Promises, promises.
The sparring session went as usual, Angel holding back enough strength that Cordelia felt the punches and kicks when she moved wrong, but not enough to hurt her for real. Angel also held back a little, to make sure that Cordelia won a couple of bouts with him just so that he could feel her hands and body so closely on him. After the fourth loss, when she pinned him to the mat by straddling his chest and immoblizing his arms, he had to call it a day. That last loss had been just a little too close to his fantasy of last night- and his body couldn't seem to tell the difference between fantasy and reality. Fantasy, he could jerk off to that picture of a breathless Cordy; reality, if she felt the hard-on that pin had given him, she would really have staked him.
Once truce had been called, both Cordy and Angel headed off for showers. Very cold showers. Chapter Two
Angel listened carefully for sounds of Wes, Gunn, Cordy or Fred in the lobby. It sounded like they had all headed home; no major demons or monsters had materialized for the night. Everyone was taking advantage of the night off and had plans of one kind or another. Angel had turned down their offers for a night at Caritas or the movies; he said that he would make a quick patrol before calling it an early night and turning it in for some much needed rest. Despite their pleas, he insisted this was how he wanted to spend the night.
Once he was sure they were gone, he picked up the phone and called the number he had so recently acquired from a snitch. He had made it sound like part of a case and not for personal use. He hadn't even written it down, he was so paranoid that anyone should find it. The other end rang twice before a throaty voice answered. "Paramour's. How can we help you?"
Angel took a deep, unnecessary breath, his mouth and throat already dry. "I want to book a small party," he stated, remembering the code the snitch told him he had to use.
The voice paused a minute and he heard pages turning. "How small and what kind of party?"
Angel closed his eyes. He hadn't really thought this far beyond actually getting the number. "I, ah, I'm not sure."
The voice made an impatient sigh, and then rather kindly asked, "Is this the first party that you have ever booked?"
Angel felt like a child, but meekly answered "Yes."
The voice continued. "Well, describe your tastes to me and I'll see what we can do."
Angel's stomach roiled. He wanted faceless, nameless sex. He didn't much care what the girl looked like- provided she was human and didn't resemble a troll. "Not blond or too petite. Long dark hair, athletic. Cheerleader type?" His voice cracked as he started describing Cordelia.
The voice chuckled. "You seem to have good idea of what it is you want. I have a party package available in an hour that I think will meet your needs. Your address and credit card number?"
Angel finished the rest of the call with his heart in his throat. He could hardly believe he was reduced to this. In over two hundred and forty years of existence, he had NEVER had to pay for sex before. But Plan A- masturbation- hadn't worked. Plan B required a partner for whom he felt nothing- ensuring no moment of perfect happiness- and he was NOT the one- night-stand-pick-her-up-at-a-bar type.
Angel was so tense waiting for the hooker to arrive that he forgot to take his hand off the receiver and jumped when a tall brunette walked into the lobby. She smiled oddly for a minute, and then asked "Where can I find Liam?"
Angel swallowed loudly. He had given his name as Liam, just to cover his tracks a little more. Falling in to the cadence of his human life, he answered "That would be me. And you are."
The brunette smiled again. "You can call me whatever you like, but my name is Cora." Angel inwardly cursed at the name coincidence as she slid her leather jacket off, exposing an even tighter leather skirt and midriff- baring halter-top. Noting the hungry look "Liam" was giving her, she asked "Do you want to do this right here- or do you have a room?"
Angel was at her side in a minute, taking her coat and guiding her into his office. He inhaled her scent deeply, checking that she was in fact a human- just a precaution. Glancing around, he wondered where to take her. Though he might be forced to do this, that did not mean he had to soil his images of Cordelia in the hotel. Definitely not the lobby, training room, or his room- and, again, he had not thought this out, so no other room was ready. The office seemed safe enough.
Once in the room, with the door shut tightly behind them, the girl looked around appraisingly. "Looks like you got a nice business going here, Liam."
Angel fought to keep his un-beating heart from exploding in tension. If Cordy ever found out about this, she would never speak to him again. The desire for Cordy and the fear of what his lust for her caused him to do being found out made him less a gentleman then he normally was. Angel growled at her as he reached for the hooker. "I didn't ask you here for small talk."
