Ok first off, I'd just like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has encouraged ;) me to post this chapter. I've had some wonderful feedback and I am so grateful (and wouldn't say 'no' to more like it ;) ). I realise this chapter has taken a long time and I'm sorry for that - but thank you for your patience.
Previously:
After her breathing slowed Catherine started laughing at the strange events that had just taken place between her and her boss, and lifted herself off the floor. Something caught her eye.
"Oh my God."
Grissom looked at her, then to what she was staring at. His face turned into one of pure shock.
Chapter 11 - Down Boy... Have Patience
May 8th - 9:05pm
Hotel Room
"Good evening, Sir, Madam."
The hotel manager's pristine English accent broke the long, awkward silence that had, at that moment, encompassed the hotel room. He was stood a metre into the room with three of what appeared to be room service workers, in a huddled bunch behind him.
"Is everything ok here?" he asked, embarrassed. He had a feeling they were not strewn about on the floor because they had been attacked, although their appearance was perfectly capable of supporting the opinion that they could have been.
The hotel manager had received a call from one of the guests in the room adjacent to Grissom and Catherine's, explaining how they had heard loud bangs coming from their neighbouring room. The manager and three of his workers had left their current situations that had occupied their time, to investigate. Outside the hotel room door the loud bangs could still be heard coming from Grissom and Catherine's room. The manager concluded that it was possible that three teenagers, who had been caught vandalising the hotel before, were back. He had knocked gently a few times, but hearing no answer he carefully, slowly and silently lifted the key to the lock. Just as he had opened the door, the banging had stopped, and the sight that met his eyes was... well... it was surprising.
The contrast between this English gentleman and Grissom and Catherine could not be more opposing. His body was extraordinarily stiff and he stood facing them with his hands behind his back in a polished suit and a refined hairstyle. Catherine and Grissom on the other hand, had clothing protruding out at all angles with buttons still undone; which both attempted to hide... with great difficulty. Their hair made them look like they had walked backwards through a bush and their faces were glowing, both from the embarrassment of the uncomfortable situation, and from the heat they had created by their rampage around the room.
Grissom stood up.
"Everything is fine, thank you."
"Very good, sir." He paused and looked uncomfortable. Obviously the couple in front of him had not realised quite how their 'bangs' had affected the room. He needed to continue. "Am I to assume that you will be wanting a bill for the door?" he asked politely.
"The door?" Grissom was confused
"Yes, sir. The door."
"Again... the door?" Grissom said, sincerely having absolutely no idea what the man in front of him was talking about.
His questions were answered when the hotel manager moved aside and watched as Grissom and Catherine saw a huge long crack running down the hotel room door. Grissom just stared at it in shock, whereas Catherine let out a short, surprised laugh. She was finding this hilarious. From seeing the crack in the door she remembered the red marks she had noticed on her back in the mirror in the bathroom, and was extremely grateful the dress she was about to put on did not have a drooping back. Her mind flashed back to Grissom's wild passion. The fire in his eyes, the way he wanted her, needed her. Her breathing became heavy as she remembered the explosions that his every touch sent through her body. Grissom's words brought her out of her intoxicating reverie.
"Uh... we will pay for it. I apologise," Grissom said awkwardly, but relaxing slightly as he saw a glimmer of a smile appear on the manager's face. He could tell he was trying hard to suppress his laughter.
"Thank you, sir. And if you would gather your luggage together, I am sure we could find another room for you until the door has been worked on. I will send some of my employees to escort you to your new room in thirty minutes. Good evening, sir, madam."
He turned to walk out but Grissom called him back.
"We will be perfectly happy to say here until we go out for the evening. It would save you having to find another room. We'll be leaving very soon."
"Very good, sir, if you are sure. I hope you and your wife have a pleasant stay here. I shall fix the bill for your door. You are part of the reunion party, am I correct?"
"Yes." Grissom confirmed.
"Well then, the door shall be fixed by the time you return from the event. Good evening."
