Disclaimer: The characters used in this story belong to NBC and anyone who actually has something to do with ER. Which unfortunately is not me.
Author's Note: This piece of writing was originally intended as a scene within one of my full length stories, Choices, but I decided it didn't really fit in very well, as I think this works better with a lighter underlying theme than the angst of that particular story, so I reworked it and here it is as a two-parter. I know it's a little bit out of character, but it's just a bit of fun, and given current events between them, I need something to lighten the mood. And note the rating – most definitely M for a reason, although it doesn't really hit the M rating until the second part.
Spoilers: None. It's fairly irrelevant when it's set, but take it to be at some indeterminate point during the time they were living together, probably quite early on, definitely before she was married, early Season 12 say.
Two can play that game
It had been a quiet shift, and for once in a very long time, they had both managed to clock off on time, and together. The "together" bit they didn't mention. They both were aware that, either unconsciously or by design on the part of one or either of them, they were not sticking to the opposite shifts that had been part of their agreement, but it was as if they didn't talk about it, it wasn't happening.
It was cold outside, and a biting wind blew the last remnants of the autumn leaves and a variety of light garbage; scraps of paper and empty crisp packets, in swirls around the ambulance bay as they hurried to the El station.
Their luck continued in as far as the train was pretty empty and they found a pair of seats easily.
Neela suddenly thought of something that she had been meaning to say to him all day. 'Did you get round to calling someone to come and have a look at the boiler? We're both working again in the morning, and I don't want to have to fight for the two minutes of hot water we do have.'
He looked guilty. 'Umm, well, I was kind of busy.'
She groaned at him in frustration. 'No you weren't, she snapped at him. 'You're too bloody lazy, that's your trouble. Ray, you promised that you would.' Her eyes flashed angrily.
'I'll let you have the hot water,' he offered with a winning smile. Which was fine by him. When she looked at him like that, all fury and frustration, he needed a cold shower anyway. Firmly, he pushed such thoughts away. The El was no place for them. Well, not if she didn't share them anyway.
He turned to her, changing the subject. 'So, what do you fancy for dinner?'
The enquiry was an innocent one, but Neela almost raised a playful eyebrow at him, before checking herself. He really was just asking about food; she hadn't better make a fool out of herself by making some stupid comment. She was bored, and occasionally had a habit, almost always kept in check, of flirting when she was bored. But when she was around him, she sometimes couldn't help herself. He just did that to her.
'Umm, I don't know. I think there's some pasta in the cupboard, I could cook that.'
She huffed at his doubtful look. 'What? It's pasta. Even I can cook pasta without sacrificing it.' They both knew that that wasn't entirely true, and eventually he elicited a smile of defeat from her.
She held her hands up. 'Okay, okay. Takeaway it is. Again,' she added pointedly. 'You know, if my cooking bothered you that much, you could actually prepare a meal yourself once in a blue moon.' She poked him playfully as she said it, trying to neutralise what she knew was a nagging tone in her voice.
She could tell by the glint in his eyes as he looked down at her that he didn't mind. 'You're right, I could.' He paused for effect. 'So what's it going to be, pizza or Chinese? I'm buying.'
She rolled her eyes at him in despair. 'Pizza I think.'
'What, for a change?' he teased her. She always chose pizza. 'I'll buy,' he repeated.
'You don't have to do that Ray, I'll pay my half.'
'No, it's fine. Consider it an apology for forgetting to sort out the boiler. Extra anchovies, right?'
She shot him a mock impressed look and offered a flippant comment in order to cover up the fact that she was actually both surprised and quite touched that he had remembered something as insignificant as her favourite pizza topping. Fair enough, they did order pizza a lot, but he wasn't noted for his skills of observation.
He took out his cell and ordered the pizza there and then. 'You have the pizza takeaway number saved on your phone?' she asked incredulously.
'Of course,' he replied. He sounded indignant, and at first she thought he was joking, but taking his phone and flicking through his contact list for proof, she found not only the pizza number, but two Chinese, and a Thai.
'Ray! Honestly. You have four different takeaway numbers on your phone.'
He grinned at her disapproval. 'I had an Indian as well, but I deleted it when you moved in.'
She frowned in confusion. 'Why?'
'Because, back in the days when I made the foolish and entirely incorrect assumption that you can cook, I was hoping that you'd be able to whip me up the odd curry when I had a fancy for a touch of Indian.'
Neela was silenced for a moment. His voice was dripping with flirtatiousness and suggestion. He did flirt with her from time to time, it was true, but always in a light hearted, joking manner, usually when he wanted something. This sounded different. It sounded more like the sort of comment she had nearly made but bit back just in time. But now he had just given her permission to say whatever she liked.
She looked sideways at him. 'One thing I can cook is a curry actually, but it would be far too hot for you to handle.'
'Is that so?' he raised an eyebrow, his eyes seeming to ask a serious question as well as a flippant one.
She chickened out. 'It is, but you're never going to find out.'
Her tone had changed, and he sensed it instantly. He leaned back in his seat, backing off. He didn't know what had made him make that ridiculous comment, but she had come right back at him and he had felt a little rush of excitement when he thought, just for a moment, that she was flirting with him. But then, in the next instant, it was over, but in the awkward silence that followed, he knew it hadn't been forgotten by either of them.
He'd been trying for a long time to keep a lid on his feelings for her, but it was beginning to drive him crazy. Every brush of skin, every look she threw him, made his pulse race, and it made living with her an exquisite form of torture. Life would be a lot easier if he could just get over the burning curiosity he felt to find out if her lips, her skin, she, tasted as good as she looked, and in his experience, there was only one way to take his mind off it. And that was to find out. He was annoyed at himself for forgetting to fix the boiler; he had plans for tonight and they didn't include her being mad at him.
