Hello, Hello!;) This, dear readers, is gonna be one hell of an M ride, if I do my job correctly!;) Yes, it's an M chapter story...though how long this'll go on I haven't planned yet. You see, this idea isn't even mine, but suggested by a friend of mine- I hope you'll enjoy this!;) And I simply loved the idea so much, that the story began writing itself in my head. Which is why it can already be posted. The line "who ran things her way" is my little tribute (lol) to Lauren Lane in "August", where she gets to yell (and boy do I wish I could see this!) "I'm running things now!" I'll try and update asap, but don't wanna make any promises yet, as i have other stuff to work on too. ;)

Disclaimer: Niles and C.C. still aren't mine, but they give me fever!:P

The Proposition

Prologue:

C.C. Babcock had a way of getting under his skin. It wasn't the first time that Niles Brightmore was thinking that, only that now, with the blonde curled up by his side; this was truer than ever. Babcock had got under his skin, quite literally. She sighed deeply in her sleep, a sound that went straight to his crotch, and wiped the smirk clean off his face. He sat up in bed and took calming breaths, while his mind had other ideas and wandered off to the reason they were now together in bed.

In retrospect it had long been coming but what had finally triggered it was the passionate kiss they had shared a couple of months ago. Started by one of their regular arguments and fuelled by alcohol, they had suddenly found themselves locked in a kiss that neither of them was going to forget all too soon. Afterwards there had been nothing and Niles was determined not to talk about it or question her behavior. But then she had changed in only a way he could realize. To everyone else she was still the cold, slightly intimidating Bitch of Broadway who ran things her way, but the interaction between her and the butler had changed. She wasn't as attentive anymore, lost in thoughts and after a while Niles was starting to miss her witty come-backs. Then one day, over a week after their kiss, he had caught her in the butler's pantry, searching for food.

"I think a run on the treadmill would do you better." he had quipped, sneaking up on her.

"I'm hungry," was all she had responded and so he'd finally lost his temper.

"Ok Babcock, that's it." he had said, gripping her shoulders firmly "You want to talk about what happened? Fine! We kissed, we lived, nothing's changed! So what's the matter with you? Did it mean more to you?"

She laughed and roughly pushed past him to close the door.

"Don't flatter yourself, Toilet Brush." she had hissed, narrowing her eyes at him, but when he didn't budge she eventually calmed down. "Nonetheless," she continued "it didn't escape my notice that you are quite…talented…so I have a proposition to make. We're both adults with needs and desires and there is clearly some…tension between us. Why don't we explore it? No feelings or strings attached."

He considered this for a moment, but couldn't deny that his heart had begun to race.

"And what makes you think I'd agree to such a sham?"

"I know what your sex life is like?" she suggested with an evil cackle "Besides," suddenly there was a glint in her eyes "you are a butler and have to serve others."

The haughtiness of her tone had irked and aroused him simultaneously and with an animalistic growl, he had pinned her against the door, impatiently ripped her tights and pulled on her panties until he had found her core.

"I'm game."

And that was how it had all started. It wasn't quite as formal or extravagant as a hired escort, quite often they weren't patient enough to make it to the bedroom, but it definitely had its charms. Still this was the first time that she had spent the night, too tired from a long day at work to get dressed again and go home. He came to the conclusion that he didn't mind sharing a bed with her, as long as she gave him enough space to sleep. And with that in mind, he rolled on his side and closed his eyes.