He was about to leave the room when he said,
"I did knock, sir. A few times. You must not have heard me." He smiled openly this time towards the couple and then exited the room, followed by his eager pack.
Grissom turned to Catherine; his eyes wide open in disbelief at the event that had just occurred. She laughed at him and said,
"Well then, my sugar plum of a husband, where were we?"
"Somewhere in between splitting the door in half and being on our way to making the floor fall through."
Catherine smiled at his embarrassment and that fast loss of the passion he had earlier shown. She walked towards him but kept her distance.
"Maybe it was a good thing he came in."
Grissom was surprised at her comment; she had been encouraging their behaviour all day and now she was regretting it? She continued,
"I mean look at the time... we're going to be late."
Grissom breathed easy, and Catherine noticed his tense body relax. If it was hard for them to stop now, what will happen when they take even just one step over the Vegas boarder?
10:05pm
Grissom was in his neatly pressed tuxedo pacing the floor of the hotel room, occasionally staring towards the long crack in the hotel door in wonder. Catherine had been in the bathroom for almost an hour and, glancing at his watch every five minutes, Grissom's nerves became almost unbearable.
The bathroom door clicked and opened, and out emerged, what Grissom could only describe as Catherine, enduring her usual radiating angelic beauty. The light from the bathroom was illuminating her figure. She was breathtaking. Her dress's thin material shimmered a pale blue, nipping in at her waist then splendidly floating down to the floor, with very close to inappropriately high slits on both sides of her legs and three thin straps on either shoulder holding it up. After Grissom looked her up and down at least three times, taking in her overload of beauty which caused him to hold his mouth open and utter nothing but silent awe, his eyes met hers. However, they were then quickly caught by something else.
"You have power on you nose, Catherine," he told her neutrally, but his face said it all. She looked beautiful.
"Well... thank you, Gil. You look lovely too," Catherine shot back mockingly, amused by Grissom's inability to compliment her right now, and moved to a mirror.
"Right, well shall we go? I think it'll take about fifteen minutes to walk and-"
"Walk? We're not walking, Grissom. Have you seen the size of my heels?"
"Oh. Ok. Well then may I escort you to the car, my dear?"
"Certainly." Catherine smiled at Grissom's playfulness; she had always liked this side of him, but she could still see his nerves jabbing at his skin.
Catherine moved gracefully passed him towards the door. The large splintered crack was a constant and very embarrassing reminder to Catherine of what was going on in the room just moments before.
As Catherine was level with Grissom, she felt his arm slide over her stomach to stop her going any further. Still sideways on, he leaned into her and whisper softly,
"I'm sorry. You look exquisite."
His fingers were gently brushing her waist and her eyes fluttered shut as she felt his breath warm her cheek. The pressure of his arm around her increased, and he brought her round to stand in front of him. Her eyes opened and met with his and a thousand emotions flowed like rivers between them. The current of passion was the strongest. Slow was never fast enough for either of them. Their eyes suddenly lit with fire causing their lips to fuse together. Catherine's thoughts broke through the mist that was at that moment engulfing her mind and she pulled back, feeling Grissom's arousal move a little more into the physical world. She smiled up at him as she heard him say,
" 'In every man's heart there is a secret nerve that answers to the vibrations of beauty.' "
"Down boy. You'll have to save this beauty for later. Let's go."
May 8th - 10:15pm
La Curaith
The tasteful, sparkling display of the name of the hotel loomed up in front of the couple in the SUV. La Curaith was a stunning sight. Catherine and Grissom were both relieved to find people still entering the double doors, so they did not feel too tardy and impolite.
Catherine stepped out of the vehicle and walked towards the entrance, but suddenly became aware that she was alone. She turned, seeing Grissom looking at her from inside the SUV.
"You coming?" She mouthed, concerned.
Grissom opened the door and slipped out of his seat to the ground.
"I'll be in in a minute," he told her. He wanted to delay his entrance after Catherine's by as much as possible. He knew the people inside would judge her straight away, and not in a positive way.
