Chapter 15: Danger Zone

Nathaniel was dying of thirst and his head was pounding. He groaned and blindly reached to his bedside for his water bottle, then drank down the whole thing in one go. He settled back into bed, thinking nothing of the warm body beside him, and slept soundly till true morning.

When he woke again, the sun filtering in made his head pound. He buried his face in the pillow in front of him— but it wasn't a pillow, it was solid. It was a bare human back.

WHAT!?

Nathaniel scrambled out of bed in a panic. What the hell had happened last night?! Why was George NAKED?! Why was HE naked?!

He bolted into the bathroom. Nope. He was having some kind of a nightmare. He would just have to shower all the weird away.

After he turned on the shower, he looked at himself in the mirror, expecting to admire his lean physique as always. He was utterly shocked to see that his body was covered in bruised and shallow little cuts.

No. Nope…no. He was still dreaming. Must be.

Except that when he stood under the shower, it HURT! He felt like a piece of meat that had been carved up— why was his morning wood twitching at the thought? And why did the water cascading over his body feel so good even as it stung? He allowed himself a quiet moan and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes and taking care of himself. Flashes of the other day ran through his head. He touched himself the way Trent had touched him— gently and teasingly, then roughly and demandingly— careful not to moan too loudly or cry out the other man's name. Why was he still thinking about this? Why did he like it so much? GOD, it didn't matter, he just wanted the sensation to go on forever, don't stop, never stop—!

After he finished, his head was a lot clearer. He remembered he had taken a sedative to relax his muscles before George had got started massaging him. He remembered dinner, and disrobing for the massage…and then what?

Nathaniel realized with horror that he had completely blacked out after dinner.

George had had the most blissful sleep of his life! The previous night had been everything he could have possibly dreamed of and more! Nat had allowed him liberties that he normally wouldn't have, responded in a very surprising way, and had even told George he loved him! George's dreams were sweet, to say the least.

Waking, he noticed Nat wasn't still beside him, but listening to his surroundings told him that Nat was in the shower. George got up, wiped himself down good with his warm wipes, dressed, and sauntered into the kitchen to cook them both some breakfast, humming to himself as he went. George was an expert in the kitchen, and soon had breakfast set out on the table: Cooked sliced ham, eggs whipped to fluffy perfection, fruit peeled and arranged prettily on another plate, bacon cooked with brown sugar and toast; as well as some juice and coffee just the way Nat liked it.

"NAT! Breakfast is ready!" he called out in a happy sing-song. All was right with the world because that glorious, gorgeous man loved him! What could go wrong?

Nathaniel quickly finished washing his body and wrapped a particularly fluffy black towel round his waist. He heard George calling him for breakfast. Having a live-in PA had its perks. He went out to sit at the table.

"Morning," he greeted George casually. "This is quite a spread." He plated some eggs, fruit, and… Ah, there it was. Pineapple juice. He poured himself a full 16-oz glass of the stuff and gulped it down, then refilled.

"Sleep well?" he asked.

Noting the way Nat was dressed…or rather, wasn't, George smiled and tried to hide a blush. His eyebrow raised at seeing Nat drink so much pineapple juice too. He had never really taken a like to that before. Oh well, he would file that away for later. Whatever kept his Nat happy!

"I slept wonderfully. Thank you. How did you sleep, Nat?" he asked as he started eating eggs and ham. He was running through his schedule for today in his mind; he had to go to work, and had made sure that Nat had the things he needed before he left.

Nathaniel had been expecting this question. "Out like a light," he said simply. He had decided that whatever the hell had happened last night wasn't worth bringing up or trying to figure out.

"What are your plans today? Anything fun planned for later?" George asked with a hint of a smile cast in Nat's direction, wondering if he would catch the hint.

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow over at George. "Yes, I have a client meeting with a bank franchise that wants to expand into West Covina. Super fun," he said with a sarcastic double fist-pump. Then he remembered what he was looking forward to. "Oh, and I'm meeting a new friend for dinner," he tossed out casually. "She recommended this pop-up restaurant attached to Mad Tech Solutions" —Trent's IT firm— "but I negotiated her to Providence."

George listened intently at hearing Nat talk about his day. Even though he wasn't coming into work, the man still worked. George liked that about him, but wished, at times, Nat would take some time for himself.

