Summary: Serena's and Darien's professional careers cross paths. The more they work together, the closer they become. Will they give in to their desires or remain stubborn and distant? Modern day, no senshi, UM love story.
Disclaimer: Naoko Takeuchi owns Sailor Moon. I claim no ownership of it! Only of this story, which is all mine! This is my first attempt at fanfiction! Enjoy!
Author's Note: This Chapter is Rated M! Read at your own risk! This chapter might be a slow burn and lead to a little frustration! Let me know what you think!
As always, thank you to all the fans of this story who are following, have reviewed, sent messages, and made a favorite! I really appreciate it all and look forward to many, many more chapters for this story!
Enjoy! =)
Loveology
Chapter 10: The Dinner
Her fingers were lightly tapping the handheld device to finish her progress note on Mr. Dastian Shields for his chart. 'All tests are coming back normal. Stable on current combination of meds. Will try to taper meds gradually at follow ups. Discharge planned for this Wednesday.'
"Here you go, Kammi." Dr. Lunarea smiled to the tall brunette, holding out the device for her to take and place back on the docking station for it to charge.
"Thank you, ma'am." She replied as she grabbed the device from her. "Oh, these flowers are for you. Not sure who exactly they're from though."
Dr. Lunarea looked at the flowers Kammi mentioned. The exotic bouquet boasted at least 30 stems of gorgeous tropical and other bright colored flowers with fun foliage in a galvanized vessel. The card attached simply said, 'Welcome, Dr. Lunarea.'
"They're beautiful. I wonder who-?"
"Ah, Dr. Lunarea!" She turned to view who had just called out to her. It was that doctor from the banquet. What was his name again?
"There you are!" He had both hands in his white coat pockets as he approached her. She was able to read his embroidered name on the coat: Dr. Jared Stevenson, Hospitalist.
Donning her politest smile, she greeted him. "Dr. Stevenson, how are you?"
"Better now, chérie." He gave a crooked grin, her understanding his meaning perfectly. 'Hmm, I wonder what Darien's issue is with this man?'
He gestured to the flowers. "I see you saw the flowers. Do you like them? I wasn't sure which were your favorites, so I asked them to pick the most popular arrangement."
She nodded and continued smiling. "They are very beautiful. Thank you. You certainly didn't have to-"
"It's unfortunate that we weren't able to become better acquainted with the other night." Jared was balling his hands in fists behind his back at the memory of Shields and this beautiful woman… he gulped, together...
"Oh?"
"How about we fix that. Have lunch with me today?" He asked with a kind and seemingly sincere smile. She thought about it for a second. 'What harm could it do?'
"Sure, but it has to be here. I'm on call these first few days." She stipulated.
Not the best place for him to make his move. The food was good, but it was always so crowded. He nodded. "Understandable. Wait, few days?" Confusion crossing his features.
It was an odd thing to say and explain - as to why she wasn't on call for the whole week. "Yeah, the cardiologist who is actually on call, had a family situation to deal with, so I said I could take on these first few days and another cardiologist agreed to take on the remainder of the week."
"How kind of you."
"I try." She shrugged sheepishly, even though she was happy to do so.
"I'll come around noon to walk you down?"
"Sounds good. I'll see you then." She waved to him with a smile as he turned to leave.
The elevator door was just closing as Jared had turned, but he did not miss the look on Shield's face: fury. Jared's smile turned wicked. 'May the best man win, Shields.'
-xx-
He was taking a break from prepping for surgeries tomorrow and decided to run down to get a bite to eat and maybe a stronger coffee than the doctor's lounge offered. The doors opened on the third floor to let a nurse out. Darien thought he might be able to sneak a peek of Serena in this briefest of chances. Maybe it would energize him more, just to see her. 'It would energize you, all right. Just not in the way you are needing.' His mind chided. He couldn't go looking for her. There was no time. He really needed to focus on his work.
And there she was. Long blonde tresses escaped from a loose bun at the nape of her neck. Intentional or not, it made her all the more whimsical looking. His brows furrowed at who she was speaking to. When the man she was speaking to turned, he saw the smug grin of that godforsaken man. Anger, jealousy, rage - came to the forefront. Now he would need to add alcohol to his coffee… It couldn't be helped. He just hoped Serena could see through his intentions. 'This is why you don't mix business with pleasure…' His mind screamed at him. He was developing a headache. Add aspirin to the list. This was going to be a long and godawful day.
xx
Right on time. Jared was on her floor at exactly twelve o'clock.
