Love your reviews. Got a mega busy few days so next update will probs be Friday, hope this suffices til then. =)
Chapter Nine
Sara slid her feet into a pair of two-inch strappy black heels that showed off the star tattoo she had on her left ankle, she buckled the straps of her shoes before looking up at herself in the mirror. She wore a black knee-length dress, it was lace but had a red silk lining underneath; it still fit her well, considering she'd bought it more than 3 years ago. It showed little cleavage; Sara didn't like to feel 'on show'. She ran her hairbrush through her hair one last time, before leaving her bedroom. Grissom was due to pick her up in just under 10 minutes, just enough time to have a glass of water to calm her nerves.
Entering the kitchen, Sara noticed her housemate sat on one of the barstools next to the kitchen counter.
"Get you, all dressed up." Her housemate was sipping a beer from the bottle, a trashy novel in her hand.
"I'm going out for the night, Sam." Sara replied.
"You were out last night as well."
Sara blushed at Samantha's perceptiveness – surprising considering the lack of contact they had with each other. "I was with a friend."
"Do spill, Sara." Sam pushed.
Sara grabbed a glass from the cupboard above the sink and started the fill the glass with tap water. "Just someone I met at the seminar…"
"Not Gilbert Grissom!" Sam's reply was almost a shriek.
Sara stayed silent. She didn't want to discuss with someone she didn't trust, for Grissom's sake. She didn't know how private he wanted to keep this. It wouldn't exactly do his reputation any good to have slept with a student when on a seminar trip.
"I told you he was a complete bore; Derek had a lecture with him last year and fell asleep!"
"He's not boring." Sara snapped, hurt that someone could call Grissom 'boring', even if it was Samantha's weirdo boyfriend.
"Trust you to have spent the entire seminar focused on your lecturer, and failed to make any friends again."
Samantha's words stung Sara, as tough as she tried to appear on the outside, she sipped her water quietly, not wanting to say something she'd regret. The silence was broken by the sound of a car horn outside.
"Sounds like your boyfriend has come to pick you up," Sam piped up again.
Sara placed her empty glass on the kitchen counter and left the house. She didn't even realize until she'd got outside that one of her hands was clenched into a tight fist.
She hated being angry, at anyone, she hated the emotion of it; it was too much like her childhood revisited, the tension in the air. Climbing into Grissom's car, she let out a deep breath.
"You okay, honey?" he asked her.
Sara glanced at him, the concern in his eyes made her heart warm. She smiled at him, "Yes, just fed up of my housemate."
"I want to talk to you about that, but not until we get to the restaurant," Grissom drove them through the streets of San Francisco, "you look stunning, by the way." His eyes travelled down her body.
"You don't look so bad yourself." Sara noted his black suit trousers and white shirt.
"It would have been a full suit, but I didn't think to pack one." He replied. "I'll make sure I bring one next time."
Sara's heart leapt at his words – next time? Was he going to come back to see her? With a glimmer of hope of a future with him, she didn't question his words, for hearing a negative reply would surely break her heart.
He placed his free hand on her thigh, his other on the wheel, and they drove the rest of the way to the restaurant in silence.
"I hope you like Italian." Grissom parked the car in the restaurant's parking lot and they both got out.
The night was warm, but Sara shivered in the breeze, Grissom putting his arm around her waist and pulling him close to her as they approached the building. He placed a kiss to her temple before pulling open the door for her.
"Table for two, booked under Grissom." Grissom spoke to the waiter who was stood just inside the door; he smiled at them both and led them to a small table in the corner of the restaurant.
The building was warm in colour, painted in a rich red and cream colour scheme, and in temperature, the heat from the open kitchen circulating around the space. The seating and tables were all oak, spaced evenly across the room, most occupied by other customers. Soft Italian music played in the background, setting the atmosphere.
Grissom pulled Sara's chair out for her to take a seat, before taking his seat opposite. The waiter passed them both their menus before leaving to attend to other customers.
"Do you drink alcohol?" Grissom asked.
Sara always drank beer, she liked it, straight from the bottle and ice cold, but she didn't think that would be appropriate given the situation, and she just nodded, hoping he would pick drinks.
