(A few days later)
Michael's eyes hadn't wavered once as he spoke. He had just given his weekly report on Sara Tancredi and now stood under the intense scrutiny of Agent Paul Kellerman.
Michael knew the man had been against sending him back in after Sara's stint in rehab, and he knew Paul hadn't ever really liked him in the first place.
In fact Paul always seemed to find something condescending to say to Michael, whether it was work related or otherwise.
Michael was surprised at the sincerity with which Paul spoke now.
"You're doing an excellent job, Agent Scofield. It seems Gov. Tancredi is speaking highly of you. He was quite impressed with the way you handled that..ah… little situation with his daughter. And I'm sure he will be locking up his sleeping pills from here on out."
Paul laughed, but then he was back to business; his expression more than serious.
"There are some new developments you need to be made aware of. We have reason to believe that the dinner honoring Sara Tancredi's 18th Birthday will be targeted."
Michael had been listening, filing it all away, but at this he felt his stomach drop. He swallowed hard and made himself speak.
"Do we know if this information is reliable, Sir?"
Paul nodded. "It's reliable, Michael. You'll be given a file with more details before the week is out."
And then there it was the condescending agent rearing his ugly head. He patted Michael on the shoulder. "Don't you worry, Mike there will be plenty of agents there with experience in the field, you just stand there next to the Tancredi girl and look pretty."
Michael's jaw tightened, but he kept his cool. He had a feeling Paul Kellerman was just waiting for him to react to one of his jibes so he could have him thrown off the case.
"Will that be all, Sir?"
Agent Kellerman nodded. "Yep, you're dismissed…Oh, and Michael?"
Michael turned to look back at him his hand on the door.
Paul's periwinkle eyes twinkled with undisguised mirth.
"I heard about your little 'date' the other night…so endearing! I hope you didn't do anything I wouldn't do?"
Michael's eyes were cool steel.
"No, Sir, I was a Gentleman "
With this he turned and walked out closing the door behind him.
(Early evening of the Birthday dinner)
Michael was on his way up the front walk when the door flew open.
Sara rushed out, and grabbing his arm she hauled him back down the stairs.
"What's going on?"
He wanted to stop her and make her talk to him, but the tears running down her face made him think maybe it would be better to just get her away from there. When she pushed him towards his car he let her. Where were the agents on duty? He put the car in gear and pulled out.
"Sara, what's happening? Are you okay?"
She looked away from the window, her eyes shining wetly in the lights from oncoming traffic.
"I hate him! He's so…God! Michael he wants to send me away this summer. I hate the idea and he thought it would be the perfect Birthday present? How can he know so little about me? What I would want? And to tell me today of all days when I have to sit and look like a little princess so that he can impress everyone?"
Michael hadn't noticed the dress she was wearing in all the rush. He glanced at her now and then looked away. She was wearing a red velvet dress that was low in the front, while the slit in the skirt showed off her long legs.
"Um, Sara, maybe we should just go back so you can talk to him?"
She looked away from the window, her eyes incredulous.
"Are you kidding? What do you thing just happened in there Michael? We did talk…or yell is more like it. We had it out. I told him he can forget it, I'm not going anywhere this summer. And certainly not to some fancy horse ranch where they pretend you don't have a problem to your face, all the while sending progress reports to your family so they will keep 'funding' the place!"
Michael pulled into his parking spot and shut off the engine. Not knowing a safer place to take her, he had once again driven to his apartment.
He was figuring maybe once she cooled down, he would be able to talk some sense into her and convince her she had to go home. He knew one thing for certain, he couldn't let her miss her Birthday dinner. It was
crucial that she be there.
XXXXX
Michael set the coffee in front of her and joined her on the sofa. She had been a little quiet since her outburst in the car. He wanted to ask her how she had managed to give the guards the slip, but he knew he needed to work it into the conversation, so he sat quietly waiting for her to say something.
"So, did you call David yet?"
He had thought she would bring up her father again, so her question surprised him.
"Um, no. I ah… Sara. I decided that David is ahhh…"
"Not your type?" She asked hopefully.
"Yes exactly. He's not my type. I mean I need to find someone who doesn't need a translator for everything they say, you know?"
Sara nodded and set her coffee mug aside without drinking it. She turned her body more to face him, tucking her legs up behind her and moving herself closer to him in the process.
She had washed off most of the black smudges under her eyes while he made coffee, and her eyes had lost most of their redness from crying. He couldn't help but think how beautiful she looked.
"So, I could look for someone else for you if you want?"
Here it was. All he had to do was tell her to stop trying to fix him up with someone. But if he did that she might get suspicious. He decided would just have to risk it. He had no intention of repeating last weekend's events.
"Um, it would probably be best if… I mean, I think I can find someone myself…someone ah, more my type?"
They were sitting fairly close now and he wasn't sure how he had let it happen.
"Have you ever…"
Their eyes caught and then she moved in, her mouth crashing down on his. The feel of her lips on his both hard and soft in their urgency.
And then she was pulling away.
"I'm so sorry Michael! I promised myself I wouldn't do this. And…God I'm so…"
Not thinking about anything but the taste of her still on his lips, he reached and grabbed her face pulling her mouth back onto his.
His hands loosened their grip as the kiss grew more heated, their tongues dashing and tasting, in a frenzy of breathlessness as they explored each other.
He let his hands move from her face to her neck and pulled her closer, her body almost instantly coming to rest on him as she climbed astride his lap.
He let his hands travel over her bare shoulders, his mouth wanting to trace every inch of her as he trailed kisses along her jaw line.
She was unbuttoning his shirt, her fingers moving quickly as the need to touch him grew more urgent with every suck, every caress of his mouth on her skin.
And then her hands cool against the heat of his chest and back his shirt fell back against the sofa. He shrugged his arms out of it, her hands eagerly pulling him against her. Her nails stroked lightly at first, but then her fingers dug into him as her need to feel him closer grew.
He needed to stop this, he knew. He needed to stop it before it was too late. But it already was too late. She would never believe him where his sexuality was concerned after this. How could she when he was pressed so hard against her?
He moaned as she moved against him, her bare thighs there for his eager hands to explore. And then she was fumbling between them, her hands on his belt.
She stopped kissing him long enough to mutter, "I'm on the pill."
"Yeah?" His own breathless voice filled the empty room.
"Umm, hmm."
His belt loose she moved to his pants button all the while her mouth on his neck sent shivers through his body straight to his groin.
He pulled back. "Sara, there's something you should know."
"Tell me later, K?"
And then he was in her hand.
He gasped at her touch.
This was moving too fast. He knew he had to stop it…now.
"Sara, wait."
She lifted up. He felt the soft material of her panties scraping along his shaft…and then her hotness was enveloping him, making his next words dissolve in a moan.
He pulled her closer as she moved, their bodies coming together as one, as she brought them both closer with each rise and fall of her hips.
She pulled his hands off her thighs and placed them on her breasts, the velvet soft under his fingers, the buds beneath hard against their confines sending a thrill through his already thrumming libido.
She was so tight around him, so wet. He heard her breathing increase, her moans escalate and he gave into the sensations of her.
They both gasped against each other, their mouths coming together for one last breathless kiss as he filled her.
And as she took everything he had to offer, her moans joined his in their breathless abandon.