The hooker simply nodded and started removing clothes. "It's your money. What do you want me to do?"
Angel sat down in his desk chair and forced her to the ground in front of him. She took her cue, and carefully unzipped and exposed his hard cock. Pulling him into her mouth, she sucked him slow at first, then with gaining momentum as he moaned deep in his throat. He came very quickly- it had been quite some time for him- and she swallowed every drop.
Looking down, Angel felt dirty. He didn't want to do this, but he felt he had no choice. Just as last night, once was not enough to ease the ache in his loins for Cordelia. He was still hard and ready to play. He grasped Cora by the arms, pulling her up and turning her around. He stretched her upper body across his desk and pinned her arms out with his own. One quick shove and his pants were around his ankles. He forcefully entered her from behind and began to pump. Each time, he went deeper into her; it took him several minutes to remember not to hurt this tiny human. He came again quickly.
Cora had not said a word through all of this, and he was glad. He wanted her body to fulfill his own feeble needs. He didn't want to be reminded of what he was doing by her chatter. He sank back into his chair, turning her around to settle in his lap. She seemed to sense his need for quiet, and did nothing but rest on his lap until he guided her to the next position.
This eerily quiet sex ballet went on for several more hours and many orgasms, until Cora, sore from the size of him and frequency of contact, tried to struggle beneath him, once more on the desk. He pinned her arms as his arousal level shot up. He came with a roar against her whimpers, whispering his sorrow for her pain in her ear. He felt sick inside, having hurt the woman, but that last time had been necessary. He was exhausted.
"Get out, please," he blandly stated to Cora as he pulled his clothing back on. Aching, but amazed that he had apologized for her discomfort- hooking didn't exactly bring you into the company of princes- she gathered her clothes and headed out, wondering just what was this guy's deal. Chapter Three
Cordelia let the door to the Hyperion's lobby close behind her. The night was young, no major uglies and no visions. What was she going to do with her time? She had tried to talk Angel into a trip to the movies, but he was insistent that he wanted to be alone tonight. Wes, Gunn, and Fred had already left, so she was on her own. Walking quickly down the block to the bus stop, all of Angel's self-defense tips repeated in her head. Angel was right, she did feel safer walking alone these days. She knew she could defend herself against any human, and most big bads, long enough to run away. It was a strange confidence- it had nothing to do with her looks or how she was dressed, but with what she could DO. She liked that feeling, and owed it all to Angel.
Thoughts went in a full circle again as she got on the bus and headed for home. Angel. Her session today had been worse for her than most. That final pin. she was glad that he had ended the session then and there. She was actually wet for him, straddling his muscled chest.
Cordelia had to stop this line of thought while she was on the bus, to be continued later. She was so busy picturing Angel beneath her that she almost missed her stop. Pulling the cord, she ran to the front of the bus and ignored a dirty look from the driver. Looking cautiously around as she alighted, Cordy continued to her apartment, where Dennis had her door opened just as she reached it.
"Thank you, Dennis!" Cordelia called out as she hung up her coat and looked through the mail. Bills and catalogs she didn't have the money to order from. Sighing, she left them on the table and, flipping on the TV, settled herself on the sofa. All she could get was static; frustrated and thinking it was technical difficulties for the station, she zapped through the other channels. Nothing.
Dennis floated a piece of paper over to her- the shutoff notice for the cable. She hadn't paid the bill again last month and the cable company had cut her off. "Damn it!" she swore, turning off the useless TV. "Now what am I supposed to do all night?"
The door to the bathroom opened, where Dennis already had a hot, sudsy bath running for her. The teapot settled on the stove, and a bag and cup floated down nest to it. "Yeah, Dennis," Cordelia agreed, "I guess I could just relax on my night off." She rose from the sofa and headed in to the bath, stripping as she went. The clothes never hit the floor, caught and gently folded by Dennis the ghost's hands. After testing the water with her toes and finding it just right, Cordelia happily sunk down to her chin, enjoying the warmth.
