I'm deeply sorry for the delay in posting, people. I'm back to work and I got so busy I had no energy to end this chapter as soon as I should have.
Slave to Love
Chapter 13: The One
The blonde was waiting for the playwriter in the external area of a nice small café in Ottawa.
CC had bought tickets to Canada after a promising phone call in which she managed a compromise for the next day. The writer would certainly be there for their meeting, just could not tell precisely when he would be available, because he was in a family trip, visiting a cherished relative in the suburbs and something about finally having time for his loved ones and bla bla bla.
So, once she was dealing with such an irresponsible person with a chaotic agenda, who put non-professional matters before business meetings, she got the earliest plane available just to be forced to spend the morning in a hotel room (a waste of time), revising each contract for the hundreth time (unnecessarily), rehearsing some of her stronger arguments (soooo unnecessarily) and enjoying the scenery (as if).
If CC was to be sincere, she had wanted the meeting to be as earlier as possible not just because she was feeling like the businesswoman she always was, ready to grab the root of the matter with her bare hands and twist it until it turned into what she wanted; this time she was in a hurry because she craved to be back in New York and into the arms of her lover.
My lover.
Niles.
She liked the sound of that. It put a warm feeling in her chest that spread quickly to her whole body and did some thrilling things to her center.
If this goes on, soon he will not be able to call me Ice Queen.
Speaking of sounds, CC could have called the mansion to hear the butler's voice and calm down some of the missing she felt. However, she risked Maxwell knowing she was on the line and wanting to be updated on her mission – what she had no intention of doing, once he was not exactly cheering for her success.
They were business partners, but both could be very touchy when the subject was pride. This trip was not just another deal – it would prove just one of them right, and she had decided to tread carefully, postponing any information.
Resigned to not have everything she wanted exactly when she wanted, CC decided to make the best she could of the situation: when the writer finally called to say he was getting back to town, she set the meeting for a nice cafeteria she knew; she left the hotel room to have lunch, explore the district and do some shopping; she arrived earlier than necessary for the meeting, sat in one of the small round tables outside, and settled for some coffee and to rest her eyes on the park across the street.
She even put on her recently bought headphones and trusty sunglasses.
The day was beautiful and she was ready to enjoy herself while she waited.
It had been raining in New York when CC left, but the weather in Ottawa was warm, with just the right amount of sun she enjoyed. She could feel the good omen.
The blonde regretted not buying a camera when she acquired the headphones. It would be nice to take some selfies to rub on Niles' face she was perfectly able to be in the sun without turning into dust.
Rub something on Niles' face was a phrase that would always make her smile. Last night in the penthouse had made the notion unforgettable.
xxx
After Niles' surprising arrival with gifts to appease her (the flowered cactus, the strawberry and chocolate cake and the leather outfit that leaded to a strawberry and chocolate sex session in her kitchen, some conversation about her trip and more sex), they had showered together with some welcomed tender teasing ('Are you the sweetest thing or is it a strawberry, Mistress?', 'Taste again until you find out, Slave').
CC remembered exiting the bathroom just in her panties and sitting on the edge of her bed.
She closed her eyes and stretched her arms, feeling the good mood that took her whole body, while she waited for her companion to follow her.
She opened her eyes at a muffled sound and stopped mid-movement.
She was not prepared to the scene before her.
Niles was standing at the bathroom door, looking down at the leather jockstrap to adjust it.
The blonde smiled.
It was very Niles to be focused on something so surreal as if it was a mundane task.
And she had to admit it was very her to find him handsome, and not be able to take her eyes off his toned body, skilled hands and attentive expression.
He was adorable.
Not able to resist, she catcalled.
The butler's head snapped at her.
Seeing her face, he realized she was teasing him over his stance – semi-nude in her bedroom and busy with a piece of cloth that no one of their acquaintances could imagine he would wear and, much less, that she would enjoy so much.
He smiled – a shy smile, at first, once the situation was kind of funny now that the throes of passion were so recently appeased.
But then he shrugged, as if he had decided there was nothing to be ashamed about, smirked and lifted his arms.
CC's mouth opened.
Niles started a slow dance, his hips making circles, and CC felt out of breath.
The go-go boy routine was funny and, still, the sexiest thing ever.
