Title: Bailero (10/?)
Pairing: Callie / Arizona
Rating: NC17 / M / Explicit Adult Content
Summary: Dr Arizona Robbins is close to desperate; she needs a business analyst to help manage her tiny biomedical company before the bank takes everything she's ever worked for. The one person that seems capable of taking control is Callie Torres. But is Callie interested in taking control of more than just Arizona's finances?
Disclaimer: The recognisable characters portrayed in this story belong to ABC Studio & Shonda Rhimes etc. No infringement intended etc etc. No profit being made.
Thank you so much for the reviews and feedback, as always, it's much appreciated. I am aware that the long gaps between chapters can be frustrating and I'm grateful for your patience. I'll try to write faster! Please enjoy the chapter and please let me know what you think. goo. xx
Chapter 10
Arizona gaped for a moment and then closed her mouth with a snap. Whatever joke the universe was playing, Callie didn't look like she was enjoying it. The brunette had a weird expression on her face, something Arizona couldn't quite identify but whatever it was, one thing was certain. She was none too happy about the unexpected arrival of Erica Hahn.
Without thinking, she shook the outstretched hand, grasping the other blonde firmly, her patented bright smile fixed in place. She knew it didn't reach her eyes.
"I'm Arizona Robbins ..." she tailed off, having zero intention of uttering any of the usual pleasantries upon meeting someone new.
There was a brief silence with the 3 women simply staring at each other.
Callie broke the deadlock, her face now a blank mask of indifference.
"Well, Erica ... glad to see that you're healthy and ... whatever..." Arizona could tell that Callie was trying to politely dismiss the other woman.
"Callie, we need to talk." Erica interrupted baldly and Callie's mouth firmed up. Her expression went cold and blank.
"I really don't think so," Callie responded succinctly and then frowned as her phone, on the table began to flash and vibrate. Without checking the caller, she rejected the call and dropped the phone on the table and looked back up at the hovering blonde as if surprised to find her still there.
"No, Callie, I'm being serious. We need to talk about what happened ..."
Arizona watched as Callie's eyes flashed, the indifference wiped away by something else.
She leaned forward, capturing the other woman's attention.
"Calliope and I are on a date," she gave a meaningful nod in the brunette's direction.
"You're kind of ruining the mood. Send her a text or something?" Arizona sent another double-eyed wink in Callie's direction, pleased to see a strained smile come to her face.
The next two things to happen were both unwelcome.
Callie's phone began vibrating again and Erica looked around her and pulled up a stuffed leather pouffee and sank down beside their low table.
Callie ignored the phone and glared at the waiter who miraculously appeared out of the shadows and asked if they wanted another place set.
Erica grinned, shark-like but waved the waiter away. She cast her steely blue eyes over Arizona and showed some teeth.
"A date? Really? I see that blonde hair and blue eyes have become your thing, Callie. I can't say that I'm surprised. We were always brilliant together."
Arizona snorted out loud.
"Oh please, is that supposed to make me jealous? I already know about the pair of you." She leaned towards Erica so that she could look into the older woman's face properly.
"Hard though it was, Callie's managed to get over you. I suggest you do the same." Arizona picked up her wine glass and took a deep sip of her Chardonnay, determined not to let this woman see her rattled.
Callie opened her mouth and her phone began it's 3rd ... or maybe 4th attempt to get her attention. She rejected the call again and took a breath.
"Erica, I recall that you've never given too much of a crap about manners or decorum but you're being utterly inappropriate, right now. I have no desire to have a talk with you. The time for talking was several years ago and you weren't interested then." Callie's dark eyes were narrow and her mouth was pulled tight as she spoke. Arizona watched carefully, it wasn't unexpected that Callie would be upset at Erica's sudden appearance, but exactly how upset was she?
"The time for talking is kind of over. We're over, Erica. We're done."
For the first time, Erica Hahn seemed to lose a little of her cocksure attitude, she dropped her gaze and fiddled with the embroidered tassels of the table cloth.
"I know that, Callie. I ... I wanted to apologise."
"Mail it to me." Callie bit out and then swore as her phone rang again.
"Answer it." Arizona and Erica burst out, simultaneously and then studiously avoided eye contact.
Callie looked down at the phone properly for the first time and sighed.
All 3 women could see the image of a well groomed man smiling and the name Mark flashing up.
"Sloan? Is that whore still sniffing about you like a dog in heat?" Erica's lip curled and Arizona surmised that there might have been a little tension with regards to Callie's best friend slash sex-friend and her erstwhile ex. She drank some more of her wine, considering the two women.
Callie straightened up in her seat and for a split second Arizona saw a glimpse of something in her eyes that gave her pause.
It clearly brought Erica to her senses as she waved a hand in the hair.
"Sorry. White flag. I just want to talk to you for a minute or two."
Callie was still holding the phone in her hand but that look in her eyes had receded.
"Erica, I need you to get up and leave. I need you to do it now. OK?"
"Callie ..." Erica tried to object.
"Would you prefer I called for security?"
Erica barked out a burst of laughter.
"This is a tiny little place in Covent Garden, not the Savoy and besides, you and I both know that you'll do anything to avoid making a scene. Call your little fuck-buddy back and then give me 10 minutes of your time. I'm sure your ... friend here won't mind."
Callie opened her mouth again but Arizona beat her to the punch.
"I know it might be hard for someone like you to tell, but I'm her girlfriend, there's a subtle but important difference." Without sparing Erica another glance, she leaned towards Callie and spoke in an intimate undertone as if they were the only two people present.
"Calliope, Mark wouldn't call this often if it wasn't important. Call him back and then you can finish up matters here and we can enjoy the rest of the evening. What do you say?" She offered her trademark one shoulder half shrug, knowing how much Callie loved the gesture. In truth, they had barely spoken about Mark and whilst she was aware of their history, had no real understanding of what business it was that kept him in touch with Callie. She could see the doubt and concern in Callie's dark eyes but gave her an encouraging smile and nod. A memory flickered at the edge of her mind.
"Go, Europa and I can get better acquainted." She kept a bland smile on her face as she saw the fury bubble up behind the steel blue eyes of the other woman.
No bothering to suppress her sudden grin, Callie gracefully got to her feet and stared down at Arizona. There was affection, possibly pride and something else that Arizona couldn't determine in that dark gaze but it warmed her up all the way from her toes to the top of her head.
#
Callie resisted the urge to look back at the table as she walked away and prayed to all the olds gods and the new that Arizona would still be waiting for her when she got back. Her beautiful blonde girl had been magnificent though, completely unmoved by Erica's typical brashness and quite happily staking her claim to Callie but for how long?
Finding a quiet alcove near the front of the restaurant, she quickly called Sloan back.
He picked up on the first ring.
"Mark. You called?"
It suddenly dawned that he'd called several times and a little more panic, now from a different source seeped in.
"Is everything ok?"
"I called 7 times. You blanked me 7 times, Torres, what the hell? If everything were ok, would I call 7 times?"
"Mark, what is it? Is it Nicole ...? Are you ...?" Callie's voice caught in her throat.