"Ready to go?" He questioned as he offered his right arm, elbow bent for her to take. She accepted his invite and slid her hand under his arm, curling her hand back over it. She swore he flexed his bicep for her to feel. 'Men,' she thought with an eye roll. They promenaded as friend and friend, heading to satiate their hunger...of food, for her. For Jared, possibly something else.
Inside the café was jam-packed with employees and visitors. It was also an orientation day so all the new hires were included in the crowd. Luckily they could take an hour or so for lunch if they wanted. Getting the food seemed to take up the first half of their time. They decided to eat lunch at one of the outdoor tables since the weather was cool and calm. The early afternoon was cloudless and blue with the sun shining brightly. An umbrella kept the heat at bay and allowed for the slight wind to offer a breeze every now and again.
Serena sat across from Jared, both setting their trays down. She had settled on a house salad with blackened chicken and he ordered a double bacon cheeseburger with fries.
"May I try one?" She asked of his fries.
"Of course, help yourself." He pushed his plate between them and used a napkin to eat his burger over.
"Mmm, so good!" He smiled at her pleasurable moan. Definitely liked hearing that sound.
"So..." Jared began. "How did Florida Hospital obtain a leading cardiologist such as yourself?"
Serena stopped mid-bite before answering. "Oh, I worked at another Florida Hospital and was just asked to share my time here for a bit." She didn't want to give out any real information on her true reasoning for being there.
"Similar to what I do, I suppose." He acknowledged. "Would you be leaving any time soon?"
"Only time will tell, really. I kind of go where I am needed?"
"I suppose that makes sense." He took another bite of his delicious looking burger.
"What about you? How long have you been here?" She needed to veer off from herself about work.
"Oh, it's probably been about eight years." He popped a few fries in his mouth before he continued. "I came from South Carolina. I was there for 10 years."
She nodded her head. "Did you move here for family?"
He shrugged. "You could say that. My mother and father live here. They retired here; in The Villages."
"Ah," She understood the appeal of the active senior citizen community, also known as, 'The Disney for Old People.'
"What about a spouse, kids, brothers, sisters?" Her fork was stabbing at pieces of lettuce.
He chuckled. "No current wife. I have a son and daughter who are all grown up, but living in South Carolina near their mother, my ex. I have two brothers and two sisters. Of which I am the middle child. They live all over the world. I love visiting them when I can. We are all pretty close still."
"How wonderful! Traveling sounds so exciting!"
He couldn't help but watch her lively eyes. So beautiful. "Maybe you could go with me on one of my trips sometime?"
'What a bold thing to say so early after meeting someone. Guess that's how dating works nowadays?'
A nervous laugh escaped her lips. "Heh heh, maybe? I'm terrified of flying and I'm not so sure I ever want to leave the country. So many scary stories you hear on the news these days..." She hoped her lie was convincing. Her salad holding her attention now.
'She's not like the others. Most would jump at the chance to travel. Gotta slow it down a bit. Would she go somewhere with Shields?' It made him seethe with jealousy to think she would. She just needed to trust him and in order to do that, she needed to get to know him.
"How about your family?"
She perked up a bit, glad to get off that subject. "I have a sister that I am close with. She lives in Florida too. We live together at our parents' house." Her salad was almost gone. She had no qualms of eating in front of people, that was for sure.
"Oh? Where is that?"
"The house? In Ormond Beach." He nodded and then took another bite. "No spouse or ex spouse and no kids. I would love kids, though."
He smiled. He would love to give her kids… "Kids are great." She smiled in return.
"Well then, does that mean you aren't seeing Dr. Shields?" He asked after scarfing the rest of his food down. Better to get that out of the way, first and foremost.
She about gagged on her food, taking a large swig of water to prevent choking. 'Officially? No? What were they? How should I answer that?'
"Are you all right?" He offered as he watched her cautiously with a worried look. She tried to reassure him by nodding and swallowing the water and then breathing.
"I just met Dr. Shields. We have a mutual friend and with both of us being single, it just kind of happened that we were each other's plus one the other night."
It wasn't really the answer he was hoping for, but he would take it and run with it. "Suppose I were to ask you to lunch again...? Maybe dinner...?"
Her phone started to beep. She glanced down at her phone while Jared stared at her. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah," she said and started to clean up around her. "But I'm getting paged. Which means I need to check in with the ER team." She took a sip of water as she stood up. "Thank you for lunch. Let's do this again, okay?" She politely suggested with an apologetic smile.
