CC ran from Niles, and she made it all the way to the stairway before he caught her around the waist. "Not so fast."
A small shriek escaped from her mouth, and she covered it giggling with anticipation as he turned her around.
He pulled her close. "You're going to wake the kid."
"Is that what you wanted to tell me? Thanks." She turned toward the stairs again.
"Wait a minute." He caught her again. "Did you think you could say something like that and get away?"
She giggled deeply. "I thought with your advanced age you were going to need a moment to recover."
He pulled her in for a kiss so quickly she barely had time to breathe. The next moments were another blur, with his hands exploring slowly under the shirt she was wearing. His fingertips were ever so gently gliding over the very tips of her.
In the next instant the two of them were splayed across the bottom stairs with her hands running across the smooth skin of his back as he worked on her body in an insatiable fury until they peaked.
He leaned over her murmuring in her ear and his body slowed after the explosion in her mind. She opened her eyes hazily to find his. He leaned over her and planted a kiss on her lips before he grinned and then abruptly drove himself deeper and picked up the pace causing her to dig her nails into his shoulders.
Readjusting to the over-the-top sensation, she pulled him closer breathlessly. "Don't stop." They caught a second wave, a third, maybe more, until they finally became still, except for the act of trying to regain their breath.
He'd been holding his weight on the stair above her head, and he slowly picked himself up to look at her and cocked an eyebrow. "What was it you were saying about me needing a moment to recover?"
She bucked her hips at him, and his eyes shut briefly.
"You win." He grabbed her hand and slowly rolled onto the steps on his back and closed his eyes again, still catching his breath. She rolled sideways eyeing him like a new toy.
She let go of his hand and ran her fingers along his disheveled hair pushing it down, then she let her fingers coast down his neck and over his shoulder causing him to wince.
She sat up and they both examined the spot where she'd dug her nails into him.
"Oops." She grinned and pulled the shirt she'd been wearing down over her hips.
"The pleasure was all mine." Niles sat up and put his pants on for the second time while still seated next to her.
Looking at the marks reminded her about Shay. She'd forgotten all about whatever was or wasn't going on between Niles and the interloper. "I guess you're going to have to explain that, or just keep your shirt on?"
Niles cocked his head back. "Explain it to who?" He smiled. "Unlike you, Mr. Sheffield manages to let me work with my shirt on."
She laughed and hit him. "I meant your girlfriend, you twit."
He stared at her for a long moment before speaking. "I don't have a girlfriend." A smile crept over his face, and he lowered his voice. "And you thought I did. Babcock, shame on you, you immoral harlot."
"I was referring to Shay. You know, the woman hanging on your arm today?"
"We weren't that serious this time." He shook his head.
"Well, someone should have told her." CC laughed then covered her eyes with her hand. "Oh no. I forgot about your work as the town gigolo the last 6 months. I'm not going to need a shot, am I?"
"Come on, I wasn't that bad." He nudged her with an elbow.
"Wait a minute, something is off here, Niles. This afternoon, Shay seemed pretty sure the two of you were going to get married someday."
"Well, she's obviously changed her mind. She asked for a break on her way out the door."
"I see." The twinge in CC's stomach may have meant that she didn't want to know. She stood up. "Any hors d' oeuvres left?"
He stood up and grabbed her hand and led her to the kitchen. "Babs, if you weren't born rich, you would have starved to death by now."
She blinked her eyes. "Would you just do your job and serve."
Niles stopped and gave her an arched eyebrow. "Why not? You didn't seem to mind the first four times."
Underneath her laugh, his stare made her shudder. Then perhaps there was one of their classic standoffs where she glared, or maybe he was glaring, or maybe they just gravitated together. But either way, it ended in a clash, just like it did earlier.
There was the feel of the cold island counter on her backside as she was hastily placed upon it. There were glimpses of his chest and his hungry mouth as it dug into hers. The feel of him standing between her legs. The excitement of pulling him closer like she did during their passionate kiss in the Sheffield living room. Then there was the knowledge that this kiss was even better.
CC woke to the sound of the doorbell. She tried to focus with her eyes still bleary from the night before. On the nightstand next to her was a plate with a few crumbs, two champagne flutes and the remnants of the champagne bottle they'd uncorked.
