Author's note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I decided to continue the story, partially because of your encouragement and partially because I am having a blast writing it. This chapter gets a little spicy. Nothing crazy-cakes, but not suitable for the young-uns. As always, thanks to ACD, Mofitiss, et al, and BBC. A special thanks to my husband for reading this and making suggestions. Honey, I know you hate fanfiction, so the fact that you are reading mine means so much to me. Sorry Andrew Scott, but you're gay and my fantasy and my husband is straight and my reality, so he wins this round. Now, if situations were to change, …

Chapter 8

"Sebastian, do you mind driving? I don't really feel it right now. Do you remember how to get to the Harbor," asked Heather as she tossed him the keys.

"Yeah, that's fine. Are you sure you're okay? Jim and I can go out alone if you don't feel good," wondered Sebastian. "Is it your stomach? Is it acting up again?" Sebastian knew Heather's health wasn't always the best and couldn't help worrying about her, as she tended to minimize her symptoms.

"No, I said I was good, honey, and I am. I'm just not in the mood to deal with traffic right now," responded Heather. "I'm in the mood to fuck Jim's brains out right now, but that won't be happening now, thanks Buddy!" she thought. She smiled what she hoped was a very convincing smile towards her friend.

Sebastian walked ahead of her and Jim out the door. Jim reached up and grazed Heather's behind on his way past her. She flashed him a surprised look with raised eyebrows. He returned her gaze with a toothy grin and quick lick of his lips. Heather grinned despite herself and cocked her head towards him, rolling her eyes. Her heart sped up a bit thinking about their almost kiss just moments before. She shut the door behind her and walked with Jim to the car. "Jim, did you want to sit in the front or back? I'm open to either option myself," she asked.

"Actually, I was thinking we could both sit in the back if you didn't mind. You don't mind, do you Sebastian. I feel like getting to know our lovely hostess a bit better and it is so inconvenient to have to yell back and forth between the front and back." Jim's request sounded more like an order than an innocent suggestion. Not that Heather minded in the least. Sebastian, knowing a command when he heard one, just nodded and said, "Sure thing, Boss." Heather ducked her head and smiled a most secret smile. "Ladies first," Jim opened the car door and offered his hand to her. Heather climbed in and Jim behind her. Heather reached up to fasten her seatbelt, but Jim reached across her and grabbed it before she could get it. "Allow me, Madame." Heather silently bowed her head and smiled at him. She couldn't help but notice when he "accidentally" grazed her bosom with his fingertips as he slid the belt across her or that his hand lingered a second too long at her hip as he fastened the connection. Again, Heather's eyebrows shot up in amused and, frankly, aroused surprise. She locked eyes with him and slowly traced her lips with her tongue. Jim leaned in close and whispered, "What else can you do with that tongue, Miss Weire?"

"Well, I do especially like licking and sucking big …," purred Heather. "ice cream cones," she continued after a pause. "I find that licking ice cream cones is a great way to use my mouth. Wouldn't you agree, Mr. Moriarty? It really helps to … relieve pent up heat."

"Oh, Miss Weire, I can think of better ways to relieve yourself of heat than just ice cream."

"Oh, pray tell, Mr. Moriarty. I, personally, have always found that licking a little cream from a cone is my favorite way to release some tension. But, I am always open to learn techniques. Perhaps later, you can help me with some new ideas. I would love your ... input."

Sebastian cleared his thought loudly, "Heather, I can't get my GPS to work. Can I borrow your phone?"

"Yeah, sure. Here. Anything else?" snapped Heather. "Bash, I love you, but you have got to stop cock blocking me here," she thought to herself and she worked to keep from snapping at her best friend. "It's not his fault, it's not his fault, don't freak on him. It's totally cool. Breathe," she reminded herself.

Turning her attention back to Jim, Heather reached across him and fastened his seat belt. "There ya go. Nice and safe and secure. I do love keeping people safe, you know," she intoned. "Although … sometimes, a walk on the wild side can be fun. If you know what I mean. Do you know what I mean, Jim?"

"Why walk when you can run?" Jim leaned in close to Heather. She could smell the mature oakiness of his cologne and see the dark gleam in his eyes. She bit her bottom lip and a small sigh slipped through her juicy red lips. Her stomach was flipping over and over, like an Olympic gymnast and she could feel the growing wetness permeating her underwear. She leaned in closer to the Irishman and prayed that they wouldn't be interrupted again. Jim released his seatbelt and grabbed Heather's face, attacking her lips with a fiery, passionate open-mouthed kiss that tasted of mint and sheer animal desire. Heather felt his tongue inside her mouth and knew she belonged to him in that moment. The entire world disappeared around them and she welcomed the fact.

