AS2.06: Paper Caper by Star24
Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters are property and copyright Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron and Charles Eglee. This original story is copyright 2003 Star24.
Chapter Two
An Exclusive Restaurant, Seattle High Rise District
Small lights in the shape of tiny lanterns gleamed in the middle of elegantly set tables. The walls of the restaurant were paneled in rich mahogany, burnished to a soft glow. Expensive paintings were displayed at carefully spaced intervals. The ambiance was one that spoke of money and power. The tables were set far enough apart to provide privacy for their occupants' conversations, and flawlessly garbed waiters discreetly handled their every need.
At a table set in a secluded corner, a well dressed man dined with an attractive woman. He looked to be in his early forties with a touch of gray in his dark hair. She was younger by at least ten years. Her clothing and jewelry was expensive, of a quality not normally seen in Seattle.
"Are you sure you can deliver the manuscript?" He asked as he expertly swirled pasta around the tines of his fork.
"I know I can." The woman answered. Her food was almost untouched on her plate, and she appeared nervous.
"I need it this week." He paused and picked up his delicate wine glass in long fingers.
The woman watched in seeming fascination as he sipped the wine and set down the glass. "I said you'll have it."
He gave her a long look. "I certainly hope so. It would be a shame if I had to make certain disclosures."
His voice carried a tone of warning. She stared at him as he reached over and ran a finger down her neck, stopping only when he reached the beginning of the cleavage that was revealed by her neckline. "Finish your dinner. I only have an hour before I need to be at another meeting, and I'm looking forward to enjoying it with you in a more private setting."
She made no move to pick up her utensils and he raised an eyebrow at her. "No?" When she didn't answer he signaled to a waiter. "We're finished here. Put this on my account." He rose and pulled her chair out so she could stand, then placed an arm around her shoulders and led her from the restaurant to a waiting limousine.
A uniformed chauffeur held the car door open and handed the woman inside. The man followed her. The chauffeur closed them in, walked around the car, and climbed behind the wheel.
"Take us to the Steinlitz." The man ordered and then he reached over and pulled the woman to him.
Fogle TowersDinner had been delicious, but Max had hardly noticed. Instead she had been caught up in watching Logan.
She watched his elegant fingers as they curled around the handles of his cutlery, and she thought of those same fingers moving over her body. He slipped the food into his mouth and she thought about feeling those lips moving on hers, about the smoky dark taste of his mouth when he had kissed her earlier. She had eaten almost mechanically, pushed by a need to fuel her body, rather than by a real desire to linger over the meal. Thoughts of what the rest of the night was to bring swirled in her head, even as she tried to make small talk with Logan over the meal.
Logan was keenly aware that Max was watching him intently. Their eyes met more than once during the meal and it was all he could do to continue eating. He wanted to drop his fork onto his plate and call an end to it. Watching her chew and swallow her food sent his thoughts racing in the direction of the other uses he wanted to put those sweet lips to after they finished their meal. Somehow he managed to maintain an outward calm until they finished their food.
Finally they were done. Max stood and reached down to pick up her plate and take it into the kitchen.
"Leave it." Logan said softly, holding out a hand for her.
Max reached for him and their hands clasped. They stood there like that for a moment, facing each other as their eyes met and silent messages raced between them. After a moment, Logan tugged gently on Max's hand. Instead of leading her down the hallway to his bedroom, as she halfway expected, he pulled her into the living room and down onto the couch, next to him.
He dropped an arm around her shoulders and leaned in to claim her lips. Max sighed. He could feel the tension that he had detected in her throughout the meal begin to dissipate. Her hands came up around his neck and he tightened his arms around her and pulled her closer to him as he deepened their kiss.
When he raised his head he smiled. "I love you, Max." He said it easily, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
She smiled back shyly, "I love you too." She was amazed at how simple it was to say the words.
They kissed once again, their hands becoming bolder as they grew used to the new ease between them. When he broke the kiss, Logan said, "I can't believe we're really here, like this. I've wanted this forever. Wanted you forever."
"Me too." Her voice was soft, lacking her usual sarcastic edge.
They kissed again. Logan's hands slipped under her sweater, sliding gently over the smooth skin of her back. When they pulled apart, Max reached down and grasped the hem of her top. She pulled it up and over her head, and tossed it onto the floor.
"You're beautiful." Logan whispered, almost reverently, as his finger lightly traced a path along the edges of her white lace bra. "Maybe we should take this to the bedroom?"
"I thought you'd never ask." Max smiled at him as he rose. She got gracefully to her feet. Hand in hand, they began to walk toward his bedroom.
End of Chapter Two
