CHAPTER 26

CC was sitting on her designated green love seat in the office with her feet tucked underneath her. Her mind was occupied with the scripts she had in her lap when the doorbell rang in the distance.

"CC, did Mr. McMann seem content with the raise in budget for the costumes?" Asked Maxwell.

CC looked up from her scripts and started to say that she would call tonight and ask him because they hadn't made plans to see each other that day but she stopped when Damon happened to stroll into the office. CC rose from the sofa in a state of trepidation.

"Damon! What are you doing here?... Um, honey," She added to sound more delighted.

"I thought I'd surprise you at work seeing as we hadn't yet made plans to see each other." He grabbed her and kissed her. "Maxwell, how do you manage to concentrate with such a beautiful woman prancing around the house?"

Fran strolled in and stopped when she saw CC in Damon's arms.

"It's not easy, Mr. McMann, trust me!" Maxwell said, looking over at Fran.

"Ooo la la!" Said Fran. "This is the guy you've been seeing, Miss Babcock? Wowza!" She grinned, holding out her hand to him.

"Yes, Nanny Fine, this is Damon McMann. Damon, Nanny Fine." CC smiled as they greeted each other and shook hands. CC was feeling especially delighted that Fran was impressed by Damon. She secretly hoped Fran was jealous. She seldom felt as though she had something of which other women could be envious. Besides, she knew Nanny Fine was a huge gossip and what wax lyrical about how handsome he is to Niles.

"Nanny Fine..." Damon said, looking at her outfit appreciatively, "I see CC and yourself share some of the same scrumptious tastes in clothing." He turned to look at Max. "What does a man need to do to be in your shoes, Maxwell?" He joked.

"Become his butler," said CC out of pure habit. She suddenly hoped Niles was listening in over the intercom.

Damon laughed, "Good one, darling. You know, Miss Fine, you must take CC shopping. She's been coming off a little business-y lately..." He hinted his disappointment. "I hope she hasn't lost interest in impressing me?"

CC laughed nervously. "Of course not, Damon." She said and pulled him closer for a peck on the lips to convince him.

"Damon, could I offer you a drink?" Maxwell asked politely.

"Ah, yes. Thank you, Maxwell! A Brandy would do wonders if you'd happen to have any?"

"I'm sure we had a bottle, last I checked... One moment, Damon." He said.

The intercom buzzed in the kitchen. "Niles!"

"Yes, sir," he answered.

"Do we have any brandy?"

"Um, the, uh, last of it was finished a few nights ago, sir."

CC's stomach flipped when she heard him say that. She immediately thought back to their first intimate moment when she had let Niles get to second base after trying to get the snifter of brandy he'd hidden behind his back.

Then her mind somersaulted forward to the following day when she had sat fiddling with the empty bottle at the dining room table while Niles was hidden underneath. She had been on the phone with Damon... 'dirty talking'.

She felt as though she were cheating. Two men in her midst at the same time. Neither of them knowing how she really feels about them. I don't even know how I feel about them.

"In that case, I'll have anything you have, Maxwell, thanks." Said Damon.

Maxwell buzzed for Niles to bring up a drink for Damon.

"I'll be right back," said CC as Max and Damon began discussing the budgets for the show. She made her way to the powder room under the stairs and locked herself in there. She took a seat on the closed lid of the toilet and took a deep breath in and out.

Once she felt she had composed herself, she stood and looked at herself in the mirror. She reapplied some of her lipstick confidence. She puckered her lips and then stuck a finger in her mouth and drew it out slowly to prevent any of the pigment from sticking to the inside of her lips or to her teeth. She shuddered and rinsed off her finger under the faucet as she criticized herself for letting it remind her of pancakes with Niles.

She looked at her reflection once and then decided to loosen a few buttons on her blouse. For Damon, CC! She advised herself.

She straightened her posture and opened the powder room door to find Damon and Niles walking by.

"Ah! Here you are, sweetheart!" Damon said and he neared her as Niles made a hasty retreat back to the kitchen.

"What's that?" She asked pointing to a scrap of paper in his hand.

"Oh, it's a recipe that butler just gave me for chicken soup." He crumpled the paper and stuffed it into his pocket. "Why he thinks I'd be cooking at all is beside me. And chicken soup of all things. I think that man is senile. He said you'd enjoy it but I told him I'd decide what to serve you when we happen to dine together and that you could have your pick of the best gourmet soup dishes this side of New York City!" He touched her jaw and kissed her lightly.

CC smiled distractedly. She knew Niles had heard her fake phone call. He was under the impression that Damon would be taking some chicken soup over to her place around 8pm.

Damon spoke up again. "Which reminds me. Would you like to escort me to a cocktail party at a friend's benefit this evening? He'll be serving some of the best spicy Indonesian delicacies and the drinks will be flowing all night." He grinned, pulling her closer.

She wasn't up for spicy foods or alcohol. She wanted to take something for her cold, have a relaxing bubble bath and curl up in bed with a cup of warm tea with honey. What's wrong with me? I'm going soft.

"I'd love to, Damon but I'm afraid I'm not feeling up to being in the company of people tonight. I'm exhausted and I need to get some rest. I haven't been feeling very well."

"Oh, yes, that's right! You mentioned you were ill. Okay, that's no problem. I'll introduce you to my friends and business partners some other time when you're on top form... So I can show you off." He grinned.

She smiled and he kissed her, hugging her tightly. "I'll see you sometime soon then? When you're feeling better. Or when you're feeling bad," he winked and she laughed, shaking her head.

"I'll see myself out, darling." He said and she watched as he rounded the corner from the powder room and she walked to the office as he moved to the front door.

Niles saw him grabbing his coat from the closet and went to open the door for him.

"Ah, butler! Here -" he handed the crumpled recipe back to Niles, who looked down at it, confused.

"Miss Babcock won't be having soup tonight at her apartment as you'd planned? He asked.

"No, the plan was to go to a benefit tonight but she wasn't feeling up to it and, as I mentioned before, if she were to have a craving for soup, yours would not be the recipe she'd be tasting."

"Miss Babcock enjoys this recipe." Niles spat out.

"Well then I suppose I need to get her back to enjoying the finer things in life. Evidently, she's been hanging around here for too long." Damon said haughtily as he walked through the open door.

"Funny, I was just thinking the same thing about you!" Niles jabbed and he slammed the door, walking briskly to the kitchen with his recipe in hand.