(Funny and sexy – exactly as it had been on the Old Time Rock and Roll episode.
Exactly as it was every time they bantered, in fact.)
CC fanned herself, out of real arousal and the urge to up the game and see where he would take it.
The open demonstration of how hot she found him caught Niles off guard, and instead of a shameless lustful move, it extracted from him an adoring smile.
I find him adorable, and he finds me, too, she realized, It's nice!
As if his reaction pulled something in her, she felt an unstoppable need to smile back.
Niles approached and leaned in to kiss her warmly.
CC raised a hand to caress his chest, 'You know I won't pay you for the show, don't you?'
'I'm the one in debt, here', his lips grazed her cheek, 'You may ask anything from me, I'll do it, and still I'll owe you'.
'Aw', she nose-kissed him, 'You really always know what to say'.
Their eyes locked and they exchanged twin happy faces.
(The similar reactions had been happening often.)
Niles sat on the bed, besides CC, and nudged her shoulder with his playfully, 'I should get back to the real world, you know? There's a limit to the amount of time I can pretend to be doing something legitimate out of the mansion'.
She chuckled at the daring zinger of him doing her not being a legitimate thing and took his hand, decided to pursue another point, 'You don't feel like this is real?'
He shrugged, looking at their joined hands, 'Not really'.
'Is it too similar to your strangest dreams?'
'No', he raised his eyes to hers, 'To my dearest ones'.
They exchanged another tender smile and he kissed her hand.
'So', she asked, 'What do you need in order to be back to the real world?'
'For starters', he tilted his head, 'I need real clothes'.
Both looked down at his jockstrap, and the realization he had come to her door in full leather gear, and that was what he had to wear, brought a fit of laughing on them.
(They had mocked each other's bodies and attitudes for years, and now there they were, comfortable enough to joke about it without any offense.
It was unexpected, and it was delicious.)
When they calmed down, CC planted a sounding kiss on Niles cheek and he moved his shoulders in that gesture of shyness she suddenly realized was one her favorite things in the world.
Niles, still with a smile on his face, leaned to pick from the floor his socks and garters that had been thrown away in the way to the shower.
He crossed one leg over the other to put the garments on and sighed.
For some reason, the fact he remembered she liked his socks and garters and had left them under the boots was such a nice touch it touched CC's heart.
The fact he had sighed, showing he was not happy to go away, touched it further.
The fact he had broken the tender moment in an effort to not delve too much on it was reassuring to her sanity – even if his understanding made him even more endearing to her, what was not good to her sanity –, and it started some kind of fire inside her that she couldn't exactly control.
When he crossed the other leg, she seized the movement instinctively to get closer – her left hand rested on the small of his back, taking pleasure in the feeling of his recently bathed skin, and her right hand reached out to trace his thigh.
CC wanted to involve Niles.
She wanted to make sure he would stay a bit more.
No – she wanted to make sure he wanted to stay, and as much as possible.
He finished with the sock and turned his head to see her face.
Her hand advanced in a caress on his calf, playing with the garter, their eyes locked.
'You like it, don't you?', Niles whispered.
'Yeah', the hand on his back went up his spine, and CC enjoyed his shiver, 'But you don't have to refer to yourself as it, Slave'.
Her words surprised both of them.
CC didn't expect to suggest she liked Niles, and by his face, he hadn't expected it, either.
However, that was exactly what she had just said.
What should she do, now?
Take it back? No reason to do it. I don't need to hide I somehow… appreciate him.
Dismiss it as a stupid joke? We're too close and intimate right now for it.
Change the subject? The subject was him going away soon versus how good it feels to have him here. There's no way I can just stop mentioning it.
'As you wish, Mistress', Niles broke the silence in a soothing voice, 'I daresay it's been a pleasure being at the mercy of such a generous creature', he raised a brow, 'Who could guess there would be mercy hidden in your frozen heart?'
He spoke and pecked her lips, giving lightness to the moment.
Relieved, CC smirked, 'Don't delude yourself, Slave. I have no mercy for the ones under me'.
'I have no qualms about being under…', he smiled that crooked smile, '…as long as it is you on top'.