Though hearing Nat was meeting someone later for dinner, and a woman, no less, George froze as he sat back in his chair and looked at him.

"A 'friend'? For dinner?" he asked, his voice dropping slightly as he felt everything within him go still. He knew what that usually meant.

"When did you meet her? And how?" he asked, crossing his arms, all sense of warmth gone from his expression and posture.

Nathaniel gave an ironic smirk. George sure was interested in the details of his personal life. "Oh, yesterday, when I went to hang with Josh. She's his roommate. Check it out." He pulled up a recent Facebook photo of Cat. 5'8" of pure lean muscle, hair like a high-end salon advertisement, eyes like Rapunzel from Tangled, wrapped in a moss-colored bodycon dress and soft grey blazer smiled out at George, a smile that struck that elusive balance between professional and friendly.

"She's a little younger, but she loves football and water polo, and she managed to get Josh a job doing something other than changing water coolers. She's basically perfect."

George couldn't believe what he was hearing! Had he completely forgotten about last night so fast? Anger rushed through him, but he stilled it, so he wouldn't show how hurt he was. "Josh's roommate? Why on earth would you want—When last nig—" He trailed off. No, he would not divulge his emotions, not this way.

Looking at the picture, he frowned and glanced back at Nathaniel, then shook his head. "Fine…have a lovely time. I won't wait up!" George stood and left the table abruptly, leaving everything right as it was. He headed back to the bedroom and was busy gathering his things he needed for work, while trying not to give vent to the emotions he suddenly felt. Was Nat teasing him? Did he not even care? How could Nat act like last night hadn't even mattered? George was so….ANGRY!

"Wha—?" Last night? What on earth was George talking about? And why was he being so pissy?

Oh, wait. He hadn't thanked George for the massage that had presumably occurred and for breakfast. He smacked his forehead. He knew how sensitive George was about feeling underappreciated!

Nathaniel abandoned his breakfast and went into the bedroom. "Hey," he said softly, touching George's shoulder. "I'm sorry. Thank you for last night, and for making us breakfast this morning."

George turned and looked at Nat, his brow furrowed slightly as he tilted his head. Nat was…thanking him? For last night? Then why would he go out with this woman? This was all so confusing.

"You're welcome," he gruffed out, looking away as he slung his bag over his shoulder. "Your pills are on the counter. Take one every 4 hours for pain. 4 hours, Nat. No more! I counted!" He gave Nat a look that said he meant business. "Clean clothes are in the dresser. I will finish the rest later when I get home. I got you a few meals already made. Small meals, nothing fancy. Just pop one in the microwave if you get hungry…." His voice sounded so hurt; how could Nat not hear it? "I'll….be back…later," he said as he finally sighed and lifted his hand to rest lightly on Nat's shoulder, giving him a small smile. "See you…"

And with that, he headed out to work, fully confused, hurt, and a little pissed! What was going on in that man's mind this morning?!

Huh. There was still some kind of bug up George's butt, but maybe it wasn't about him. Nathaniel gave George a puzzled sort of smile, then went to set up his laptop for the Zoom meeting with the bank people.

"Good morning, Ms. McBride," he began.

"Please, call me Trina!" effused his client, smiling a girlish dimpled smile at him. She looked more like a cheerleader than a bank branch owner, with her sandy hair pulled into a high ponytail. "Ms. McBride is my husband. I've heard so much about you, Mr. Plimpton," she practically purred.

Why did Nathaniel feel like he was being threatened, by a client whom he had never met?

xoxo

George made it to the office early, arriving there in such a huff that he didn't see Paula as she got on the elevator with him until it was too late. Looking up from his paper, he spotted her and paled. Nodding to her, but not speaking, he dashed out the elevator when it opened and made it to his desk to clock in. Gosh, that was close! Nat had said to avoid her, and if she was in league with Rebecca and Trent, avoid her, he would!

After turning on his computer, he went through the files of the cases that he needed to review. Though he worked efficiently and gotten most of the bigger jobs done before lunch, he couldn't help but think of last night and all that had occurred, and the way Nat had acted this morning!

