Chapter 21 – Olé
"Wow, you're slow." Lauren turned around and walked backwards, waiting for Bo to catch up. "So much for superhuman Succubus powers."
"Yeah well, strength and chi-sucking don't do me any good when it comes to high heels and cobblestones." Bo hobbled a little bit faster, heels clicking on the stones under her feet.
"Why didn't you pack a pair of those ass-kicking boots that you and Kenzi love so much?"
"They wouldn't fit in my suitcase," Bo replied. "And they weigh like, twenty pounds."
Lauren jogged up to Bo, kissed her forehead, and then jogged backward, teasingly. "Want me to give you a piggyback ride? We'll never get there at this rate."
"You know, for a while there I was starting to like you, but I think I changed my mind."
Lauren grinned. "As long as I know where we stand." She waited for Bo to catch up, and held out an elbow. Bo gratefully wrapped her arm around Lauren's for support.
"Where are we, anyway?" Bo asked. Over the past ten minutes, Lauren had led her down so many narrow side streets and back alleys Bo was sure that if Lauren abandoned her to her own devices, she'd never be able to find her way out again.
"This is the Barri Gotic. The Gothic Quarter. It's the old city center of Barcelona. A lot of these buildings date all the way back to Roman and Medieval times. The same streets we're walking now were trodden by the Visigoths and the Carthaginians. Maybe even Charlemagne himself."
"It's like a maze."
"More of a labyrinth, really. We're quite far off of the tourist map right now."
They passed under an ornamental arch connecting two ancient buildings. The alley grew so narrow they could no longer walk side by side. Bo fell in step behind Lauren. "And you know where we are?"
"I think so."
"You think so?"
"Well…it has been almost ten years. I'm not even sure if the place I'm looking for even exists anymore," Lauren admitted, with a shrug. "But if it does, it'll be worth it. You trust me, right?"
Bo narrowed her eyes at the Doctor. "Sort of."
"Well, that's better than no." Lauren smiled as they emerged from an alley not much wider than shoulder width, and stepped out into an open square. "HA! Yes! This is it."
"What's it? I don't see anything." Bo's eyes swept the dimly lit square, where the only living things around were two bored looking pigeons out past their bedtime.
Lauren curled her fingers through Bo's so that their palms were touching. She backed into the square, dragging Bo along with her, and stopped right in the middle. Musky old buildings loomed around them like ancient sentinels. Bo watched, fascinated, as Lauren's face erupted into something like joy. "I was right. You can't see it from here. But if you listen closely, you'll be able to hear it. It's right under your feet."
Bo tilted her ear toward the ground, and concentrated. Now that Lauren had mentioned it, she thought she could hear a rhythmic, repetitive noise from below – almost like clapping.
"Ha ha!" Lauren practically yanked Bo to the corner of the square, where a steep set of stairs led down into the darkness. "I can't believe it's still here!" She skipped down the stairs, two at a time, and didn't even realize Bo wasn't following until she was halfway down. "What are you waiting for, let's go!"
"Down there?" Bo asked.
"Don't tell me Succubi are afraid of the dark," Lauren teased.
"Succubi aren't afraid of anything." Bo tilted her chin up and defiantly strode down the stairs.
"Except flying?" Lauren whispered in her ear as Bo stomped past.
Bo ignored the Doctor. She reached the bottom of the stairs, and stood in front of a large, thick, weather-beaten wood door. There was no signage here at the bottom, and no indication about what may be found on the other side. "There isn't a chainsaw wielding psycho down here, waiting to sell me for parts, is there?" She asked Lauren, as she reached the landing.
"Your parts are perfect exactly as they are," Lauren replied. "Any human with an ounce of business sense would know that the best way to make a profit off of a Succubus is to bottle your chi, not your liver."
"Great. That makes me feel better."
Lauren cupped Bo's chin in her hands. "You're being ridiculous. I'm taking you to a juerga."
"What's a juerga?"
Lauren grinned. "Open the door and find out."
The second Bo heaved open the heavy wooden doors, the dull, rhythmic noises morphed into a cacophonous roar, tearing through her eardrums. Light streamed from the end of a twenty foot tunnel. She could smell booze, cigar smoke, and some sort of baking dough as Lauren led her inside. And simmering underneath it all Bo felt an undercurrent of sexual energy.
She quickly decided that a juerga, whatever it was, was delicious.