Jim pulled away far too quickly for Heather's taste and silently put his seat belt back on. "Safety first, right my dear," he teased with a smoldering look.

"Fuck safety," Heather responded as she popped her seat belt off and dashed across the back seat to straddle Jim's lap.

"Such language, Dr. Weire! I'm shocked," tutted Jim.

Heather ran her hands through Jim's carefully styled hair. "I'll give you language, asshole! That kiss was too much. Do you really want to go to the Inner Harbor or can I suggest another activity?"

Sebastian slammed on the brakes. "You guys know I can see and hear everything you doing right now, right? I'm 2 feet away from you! Heather get back in your seat and put your damn seat belt on. I ain't driving the 'sex bus' over here. Have some respect for God's sake. Boss, Heather's like my damn little sister over here. Could you please, for my sake, stop trying to impregnate her while I'm driving? Damn, dude! Seriously! You guys have known each other for like 5 minutes and you're back there humping like bunnies. God, Jim! Like a couple hours ago, I had to beg you not to kill her and now you're trying get all up inside her. Seriously, what the fuck! Damn, dude!"

"Sorry, Sebastian!" groaned the other two. Despite the apology, they exchanged wicked grins. Heather pulled out a piece of paper and a pen from her bag. She wrote, "That was really hot. We should do that and more later. Agree?" She passed it and the pen to Jim. Jim smiled, wrote his own reply, and passed it back to her. "Naughty girl (happy face)! I'm game if you are. Dinner tonight? Without Moran of course." Heather smiled and glanced sideways at Jim. She thought for a moment and responded, "No, dinner WITH him would be SO MUCH BETTER. Trust me. I have a plan. He's going to regret stopping us just now. Just play along with me today and I promise this evening will be one neither of you will soon forget." Heather placed the note in Jim's lap, grazing his crotch with raised eyebrow. Jim read the note and returned the raised eyebrow. Heather smiled an evil grin and nodded quickly. Jim folded the paper and placed it in his pocket. He picked up Heather's hand and held it for the remainder of car ride. He thought to himself, "Oh, Dr. Weire, I think you just might do indeed."

They arrived at a parking garage about three blocks away from the harbor itself and exited the car. Heather hugged Sebastian and said, "Bash, I'm sorry about our behavior in the car. I totally understand how that was uncomfortable for you. I'm so sorry. Um, Jim is pretty cute and charming and I kind of let that get to me. So sorry again. If you want to be mad, be mad at me, not him. I let it happen and it was wrong. I love you and I won't let it happen again. Friends again?" Sebastian hugged her back. "Kitten, of course we're friends. We never stopped. Just be careful with Jim. He's really good at masks and knows how to trick people into doing what he wants them to do. Just … just think with your brain, not your … other … parts." Heather reached down and took Sebastian's hand and started to walk towards the sidewalk and Jim. Jim grabbed Heather's free hand and the threesome took up the entire sidewalk width as they walked. Heather had to admit that she loved being the meat in a Sebastian/Jim sandwich, which made a scandalous thought flitter through her mind for the briefest of moments, causing her to blush ever so slightly. "No, no. Not a chance, girlfriend," she thought as she dismissed the image from her brain. Still the idea did have a little bit of merit and some potential. She silently laughed it off.

After a short walk, they arrived at the Aquarium. The line outside was quite long, and Jim expressed his dismay at the way. "That sign says that there is a two hour wait just to get in. I don't want to wait that long. Let's find something else to do," he whined. Heather reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet. "I've got it. Come with me." With the men in tow, she walked up to the window marked "VIP Admission."

"Dr. Weire, how are you?" asked the man behind the counter. "I'm great, Steve. Thanks for asking. How's Mark? He had a race last weekend, didn't he? How did he do? Win any medals?" Heather inquired.

"No medals, but he improved his time by 2 seconds, so he's happy."

"That's awesome. Tell I said congratulations. Listen, I got two special guests with me today and I wanted to show them around. Is Stacey working today and can she give us a tour? I love her tours."

"She is working today. She's actually training a new guide, so if you're okay with having an extra tag-along, I can set you up with her no problem. Let me call her on the radio now to make sure she's free, ok?"

