[A/N: I'd apologize for the length of time between updates, but some terrible things have happened in my life recently and completely separate from that, my Microsoft Office subscription ended. It turns out you don't just have it anymore; you subscribe to it. And mine ended. So I need to fix that because copy and pasting this from a Google Doc isn't working. Anyway, thank you to the new reviewers and subscribers and readers. This will be finished soon.]
Then
Niles left the office, a teapot hanging precariously from his hand. Fuming, he stalked into the kitchen and tossed it carelessly into the sink. The nerve of that woman, the absolute audacity of her. He knew she was jealous of Fran; he had seen the look on her face as she'd spied the svelte nanny in the ostentatious wardrobe. He did not doubt that she felt threatened by the presence of a slightly younger woman, nor did he take it for granted that she was the first woman to truly be in this house since Sara.
But the idea that Niles might somehow be attracted to this woman was laughable, utterly ridiculous—but it was much less ridiculous that Maxwell would be, and Niles knew CC felt protective of her old friend's memory. The emotional immaturity of CC Babcock did not allow her to understand the impossibility of actually replacing someone in another's life, but there it was. She feared for the memory of Sara, so she tried to block the nanny from the producer.
There was a strange disconnect between this idea, which Niles understood, and CC's recent behavior. Throwing herself at Mr. Sheffield? Absurd, and yet there she was, appearing whenever Maxwell appeared, right over his shoulder, glaring icy daggers at Fran. Niles suspected CC felt territorial of Max and him, and the complication of this was too much for CC.
Which is why, convolutedly enough, Niles didn't quite dispel CC's fears, why he laughed along with Fran, why he teamed up with her. Of course, the woman from Queens was fun and easy to talk to; she made a quick friend. She wasn't ugly, either, and though she wasn't his type, Niles didn't stop himself from looking her over, especially if CC happened to be near. It made him just as immature as CC, yes, but such were the games they played.
Self-aware enough to realize that he was jealous that CC pretended to fawn over Maxwell, Niles still could not stop himself from getting angry and, frankly, a little worried. She'd never shown romantic interest in Maxwell before, but no one could deny that he presented a far better match for CC than Niles did.
He supposed at least part of this might have been his fault—CC had never brought up Kathryn again, but the ghost of her lingered sometimes and CC sometimes became fierce in their sexual exploits, at once wishing to punish Niles and yet prove that she was better. He'd enjoyed seeing jealousy flash across her face then, but he loathed it now, as he couldn't quite decipher if it was jealousy over him or Maxwell where Fran was concerned.
Fate provided him with an opportunity for damnation or redemption minutes later. Fran hopped into the kitchen from the back staircase, skipping over to the fridge. Retrieving a yogurt, Fran turned to face Niles.
"Niles, whaddya think of this skirt? Does it go with this shirt?" Fran asked. Niles saw the kitchen door swing open and saw a flash of blonde hair. Here was his choice. Niles smirked and made a twirling motion to Fran, indicating that she should turn around. The nanny complied.
"Perfect," Niles proclaimed, staring at the miniskirt.
Fran grinned and kissed Niles on the cheek, taking a spoon from the silverware drawer as she passed by. "You're the best."
CC's cheeks flushed crimson as she set her teacup down with more force than necessary. It rattled loudly as the blonde exited the kitchen.
Niles hummed happily as he grabbed the cup and turned on the sink.
...
CC proved to be just as determined as he to continue their game. Niles entered the office later that day after Maxwell's summons and he found CC draped over the back of his chair, the front of her shirt gaping and a satisfied smile on her face.
"Niles, the neighbor's called again. Did you bring in the garbage?" Maxwell asked.
"It's right there, sir," Niles said, pointing straight at CC. Maxwell looked back confusedly and jumped when he found CC standing so closely.
"No, ah, no, he said the top fell off and rubbish was flying everywhere," Maxwell said, flustered.
"That sounds terrifying," Niles said, his eyes widening as he glanced at CC's top. She glared at him and stood up, awkwardly pretending to look at a framed photograph. This round: Niles.
The butler left the office happily. Fran had certainly added something to the dynamic of the house; Niles and CC's banter had amped up significantly. He frequently felt himself flush with desire during their fights, though the streak of anger that followed it added a confusing surge. He felt a caveman-esque desire to grab her and proclaim her his, although he had no actual grounds for doing so.
She wasn't his, and his discomfort with this fact always increased whenever another man showed himself in her life. Often short-lived, and the fact that CC always returned, these moments proved scary but temporary followed by an upsurge in contentment.
