Red Reddington felt odd, like the world was sitting off it's axis.
When he had breakfasted with Elizabeth about an hour ago, the tension was still very much prevalent between them. Afterwards, he found it difficult to concentrate on anything. He could not forget her face after he had shouted at her.
Perhaps he had been too hard on her but he felt he had just cause. Elizabeth hardly ever listened or heeded his warnings. Much like Donald Ressler. He knew he should not have raised his voice, some said he could be rather overpowering at times.
He had a second sense about these things however and the feeling about Edward had intensified since the man's departure and with Carver on the scene, matters were looking bleak.
He arose, too agitated to sit any longer, heading off in the direction of the woman's favorite room.
He approached slowly testing the waters, starting off with small talk. Something he personally hated.
"Good book?" He tilted his head, glancing at the cover. It was one of the many tawdry romance novels he had bought her.
"I'm enjoying it. It's about a Bow Street Runner... and a whore." She snickered. "Well, she's a Courtesan, actually."
He felt a bit of the stress slip off his shoulders, when she smiled and laughed. More importantly, she moved over on the couch to make room for him to sit.
Red snatched the book from her hand, turning it on it's side as though looking at a nude centerfold. "I want this book after you're done with it."
Liz giggled into her tea glass. "I never took you for a Playboy type of man, Red."
"Well, I'm not, not really." He casually leafed through the book, noticing she marked some of the pages. "If only because my subscription keeps getting lost in the mail."
Glancing quickly at one page she'd mark, he found it to be a romantic scene.
Well now, this was interesting. It appeared that he would never have to search for these things again. Red found that he was suddenly, one happy individual.
Everything marked and mapped out all for his pleasure and hers...
"Just out of curiosity, what kind of man did you take me for?" he queried quietly. "If not the Playboy type."
"I don't know, I guess I saw you maybe being into burlesque." She shrugged.
"I do enjoy a good burlesque show, but I have also been known to appreciate a very good lap dance." He chortled low in his chest when her eyes showed her shock.
"You've gotten a lap dance?!"
"You sound shocked."
"I guess I am." she admitted. "You seem so refined and gentlemanly."
"Lizzy, I do business all around the world with all types of people." he warmed to his tale. "Often that work has taken place in Clubs. If a service is offered, sometimes you have to partake, to avoid insulting your host."
"But, you've never touched?"
"I didn't say that." he corrected. "If it makes you feel better, I have never touched a woman with out her first placing my hands somewhere on her body."
"What does that mean?" she was a little put out.
"In some Clubs, there are no touch policies. In others, there aren't." he explained. "Regardless of their rules, I don't touch dancers unless I'm directed to do so."
"And what? You just keep your hands on her breasts until the dance is over?" She asked, clearly annoyed.
"No, if I'm there on business, I'll drop my hands to her hips or stroke her back."
"So you visit strip clubs for pleasure too?"
"No, not really." he was having a difficult time keeping a straight face, for the woman was clearly jealous. "Again, even when it's supposed to be personal time, it's still business."
"I don't understand." she said peevishly.
"I was invited to an associate's bachelor party at a Strip Club." Red waved his hands, explaining. "It may have been off hours, but it's still business."
"Oh, I see. So you and Dembe don't hit the circuit on your own."
The tip of Red's tongue played with the inside of his jaw, his eyes sparkling mischievously. "Dembe and I prefer to play cards or read."
"Do you enjoy going?" she snipped.
Red tilted his head and quirked his brow. "Sometimes," he sighed, "once in a while, you'll get a dancer who is having fun and enjoys what she does." he lifted impressed brows, one particular 'dancer' coming to mind. "She's always nice to watch."
Red leaned back more comfortably, continuing. "The others are there to pay off student loans or to make ends meet. They don't really want to be there, but then, they don't want to be flipping burgers either."
"Do you have a type?"
Red laughed, "Are you asking what type of woman I prefer to look at? Or what type of show I prefer watching?"
"I-I don't know what I'm asking." She blushed.
"I prefer women with natural breasts, however there are some beautiful fakes out there." he nodded thoughtfully. "Though, I've always been a firm believer that all women are beautiful, no matter their breast size."