Dominated by that uncontrollable fire, CC took Niles' lips with hers and pushed him on his back, so she could straddle him and feel his leather-clothed center rub against her panties.
Soon even the panties and jockstrap were too much, and she took them out of the way.
She needed to feel him against her.
Yes, she knew he had to go, and that he would probably not get hard so soon after what they did in the shower, but she needed the contact.
Niles was the sexiest man alive when he acted like that – witty, charming, generous. He could turn the tables at any moment, as he had done so many times through the years, but he had decided to give her power to do whatever she wanted with him.
It aroused her as nothing else had ever done, and she couldn't help but seize any opportunity to have it again.
'Are you my Prince Charming?', he asked in a rough voice, when their lips separated a bit.
'Because I'm trying to wake something up with kisses?'
'Uhum'.
'I prefer to think I'm the witch'.
'You're right', he nibbled at her neck, 'So full of tricks…'.
She went to her side and pulled him with her, 'I wish I were so powerful', she put a leg over his hip, 'I'd keep you forever'.
'You're powerful enough to keep me here for as long as you wish', he kissed her neck, 'I'm so charmed I'm enjoying my staying in the underworld'.
'Poor baby!', she moaned, 'Should I compensate for taking you away from the obligations you usually don't accomplish?', she caressed the curve of his shoulder, 'Erase that. I didn't intend to question the thing that keeps you in shape'.
'You mean witch hunting?'
'I mean pretending to work'.
He groaned, grabbing her hip, 'When you see my sexy moves with the floor polisher the last thing on your mind will be mockery'.
'Call me next time you use it, then', she grabbed his hair in response, lying on her back and directing him to her breasts.
'Really?', he took the hint, going down.
'Yes. I'll watch you and touch myself'.
His hand reached her middle, and he sucked one breast gently, as she liked, 'It sounds nice… Even if someone may see us…'
'Why so worried?', she moved her hips, aroused by his lips and the fingers that were already exploring her, 'You do so little the press would come over to register when you decide to work?'
He let go of her and went up again, to be face to face, 'I meant the polisher may be noisy'.
'Well, I certainly wouldn't know'.
She spoke and crossed her ankles behind him.
He glared at her, 'So much for not mocking domestic- Ouch!'
CC had bit Niles' lower lip to cut him off, and would have laughed at him if his hardness hadn't suddenly twitched against her center, making that jump in size she adored to witness.
'You're an evil woman', he mumbled, passing his tongue on the offended lip and adjusting himself between her thighs.
'Oh, come here', she raised her head enough to lick his hurt lip, and ended licking some tongue, too, 'Now I'm a woman?'
He kept the fake annoyance, 'I plead temporary insanity related to the injury you just caused me'.
She scoffed, caressing his cheek, 'You're lucky being a woman and a witch gives me special powers. I can cure your lip, if you wish me to'.
'Well, I'm your slave'.
'Does it mean you have no wishes?'
'It means I'll cherish any thing you decide to do for me', he saw her beaming and added, 'May I choose the way I'll be cured?'
'There's other way besides my magic lips?'
'It depends on which lips you're referring to', he rubbed his growing hardness on her, 'Will you give me some of that magic potion you have down there? It may even get me ready for anything else you wish from me, Mistress'.
'Dear, wasn't that the worst pick-up line?', she laughed.
'Is it a no?'
'Of course not', she smiled, 'You're always welcome'.
xxx
Well, he had kind of asked her to rub herself on his face.
The memories of last night made her feel hot, and CC seized the Ottawa's sun as an excuse to open the first button of her shirt.
To change the focus from sensual memories of her adored slave, she turned on the radio.
Music always put her on the mood for important things, in life. It was not a coincidence she had looked for work in Broadway: she looked for a business-oriented career, but she wanted it to be related to Art, and particularly to music, one of her biggest passions.
Niles was part of her musical memory for a lot of reasons, since forever: he had a melodious speaking voice, with a charming accent; he liked to sing, and could do it very well; he was a great dancer, as she had witnessed when he escorted her to parties, in the night of the awards she won and when she saw him dancing in his underwear.
(In fact, she could not listen to Our love is here to stay or Old time rock and roll without a foolish smile on her face.)
So, her plan made all the sense: some music would distract her from thoughts of Niles and how much she missed him until the damn writer arrived.