He nodded in return. "Of course. Anytime." It may take more time than he would like, but he could get what he wanted from her, eventually.
-xx-
After diagnosing the ER patient with coronary heart disease and performing a cardiac catheterization, Serena finally had a reprieve. She was going to go back to Darien's and make him dinner as a thank you for this weekend. After she stopped by the grocery store first. She would undoubtedly be called again tonight so she figured she should take the break now while she could before she would be right back at the hospital. This hospital was known for its cardiology care, so it was inevitable that a patient would need to see a cardiologist at some point this evening, considering them being in a major city and being a level one trauma center.
She sent a text to Darien before she left, asking him to come home after work because she had a surprise for him. He replied with, 'Sounds lovely. Thank you. As soon as I can. It's been a hectic day today in preparation for tomorrow's surgeries.'
'No worries. Take your time.' Was her reply before she drove straight to the grocery store for tonight's dinner. She didn't have Lita's luxury of time and accessibility for organic and fresh ingredients, so Publix would have to do. Serena decided to go with Italian; farfalle alla vodka with blackened chicken and a caesar salad and breadsticks.
Serena loved cooking in a kitchen twice the size of hers. She discovered an abundance of fresh herbs and spices that were undeniably courtesy of Lita. The pantry provided a treasure trove of cooking ingredients, grains, root vegetables, snacks, etc.; enough to rival an Amish village's stock!
As dinner was simmering on the stove, waiting for Darien, Serena decided to do some laundry and shower. She continued to use the room Ami had showed them when they first arrived two days ago. Two? It had only been two days? She swore it felt as if a week went by since she had been there and wondered if she had overstayed her welcome. Perhaps she should head home? Darien's realtor was supposed to contact her soon about a place she found for her. Hopefully Darien didn't mind her doing laundry? These were all the things running through her mind as she showered.
When she finished her shower and dried off, she realized all her clothes were still in the washer… Unless she wanted to wear lingerie or a business outfit to dinner, she didn't have any other options. Wrapping a towel around her body, she headed to the laundry room to put her clothes in the dryer. After that, she checked on the food. Pasta still simmered, check. Salad in the fridge, check. Bread in the warmer, check.
Now, what was she going to do about clothes? Mina had apparently left so she couldn't use her clothes. Speaking of Mina, she should probably text her and see how things went with Malachite. Those two seemed to have hit it off rather nicely. She was happy for Mina.
Clothes. Hmm. None of the other girls were around to ask. 'I wonder if Darien has any t-shirts I could borrow?' She thought as she looked in the direction of his bedroom. She hadn't been in there yet. 'Would he mind me going in? Would he mind me using one of his shirts?' Opening one of his bedroom's french doors, she peeked in, just to make sure it was clear. He may have come home and she didn't hear him because she was in the shower?
His room was massive in size and had a huge four-post bed, high styled, with a California King sized mattress. The tufted headboard had erotic scenarios running through her head of passion-filled rendezvous. She then wondered how many women had the pleasure of sharing this room with him? Being left alone in his house was driving her mad! Clothes! Check the closet.
She headed around the wall that showcased the bed to find a hallway that held a large walk-in closet off to the left. Lots of dress shirts, jackets, polos… no t-shirts. A dress shirt would do, she guessed? She didn't want to continue snooping through his things without him there to tell her not to… She grabbed a soft yellow one. It looked a little worn and smaller than the others. Hopefully it held no sentimental value to it that would anger him with her wearing it.
Panties. She had none that were clean, per se. She could check the dryer and see if any were dry yet? Probably not. She had just put them in. Maybe Darien had some boxers she could roll up and wear? She opened a drawer. It held socks. Another drawer that held the t-shirts! Perfectly folded too! Well she wasn't about to change now. Another drawer - ah ha! She found them. Darien wore boxer briefs. Even sexier. She grabbed a pair and quickly put them on. They needed to be rolled up to better accommodate sitting on her hips.
As she was leaving the room, she couldn't help but glance at the huge painting of herself hanging on the sidewall of his bedroom with a track light spotlighting it. It wasn't her, as such, but it was Lana Lanai's Self Portrait as a Moon Princess painting she sat for. Serena felt a pleasant warmth knowing it was Darien who owned it. There was only one of them, that she knew of. He couldn't have purchased it after she mentioned it two days ago, right? Impossible. She had practically been with him every second of the weekend… That just means he purchased it before he even knew her. How interesting that turned out to be.
