Disclaimer: The Nanny is a copyright of Sony Pictures, High School Sweethearts, Sternin & Fraser's Ink, Inc. No infringement on the rights of anyone involved in its production is intended.
I’d like to thank Sabine F. for having inspired me with the Spanish soap opera follow-up.
by
Malu Reis
(goodandplenty2002@hotmail.com)
The reason was futile, a broken egg. The consequences, a fight that made Niles leave C.C.'s place very upset with her. Another hot day was just beginning.
Two hours later C.C. arrived at the mansion totally ashamed of her behavior. She regretted her impulsiveness like a child whose parents told her not to draw on the walls with crayons, but she insisted. Using her key rather than ringing for the Butler she found the living room empty, deadly silent. Making her way quietly to the kitchen she stuck her ear to the door as she heard Fran blabbering something about the twins kicking her stomach. Two seconds later she heard her name.
-"Niles, whatever happened to Miss Babcock this morning? She's late."
-"How the hell should I know? Perhaps someone found, nailed and buried her coffin for good."
Although C.C. was relieved by the fact that Niles was able to get home without being caught, she felt a pang in her chest. It was fun when he said those things to her face but terribly hurtful when he said them behind her back. He sounded particularly cruel.
-"Oy Niles, what’s with ya? I thought you and Miss Babcock were getting along. What happened?"
-"Fran, I don't want to talk about it. Do you need me now? I have to pick up something in my room."
-"Go on sweetie."
Miss Babcock saw it as her chance to be alone with him and ran up the hall stairs.
-"If you need me I'll be there. I'll take something for my headache." Niles added.
-"You've been having quite too many. Don't you think you should be seeing a doctor? You know, one of my cousins started having regular headaches..everyday..everyday..One day he couldn't get out of his bed anymore. He was paralyzed!"
-"Fran, I-.."
-"Hear me out, honey."
He rolled his eyes.
-"Exams, exams. Nothing! Those were the 60’s, you know. Neurologists weren't doctor McCoy by then. One day his grandmother took him to his dentist. The dentist recalled that my cousin still had one of his milk canines."
Niles breathed soundly.
-"It took one X-ray. The canine from the second set had no room to come out. It "traveled" inside his head and was on the back of his head, pressing his spine. He went through surgery and baa-m! Miracle! What about your wisdom teeth?"
He chortled. -"Mrs. Sheffield, my teeth are in perfect condition."
-"Good."
-"It’s somebody else's fangs I'm more worried about." He mumbled going upstairs.
-"What about your eyes?!" Fran inquired in a louder voice.
He ignored her question by then.
-"Oy, I bet the night was hot but I think somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed today."
Niles came blasting into his room and was startled by C.C.. She was sitting on his desk’s chair and stood up when she saw him.
-"What the devil are you doing here?" He questioned confused sounding still upset.
-"I came to apologize."
-"Consider it done. Now leave." He said deadpan, flying to his bathroom, grabbing the bottle of aspirins from his cabinet, and swallowing two with a gulp of water.
She followed each of his moves with her eyes.
He was nervous to see her there. He realized on his way home, that the fault could be not only hers this time. That he should have taken it lightly, after all, she just wanted to get even with him for one of his pranks, and that perhaps, he deserved it. Walking slowly out of the bathroom he found her standing in the middle of his room.
-"Okay, you can stay but I don't have time for you." He said cruelly and walked to the door.
-"Niles…" She touched his arm.
He stopped and looked at her.
-"I'm serious, Niles. I was a total moron to bring that incident of the eggs that way. You have to realize I have my set-backs once in a while. I was feeling ridiculous about that scene already when I stumbled. When you grabbed my hands it hurt deeply and I just couldn't get rid of your God-damn grasp."
He sighed. The tantalizing smell of her Chanel was filling his senses and he was feeling it harder and harder to resist her pull.
-"If I tugged my hand from yours it’s because it was really hurting and you just wouldn't let it go."