When they reached the apartment, the pizza boy had just pulled up outside. Ray called out to him. 'Pizza for Barnett there?'
'Yep.'
'That's me. Here,' he held out some money. 'Save you the walk up the stairs.'
'Thanks man.'
Ray turned back to Neela. 'Come on, food'll get cold.'
A few hours later, and they sat on the sofa, an empty pizza box on the table in front of them, and several more beer bottles than there probably should be on a weeknight. He reached forward to pick up another pair, handing one to her. All evening he had made sure she never had an empty bottle in her hand.
'Thank you.'
'You're welcome.' His eyes sparkled at her. 'I've got another present for you.'
'Ooh, presents.' God, I'm drunk, she thought as she heard the overly excited tone to her voice. How did that happen? 'I like presents.' He reached under the detritus before them and pulled out a DVD, offering it to her.
She was immediately disappointed. 'Ray, you know I hate devil movies. They give me nightmares.'
'I'll let you hide your eyes against my shoulder,' he said in mock gallantry, and suddenly, through the slightly drunken haze, she had a feeling that he had got yet another horror movie for a reason. She always ended up practically sitting on his lap during movies like this, and she thought that might just be what he was aiming for. 'And if you ask really nicely, I might even put my arm around you.' A suggestive smile tugged at his lips, and she knew she wasn't mistaken. The paying for the pizza, the keeping her so well supplied with beer, it made sense. She'd seen that look in his eyes when he was chatting up some girl in a bar, when he was in the kitchen with some groupie he'd brought back. She knew what it meant.
All right Barnett, she thought, if that's the way you want it, I'll give you a run for your money. Two can play that game.
She took the disc out of its case and slipped it into the player. Instead of crouching down to do it as she would normally have done, she bent down, with her back to the sofa. She could feel his eyes on her. She straightened up and spun around quickly enough to catch him looking.
As his eyes met hers, he felt a little flush of embarrassment at being caught out, but when she smiled at him, he realised that the view he had been enjoying had been a deliberate show. She walked slowly back to the sofa and resumed her seat, lifting her legs up and resting them over him, her feet in his lap.
He had been going to subtly put his arm around her, but her new position prevented him from doing that. And he was a little wary of her now. He sensed that she had some sort of ulterior motive as well, he just wasn't sure if it was the same as his.
For the first hour of the film, she watched it avidly but Ray hadn't been paying it the slightest attention. He kept stealing little glances at her out of the corner of his eye to try to work out what she was thinking. And then, at first so imperceptibly that he wasn't sure if he was imagining it or not, her foot began to move. It began to slide slowly along the inside of his thigh. He looked at her sharply, but her eyes were fixed on the screen of the television. She couldn't help but smile mischievously though.
The foot continued its movement, up and down, each time getting ever so slightly further up his leg before sliding back down again. He clenched his jaw resolutely, determined not to let her win by showing any signs of pleasure. She must know what she was doing to him. His hand tightened on the beer bottle he was holding, his knuckles whitening.
He shifted a little, trying to ease the discomfort she was causing, but his movement only brought her foot closer to his groin. He couldn't help it; he groaned quietly, which elicited a wide grin of triumph.
'Enjoying that are you?' She finally turned to look at him and eyed him archly.
'Neela…' he just managed to get out.
'Are you Ray?' She suspended her movements for a minute.
'Don't stop,' he gasped.
'Ah, so you are enjoying it then?' She started moving her foot again, and this time he didn't even try to hide what he was feeling. He moaned desperately. She withdrew her foot but moved towards him and was straddling his lap before he had chance to quite cotton on to what she was doing.
She smiled at him seductively, and he noticed she had managed to secure a firm hold of both his wrists. He couldn't decide if that was a good or a bad thing. Her eyes had gone dark with desire, and whether she meant this or it was a cruel, but admittedly rather enjoyable, game, he knew that she wanted him. That prim, proper demeanour had gone right out the window, and with dark hair tumbling over her shoulders and an exotic air of control emanating from her, he saw a whole new side of Neela, and he definitely liked it.
He was leaning forward to kiss her, when she slipped past his lips and went straight to his neck, lips and tongue caressing his skin, teeth softly nibbling at his earlobe. He groaned again and his head tipped back, his eyes closing.
'Neela… Neela please…'
'Please what, Ray?' she breathed against his skin, making him shudder. She began to writhe carefully in his lap, and felt a thrill when she felt what she knew she was doing to him. He thrust his hips at her, and she gave him a deep, throaty giggle that increased his arousal even more.
'Good God Neela. You know what.'
And then, agonisingly slowly, she moved her trail of kisses from his neck along his jawbone moving closer and closer to his mouth...
Then she stopped.
She let go of his wrists and stood up.
He choked in shock. 'Neela?' He couldn't believe her smug smile as she began to walk towards the door. 'You have got to be kidding me.'
She turned to face him, hands on hips, and she looked distinctly amused at his obvious frustration. 'Nope, no joke.'
'Then what the Hell was that about?' He was furious, a product of his frustration, and knowing that whatever her motive was, she had wanted him just as much as he wanted her.
'Because, for some reason, and I don't know what that was, you were trying to seduce me tonight. Well, I'm not that easy, and despite your best efforts, I'm not that drunk. You're going to have to do a whole lot better than pizza and beer if you stand a chance with me Ray Barnett.'
He was still staring after her in stunned silence when her bedroom door shut with a resounding slam that echoed through the apartment.
When Neela shut the door of her room behind her, she couldn't help but laugh. That would teach him. When she gave in, and she certainly would, it would most definitely be on her terms.