TITLE- HER KIND OF TOWN.
AUTHOR- garrettelliot.
DISCLAIMER- BOO HOO. Please Tim oh please can I have them. Okay, can I just have Garret? Pretty please. Hello, is this thing on.
SUMMARY- Garret and Sarah share drinks and Billie Holliday. Office pool, what office pool?
A/N Okay so it isn't just fluff. Honest when I started this I had no idea it was going to turn angsty on me.
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Sarah was staring out the window of her office, her back to the door when Garret stepped in.
"Sarah?" She didn't respond. "Sarah?" Garret realized she was crying. He moved across to her, "Sarah?" He touched her shoulder.
"Sorry, Garret, did you need something?" She wiped her eyes.
"I was going to invite you to join us at the Pogue, but it looks like you could use a quiet drink instead."
"Yeah, quiet would be great." She tried to mimic her usual bright smile, "How 'bout now?"
"Sarah, what's wrong? He hasn't called again has he?"
She shook her head and tapped the paper on her desk, "Final decree, funny I was all ready to celebrate and then it hit me. I was such a fool."
"For what?" Garrett asked softly, "Leaving?"
"No! Gods no, leaving was the smartest thing I've done in years. The foolish thing was marrying Harrison. I wasted fifteen years with a man who only knew how to control. I wish the girl I was could have chosen smarter. No one should live with abuse, Garrett. Being beaten not only scars the body it scars the soul. It drains you of joy and hope like nothing else can. I guess I'm crying for that girl who threw all that joy and hope away by saying 'I do' to the wrong man."
"You still have a lot of joy to give, Sarah. No one in this office can walk away from you without a smile. Even Jordan and Jordan usually only smiles when she's up to something guaranteed to give me a headache."
Sarah smiled faintly. "I was all set to go home and sit in the dark with some Billy Holliday. But company sounds good and it'll keep me from getting drunk. You know, I think the boss frowns on hangovers." She smiled a bit more like her normal self. "So how 'bout we have that drink at my place. I'll whip up some omelets and you can handle the salad."
"Sounds like a plan, let me grab my coat."
As they reached his car, Sarah turned, " We need to stop somewhere, all I have is scotch."
"Single or blended." Garrett said with interest.
"Spoken like a true connoisseur. Glenfidditch, twenty years old." She smiled.
"Something else we have in common I see, Glenfidditch and Lady Day. Dr. Mathews, I could come to like you a lot." Garrett chuckled.
"Gosh, you're easy to please, boss." She smiled mysteriously.
"What's the smile about?" Garret asked. "You look like Jordan, planning something."
"You'll just have to wait and see, Dr. Macy." Sarah grinned at him.
SARAH'S APARTMENT
"You wield a mean omelet pan, Doc." Garrett took a drink of coffee.
"Why thank ya, suh, but evr'y good Southern girl learns to cook from her mama, it's the way to a man's heart."
Garrett nearly choked on his coffee laughing. "Dammit. You just love to pull that Memphis belle routine on me, don't you?"
"Actually, I just think you look cute in coffee." She flashed him with a million watt smile.
"I never did get the stain out of that coat, you know. You owe me one."
"Take it out of my pay, sugah." Sarah drawled and started to clear the table.
Garrett stood and followed her to the kitchen with the coffee cups. After he handed them to her, she stood swaying to the melody of 'I'm A Fool To Want You'.
"I hate to listen to this music and not dance, come on." She took his hand, pulling him back to the living room. They danced to several songs, first slow then fast, moving in perfect time as if they'd been dancing together for years. They stopped to have a drink and as another slow song came on, Garrett took her in his arms and they began to move again.
"Gods, it's been so long since I danced." Sarah smiled.
"It's been awhile for me too."
Sarah looked up into his eyes, "Just like riding a bike, you never forget how."
Suddenly she leaned up and brushed her lips across his mouth. "Been awhile for that too." She murmured.
"Sarah." He breathed her name like a prayer in church. Then he pulled back a little as if remembering who they were. She stared at him with soft, knowing green eyes.
"Shh" She moved closer, lips nearly touching his, " No questions, no consequences, nothing but this, here, tonight." Her hand trailed up his chest, beginning to undo the buttons on his shirt, leading him toward her bedroom.