As she relaxed more, sipping her tea, Cordelia's thoughts began to wander down Angel path again. Her brow crinkled up and she thought about this odd relationship for the umpteenth time. She truly loved Angel, she knew. Deep down in her heart, she loved him. But this relationship could never work. Of course, she thought, there can only be a relationship if there are two people. And I don't know exactly how Angel feels about ME. Sure, he followed her to Pylea, but never anything else and certainly nothing romantically inclined. There is definitely something there, but I don't know what. I know there's guilt- hello, visions are his fault, or so he thinks- but is there something else? Good lord, she would even take just pure and simple lust. That at least meant that he was paying attention to her.
And thoughts of Angel and lust took her thoughts off on another path entirely. She rose, stepping into the towel Dennis already had waiting for her, and headed for her room. "Hey, Dennis- can I have some alone time?" she called as the door clicked behind her. All her muscles had tensed up again when she thought of him, and there was only one way to un-tense them from this state. And she SO did not want Dennis here for this. Dropping the towel to the floor, Cordelia rustled through her underwear drawer looking for something. Her hand settled on it, and she pulled the shiny metal vibrator out. Lying back on her bed, she turned to dial up to high and lay it across her nether regions. Thinking about Angel as she rubbed it against herself, her breathing quickly became erratic. Angel, walking down those steps to the training room fresh from a shower.she could picture him in the shower, water cascading off those firm muscles. And the batteries in her vibrator suddenly died. "No!" she screeched. This tension had to be gone before she went back to the office tomorrow. She could not go through another training session with this unresolved. She sighed and settled back. The old fashioned way would just have to do.. Chapter Four
Cordelia had shown steady improvement over the past few weeks, and Angel had lengthened their sessions now that he had found a release for the physical consequences of prolonged Cordy-in-revealing-clothes exposure. He had called upon Cora several times in the past few weeks; none of the visits made him feel emotionally better, but he physically felt much better. And since he was used to feeling remorse over actions- admittedly, most of them while committed while a soulless demon- he coped.
Cordy was coming along well enough that Wes or Gunn could spar with her to keep her in shape and he could stand in once a week for a real challenge. Despite a frail human frame, Cordy packed a near-Slayer wallop when properly motivated- say, when Angel accidentally insulted her taste in clothes. Only Angel had the strength to pose a real challenge to her, but anyone could now take over for technique instruction. Today, however, the others were out working on the latest case during sunlight hours, leaving Angel and Cordelia to tend the home fires. Angel circled Cordelia on the practice mats. She seemed a little out of it this morning, and he wondered what had caused it. She seemed more intent on causing pain than winning the match. Pondering this odd pattern, he paused only momentarily in his attack, but it was long enough that Cordy dropped him to the floor, sweeping his legs out from under him. She quickly pushed her advantage and twisted his arm behind his back and pinned him face-first to the floor. Her breath was hot and close in his ear, erotic and intoxicating. He willed his body not to respond.
Angel called uncle. "Okay, Cordy, you got me, you can let me up."
The pressure on his arm didn't ease up, however. Angel was actually feeling a little pain. His voice sharpened, "Cordy, you win. Let me up, will you?"
Cordy didn't let up in the slightest. "Why don't you make me?" she asked in a husky voice that sent shivers up and down Angel's spine.
Cordy couldn't realize what it was she was doing to him- could she? The challenge in her voice begged him to respond, but he knew he couldn't. That kind of physical struggle, when not in a life-or-death situation, would be tantamount to fore play for a vampire. "I'm not playing, Cordelia," he growled.
Cordy replied by pushing harder on his arm. "Neither am I."
Barely letting Cordelia's comment sink in, Angel closed his eyes and inwardly sighed. He would need to call Cora again tonight after this match, but Cordy had asked for it. He forcibly rolled himself over pinning his own arm- as well as Cordelia's- beneath him. He then held the rest of Cordelia down with his legs as he disentangled his arm from Cordelia's. Reaching behind, he grabbed Cordy's shoulders, flipped her over and straddled her to keep her down.
Cordy's eyes flashed fire at him. "Fine. You win. Let me up."
Angel recoiled slightly from the look. There was something beyond mere sparring motivating her actions. He meekly let go and, turning away for a towel, allowed her up. He did not expect the flying tackle she let loose with as soon as she was on her feet.