"It's CalTech business, Callie," Mark snapped and Callie drew a deep breath, her heart pounding.
"For fuck's sake, Mark, you scared me just then. What is it?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make it sound ... like that. But this is important. Some of the members of the board are pulling some stunt or the other. There's a full board meeting scheduled, maybe in a couple weeks time, certainly before next month."
"OK ... and?" Callie asked impatiently.
"You really need to be here for it, Callie ... listen to me," he stopped her interrupting.
"I can't be your proxy for this, you need to be here yourself. I think they want to try for a vote of no confidence."
"What?"
That pulled Callie up short, all thoughts of Erica and the havoc she might be wreaking temporarily forgotten.
"Sorry, come again ... what?"
"Look, as long as you hold on to your 53% of the shares, you'll be fine but a vote of no confidence can take you out of the Chairperson's position. You'll lose control of your own company. As long as you're here for the meeting, you definitely get enough support, enough votes to reject the motion. But you need to take this seriously."
"Where the hell is all this coming from?" Callie burst out, her mind working furiously, trying to add things up. She was too close to getting all of her ducks in a row here with RM Biomedical and Arizona to want to even contemplate having to deal with issues in New York.
"Callie, the board want your attention. I told you this already."
"They have you..."
"It's not my name on the front door and it's not my credentials that made CalTech a Fortune 500 company." Mark paused for a second to let his words sink in.
"I know that you're having a ball in London and you and Arizona are getting closer and whatnot but this is business, Callie." He waited a second to let his words sink in.
Callie closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. What else could possibly go wrong tonight? Mark started speaking again and she forced herself to pay attention and not descend into a panic over what Erica Hahn might be telling Arizona.
"Now, I've made a few preliminary enquires, there's an easy fix, you can buy RM Biomedical, bring it under the CalTech banner and move the particulars over here, we already have an R and D subsidiary, this will fit right in. You can do the IPO here on the Dow without breaking a sweat."
Callie squeezed her eyes shut and tried to drown out the ringing in her ears. This was 50 shades of wrong and she didn't even know where to start.
"Mark, I say this with love but if it ever gets out that CalTech was looking to take over RM BioMedical, I will have you hung, drawn and quartered. I absolutely swear it." Her voice was tight, low and furious. "Those queries had better have been discreet and whatever you might have found, I'm telling you right now to bury it. I will not rip Arizona's hard work away from her. Can you even hear what you're saying? Have you not been listening to me about her?" Callie could hear her voice rise and saw at least one waiter look curiously in her direction. She half turned to face the wall and lowered her voice.
"Callie ..."
"Mark no. Just no. I don't care what it sounds like, I don't care if it's good business sense or not. This is Arizona's deal, Mark. Hers. All of it. I will not swoop in and take it over. I wouldn't do that to her." Callie paused and drew a breath, trying to gather her thoughts. Everything about the evening was turning into a bona fide disaster.
"So ... what? You're going to stay in London and play with nickels and dimes and test tubes while your real work is in jeopardy? Callie, listen to yourself."
"Mark, RM BioMedical is her whole life. I will not take it away from her." Callie's response was quick and furious but she knew Mark was right about so many things. She rested her forehead against the exposed brickwork of the alcove and closed her eyes. Could this evening get any worse?
" Look, I'll come for the board meeting, I promise. If necessary, I'll schmooze them, placate them somehow but I'm not leaving Arizona or and I'm not leaving London. Not right now."
There was silence from the other end.
"Mark?"
"Callie this is obviously your call, but I'm not sure it's the right one. I'll keep you updated, you might need to come out a few days before the meeting, just to butter up a few of the old stalwarts."
Callie nodded and sighed.
"Ok. I can do that," she agreed softly.
"Callie ... I know you said that you weren't leaving London but can we at least look into getting some kind of replacement for you ... even if it's on a short term basis or something to help lighten the load, free up a little of your time there in London so that you can commute? The board need to see you more often ... they want to know that you're still in charge."
Callie paused. It wasn't what she wanted, not even a little bit. But it wasn't fair to make Mark bear the brunt of what was an emotional decision rather than a business one.
"Fine, whatever. Let's look into it," she agreed, her response non-committal.
"Callie?"
"Hmm?" she could tell from his tone that he was still worried. Mark Sloan didn't do worried. Callie knew she should take heed.
"Is she worth it? Arizona? Is she really worth all this?"
"Mark, I'm ... I'm ..." Callie paused, not wanting to say the words that were hovering on her lips, swirling in her heart. She could almost feel them. But it was too soon. It was way too soon and neither one of them was ready. Not yet.
"She's worth everything, Mark."
#
Arizona watched Callie walk away and half turned her head and realised that Erica was doing the same thing.
She took a sip of her wine to swallow down whatever it was rising up in her throat and gave the other woman a casual glance.
"Would you like a glass of wine, while you wait?"
Erica narrowed her eyes and hesitated.
"It's not a trick question, I promise you. You know, just good manners." She couldn't help but smirk a little to herself as Erica looked marginally uncomfortable at the comparison of their manners.
At Erica's curt nod, Arizona poured a fresh glass of the crisp wine and leaned back against the plush cushions.
"So why are you called Europa anyway? Some sort of nickname?" Arizona was well aware that she was baiting the other woman.
Erica shot her a glance and settled down, taking a sip of her wine, she gave Arizona a closer look.
"Aria thought that she was being a wit ... Aria ... Callie's sister?" Erica added.
"The actress, I know." Arizona responded mildly, unabashedly staring at Erica. The woman was probably only a few years older than she, which would make her perhaps 5 years older than Callie. Her blonde hair was darker than hers and though they both had blue eyes, there was little comparison. Physically, they were also quite different, though now seated, Arizona had been able to tell that Erica was tall, close to 5' 10" much closer in height to Callie but more muscular in build. At 5' 4", though not exactly petite, Arizona was considerably different from Callie's ex-whatever. Even if Callie did have a type, she was content in the knowledge that she wasn't some clone of the other woman.
"You don't seem overly perturbed by my presence." Erica's voice interrupted her musings and she blinked in the dim lighting and shrugged lightly.
"I'm not. I've no reason to be."
Erica leaned in a little and smiled that shark-like smile of hers, all teeth and a narrowed glare, her eyes flickering across Arizona's face.
"Well you're certainly a confident little thing, I'll give you that. But I'd have a moment's anxiety, a little frisson of nerves at a situation like this, and yet, there you sit, as cool as some ice maiden smirking at me."
"Clearly you and I are different."
"Hmm, clearly you and Callie are different as well. She's all heart and volatility and emotion but I do wonder if all this indifference of yours is real or feigned."
"Oh, my indifference is completely real..."
"Your indifference to Callie, was what I meant," Erica interrupted.
"I'm not indifferent Callie," Arizona instantly responded and then mentally kicked herself for rising to the bait.
"Oh I can guess that you're physically attracted to her, who wouldn't be? But emotionally?" Erica planted an elbow on the low table and really stared into Arizona's face.
