Disclaimer: However much I'd like to claim Della for myself, she's not mine and neither are Perry or Paul. Not fair, but that's just the way it is. :)

AN: The story begins where episode 2.24 TCOT Calendar Girl ends. The episode fades out to the following exchange:

Della Street: "The way I see it, Dawn Manning got by by the skin of her teeth."

Paul Drake: [looking at a photo Dawn] "The way I see it, there's more skin than teeth."

Spanish Eyes

Standing behind him, Della looked at the picture Paul was holding in his hands and put her palm onto his shoulder to stroke him gently. As his friend, she saw right through the joke he had made and felt the frustration that had built up inside of him during their latest case. A sentiment that she shared, just for different reasons and addressed at another man, a lawyer by the name of Perry Mason, her boss and their common crony. The man who had invited her to dinner only recently, with clear intentions on his mind only to drop those for a stranger in need despite initial reservations, putting her second once again for a potential case.

Sometimes she wondered if, perhaps, he was afraid of his own feelings and the consequences of showing them to her without restraint or hesitation. Or if what he feared was her rejection despite the tender kisses they occasionally shared and her willingness to provide him pleasure on special occasions. No matter what had led to his decision to take on a new client over possibly bedding her, it had resulted in the injury of her foot first and her heart second. None of which he had addressed since, nor made up for as he usually did when she had suffered at the expense of his priorities.

Sitting in his office now after successfully closing the case, the attorney was still evading her gaze and instead engaged in a lengthy conversation with his former client and their detective friend about the course of events. No matter how obvious her flirting became, Perry Mason refused to pay her any attention beyond that of an employer to his secretary. And even after he finally bid their client farewell, he avoided looking at her directly when he announced that he would retreat to his library for a bit, leaving her alone with Paul Drake.

"There's no need to wait up for me," he assured her neutrally. "It's been a long day, Della. You can go home now if you want to." And then he turned away to disappear behind the door to his right, leaving her witless about his motives and her own emotions.

"Do you want me to drive you home," Paul asked immediately, but the secretary shook her head.

"I have to close up first," she said quietly. "I don't want to come in tomorrow still having to clean up last night's chaos."

"I can wait," Paul returned sympathetically and watched how she went through her usual motions with expert precision. Closing up shop had become a regular duty for her and despite her obvious frustration with her boss, she didn't allow any criticism of him or his behavior. So the detective swallowed all those comments he was dying to make and marveled at her poise instead.

"Come here, Beautiful," he said after a while, his hand gentle in stopping her from clearing Perry's desk of notes, clutter and their empty cups of coffee. He had watched her flirting and pining for their workmate on a daily basis and it hurt to see her taking his negligence without any protest. Deep inside, so Paul assumed, doubts were eating her up or sorrow, none of which he wanted her to dwell on any further. So he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him in a warm embrace.

"I've seen you making eyes at him all week," he whispered as his hands stroked her back. "If he's so unwilling, I will kiss you now if that's okay, even at the risk that you'll keep thinking about him instead of me."

"I love him, Paul," Della whispered back yet hid away in his arms just longing to be held.

"I know." His lips met hers for a tender buss, but Della smoothly pulled away.

"I'm sorry, Paul. I love you, too, but not like this." The smile she gave him was full of warmth and honest remorse.

Smiling back, the private eye merely nodded. "I understand." She was the loyal type, he should've known that included being faithful to the man she loved even if he didn't dare to love her back.

"But thanks," she added with a lingering kiss onto his cheek. "You are such a wonderful man. Please don't sell yourself short by offering to be a substitute for someone else."

Holding her a moment longer than was probably good for him, he silently agreed and brushed the back of his fingers over her face when he finally let go. "Good night, Beautiful." Paul cleared his throat and took a turn to leave through the back door without looking at her again, just to be safe.

When the door clicked shut, Della smiled sadly to herself and turned her attention back to cleaning up. After about half an hour, she grabbed her coat and put it on the chair by Perry's desk, right next to her purse and two boxes of files she needed to take home with her to prepare their financial statement. She had just locked the back door from the inside, when Perry walked into his office from where he had disappeared to earlier, the law library.

"You're still here," he stated rather than asked, his demeanor still slightly awkward and vague. "Where's Paul?"

"He left a while ago," Della returned meekly.

"Good," the attorney said surprising her with a relieved little sigh. "Then let's go eat something," he offered. "I still owe you a nice tranquil dinner. Some dancing perhaps and wine?" His eyes met hers for the first time since he had called her to be a witness for the defense. Della held his gaze for a while, swayed her hips and pressed her lips together as she weighed her options in silence.