She opened the same French door she had entered before and turned to close it quietly. When she turned back around, she saw Darien standing a few feet in front of her. She screamed in surprise!
"Ahhh!" She held his shirt she wore closed, even as the buttons did the job perfectly. "Jesus, Darien! You scared the shit out of me!" Her pounding heart and breathing were trying to regulate again from the lack of danger.
He wore a sly grin. "Sorry, Serena. I didn't mean to scare you." A briefcase was placed on a console table leading up to his bedroom. His tie was already loose with a few buttons undone and his shirt untucked. Exhaustion was shown, but he still looked incredibly handsome.
"Don't worry about it." She waved it off. "I scare easily for some reason." Laughing lightly before adding, "I hope you don't mind me wearing one of your shirts?" Nervousness displayed on her face and in the form of her bunching his shirt she wore in her fists and her veil of golden waves falling around her as her head bowed.
Her timidness made her look adorable, but seeing her braless in his shirt that he had owned since he was a teen, made him want to strip it off of her nice and slowly and explore every inch of her body with his tongue. "I don't mind at all." He walked closer to her. "I want you to treat my home as your own." His hands gripped her hips as he placed a gentle kiss to her forehead. His ability to restrain his urges was slowly deteriorating. Especially being so close to his bedroom… Tired. So, so tired. That's what it was this time.
"Thank you, Darien." A sweet smile spread followed by tantalizing tingles down her spine. "How about you take a quick shower to wash away today's events and meet me in the kitchen?"
A shower. Hopefully that would help. And food. Food would give him energy. Energy for her… "Sounds wonderful and something smells absolutely delicious. I am starving!" He chuckled and she joined him in doing so.
-xx-
The table was being set when he emerged from his bedroom. Unbeknownst to him, it had taken her forever to do so since she didn't know where anything was located. 'Just in time,' she thought as he made his way over to her. No matter what the man did, he always looked like a damn model. Walking to her in his Calvin Klein boxer briefs with a solid white fitted t-shirt made her mind conjure up a young Mark Wahlberg from his Marky Mark days. Her heart was reaching dangerous palpitations…
"Surprise! Or should I say, sorpresa? Since we are in Italy!" She waved over the red and white checkered pattern tablecloth covering the table. Background noise of Italian folk music playing softly around them.
"Serena, you didn't have to do this." He enfolded her in his arms and kissed the crown of her head, smiling all the while.
"I know, but I wanted to." She looked up at him with a smile. "I wanted to thank you for everything you did for me and with me this weekend."
His head dipped to kiss her lips softly. "I couldn't have asked anyone else that I would have had as much fun with. So thank you, Serena."
A stomach growled. It made them both laugh and pull away.
Pulling out a chair at the table, Darien seated Serena, then came around and sat beside her.
"Give me your plate, love, and I will serve you." He dutifully handed her his plate, and she carefully placed a healthy portion size of caesar salad in front of him. He thanked her and waited for her to serve herself before he took his first bite.
"Mmm, delicious, Serena." He praised before inhaling the rest. It felt like hours before he last ate. His work was consuming him again. That could be a good thing… He could focus on work and not get too distracted by Serena...
"I'm glad you like it." She smiled.
Darien helped himself to the pasta dish and grabbed a breadstick. "How was your day, sweetheart?"
His terms of endearment for her had the butterflies in her belly fluttering wildly. "It was good. My first on-call assignment was a little exciting." He asked her to elaborate, which she did gladly. When they finished detailing their day, he asked her how lunch went.
Her eyelashes flickered rapidly at her blinking. "Lunch?" 'Was this a trick question? How did he know about who she had lunch with?'
He nodded, shoving a breadstick in his mouth, looking pointedly at her. 'Please don't deny it…'
"Uneventful." She snubbed the answer, chin held high. 'How dare he? I can eat with whomever I please.' "I was paged at lunch."
A long dejected sigh puffed through his lungs and between his lips. "Serena, I know I am not your keeper and I have no business approving who you have lunch with…" He started, trying to think about what to say next. "Stevenson is a womanizing adulterer who has no objections to submitting women to-"
"Darien." She leaned over the table to reach for his hand. A soft expression gracing her features. "I don't know what history you have with the man, but I promise you, I can handle him and take care of myself." She tried to reassure him further. "It was only lunch." He accepted her answer with a nod.
