One of my lovely readers mentioned in a review that they search each of these flowers to see what they look like. I think that's genius and would like to encourage all of you to do it if you want to. Sometimes I forget that not everyone has worked at a greenhouse like I have... As you've all been requesting like mad - I give you Bo and Lauren's next meeting!


Chapter 4: Gardenia

Bo's night with Ryan was melancholic at best. Sure, she played her part just right and had earned her money, but his confessions of love felt hollow. The succubus went home on time and found Kenzi playing her favorite video game. To the sounds of dying robot zombie hookers, Bo made them dinner. For once, she didn't feel like ordering pizza.

A somber week passed. Kenzi and Bo stayed on alert, watching for any signs that they might be in danger. As quickly as the pressure from the gang had come, it disappeared. Tamsin had heard nothing about The Pale Bones other than their usual drug-dealing and further illicit chores. Bo wasn't going to let the silence deter her from caution. She'd come to keeping a dagger nearby at all times.

It was that blade she was sharpening when Kenzi walked into the living room.

"So, guess who just called me."

Bo didn't look up. She ran the edge of her knife over the stone at a very shallow angle. Tamsin had suggested she take steps to protect them, and with the Valkyrie's help, Bo was learning what it took. Choosing a weapon and knowing it in its all its forms was one of those steps.

"If it's Ryan," Bo answered, checking the sharpness of her blade with a gentle caress, "call him back and tell him I don't want to see him again."

"Nooooo," Kenzi drawled, surprised. "It was Lauren."

Bo's finger slipped and cut open on the dagger. All curses were stopped short by her putting the injured finger in her mouth and sucking on it. It was a gut reaction seeped in instinct. Maybe if the woman in question had been present, she could've told Bo that salvia was full of antibodies and helped stop blood flow. The succubus pulled the appendage back and looked at her forefinger. The cut didn't look deep, but it didn't stop bleeding. Rising from the couch, she grabbed a paper towel in the kitchen and pressed it to her small wound.

"Mental note: don't mention Doctor Hotpants when sharp objects are nearby…."

Bo scowled at the girl, unimpressed by the new nickname. "Very funny, Kenz. Now tell me what she wanted."

"Or what?" the girl teased. "You'll cut yourself again? I'm so scared."

The pressure Bo put on her finger increased with every aggravated second that Kenzi didn't tell her what she was dying to know.

Kenzi shook her head. "What do you think she wanted?" she asked rhetorically. "I don't think it was the number of your florist…. Anyway! If you want to see her again, I suppose I better call her back."

Bo's heart was beating fast. She tried to play off the adrenaline as a reaction to the fact that she'd just injured herself, but any sane person would know better. As calmly as she could, she responded.

"Sure. Sure, go on ahead and set something up."

Kenzi squinted at her, knowingly. "Are you positive? Just a minute ago you were ready turn down ol' puppy love."

Bo's nostrils flared; her lungs were struggling to take in air. "I'm sure."

Kenzi's inquisitive look changed into one of glee. "Okay, babe! You're the boss!" A second later, she vanished back into her room and shut the door behind her.

Bo instantly regretted letting Kenzi leave so quickly. She should've told the girl to make their meeting as soon as possible, because there was no way Bo's nerves would survive more than a night of waiting. What if she didn't see Lauren for days? What if it was a whole week? What if it was two? Some clients were like that, arranging times far in advance.

The brunette didn't realize she was pacing until Kenzi joined her again. Bo stilled and checked on the state of her finger, like somehow that would cover up the fact that she was losing her mind. The cut stung like the devil but appeared not to need stitches.

"Alright," Kenzi said. "Hotel at six."

"Tonight?"

"Tonight."

Bo swallowed. Her heart had been so active a minute ago, but now it was nowhere to be found. It must have dropped into her stomach because that was the only way to explain her sudden queasiness.