"Ok. I'll see you at the bar?" she asked him, thinking she understood his reason for delaying. Catherine was aware of how little Grissom was looking forwards to this night. He wanted time alone to collect himself.
At Grissom's nod she spun on her heel, almost toppling over as she did so, because she was not used to the length and narrowness of her heels. She could feel Grissom smirk towards her back at her lack of balance but didn't turn back. She collected herself and in a second was lost through the doors.
Grissom breathed deeply and clicked the switch to turn on the radio for some soothing music. All he heard were long low, fuzzy buzzing sounds as he flicked through all the channels. Wondering at what the hell had happened to his radio, he angrily clicked it back off and his hand moved towards the glove compartment, thinking of the only thing that could calm his nerves at this moment. Opening it, he stopped at the photo. Picking it up Grissom admired it lovingly; the moment had been gracefully and beautifully captured. He really should frame it and keep it in his office. Catherine would like that. Grissom's eyes then flashed a glance to the envelope that had rested underneath the photo. He picked it up and placed it in his jacket pocket. He was ready.
10:30pm
As Catherine walked in to the main hall of La Curaith, she was captivated by the elegant decor of the single room. At the far end there was a raised platform and a DJ playing music that reminded her of her early days at school. Three marble pillars on each side led the way down the hall and women in elegant dresses, often with handsome men, were winding their way around them to greet one another. At the opposite end there was a large bar, occupied only by a few men. Catherine noticed that there were side rooms along the hall leading off to other bars crowded with people.
She had placed herself at the almost empty bar; seated in such a way as to allow her to see the entrance doors through the mirror behind the bar.
Noticing his figure walk up to her Catherine didn't turn. The image in the mirror was not clear, but she knew who it was.
"Catherine?"
Hearing the vaguely familiar voice rumble softly through her ears, she turned and was presented with an overwhelming vision. Her words caught in her throat.
"Can I get you a drink?"
* * * * *
Feedback would be gratefully appreciated as usual. Right, I'll crack on with the rest of the story ;) ~ Cath
Previously:
After her breathing slowed Catherine started laughing at the strange events that had just taken place between her and her boss, and lifted herself off the floor. Something caught her eye.
"Oh my God."
Grissom looked at her, then to what she was staring at. His face turned into one of pure shock.
Chapter 11 - Down Boy... Have Patience
May 8th - 9:05pm
Hotel Room
"Good evening, Sir, Madam."
The hotel manager's pristine English accent broke the long, awkward silence that had, at that moment, encompassed the hotel room. He was stood a metre into the room with three of what appeared to be room service workers, in a huddled bunch behind him.
"Is everything ok here?" he asked, embarrassed. He had a feeling they were not strewn about on the floor because they had been attacked, although their appearance was perfectly capable of supporting the opinion that they could have been.
The hotel manager had received a call from one of the guests in the room adjacent to Grissom and Catherine's, explaining how they had heard loud bangs coming from their neighbouring room. The manager and three of his workers had left their current situations that had occupied their time, to investigate. Outside the hotel room door the loud bangs could still be heard coming from Grissom and Catherine's room. The manager concluded that it was possible that three teenagers, who had been caught vandalising the hotel before, were back. He had knocked gently a few times, but hearing no answer he carefully, slowly and silently lifted the key to the lock. Just as he had opened the door, the banging had stopped, and the sight that met his eyes was... well... it was surprising.
The contrast between this English gentleman and Grissom and Catherine could not be more opposing. His body was extraordinarily stiff and he stood facing them with his hands behind his back in a polished suit and a refined hairstyle. Catherine and Grissom on the other hand, had clothing protruding out at all angles with buttons still undone; which both attempted to hide... with great difficulty. Their hair made them look like they had walked backwards through a bush and their faces were glowing, both from the embarrassment of the uncomfortable situation, and from the heat they had created by their rampage around the room.