"He asked me to travel with him!" Darien looked up with a stupefied expression. "Can you believe that?"
"He asked you to what?!"
"Don't worry, I shot him down." One eye closed, her tongue and teeth making a clicking noise, using her fingers to represent a gun."
Smirking at her amusing behavior, he commended, "Good girl."
After a pregnant pause, "Would you travel with me?" Darien asked seriously. He wanted to take her everywhere, especially to places he always declared he would take a love interest to.
Her lips pouted out as her finger tapped it, pondering the question. His eyes went wide that she had to think about it. "Hmm?"
"Ahhh-hahaha!" Serena laugh-screamed as he tickled her sides from his seat that sat to her right. "O-oh-okay!" He hesitantly stopped so she could breathe. She inhaled and exhaled slowly.
"Would we travel alone?" He started to tickle her again just for exploring further thought of it. "YES!" He stopped, cocking his head.
"Of course, I would travel with you." Her right hand cupped the side of his face, her thumb lightly rubbing over the stubble on his chin. He turned his head into her hand, grabbing her hand to still it so he could kiss her palm. God, she loved this man.
He released her hand and she used it to bring her plate to the dish to add more pasta. He did the same. Her cooking was almost on par with Lita's! That was something to be proud of!
"Interesting painting you have." Her fork was gathering bits of pasta, focusing on the task at hand.
He stopped moving, swallowing his bite. His eyes looked up to hers and met them as she stuffed pasta to chew. He was trying to gauge her reaction on what she thought about him owning it.
He laughed slightly, scratching the back of his head. "About that...I meant to tell you sooner…"
She responded with a raised eyebrow, asking him to continue.
"Is it okay?"
Serena debated on making him suffer further. "Yes, Darien. It's okay. I am only teasing you."
He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Phew."
"I'm actually glad it is you who has it." She confessed demurely.
"I fell in love with it the moment I saw it." 'Much the same way I did with you…'
Crimson colored her cheeks. She knew he was talking about the painting, but his admission made her heart soar.
Darien didn't know what it was, but now he wanted a woman for more than company. He wanted Serena to be that woman. To come home to a home-cooked meal or cook one himself for this woman - it all had him conjuring images of them as husband and wife, with a happily little family laughing and running around while they prepared…
He shook his head to try and clear those thoughts. Scratching his plate with his fork to pull his food in a pile to pick it up better, he broached the topic of Malachite's birthday party. "I know we spent this weekend together… and I would hate to monopolize your time, but I was wondering…"
Serena was taking a bite of a breadstick, waiting for what it was he was about to ask.
"How do you feel about strip clubs?"
"Strip clubs?" The question baffled her. "Like Lamourettes or Chippendales?"
"Lamourettes? What is that?"
"You've never heard of them? From Finland?" She questioned, astounded HE had never heard of them. He shook his head. "Nevermind."
"I enjoy them sometimes. Both."
"Ah, Lamourettes must be the female equivalent of Chippendales." She nodded her head in agreement, him finally catching on.
Her answer made him hopeful. "What about going to one of them with me this weekend to celebrate Malachite's birthday?"
'Celebrate Malachite's birthday at a strip club? Is Mina going?'
"Is Mina going? Do you know? I can ask her…?" Serena stood up to grab her phone to find out.
"I'm not sure. I would assume so. They seem to be enjoying each other's company. I heard she might be."
"Who did you hear that from?" She asked after she sent the text to Mina.
"'Drew-Andrew." Knowing she would know him by Andrew rather than his nickname for him.
"Oh."
"He owns the club where we will be celebrating." He was still assessing her feelings on the matter.
"He does?!" She was amazed by that. "Rita doesn't mind?" Her mind was trying to process it all. 'They seem very happy together… happily physical too…'
"'Drew and Rita are one of the strongest couples I know. He is very professional and keeps business and pleasure separate…" 'Maybe I should talk to him for guidance…'
Her phone started to buzz. She hoped it wasn't the hospital paging her. Her screen showed it was a text from Mina.
"She says she is going and is excited about it." Her lips were curled into a smile, glad for Mina and her happiness with the hunk she nabbed.
Darien waited for her answer.
"I think it would be fun. It's been a while since I've been in that type of environment." Serena admitted, biting her bottom lip.