Lauren led Bo to the end of the tunnel, and Bo got a good look at what exactly was making all the racket. She found herself in a huge room, with at least thirty tables all set up in a circle around a jam packed dance floor. There must have been close to two hundred people crowded in a space not much larger than a tennis court. Men and women with guitars and drums provided the music, while nine or ten couples danced. Some people clapped along, others were stumbling away from a makeshift bar, falling down drunk, still others were groping each other and making out in darkened corners. It was lusty, it was hot, and loud, and to Bo, mouthwatering.
Lauren had to raise her voice to be heard over the sounds of guitar music and cheering. "This is the Taverna Jacinta. Almost all locals, all ages." As Lauren pointed this out, Bo noticed that the majority of the dancers were old enough to be her parents. "This is a juerga flamenca – it's a flamenco jam session – there's no formal distinction between the audience and the performers. If the mood strikes, anyone can get up and dance along. It's all a collective experience – playing, singing, dancing, and cheering."
"If the crowd likes something, they shout or clap their hands. The claps are called palmas." Lauren paused for effect, as shouts of "Olé!"rang out after a particularly slick dance move. "It's raw and steamy in the best possible way, right?"
Bo nodded, licking her lips. Lauren laughed. "Come on, let's go find a table." She practically had to drag the Succubus away from the dance floor. Lauren found an empty spot and plopped down, with Bo across from her. Lauren leaned in to initiate the conversation. "Flamenco is actually more closely associated with Andalucía, which is the southern part of Spain. But you can find it anywhere in the country, if you know where to look." Lauren winked.
A harried but friendly looking woman sidled up to their table. "Que te gusteria tomar?"
"Cava." Lauren replied with a smile. She held up two fingers. "Dos. Por favor."
"What was that?" Bo asked.
"I just ordered us drinks. At least, I hope so. I haven't had a Spanish class since high school." At the table next to them, a group of men erupted into loud cheers.
"How did you find out about this place?" Bo asked.
"Ten years ago, between Pre Med and Med school, I decided to backpack around Europe for a few months. Barcelona was my first stop. I was by myself, and I was fearless and stupid back then. So I followed a group of local girls my age that looked like they were out for a good time, and I ended up here."
"Ballsy move, Doc." Bo replied, clearly impressed.
"Thanks." Lauren grinned, as the waitress placed two glasses in front of them, and poured out the contents of a green bottle into both. "Actually," Lauren turned to the waitress, "dejar la botella?" The waitress nodded and walked away, leaving the two women with a bottle of sparkling wine between them. Bo held one of the glasses up to her nose.
Lauren laughed. "Does it smell good?"
"Huh?" Bo asked, confused. "Oh…no, I'm not smelling it. I just like the way the bubbles feel. It tickles."
Lauren laughed again – she suspected she had spent more time laughing in the past five hours than the past five weeks. She held up a glass for a toast. "To a romantic night in Barcelona."
"To trying new things." Bo raised her glass. They clinked. Bo took a sip, as the bubbles danced down her throat.
The musicians in the East corner completed their jam, to the sounds of applause echoing through the room. A guitarist two tables away picked up the slack, and soon a new group of dancers was invading the floor, while the others collapsed at tables for a drink and a break. Lauren turned and watched Bo's reaction – she caught the slightest glint of blue in the Succubus' eyes.
"Isn't it killing you right now, all this energy? Don't you want to go crazy? This must feel like a buffet dinner to you," Lauren said.
"Eh, it's not so bad." Bo shrugged. "I've had worse, believe me. Like every time I look at you for instance. Right now it's taking all my self-control to keep from throwing you down on this table, ripping your clothes off, and having my way with you."
Lauren choked on her cava.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" Bo burst out laughing at Lauren's expression. "Well...sort of."
Lauren blushed a deep red, partially because of the cava but mostly because of Bo. "You have no idea how impressed I was, when you were talking about how you managed to keep your libido in check during high school – most Fae, whether they do it on purpose or not, are happy with feeding off of humans. For the most part, they have very little regard for the health and well-being of their…uh…prey."
Bo put a hand on Lauren's. "Well, I'm not most Fae. I happen to like humans. I happen to like you. And I'd rather keep you alive and play with you long term, than use you for a night or two and then run off to the next best thing."
"I'm going to take that as a compliment." Lauren said.
"Good," Bo replied. "You should. And I mean it."