#

It took Bo all of two seconds to decide she absolutely hated her favorite dress. It was the seventh outfit she stripped herself of and tossed toward her bed. Kenzi was digging through her closet, deeply amused by her friend's panic.

"Do I have nothing?!" Bo shouted. She put her hands on her hips and stared at herself in the mirror. In nothing but lace panties and a bra, the Fae huffed.

Kenzi walked out with a red dress on a hanger. "Here. Try this, honey."

Bo tried not to look at the fabric as she put it on, because she knew the second she saw it – her brain would label it: not good enough. The cut of the dress was similar to the one she'd been wearing the first time she met Lauren. That memory helped abate the misgivings about her clothes, and she smiled at her reflection.

Kenzi helped her smooth out some wrinkles from putting the dress on, and asked, "Happy now?"

Bo nodded. It was only an hour until six o'clock, so the woman focused on applying her makeup. Kenzi did her hair into a French braid from the top down. By the time all was said and done, Bo's physical presence could have felled any strong heart.

She was in the middle of trying to find her car keys, when Kenzi asked, "Should I expect you home tonight?"

"Um, of course," Bo responded, knowing her friend wouldn't buy it.

"Of course," she repeated. "Because if you wanted to stay… I'd be okay with that."

Just when Bo thought she'd gotten her nerves under control, naturally, Kenzi would go and drop a bombshell on her. Bo heard her statement for what it was: permission to get out of the game. Permission to fall in love.

"Don't be silly, Kenzi. Lauren's just another client." Before the girl could challenge her, Bo located her keys and shouted, "Got my keys! See you later!" Denial was the best defense she could muster.

#

"Hey, Carla," Bo greeted. It was not her usual hello, but it was the best she could manage. "My, um… you know… is she late or early?"

The woman at the desk looked confused but handed Bo her keycard just the same. "Early, again."

Bo nodded her understanding. She was aware that she wasn't acting like herself, but at this moment all she cared about was making it to the room in one piece. She walked to the elevators and got in the first one that opened. A familiar tune emanated from the speakers above her head. Bo tapped her foot to the beat. She was trying to put up that front, the act that was the seductress. Floor after floor lit up on the control panel, but the grip on her purse didn't loosen.

Where was the charming temptress? Because all Bo could feel inside her breast was the nervous-excitement of a woman in love.

At her floor, she took a deep breath and stepped outside. The silver numbers of door 365 stood out against an umber-colored door. Not skipping town was about to pay off. Bo unlocked the door with her keycard and grabbed the metal handle.

Almost just like before, a woman stood – two full champagne glasses in hand. Bo had not expected to see this Lauren. This Lauren was not dressed for some dinner party or date, but a normal day in a normal life. Her longsleeve shirt matched the color and warmth of her eyes. To Bo, she looked even more striking.

"Lauren…" There was only one thing keeping the succubus from dropping everything and having Lauren right this second. Bo's honeyed voice glazed over the single, world-shaking question. "Have you heard how beautiful you are today?"

The human's smile grew ten-fold as she lightly shook her head. It was a travesty to be sure. Bo set her purse on the lamp stand next to her and walked to Lauren. With a grin, she guided Lauren's hands to place the champagne on a small table behind her. The glasses taken care of, Bo tangled her fingers in light-colored hair and kissed the woman's jaw. She made her way to Lauren's ear, her other arm wrapped around the woman's back.

"You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," she whispered. Bo was certain that if she could see her eyes, they would be blue with the knowledge that she was being honest and honestly ready to devour every inch of Lauren.

Warm on her neck, Lauren's breathing was erratic. Bo pushed their bodies together, catching the human off-guard and causing her to take a step back. She bumped into the table, and the resulting tremor knocked over both of the champagne flutes. It was beginning to look like spilled champagne and broken glass would be their MO. Bo reminded herself to leave a tip for the cleaning crew at the front desk. Pulling away from their embrace, she directed Lauren away from the mess.