"Perfect. Thanks so much Steve. You're the best," chirped Heather. "You guys are going to love Stacey. She's brilliant and has been at the Aquarium for years. She knows this place inside and out."

"Dr. Weire, Stacey just went on lunch, but she said that she would be available in 45 minutes. I'm sorry, but did you want to tour with someone else?"

"No, actually, we could use a bite to eat now too. So, we'll go to the café inside and meet Stacey for a tour in about an hour if that works for her."

"I'll check, but that sounds reasonable. Give me just a minute." Steve called Stacey on the radio, told her the plan, and got approval for a private tour in one hour.

"Steve, again thank you so much. Guys, let's go get something to eat," said Heather. She handed the tickets to the men and they entered the Aquarium through the VIP entrance. "Okay, the café is downstairs, so let's head there now and then we'll come back up and meet Stacey here in about an hour."

Jim was rather impressed with how open and beautiful the café was. The food selection was vast, and he had trouble choosing between the macaroni and cheese and the Rueben sandwich. He ultimately chose the sandwich and was pleased with not only the freshness, but also the size of the sandwich. Sebastian got a vegetarian panini and cole slaw, while Heather ordered the macaroni and cheese. She offered Jim a bite after seeing him eyeing it up. He was amazed with the perfect balance of creaminess and bite that the cheese sauce had. The noodles were cooked to a flawless al dente, not mushy like he had expected. "Heather, I have to admit I'm surprised with the quality of the food here. I was really expecting a much lower quality considering."

"Ah, yes. Well, that is one of the many things I love about this place. All of their culinary staff are either students or graduates of culinary schools. You won't find any McDonald's employees here. It's one of the things the Aquarium is known for. Their staff is frequently winning awards. It is a real point of pride for them. In fact, if someone were to have an event here at the Aquarium, they would be required to use the kitchen staff for any food purposes. It's a standard part of the rental agreement. My hospital has several events here throughout the year and no matter what happens, you can always count on leaving very well fed. Bash, how was your lunch? That panini smelled good, despite the mushrooms."

"Yeah, it was good. Especially the mushrooms."

"Ugh, I don't understand how you stand to eat a food that was grown in shit and tastes like Styrofoam. I thought I raised you better than that," teased the redhead. "I blame your mom. Years of eating her atrocious cooking has robbed you of taste."

"Wait, Heather, you've met Sebastian's ma? He won't introduce me. Spoilsport! What is she like? Does she have any pet names for him? Any embarrassing stories? I need to know everything," asked Jim.

"Oh, yeah. I've met both of his parents and his sister Fiona. His sister's a psycho, money-grubbing bitch. But, his parents loved me, especially his dad. But, then, dads do love me! Moms … sometimes not so much, but dads … oh, yeah, dads LOVE me! I think it's a combination of wanting to jump my bones and hoping that I choose their son to marry because let's face it, I'm pretty much the total package. I'm hot, smart, talented, very financially secure, a great cook, and most importantly, SO modest." Heather winked with that last statement. "His mom is okay. She's rather reserved and quiet, almost to the point of being spooky. She can't cook worth anything, but thankfully they have a few house workers."

"Kitten, the word you are looking for is 'servants," said Sebastian. "Servants. My parents have servants."

"You know I don't like the word 'servant.' It sounds so slave-y, like your parents own them or something. It's weird. Henry, Liam, Flora, and Mrs. Chapawick are lovely and I hate to think of them that way. It bugs me on some level. Anyway, his dad is um … well his dad you can definitely tell he was in the military. Um, he's very accustomed to people following his commands without question. I think that he was actually a bit intrigued by me because I asked a lot of questions and argued with him some. Like he wasn't totally sure what to do with me. He knew my dad and had actually seen pictures of us girls, which I didn't know. They had worked on a few things over the years, so that was kind of interesting. I can't really think of any stories from his family. They're not really the 'gather around the hearth, let's have warm family remembrance times' kind of people. More like 'oh, you're still here. Wonderful. Well, I suppose we could have some tea together since we're still married and all' kind of people. Am I painting a fairly accurate picture, Sebastian?"

Sebastian considered her words for a moment and responded, "If anything, I think you painted too rosy of a picture to be honest. Though, I will agree that my da does really like you. He told me that I should marry you and put some children in you before you got away."

"How did he take word of my cancer, cause you know that shut down the baby factory permanently, right?"