"Emotionally? No way would you be sitting here, with me, this placid and ... and relaxed if you were even the remotest bit in love with her." Erica flashed another grin at Arizona who flicked her hair away from her face and gave her a cold smile.
"You don't know what you're talking about."
Erica took another sip of her wine and murmured appreciatively. "This is a lovely Pinot, isn't it? But perhaps you're not the possessive kind or maybe you and Callie have one of those polygamous things going on?"
Arizona blinked very slowly at Erica and then looked around the restaurant, waiters and patrons milling about, people enjoying their Saturday evening. She suddenly wanted Callie back as buffer.
"You must be high if you think I'm going to discuss my feelings for Callie with you."
Erica laughed, clearly delighted to have struck a nerve.
"I mean, I could understand it a bit more if you were English; all that reserve and stiff upper lip but you're from the good old US of A. I'd have expected a bit more red blood flowing through your veins."
Arizona turned and gave her a look.
"You really haven't got any manners, have you?"
Erica laughed again and reached out to top up her glass, pouring more into Arizona's glass as well.
"So, seeing as we're here, being all polite and civilised, why don't you tell me what it is you do for a living, hmm? That's nice and uncomplicated?"
Arizona took a long sip and ran resisted the urge to play with her hair or show any outward sign of nerves.
"I'm a scientist, I work in BioTech."
"Interesting," Erica yawned, belying her response. "Anything I might of heard of?"
"Seeing as you're an economist, I doubt it." Arizona's response was clipped. She wanted this evening over or this woman out of her sight; she didn't care which came first. There was something unsettling about Erica's comments and she didn't want to examine them too closely. Erica knew nothing about what she felt for Callie. This was just malicious posturing, nothing else.
She turned on the woman, allowing her annoyance to creep into her voice.
"Honestly, though, what do you hope to accomplish here, anyway? You treated Callie in a totally callous way, at a time when she was vulnerable. Why would she ever want to give you the time of day again?"
It seemed she hit the right nerve and Erica's slightly smug expression vanished. She straightened her shoulders and then lightly shrugged.
"I'm sorry for treating her that way ... I just want her to know that."
"Don't you think it's a little too late for that?"Arizona scoffed lightly and then felt mildly ashamed at her reaction to the other woman's apparent pain.
"It's never too late to say sorry, to express regret." Erica snapped. "Unlike you, I actually don't mind showing my feelings, having feelings for Callie ... I treated her badly and it hurts to know that she's out there in the world, thinking poorly of me. All I can do is atone for what I did and then move on."
Arizona stared at Erica, her words sounded sincere, almost moving but this ex-lover of Callie's with her smooth predatory smile and steely blue eyes wasn't to be trusted and she dampened down any sympathy she might have for her.
"As long as you're crystal clear on the moving on bit, then you and I shouldn't have any problems." Arizona took another sip of her wine and she and Erica Hahn simply considered each other in silence.
#
When Callie finally returned to their table her face was a bland but closed mask and Arizona felt her heart drop but couldn't exactly work out why.
She had sent a smile, an almost skittish half smile in her direction before looking down at Erica.
"Erica, why don't I see you out?" Callie offered, like a gracious hostess seeing the final, annoying and inebriated stragglers to the door.
Erica got to her feet quickly.
"I'm with a party of colleagues just over there," she indicated the far side of the restaurant where a large group was ensconced.
"Right." Callie nodded and raised her eyebrows at Erica making it clear that she was just about done.
Flicking a glance in Arizona's direction, Erica took a breath.
"Look, I'll send you an email or something but for what it's worth I recognise and accept that I treated you badly, unfairly. I could have handled matters better and I'm ... I'm really, truly sorry."
Callie had been looking down at her patent leather boots during Erica's apology, her lips pursed and her thumb sliding slowly back and forth over the iphone.
"Ok?" Callie queried, finally looking up into Erica's face. Hers remained cool and blank, revealing nothing of her emotions. The taller woman pushed on, a seemingly uncharacteristic nervousness colouring her tone.
"I did try to find you ... some months after ... I mean, I got in touch with Mark at CalTech and he did his annoying gatekeeper thing, so I gave up. But I promised myself that if I ever got the opportunity to be with you again, I'd handle things ... better ... in a more mature fashion.
Callie's eyes narrowed a little during Erica's little speech, flicking to Arizona's face once or twice but she said nothing for a second.
"That it?" She asked, making sure that Erica was finished. Despite the implied question she didn't leave any room for dissent or further conversation.
"Umm, yes." Erica had no choice but to agree.
"Thank you for seeking me out and letting me know your feelings on the matter. I appreciate it."
Arizona winced. Callie was the epitome of exceedingly distant formality, it was hard to imagine that the two women had once been lovers.
Erica nodded, it seemed, a little sadly and despite Callie's body language, leaned into her a placed a kiss on her cheek.
Callie stiffened but made no other movement.
"Goodbye, Callie."
"Goodbye, Erica."
The two blondes, having previously decided upon a mutual and ever-lasting loathing, pointed their gazes elsewhere and took no leave of each other.
#
Callie watched Erica for a second and then sank down into her chair, her hands resting against the table, phone still tightly grasped, her face shadowed.
"Arizona. I am so sorry about that ..."
Arizona interrupted immediately, "Hey, there's no way you could have predicted that she would show up." She cocked her head curiously at Callie.
"Are you ok ... I mean, seeing her like this ... out of the blue?" The feeling of disquiet that had lingered all the while during Erica's short interruption came back, ten-fold. Callie was avoiding her gaze.
Callie frowned slightly and picked up her wine glass, draining the contents. She looked about for a waiter.
"Do you want to order your mains? You must be ravenous by now."
"To be honest, Callie I've kind of lost my appetite." Arizona realised that her tone had an edge to it and tried to reign it in. It wasn't Callie's fault that the other woman had made her nervous, had made her question her feelings for Callie. The truth of the matter was that they were at the very beginning of a relationship, they barely knew each other. It wasn't obligatory that she be truly, madly, deeply in love with Callie at this early stage. Callie certainly wasn't in love with her. They were just starting. They were building a foundation. They were taking it slow.
Callie looked up into her eyes and they stared at each other for a moment. Arizona couldn't for the life of her read Callie's expression and it unsettled her even more.
"Would you like to leave? We can get a drink somewhere else, if you want or just call it a night. It's up to you." Callie voice was expressionless, not cold and distant the way it had been with Erica but with every emotion totally under control. Arizona realised that she was used to seeing, working with a voluble, energetic and vivacious Callie, she didn't like this version of the woman she'd earlier called her girlfriend.
"No." Arizona shook her head, vehemently, the blonde strands falling over her shoulders.
"She's still here. If we leave now it will look like she's ruined our evening."
A forced smile came to Callie's lips, her gaze moved to the other side of the restaurant where Erica's party were seated.
"I couldn't care less about what Erica Hahn thinks about our evening, Arizona. I care about what you want. I don't want you to be any more uncomfortable than you already are. Look ... I'm sorry I had to leave you with her, ok? I know she what a total bitch she can be." Callie leaned forward, the flickering light from the lamp briefly lighting up her face. There was concern and something else in her gaze as she stared at Arizona.