Cordy sent him down again, this time with her on top. She knew she could not pin him for long, and simply punched him straight in the face before getting off him and turning away.
Angel sat in shock for a moment before jumping up with vampiric speed and grabbing Cordelia from behind. His arms caught hers and his hands locked behind her neck in a modified half-Nelson; she could not move. Instead of asking to be let go, Cordelia simply pulled out a stock move Angel had taught her and stomped down on his instep.
Ready for such a display, Angel pushed her off balance by stepping out of the way of her foot. The momentum created by his action carried him- and Cordelia- into the nearest wall. He crushed Cordelia against the wall with the full length of his body and heard her sharp intake of breath. "What the hell were you doing?" he demanded.
Cordelia snorted in answer. "I could ask the same thing." She did not struggle to get away from him, and not wanting to be sucker punched again, Angel did not take his body weight off of her. He could feel every inch of every curve, though, and wasn't sure how long he could hold her there without her feeling how aroused he was.
"What are you talking about Cordelia?" he rumbled lowly in her ear.
Cordelia swallowed, and then spoke in a wavering voice. "What investigation required eight thousand dollars worth of charges to Paramour's?"
Angel's hold on Cordelia loosened in shock at her question and she managed to squirm so that she was facing him, yet still pinned beneath him. She was waiting an answer with fury in her eyes, yet he couldn't come up with anything. His mind was just blank.
Cordelia shook her head and shoved him away from her- hard. "That's what I thought," she said in an angry voice.
Belately, Angel tried to feign knowledge. "What is Paramour's? And what charges are you talking about?" He felt his heart- stopped though it already was- drop.
Cordelia jabbed a pointy finger in his chest, hard, to stress each word she spoke. "There were charges for eight different dates- at $1,000 a pop- on your company credit card. I saw them when the bill came in and I paid it. Then I decided to call and see just what it was." Cordelia gave him a drop dead, patented Queen C look of disgust. "You bought yourself quite a fuck, Angel."
The look she gave him cut deeply. "Cordelia, why were checking out charges on my card?"
"Hello, that's my job! I pay the bills and check the charges to see what client to pass it on to." She crossed her arms and stamped her foot. "Did you want me to see how you spend those nights you tell me you don't want to see me?"
Angel didn't know what to say. Why on earth was Cordelia this upset about charges on his credit card? Normally, something like this would have been found and brought to his attention at the top of her lungs, not beaten out of her during a sparring session. Granted, he didn't want Cordelia to find out he was frequenting hookers; but she didn't know why he was doing so.
"Do I ask you for a blow-by-blow of what you do on your nights off, Cordy?" he angrily spit back at her.
"That was a bad choice of words, Angel." She coldly spit back.
"Why do you care what I do on my own time, Cordy? It's not like I was with a hooker when I was supposed to be fighting a demon somewhere."
Cordy stamped her foot even harder and poked him in the chest again. "Can you say curse? That means no sex?"
Angel stared at her. "Cordy, the curse was never no sex. The curse was no moment of perfect happiness. The two just happened to be the same with Buffy."
Cordy's face flushed with fire. Her anger was nearly palpable in the air. "Do you mean to tell me that you aren't eunuch boy?"
Angel, angered by the eunuch comment, spat back, "Why does my sex life interest you so much, Cordelia? Aside from the fact that you think I shouldn't have one."
It was Cordelia's turn to blanch in shock, but she recovered more quickly than Angel had. "I just don't think that the company should be paying for it."
Angel pushed against her again darkly. "If the company creates the need for it, the company can pay for it."
"What do you mean 'if the company creates the need for it'?"
Angel felt the demon inside him rise up and want to be turned loose. He felt angry with himself for being so weak; angry with Cordelia for making him feel that way; angry at the gypsies who cursed him in the first place; and extreme humiliation that Cordelia had discovered the whole thing. He simply turned away and headed for the stairs and his room. He could not handle this now.
Cordelia did not want to let it go, however, and followed him. Stepping out into the lobby, she tormented him more. "Angel, where did you have her? Just so I know where to clean off skanky hooker dirt in the office!"
