S2 E8 – Sharing

Part 1 of 2

It is another blazing day with endless paperwork pending and no air circulation at all. The men are out on patrol, there is a lull in the crime rate, and Camille is curled up behind her desk like a big watchful cat. Richard is sneaking sweets from his 'secret' tin in order to stay awake while doing the crossword and enjoying his quiet time. Little does he know how much less 'quiet time' is coming his way.

The opening shot is fired across his bows when he realizes Camille is watching him with a smug smile and a knowing look. He sighs, stands up and brings the tin to her desk. She watches him come with a very satisfied look on her face. At last! The secret is about to unfold! But when he puts the tin down in front of her, she looks in with puzzlement, "What are they?"

"They're Bassett's Jelly Babies and they all have names." He points to each colour, "This is 'Brilliant', he's red strawberry, 'Bubbles' is yellow lemon, 'Baby Bonny' is pink raspberry, 'Bigheart' is purple blackcurrant, 'Bumper' is orange, and 'Boofuls' is green lime."

She looks up in surprise, "Lime? You HATE lime!"

"I don't hate it when it's a gelatine delight rolled in rough sugar," he rumbles. "Do you want to try one?"

"Well, all right but I can't promise I'll like them. I prefer sweets made from local fruits, you know."

"Oh, I know!" he smirks. "I've seen you sampling fruits of the 'chocolate bush' when you think I'm not looking."

She shoots him a hot glance then relaxes in acknowledgement, "Yeah, OK, guilty as charged. Which one do you suggest I try first?"

"Well, 'Boofuls', obviously. It's the only flavour you'll probably recognize."

"Well, in THAT case, I'll try 'Bigheart' as I've never tasted a blackcurrant before."

He fishes out a dark purple almost black morsel and holds it out to her with great care. She raises an eyebrow at him. He bobs his hand and chastises her, "They're VERY hard to come by. I couldn't bear to watch you spit it out into the bin. You get ONE nibble to test it."

She purses her lips and nods, "OK, that makes sense. Here, let me help," and she slips a hand over his and slowly draws the treat to her mouth. Just before she parts her lips, she looks up at him.

He is very still, eyes slightly flared as if he is thinking about something else now.

She flexes her fingertips gently on the back of his hand and his eyes flare a bit wider. Good, she thinks, I finally have his attention. Don't waste this moment, girl! With a slow smile she nips the barest slice off and chews thoughtfully. He tries to pull his hand away but she holds him expertly in place, his fingertips almost touching her cheek.

She closes her eyes and savours the taste in her mouth, "Mmm, it's nice, I like it." She opens her eyes and looks intently up at him, "This one is called 'Bigheart', you say?"

He nods stiffly, still trying to remove his hand.

She tightens her grip, pulls him a little nearer, "I think I'd like a little more, if I may?"

Another stiff nod, his lips are parted now, his shoulders tense.

She dips her head once more and brushes his fingertips with her lips as she slowly nibbles it out of his grasp. When it is free, she tucks it into her cheek and continues to nuzzle his fingers.

"What… what…" he stutters low, his hand spasming in hers, fingers flexing open.

"I'm just checking for any loose sugar. I'm sure 'Bigheart' has much more sugar than he shows to the world. I wouldn't want to miss a single morsel." She is nuzzling his palm now, bringing up her other hand to cup his hand to her face. He is no longer trying to pull away. In fact, she is VERY pleased to see his other hand thump down on her desktop as he leans suddenly forward into her space.

"Camille… stop… please stop… the men could return at any time!" he pants low and fast.

"No, they won't. They are on the other side of the island checking out a warehouse that might be the latest source of our smuggling problem." She nips his Mount of Venus then soothes it with kisses.

He stiffens and hisses, "How do you know that?"

"Because I told them to, that's how." She sees he has closed his eyes and twisted his head to rest his chin against one shoulder. Oh, yeah, I've got his attention, all right, she thinks gleefully. If he leans over any further, he's going to fall right into my lap! She slips a tongue-tip up his Life Line and he almost DOES fall but he catches himself at the last possible moment and jerks upright.

"Camille, that's enough. I only came over here to offer you a treat and…"

"… and I accepted. Thanks SO MUCH for sharing!" His Life Line is deep. She explores a break about half-way up, probing and tapping most intimately.

"I'M not the treat!" he groans, once more trying to pull his hand back.

She laughs low in her throat, "Sez YOU!" She turns his hand over and kisses the back, sees all the fine hair he sports so quietly, "Mmm, are you fuzzy all over?" she wonders aloud.

"Oh, Christ! Please give me back my hand. I'm asking nicely… as a friend. Please!"

She looks at him for a long moment then releases him.

He snatches his hand up to his chest and cups it there protectively, looking back with relief and, perhaps, a bit of disappointment. As they lock eyes, she scoops the Jelly Baby out from its hiding place and holds it between her incisors to show him. She sees his concentration break completely as she folds her lips over it and gently works her jaw, "Wow, this IS good. My 'Bigheart' has sugar on the inside too. If I'm careful, I can make him last all day!"

It's all he can take. He wrenches his gaze away and heads back to his desk, moving a bit woodenly.

She smiles to herself. She recognizes that walk. She's never seen it on him but she recognizes it. When he sits down shakily, she gives him a moment then stands up. She is very gratified to see his eyes jump to her in focused near-panic. How close is he to losing it, she wonders? She picks up his tin from her desktop. He won't lose it, not here. She looks back at him, but I think I broke through his defenses.

As she approaches, tin in hand, he tucks himself tightly up against the desk, folds his hands in front of himself, and leans firmly forward. The classic stance of the male under siege while in an office. Oh, yeah, she thinks, I broke SOME thing, all right.

End – part 1 of 2