Sorry for the long time without posting, guys. Working is cutting in my writing time.;D

The other interfering factor (aside the enchanting but second in my life English language) is the fact that I'm trying to build parallelisms, in this story. I think it works better when you realize that the two CCs are being confronted by very similar situations, that theiy have different aproaches to them and what they make the girls remember or realize.

It is hard to do, you know? But it's fascinating!

Chapter 4: An afternoon of discoveries

Lunch was a bit tense for her and the butler, and everybody noticed their strange silence. Now it was mid-afternoon, CC was reading some contracts in the office and thinking about her argument with Niles and the situation it had put them.

She was feeling confused: sometimes it seemed he was used to her being hostil; sometimes it seemed he liked when she was sweet; and she feared she was being too revealing about the fact she was not exactly his CC…

Well, he was not exactly her Niles, too.

She smiled at the memory of her husband.

If that argument was between them, he would be here in the office soon after she left the kitchen; he would pester her with puppy looks and strange propositions, till she laughed heartly, and he would smile, happy, because he would know for sure, one more time, that she couldn't be angry at him.

The fight with this version of Niles was some good five hours ago, and no sign of the butler till now. After that silent treatment at lunch, she thought he was coming, that everything was part of a devious plan to make her regret her words. But, if it was the case, he was abusing her patience.

'Niles? What's the problem with the tea?', she heard Maxwell ask, pressing the intercom button.

Some moments of silence.

'Niles?', Maxwell insisted.

'It's coming, Sir'.

So, he would be forced to come. Good.

She felt a bit guilty about liking the way Maxwell treated Niles. She didn't like to see the spilled image of her husband being so submissive. One of the things that enchanted her in Niles was exactly his way of imposing himself, the most of the times subtly, in such a way people didn't even realize they were being manipulated. She knew that he would do it even more cleverly when she was present – and wink at her, as an artist would bow after a show, demonstrating his gratitude for the public's aprovation.

This Niles just kept hearing things around the house and trying to help people to do what he seemed to thought was better for them. What a waste of talent!

She could not be sure, but she would bet the most daring thing he did in order to gain something for himself was using the tube when Maxwell was not at home.

She could even guess he would give it to Miss Fine, if the Nanny asked.

Great: now she had mixed emotions; part of her was angry with this Niles, who seemed not to have big goals in life; the other part was trying to imagine him nude in the tube – her Niles had a great body, because he worked out twice a week – this one should be very similar, once he made phisical activity in his own work, everyday…

He arrived at the office, silent and pretending she was not there, again. Concentrating hard on serving Maxwell's tea. Keeping his back to her.

CC found it confusing, again. What was he thinking about their little fight? Was he thinking she was too different from herself, and that maybe it had no importance? That was just a crise, and soon, if he did nothing, she would be back to what she was?

(She was not afraid he could discover the truth – who would be crazy enough to believe the truth, anyway? Sometimes even her thought it all was just a dream…)

What really worried her was the fact that he was not being clear. She prefered the way her husband acted, bold and without fear of being confronted when feelings were the topic.

This Niles was good at zingers when it seemed they were just jokes; he seemed to have his own kind of boldness. But why wasn't he using it now, when the way they felt was at stake?

Maybe the CC he was used to see every day liked that kind of thing; maybe it was something natural to them – making jokes and hiding feelings.

In this case, her reactions to him were making her seem crazy, what was not a good prospect. Maybe she should pretend she liked the twisted relationship… but, if she was going to live here for some time – maybe forever – she couldn't let Niles have things his way…

Supposing this was his way. What she was not sure yet.

Hell.

Back to the situation at hand: once he was pretending she was not there, her only option was to observe him, and try to discover some hint about the way she should act.

She noticed, mesmerized, the precise way he managed to serve the tea, putting the cup on the desk, without a single drop of hot water out of place; how his hips moved to the side, just enough to create some kind of harmony between movement and intention…

Suddenly CC was trying to guess, again, if the body under the clothes was the same she knew. The shoulders were broad and promising, the skilled hands and strong arms made her shiver, and that legs… God!

Well, all the back vision was amazing, specially because she had always loved his ass, and sometimes the simple gest of palming him was enough to make her…

He chose, of course, this moment to turn and ask if she wanted some tea; and he noticed her obviously hot gaze over him.

Niles freezed, gulped and kept there, breathing hard, mirroring her own flustered expression.