"He's just being stupid! Going out with a girl when he told me he loved me!" George muttered under his breath, not aware that Paula had passed by just in time to hear him say it, as he had spoken a bit louder than normal. "Why does he do this! He's such a tease!" George grumped. Realizing he wasn't going to get any work done with this mood, he stood and headed for lunch. Damn Nat!

xoxo

Nathaniel was deeply unsettled after his meeting with Trina McBride. Was it just his imagination, or did she basically look like a female Trent? But he did his job, because he didn't trust any of the idiots at the office with such a high-rolling client. He filled out some paperwork from the office cloud, checked on everyone else's progress, and sent feedback to George, Darryl, and Sunil to distribute throughout the firm.

When the workday was done, he got ready for his dinner with Cat. Cat and Nat. That already sounded so cute together, he almost 'couldn't even,' as Maya would say. He was in high spirits as he donned his favorite suit.

And a light scarf, to cover some weird bruises and scratches on his neck. Maybe he'd gotten blackout drunk and had sex with a bush. He'd have to ask Greg what the aftermath of that looked like, later. It would certainly explain George's attitude. Kind of hard to respect a superior who went round sexing bushes.

Catherine was waiting for Nathaniel at the restaurant he had suggested, having gotten there a little early, as was her way. She was secretly looking forward to this, as it had been a long time since she had gone out with anyone even remotely interesting, and Nathaniel Plimpton III was extremely interesting. Leastways, her boss had asked her to get closer to him, so she would. But they had common interests, so maybe this wouldn't be a bad night after all.

Spotting him right away, her brow furrowed for just a moment when she saw what he was wearing. A scarf? What on earth…? No judgement, Cat. Be nice, she told herself as she went to greet him.

"Nathaniel! Hi!" She let her excitement flow into her voice, her smile bright. "How are you?"

Nathaniel grinned like an idiot schoolboy as he greeted Cat with a hug. She was so beautiful, so put-together, and yet so warm and friendly, which was a change from the WASPy women he had grown up with and been expected to date. Yes, Father would approve of her.

Why was THAT popping into his mind?

She was surprised by his hug but hugged him gently back and smiled shyly when she pulled back. That had been nice.

He was such a gentleman as they made their way to their table; he kept himself on the outside so that no one would really bump into her. When the host seated them, he pulled out her chair for her. So sweet! But she had to remember why she was here, also. Get close to Nathaniel. Shouldn't be too hard, as it seemed that he was already hooked.

He fiddled with his scarf. Damn thing was unwieldy and a little uncomfortable; he wasn't used to wearing scarves. But it had been a birthday gift from his mother, so he didn't dare dispose of it, and he was glad he hadn't. For the first time in his life, he wished he owned makeup or something less awkward than a scarf that he could just forget he was wearing.

"So, Cat… Do you…like cats?" he asked lamely. Great conversation starter. But at least it wasn't 'what do you do for a living?', which was boring and somehow tended to annoy a lot of the people he tried to go out with.

She nearly laughed, but schooled her face. "They are ok, I guess. More of a dog or horse person really. Cats are so…bitchy." She giggled as she looked at her menu. "They have claws and will turn on you for no reason. Isn't that weird?" She smiled that beautiful, thousand-watt smile at Nat before looking down again to decide what she wanted to eat.

"Horses are the best!" Nathaniel latched gratefully onto this shared interest. "I used to go riding all the time as a kid." He didn't know enough about domestic cats to answer her about them, but he did like the big cats at the zoo.

She smirked at him and nodded as he talked about horses. She had grown up with them too and was as natural around them as most people were dogs. She had hoped to become a famous rider when she was little, but those plans got shot down early. Not that she really minded. She loved what she did now.

"This all looks so good. It has been a while since I have gone out with anyone." She glanced back up at him shyly. "Thanks for asking me."

He was surprised she hadn't dated in a while. "Really?" It came out as a challenge. "Sorry," he said quickly. "It's just… You're young, you're beautiful, you're classy and stylish… I can't believe you haven't gone out in a while." Remembering his manners, he said, "It is my pleasure to escort you, milady."

Oof. Too much. What was he doing? He fiddled awkwardly with his scarf again.

"And you are sweet to say so, Nathaniel." Catherine smiled brightly at him. "With work and all, I haven't really had the time, and most men around here just aren't worth it, ya know?"

"Well then, I'm flattered that I'm up to scratch," he smiled, fiddling with his scarf some more.