Grissom stood up.
"Everything is fine, thank you."
"Very good, sir." He paused and looked uncomfortable. Obviously the couple in front of him had not realised quite how their 'bangs' had affected the room. He needed to continue. "Am I to assume that you will be wanting a bill for the door?" he asked politely.
"The door?" Grissom was confused
"Yes, sir. The door."
"Again... the door?" Grissom said, sincerely having absolutely no idea what the man in front of him was talking about.
His questions were answered when the hotel manager moved aside and watched as Grissom and Catherine saw a huge long crack running down the hotel room door. Grissom just stared at it in shock, whereas Catherine let out a short, surprised laugh. She was finding this hilarious. From seeing the crack in the door she remembered the red marks she had noticed on her back in the mirror in the bathroom, and was extremely grateful the dress she was about to put on did not have a drooping back. Her mind flashed back to Grissom's wild passion. The fire in his eyes, the way he wanted her, needed her. Her breathing became heavy as she remembered the explosions that his every touch sent through her body. Grissom's words brought her out of her intoxicating reverie.
"Uh... we will pay for it. I apologise," Grissom said awkwardly, but relaxing slightly as he saw a glimmer of a smile appear on the manager's face. He could tell he was trying hard to suppress his laughter.
"Thank you, sir. And if you would gather your luggage together, I am sure we could find another room for you until the door has been worked on. I will send some of my employees to escort you to your new room in thirty minutes. Good evening, sir, madam."
He turned to walk out but Grissom called him back.
"We will be perfectly happy to say here until we go out for the evening. It would save you having to find another room. We'll be leaving very soon."
"Very good, sir, if you are sure. I hope you and your wife have a pleasant stay here. I shall fix the bill for your door. You are part of the reunion party, am I correct?"
"Yes." Grissom confirmed.
"Well then, the door shall be fixed by the time you return from the event. Good evening."
He was about to leave the room when he said,
"I did knock, sir. A few times. You must not have heard me." He smiled openly this time towards the couple and then exited the room, followed by his eager pack.
Grissom turned to Catherine; his eyes wide open in disbelief at the event that had just occurred. She laughed at him and said,
"Well then, my sugar plum of a husband, where were we?"
"Somewhere in between splitting the door in half and being on our way to making the floor fall through."
Catherine smiled at his embarrassment and that fast loss of the passion he had earlier shown. She walked towards him but kept her distance.
"Maybe it was a good thing he came in."
Grissom was surprised at her comment; she had been encouraging their behaviour all day and now she was regretting it? She continued,
"I mean look at the time... we're going to be late."
Grissom breathed easy, and Catherine noticed his tense body relax. If it was hard for them to stop now, what will happen when they take even just one step over the Vegas boarder?
10:05pm
Grissom was in his neatly pressed tuxedo pacing the floor of the hotel room, occasionally staring towards the long crack in the hotel door in wonder. Catherine had been in the bathroom for almost an hour and, glancing at his watch every five minutes, Grissom's nerves became almost unbearable.
The bathroom door clicked and opened, and out emerged, what Grissom could only describe as Catherine, enduring her usual radiating angelic beauty. The light from the bathroom was illuminating her figure. She was breathtaking. Her dress's thin material shimmered a pale blue, nipping in at her waist then splendidly floating down to the floor, with very close to inappropriately high slits on both sides of her legs and three thin straps on either shoulder holding it up. After Grissom looked her up and down at least three times, taking in her overload of beauty which caused him to hold his mouth open and utter nothing but silent awe, his eyes met hers. However, they were then quickly caught by something else.
"You have power on you nose, Catherine," he told her neutrally, but his face said it all. She looked beautiful.
"Well... thank you, Gil. You look lovely too," Catherine shot back mockingly, amused by Grissom's inability to compliment her right now, and moved to a mirror.
"Right, well shall we go? I think it'll take about fifteen minutes to walk and-"
"Walk? We're not walking, Grissom. Have you seen the size of my heels?"