Soon she found some random station playing some random song she supposed was a success in Canada and, finding it quite acceptable, relaxed, leaving the mind to wander.
The sun felt good on her skin.
The park across the street had beautiful shades of green.
The scent of coffee surrounded her.
Every now and then, someone walked down the street.
CC knew for a fact Niles adored the sun – they had at least one memorable vacation spent kind of together in a tropical paradise as evidence – and that place was perfect to lounge.
So, that was what she would do.
Just sit there and wait, not thinking of anything in particular.
Niles would love it, there.
He tended to be lazy while she couldn't help being hardworking, and that was one of the aspects of their personalities that complemented each other. She needed someone who could make her stop now and then, and he had been totally capable of it – through zingers and pranks, before, and just being accessible to her desire, now. It did her good.
And she could put him in motion, if necessary – what did him good. He would stay as the bitter servant forever if no one challenged him, and she enjoyed being the one who affected him to the point he had to get out of his comfort zone.
It's my gain that I keep him in motion, she chuckled to herself, because he is very good with his moves.
Finding out they complemented each other in bed had been the icing on the cake of their relationship: CC had fantasized about Niles enjoying being dominated – every time he provoked her it seemed to be an invitation for her to make him shut up. However, a lifetime of having her heated advances and bold sexual ideas rejected made her suspicious of those thoughts. It was not possible that a man so full of himself, who fought her exactly because she tried to put him down reminding him of his lower stance in life, would enjoy being submissive in bed.
When she started planning slave time, she was certain she would be able to teach Niles to do what she liked and enjoy it himself at least a bit, but she just counted on their chemistry. She supposed having sex would be so intense for them (dancing and kissing had been already intense) that surrendering to desire would be easier than resisting to any kinky ideas, and intended to get advantage of that to convince him.
However, he was a natural, and accepted everything since the beginning.
More than that: it seemed he had been wishing to be her slave for a long time.
The previous song ended and the radio station started playing another one.
CC had to deal with a fit of laughter.
That's all I wanted
Something special, something sacred
In your eyes
Father Figure was a sexy song but, well, it was kind of funny to relate it to her Niles. Of course, he was older than her – and she always liked older men – and theoretically was the perfect father figure in their relationship, being witty, cultured and refined. However, he had pestered her in the most infuriating and childish ways for almost a decade; since they had started slave time, things changed, and he turned into charming and boyish, was always available to her desires and all right with her being dominant.
It meant she was a lot more of a father figure, in this context, than him.
Again, it was funny.
And sexy as hell.
For just one moment
To be bold and naked
At your side
She pressed her lips to not laugh at her thinking of sex positions while George Michael crooned about being bold and naked.
Sometimes I think that you'll never
Understand me
Maybe this time is forever
Say it can be…
CC pursed her lips: they had a deep understating of each other, but there was no sense in thinking in terms of forever, between them. Their arrangement was delicious, but it could end any moment. She kind of expected it to be broken the moment Maxwell found out about Niles' debt, for example, what was not impossible to happen, once she had paid a gangster for his silence, and those types were not exactly known for loosing opportunities to blackmail people.
(Of course, being her who she was, she could scare anyone away easily. Still, it wouldn't be of any gain to her if her business partner had the slightest suspicion on their secret.
Intense things can mess with your head. She was wishing slave time would never end, and still she couldn't stop reminding herself it could happen.)
Even if their situation would not last forever, CC couldn't deny they had developed a kind of dependence. She didn't know for sure why Niles had cried when they said their goodbyes, but she supposed it was for the same reason she had: because it felt too damn good to have someone to be so affectionate with, and none of them was used to that. Both had been lonely and brushed aside for a good part of their lives, and suddenly they realized they had each other.
It was like finding a river after a long drought: you throw yourself at it head first, you want to take as much water as possible, and suddenly you're so into it you could drown happily.
I will be your father figure
I have had enough of crime
I will be the one who loves you
'Til the end of time
CC frowned and changed the radio station, bothered.
She could accept she was the father figure in her relationship with Niles; she could admit being with him made her leave behind the need to chase rich and boring men for the sake of society; she could admit she cherished her moments with someone who, regardless of his station in life, amazed her with charm and intelligence and had attracted her attention for years.