Ah yes, work. "I know how that is, being busy with work. I'm a property lawyer. Your profile said you're …a private consultant?" He tried to make it sound like he hadn't already memorized her entire Facebook About section.

"Yes, at a very prestigious tech firm." She nodded with a smile. "It isn't exactly what I wanted to do when I was younger, but now, I love it. It's so challenging and exciting at times." She turned the conversation away from where she worked to her feelings about it, leading Nat down the direction she wanted.

Seeing him fiddle with the scarf though, she couldn't help herself. "What's with the scarf? Kind of hot out for one tonight, isn't it?"

"… I, uh…" He scrambled for an answer. "My neck gets cold," he lied unconvincingly.

She could tell he lied about the scarf and had to school her face to that 'dumb' schoolgirl smile that worked on all men and boys alike. "Does it? Aww. Poor baby," she cooed sweetly at him. "My brother has that problem! Have you considered a turtleneck?"

Her suggestion froze the blood in his veins. He felt his heart stop and his mouth go dry. His hand shook and he dropped his glass, spilling water all over the table. "Oh— sorry," he muttered. "No, that's awful, why would you say that? Turtlenecks are the fu— they're the worst." He averted his eyes and busied himself to cleaning up the spill.

Her eyebrow shot up at Nathaniel's reaction to her suggestion and she quickly schooled it off her face as she moved to help him clean up. Thank goodness it was only water. "They aren't so bad, Nathaniel. On some people, they can look good. Besides, it's better than a scarf, which you are clearly not comfortable wearing, you silly thing." She giggled and wrinkled her nose at him.

Nathaniel's face flamed. "Sorry, that was so rude," he said. "I just don't like them. On me. I'm sure you'd look like perfection descending from the clouds in one." He tried to come up with a plausible excuse for his strong reaction. "I had to wear one to church when I was 5 and it itched," he lied lamely. "Since then, I never touched the stuff."

The waiter came to take their order. "I will have the Mediterranean Steak, rare please. With a side of green beans and a loaded sweet potato, with a tea to drink, please." She handed the menu back to the waiter and waited for Nat to order, smiling blissfully.

He smiled back awkwardly. "I'll have a charred kale salad with pineapple, please. Lots of pineapple. Thank you."

His unusual order caught her attention. The salad was perfectly normal but the pineapple…? And lots of it?

"By the way….What did you want to do when you were younger?" He genuinely wanted to know.

"I wanted to be a Jockey," she replied. "I was so crushed when I found out that I was too tall to be one and…my parents had other ideas." She shrugged. "But life is weird that way, isn't it? You don't get exactly what you want, but sometimes you get pretty close."

A jockey? That was interesting. He hadn't realized there was a height limit. "Yeah, life is really weird," he agreed.

"So, what did you want to be when you were young, Nathaniel? Only fair…I told you mine." She turned the conversation again as she took a sip of her water.

When he was young, he wanted to be loved by his father. But he couldn't share that on a first date. "Oh— successful. I mean, when you're a tripp, from a family of WASPs… My mother was happy when I got into Stanford, but my father probably wanted me to go to, you know, Harvard or somewhere back east."

"Oh! You wanted to go to Harvard? My brother went there." she enthused. This was too easy. He didn't seem to be connecting any of the dots she was dropping like breadcrumbs.

"Oh yeah? So did my ex-girlfriend! Small world. She talked about it all the time, though."

"I went to Drake, because my folks could only afford to send one of us out of state." She smirked a bit over at him, cutely. "It wasn't bad though, I liked it well enough…but it isn't Harvard," she lightly teased, giggling.

Drake? Where was Drake? Some flyover state, he guessed, his brow furrowing as he tried to remember. "Drake, uh," he said intelligently.

"Yea! It's in Des Moines, Iowa." Catherine ventured excitedly. She couldn't contain herself and chuckled softly.

"Oh, Iowa. I knew it was a flyover state," he said, not intending to sound snobbish or dismissive, but it kinda came out that way. Didn't he know someone else from Iowa? It was on the tip of his brain… God, she was really pretty.

"Not as big as Harvard, but I liked it." She tiled her head and smiled brightly over at him. "So, your ex went there, too? Maybe she knew my brother. It is a small world after all….how funny." She giggled that simpering girlish giggle again, knowing how it distracted men from their thoughts at times and turned her attention onto the question at hand.

