As I've said before, I don't own them, though I certainly wish I did, but , I'm not "that" creative. They all belong to T. Harris.
My thanks to all the wonderful folks who encouraged me to go on: DrandMrsLecter, LoT, Ducki, Marcus Aurelius, Cristina, Steel, Guber, Deoceres, RivanKnight, Hanniballover, and all of you that kindly read it and liked it.
I hope you like this one.
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Exchanges X
Who goes first?
Prior to his incarceration, Dr. Hannibal Lecter had marginal relationships with several women. He escorted them, dinned them and bedded them. Talked to them about light subjects and kept the semblance of a relationship. But they meant little to him aside from the sex and the social nuances. He'd never let them in his life.
What he felt for Clarice was entirely different. She filled the emotional void left inside him by the death of his sister Mischa. Nothing he ever attained or accomplished, had any significance compared to the ultimate fulfillment of having Starling with him. The adult Hannibal felt for Clarice, the same loving fascination that his six year old self had felt for his Mischa. And thus, with that emptiness inside him once again occupied, Hannibal Lecter felt some semblance of peace.
The Dr also believed that his behavior at the Chesapeake, when he clumsily –and uncharacteristically- asked her if she would ever ask him to stop, had been a monumental faux pax, only faintly excusable by his desperate need of her and his haste to reveal the depth of his commitment by making such unique offer, hoping against any logical hope that she would recognize his plight and follow him.
He had almost ruined everything then, and was not about to make the same mistake again.
He was fully aware of how fiercely he wanted her, and admitted, reluctantly, that he was a bit in awe of her. Hence, planned to be very careful as to how and when to make his move.
In his heart of hearts he fantasized about her making a move on him instead.
"Anything else I've ever done was easier than this," he said to himself with the proper astonishment befitting a monster in love.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Clarice got off the bathtub, applied some of the wonderful lotions he left for her in the bathroom, toweled her hair dry and decided to explore the closet and chests of drawers. She wondered wickedly if he had bought her sexy underwear.
She found tailored pants and thin wool sweaters. Silk Blouses, wonderful soft cashmere pants and tops, lovely dresses with deep cleavages and a few skits. Even a pair of jeans, a few T shirts and a nice soft turtleneck she knew would be one of her favorites.
There was also a wide variety of shoes, from Timberland penny loafers to sexy sandals, and even "pumps" and running shoes.
There were silk scarves and belts and a Gucci shoulder bag.
She picked a cashmere set, a lovely scarf to add color to her face, and a comfortable pair of penny loafers.
Placing the whole outfit on the bed, she opened a few drawers where she found luxurious underwear. She chose a matching bra and panties set, and felt comfortable with the entire choice.
Her hair never needed much attention and she tied it on a pony tail, reflecting how odd she felt as a blond.
Aside from the embarrassing incident of the nightmare, she felt pretty good about herself and was ready to start what she hoped was a new life with no reservations and a positive outlook.
After the events of the previous day, she was mighty certain of his feelings for her, and she already knew hers for him.
On the one hand she was hoping he would come on to her and on the other hand she was wondering if it was not too soon.
"Too soon for what?, you idiot," she asked herself. "Too soon after a wait of more than 8 year ?…"
Pondering the possibilities, she made her way down the stairs, "following the smell" that lead her to the kitchen.
She paused at the door, quietly taking it all in. He was wearing beige pants and a light blue shirt, he was tanned and trim and his hair seemed darker in contrast with the shirt. He was one of the best looking men she'd seen.
Clarice blinked to chase away the fantasy of him just taking her in his arms and ravaging her. Then urged herself to stop, wondered if he could smell her excitement; and immediately decided he probably did. She hoped he did, dam it!, maybe then he'd so something about it!
"Hello, Clarice," said the man with eyes on the back of his head , "ready for breakfast?".
He turned, and they locked eyes again, the mutual attraction so powerful that it seemed the air around them was charged and would crackle if they moved. She smiled and said "Yes, sir, thank you, I sure am!. In fact I'm starving".
Picking up the carafe of coffee from the table, she poured herself a cup.
"You look lovely as a blond, Clarice, if I might say so".
"I hope everything is to your satisfaction, we could go shopping if there is anything else you might need".
"No shopping, thank you" she grinned, adding meaningfully "Everything I could possible need is right here".
More seriously now, she said, "After breakfast, however, I would like to take a look at those two cell phones, if nothing else for my peace of mind". Then added, "have you watched the news?, have they found the bodies yet?"
"The news didn't mention any findings as of yet" he answered, "the crime rate in Switzerland is very low, when they do find them, it will create quite a stir. We wont miss it."
"I did turn off their the phones, soon after you feel sleep, Clarice. Just in case they would find the bodies and someone, somewhere might want to trace the whereabouts of the two phones, should that be possible".
"Possible, but not likely," said Clarice.
She thanked him as he placed on the table a basked of bread and what appeared to be fresh butter. He then brought their two plates, each with a fluffy cheese omelet garnished with parsley.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After breakfast they checked the call history on the cell phones. The two men seemed to have used them mostly to communicate with one another. One of the memos they found stored in Eric's phone seemed to indicated they were planning to kill Clarice during Lecter's "arrest", make it appear as if the Dr. did it, and then kill him as well. Nice and easy and all wrapped up .
"Interesting," was all she said, privately pleased to see the corruption of her former colleagues further exposed.
Then, for the first time, Clarice reached out for his hand. "How about a walk to show me around the property?" she asked smiling.
They walked and talked about art and Europe, and he mentioned his ethnic background, his family, his baby sister Mischa, and his beloved grandmother. She talked about the orphanage, and they both discussed solitude and growing up emotionally isolated.
They walked towards the lake and he showed her the small boat, docked to the deck of the property and pointed to the magnificent view. She suggested that they could, perhaps have a picnic here, and he was obviously pleased by her suggestion. Then, a little bashful, she mentioned to him she had always wanted to fish, and wondered if it was permitted to fish in Lake Lucerne. He didn't know but said he'd check.
Time seemed to fly and it was soon early afternoon.
"We could head back to the house now, if you wish," suggested the Dr. "maybe a light lunch, some of the delicious local cheeses and rustic bread, and then a tour of the house?"
On their way back to the house he stopped to remove a large shopping bag from the trunk of the car.
"I had purchased some additional creams and lotions for you" he declared, handing her the bag "and never managed to get them out of the trunk"
She thanked him , practically diving inside the bag. As they entered the house, she excused herself to go and "refresh". Carrying her bag upstairs with her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
She washed her face and hands and applied one of the lotions, the smell of which she found particularly appealing. Still rubbing the cream on her hands she came down the stairs, this time following the music from the harpsichord. She approached him slowly, and stood behind him wondering if she'd dare rest her hand on his shoulders.
When she did, he stopped playing, turned around, slowly; and as he did, her hands fell from his shoulders and he captured them with his own
His eyes locked into hers as he whispered. "Uhmm, you smell delicious, Clarice, good enough to eat!". He paused meaningfully for a second , his eyes like coals, burning into the very core of her. "Do you have any idea how much I would like to eat you, Clarice?"
Her long repressed heat, unleashed now like a tidal wave, her hunger for him fully reflected in her eyes and he caught it and held his breath in anticipation, as she urged, with a throaty voice that astounded them both, "Show me…please…show me how much. Show me now, Hannibal"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next is the "sexy" one, folks, so it might take me a little longer than most to get it right. AND I will have to upgrade the rating to R….no point holding anything back!
In the meantime, please let me know how you like it.
Clariz