"How does a River Valley Pinot Grigio sound? A bouquet of peaches and white flowers and built through a lingering finish accented with nutmeg." He read from the menu.
Flowers and nutmeg? Sara wrinkled her nose up for a second, glad Grissom didn't catch her subconscious action. "That sounds nice." She replied, not wanting to be rude.
The waiter came back over to them and Grissom ordered a bottle of the wine, before taking Sara's hand in his across the table. "You are breathtakingly beautiful, Sara Sidle." He brought her hand up to his lips, placing a tender kiss on her skin.
"What were you going to tell me in the car?" Sara had to ask, even if it meant breaking the moment slightly.
"I spent today at San Francisco's crime lab, having a chat with their graveyard shift supervisor, Mr Thomas Dillon. He's a pleasant man, fair but strict. I told him about you, and how clever you are, and how much you want to be a CSI. He's really interested in hiring you, Sara, he's got someone leaving in a few months time, he needs to review the team structure, but he said he's going to call you when there's any space for you to be a part of the lab."
"Grissom… I don't know what to say." Her grip on his hand tightened. She felt like she might explode with happiness, but there was something niggling her, "this isn't just because we… slept together?"
"Sara, I had the meeting booked with him from the day I met you. It has nothing to do with anything between us."
She felt assured by his words, she didn't think his actions were in response to their night together, but after Sam's words had unsettled her, she had to be sure. "Thank you, Gil, thank you so much."
"It could well be six months or so until anything comes up, but it will happen. I promise. And then you can move out of the apartment."
Sara's heart was beating hard in her chest, her stomach full of butterflies. Excitement coursed through every vein in her body.
"Now what would you like to eat, dear?" Grissom let go of her hand and picked up his menu.
Sara grinned at him, and picked up her own menu.
Conversation throughout the meal never seemed to stop; even avoiding talking about forensics they had a lot in common, from music taste to taste in food, Sara occasionally even stealing food from Grissom's plate, and vice-versa. They stayed until the restaurant's closing time, sharing stories from their pasts.
Grissom eventually paid the bill and they left the restaurant hand in hand. Once in the parking lot, Sara leant in to place a kiss on Grissom's cheek, she felt slightly giddy with the alcohol she'd drunk; she definitely wasn't used to wine.
"I'd like to take you back to the hotel, Sara, would that be okay?" Grissom started the car engine when they'd both got in and buckled their seat belts.
"That'd be very okay."
He smiled at her words, and Sara held onto Grissom's hand as they drove back to the hotel.
Reaching the hotel room, Sara placed the key in the lock as Grissom wrapped his arms around her from behind, placing kisses on her bare neck. His fingers circled the space below her breasts; she could already feel him harden against her ass. Once inside the room, Sara turned around as Grissom closed the door behind them, and she took his lips with hers passionately. His hands ran along her back, reaching to unzip her dress, and he did so, letting it slip down her body to reveal a cream lace bra and panties. He growled hungrily at the sight before him, and capturing her lips again, he walked her backwards up to the wall.
His erection pressed into her and Sara could feel herself weak at the knees and wet with want. She unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it back over his shoulders, it dropped to the floor. Grissom pulled off her bra and took one of her nipples in his mouth, licking and sucking it hard, before repeating the action to the other, his fingers slipping into her panties to rub her softly, almost teasing her with what was to come.
She unbuckled his belt and pushed down his trousers and boxers, and he rid her of her panties, before replacing his fingers with his want, pulling her legs up around his waist, his hands supporting her weight. He nibbled at her bottom lip and she moaned as he thrust into her.
Pushed up against the wall of his hotel room, naked, his lips all over her, his body against her, Sara felt like she was in a different universe altogether. The intensity and intimacy were overwhelming both physically and emotionally, and with one last thrust into her, Sara felt herself climax around him.
He held onto her tightly as she came down from her high, slowly letting her feet fall to the ground. She stared into his blue eyes, cupping his face with her hands as he held her around the waist. She'd never made a connection to another human being like this, even in her past naivety she hadn't been so close.
It was as Sara stared into Grissom's eyes that she realized. She'd fallen in love with him.