"Sarah I, I don't think.." Garret wasn't sure about the timing of this, but it seemed Sarah wasn't going to ask what he thought.
"Don't." She interrupted, "Don't think. Just be. I'm a big girl, Garrett. I'm not on the rebound. My marriage was over years ago. This is something I've wanted ever since I first saw you. I've spent most of my adult life quashing my impulses. But tonight I want to be impulsive and damn the consequences. Consider it making up for wasted time."
"What time? Your marriage?" He raised an eyebrow.
"No, every moment since we met that I haven't spent kissing you. You know I've thought about it at least once a day." She stretched up on her toes to kiss him again, but he beat her to it, slowly plundering her mouth, gliding his tongue between her parted lips and meeting hers. She held on to his shoulders and surrendered to the subtle duel. Reveling in the smoky whiskey taste of his mouth, she pulled back slightly and whispered against his lips.
"Whoa, that's way more intoxicating than the scotch."
As they stood beside her bed the parry and thrust of tongues gave way to a now me-now you dance of buttons and fingers, they slowly discovered each other. Hands and lips lingering over newly exposed skin, testing control and learning contours. When he slid her shirt off her shoulders, Garrett smiled as he discovered a rose tattoo just above her right breast. The ribbon around the stem proclaimed, 'Rowdy Southern Belle, ready for love.'
"Nice, and I thought 'flower of the South' was just an expression. Is this a warning label or a mission statement?"
"Just a little separation gift to myself, to remind me that life is fun."
"Got any more?"
"That would be telling. Besides I wouldn't dream of spoiling your search for knowledge." Her fingers grazed his abs as she reached for his belt. "Do you have any?" She threw the belt over her shoulder and slid down the zipper.
"I never reveal intimate details." The last word came out in a hiss as she brushed her hand up the front of his trousers.
"Well, hello!" Sarah gave a throaty laugh and slid his boxers and pants toward the floor. "And welcome to the party, honey."
Garrett captured her hands and pulled her close. "Come here, my turn." He slid the zipper of her skirt down and let it fall to the floor revealing a red lace thong. "I may never be able to think straight in a staff meeting with you again. I'll be too busy picturing this."
"Oh, I think we can work out some other things for you to picture." Sarah stretched up and began kissing the skin just below his ear.
While her teeth nibbled his neck, Garrett slid his hands under her thong and slowly drew it down her legs. As he reached behind her to unhook her bra and toss it away, he looked into her eyes. "I've been wanting to do something ever since I met you." He hands came up to her hair and pulled out the pins holding it up. He gasped as the cascade of black curls fell to her knees. "My god, if I'd seen this down before, I don't think I'd have been able to keep my hands out of it." His hands plunged into her hair and drew her toward him for another slow, deep kiss. Sarah clung to him trying to catch her breath.
"I really should tell you something." She blushed and looked away.
"What is it?" Garrett sounded concerned.
"I haven't, uhm, I only, uh.." Her voice faltered away to nothing.
"Come on, out with it." Garrett said lifting her chin, so he could look in her eyes.
"Do you remember what I told you at the diner, about being a virgin on my wedding night? Well there hasn't been anyone since the divorce. I'm not sure I know how to act." Sarah said, dropping her head to hide her blush against his chest.
"Well, you seem to have the preliminaries down." Garrett pulled her close and smiled into her hair. "You're not turning shy on me, are you?"
"Just embarrassed at the confession. Besides," she quipped, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, "shy has never been a word to describe me." With that last, Sarah grabbed him and pulled him down for another kiss. As her hands slid down his back, tracing the muscles, Garrett lifted her up in his arms.
"Ooh, a macho man. Ah am quite at your mercy, suh. Do you intend to ravish li'l ole me?"
"Frankly, Scarlet, hell yes." Garrett laid her down on the bed and stretched out next to her, trailing his hand up her stomach. She shivered at the feeling of his fingers tracing light touches across her skin. He dropped kisses across her collarbone, as her fingers played with the soft hair on his chest. When his hand touched her breast she froze.
"Sarah?" Garret drew his hand back. "Are you okay?"
She breathed deeply and put his hand on her breast. "I'll be fine, I just forgot who I was with for a second."
"We don't have to do this if you're uncomfortable. Maybe we should give this a little more time."
