Hello, people!
Again, thank you for the nice and generous reviews!
And special thanks R.C. Babcock, who pointed to me D.E. Harrison's Battles Won and Lost. I had read the story (I think I have read almost everything in this fandom), but forgot about it, what surely turned it into part of the courage I had to gather in order to write down this idea that has been coming over to visit me from time to time (I believe some important influences hide in your mind, waiting to have a hand at what you do). So, thank you, too, D.E. Harrison, for being part of this project before it existed in its definitive form, when you published such an intriguing story.
I think one of the most beautiful things in fanfiction is that we end up creating a number of alternate canons, because one good story and/or interesting premise becomes a part of what we think of as promising possibilities and nice development for our favorite characters.
More than a woman
Chapter 4: Run to me
'All right', CC finally answered, getting up.
'Really?', Niles asked, his challenging stance gone in a second.
She turned to take the armchair and put a bit more of distance between it and the bed.
She was going to need some space for what she intended to do.
The blonde turned to the butler and smiled, 'Yes, really'.
His excitement was obvious: he was sitting with his back very straight, eyes wide and shining, mouth slightly open, and hands on his thighs as if he was prepared to get up at any moment.
He was the image of a child who has just been told he is going to see something amazing, and is ready to follow the person who made the promise anywhere.
CC bit her lower lip at the sight of him.
She felt invaded by an absurd joy at the fact he wanted to see her, and kind of afraid of how quick it was making her forget this situation should be nothing but awkward.
She adopted a strict tone, hands on her hips and all, 'Be aware that I'll do it my way. It is my chance of traumatizing you forever, leaving you with the image of my strange body etched to your brain, and I'm not letting the opportunity pass'.
He smiled affectionately, 'I wouldn't have it any other way'.
CC shook her head, amused.
Her hands reached for the red coat and she started unbuttoning it, 'You know, we're making it even more complicated than it already is'.
'How is it complicated?', Niles asked, inclining into the bed and supporting himself on his elbows to relax and watch what promised to be a show.
He was soon proved right: she unbuttoned the coat, opened it with a flourish, took it off and turned slightly to throw it on the chair.
Niles gulped visibly at the graceful movements of her waist.
CC started for the buttons of the black blouse, 'I had planned to tell you the truth, make sure your old brain got what had happened and go away'.
Her hands were moving purposely slow, what gave a sensual strip-tease-like air to the situation, including heated glances thrown at him from time to time.
'Now I'll expose myself to you unnecessarily', she completed the thought, opening the blouse.
'It's not unnecessary', Niles' eyes followed her hands – opening the blouse, sliding it by her arms, throwing it on the chair, coming back to her front, and then tracing the outlines of a beautiful bra, black and red laced. He spoke hoarsely, 'If you want to clarify things, do it right'.
She chuckled, feeling a rush of arousal at his voice, and started undoing her pants, 'You know I'm not the kind that makes things righteously, Niles'.
He was not able to speak when her pants fell quickly, what created the visual effect of a light caress to the sides of her legs.
She stepped out of it and used her feet to put the pants aside, on the floor.
The movement put in evidence that her legs were long and strong, with black delicate stockings that ended a bit under the middle of her thighs.
His eyes went to her feet and up, following the lines of her stockings, glancing at the skin of her thighs, and reaching her panties.
They matched her bra, with an elegant pattern in black and red.
And showed a slight bulge.
Her eyes were on his face, attentive to his reaction.
'Well', Niles smirked, 'I can already see an advantage, in this', he looked up at her face, 'It makes very clear when you're engaged in a situation'.
She raised a brow, 'That's something I never heard exactly praised'.
'What proves I'm not in the same league of the guys you have chosen in the past', he winked at her.
She grinned, 'No, you're not'.
He grinned, too, hearing the unspoken You're above them.
It was not necessary to say it.
'And, about your ways not being righteous', he resumed, getting serious, 'I always knew that, and that's why I kept insisting on the wrongness of your infatuation for our boss'.
She rolled her eyes and raised a foot, then the other, to take off her shoes and let them aside on the floor, 'Yeah, that was the reason why you did it'.
Again, it was not necessary to say he had been crazy with jealousy.
Both knew it.
Niles moved on the bed, sitting again and bringing his hands to his lap – he was feeling constricted on his pants, and for some reason believed he should hide at least some of it.
CC noticed his discretion and found it equal quantities of endearing and funny.
Having an idea, she licked her lips to hide her mischievous smile and turned around to show her back to him, 'Unclasp my bra'.
She heard his breath hitch.
A laugh escaped her lips, 'You know, this is kind of fun'.
CC felt Niles rising behind her, in silence.
His fingertips reached her back and rested close to the hooks.
As it seemed to be standard for them, there were sparks at the contact of skin on skin.
His knuckles grazed her back, savoring the moment and daring to explore a bit of her.
She shivered.
Niles spoke quite close to her ear, 'Torturing me was always fun to you'.
CC closed her eyes in pleasure, resisting the desire to lean back on him and confess the torture was mutual.
She was not able to suppress the urge totally, and her head tilted backward in a sensual movement of surrender.
He unclasped her bra with slightly trembling hands and let go of the sides slowly.
Then, Niles pulled the right strap aside delicately, grazing his fingertips on her skin again, and kissed her right shoulder.
She moaned, her head tilting forward, now, and exposing her back totally to him.
He kissed the inviting place between her shoulder blades, and up to her nape.
Then, he did to her left shoulder what he had done to the right: a delicate gesture to free it from the strap, and a lingering kiss.
Niles stepped back and whispered, 'Done'.
CC turned to him before he could sat again on the bed, looking into his eyes while holding the cups in place with her hands, 'I meant this thing about showing off my body to you turned out to be fun'.
He nodded, not able to speak while drinking in the sight of her so close to him with so much skin exposed.
'Your acceptance feels really good because more than once guys accused me of deceiving them', the blonde explained, 'As if my introduction lines should be Nice to meet you, I'm CC Babcock and, in case you get sexually interested in me, I have a vagina and a penis', she shrugged sadly, as if putting the thought aside, and smirked, 'But torturing you is nice, too'.
He smiled at her, 'I'm here to provide you with just the enjoyable kind of torture'.
CC grinned, and next thing Niles knew, she had took her hands away, taking the bra with them, and he was seeing her breasts naked.
He opened his mouth in surprise and put a hand over his heart, trying to calm it down.
'Are you all right?', she asked, leaning slightly closer, immediately haunted by his heart attack.
'Yes, yes', he assured her, realizing what she must have thought and lowering his hand, 'I've never been better'.
Pacified, she nodded, straightened her back and threw the bra on the chair without looking behind, keeping her eyes on him, 'You seem impressed'.
'You have no idea', Niles said, enchanted, his eyes taking in all of her, 'I have fantasized about you, but this...', he shook his head, searching for the right words, 'This is much more then I could ever guess'.
'I'm flattered', she answered honestly.
And her hands went to the waistband of her panties.
Niles sat again, suddenly, as if his knees had not been able to hold him up anymore.
CC felt the proverbial butterflies on her stomach: she was nervous because of what was to come next, but hugely excited at his obvious interest.
She breathed deeply, 'If you get disgusted, you just have to look away. I'll understand'.
Before Niles could say anything – that he had noticed her discomfort, that he had no reason to be disgusted by whatever she had to show him – CC bent her body, pulling the panties to the middle of her thighs, and straightened herself up.