Before you have a coronary after reading about the "progress" CC and Damon are making, here's a little incentive to keep you reading: It goes a little something like this…

CHAPTER 11

Niles had heard her laugh from where he sat in the living room. What was she doing here? Coming to torture him about his lack of a love life now that she so conveniently had one?

He heard the doorknob turn but not open. He knew he had already locked it. He got up, glass of brandy in hand and walked toward the front door to open it before she could even ring the doorbell.

CC still stood smiling with her hand grasping the doorknob from the outside as Niles pulled the door open. She almost stumbled but never angered.

"Oh, waiting up for me, were you, old man?" She smiled a toothy grin.

"No. I felt evil lurking near the house and thought I should check it out. What are you doing here? It's late."

She moved past him, almost stumbling once more at the step down into the entrance hall.

"Ugh, Babs! Been drinking again? No wonder he sent you home early."

"Not that it's any of your business, rent-a-yenta, but we had a great time. In fact, the only reason the night ended was because I remembered I had to come over to pick up some paperwork!"

She walked in the direction of the office, stopping when she saw the bottle of brandy on the living room table.

She laughed.

"What?" He asked, moving to her side and following her line of vision to look at the empty bottle.

She looked beside her and spotted the snifter cradled in his hand. She looked up at him and took it without saying a word.

"That's mine... And it seems like you've had enough," he said, taking the glass from her and trying to shield it behind his back. She wrapped her arm around him to try to take it from him, giggling.

"Give iiiiiit..." She whined when she couldn't reach.

She was so near him and he couldn't help being distracted by her cleavage in that dress. Miss Fine never filled it out quite like this.

"Stop it," he said, more to himself than to her.

"I think you've had enough too," she said, "Your breath reeks of brandy!"

She loved that smell.

She looked at his slightly parted lips. She was hardly reaching for the glass anymore but her arm was still stretched around him.

"Well then it's time to get into bed," he said.

She raised her eyebrows. "Niles!" She said in mock surprise. "I just got back from a date and you're already coming on to me?" She laughed and made another poor attempt at reaching for the glass.

Niles realized the ambiguity of what he'd said. "I meant since we've both had a little too much." He added.

She knew he meant they should sleep off the alcohol separately but she was in a cheeky mood.

She looked up at him to find his eyes floating along her shoulder to her neck.

"I know, Rubber Maid," she grinned. "It's the only way we've ever done this kind of thing." She teased and rested her outstretched arm on his lower back, forgetting about the glass she had been reaching for. She held in a chuckle.

Her comment and gesture seemed to get to him. He grunted in frustration, not tearing his eyes away from her neck and when his head swiftly dipped to her shoulder, she thought it a sign of frustration too... until she felt his parted lips begin to graze across the skin at her collarbone. He didn't dare kiss her.

She felt his hot breath on her skin and turned her head towards his, smelling his freshly washed hair with closed eyes. Her heart was pounding.

His hands were still behind his back, firmly grasping the glass. Her arm around his waist the only thing holding them together. She boldly moved her free hand to touch his hair. Neither of them dared to kiss the other first.

When he felt her delicate fingers lightly feather through his hair and come to rest there, he slowly moved his drink-less hand to her waist, barely touching her. She tore her hand from his hair and felt for his hand, slowly drawing it tighter around her waist as she sniffed his hair.

Her action gave him confidence and he slowly turned his head up from her shoulder to her neck to her jaw, never opening his eyes. He breathed in the scent of her perfume. They still hadn't looked at each other. They still had their eyes tightly shut.

She drew her head back from his temple ever so slightly. He grazed his still-parted lips against her jaw and she ached for him to speed up and kiss her. She felt the blood rushing to her face to colour her cheeks.

He slowly kissed her cheek, almost gingerly. She moaned, open-mouthed and lowered the arm she had wrapped around his back so that her fingers grazed the top of his buttocks. She tugged him closer and felt him twitch.

At the sound of her voice, he began to lift his hand from her waist as if he was suddenly realizing what they were doing. She reached for his hand once more and firmly slid it lower from its place on her lower back, urging him to cup her ass.

When she lifted her hand from his, he hesitated for a moment but then she sighed and smiled when he gave her a slight squeeze. He moved his lips closer to hers painfully slowly.

She felt his laboured breathing against her chest. She, on the other hand, held her breath, waiting for the contact. Just as he reached the corner of her mouth, he half whispered, "Miss Babcock..." His voice croaked.

She had never felt more aroused than in this moment. This is what 'sensually-slow' is meant to feel like, She thought.

"Yes... Niles..." She breathed onto his lips, the lipstick she was wearing slightly sticking to his lips. He groaned at the way she said his name. He parted her lips with his. She sighed audibly into his mouth but before she could close her mouth around his, he pulled back slightly.

He cleared his throat softly, still holding her but fearful of making eye contact.

"You have, um, papers to collect..."

She just looked at him, her face still flushed, her lips still parted and her eyelids heavy.

"Wha-." She panted. "Yeah. You're right."

They quickly distanced themselves from each other and she felt a sweaty chill on her ass when his hot hand was no longer there.

He swallowed hard and they both looked down at the floor. He realized he was still holding the snifter of brandy and he moved to the table to set it down.

When he turned back around. She had disappeared through the office doors.