"Not tonight, chief," the secretary ultimately said, her smile tender, her eyes caressing his. "I'm not hungry."

Looking at her with a hint of disappointment covered by an overdue smile, the attorney nodded. "All right, another time." Then he got up, grabbed her coat and helped her slip into it as a substitute for his arms holding her tight. Then he grabbed her boxes and followed her to the elevator, relieved to see she was at least willing to let him drive her home as was their custom at this late an hour. When they reached his car a few minutes later, he stowed away her boxes in the trunk and opened the door for her to get comfortable in the passenger's seat. Della slid right in and nuzzled close as soon as he had nestled into his position behind the wheel. Her left hand moved to his thigh in a soft caress, while her eyes were dancing all over him like they had on the witness stand when she had felt seduced by his trust in her testimony.

"Just take me home," she whispered as her gaze met his and her touch became more suggestive. "No detours, no distractions," she continued and brushed her lips ever so lightly over his. "Perry, Please?" No more clients to get in the way, just you and me, she added in her mind but didn't dare to say.

Choking hard, Perry Mason accepted her plea without showing any further emotions and just started the car to bring them on their way to Hollywood where her apartment awaited her return. During the 15 minute drive, they didn't speak a word but only sat quietly enveloped by their own thoughts. And when they finally arrived, Della tried to prepare herself to part from him once again, to leave his company till the following morning and swallow the desire she increasingly failed to hide and contain. So despite that pulsating ache for him, she wiggled herself out of the car and welcomed his gallantry when he helped her up to the boardwalk like he always did.

"Would you mind bringing me upstairs," she asked unassumingly as her eyes met his, her hands unable to let go of his. "The boxes are pretty heavy." His set of blue glistened as she seemed to extend her question to an invitation she wasn't bold enough to voice but conveyed silently through the enticing nature of her smile. Allowing a simper to wash over his lips, however faint, the attorney agreed, retrieved the boxes from the trunk and stashed them under his left arm, then brought his right hand to the small of her back to guide her into her apartment building, through the hallway up to her apartment door. There she stood and started fishing for her keys.

"Looking for these?" Perry looked at her with a cocky grin when he dove his hand into the left pocket of her coat to reveal her evasive set. Glaring at him in surprise, Della almost drowned in the intensity of his darkened blue. "How..?"

"You were sitting close enough," Perry revealed under his breath and watched how she struggled to get her keys in the lock, her fingers were shaking so much. When she finally succeeded, she held out her hands to unburden him from his load, but he insisted to carry the boxes inside for her instead. Once in her apartment, Perry set them down and closed the door with his back. Then he drew her close in an almost possessive manner, unable to hide his yearning for her anymore.

"Oh, thank God," Della exhaled enhanced by a moan that lit up her smile from deep within. "Don't ever do that to me again," she scolded him lovingly as she welcomed the hungry nature of his kisses.

"Do what?" His hands removed her coat and steadied her as she stepped out of her heels, shrinking her in size just enough to allow his mouth to graze all over her curly hair.

"Engage in foreplay without following up on it in a timely fashion," Della gasped as his lips began fondling her ears and neck. "I've been waiting for this for days."

"I know." Perry grinned. "You had a hard time hiding your affection for me on the stand."

"You outright seduced me!" Her tone was secretarial for a moment, but trailed off soon enough to reveal a side of her Perry had yet to explore.

"I teased your mind perhaps," he almost croaked as he stopped kissing her for a moment and looked at her face so full of warmth and want for him.

"You caressed me with words," she protested quietly, her voice artfully beguiling. "And then you ignored me."

"I had to focus on the case," the attorney tried to reason and failed to withstand her mouth for another second. "Because when you get aroused I cannot think."

"But ignoring my advances isn't cutting it." Della teased his lips with hers, skillfully avoiding to allow his tongue to dance with hers. Instead her tenderness slowed down his craving and stimulated him all over.

"Well, don't think they went unnoticed," Perry replied honestly, then relocated his mouth onto the softness of her neck.

"You left me frustrated in my sleep…," Della gasped.

"Frustrated enough to spoil yourself the way I want to spoil you now?"

"Now that is privileged information." Her head tilted back as Perry moved his hands all over her and finally dove underneath her skirt.

"Hmm," he hummed. "That's what I thought." And then he swapped her over, pressing her against the wall, his left hand pressed against the small of her back in a steady caress while his right hand began to give her pleasure and his mouth snuggled against her cheek to treat her to an occasional kiss.

Unable to understand what was happening to her, Della closed her eyes to the unexpected sensation of his skillful touch and her body's reaction to it, giving away one of those secrets she had always wanted to keep from him, that he excited her all too easily and that in her dreams she had long started making love to him.