High on...
Chapter 4. ...temptation

Author's Note: Thanks to Skater1263 for proof-reading this translation.

To say Isobel slept like a log would be an understatement. She woke up a little before five o'clock in the afternoon, still tired and groggy, but a hot shower did wonders.

She went down to the kitchen to find, on the counter, Jubal left prepared a generous sandwich wrapped in plastic wrap, along with a note: 'Eat something. I mean it.'

She arranged to meet Victor, the lawyer her father introduced her to, for dinner at 7:30, but Isobel listened to her ASAC and ate the sandwich with some orange juice, smiling as she toyed with the idea of sending Jubal a text.

It would be the second date she had with Victor. Although he seemed a little too self-centered, the first one wasn't bad. Victor was gallant, polite and made interesting conversation. However, Isobel was not looking forward to the date. She even considered whether to cancel.

As she chewed the last piece of the sandwich, her eyes roamed the kitchen, imagining Jubal moving around, preparing it for her. The gentleness of his hands putting her to bed, the kiss he had placed on her forehead before leaving, came to her mind. What had happened between them yesterday... And the conversation she had with him this morning about apologies; she felt really guilty. She would have to talk to Jubal about it. She shouldn't leave the matter like this.

No. She couldn't cancel the date with Victor. It was the only thing that would get Jubal out of her head. Probably. She got dressed up and applied her make up taking her time, focusing on what she was doing so her thoughts wouldn't return to her ASAC over and over again, without much success.

Still, it was too early when she was ready. Isobel decided to go to the restaurant by taking a leisurely walk.

She only walked half a hundred yards, when her cell phone buzzed receiving a text. It was Victor. Are you kidding me?

'something has come up at work
I'm not gonna make it
I'm really sorry! I promise I'll make it up to you
what other day would you have free?'

It was the third time Victor canceled at the last minute. No, no way. Isobel wasn't going to settle for this. Especially not tonight. She touched the screen, and called him.

·~·~·

Hearing a knock on his door, Jubal woke up with a start and a sharp pain in his neck. He fell asleep on the couch in an odd position, watching the baseball game he recorded a few days ago.

Rubbing one of his eyes and shaking his head trying to get rid of the stiffness, Jubal stood up to open the door. He was waiting for his landlord to send the janitor to fix a leaky faucet.

In the dim light of his hall, he stubbed his pinky toe passing the umbrella stand. He let out a curse as he opened the door.

And he was stunned, blinking, dazzled by the hallway lights, because who he found there was not the janitor at all.

"Well, fuck you too."

"Isobel?"

Seeing Jubal in house clothes, bent over from the foot pain, with tousled hair and winking eyes made Isobel smile in amusement.

"Sorry. I just... Never mind. Come in, please. Is everything all right?"

"We need to talk," she replied, adopting a stern tone.

Jubal invited her in and took her purse and coat, hanging them on the coat rack. Isobel must be on her way to her date because the high heels and the wrap dress didn't look at all like her usual attire. The leaf print in various dark shades of green brought out the warmth in her eyes. The two layers of fabric forming a V and the bow cinching her waist made her neckline and figure, while still elegant, really difficult to ignore.

His efforts to get the word 'gorgeous' out of his head were futile. Nor could he suppress the sudden outburst of unhealthy and deep envy towards Mr. Courtside, whoever he was, she was about to meet.

As Isobel walked deeper into his apartment, she watched out of the corner of her eye how Jubal ran his fingers through his hair and quickly glanced down the front of his t-shirt, perhaps fearing to find a stain.

"Please, sit," Jubal offered.

"No, there's no need. I'll just tell you this and leave you alone."

"Okay...?" he accepted, a little taken aback. "Tell me, what's the matter?"

Shoulders back, face circumspect, Isobel took a breath and adopted a formal expression. Jubal got worried.

"Are you going to fire me?" he joked, nervous, before letting her say anything.

"What-? No!" Isobel gave him a brief exasperated look before continuing. "No. I want... I want to apologize." She didn't beat around the bush. "This morning you came to my office to apologize and I accepted it, but it should have been the other way around. The other night you were under the influence of a drug and you did some things that..." She cleared her throat. "It doesn't matter. I shouldn't have let you do it."

"Why? Did I make a fool of myself or something?" said Jubal half-laughing, still uneasy.

Isobel shook her head in shame. Jubal hadn't taken advantage when he had the opportunity to do so while she was under anesthesia. She, however... It was embarrassing.

"I was the sober one. But I allowed you to..." Her voice trailed off. "I'm sorry."

Jubal froze, then blinked.

"Wait. Wait a minute." His eyes lit up with a gleam of revelation. "Are you telling me..." he asked in bewilderment, "what I remember...?"

"Surely you thought you were with someone else," Isobel tried to interrupt him.

Jubal completely ignored the comment.

"...did actually happen as I remember it?"

Isobel looked down, her cheeks flushed. Jubal approached, taking a cautious step towards her, searching insistently, but unsuccessfully, for her eyes. She backed off, but not as much as she should have.

"Is this...?" Jubal said, lowering the tone of his voice, his heart pumping hard in his chest at Isobel's reserved attitude. "Is this what you're saying?" The beginnings of a smile stretched the corners of his lips, unable to control the exhilaration welling up within him, although he was aware of how inappropriate it was to feel it.

"I have no way of knowing what you remember, Jubal," Isobel replied dryly, more irritated with herself than with him. "In any case, please excuse me. I'm sorry, but I have to go now."

Taking another step closer, Jubal prevented her departure without realizing it. He hesitantly raised a hand to her face. What are you doing, you damn idiot?