"Oh. Ok. Well then may I escort you to the car, my dear?"
"Certainly." Catherine smiled at Grissom's playfulness; she had always liked this side of him, but she could still see his nerves jabbing at his skin.
Catherine moved gracefully passed him towards the door. The large splintered crack was a constant and very embarrassing reminder to Catherine of what was going on in the room just moments before.
As Catherine was level with Grissom, she felt his arm slide over her stomach to stop her going any further. Still sideways on, he leaned into her and whisper softly,
"I'm sorry. You look exquisite."
His fingers were gently brushing her waist and her eyes fluttered shut as she felt his breath warm her cheek. The pressure of his arm around her increased, and he brought her round to stand in front of him. Her eyes opened and met with his and a thousand emotions flowed like rivers between them. The current of passion was the strongest. Slow was never fast enough for either of them. Their eyes suddenly lit with fire causing their lips to fuse together. Catherine's thoughts broke through the mist that was at that moment engulfing her mind and she pulled back, feeling Grissom's arousal move a little more into the physical world. She smiled up at him as she heard him say,
" 'In every man's heart there is a secret nerve that answers to the vibrations of beauty.' "
"Down boy. You'll have to save this beauty for later. Let's go."
May 8th - 10:15pm
La Curaith
The tasteful, sparkling display of the name of the hotel loomed up in front of the couple in the SUV. La Curaith was a stunning sight. Catherine and Grissom were both relieved to find people still entering the double doors, so they did not feel too tardy and impolite.
Catherine stepped out of the vehicle and walked towards the entrance, but suddenly became aware that she was alone. She turned, seeing Grissom looking at her from inside the SUV.
"You coming?" She mouthed, concerned.
Grissom opened the door and slipped out of his seat to the ground.
"I'll be in in a minute," he told her. He wanted to delay his entrance after Catherine's by as much as possible. He knew the people inside would judge her straight away, and not in a positive way.
"Ok. I'll see you at the bar?" she asked him, thinking she understood his reason for delaying. Catherine was aware of how little Grissom was looking forwards to this night. He wanted time alone to collect himself.
At Grissom's nod she spun on her heel, almost toppling over as she did so, because she was not used to the length and narrowness of her heels. She could feel Grissom smirk towards her back at her lack of balance but didn't turn back. She collected herself and in a second was lost through the doors.
Grissom breathed deeply and clicked the switch to turn on the radio for some soothing music. All he heard were long low, fuzzy buzzing sounds as he flicked through all the channels. Wondering at what the hell had happened to his radio, he angrily clicked it back off and his hand moved towards the glove compartment, thinking of the only thing that could calm his nerves at this moment. Opening it, he stopped at the photo. Picking it up Grissom admired it lovingly; the moment had been gracefully and beautifully captured. He really should frame it and keep it in his office. Catherine would like that. Grissom's eyes then flashed a glance to the envelope that had rested underneath the photo. He picked it up and placed it in his jacket pocket. He was ready.
10:30pm
As Catherine walked in to the main hall of La Curaith, she was captivated by the elegant decor of the single room. At the far end there was a raised platform and a DJ playing music that reminded her of her early days at school. Three marble pillars on each side led the way down the hall and women in elegant dresses, often with handsome men, were winding their way around them to greet one another. At the opposite end there was a large bar, occupied only by a few men. Catherine noticed that there were side rooms along the hall leading off to other bars crowded with people.
She had placed herself at the almost empty bar; seated in such a way as to allow her to see the entrance doors through the mirror behind the bar.
Noticing his figure walk up to her Catherine didn't turn. The image in the mirror was not clear, but she knew who it was.
"Catherine?"
Hearing the vaguely familiar voice rumble softly through her ears, she turned and was presented with an overwhelming vision. Her words caught in her throat.
"Can I get you a drink?"
* * * * *
Feedback would be gratefully appreciated as usual. Right, I'll crack on with the rest of the story ;) ~ Cath