However, mentioning the L-word was too much.
Her coffee arrived.
She found another radio station playing music.
When I get home, babe, gonna light your fire
All day I've been thinkin' about you, babe
You're my one desire
With those images she could deal.
She wanted Niles' hands and lips and fingers on her. She wanted to touch him and kiss him and lick him. His body gave her ideas. His eyes put her in a trance.
She needed to get back to New York and see him before this day ended, or she would go crazy.
Gonna wrap my arms around you
Hold you close to me
Oh, babe I wanna taste your lips
I wanna fill your fantasy, yeah...
Just two days of being intimate, but the time they spent together was so intense the time they spent apart made them relive the time spent together and crave for the end of the time apart, so they had the next time together.
This business trip could be just a nuisance, but CC decided to see it as an opportunity, showing Niles his support was important to her. She knew he was an emotional person, and it played on her favor that he knew she cared for him. The most he understood she treasured him, the least he would want to get away from her arms.
So, it all had started because of lust, but the truth was that-
I love you
(Hey!, CC frowned at the lyrics.)
I need you
(CC tilted her head. Niles had said that in her ear, and it sounded wonderful in his voice…)
Oh, babe
I wanna kiss you all over
And over again
I wanna kiss you all over
'Till the night closes in
CC sighed and started looking for another radio station. No sense in listening to a song that made her have such uncomfortable thoughts.
She was thinking of Niles even more than she already did before slave time. And now the thoughts of him filled her heart in a brand new way: it was nice – not the need to foresee any traps he could be setting for her.
She had thought what she had for Maxwell or Chandler had been the ultimate desire, but she now she knew how wrong she had been: this thing with Niles was bigger than everything she had ever known. It had started with her fantasies, but he was authorized to speak his mind – what had been pure genius, on her part, by the way – and he gave her ideas and told her what he wanted, and soon his desires added to their intimacy.
She had no idea what was fueling something so intense.
She suspected life would be miserable if she lost it.
CC closed her eyes, taken by the memories of Niles' fingers and lips on her skin, his face showing his pleasure at her taste and feel, the way his breathing halted when she did something unexpected, and how he relaxed at the small kisses and caresses she used to remind him he was safe with her.
The power she had over him was exhilarating, and she didn't even think of using it to humiliate or hurt. It was a lot better to use it to make both of them happy, even if it made it seem like there was no real difference in power, between them.
Aren't those blurred lines something dangerous?
Don't ask me
What you know is true
(Yeah, CC nodded to herself, That's how you do a great song: getting rid of the nonsense!)
Don't have to tell you
I love your precious heart
(Damn, CC groaned, Must every song mention the l-word?! What's the problem with lyricists and their attachment to old clichés?!)
I
I was standing
You were there
Two worlds collided
And they could never tear us apart
To be sincere, there was some truth to that thing of two worlds colliding: she had noticed Niles the moment he opened the door for her so many years ago, even if she soon realized he was the butler, suppressed any interest and focused on her interview with Maxwell Sheffield, who she intended to be her boss and, if everything went right, her business partner, in a few years.
However, Niles didn't accept her attitude towards him. Maybe he had himself in high regard, maybe he was attracted to her, maybe he wanted a hobby – as he had mentioned in that fateful night when he got her with guards down and they bickered until they kissed –, but the fact was he started doing everything to stand in her way.
He wanted to be seen, since their first encounter.
Well, he managed. She could never be indifferent to him.
I told you
That we could fly
'cause we all have wings
But some of us
Don't know why
(Uhm, she conceded, Here we have some poetry.)
After years knowing how creative and bold Niles could be with words, sex with him had been a pleasant surprise. Fortunately, he was not the type who bragged about what he could do, just to back off at any unexpected move; on the contrary – he started hesitant and insecure but, the moment he realized he could trust her, he turned into the most easy-going partner ever.
It was like both of them had wings, but just with each other they felt safe enough to unfold them and fly.
(Wow. And now I'm getting corny.)
The blonde changed the radio station again. She didn't need any sexy and romantic song about bodies colliding and never getting apart when she was in a different country and missed someone so badly.
She looked for something to listen to for a while, until she heard some chords that made her stop.