"Maybe. Rebecca knows a lot of guys." Wow. That made it sound like he thought his ex was a slut. Not great. "Uh, we met at work. She's from New York originally. I'm not sure she would have hung with…" Don't say hicks. Do NOT say hicks. "…uh, non-East-Coasters," he finished lamely.

Catherine gave Nathaniel a look when she heard the way he talked about Rebecca. Not the best impression. In the back of her mind, she filed away everything he said. "So, what other interests do you have Nathaniel? Besides work, polo, and football?" she asked.

He thought about that one for a second, but everything that flooded his mind— flashes of imagination, where he was tied up, helpless, at the mercy of someone doling shallow cuts over his flesh and licking up the blood— was decidedly not appropriate for a first date. He felt his face heat and that familiar throbbing in his slacks.

"I… Slasher movies," he got out. "Love them. Preferably in a dark room, lit only by candles." His eyes took on a dreamy quality. That did sound nice.

She noticed how her question had seemed to stump him. Were his interests such a touchy subject? But she turned on the charm and nodded when he finally spoke.

"I love slasher movies! The bloodier, the better! It's so spooky and you never know what will happen!"

"You know, there's a new one that just came out. Would you like to go see it after dinner?" Nathaniel asked.

Cat's grin brightened and she reached across the table, a little boldly, maybe, to lay her hand lightly atop his. "Nathaniel…I would love to!"

His eyes lit up as she touched his hand, and he smiled like a kid in a candy store. Not that he was allowed to eat candy ever in his life. "You…are perfect," he said. He was a bumbling moron, and she still wanted to go to a movie? With HIM? After all his missteps?

When their food came, she withdrew her hand but still smiled at him, to encourage to be more open with her. He was kind of cute, but she wasn't all too sure about him yet. "I look forward to it. Dinner and a movie…I must be a lucky girl."

He dug into his salad. He would just have to get used to pineapple on everything. It was what his parents referred to as an "acquired taste."

He smiled at her charming comment. "It is I who am the lucky one," he said. "You're the most beautiful girl I've seen in my entire life."

He was so good at dating, he should write a book, he snarked to himself. It was a miracle this woman hadn't thrown a drink in his face and stormed out yet. She was so… patient, and kind. Just like he had heard love was.

Catherine settled in to enjoy her meal, noting how Nathaniel seemed to enjoy all that pineapple on his salad. It took everything she had not to snort at him, for she exactly why men did certain things they did: in order to appeal more to others they were interested in. But she held her tongue and enjoyed the steak, which was seared to perfection.

"You always this charming, Nathaniel, or am I just special?" she asked. The most beautiful girl he had ever seen? She wasn't too sure she believed him about that.

Charming? She thought he was charming? No, she was probably being sarcastic. "I'm usually more suave," he admitted. "It's… been a heck of a week. But you are special. Most girls probably would have run for the hills by now."

"So, have you always lived in California?" she asked, trying to appear interested; she was reserving judgement on him till after their date.

"I took a semester abroad, in Italy, when I was in college, but other than that, yes. My family's lived in California forever. Wouldn't dream of moving anywhere else. Well, maybe Rome," he teased lightly. "Italy, not Georgia. Although I do like peaches…"

She played the part of the doting, simpering girl well and Nathaniel was eating out of her hands. But he was cute, in a 'dumb, rough around the edges, trying to be a smooth talker, but probably is really a mama's boy' way. She leaned closer to him as she listened, noting the places he said he had been to. Not too much of a world traveler.

"That sounds interesting! I bet Italy was amazing and Rome…I would kill to go to Rome one day. I lived in California for most of my life… Such an amazing place…" She slipped up on purpose and hoped he caught it and would call her on it. She resisted the giggle that wanted to come out and finished up her meal, sipping on her tea.

"Well, maybe I'll take you to Rome sometime on my plane," he said, flexing juuuust a little.

"I would love to go with you, Nathaniel. That sounds like such a fun time. You really are too sweet." She gushed at his offer. It did excite her and made her smile. To think, she might get to see the places she loved so much.