"Bo, I…"
"Hola." Lauren was interrupted by an old man – at least seventy. He had grey hair, a bit of a stooped posture, and deep wrinkles etched into the skin of his face like canyons. The man grinned at Bo, and bowed. He held out a hand, and looked at her expectantly.
"Uh…Lauren?" Bo turned to her date. "What's going on?"
"I think he wants to dance with you," Lauren replied, sipping her cava.
"Oh…uh, no." Bo turned to the man, as politely as she possibly could. "No, I don't know how."
The man replied with a thirty second bout of Spanish, which Lauren was unable to translate. He grinned widely, and gestured for the Succubus to stand up. "Go for it," Lauren said. "He'll show you how. Take a chance. I want to see you move." She ran a finger along her champagne glass.
Bo groaned. "Fine, fine." She stood up and pushed her chair in. The man bowed again, and held out his arm. Bo curtsied awkwardly, and wrapped her wrist around his elbow. "But there was no flamenco in Dirty Dancing. If I make a fool of myself, you're the one to blame."
Lauren raised her glass. "I take full responsibility for any and all possible eventualities. Now go and show these Spaniards how it's done." She grinned, as the old man led Bo right to the middle of the dance floor and the drummers and guitarists picked up the pace to something a little more up-tempo and exotic.
Lauren couldn't keep the smile off her face as the man, shockingly spry for his age, began to move his hips to the music. He put his hands on Bo's waist, and moved her hips along with his. Lauren bit her lip, as a smile spread, beautiful and real, across the Succubus' face. Soon, she started to pick up the simple choreography. By the time Bo held a palm against his age-spotted face and dipped low, Lauren was all but transfixed by the gorgeous and game-for-it Succubus.
Bo may have been having a bit of fun, dancing. But Lauren was having the time of her life just watching her. Lauren took a very large swig of cava, to drown out those warm fuzzy feelings that insisted on rising up through her stomach no matter how hard she tried to keep them at bay. "Olé," she whispered, low enough that no one else could hear.
A few hours later they found themselves right back where they started – outside Lauren's hotel room. Except now they were dirty and disheveled from their Barcelona adventure, both having spent the last part of it learning the intricacies of Flamenco in a smoke filled bar. "Do you want to come in?" Lauren stepped aside, leaving room for Bo to enter.
"And sleep with you on the first date?" Bo grinned. "If I do that, you might think I'm a slut. And I don't want to give you the wrong idea."
Lauren laughed, playing it off, trying to hide her disappointment. "Fair enough." She brushed Bo's hair with her fingertips. "I had an incredible time tonight."
"Me too. Thanks for showing me around." Bo leaned in for a good night kiss. She'd meant it to be quick, but the moment her lips touched Lauren's she found she couldn't bring herself to pull away. It was a strange sensation for her, to be so attached to someone that she suspected Lauren used glue for chapstick.
In the end, it was Lauren who broke away first. "Goodnight," the Doctor whispered, with one last peck on Bo's lips.
"Night."
Lauren gave Bo a smile, and closed the door on the Succubus. She heaved a huge sigh as her fingers lingered on the doorknob, desperate to be touching something else entirely. She stood in place, listening carefully as Bo's door opened and shut. Through the wall she was just barely able to hear Bo shuffling around – she heard a drawer open, and a few mysterious thumps.
Bo sat at her desk, and smacked her forehead off of the wood, twice, to try and clear thoughts of Lauren from her mind.
Lauren looked at the clock. It was almost 1 am, and they had a busy day tomorrow. Bed time. She wondered, not for the first time, what Bo wore to sleep in. "Come on," she muttered to herself. She kicked her shoes and socks off, placing them neatly in the corner. She opened her suitcase, chastising herself for not hanging up her clothes sooner. Everything was wrinkled. She pulled a tank top and a pair of shorts from her bag, slid out of her clothes, and headed for the shower.
Hotel showers always presented a challenge – a mundane but somehow pleasing puzzle to be solved. After an unintentionally invigorating burst of freezing water, Lauren mastered the hot and cold nozzles. She luxuriated in the feel of the hot water as it steamed up the mirrors, contentedly sighing as it rolled down her back.
Bo changed out of her clothes, lay on the bed in her yukata, and watched an entire episode of The Simpsons dubbed in Spanish. There was no way she was getting to sleep any time soon, especially when she could hear the water running next door.