She knew that opening, but couldn't fully recognize it, yet.
CC closed her eyes and breathed deeply, enjoying the beat and the sensation that she would remember it at any moment.
Finally, the lyrics began.
Tell her I'll be waiting
In the usual place
With the tired and weary
And there's no escape
She still didn't remember which song it was, but she could relate with the words: she wanted to see a certain person again, in their usual place (the plans she had for him in her giant bed were just not more exciting than the sex toys she intended to use on him) and the world seemed empty and cold when that person was not around.
The song mentioned a she, and CC wondered if Niles was as anxious to see her as she was to see him.
Would he relate to those lyrics, too?
Did he feel like life had lost much of its appeal when she was not near?
Was he thinking of her and feeling a strange knot in his throat at the distance between them?
Probably, the answer was a huge YES!, once they had been increasingly close and tender.
They had even cried when they said their goodbyes.
To need a woman
You've got to know
How the strong get weak
And the rich, poor
The song seemed to have been made for them: it spoke of the inversion of roles, of different stations in life, of accepting you can't stay the same if you want something different, of the surprising belonging which develops when someone is-
Slave to love
(No, no, no!)
'Excuse me, Miss Babcock?'
CC opened her eyes, startled by a voice.
It was the playwriter, who had arrived and was looking at her as if she had grown a second head.
(She must have been really an intriguing image, facepalming and groaning some negatives, a cup of coffee forgotten on the table before her, headphones and sunglasses on, under the Ottawa's sun.
'Are you feeling well?', the man asked, worried.
CC took off her headphones and glasses, got up, squared her shoulders and extended a hand for a firm handshake, 'I'll be as soon as we have this solved and both of us can be back where we want to be'.
xxx
A deep sense of relief washed over CC Babcock when the plane took off.
She was finally going home.
Mission accomplished, she was free to go back to New York, to brag about the deal she closed and extract an apology from her business partner, and then to celebrate in the arms of the man who made her happy.
Wasn't it the strangest thing that the man to whom she wanted to brag and the one who made her happy were not the same?
Wasn't it good that she didn't need a man's approval, by the way?
And that all she wanted was Niles' presence?
Niles, whose clever mind fascinated her…
Niles, whose witty humor thrilled her…
Niles, whose skilled hands aroused her…
Niles, whose talented tongue did magic to her…
Niles, whose deep blue eyes moved her…
Niles…
CC picked the offered headphones. It was time for a distraction.
She deserved it.
However, the memory of the last time she had turned to music for comfort, just that afternoon, came to her.
She looked at the headphones suspiciously.
Oh, well, it had been a once in a lifetime thing.
There was no way random songs would all speak to her heart like that again.
'CC Babcock and heart in the same sentence?', a familiar British voice spoke in her mind, 'Is it news on cannibalism?'
She rolled her eyes. It seemed she didn't need his teasing – she was completely capable to insult herself, now, and using his sexy voice.
Decided to stop the nonsense, CC put the phones on.
She was going home.
She had succeeded in her mission.
Everything would be fine.
The song currently playing was reaching the chorus.
Slave to love
(No, no, no!)
Fate must have decided to mock her.
There was no way she was in love.
Love was an artificial notion spread by the media to convince people there are such things as your other half or the one for you.
For starters, she didn't need another half. She was a whole person.
A whole person who often felt proud of her accomplishments, overjoyed at her successes and confident in her own competence.
A whole person who just happened to reach previously unknown climaxes of happiness when Niles was there to witness her glory and celebrate it with her.
Dear God, I'm spontaneously associating Niles with climaxes…
So, ok, he was not her other half, but he made her more aware of her own qualities and quirks, what made her feel alive. She could accept that.
But surely the one for her would not be Niles, the butler, her declared nemesis.
Even if he was the best partner in bed, could provide great companionship, made her feel effortlessly special and seemed to fit in her life – and, well, in her – as if they were meant to be.
CC's eyes went wide.
As if we were meant to be.
She gave up.
There was no sense in resisting to the notion that they were involved, and that it felt damn right.
She sighed and closed her eyes, relaxing in the seat, If you can't fight them…
Slave to love
Na na na na
Slave to love
I can't escape
I'm a slave to love