Undressing was never a chore when passion guided her hand. Bo took her time, supplying kisses wherever she wanted to, and occasionally, when Lauren begged her too. She had one goal in mind tonight; she would leave the woman's legs shaking. And if that meant Lauren couldn't possibly abandon her before Bo was ready for her to – then so be it.

#

Bo didn't let herself fall asleep this time. Her word that she would return home before the night was over kept replaying in her mind. Lauren was just a client… Could there be anything more false?

The brunette smiled over Lauren, caressing her strong collarbone with a gentle hand. Her cut had healed sometime in the evening, not that she would have noticed it otherwise. Eyes that had settled back into their normal color, focused on the lone object that either one of them was still wearing. Bo picked up the charm and played with it in the dark.

Bo gathered all the courage she could muster. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Lauren rasped. She left her eyes closed, still trying to recover.

"Why-" Bo stopped. The words 'are you here with me' were revised on the spot. "Why be a slave?" Being a part of the Fae world, she came to learn that most humans served Fae because their families had in the lifetimes before. Reading Lauren's file, she knew that was not the case. The doctor had come out of nowhere, with no ties to any Fae lineage until her arrangement with The Ash.

"Well…. It's not as bad as some people might think. The Ash has given me access to everything I could ever need. I don't have to apply for research grants, or worry that a failed experiment will lead to lost funds. The only condition is that I put the Fae first. It's not a bad deal. I know some colleagues that would kill for my amount of freedom."

"But you're a slave."

Lauren rolled toward the Fae. "And that means I must be unhappy with my life, because slavery comes with a slew of negative connotations and an altogether horrendous record in human history?" Bo shrugged but couldn't dim her smile despite their topic. Lauren's clear intelligence was simply that attractive. "I'm one of the lucky ones, Bo. I don't have everything I want, and if leadership of the Light Fae were to change… I would have a lot to lose, but that's not going to stop me from loving the work I do."

Bo nodded. "I think I understand." Her other question was still hovering around the back of her mind, but so was the fear that she wouldn't like the answer.

"My turn."

"Hmm?"

"It's my turn to ask you something," Lauren clarified.

Bo answered quietly, her heartbeat picking up in pace. "Okay, but if you're going to ask me about passion again, I'm going to be really disappointed in myself."

The human laughed. "Your obvious skill isn't in question and nothing to be disappointed with," she soothed. Bo's ego inflated. Of course she was good in bed; she was genetically predisposed to be good in bed. But hearing it from Lauren mattered. "What's with the roses? They don't look like they've aged a day, but they're definitely the ones from before."

Bo's stomach turned sour at their mention, but she tried not to show it. Lying in bed with the one person who didn't make her feel empty, she didn't care to be reminded of all the other lovers she'd taken in the same bed. Disillusioned from her fantasy of some kind of personal relationship with Lauren, Bo got up from the bed and dressed as she explained.

"You're right, they're the same roses." After slipping on her dress, she turned on a small lamp near one of the vases. Lauren had also stood and was putting on her clothes. Bo's mission to keep Lauren in place had failed. Her will was stronger than Bo thought. "They're enchanted, but never in a million years could I tell you how." The succubus gazed at the flowers and found the most handsome rose in her possession. She grabbed the stem and turned to Lauren. The doctor had something in her hand as well: money. Instead of staring into the eyes that she wished would return her affection, Bo stared at the cash. How many times would she have to remind herself that this was just a job? That Lauren was just another client?

Bo held out the rose. "Take this one," she offered. They traded in silence, the flower for money. When it was done, Bo walked toward the door, sure to leave first this time. A second ago, she hadn't wanted to say anything else, but it didn't end like that. "And if you want to see me again, I'll expect a full report on it."

Lauren smiled at her, holding the magic rose to her chest. Bo unconsciously smiled back.


The gardenia is usually white or pale yellow and smells incredibly sweet. Given to another, it means "my love for you is a secret."