CC never tried to hide her lustful look. There was no point because, in fact, he was phisically the same man she already knew and was crazy about.

He was a bit startled when Maxwell called him about something, and answered without taking his eyes off of her.

She thought that maybe her way of looking at him was making things worse, because now she was making clear she didn't hate him. In fact, she was making clear she wanted him badly. And she didn't knew if the CC he thought she was would ever do it.

The asnwer was probably a big NOT, because he was all nervous, and hurriedly made an escape from the office as soon as Maxwell said he didn't need anything else.

Blind by sudden desire and finding his escape almost irresistible in its novelty, CC got up from the green leather sofa, announcing, 'I want some honey, Maxwell. I'll be back in a minute'.

The producer nodded distractedly (he hadn't even noticed she had no tea), and CC exited the office.

She met Fran Fine at the door, and decided it could be good to gain time. 'Niles went to the kitchen, miss Fine?'

'Yes, miss Babcock. Why? You're not planning to torment him, are you?'

CC smiled at the irony of that, because the tormented one should be her, seeing her husband running scared from her. 'Just to keep the game going, miss Fine. Don't worry about us. Go play with your toy, while I go play with mine'.

Fran found the answer strange, but who was she to deny such an offer? So, she nodded and entered the office, thinking this new good CC could become a great ally, after all.

The socialite found Niles in the kitchen, walking from a place to another, seeming disoriented. It was like he was trying to do something to forget the episode in the office, but couldn't.

Wow. So she had some strong power over him? Something that made him run, but never free himself? Well, it could prove interesting.

She stopped and crossed her arms, observing for some time more the way his body move, the way his blue eyes were full of a supressed something, the way his hands twiched together.

'Why did you run away?', she asked, stopping him with her voice. 'I was enjoying the view, and you took it away from me. I came to claim it'.

'M-Miss Babcock…', he stammered, looking at her pleadingly for a moment, and soon composed himself with effort, and tried to sound angry. 'I… had other things to do, witch. I can't stay around you all the time'.

She smiled. 'Even if it was exactly what you wanted? Being there to satisfy my needs?'

She was coming closer, and Niles noticed he would be trapped between her and the island, very soon. 'I don't know what you are talking about, you… loony'.

She gave another step towards him, leaving just an inch between their bodies. His breathing was irregular, what made her grin. 'Why don't you just let it go?'

'What?'

'This tension'. She touched his body with hers. 'If you want it, why don't you come and take it? Isn't it enough foreplay being all day around me, showing me your body and never letting me touch?'

She let her body rest over all of his, he gulped and she wondered what she had to do to make him act on it. So, she nuzzled his neck with her lips, softly. It was more trying than kissing, to her – a test to smell his scent. It was not exactly what she expected, but at the same time, it was all Niles.

He moaned and closed his eyes. The intimacy was already too much for both of them, and CC hoped he would kiss her at any time. She was waiting paciently for him to open his eyes and take the lead.

But she noticed he was resisting to look at her. She could see the effort to not open his eyes.

She moved her right thigh delicately against him till it made him gasp. 'I can feel you want it hard'.

The intercom sounded. He opened his eyes quickly, still not facing her. 'I… have to take it'.

'Yeah… do it'.

'You know what I mean'.

She gave a step back. So… he was not going to take her… kiss her… nothing. He wouldn't even look her in the eye.

He passed her, walking funny and trying to hide the front of his trousers with an apron he put in front of it quickly.

'Niles? Is CC there?'

'Yes, Sir, she is. But, if you want, I can put her away easily'.

'Quit it, Old Man. Just tell her to come to the office. There's some important papers for her to see'.

'Yes, sir'. Niles turned off the intercom and looked at her.

CC was prepared to shout at him, indignated by the fact there was something happening between them seconds ago, and now he was joking about treating her like she was something without importance.

But then she noticed the way he was looking at her. Finally looking at her.

And all that blue eyes could show was regret.

'You've heard him, Babcock. It's better for you to go'.

She was confused. He was not happy about getting rid of her. He was just… resigned. 'And you are letting me go? Just like that?', she asked, trying to sound confused, and not hurt.

'It's not like you haven't wished to go to him all of this time'.

CC frowned, shocked, realization hitting her. So he thinks I want… Maxwell…?

He interrupted her thoughts. 'I don't know what you were thinking, but it's not the moment to deal with it. Just go'.

And with that, he got out of the kitchen by the back stairs. Like he couldn't stand being there with her even for one moment more.