Angel continued up towards his room. Everything she said showed her distress, and he didn't know what to make of it. Cordelia stood in the middle of the lobby and continued to yell to him. "Did you have her here, by the potted palm? I think we'll have to get rid of it." Then she ran over to the main counter. "Not here, right? I answer phones here everyday." Then she ran to her desk and plopped down on it. "Oh, no. I know. You did it on the desks, didn't you?"
Angel stopped at her last comment, and turned around on the stairs to see her sitting on her desk with her legs suggestively spread. He headed back down, knowing that she would continue to yell comments up at him until they settled this once and for all. Stalking to Cordelia's desk, he leaned over her and pinned her in place with one arm on each side of her form.
Anger, he noticed, only made her look more beautiful. "Do you really want to know where we did it, Cordelia? Because I'd be happy to show you." Cordelia, anger still evident, looked like this was not the response she had wanted. Angel pressed on with his advantage.
He roughly picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, carrying her none too gently into his office. Throwing her down on his desk, he allowed himself to vamp out. "Right here, Cordy. Right here on my desk. And in my chair..." as he sank down into it and pulled her into his lap, "and on the sofa there, and against the wall here..but" he pushed her face first over his desk, holding her arms to against his, "my favorite was just like this" as he rubbed himself against her so that she could feel his hardness.
Cordy gasped. This was not the response she had pictured in her head. And she was slightly scared at the turn this had taken- until he rubbed against her. Then she was turned on in a big way, much worse than any sparring session. Chapter Five
Angel closed his eyes and leaned over Cordelia's inert form, pressing his full body against hers as he whispered in her ear. "Are there any other details that you would like to know about?"
Cordelia gasped at the feel of his words in her ear. Low and dangerous, but exciting. She didn't know how to respond, torn between actually wanting details and general hurt that her Angel was not just hers. "I think I can fill it in from there." She tossed off in an angry Queen C voice.
Angel held her down a moment longer than was necessary, pressing against her again, before releasing her hands and sitting back in his chair. His anger did not dissipate, and watching her firm ass right in front of him as she got up and straightened herself did nothing to help the situation. Angel was hurt as well as angry. Cordelia had thought he was willing to risk his soul for a good lay! Didn't she know him better than that? He did what he did for her, and he couldn't tell her. The anger was building and he did not think he would be able to control it.
Cordelia moved away from Angel slowly, watching him. She didn't know if he would grab her again and walked backwards towards the door. Cordelia was slowly recovering from her shock, and the anger was returning. "Don't ever lay your hands on me like that again. What gives you the right?" Angel laughed dryly. "If you are going to have Queen C fits, you better be able to deal with the consequences. My private life is just that, private. It is not up for discussion at the top of your lungs in the lobby of the hotel." Unless, Angel added in his head, you are screaming as I make you come. Even with his and her anger between him, he wanted her. "The consequences of honesty?" Cordelia spat back. Angel laughed again, rising from his chair to move on Cordelia before she could reach the floor. "Honesty? HONESTY? That's the least that I am referring to!" Everything he had been made to endure in the past few weeks- self-loathing and berating himself for being so stupid as to actually LOVE this girl he couldn't have- welled up and came out in hurtful words. "I am referring to everything you do around here. You push me around, tell me what to do, like a fishwife! You waltz around here in your short skirts and tight pants, flaunting yourself! And then- you wear even less to train in!" By this time, Angel had reached her and cut off her escape route with a strong arm on either side of her, holding her in place against the wall. "What effect do you think you have on me, Cordelia?" he growled. Cordelia bit back an arrogant reply. Did she really effect him that much? She had never thought beyond HIS effect on HER. Could Angel really feel some of the things she felt during their training sessions? Did her watch her work at her desk the way she watched him? "I hadn't thought about it, Angel." God, those words cut. She really had seen him as a eunuch! Never anything more than a friend, a sexless harmless friend. And he could never be more than that, could he? No matter how much he wanted her, she never saw things turning that way. Well, if he wanted this to be over one way or another, he just had to tell her exactly what he had been feeling. "Then let me tell you, Cordelia." His voice rasped hungrily in his throat. Was he really going to tell her how he thought