She shut her eyes at the pain in her head and groaned looking at the remnants of her midnight snack with the dustbuster. It was slowly coming back to her. After their kitchen tryst, Niles had brought their snacks upstairs so they could take a shower before bed, but somehow, they ended up in the same shower, then in his bed, before passing out exhausted. She moved again feeling the weight of his hand on he waist.
The doorbell rang again. Now in the morning light everything seemed…sooo… now what? She didn't really get a chance to consider it, because the doorbell rang again more insistently.
"Niles?" It wasn't like him to be off his game. She glanced behind her where he slept heavily just above her shoulder.
He woke with a start and looked at her groggily. "Babcock?"
"You did remember I was here, didn't you?"
"Of, course." He nodded slowly. The hand that was on her waist pulled at her slowly their bodies imperceptibly moved toward each other before he removed it. "How could I forget." He smiled softly but seemed a bit off kilter.
The doorbell rang again. "Niles, you're the butler. Soo-'"
He nodded his head groggily. "Buttle. Got it."
She let her head fall back down as he got up and put on his robe complaining, "Who could this be at such an ungodly hour?"
"Send them away. -And bring back aspirin." She groaned again, as he left the room.
She heard the faint sound of voices, and then the front door slammed. She snuggled into her pillow before the sound of footsteps running up the stairs then quickly approaching made her open her eyes. Niles appeared in the doorway holding his robe. "Babcock, It's the social worker!"
"Social worker!?" She sat up holding her head and the sheet to her chest simultaneously. "Babcocks don't deal with social workers."
"She said she has to do a home check before we can officially adopt Sophie. So, until you get this straightened out, today you do. Now hurry up, wash up and get dressed and turn into the impeccable park avenue snob you've always been. You reek of alcohol."
"Like you don't."
Niles had been rushing around the room grabbing a shirt and pants, and he changed as he spoke. He walked to the Door and held the frame. "And for god's sake get rid of those champagne glasses!"
CC slid to the edge of the bed. "Where am I supposed to put them?
'I don't care. Just hide them."
'Ugh!" She stiffened but it hurt her head. She pulled on her robe and went to the nightstand gathering the champagne and midnight snack mess, then popped her head out to the hall where she heard Niles downstairs talking to the social worker. She backed up into the room and went to the bathroom looking around. She finally spotted the clothes hamper, and dropped the plate, the wine flutes, and the empty champagne bottle in. She grabbed Niles' shirt from the counter and covered the dishes with clothes.
As she straightened up the room and changed, she heard Sophie babbling on the baby monitor. She finished up the room and quickly walked down the hall to Sophie's room. She could hear Niles keeping the social worker busy on her way.
Once CC had Sophie ready, she carried her down the stairs to where Niles was just putting a dish of freshly made eggs Benedict on the table for the social worker.
She carried Sophie into the kitchen where Niles introduced her to the social worker. "Mrs. Greene, this is Miss CC Babcock, and our goddaughter, Sophie."
The social worker nodded at CC. "It's Nice to meet you. Niles has been keeping me entertained with his culinary skills."
CC glanced at him smiling. "Yes, Niles has a vast amount of experience in the kitchen." She glanced at their spot on the counter.
He smirked and took the tray off Sophie's highchair motioning for CC to deposit Sophie in the chair. Once they finished, he brought CC a few aspirin and some juice. "Your morning vitamins Miss Babcock."
Mrs. Greene squinted at their almost giddy energy and gestured to the empty chairs. "Please sit."
Niles served Sophie and brought another two plates to the table setting one in front of CC and then himself.
Mrs. Greene began. "So, this is supposed to be a very perfunctory visit. I'll check the house, make sure there are no glaring safety hazards, etc., and then we'll have a few more visits at any time day or night. Finally, I'll sign off on the adoption.
CC nodded as patiently as possible because she had no use for dull government bureaucracy. "Of course. As you can see, Niles has years of domestic experience managing a house and children, not to mention being an excellent cook."
Niles glanced at her. "Thank you, Babs."
CC smiled back. "You're welcome. But I mean it."
"Yes." Mrs. Greene leaned over the table. "But there is only one thing troubling me."
Shoulder to shoulder, Niles and CC snuck looks at each other, before answering. "What?"