"Was she ... a bitch to you?"
Arizona waved her hand dismissively, having no intention of sharing her confusion over Erica's assessment of their relationship. The fact that Callie had been so contemptuous of the other woman was somewhat of a salve to her ego. It seemed there was no torch-carrying that she needed to be worried about. Arizona pushed away the thought that there were others things that she could be worried about. She took a long sip from her wine glass.
"I imagine that I got off lightly. Is everything ok, though? What did Mark want?" Arizona wasn't entirely certain that there were at that stage yet; where she could ask these types of questions. But Callie was sitting there, tense and withdrawn and Arizona wanted to know why.
"Just business. So, do you want some more wine then, if you don't want to leave yet?"
Arizona blinked. And then decided to press.
"More wine is fine. What business?"
Callie licked her lips and for a moment, Arizona felt a frisson of something that felt a lot like fear at an expression she could see in Callie's eyes.
"You know how I said I had some dealings with Mark?" At Arizona's hesitant nod, Callie carried on, her words coming quickly.
"Well, this is just more of the same. Arizona, a lot of the business is in the financial markets, hedge fund management, acquisitions and mergers. I ... I ... manage one of ... "
"So this is another strike in Mexico or something?" Arizona wasn't sure what she had been expecting Callie to say but a surprising wave of relief flooded her as Callie started talking about things that would send her to sleep in a heartbeat.
Callie opened her mouth and then closed it. She swallowed a few times and then, catching the attention of a passing waiter, ordered another glass of Gevrey-Chambertin Pinot for herself and a New Zealand Felton Road Block 2 Chardonnay for Arizona.
"It's ... a meeting in New York." Callie said slowly, her dark eyes travelling over Arizona's face.
Arizona nodded, a meeting in New York didn't sound threatening, it didn't sound like anything she needed to be particularly worried about. Looking at Callie right now, the brunette didn't appear overly enthused by the prospect of a trip across the pond.
"You know what, maybe we should order ... if you're still up for it?"
Callie shook her head slightly, a frown marring the smoothness of her brow.
"Arizona ... I need ..."
"Callie, I'm not bothered by you going to a meeting in New York, as long as you're coming back, ok?" Before Callie could respond, Arizona rushed on. "I know we haven't discussed this yet but Martha reminded me that your contract needs to be renewed at some point. you will be staying for ..."
"Of course I'll be here for the floatation. Right now, it's my raison d'être. But we've got months yet, we'll work something out later." Callie kept her back upright but wanted to sink under the table and just surrender. Her contract? She needed to deal with that now?
Arizona was kind of fidgety, her eyes darting back and forth, her hands busy with her wine glass. They were both uncomfortable.
Callie's shoulders slumped a little and she looked like she wanted to say more but her lashes lowered, shielding her eyes and Arizona got the attention of the waiter.
They ordered their mains and aimed slightly stiff smiles at each other.
"Arizona…What did Erica say to you? You … seem …. a little distracted or something." Callie's question came very slowly, almost as if she was scared of what she might be told. Arizona drained her wine glass and looked about the restaurant. She'd been having such a good time a scant 45 minutes ago. They both had been.
She sighed and brought her gaze back to Callie's face.
"It's like you said, she's a bit of a bitch. I guess she was just being a bitter scorned ex or something. It must have annoyed me more than I thought." Arizona shrugged and forced a wide smile on her face. "Don't worry about it, it's forgotten already." A thought occurred to her.
"She called you Callie Torres Rodrigo. Is that your full name?"
Callie looked up as if startled by the question.
"I must have been so stunned to see her that I didn't even hear her call me that." Callie looked down at her wine and then shrugged lightly. "Rodrigo is my grandmother's maiden name. I took it when I went into business for myself, Torres is inextricably linked to my Dad and his hotels and businesses, I didn't want that pressure weighing me down." Arizona watched as Callie chewed her lip, still staring at her glass of wine, the rich dark fluid seemingly fascinating to her.
"Right." Arizona nodded, her mind wondering slightly.
And now they sat there, both a little miserable, barely looking at each other.
As she reached for her wine again she reflected on the fact that Callie looked wonderful tonight. Wasn't that a boring Chris de Burgh song or was it Eric Clapton? Or did she mean Lady in Red? Both songs applied to Callie, she did look wonderful and she looked wonderful in red. Someone should write a song about that. A song about Callie looking wonderful tonight in red. She'd pay good money to listen to that. Tonight had been shaping up to be a lovely evening and even though she knew that Callie was holding fast, she had every reason to suspect that she'd have been invited back to Callie's apartment for a late nightcap. A nightcap practically guaranteed that they share a least a kiss. A long, deeply satisfying, earth shattering, weak-knee inducing kiss or even two. Arizona felt her body hum in response to the memory of their last proper, honest to goodness kiss. The little chaste pecks, bestowed here and there since last weekend didn't count. Arizona stared moodily at Callie's full lips. They weren't smiling at her, which was a shame and they weren't fastened to her either, which, as far as she was concerned, was a crime. Now, there was no chance of a nightcap, no chance of lovely yummy kisses, and certainly no nookie. Arizona sniggered to herself for a second. Martha used the word nookie once. It was a ridiculous term for any grown adult. Nookie. She wasn't going to get any of that either. Arizona gulped a mouthful of her Chardonnay and considered the spectre of Erica also-known-as-Europa Hahn. She'd had nookie with Callie. Possibly lots of nookie. That thought made Arizona a little mad.
#
Callie looked at Arizona through her lashes and wanted to scream.
Why did things always turn to tarnished-frigging-lead every time she opened her mouth to come clean to Arizona?
She swallowed and opened her mouth and then closed it again.
Pasting a clearly fake smile on her face she forced some food down her throat.
You are such a coward, Torres.
Callie felt slightly sick, her stomach churned with nerves and acid reflux.
Whatever her reasons might have been and as innocent or even honourable as they were, keeping her identity secret from Arizona for this long was only going to end up hurting the blonde. Would … could Arizona understand Callie's motivations?
Callie knew that Arizona being hurt was the least of her worries, Arizona might decide that she wanted nothing to do with Callie, to jettison their relationship; she could return her to her cold and distant persona of before. She could even sack Callie, though that was a long shot, at least Callie still had her contract to protect her.
"Arizona, look …" She started again, no thought to how she was going to say it … just that it needed saying.
"Exactly how long were you and Erica together?"
"What?" Callie's eye twitched in frustration.
"Does it matter? Listen…."
Arizona had half turned to look across the restaurant, an assessing, almost challenging glint in her eyes.
"How long were you guys together …as a couple? I'm trying to understand something, why she would come up to you this way." Arizona spoke very precisely, her words succinct.
Callie drew a breath, perhaps now wasn't the best time after all; they were both on edge, trying to get past it sure, but there was still a slight tension in the air.
"We were friends for … I don't know … 6 or 7 months before we became … more than friends." Callie frowned, a little more than slightly.