She stayed there for some moments, her heart beating a mile for minute. It was one of the worst scenarious she could imagine: when feelings were not concerned, he got closer to her, pretending not to like her, hiding his emotions with jokes; when the feelings dared to peek at the outside world, he felt deeply afraid and run away… like he needed to protect himself from her.

She would ask Maxwell to go home as soon as possible. She needed to think.

Ncncncncncncncnc

In the middle of the afternoon, the office's phone rang. Maxwell never did a move to take it.

CC got up from the green leather sofa. 'Someone is quite lazy, 'round here', she commented, amazed by his lack of reaction to the ringing.

'Why should I pick it up if I know it is your husband?', he looked at her, confused.

Frowning, CC picked the phone and before she could finish a greeting, Niles' voice was reaching her ears. 'Hyia, baby!'

'Hi', she answered, trying to supress her surprise. She didn't know what more to say. Niles was calling her. From his office. He was her husband. And he did it every afternoon. Probably just to hear her voice, as lovers do.

In a flash, it crossed her mind that, in fact, her Niles visited her every afternoon, in the office, and she visited the kitchen a lot more than was really necessary…

'Is there any problem, darling?'

'I… still feel a bit strange. It must have been something at lunch'. What was, of course, very close to the truth.

'Oh, I see. Want me to pick you up earlier?', and then she noticed the sultry tone he was using – ops! She seemed to have used a code, without knowing.

If this was not the craziest thing, what would be? 'No, no, I'm fine'.

Maxwell got out of the office, following Nanny Fine, who had appeared at the door. 'Ok', she said, nodding at the warning gest of her partner.

'Was this ok to me?'

'No, it was Maxwell exiting the room'.

'I see. Is he pestering you too much?'

'No, of course not. Why do you say that?'

'Well, he sometimes is a bit touchy about me calling you in the working hours. I think he fears any interference in the business… I mean, mainly because of the Cats incident'.

'C-Cats?'

'Yeah… I mean, I told him to support the guy… the lyrics were based on Elliot and the play was well succeded in London… he should have heard me at the time… but he declined the support to Webber's project, and since then the guy is beating Maxwell's shows…I try not to bring it to light, but sometimes Max is so obtuse…'

CC cringed her teeth at the superior tone of his voice. 'Don't forget these are my shows, too'.

'Nowadays, darling. In the beginning of your partnership he never asked your opinion. That Cats fail, specially, is his responsability. I know that the success you two have today is based in your way of doing things, CC. I think he is jealous of your competence. He knows, down deep, you're a lot better than him'.

CC was a bit shocked. When she thought that kind of thing, it seemed to be ok; but hearing Niles saying those same things sounded incredibly cruel. The calm voice that was always to the service of Maxwell's hapiness and comfort didn't quite match those almost despising words.

One of the things she most admired in Niles was his disposition to serve Maxwell, even when he didn't receive gratitude enough – or even a better paycheck. There was something about his loyalty that made her sincerely jealous of the people he showed affection – Maxwell, the children, Nanny Fine. Because, even when he was lazy and disrespectful, it seemed so playful and harmless that people didn't even realize he was trying to have the upper hand.

And it was always enchanting when he made some of those little furtive things and she discovered – because she would use it in some zingers just to see him answer defensively. It was funny to see him squirm, and notice he would smile at her cleverness and naughty ways. Both found incredibly fun to share this kind of thing. It was like sometimes he liked the fact she was the one to observe him, discover his secrets and taunt him with them. It was like she was a public to his show – a very exclusive show. It had a special sense of intimacy, because just the two of them could feel the thrill of defying the other and share a knowing smile at the end.

Another flash of thought: maybe that's one of the reasons why she hated Nanny Fine so much? Because he would share these things with her spontaneously, while she, CC, had to discover them?

'Are you there, darling? Are you sure you don't want me to pick you up? You sound really strange'.

CC smiled sadly at the irony of this, because he was the one sounding different and making her uneasy. 'I'm here. Give me some time to finish something with Maxwell. Be here in an hour. Can it be?'.

'Of course! I'll insist till he sends you away, don't worry. It will be not that earlier, anyway, and it will seem the fault is all mine'.

'Yes, it's better like this'.

'See you baby. I love you'.

CC turned off the phone in an instintive movement. She was still feeling strange about the things Niles had said, and saying that three words back would be too much for her, right now.

Maybe this idea of going home earlier was good. She needed to think.