"Garret, if you stop now I may explode." She smiled the same mysterious way that she had in the parking lot.
"You had this in mind all along didn't you?"
"Let's just say I had hopes. Now shut up and kiss me." . . . Afterward as Garret held her Sarah whispered. "Thank you."
Understanding exactly what she meant, Garret kissed her. "You're welcome."
NEXT MORNING
Garrett woke to the sound of Sarah singing in the shower. "God she's a morning person, just kill me now." He pulled a pillow over his head and dozed back off, suddenly it was snatched away and a green-eyed temptress was hovering over him.
"Hey, stud if you want coffee, better rise and shine. My decrepit old coffeemaker only stays hot for fifteen minutes."
"Morning." He croaked.
"Ooh, that's no mood to greet the day in." Sarah leaned over and gave him a kiss that would get a rise out of dead man, her hair falling around them like a curtain. Garrett tried to pull her down but she danced back.
"Sorry, babe, but in one hour, your staff will be ready for morning briefing. Do you want to do said briefing in the same clothes you wore yesterday, or stop at your place and change on the way to work?"
"I'd like a shower, but I've got clothes at the office." Garrett caught her hand and pulled her down despite her protests. "Unless you'd rather no one know, just yet?"
"If it's not going to cause problems at work. I don't care who knows." She smiled at him. "I'd tell the whole world. I haven't gotten up in the mood to sing since college."
Sarah snuggled up close to Garrett and kissed him again. "But we'd better get going or I'm going to be late and I'd hate for the boss to jump me for it. Oh wait, you already did that last night. Jumped me, I mean."
"Hey, lady you made the first move, I tried to back out," He lightly ran a hand down her back, smiling at the shiver he caused.
"Well at least you ran slow enough for me to catch you." She nibbled his neck then jumped up. "Move it, bud." She ran out of the bedroom laughing.
M.E.'S OFFICE
In the elevator at the office Garrett leaned over for a quick kiss. Sarah nipped his lip softly then smoothed the slight sting with her tongue.
"Oh God, tonight is too far in the future. Think anyone would notice if we snuck back out of here." He took her hand.
" I think Jordan would, she almost mopes when you aren't around to torment." The car stopped at their floor and they dropped each other's hands. They stepped out of the elevator just in time to run into Jordan.
"Morning guys, we missed you two at the Pogue last night."
"Morning Jordan." Garret smiled.
"Wait a minute, dour boss who never smiles before lunch is grinning. And there is lipstick on your mouth, Garret. Could be I smells me a romance?" Sarah and Garret just smiled.
"Hot dog, today's the fifth. I won the pool."
"Wait a minute, there's an office pool about Garret and I! Since when?"
"Oh 'bout three days after you got here."
"How much?" Sarah asked trying not to laugh.
"Last I checked it was twenty-five for when and twenty-five for where. So where?"
"My place, you prurient wench." Sarah grinned.
"All right, that's two hundred bucks. I'm taking you guys out to dinner, my treat."
The other elevator door opened and Nigel, Bug and Lily got off.
"Pay up, guys. I won, on both counts." Jordan grinned.
"Rotten luck, couldn't you two have waited till Friday in the back room at the Pogue?" At Garrett's raised eyebrow, Nigel said, "Don't blame me, it was the only place left. They took all the good ones." Nigel smiled as he; Bug and Lily forked over fifty each to Jordan.
"Alright people, if we are quite through settling bets on my love life, we've got a briefing in ten minutes." Garret tried to look disgruntled but couldn't quite pull it off.
"Oh lighten up, sour puss." Sarah stretched up and kissed him, at which point all thought of looking grumpy completely left his mind and his arms came up around Sarah, picking her up off the floor.
"You go girl!' Jordan hooted, while the others applauded.
Garret let her gently back down, "Briefing people, conference room in eight." He walked off to his office, smiling.
"You know, I'm completely devastated, luv. I wanted you for myself." Nigel hugged her. "Congratulations, ducks, I knew you get him."
"You'll get over me someday, darlin'." Sarah smiled up at Nigel and walked off to her office, humming.
"Oh gods, they're going to be cute and nauseating, I just know it." Jordan groaned. "Well at least no more pissy Garrett, he gets so anal when he's not getting any."
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A/N- There will probably be more to this. I'm just waiting for my muse to get back from vacation.