"Are you sure?" His heart was racing again. He didn't want to disappoint her with his lifestyle. "You don't have to-"
She cut him short. "I swear I want to come, Darien."
'He wanted her to come all right… in every manner possible.'
He gathered his plates, cuing her to do the same and stood up to bring them to the kitchen. "It's this Friday night. Starts at ten, but we can just pop in for appearances-"
"Darien." She stopped him again. She wrapped her arms around his midsection, hugging his back to her chest. "I am eager to spend any time with you. Specifically if it deals with alcohol, dancing, gyrating, fornication..." He closed his eyes and groaned. Maybe this was a bad idea... What he didn't want to acknowledge was that interacting with the beautiful doctor had him fantasizing about making love to her.
"OH!" Her departure had his body missing her warmth. He turned to see what she was up to. From the fridge, she pulled out a package. From the spice rack, she grabbed two small cylinders and brought them over to the package. Opening the package, she began dusting the top of it with what he presumed to be cocoa powder and started to grate the other cylinder with what he imagined to be chocolate shavings.
"I didn't have time to make dessert too, but I did buy a tiramisu for us!" Her smile was infectious. He held himself, half hiding, half adjusting the hard-on she gave him. A common occurrence for him these past few days.
"How can we experience Italy without it?"
She scooped a spoonful, using her hand to hover below it to catch any crumbs that would fall. She turned, lifting the spoon to his awaiting mouth. He opened his mouth, taking the spoonful of deliciousness over his tongue, closing over it to grab it whole. She slowly slid the spoon from his mouth, mesmerized how his lips puckered from the coffee-flavored sweetness. His tongue protruded out, licking the remaining cream that settled on his lips. She let out a moan.
Unable to withstand the temptress before him, his mouth covered hers in a soft kiss that belied the fire raging in his groin. The spoon dropped from her hands and she reached up to lock them around his neck. He took the opportunity to reach down to grip her ass and hoist her on the cutting board counter, which was shorter than the standard three-foot height, putting her perfectly aligned with his erection.
Darien deepened the kiss, his tongue finding its way into her mouth. His hands gripped her sides, not sure if he should pull her closer or push her away. He knew they were treading on dangerous waters, but he couldn't help but taste from her honeysuckle mouth regardless of the consequences.
She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer to her. Her hands were threading through his inky locks keeping him where she needed him to be. He wanted Serena Lunarea in his life and in his bed. Darien only hoped she wanted and needed him as much as he needed and wanted her. His hands started to unbutton her-his shirt that she wore.
"I love your mouth," he whispered. His lips moved lower, his teeth nipping at the tender flesh of her throat. "I love your candied neck." She would have giggled at his description of her, but she was so turned on she could think of nothing else as his tongue ignited small fires across her body.
He opened the shirt, continuing his downward journey, he placed kisses between her firm breasts, before catching the hardened nipples between his teeth, one at a time, suckling sweetly. "I love your beautiful breasts."
She trembled under the indulgence of his lust for her. Her moans were only furthering his commitment of worshiping her body.
A doorbell. A ringtone of "Moon Pride." These are things that were hardly being registered as their fill of one another was all consuming.
His lips descended further, his tongue marking a trail over her belly. Inhaling her scent, Darien curled his fingers over the rolled up waistband of the boxer briefs she wore. He started to tug at them.
Again, a doorbell. A ringtone of "Moon Pride."
"Darien." She hoarsely whispered.
"Mmm?" His attention aimed at pleasing the goddess before him.
Still using a throaty voice, "I, I-I have... to, to answer that... and you have-have to get thatttt." She had to push him away. He stumbled back, looking at her flustered.
Her senses returning to her sooner than his, she jumped down, running to her phone. Luckily she caught it in time before it hung up.
He finally heard the doorbell. "Who the fuck-?!" His anger was apparent at the late arrival and their interruption. 'For the better,' his mind clucked.
Darien stormed to his front door and flung it open rather harshly, shaking the hinges. His erection still clearly visible when he answered the door, him not giving a damn.
"Darien." The woman purred. His face fell, and he quickly walked out and tried to close the door behind him.
"What the hell are you doing here?" He whisper-yelled.
"I missed you." She murmured. "Looks like you've missed me too." Her gaze fixated on his hard-on.
Following her gaze, he looked down. "This is not because of you. You cannot just show up here like this!"