"Why? Arizona, did she upset you?"
The blonde had turned back to Callie was fiddled with her food, seemingly avoiding Callie's gaze.
Eventually she looked up and shrugged.
"It's not that she upset me, exactly. I'm suddenly a little curious about your relationship with her … " Arizona leaned forward a little.
"She didn't seem too keen on Mark …"
Callie closed her eyes and groaned out loud, unsure what emotions were flitting through her right now. Rather than confessing to one thing, it seemed she now had to own up to another.
"What else is it that you'd like to know about my previous relationships, Arizona?" Callie leaned back in her chair and considered Arizona. She should be annoyed with everything but she wasn't, not quite. She wasn't exactly amused either and her question was crisp.
Arizona, not in the least bit shy shrugged again, raising an eyebrow.
"Whatever you think is pertinent, Callie," she replied, placing the ball firmly back in Callie's court.
"Hmm. Cute. Let's forget for a moment that you have been pretty tight-lipped about your past, shall we? Erica and I grew to be more than friends and we slept together. It was, you know ... great, I guess but I was a little … I don't know … I didn't feel what she felt aaaaand … to cut a long story short I fucked up." Callie gave her a meaningful stare.
"Specifically, I fucked up with Mark Sloan."
Arizona blinked slowly a few times but there was no other reaction.
"And that's when she left you?"
"Nope."
Arizona raised her eyebrows as if indicating that Callie should continue and Callie gave her a tight smile and took a sip of her wine. Deciding to keep her sarcasm under wraps for now, she decided to continue.
"No, we didn't break up then. We discussed my freak out, which is what it was, what led to it and whether we had the basis for something more. We felt we did and for a few months we …. seemed solid. And then a situation at work blew up, we disagreed over the fundamental principles of tax payments via subsidiary companies. What I thought was good business sense, she thought was unethical. We fought about it, well, we had a blazing screaming match about it, one evening before she was due to fly off to some conference and that was the last time I saw her." Callie drained her glass and looked about for the waiter. She didn't know what she wanted, she really didn't want any more alcohol but if Arizona was about to try and break up with her over Erica fucking Hahn she was going to need a stiff drink to dull her senses. She felt slightly sick.
"Actually, no. Fuck that shit."
"Excuse me?"
Callie half closed one eye.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to say that out loud but Arizona whatever you think about my relationship with Erica Hahn, there's no way I'm letting you go over it. We are not breaking up over this. I won't allow it." Callie leaned over the table and grasped both of Arizona's hands in hers. She wanted to smile and be reassuring and even loving. As much as she shied away from the thought of actually loving Arizona this early on, Callie knew that the emotion was there just lurking under the surface. She wanted to show that emotion right now but all she could muster was an indescribable feeling of determination. She was not going out like this.
Arizona sat back slightly, her mouth had gone slack.
Callie tightened her grip for emphasis.
"I'm serious about this Arizona; I'm not letting you break up with me without giving us a chance."
"I wasn't planning to break up with you, Callie." Arizona replied meekly, her blue eyes wide.
"Oh." Callie was too nonplussed to even be relieved.
"Then why the hell …."
"Why won't you sleep with me?"
It was Callie's turn to let her jaw hang open.
"What?"
Arizona flushed brick red but stuck her chin out, her own determination showing.
"I don't care how vain or petty this is but as far as I'm concerned, I'm way hotter than Ms Europa over there, if you were happy to sleep with her why the hell won't you sleep with me?"
Callie blinked and Arizona added.
"And I don't care what this sounds like. I want to know."
"Arizona, what are you, 16?"
"Yes. For the purposes of this conversation I'm an insecure, immature, horny 16 year old. Why won't you sleep with me?"
Callie's eyes flitted over the table taking in the wine glasses and empty bottles; there were only 2 of them. She didn't know whether to laugh or not.
"How much have you had to drink?"
"More than usual, why the hell do you think I'm asking such asinine questions? I still want an answer though."
Callie laughed softly, almost guiltily.
"Oh honey. You know I want to." Callie's eyes darted about the room for a moment and she leaned forward, lowering her voice.
"I mean, you should know that I really want to."
"Yes, and?" Arizona snapped impatiently.
"But that's what I'm good at, Arizona. I'm good at sex and I mean, I'm really good at sex but making it stick, making it last? Making it worthwhile? Not so good. Every significant relationship that I've ever had has revolved around sex. That's all, nothing else, there's no foundation, no communication, no real intimacy, nothing." Callie bit her lip and looked at Arizona through her lashes, suddenly shy.
"I want more for us Arizona; I want more than just sex with you. Is ... is that ok?"
Arizona's eyes had glazed over slightly.
"You're really good as sex? I don't recall that on your resume."
Callie breathed out a burst of relieved laughter.
The last 10 minutes had been fraught and tense and just a little bit ridiculous. And things were still unresolved. But they could get better.
"Arizona, I really am sorry about this evening…"
"And I'm sorry that I'm a little bit drunk. " Arizona waved her hand "As for the rest?
None of this is your fault. Don't beat yourself up about it."
"Are you … are you free tomorrow? Please tell me you're free. We're having a do over." Callie's words tumbled out and her face became animated, a natural smile gradually replacing the rigid curve of her lips.
"What?" Arizona's brow wrinkled.
"I've been checking the weather conditions and tomorrow is going to be perfect but … I didn't think we'd have the chance for a few weeks and we've both been so busy… will you come?" Callie looked at her expectantly, like a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy; all liquid, melting brown eyes and hopeful expression and Arizona felt a genuine grin tug at the corners of her mouth. Sometimes all Callie had to do was smile at her and suddenly everything felt better.
"Sure." She said simply. "I haven't got a clue what you're asking of me but you seem enthused so it must be something fun." Arizona leaned forward and felt her smile deepen in response to Callie's slight giggle.
"You promise you're good with heights?"
Arizona's smile dropped off her face.
"I am not going bungee-jumping," she stated flatly. "I am a grown up."
Callie snorted.
"Despite my earlier behaviour, I am still a grown up," she conceded with grave dignity.
"It's not bungee-jumping. I swear it … but I kind of wanted it to be a surprise."
Callie was grinning, her head tilted to one side, dark eyes glinting in the light. She was still holding on to Arizona's hand, her thumb stroking her knuckles.
Arizona twisted her lips, unsure.
"I'll tell what it is you if you really hate surprises …."
"I really hate surprises." Arizona interrupted and then reached for a glass of water. She felt that she needed her wits about her.
"... but, even though I don't know everything about you, yet, I know that this is something you'll love. Don't ask me why but I do." Callie finished up, ignoring Arizona's interruption.
The blonde narrowed her eyes, trying to decide if she trusted Callie enough or not.
"How much alcohol am I going to need for this surprise?"
Callie gave her a lopsided grin.
"Haha, Arizona. Real funny."
###
Good weekend, was it?"
Arizona looked up at Martha's comment, the smile on her face growing wider. She was back at the office on Monday afternoon after her morning lectures.