It seems obvious to me that the two of you have engaged in a physical relationship rather recently.
Their faces fell. "Oh?"
"It's concerning because in the event of a breakup, this will provide an unstable environment for the child. "
They looked at each other and CC instantly objected. "-I don't see how-"
Niles interrupted before looking back at Mrs. Greene. "What CC is trying to say, is that we don't foresee such a problem. If there are any disagreements, we will handle them as logically and maturely as we always have."
CC gritted her teeth and looked at Mrs. Greene. "Uh- right."
The social worker packed up her files and put them away. "Please see that you do. I want nothing more than to sign off on this adoption, but neither of you have children of your own before and these situations are often complicated by…entanglements."
She finished her inspection, thanked Niles for the breakfast and before leaving, she turned at the front door. "You're not going to be driving Sophie anytime soon, are you?"
They both looked at each other and then shook their heads.
"Ok, I don't know if it was cooking sherry from Niles' kitchen, but I'm pretty sure I caught the scent of alcohol in the air." Then she whispered, "Actually, I'm sure I did. Please call a cab if you go anywhere today."
They both nodded before Niles closed the door and then leaned back against it with a sigh of relief. He pushed off the door. "So, we're calling a car today then?"
CC looked down at Sophie and bounced the giggling baby on her hip after dodging a wet hand headed for her face. "If we want to keep her."
—
Later that morning, strapped with a diaper bag, Niles opened the front door of the Sheffield mansion for CC with one arm and held Sophie in the other. CC handed her coat to Niles and exchanged it for Sophie.
Nanny fine came bounding down the stairs talking in rapid fire. "Oh my god! I've missed you two. Max has been having me read scripts, which I've had to hand off to Gracie, so now she's exhausted, the dry cleaner has messed up all of Maxwell's dry cleaning, and if I have to order Fung Lum one more time -"
"Nanny Fine, please…" CC walked to the office with Sophie in tow, as Niles finished putting away the coats.
"Oh Sophie! Hi little girl!" Fran gushed and reached her arms out for the baby.
CC gave her to Fran. "When you're done, deposit her in the kitchen with the husky butler boy."
Without breaking stride, Niles met her eyes with his bedroom blues as a small smile played on his lips. He turned backwards toward the dining room door and popped it open with his elbow. He winked then turned walking through it.
CC bit her lips to keep from smiling and pulled down her jacket heading for the office.
"CC!" Fran's mouth hung open and she followed her into the office with the baby. She held one hand over the baby's ear and held her to her chest whispering, "You had sex with Niles!"
CC set her briefcase down and moved behind Maxwell's unoccupied desk. "Don't be ridiculous." She grabbed a handful of files and leaned over the desk straightening them and tapping them into order vertically on the desk.
The nanny went to the doorway and handed the baby off to one of the female Sheffield children walking by. "Sweetie, bring her to Niles." CC waved to Sophie and the child giggled before leaving.
Fran shut the door again and turned back with her hands over her chest gushing, "Aww, you finally admitted that you love each other?"
CC looked up quickly. "No." Then she sat in Maxwell's chair. Some part of her urged her to come clean. She crossed her arms and tapped one finger on her arm before responding. "If we hypothetically did have a few, shall we say incidents last night. It wouldn't be so unusual if we didn't say something like that, would it?"
Fran slowly sat across from her on the outside corner of the desk. "For the two of you? Yes."
"It all just sort of happened. Then there was no time to think or talk about anything this morning." CC was staring down at the desk before looking at Fran again "Hypothetically, of course."
"Of course. I mean who has time for feelings with a baby in the house." Fran stood. "I think you should tell him how you feel."
"I feel like he's a damn good lay. -Again, hypothetically speaking."
Fran laughed. "Ok, honey. I hope you figure it out soon. But I am happy for you."
CC smiled as Fran left. But the conversation left a foreboding feeling in her stomach. She took a deep breath as glimpses of last night flashed through her mind causing her to shiver. It gave her a yen to experience it all over again.
Surely, Nanny Fine could babysit as she and Niles ran an errand together this afternoon. She shook her head and tried to get back to her work. She dropped the pen she'd been holding and stood up. Maybe she could just pop into the kitchen for a little tea.