Lauren finished up and toweled off. The mirror was still steamed up. In a fit of childish giddiness which took her completely by surprise, she used her finger and wrote on the glass – L.L + B.D. She enclosed the letters in a heart outline. The Valentine's Day kind of heart, not the anatomically correct heart which, let's face it, couldn't look more different.
Of course, feelings of love originated in the brain anyway, not the heart. Even though the heart may palpitate upon seeing the person you're enamored with, it's the signals from the brain that tell it – 'hey, you really like this person, you'd better do something'. So really, she should have drawn a brain and not a cartoon heart. Lauren shook her head at her own ridiculousness and overanalysis, and wiped the letters away.
Lauren dried her hair and brushed her teeth, all the while replaying the events of the evening in her mind. Holding hands with Bo on La Rambla. Kissing Bo on the Casa Mila. Watching Bo dance at the Jacinta. Lauren gulped. She realized that, contrary to what she'd previously believed and intended, this was turning into much more than a sex thing.
Bo's Simpsons episode ended. Another began – the one where Homer tries to build a barbecue pit. If Bo had been paying attention, she would have realized she'd seen that episode before. But the only thing that registered in Bo's mind was that Lauren was out of the shower.
Lauren grabbed her shirt and shorts from the towel rack. She made a face. The clothes were wrinkled. Wrinkled! How very un-Lauren-like. She placed them back in the suitcase and sat down on her bed.
She stared at their shared door.
She could overanalyze until morning. She could open her laptop, and make a list of pros and cons, build a pie chart, come up with a hundred statistical reasons why it would be a bad idea to unlock that door. She could rationalize the terrible unlikelihood of any relationship being a success, she could calculate the incredibly low amount of time that they had known each other, and the even lower amount of time they had been able to stand each other. She could count on two hands and feet the dangers to her welfare and safety being with a Succubus could portend. She could easily talk herself out of it, if she gave herself a few minutes to think.
She didn't even give herself a few seconds.
She crossed the room, turned the latch sideways, and unlocked the door.
Bo heard the click. The sound echoed through her brain.
Lauren draped her towel over a chair, and slid beneath the bedcovers. She lay on her side, back to the door, eyes closed. And she waited. She'd made her choice, and now it was up to Bo.
Lauren could hear the second hand of her wall clock, tick ticking away. It didn't get very far in its circular course before Lauren heard the soft squeak of a door opening. She grinned, and pulled the covers up over her face so Bo couldn't see.
Bo peeked inside. A sliver of light from the open curtain fell across the duvet. Bo watched Lauren's body rise and fall with each deep, slow breath. Bo knew Lauren wasn't sleeping. She could feel energy rising from her body like heat off the pavement. But it was different, somehow, like the variation between fire engine red and warm, rich maroon.
Bo closed the door behind her, and walked toward the bed, and Lauren. Her yukata slid into a puddle at her feet, as she lifted the duvet and slipped into the bed. She snuggled up behind Lauren, playing the big spoon, pleased by how well their bodies fit together. Bo skimmed a hand over Lauren's chest and kissed the back of her neck.
Lauren groaned, softly. "I really like you," she said, almost an admission of defeat. "A lot."
"I like you too," Bo whispered in her ear.
"Aaah," was Lauren's articulate response, as Bo's light, sweet touches turned more urgent. She teased and pulled at Lauren's nipples until the Doctor was writhing under her hands.
Bo lavished attention on the sweet spot behind Lauren's ear. "Now turn around, and kiss me like you mean it."
Lauren didn't need to be told twice. She rolled over and happily sunk into the warmth and comfort of Bo's lips, arms, and skin.
Much, Much Later
Lauren tapped gently at her keyboard. She made a few notes in her three ring binder, placed her pen between her teeth, and then pecked at the keyboard some more. Beside her, Bo shifted on the bed. The duvet slipped lower, and Lauren was momentarily transfixed by the perfect musculature of the Succubus' back and waist. As Lauren watched, Bo's lips curved into a smile.
"Are you staring at me?" She opened her eyes and asked, in a sleepy voice.
Busted.
"No. Well, yes," Lauren stumbled. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."
Bo sat up, and pulled the covers up over her naked body. The room had grown chilly in the hours since their very heated session. She put her chin on Lauren's shoulder. "Don't you ever sleep?"
"I catch a few winks when I can." Lauren's attention was drawn back to her laptop. "Unfortunately, five days away from the office does not mean five days away from work. I'm expected to keep up with events back home. I am," she sighed, "forever at the beck and call of the Ash."
