She had meant to kick him out. Actually, she had planned on it. When morning came though, all her plans fell through. Her hand had wormed its way up under his shirt and she could feel the coarse hair underneath it. His skin was hot beneath her fingers and itched to drag her nails down his chest. Her leg was slung up over his hips, with his hand lightly holding it in place. Meredith felt something poking into her thigh and it was then she knew she wasn't kicking him out.

That was something she was good at. Ignoring a man's needs first thing in the morning. Normally, she'd throw their clothes at them and deliver her trademark shower speech, but there was something that drew her to this man. Maybe it had been the pain in his eyes the night before or the fact that he seemed to be as lonely as she was. Whatever it was, she had every intention of taking advantage of this situation. After all, what woman in their right mind would throw this man out?

Hoping to wake him, she shifted slightly moving her leg slightly and her hand edging further up into his shirt. His free hand came to slip down to her side where her shirt had risen up and rested on the bare skin, thumb rubbing over it gently. She tilted her head up to place a kiss on the line of his jaw. He grunted and turned his head towards her. Meredith couldn't help but smile a bit. Resuming her task of waking him up she planted soft wet kisses everywhere around lips before he finally stirred. He didn't open his eyes, merely found her mouth with his own. What started out soft and sensual quickly escalated into hot and passionate. Hands fumbled to remove clothing.

Meredith loved his hands. They were soft, but certain in their task. His hands trailed down her bare back and she shivered. He definitely had the touch that was for sure. She made quick work of the rest of their clothes before he pulled her beneath him. After that, it was hard for her to form any kind of thought, let alone one that made any sense. She gave herself over to the ecstasy she was feeling and let it bed.

After they had exhausted the bedroom, she had led him into the shower, unable to make him leave just yet. She marveled at the way that their bodies fit together just right, like they were made for each other. The way he sighed against her neck and the way he held her up against the shower wall like she weighed nothing at all. Oh yes, this was by far the most amazing sex she'd had. Briefly, she wondered what it would be like to hear her name spill from those lips that she wasn't able to get enough of. She pushed the thought back, realizing that maybe she just liked the anonymity of this situation.

When it was over, they were both grinning ridiculously. They didn't speak as they dressed, nor when she was walking him downstairs to her door. She expected this to be awkward, but was relieved to find it wasn't. He opened the door and she leaned against the frame, hands behind her back. If she touched him, she wasn't sure she'd allow him to leave. She might just keep him locked up in her house as her very own personal sex slave.

" So I guess this is good-bye, " Meredith smiled at him. He just looked her up and down and stepped into her personal space. She looked up at him and before she knew it, his mouth was on hers again. This definitely wasn't a good-bye kiss. No, she realized that this kiss was the promise of something more.

" I'd say it's more like a 'see you later, " Tall, Dark and Handsome winked at her as he headed down the walkway.

She stared after him long after he got into his car and disappeared from her view.

Derek Shepherd was in a ridiculously good mood all day. Everyone noticed it, including Richard. He commented on it to his neurosurgeon, but Derek kept tight-lipped about it, preferring to keep his tiny little blonde to himself. The board was quiet all day and he was relieved when he could finally get away from the hospital. There was some kind of mixer for the hospital staff tonight, but he skipped out, not really wanting to be around large groups of people. There was only one person he really wanted to be around.

It amazed him just how quickly he found his thoughts turning to the woman whose name he didn't even know. Derek was a sensible guy and sensible guys didn't keep having anonymous sex with women whose name they did not know. No matter how great the sex was. He felt his body react to just the thought of her. He told himself the next time he saw her, he would have to find out her name. Or at the very least tell her his own. She hadn't asked, so he hadn't volunteered the information. He had tried to keep her from his thoughts all morning, but he hadn't been very successful. Oh, if the woman knew the power she held over him.

It was no coincidence that he found himself sitting at the bar of Emerald City again tonight. It was pretty empty, with most of the hospital staff deciding to go to the mixer or busy covering for the people who had gone. He wondered if she knew that this was the bar that most of the staff chose to hang out in or if she had merely found it by accident. Most women came in bars like this hoping to score a rich doctor. She didn't strike him as the type though. Besides, she couldn't work at the hospital or he would have seen her around by now. Maybe she had a relative or a friend who was a patient at Seattle Grace.