of her each night? While he was with Cora? This was his Seer, his friend. And this was not good for the relationship. But it was too late to back out. "I watch you everyday, every time you move. I can't wait for training sessions with you, because I can put my hands on the body I think about every night, without any consequences. And it's torture, because I can never do anything about it. Constant, daily torture." Was that really how she affected him? If so- why hadn't he done anything about it? What did he mean that he could never do anything about it? Since he obviously could. Cordelia opened her mouth to speak and closed it again. Her anger at Angel's use of whores was suddenly warring with her anger at this big secret he had been carrying around. "Why didn't you say something?" Angel closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of her, gently nuzzling her neck in a very forward manner. "And just how was I supposed to tell you that I want to jump your bones several times everyday? Awkward much?" He had told her, and he was timidly waiting her response. Cordelia's knees were starting to get weak with Angel so close and touching her. The emotions in the room were draining her. She leaned against his strong body for support, leaning her head on his shoulder so that he could not see her eyes. "Did you ever think that I might feel the same way?" Her breath caught in her throat as she awaited his reply. Angel felt his heart constrict in his chest. He stumbled over the words, "Feel the same way?" Cordelia raised her head to meet his eyes. "Yes." She drew him down to her, crushing her lips against his. She expertly explored his mouth with her tongue, and he eagerly responded once his shock had passed. She pulled away and looked at him again. "Angel, let's face it, you're a hottie! Any woman would jump in your bed the minute you asked them. Which makes me ask why you thought you had to pay?" Angel tensed up again. She seemed to share his physical attraction; but he did not want this to be the way she found out- if she ever found out- that he was in love with her. He turned the corner of his mouth up in an off half-smile and mislead her. "I don't really go for the whole socializing thing. Makes it hard to meet women." Cordelia smacked his lightly. "I really could have saved you the trouble- and a whole lot of money- if you'd just treated me like a friend and told me what was going on." Cordelia's voice, flustered, shook a little. She didn't know how to say what she wanted to say. "I know several very attractive, horny women who would love to help you out.." The look on Angel's face as he pushed her against the wall again, pressing his pelvis against her thighs, stilled her words. Harshly, barely able to contain the desire for her, he whispered so softly that she could not hear him, "Nobody else could take your place but you." As if reading his mind, Cordelia gasped a deep breath, want for Angel filling her as she spoke the words she wasn't sure she wanted an answer to. "Why not just come to me?" Angel groaned inwardly. She had just offered him half of what he so badly wanted- her body. And she did it without a thought. She couldn't know what that one, tiny question did to him. He would have come to her gladly, if he did not love her. She was beauty, perfection, a wonderful soul- and, for all that, as untouchable as the sun. One moment spent with her, and his soul would be lost. Because he had never thought that he could approach her with such a request without telling her how he felt. Cordelia was above mere lust. Yet she had just offered him the chance. He pressed down against her lips forcefully, the not-quite-met hunger of the past few weeks ignited again.
Cordelia was lost against Angel's hungry kisses. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. And he hadn't told her for fear of upsetting her and wrecking their friendship? A simple thing like SEX?!? As much as Cordelia was enjoying herself right this second, now was not the time to tell him that she thought about him so much because she loved him. So she decided to enjoy what she could of him and not worry right this second about the rest.
Because the late night fantasies were about to come true in real, live Technicolor. And she was more than willing to participate.
Angel pulled back from Cordelia, allowing her to catch the breath that he did not need. Cordelia had not spoken of anything beyond physical attraction; nor had he. As long as he didn't know how she felt aside from sex, there was no danger to his soul. Right? God, he hoped so, because he did not have the willpower to resist her right now.
Drawing her up into his arms, Angel asked, "Where?" He so much did not want to do this here, to cheapen the moment beyond the "meaningless" sex he had already made it seem like to Cordy.
Cordy did not forget how she had ended up in his office. If this was where he played out his fantasies, she was more than willing to oblige, as long as he didn't stop kissing her. She stumbled back toward the desk, and cleared it with one swipe of her arm. Hopping up, never letting her lips leave Angel's, she pulled him down on top of her.