Still, Niles never completely took their whatever-it-was for granted. It never escaped his thoughts that she could one day disappear from the current capacity she occupied in his life, and as time passed, this possibility became greater. Whatever he claimed, he recognized her as a phenomenal woman: intelligent, fiery, strong, beautiful, sexy as hell. He never hoped that she might remain with him—but this was a lie, of course. He did hope it, though he never admitted it, not even to himself.
So this was, perhaps, why her feigned interest in Maxwell bothered him so and why he so willingly allowed her to believe that Fran attracted him.
But it did not escape his attention that they hadn't slept together in several weeks—their longest dry spell, actually, ever since the commencement of their affair.
He soon began to suspect that they were playing a game of chicken to see who caved first. The shared stubbornness between them could have kept a naval ship afloat and as the days passed, Niles became simultaneously more desperate and more determined. When CC floated into the kitchen one late afternoon, Niles briefly considered sweeping her upstairs—until she opened her mouth.
"I'm off to have dinner with Maxwell," she sighed happily. Niles glanced around; they were alone. This little show was for his benefit.
"And?" Niles said irritably.
CC gave him a wicked grin and tapped her hands against the counter playfully. "I'm just trying to be polite and let you know you won't have to prepare any dinner."
"You're a real saint," Niles remarked. CC smirked and fluttered her eyelashes. Niles's anger suddenly overflowed and filled his veins with fiery courage. She'd never behaved like this before, even if she was in a half-hearted attempt at a relationship with someone else. They'd always behaved like—well, not like adults, completely, but much more mature and, yes, considerate than this. "You're pathetic throwing yourself at him."
CC raised her eyebrows. "The man who earns his meager living by washing other peoples' underwear thinks I'm pathetic? I'm hurt."
"You will be if you continue throwing yourself at Mr. Sheffield like an idiot."
"Something bothering you, Niles?" CC asked, her voice still a heavy mixture of playful teasing and sadistic vindication.
"You. Leave," Niles advised before turning on his heel and walking up the back staircase.
...
His fury remained with Niles throughout the rest of the evening. He'd used Mr. Sheffield's credit card to order pizza for the children and had retired to his room early. The book he'd picked up moments ago lay already tossed aside on his bed. This inexplicable back-and-forth between them still befuddled him, and it bothered him even more now as CC apparently chose to change the game.
There were many times throughout the years that Niles had wished that one of them would meet someone else. Yes, it would effectively end the spiciest affair of his life, but it would also end the questions, confusion, and uncertainty. Yet however much he hoped for some semblance of certainty, he always stopped himself from questioning her or making any sort of demand. For all of his irritation and frustration, he was not willing to lose her.
But her latest antics were too much. Perhaps it was the idea of competing against Maxwell, the boy had had everything and the man who had gained even more, that troubled him. There had been more than one embarrassing moment in his life where he'd thought a woman had been interested in him only to go for Maxwell in the end. The times in the pub were passed, though, and Niles had fared well since moving to the States, but the one ingredient that improved and ruined everything for Niles was CC.
Drumming his fingers against his thigh, Niles decided to travel to a nearby bar. Fran could look after the kids. He had just grabbed his jacket when Maxwell's voice rang out over the intercom.
"Niles, come into the office, please."
Niles rolled his eyes and threw his jacket across the room. Moments later, he entered the office and saw Maxwell holding a sheaf of papers.
"Niles, could you take these over to CC's? She needs to look them over before tomorrow and the driver's already gone home," Maxwell explained.
Niles considered responding that he had plans, that the dreadful woman could just walk back here if Maxwell's precious papers were so important to her, but he stopped himself. Niles supposed his boss couldn't help it if Maxwell were infinitely more desirable to a woman than he was. "Yes, sir."
"Thanks, old man," Maxwell said with a smile as he handed Niles the papers.
Niles spared a look at them as he walked back upstairs to retrieve his jacket. Something about that quarter's budget and next quarter's projections. Niles scoffed. He doubted Maxwell even understood them and doubted even more that CC needed to read them before tomorrow.
Several minutes later, Niles slid the Town Car to a halt in front of CC's building. The doorman nodded him in and Niles stood in the elevator, contemplating how to behave in front of her. He finally decided to adopt her own style and be coolly indifferent when the elevator dinged and Niles stood in the vestibule in front of her door.
With a sigh, he raised his hand to knock when the door ripped open and a hand grasped his tie, pulling him into the penthouse.
Blinking rapidly to regain his bearings, Niles gawked at CC standing in front of him in a black lace corset and—Niles gulped slightly—heels. The body-hugging garment thrust her breasts upward and highlighted her gorgeous shape. Garters attached it to thigh-high fishnets, showcasing her shapely thighs.