It didn't take her very long to show and when she did he couldn't keep his eyes off her. She was dressed in a slinky black halter dress that dipped down low in the front and dainty black sandal heels. She was gorgeous, which he realized sounded stupid. After all, he'd seen the woman naked more than once, but damn she looked good in that dress. Jealousy surged up in him when he saw the few men in the bar also checking her out. He pushed it down and tried to quell it. He'd slept with her a few times, but that didn't mean anything. Hell, he didn't even know her name.

She came to stand beside him at the bar and he saw Joe smile at her before pushing her usual drink across the bar to her. She accepted it with a smile and quiet thanks. Her eyes ticked over to him and he smiled at her.

" Nice dress, " he commented.

" Thanks. I had to go to some stupid function for work. It was boring, so I bailed, " she replied as she downed her shot.

" Well, I hate that you were bored, but I think I got the better end of the deal, " Derek inwardly cringed at his own words. Way to go, loser.

He felt her hand creep up his thigh and he swallowed. Hard.

" I'd say I'm in much better company now, " her hand was steadily creeping higher up his leg and suddenly he felt like he was teenager again. He cleared his throat and stilled her wandering hand. She pouted and it took everything he had in him to keep some kind of self-control. She didn't pull her hand away as he expected, just left it resting comfortably under his.

" So, I've seen you naked quite a few times now, but I feel like I'm missing a very important piece of information, " Derek smirked at her.

" Oh? What piece of information is that, " she asked innocently and he knew she was toying with him.

" Well, knowing what name I should be saying later on this evening would be nice, " he leered at her. He watched the blush creep up her cheeks and he pondered briefly if he said the wrong thing.

" So, buy me another drink and maybe I'll tell you, " she recovered quickly and he laughed. He beckoned Joe over and motioned to his little temptress beside him. Joe nodded and went about pouring her next shot. She downed it like she was drinking water and he was amazed once again by how she could drink that stuff.

" I'm Derek, by the way, " he told her and thought about offering her his hand, but that seemed a little ridiculous at this point.

" Hmm. Derek. I like it. Suits you, " his companion raked her eyes over him.

" Thanks. I think. You going to tell me what your name is, " he asked, hoping his voice didn't sound too desperate. He'd been dying to put a name to this face he couldn't seem to keep off his mind.

" I might, " she responded coyly as Joe walked back over to them.

" Meredith. She's Meredith, " Joe tossed in, catching the tail end of the conversation.

She looked at him, slightly annoyed and Joe just ginned at her.

" Spoil my fun," Meredith told him.

Joe merely laughed.

" Okay, since I spoiled your fun, your drinks are on the house tonight, " he told her as he put a clean shot glass down in front of her, followed by a bottle of tequila.

Derek watched her perk up. Meredith. Somehow it fit her. It wasn't anything ridiculously girly like Tiffany or Jennifer. It was just an ordinary name, but when he tried it out on his tongue it felt anything but ordinary. It was like a name he knew he wasn't about to forget anytime soon.

" I was going to tell you, " she told him sounding only slightly defensive.

Derek laughed.

" Sure you were. Then, I had to go and ruin it by telling you my name, " he teased her.

" Ruler. Derek's German right? It means ruler, " Meredith stated.

He nodded and he heard her mumble something under her breath, but he didn't understand it.

He thought it was something along the lines of things he ruled at.

" This work thing...totally boring? That's a shame. Really, " Derek said, taking another sip of his scotch.

She just rolled her eyes at him and shoved him lightly.

" Hey now, that could be considered assault, " he pretended to look wounded.

" Like anyone would believe that little tiny me assaulted you."

" I could tell them you tried to beat me up with your tiny ineffectual fists."

" I'd rather do other things to you, " Meredith responded slyly and he found himself leaning towards her.

" Oh yeah? Want to share what these other things might be?"

She turned to him with a mischievous glint her eyes.

" I'm not really into telling. I'm more of a doer type girl, " she replied seriously.

Ten minutes later, they were both out the door and headed towards her house.