"What gave me away?" She could feel her face start to ache from all the smiling like a loon and realised that she would have to get herself under control before Callie came back from her meeting. It wouldn't do for her to look like a smitten little girl.
Martha deposited a stack of files on Arizona's desk and leaned back to examine Arizona a little more closely.
"What gave you away? Well for starters that silly grin you've got on your face is a big indication and if that wasn't enough, you're humming, Arizona. You look as giddy as a child with free reign in a sweet shop. I take it that the date went well?"
Arizona chuckled as she flipped through the mountain of paperwork on her desk.
"Actually the date itself was mostly a disaster." At Martha's raised eyebrows she waved her hand, almost dismissively.
"The food was nice though."
Martha stared and Arizona giggled.
She reflected that it was kind of nice to be so sanguine about the date now. At the time she'd felt uncomfortable, pissed and generally deflated. Being slightly drunk hadn't helped.
Now?
Now was a totally different kettle of fish.
"The food was nice? Oh no, young lady, you'll have to do better than that." Martha perched on the desk and straightened her glasses.
Her relationship with Arizona was a mix of friend, employee, confidant and sometimes boss. In that she often had to boss Arizona about, especially when it came to all things administrative or otherwise unrelated to the scientific arena. They respected each other's boundaries but frequently shared intimate details. Arizona had no problem trusting Martha's discretion.
"Callie's ex showed up. And then she got some urgent call from the States that seemed to distract her … annoy her … something. And then we were a little snippy with each other. All in all, it was a pretty uncomfortable hour."
Martha wasn't prone to much way of outward expression, but her grey bushy eyebrow inched up slightly at Arizona's throwaway comment.
"Callie's ex …. girlfriend?" Martha asked carefully.
"Yes, Martha, Callie's ex-girlfriend."
"And?"
But there were some things that Arizona wasn't prepared to share.
"And it was awkward and uncomfortable but we got over it. The next day, however was so much more fun." Arizona brushed over everything that happened on Saturday night including the slightly subdued dinner and self-conscious end of the evening and fast-forwarded to Sunday.
"The next day?" Martha asked dryly, amused at Arizona stringing the story out.
"We had a blast." Arizona nodded enthusiastically.
#
Callie had picked up early, handed over a mug of hot coffee and a door wedge of a breakfast sandwich and then kept up a running commentary on what she was doing with setting the share price, completely refusing to engage with Arizona's demands to know where they were going.
Arizona finally leaned forward and stared hard at the GPS, annoyed that it hadn't occurred to her to do so earlier. She swung to stare at Callie.
"Dover? Why are we going to Dover?"
Callie flicked a glance in Arizona's direction but merely grinned.
"So, Heather tells me that once the rest of the results for the clinical trials and peer reviews are published, we'll be in a much better position to set a provisional share price. Things are gong well, Arizona."
"That's great, Callie. Why are we going to Dover?" Arizona persisted; for once less than bothered about the flotation. In truth, she was totally relaxed about Callie dealing with all of the boring stuff.
"We're already in Dover," Was Callie only response as she directed the Range Rover she was driving off the highway and along a narrow path between two seemingly empty fields.
"Not helping." Arizona grumbled as she craned her neck to look out and about, trying to find some clue as to what on earth Callie was up to. It was a beautifully clear and sunny day, unusually warm for the normally squally wet Spring. But today seemed perfect for a picnic and Arizona wondered if that was what Callie had in store. Kind of a long way to come for a picnic though.
She turned to Callie, a thought entering her head.
"We're going sailing? I'm right, aren't I? We're in Dover, near the Channel, we're going sailing?" she asked excitedly, more pleased with cracking the secret than anything else.
Callie smirked a little.
"Coast is like 12 miles in that direction, we're in the middle of a hella lot a fields, Arizona. We're not going sailing."
"Oh."
"Do you want to go sailing sometime? I'm sure we can hire a boat somewhere, we don't really need to leave London for that."
Arizona shrugged and chewed her nail, her blue eyes bright and inquisitive as they darted about the vista, looking for clues.
"Dover. Dover. The White Cliffs of Dover…. Has that got anything to do with today?"
"Might do." Callie was enigmatic, much to Arizona's annoyance.
"Oh come on. I've been good the whole trip and not bugged you once. Tell me."
Callie laughed at her, the sound of her amusement filling the jeep and making Arizona, against her will, smile at her self.
"You're mean."
"Maybe but we'll be there in a few minutes."
"We will?" Arizona sat up straight and strained her eyes to see ….. anything.
"Callie, I can't see anything, are you sure you've come to the right place?"
Callie slowed the vehicle and then turned onto a small rutted path in one of the fields, cropped grass on either side. Ahead Arizona could finally see something.
She could see the figure of a person leaning against a small car and something else that she still couldn't quite make out.
"What is it? What is it?"
"Patience, my dear is a virtue."
Arizona quit her straining for a moment to glare at Callie.
"You are being soooo unhelpful."
"And virtue is a grace." Callie continued, as if deaf to Arizona's frustrations. "Put them both together and you get a pretty face."
Arizona was momentarily distracted and glared at Callie again.
"That's a terrible poem or …. whatever."
Callie grinned at her, unrepentant. "We're here."
Arizona brightened up immediately and jumped out of the jeep the minute Callie turned off the engine.
Callie got out of the drivers side and throwing a devilish grin in Arizona's direction, headed off towards the man in the middle of the field.
Arizona had never realised what long strides Callie took and and found herself having to scurry to keep up. They were both dressed casually in jeans and flats.
Callie looked down at her and grinned.
"Don't slip on the grass, it's still a little wet with dew." She held her hand out.
"Have you figured it out yet?"
Arizona grasped her hand, hoping it would slow her down a little, while she tried to stand on tip toe to see a little further.
"I still can't see anything. What is that thing of the floor?"
Arizona finally spotted something bright red and glossy and stood stock still, pulling Callie to a stop.
"Is that a ... is that a plane?" she asked in an awed hush.
"Nope." Callie blithely responded.
"It's too small to be a plane, it's not a microlight ...Oh my gosh... are we going gliding?" Arizona actually clapped her hands and bounced on the spot.
Callie tilted her head, questioning, a smile on her face.
"This ok?"
Arizona beamed up at her, nodding her head vigorously.
"Oh my gosh ... I don't know what to say." Arizona's eyes were shining.
Callie tightened her grip around Arizona's hand.
"Let's go meet Michael, he's the instructor."
#
"We went gliding. Callie took me gliding. It was amazing."
This time Martha allowed her surprise to show.
"You went gliding? You've never done that before have you?"
"Never. Not something I ever even considered but Callie loves gliding and thought that it was something I'd enjoy."
"Seems she was right about that, you like the cat's that got the cream."
"It was sooo much fun." Arizona laughed out loud like a little girl.