She ignored him. "I can help you with that…" Before he could protest, she grabbed it, stroking it, making it emerge from its confinement. She quickly kneeled before him, placing her lips over the tip. 'Fuck does that feel good though…'
He didn't want her. He wanted Serena to be doing this to him. Serena! She cannot see this. See her. Darien reached for her head to stop her.
"You have to stop." He tried to pry her mouth from his engorged cock by tugging her head back. Her lips gave a popping sound as it left him.
"Baby, I want to please you." She tried to bring her mouth back to him, but he stepped to the side, out of her reach. His cock was in his hands, shielding it from her as best as he could, even though it was pointless due to the sheer size of it.
"You have to go, Carina." He glanced back to the door, hoping by the all mighty gods that Serena wouldn't come out here to see her.
She looked at his glances and grew angry. "She's here, isn't she?" Carina said none too quietly as she stood herself up.
"Shhhh!" He tried as he approached her, putting his finger to his mouth for emphasis.
"Obviously she cannot please you like I can! You wouldn't be in this state if I were the one-"
"Carina, I swear to god you better leave before-"
Her eyes grew wide. How dare he threaten her! She would not be ignored and she would not allow some blonde bimbo to steal her man!
"Before what?" She sneered, approaching him and pressing her body against his, allowing him to feel her curves, tempting him. His denial of her was pissing her off, but the challenge of reminding him what she could give him, do for him, excited her. "You know you'll be crawling back to me, begging for forgiveness when that hussy..." She spit in spite of Serena. "...Cannot satisfy you like I can." Again, she grabbed his cock, stroking it and she bit his bottom lip, pulling roughly.
His hands grabbed her wrist, ceasing her movements. She just smirked as she licked the bloodied bruise she gave him on his lip.
"You know where to find me. I'll be waiting." She turned and sauntered off.
He turned so he could rest his back on the wall, throwing his head back. 'What the fuck!' He knew she was right. She was who he went to when he needed release. He couldn't be fucking around with Serena… his coworker. His goddamn gorgeous coworker. Back in the kitchen, that shouldn't have happened. No matter how fucking glorious it had been. How it was all he wanted. Craved. Needed. "FUCK!" Darien wanted to punch the wall. He couldn't risk injuring his hands. Surgeries tomorrow. He settled with smacking his palm against it. It still hurt, inflicting the pain he believed he deserved.
He walked back inside and into the kitchen. Serena was nowhere in sight. His heart stopped. Did she see them? Did she leave? His voice croaked out, "Serena?"
Soon after, Serena emerged from the garage. She was fully dressed, keys and phone in hand. His eyebrows plunged into a frown, his stomach dropping. Serena was leaving him.
She pointed to her phone. "They called me in. I have to go." Her gaze lingered on his muscular arms, a testament to his claim he worked out regularly. How badly she wanted them wrapped around her or to see his biceps bulging as he was bouncing her… She shook her head, ridding the thoughts to disappear.
He gave a hesitant step towards her, not sure what she saw or heard or didn't… When he reached her, he hugged her tightly, afraid she would leave and never return.
"Are you coming back?"
She faltered in her answer. She wanted to come back. To finish what they started in the kitchen. Even if to show Darien how she could play out every fantasy he ever had; give him every one of his sexual desires and prove that she alone could be the only one to do so. So much so that it would be all consuming for him and that he would be unable to think of anyone else. Serena knew she was being selfish but jealous was an ugly bitch that made the worst come out in good people.
Who was that...that...shameless, morally unrestrained woman who thought she could just come here and do what she wanted with Darien? Was she an ex? Was she trying to get him back? What could she do about that? Would she be enough for him? Did he-?
He pulled away from her to look at her face. She must have been taking too long to answer him.
"This consult, it seems complicated. It might take a while. I will probably just sleep in the lounge tonight."
His heart was shattering. Was she really that concerned about this patient or was she worried about staying with him? Did he scare her with what he did to her? She seemed all too eager… There was their reputations in the back of his mind, but he didn't think she was worried about her status. Maybe she was though. He never asked her. They haven't talked about what if's and what a relationship between them would be like. Hell, he didn't want to entertain the idea himself because of his oath. This fucking oath of his. He was getting so close to just saying the hell with his oath… But maybe she saw Carina? Maybe she is upset about it? He tried to get her to go away...FUCK!
She could see the torment in his eyes. Did he want her there? Was he thinking about that woman? Regardless, she needed to get to the hospital. They would need to discuss all of this at a later date.