"I haven't told him. I figured that was your story to tell."

"Gotcha. I'll get right on that. Right after I send my sex tape to my dad and Pastor Jimmy. I just have to finish the commentary."

Jim's eyes flashed back and forth between his lieutenant and hostess, like he was watching Wimbledon. "She has a sex tape. And she's sending it to her dad? And who's Pastor Jimmy? Is she sending a sex tape to a minister? How freaky was this girl? Did she have cancer now? Where? I've got to do better research. Was this part of the game she was talking about in the car," Jim thought to himself.

Heather noticed Jim's silence and slightly confused look. "Jim, you okay there? Did we completely lose you? Let me explain. About a year and a half ago, I went to the doctor for my annual lady-time exam and because of some minor issues I was having, eventually got diagnosed with stage 1 uterine cancer. I got a partial hysterectomy. With that surgery, especially since we caught it so early, all of the cancer was removed, and I didn't need any more treatment. I just had to go and get checked every 3 months along with some lab work and ultrasounds to make sure nothing came back. I'm fine. I'm in remission. Everything looks great. But, now that I don't have a uterus, I obviously can't have kids. It's a little bit of a disappointment, but it's significantly better than having cancer, so it all works out in the end. Ok?"

"Ok. But what's this about a sex tape? You're sending one to your dad!?"

"Oh, God no! I was kidding! There is no sex tape. There will never be a sex tape. Ever! Totally kidding. Very much kidding! Even if there ever ever ever was one, my dad would be the very last person to get a copy or to know of its existence. And Pastor Jimmy was my childhood minister. He has passed away, but even if he were still alive, he would also not get a copy of any sort of tape like that. He was a very nice man who was very kind to my sisters and me when our parents' divorce was getting really ugly and he was important to me." Heather sighed and shook her head. "Ok, we have about 10 minutes before we have to meet Stacey upstairs, so let's dump the trash, use the bathroom, and head on up."

The trio gathered their trays and placed them on the conveyer belt. Sebastian and Heather headed into their respective restrooms. Heather finished and walked out. Jim was talking on his phone, but Sebastian was nowhere in sight. Jim held up a finger to Heather and thanked whoever was on the other end of the call. "Jim, are you conducting business on your mini vacation," teased Heather. "Vacations are for relaxing and leaving work behind. Don't make me have to take your phone away."

"I would like to see you try."

"Don't tempt me. I don't resist temptation well," warned Heather. "Where's Bash?"

"Still hasn't come out yet. So, you're weak to temptations, huh? Admitting that is your fatal flaw. Come here." Jim pulled Heather into his arms and a strong, passionate kiss. Heather felt her legs go weak and her head swim. She could definitely get used to this. Heather could feel Jim's growing arousal on her stomach.

"Jim, what about Sebastian? You are ruining my plan. We are supposed to be playing it cool. On the other hand, fuck, you are handsome, and someone is making an awfully good argument," she said, gesturing down to Jim's lower half. "You keep kissing me like that and who knows what could happen." She pursed her lips in thought. "What about we compromise? Would you go for continuing those kisses and we keep the rest of our behavior PG-ish while in public? I am well known and can't exactly be seen acting like a hormonal handsy teenager around town. If you behave, tonight I will make up for your restraint. I might even let you get to second base, mister," she said with a wink.

"You drive a hard bargain, lady, but okay, but you owe me big."

"Oh, I was hoping you would be the one to show me 'hard' and 'big' tonight. One more kiss while we can, please."

"Well, since you said please, okay." Jim enveloped Heather in his arms and smothered her with a long, passionate kiss for the ages. Their tongues fought playfully for dominance and Heather had to use ounce of willpower not to strip Jim down right there on the café floor. Thoughts of how she would reward Jim and him her in a few hours flew through her mind, causing her underwear to become unbearably damp and her nipples to harden. An involuntary groan escaped her lips.

"Christ Almighty you two! I leave you alone for 2 minutes to take a shit and you're out here making the beast with two backs! What is wrong with you people? Break it up! People are trying to eat here and you're putting them off their chow!"

"Sebastian! Honey, sorry, didn't see you there. Did you wash your hands?"

"Don't try to charm me, Weire. I've known you for too long for that shit to work. And you, Jim! Leave Heather's mouth alone. It's allowed to exist without your tongue in it. Her pants don't have room for you in them. Stop trying to climb in. Damn you guys!"