She had literally been like a kid at a candy store. There had been about a 10 second adrenaline rush as the tiny craft was catapulted into the sky on a bungee rope, she had later found out and then a sensation of lightness and total serenity overwhelmed her as the instructor took her higher and higher above the English coastline. It was so quiet and peaceful, it felt like floating on a bed of pure tranquility, if there was such a thing. All of the residual tension that lingered from the previous evening, tension that Arizona was barely aware of or willing to acknowledge just floated away. She could have stayed up there forever and her only disappointment was that Callie wasn't up there with her.
"So, is Callie a pilot?" Martha broke into her reverie
"No, unfortunately not. We each went up with an instructor, I even got to pilot myself for a little bit," Arizona added proudly.
"Well, I can't say that I'm not pleased that you and Callie are having fun." Martha stood to take her leave. "She's good for you, Arizona, I hope you can see that."
"Yes, Martha, thank you, Martha. Now shoo, I've work to do." Arizona accepted the advice with good grace, a smile still on her face as she settled in for the afternoon.
Martha smiled at the gentle sarcasm and made her way the the door.
"You've some P&C letters there, Arizona. they've been on your desk since last week. Don't forget to deal with them."
Arizona looked up at Martha and Martha, unblinking, stared right back.
The silence held for a beat.
And then they both started talking at once.
"Martha, you know you can deal with this stuff..."
"I am not opening your private correspondence ..."
"Martha, you know it's almost always going to be work related stuff... why can't you deal with it." Arizona knew that she was whining. She also knew that whining was guaranteed to result in her not getting her own way.
"Almost always, Arizona. Not always...Do I really need to remind of the reasons why I no longer open your private and confidential mail? Do I?"
Arizona blushed. And so did Martha, which was quite a feat.
"That was a long time ago, it's not likely to happen again." Arizona mumbled, her eyes anywhere but on Martha's face.
"Yes, well. You're in a relationship again and who knows what ... peculiarities or fetishes you might want to introduce to Callie." Martha came back, tartly.
Arizona's head shot up at that.
"I said I was sorry," Arizona wailed. A sudden thought occurred to her. "You can't mention this to Callie, meeting her ex was bad enough. I don't need her wondering about what I got up to with ..." Arizona sucked in her breath.
"No, Martha, you're absolutely right, I'll deal with my private and confidential mail; that's something you don't need to worry about." Her volte-face was swift and decisive. Anyone could have been persuaded to believe it had been her idea all along.
"I'm glad that we're in agreement." Martha straightened shoulders and with a dignified sniff, walked out. Bumping into Callie who was just making her way to Arizona's office, she said to the brunette, "You might want to remind Arizona that the offices should be considered inviolate, much like her laboratory."
Callie threw Martha a look over her shoulder and then raised an eyebrow at Arizona as she came into her office.
"What was that all about?"
"Don't ask." Arizona said firmly, no way she was sharing that little titbit with Callie.
"OK."
She watched as Callie came round her desk and gave her a sunny smile, raising her face for the gentle peck that they sometimes shared during the day. Placing a palm on her cheek to tilt her head a little higher, Callie smiled down at her and pressed her cool lips against hers.
Callie brought with her the fresh, cool scent of outdoors, that faint hint of Jasmine that always seemed to linger about her and that something, that pheromone, that sequence of elements and chemicals that belonged solely to Callie that clouded her mind every time. Arizona took a deep breath, imbibing Callie's essence, pressing back against the brunette, lingering in the kiss a little longer.
"Hey, sweetie," she smiled against Callie's lips.
"Sweetie, huh? That's new."
"Well you are a sweetheart, aren't you?"
"You'll get no argument from me." She felt Callie run the tip of her tongue along the inside edge of her lower lip and Arizona opened her mouth wider, sighing as Callie's warm moist tongue slowly, sensuously, began to stroke hers. It was a lazy and languid type of kiss, neither woman in a rush, merely enjoying the taste of each other, the closeness, the intimacy. Callie's hand slipped from Arizona's cheek, to curl around her neck and then into her loose blonde hair, her hand grasping a fistful of the strands and somehow, the tension just got turned up to 11, taking them both by surprise, a curl of desire stabbing deep within. Arizona thrust her tongue further into Callie's mouth, exploring the warmth, feeling Callie's teeth capture and gently rake across her seeking tongue. She heard a moan, low, deep and desperate, signalling a need, deep-seated and wanton, she heard it, just above the pounding of her heart and couldn't tell from whom the sound was wrenched. But Arizona needed to hear it again and she sank her teeth into Callie's full, succulent lower lip and Callie moaned again, into her mouth; her longing for more, unfiltered, unfettered and totally undeniable. That sound would drive her to distraction, the thought whispered vaguely in Arizona's mind but it was a madness that she would gladly embrace. They were at work, where Robbie or Martha or the new CFO could walk in on them at any time and yet they couldn't stop. Arizona traced the tips of her fingers along Callie's exposed clavicle and then gripped the material at the open collar of the shirt, dragging the taller woman closer. They both needed to break for air and yet neither woman could seem to stop.
Finally, panting, trembling and flushed they pulled apart and stared at each other. Arizona looked into Callie's eyes and her breath caught in her throat at the heavy-lidded stare. The dark eyes were now more black than brown, the inky, liquid depths heralding the intensity of her desire.
"I want you so much." The admission from Callie was hoarse and ragged as if the words had been ripped from deep within her. And then she blinked and straightened up, as if waking from a dream.
Arizona felt her core flutter and then clench, hard at the declaration and something sparked within her. It wasn't anger but more like frustration.
"Then have me, Callie. You can take me any time, any place. You can have me and you know it and yet you wait." Arizona felt the shift in her emotions and tried to catch up. She was enjoying her time with Callie, but she wanted more and wasn't shy about making it clear. But she wanted to respect Callie's decision, she just needed to understand it better.
Callie touched the tips of her fingers to her lips and wiped away some stray moisture from Arizona's mouth and closed her eyes for second.
"I know you were mildly tipsy but I thought that you understood what I was trying to say on Saturday, Arizona. This isn't about me being ... precious or histrionic. I kind of I hoped you'd get that ..." she trailed off and shrugged and looked directly at Arizona. For a second she looked lost and hurt and sad. And then it was gone.
She shrugged again. And then a dreadfully strange, choked laugh left her lips.
"I guess I have a flair for the dramatic. I mean, it's just sex were talking about, right? No big deal, really?"
Arizona felt her stomach drop.
"No. No, Calliope, don't... I'm not trying to put pressure on you for more physical intimacy and I did understand your explanation the other night." Arizona took a breath and for a second or two, tried to take a leaf out of Callie's book.
"It's just .. it's easier not to be so involved and I look at you, all brave and dashing and sometimes... it scares me." It was as much as she could admit out loud and she jumped up from her seat and placed a quick kiss on Callie's chin. She gave the watchful woman a slightly sultry smile, throwing in a sexy wink, for good measure.
"Fact is, Callie, you're like some highly addictive substance, a single dose of you goes straight to my head and then nothing else seems to make sense beyond my total need to have you in my bed."
Arizona watched Callie's face carefully needing to know that she hadn't actually upset her. Callie's rigid pose softened and a look came into her eyes, there was a hint of a smile on her lips and Arizona felt a moment's relief.