"Okay." His response was a whisper with a sad smile. "I'll miss you."
Serena wanted to bring only happy smiles to his handsome face. She stood on her toes to bring her lips to his. "I will miss you more. And-"
Darien stopped her words with a soft, gentle kiss that stopped her breath.
"Call me later?" She whispered against his firm mouth. He nodded but continued to hold her and kiss her sweetly, scared to let her go.
He reluctantly released her, allowing her to leave through the garage. He propped himself on the door frame, watching her pull out from the garage, waving as she did so. Darien closed the garage door, hoping to close the door to his heart as well. He couldn't take any more of this. Call him a pussy, but these feelings were foreign and gut wrenching. Loneliness he knew. Lust he knew. Love… he couldn't handle.
-xx-
Serena couldn't be upset at him. They weren't in a relationship. Hell, they weren't even friends with benefits! Unless you considered kissing and hugging benefits? That was just being extra friendly, right? And what about what she did at the banquet! No, she had no right to be upset about a woman coming on to him. A woman he stopped...from...from taking things further.
She was replaying the scene in her head. Once she got off the phone with the hospital, she wanted to tell Darien that she had to leave. That she would be back after… Then she saw the door ajar. She heard them before she saw them.
"I can help you with that…"
Serena had to see who the woman was. She peeked through the door. The woman was stunning. A voluptuous, buxom beauty with caramel brown hair and deep brown, sparkling eyes. Serena felt simple and plain in comparison.
The woman was kneeling before him, her mouth taking in the full length of him. Serena was captivated with his size. As upsetting as it was to watch this woman pleasure the man who held her heart, even if unknowingly on his part, she wanted to know what pleased him.
But Darien didn't allow the woman to continue.
He reached for her head to stop her. "You have to stop." He tried to pry her mouth from his engorged cock by tugging her head back. Her lips gave a popping sound as it left him.
"Baby, I want to please you." She tried to bring her mouth back to him, but he stepped to the side, out of her reach.
"You have to go, Carina." He glanced back to the door, scaring the shit out of her! She hoped he hadn't seen her.
The woman was yelling now. "She's here, isn't she?"
"Shhhh!" She heard him say. He didn't want her to know she was here. Well of course not! Which one of them was he more concerned about though? This Carina knowing she, Serena was here or her, Serena knowing Carina was here? Was he embarrassed of her? She needed to get out of here.
As she left she heard the woman, Carina, say, "Obviously she cannot please you like I can!"
Serena ran to the laundry room,finding an outfit to wear and throwing the rest of her clothes in her rolling luggage bag. She didn't even care that they weren't folded and would be all wrinkly. She grabbed her makeup bag, but left everything else. She could buy new toiletries if need be. Serena threw everything in her truck before she walked back in, finding Darien waiting for her.
Her phone was ringing again. 'Please don't be Darien, please don't be Darien…' She couldn't talk to him right now. It took all of her strength to walk away from him as it was. 'Don't be Mina either. I can't talk about this right now and I just know she will sense my distress.'
The caller ID revealed it to be Darien's, and now her, realtor. This call she could handle. It was probably a blessing in disguise.
"Hi, Ashleigh!"
"Hey, Serena! I have the keys to your new place! Fully furnished too!"
"Oh, perfect! Thank you so much!"
"I know it's late, but I can meet you now if you like, or we can wait until tomorrow?"
"Umm, I am heading to the hospital now for a consult. Can we meet tomorrow?"
"Of course! Just text me a good time for you tomorrow and I will meet you then! I will text you the address too!"
"You're a doll, Ash! Thank you again, so, so much! I really appreciate it!"
"No problem at all! Have a good evening!"
"You too, thanks! See ya tomorrow!"
"Buh-bye!"
"Bye!"
This was good. She found a place here in Orlando that was closer so she wouldn't have to rely on Darien… Maybe Thursday, when she wasn't on call, she could head back to Ormond to get more things to bring to her new place.
Should she tell Darien? Should she show him the place? Or should she try to avoid him? She couldn't do that. She would see him at the hospital, especially with her caring for his father. Then there was this Friday night… She said she would go with him to celebrate Malachite's birthday… Mina would be there and all of his other friends. She could show up for a bit and then dip out?
Or maybe they could talk. Talk about all of this. What they were. What they wanted. She had a feeling that it wasn't going to be an easy conversation to have, so she thought it better to try and avoid Darien as much as possible. That should help, or so she hoped.