"Great, so that'll be our…second date?" he joked. Rebecca had once asked him to take her to Rome, but only to run away from her problems. Cat was comparatively fun and uncomplicated. She seemed like she didn't even have problems!

"Didn't you say you were from… Iowa?" he asked as something else computed. "That's a hell of a ways from California." Who else did he— oh, right! "Actually, funny thing! One of our clients is from Iowa. She's a bank branch owner who used to cheer. Do you know a Trina?"

She giggled and smirked. He had caught her slip. "Io-was….but I missed CA a lot so now I'm-a-back." Her smile turned a little more than playful, wondering if he would catch that phrase, while still looking so innocently at him.

"Yes! I know Trina. LOVELY Woman. Very…clean cut and tidy." She nodded with he asked. Oh yes, she knew Trina. Well, in fact.

He laughed at her cute wordplay. "So you were born in California, or…?" he asked. Something about her phrasing sounded familiar, and the words 'elevator security' crossed his mind for a split second, but then it was gone. He gave himself a mental shake.

"No, silly. I was born in Iowa. But I missed California, because I had to go home for family issues at one point and now… I'm-a-back." She said it again, giving him a pointed, playful look. He really didn't get it? Wow!

He shook his finger lightly. "I've heard that before, I swear I have, but I just can't place it." He frowned thoughtfully. "Oh, maybe from someone in the office? …no, most people I work with are also California natives. I know it wasn't Rebecca, because she's never been to Iowa in her life. Wait, maybe it was Rebecca? Or someone talking to her? Ah. Doesn't matter," he breezed.

"Now that I think about it, you and Trina… look like you could be sisters. Are all Iowa girls like you two?"

She played it off and blushed faintly at his praise. "Not really…there is only a few of good 'stock' like us around." She smiled sweetly up at him. "We keep life more fun."

"This has been such fun, Nathaniel. I am really glad you asked me out tonight. I hope, after tonight, we can do it again sometime!"

He smiled and thanked the waitress as she brought the check. He paid the bill and left a 30% tip, just because he was floating on air during this date so far, and then bought their movie tickets for 'The Ultimate Grayson'.

"Shall we?" he asked.

Cat nodded eagerly and slid out of her seat and moved to take Nathaniel's hand into her own as they were leaving. "This has been the most fun I have had in a long time."

She walked with him towards his car and nodded her thanks for him being a gentleman and holding the door for her. He was trying so hard, and it was kinda cute…but…any means necessary. Still, it was fun…

"You do seem fun. Not in the perverted way," he specified awkwardly. "I just mean… People in my world usually have a lot of baggage, and you just seem so… so free and fearless."

He still didn't catch on. Oh that poor, poor soul. Well, she had tried, and so she simply settled in to enjoy the rest of the night. He wasn't all bad when he put effort into being civil, but knowing what she knew of Nathaniel, she was being careful. He was considered a 'player' among his work friends, and she didn't even want to think about the things he had done to Rebecca. But still….he was cute and was being nice, so she could be as well.

"That's because I try not to let things bother me so much, Nathaniel." She said simply. "Life, you get one and so best to enjoy it instead of fighting and clawing to always be on top, in any situation. Don't let things bother you so much and they won't. Plain and simple. Life is too short!"

"I don't let things bother me," Nathaniel argued. "They just do." Then he softened. "But… You may have a point." He didn't want to be a total asshole.

Catherine secretly rolled her eyes at Nathaniel, but kept that placid, friendly smile upon her face. "Things getting to you, is you letting them, Nathaniel. You have to learn to let go of all that pent up energy, or one day it will do you no good." She said sweetly, rubbing his shoulder gently. "You have so much to offer…don't do yourself in early, kay?" A soft chuckle escaped her as she looked at him.

Letting go of pent-up energy was a great idea. That's part of what he kept George around for. "You're right," he relented.

"Well, I'm glad I can be a reliable source of entertainment," he said gallantly. They walked out and he opened the door of his car for her. Next stop: the movies.

She stole a glance at him subtly as they drove to the theater. He seemed more relaxed now than he had been at the beginning of their date. Maybe he would open up a bit more about himself after the movie? She would wait and find out.

Driving to the theater with her was… So simple. Life didn't always have to be fraught. And it almost made him wish he'd chosen a romantic comedy. Something with farm girls and horses.