"I could..." No, Jubal. Don't say it, are you crazy?. "I could show you..."

The eagerness in his tone made Isobel look at him again as much, if not more, as his words. She found him so close to her, she could smell the clove scent of his aftershave, could feel his body's warmth. Isobel was short of breath. Jubal's smile widened sideways, with that mischief of his she found almost irresistible.

"I remember embracing you," Jubal dared to say in a quiet voice at her silence. "I remember you smelled wonderful..." Her perfume was intoxicating him again at this moment.

Isobel wanted to ask him not to continue. She already bore too much in mind the sweetness of his words and kisses from the other night. But then he brushed her cheek with a thumb and her words faded before even reaching her throat. It was too hot in there.

"I remember touching you like this..." Jubal whispered. "And when I came closer... You didn't pull away..." He continued approaching until he could feel Isobel's breath. Her eyelids were half closed now. "Not even when I..."

His gaze lingered on Isobel's parted lips. And now is when the push and the well-deserved slap will come... he mentally prepared himself. Jubal was very aware of the tremendous risk he was taking, but knowing it wasn't doing any good.

"I should go," Isobel muttered in a choked voice, but she didn't move.

"You're right," Jubal sighed, not withdrawing either.

Temptation swept her away. Isobel simply lifted her chin and slowly captured Jubal's lips with her own. He sniffed lightly through his nose, startled, but immediately applied himself to reciprocate.

It was simply intoxicating. Isobel's lips tasted even more delicious than he remembered them. She cupped his face with her hand, with an unexpected tenderness reaching the most vulnerable spot of his heart.

It was sweet, slow, an extension of the kiss they shared on Isobel's couch, almost as if they were not interrupted.

But then, placing his palm on the small of her back, Jubal pulled her close and slowly dared to make the kiss more intense, wetter. To his surprise and delight, Isobel did not hesitate to follow his lead.

The feel of her body against Jubal's was complemented wonderfully when she raised her arms and wrapped them around his neck. He got lost in what he felt.

It was Jubal who slid his hands along the curves of her waist and hips. But it was Isobel who parted her lips and invited him to deepen his kisses.

·~·~·

It was he who a while later pushed her back until she was pinned against the wall. But it was she who clung to him, eager hands roaming his shoulders and back.

Jubal placed his lips on her neck, inhaling her scent and invoking more inciting sensations from the other night. It made her shiver. He reacted to this by leaving kisses which grew more ardent by the second. Isobel moaned and slipped inquisitive hands under his shirt to touch skin.

With a deep, greedy growl, Jubal sucked with relish. Damn. This is going to leave a mark, Isobel thought, panting.

Jubal slid his hand further down her hip, caressing her thigh. He knew this was getting out of hand. He had to stop... but what he did was recapture Isobel's mouth with his own.

He teased her, nibbling on her lips. Isobel's kisses became demanding.

And they made Jubal bolder. He ventured up from her hip to one breast, carefully cupping it with his whole palm. Meanwhile, with his other hand, he gently tugged Isobel's leg, raising her knee to his own waist.

She not only allowed him to do so, but also immediately hooked her heel onto his leg, pulling him even tighter against her. Jubal knew how to take the hint; slowly, he began to rub against her.

Throwing her head back, Isobel broke the kiss, moaning at the sensation. Had she lost her mind? Jubal is your ASAC, dammit. On the other hand, he was also... Well, Jubal. It was too unsettling to even think about what he meant to her. She had to stop. She opened her mouth to speak.

But Jubal took advantage and dove into her cleavage, delighting in tasting the soft skin of the top of her breasts.

Isobel forgot what she was going to say.

Reaching under the skirt of her dress, Jubal ran his hand up her thigh, fascinated by the firm feel of her flesh wrapped in the silky fabric of the stocking.

Without really thinking about what he was doing, his other hand fumbled around Isobel's waist for the bow keeping the dress crossed and tight to her body. Just as Jubal began to slowly pull to undo it, the hand on her leg discovered the stocking reached no higher than her thigh.

A questioning grunt escaped Jubal.

He lifted her head as he parted slightly to open Isobel's dress. She didn't stop him.

And he found sheer black lace with delicate white embroidered details. The exquisite lingerie set over Isobel's curves, along with the stockings fastened with wide bands of elastic lace to her firm, creamy thighs made Jubal's eyes pop out. He evidently was not expecting such alluring garments. He ran his eyes all over her, devouring her. When he looked at her face, he bit his lip with a tremendously pleased half-smile.

It was obvious Jubal was thinking she chose those clothes for him and it set him off like a firebomb.

Isobel caught fire inside under his gaze, but her cheeks burn as well, ashamed because she earlier put on those underwear with the intention of getting Jubal out of her mind by having sex with Victor tonight. She blushed even more because she was thinking about Jubal the entire time while putting them on.

Then he seemed to catch part of her thoughts.

"Sure, you have a date..." he said breathlessly, suddenly remembering Isobel was in fact on her way to meet another man.

He looked at her confused, dejected, not knowing what to do, what to think.

When she received Victor's text, Isobel called and ended it with him right then and there. It had nothing to do with Jubal. She simply had no reason to resign herself to being treated like this forever. But would it have made any difference now if she hadn't? She didn't want to know the answer.

Fighting her embarrassment, Isobel gently pushed Jubal away... only to yank his t-shirt off.

"Not anymore."

What exactly did this mean? Jubal hesitated, overwhelmed by a sense of unsure confusion. It was barely a couple of seconds, though, for she lunged at him, pressing her body against him and possessively stroking his chest. Heated once again, he gave in to temptation and claimed Isobel's mouth with desperate eagerness.

~.~.~.~