"Don't you get sick days or something? Isn't that a law? Workers' rights?"
"Human laws have no bearing on Fae laws, you should know that by now," Lauren softly chided the Succubus. "No, I don't get sick days."
"But what if you get sick?" Bo frowned.
"Then I suck it up, and do the best I can, and take frequent breaks." She gave Bo a smile. "And I wear a mask so I don't spread disease around…a doctor spreading illness to patients is a bit counterintuitive to the Hippocratic Oath."
"Ah, what do the hippos know," Bo scoffed.
Lauren looked at Bo, and slow-blinked. "The Hippocratic Oath is…"
"I know, I know, I was only teasing. I'm not that stupid." She kissed Lauren's bare shoulder. "What are you working on?"
"I'm going over my autopsy report for Arthur Naia again. You remember him?"
"The Luck Fae who got very unlucky at the Zamora Ball?"
"The very same."
"So you haven't figured out who killed him?"
"No. I still can't match the burn signature with any species of Fae." She grinned. "I may have just discovered the Fae equivalent of the Cercopithecus Lomamiensis."
"The who's the what now?"
"A new species of monkey, just discovered in the Congo. Don't you read the news?" Lauren glanced over at Bo, who was clearly giving her a 'bitch, please' look. "Right. Dumb question. Anyway, I try to make jokes about it, but this case is driving me up the wall. I can't stand not knowing. It's the worst, most discouraging feeling." She sighed. "You know, I never have two seconds to relax, under the employ of the Ash."
Bo could see the frustration mounting in Lauren, as the little crease between her eyebrows grew deeper with every passing second she stared at the screen. Bo reached out her hand, and without warning, snapped the laptop shut.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm sick," Bo replied.
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm a Fae. I don't feel good. You're a doctor. It's your job to check me out. Do your job, Doc." Bo reached over Lauren's lap, placing the computer on the end table. She ripped the covers off of Lauren who was, to Bo's immense delight, still stark naked.
Lauren grinned, lying back on the pillows. "And the symptoms of this mystery illness are?"
"Hunger." Bo rolled on top of Lauren. "Craving, really." She bent down and kissed Lauren's neck, drawing a gasp from the Doctor.
"Anything else?"
"I'm sore." She whispered in Lauren's ear. She pushed her knee between Lauren's legs, straddling her thigh. "I ache…all over."
"I see." Lauren's body rose to meet the Succubus. "Show me where it hurts the most."
Bo lifted Lauren's hand and placed it on her chest. She slid it all the way down her body, the final destination the heat and wetness pooling between Bo's thighs. "Right there." Bo arched her back as Lauren slid her fingers across Bo's center.
"Well," Lauren breathed, "that is a problem."
"So, what do you think we should do, Doc?"
Lauren sat up, so her eyes were only inches from Bo's. "Take two aspirin, and call me in the morning." She gave Bo a peck on the cheek, lay back down on the bed and rolled onto her side, away from one mightily confused Succubus.
Bo's mouth hung open, in complete shock. She was still straddling the Doctor, but something somewhere had gone horribly, horribly wrong. She stayed in place, dumbstruck, too surprised to even move.
Lauren grinned. She couldn't see it, but she could picture the indignant look on Bo's face. She silently counted up – at nine seconds Bo still hadn't moved or spoken. At thirteen seconds Bo heaved a sigh of such dejection it almost made Lauren burst out laughing. At fifteen seconds, Lauren felt Bo shift her weight away from her own body, resigned to the fact that she would not be getting lucky for the rest of the night.
At sixteen seconds, Lauren pounced.
She burst up and out, rolling Bo underneath her, pinning the Succubus' arms against the pillows above her head. She planted kisses all over Bo's prone body, one for every second she'd made Bo suffer, before placing one final, sensual, lustful kiss on Bo's waiting lips.
"You thought I was serious, didn't you?" Lauren laughed.
Bo's chest heaved up and down as she breathed, a heady mixture of desire and anger. "Yeah, I did. Not cool." She reached up and caught Lauren's lip between her teeth, giving it a tug.
"Don't worry." Lauren slid down Bo's body. "I'm a Doctor. I'll always fix what ails you. Now let's see what we can do about this ache."
"Olé," Bo moaned. Lauren dove in, and didn't come up for air.