"So, I'll need to be in New York for 2 or 3 days, a week at max, probably the week after next."
Arizona blinked at the non-sequitur, Callie's voice was even, her posture had relaxed but she was looking at Arizona nervously.
"OK?"
"When I come back ... I'd like to talk to you ... about my past ... about the things that brought me to yo... to London. I'd like to tell you more about the work I do with Mark." She was fiddling with her silver rings, twisting them round and round as she spoke.
"Is ... is that ok? Would that be ok?"
Arizona had never seen Callie so hesitant over anything.
"Of course it is, Callie but why now, what has that got to do with ... us?"
Callie threw her a slightly mocking smile.
"Probably nothing at all. But I always take the hardest path possible. I'm incapable of making life easy for myself and I obsess over things I probably shouldn't need to obsess over." She gave Arizona a crooked smile.
"Arizona, I ... ummm... I really want you. Sometimes so much it hurts, I want you in my bed, under me, on top of me. I want to make love to you hard... and then soft and in every permutation you can possibly think of. Can you understand that?"
The fluttering started up again and Arizona swallowed carefully and gripped the edge of her desk as pure, unadulterated lust raged through her. She cleared her throat and nodded, not trusting her voice.
"I want that intimacy and more but my brain won't switch off, so I want to tell you of my past, things I've done, things I'd like to forget ... you know ... before we ..." Callie stared at her, earnest and searching and despite the heat still rising from her core, Arizona forced a smile to her face.
"Callie, it's fine. We have all the time in the world, and you're right, not jumping into bed first chance we get, is a good idea, even if my body is in a raging fury with you right now for your scruples."
Callie's eyes dropped and colour came to her cheeks.
"I said I wasn't a flake but now I've made everything weird and intense."
"Oh honey, please don't say that, you haven't." Arizona stood up and cupped Callie's cheek raising her head so that she could look into those hypnotic dark eyes.
"It's amazing that you feel this way and ... you're so completely amazing."
#
Callie licked her lips and tried to meet Arizona's blue gaze.
How did I let things get so messed up? How the fuck am I going to tell her?
Callie clenched her jaw and closed her eyes for a second feeling a wave of self-pity flood her.
Why was it so hard for her to do things right?
"Calliope, hey? You're not being intense or weird, you're being …. thoughtful and kind and adult and I …. I understand that this is important for you…."
"But … not for you." Callie started to speak and then allowed the words to die on her lips, unable to complete the sentence.
"But … what? Callie talk to me…"
Callie looked deep into Arizona's eyes and saw the affection and concern in their depths and she saw the darkness, just around the edges of the brightness; what was it that lurked there behind the glorious sunny beauty of those eyes? The remnants of her passion? Frustration? Was it something else?
Callie pulled in a deep breath and then smiled, wide and reassuring, offering a self-deprecating quirk of her lips. It wasn't quite her game face but it was a good enough approximation.
"You know what, I'm just pmsing or something, I sound like I'm about to suggest U-Hauling or something equally dramatic," she joked, watching Arizona out of the corner of her eye, gauging.
Arizona flicked her hair to one side.
"I didn't think that at all," she laughed and Callie smiled back at her, watching the tips of Arizona's ears turn slightly pink.
"Anyway, so we're clear, I'm not about to ask you to have my babies and when I get back from my meeting, we'll have a nice dinner and we'll talk about stuff and between then and now we take how we take it, fast, slow or anything in between that works for both of us. Sound like a plan?" Callie watched Arizona's face relax into a gentle smile, she watched as the blonde brought up her delicate, fine-boned hands up to clasp her face and she closed her eyes as Arizona brought her face close and bestowed a slightly less than chaste kiss on her mouth, a warm and agile tongue stroking, soothing and inflaming in one easy, seductive move.
"Calliope, I'm being serious. As much as I do want to take you to bed, I do want what you want. I know you don't plan to make us wait forever, so we can take our time. You know the anticipation only heightens the awareness though, right?" Arizona leaned forward and dropped a smacker on Callie's lips and grinned up at her.
"Every time you come near me I either go up in flames or I melt into a puddle, I hope you're proficient with either a hose or a mop and bucket because you're going to need both."
Callie had a fleeting image of a melted wax figure with blonde hair floating in the puddle and snorted out a laugh. She clapped her hand over her mouth at the inelegant sound.
"I'm going to be thinking of a cross between the scene in Terminator 2 where the T1000 melts into a puddle and Who Framed Roger Rabbit where the mad guy melts."
Arizona gave her a gentle shove.
"Hey, that's mean, they were both bad guys."
Callie giggled at Arizona's feeble swat and toyed with the idea of tickling her when Martha came back in.
With being too obvious about moving apart, Arizona resumed her seat and Callie sat back down on the edge of the desk.
"Arizona, a courier just brought this in for you."
She was holding up a large envelope and waved it at Arizona.
"Thanks, toss it on the pile," Arizona responded cheerfully, waving an airy hand at her over flowing in-tray.
Callie blinked at the stack of documents waiting to be read.
"Arizona … when I give you stuff to read or sign, you know it's not for the benefit of my health, right? You actually have to action that shit."
"I've been busy." Arizona tried to keep the wail out of her voice. She really didn't need both Callie and Martha on her case at the same time.
"Arizona, this looks important, you should open it up now." Martha was staring at the envelope closely. She looked up at the pair who were grinning at each other.
"Who do you know in the Royal House of Al Sharifi?"
Callie's head shot up at Martha's question.
"Al Sharifi, that's the ruling family of Abu Dhabi, umm ... United Arab Emirates, right?" Arizona asked, slightly mystified, reaching out her hand for the large envelope. She examined the crest on the corner of the letter.
"Bhutaq," Callie supplied looking down at Arizona curiously. "You know someone in the Bhutaqi royal family? You've been holding out on me."
"I wish," Arizona muttered, looking over the envelope and then ripping it open. Bhutaq was a tiny but powerful, oil-rich nation on a peninsular in the Persian Gulf. Arizona's total knowledge of the country, or indeed the family was gleaned from the news of them buying up Greek Islands or football clubs.
She spilled the contents out and they all peered at the glossy brochure and sheaf of documents.
"Oh, I know what this is… the top Bhutaqi universities are holding a week-long biotechnology symposium soon, I wasn't sure if the uni were sending some one from my department or not."
"But why would that be sent to you, here at your offices and why would the Al Bhutaqi family be involved," Martha peered over her glasses and asked a pretty pertinent question.
Arizona blinked.
Martha had a point there. She shuffled through the paperwork, her eyes quickly scanning the documentation. As she began to take in the information, Arizona could hear a faint buzzing somewhere. The sound gradually got louder and louder until it almost reached a crescendo. She blinked a few times to clear her vision and then actually picked up the main letter to read it again. To read it properly.
"Arizona, what is it?"
She could, very faintly hear Callie talking to hear, asking a question, but it was almost like white noise.
She could feel her hand trembling, the letter shaking slightly and then looked up at Callie and Martha.
What she was reading barely made sense.
TBC