Far too much time had passed for Niles's attempts at indifference to be plausible, but he still bravely tried. "You wore this to dinner?" he asked, his voice a little shaky.
CC laughed and Niles almost shivered in pleasure. "Maxwell couldn't handle it."
He tried to consider what she meant by this response when she moved towards him and Niles had to forcibly stop from throwing himself at her feet.
"These are for me?" she asked, bending over to grab the papers from his hand. She turned and walked towards the dining room table.
Niles tried with all his might to take a mental picture of the image of CC from behind in that outfit and he wondered if she was allowing him to do so by standing so long, ostensibly staring at the documents he'd brought.
She turned around quickly, not quickly enough for Niles to raise his eyes, and he looked up to find her smiling at him. She leaned against the edge of the table, crossing her legs. "Do you want anything?"
"Unh?"
"Water, soda, gin, whiskey?"
"Whiskey," Niles said, though it might have just been a shaky exhale. She understood him anyhow, for she walked from the dining room and through the open floor plan to the wet bar in her living room. Niles vaguely remembered a plan to drop off the papers and head back to the bar but that felt like a very, very long time ago.
CC turned around, holding two whiskeys, and saw that Niles still stood dumbly near the front door. She rolled her eyes and motioned him into the living room. He stepped into the sunken room, absently taking the proffered glass. He took a sip and the burn slightly awakened him to himself.
"Dinner was delicious, such a nice time," CC told him, watching him over the rim of her glass as she drank from it.
Niles drained the rest of the glass and set it down on her glass art deco coffee table. "Why do you do that?"
CC grinned and set her glass down too, walking towards him. She stopped a foot away. "How do you feel right now, Niles?"
He looked her up and down and felt himself twitch. "Like I hate you."
"I see." She moved even closer and slid his jacket and suit coat off at once. She loosened his tie and slid it from around his neck and, after a moment's consideration, draped it over her own. "Why?"
"Because..." Niles tried to think clearly as he felt her fingers unbutton his shirt. He focused on his thoughts as he'd driven over and continued, "because it's obnoxious and irritating."
"I see," CC repeated. She took her time unbuttoning and removing his shirt from his pants. "Then tell me..." Suddenly she pressed herself against him and kissed him fully and Niles almost moaned in ecstasy—it had been so long. Her hands remained on his torso, the heat of her palms easily permeating his thin undershirt, and she held him against her. Just as suddenly, she pulled away and appeared much more composed than Niles felt. "How does it make that feel?"
A flash of irritation struck him and, at the same time, Niles felt his arousal increase tenfold. He felt impressed that she'd realized something he hadn't and yet still...surely that couldn't be the reason...
"You do all of that for this?" Niles asked.
CC only grinned in response, not affirming because she'd never affirm, never confess, never give anything that could be used against her later, but this put an entirely new spin on the game.
Now...now it was interesting.
She reached forth and expertly unbuckled his pants, trusting him to remove his shoes and socks.
"That's quite a naughty intention you have there, Miss Babcock," Niles told her as he appraisingly ran his hands over her corset, tracing the edges with the tips of his fingers.
"Well, with Nanny Fine running around in her perfect outfits, I figured I'd come out with a few of my own," CC said, a trace of something less playful dripping from her voice now.
Niles felt a pang of regret and tried to think of a way to reassure her without divulging anything too revealing. She lifted his white shirt over his head, leaving him straining against his boxers, and Niles grasped her hands. "No, no, no...this," he said, gently twirling her around in front of him, "is perfection. You could ruin a lot of lives with this getup, Babcock."
CC grinned happily at him, his favorite smile of hers. "Right now I'll just work on yours."
"You ruined me long ago," Niles replied cryptically, leaning CC against the edge of her couch and resting her heeled foot against his chest. He ran his fingers along her leg, unhooking the garter and slowly baring each leg, tossing the shoes over his shoulder. "It's been a while," he muttered as he kissed her ankle.
CC leaned on her palms, looking at him speculatively. "It has."
"I don't know about you," Niles said, stepping closer to her and running one finger lightly over the swell of her breasts, "but I'm not interested in waiting that long ever again."
It was the closest they'd ever gotten to reaching an agreement over what they were. It still wasn't an agreement, of course, but in their own way it was important: it reassured CC and guaranteed Niles that he could hide his feelings for a little while longer. He didn't even have time to worry that this informal statement might worry her—her face had alighted with another happy smile.
The grin soon turned mischievous and CC said, "Ok, but I hope that doesn't mean I have to give up my dinners with Maxwell—"
"Awful woman," Niles muttered as he suddenly hoisted her up and carried her into her bedroom.