Red smiled, amused when Liz unconsciously looked at her chest, then reddened when she realized what she had just done.
"As for what show I prefer, I'd have to say the lap dance." he decided. "The dancers have a very bad habit of spilling house secrets while they dance and don't even know they're doing it half the time."
"You're getting inside info on their boss?" she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Of course. A lot of the girls know the inside track because the men don't think to keep their mouths shut around them." he shifted more comfortably. "They're just dancing girls after all." he lifted one hand slightly. "Never underestimate a woman, they know all the good gossip."
"Have any of them been hurt because of the info you pry from them."
"No, because the bosses never think it comes from them. They're always convinced one of their men has turned on them." he smiled pleasantly. "Now, tell me about this book you're reading."
Liz looked at the man and for a moment, it was touch and go whether or not she would allow the evasive maneuver. She relented, deciding it really wasn't any of her business... besides, for some reason the topic pissed her off.
She picked up one of the novels, sighing mentally as she moved on.
"Oh, I noticed that this is the first in a series of three. I'll have to get the other two, because what I've read so far it's bound to get mysterious and steamy." she smiled happily again. "Out of all the books you gave me, I'd have to say this has been my favorite author."
Red made note of the author's name, intent on buying all of her books by the afternoon. Anything that put steamy thoughts into Lizzy's head had a 'thumbs up' from him.
"I've read one of her other books and now I'm into this one and I just realized that her men remind me of you."
"Really?" he was stunned at the admission. "I don't recall the last time I was in the company of a Courtesan." he hesitated, a far off look suddenly appearing on his face... "No, wait–"
"I think," She interrupted, "I meant more along the lines of them being over protective, dominant, sometimes conceited, pompous maybe?" Her eyes lit with amusement.
"You say that like it's a bad thing." He scowled slightly. "May I ask a question?"
She nodded, taking another drink from her glass.
"If you dislike the men, why read the books?"
"I didn't say I disliked them." she stated. "Who wants a man that kowtows to you all the time?" she defended her stance.
"When the conversation and activities are always what the woman wants, it gets damned boring and tedious always making the decisions." she recalled her evenings with Tom when the subject of dinner would come up and the man invariably always answered the same...
"Even when you ask seriously, you always get the same answer in return...whatever you want babe'." she warmed to the diatribe.
There was no doubt in Red's mind to whom she referred.
She shook her head piteously. "You can't get a good argument out of them, so there goes any make up sex. Too much sweet makes my tooth ache. I..." She halted abruptly, realizing she had said too much. "...I'm sorry, I don't know where that came from.
"No, please. Continue." Red replied seriously. "I'm finding this most enlightening."
The man was spellbound.
He watched her tilt her head, deep in thought. Somewhere in her vilification, she had gone from talking in the third person to the first. This was personal. She was describing the man she wanted.
He was more than interested in hearing what she had to say.
"I don't dislike strong men. Alpha males are challenging, exciting... opinionated. Keeps you on your toes." she had given it much thought of late. "A dominant male can be incredibly affectionate, caring... sensual. They understand that fighting and making up is good for a healthy relationship."
She hesitated, forming her words carefully now, "And a little over protectiveness never hurt anyone. I may have taken a defense course but that doesn't mean I can always take on a two hundred pound maniacal killer about to boil me in acid." she smiled at Red. "It's nice to know someone's coming for you." she inclined her head slightly toward him. "They're not all bad."
"And the men in all these books you've read are...?"
"Opinionated, bull headed, and strong willed. But on the other side, they have been gentle, affectionate and caring. The perfect male." she shifted her eyes playfully. "That was of course, written by a woman, so they're fictional." she sighed heavily. "No one can be perfect, but there are traits, characteristics that she has written," the woman admitted, "that some men do have in real life, that women find attractive."
"And you are one of these women?"
"Yes. I like a good argument, a man that doesn't back down in a fight." she rationalized. "But can apologize if he's wrong. A man who has an opinion and isn't afraid to share it." She hesitated, reddening slightly.
Whatever she was thinking, was even more personal to her than what she had shared. He couldn't think of what it might be... and then it came to him.
Her own personal fantasies.
What she had shared was telling of what kind of man she needed. But how she envisioned him treating her, touching her and even how he looked, was a deep personal secret.
All women had fantasies.
Sex, well, good sex anyway, probably wouldn't happen without the help of romance novels filling women's heads with perfect fictional men rescuing them and romantic love scenes.
Red appreciated the help.
But he had always been a firm believer that women weren't completely focused on their clit like men, their dicks. You had to arouse the mind as well as the body.
Oh, she'd climax with out the mental stimulation eventually, but she'd have a better time with the added effort. And to be honest, he enjoyed playing with them. He liked filling their heads with all sorts of things he wanted to do with them. He liked fulfilling their fantasies.
After running a raid in Afghanistan, he finally met a female associate, who up until that point, had been a long distance contact. He and his men had come in, dressed in desert fatigues. She eyed him all evening like he was a walking dick.
Turned out she had a thing for men in uniform.
The raid had been a bitch and needing to blowing off some steam, he had enjoyed immensely, playing the man in uniform to the hilt. She had eaten it up and he had the claw marks on his ass to prove it.
It had been a hell of an evening.
Red Reddington never shied away from a challenge... especially if it made his partner horny as hell. Throw any sort of sexual fantasy his way and he'd do his best to deliver.
It had to have been difficult for her being married to Tom. She had tried to be vulnerable, but it had always backfired on her. Trust had to be an issue with her.
There was something about Liz that wanted to be able to let go at night, to trust her partner to take care of her in any circumstance.
She needed a man she could run to, that would hold and comfort her. As essential as it was for her to be strong, the need to cuddle, to be weak and not be taken advantage of, was just as necessary.
And he knew without doubt, that she had been neglected in the bedroom. Just a loose description of her past lovers had told him that much.
Hell, for the simple fact alone that she'd never had sex during her period, said a lot to him. She may have wanted to, but didn't trust her partners enough to ask for it.
While most women in their thirties knew what they wanted and how they wanted it, Lizzy was still wondering what it was all about. He'd bet she'd never had one toe-curling, mind bending orgasm in her life.
She needed someone with which she could explore possibilities. She was a curious sort, always wanting to learn and try new things.
She was slowly finding her voice, asking questions, wondering about relationships and the world in general. Her appetite was voracious. There was so much she needed, some of it she wasn't even aware of just yet.
"You don't have to tell me, Lizzy. Some things are too personal to share." he brought the conversation back to the present. "I didn't mean to pry."
"I've never really voiced any of that before. I guess I was just caught up in the question and got carried away." she was still fighting her blush. "Did I say something... too personal?"
Shit! What had she said!?
The woman felt a flash of anxiety, replaying the conversation in her head. Aside from thanking him for helping her when the Stewmaker had taken her, what else had she said?
After a moment, she breathed a little easier recalling how generic everything sounded.
It had been, right?
No, no it had not been generic. Not at all.
For God's sake, she had essentially described Red Reddington. At least to her own way of thinking.
But maybe it was only noticeable to her? He couldn't know what she was thinking, right?
Or could he?
He seemed to know about her dream.
Oh God...
Did he know how she felt? More importantly, did he know what she thought about him?
"No, you didn't." he broke her train of thought. "Fantasies are meant to be kept secret until you can share them with someone you trust and who might just fulfill them." he crooked his head slightly his eyes resting quietly on her face. "But for future reference, you can discuss anything you wish with me. I doubt I'd be shocked by what you reveal."
She breathed a little easier. He had brought the conversation to a finish, himself. Or at least, to the point, where she didn't have to say another damned thing, lest she incriminate herself.
"Thank you..." Liz said quietly.
The statement puzzled the man. "For?"
"For last night." she continued. The least she could do was thank the man for not only being a gentleman, but for not making fun of her.
Red smiled softly, inclining his head. "I just wanted some of the blankets back." he jested, making her smile, which had been his intended goal.
"I am not a blanket hog." she protested.
"Hog, no." Red agreed. "Thief, yes."