He nodded as if agreeing.
-"You see, when I was a little girl I fell and broke my left wrist-…"
-"I know that."
-"Yes, but it still hurts sometimes. I was impulsive and broke that egg, it's true, but it was an accident. I never intended to ruin your jacket, believe me."
He was staring at her; hypnotized. She broke the spell taking something out of her purse. -"Here, you forgot this." She gave him the VHS she had promised him and that he had forgotten on her coffee table after leaving her place so furiously. He took the tape from her hands and kissed it staring at her eyes again.
-"You're welcome." She said understanding his gesture.
He left it on his desk with his eyes still locked with hers.
She smiled when he couldn’t resist and gathered her within his arms.
-"I overreacted again, Babs, and I shouldn’t. I’m sorry. I’m very-very sorry. In your case it was an accident and I realized that on my way home. On the other hand I did the same thing to you on purpose and that was stupid."
-"You bet it was." She bitter smiled. -"And that hurt me at the time."
-"I’m sure it did. But I remember I was particularly upset with you on that occasion."
-"Why?"
-"You were giving more attention to Mr. Sheffield than usual: "darling this, darling that"."
-"I always did that."
-"Sometimes more, sometimes less. Don't ask me why, all I know is that you were all over him that week and that upset me more than, again, the usual."
-"You probably deserved it." She pouted.
He smirked then caressed her cheek with the knuckle of his forehand.
She wanted desperately to be held in his arms and feel his lips upon her own again and her eyes let it show. They seemed to ignite his senses into burning desire. Sticking her to a wall, he kissed her mouth enticingly. C.C. gasped for air as his mouth drifted down her neck.
-"Niles.." She whispered.
-"Mm..?" He mumbled with his mouth on hers again.
After a while, she clasped his head and made him look at her for a second.
-"What?" He asked in a hoarse tone.
-"Are you gonna deny that you didn't want this kiss too?" She had a victorious smile.
-"No, I won’t deny that."
-"So?"
He knew what she was waiting for. -"C.C., when you came over me with that egg, I was about to say that in that particular night that I made you…" He smiled to himself. -"…cluck like a chicken, I didn't want JUST that kiss."
-"That’s better."
-"If Mr. Sheffield and Fran hadn't arrived and interrupted us, I wouldn’t have been able to withstand you, my darling."
-"You wouldn’t?" She cackled evilly.
-"No bloody way."
She straightened up her hold. -"You mean, you almost broke that stupid promise around three years ago?"
-"Yes." He kissed her chin slowly.
-"And-and-and thanks to Maxwell and nanny Fine I had to wait all that extra-time?"
-"There you go."
She narrowed her eyes wondering. -"If I was found guilty of murder how often would you visit me in jail?"
Not paying much attention to her nonsense this time, his fingers traveled up her back and started unbuttoning her outfit. -"This is one of my favorite dresses."
She laughed in her throaty way. -"I'll let you use it tonight when we're alone."
-"Very funny." His mouth went to her neck again.
She chuckled out of breath. -"Niles, there is nothing in this world that I would like more than jump on that bed and make love to you, but my "good girl side" says we can't. We both have work to do…" She giggled with the pressure of his lips on the hollow of her throat.
-"MmHm." He answered pretending to agree as he continued his fiery journey of mouth and hands.
-"Knock-Knock. Is anybody home?"
-"I was furious about that egg when I did so much worse." He wondered out loud. -"Damn, who's immature here?" He kept working sensuously on her body.
-"Did you hear what I said?" She squirmed.
-"I'm deaf and dumb when I'm with you." He said kissing her again while his hands reached out to unhook her brassiere.
-"Oh God, no.." She broke the kiss and nibbled at his ear lightly. -"You better turn on your hearing aid, Mister, or we will both be in trouble."
-"Damn, you are right." He backed off and groaned in frustration. -"But you are impossible to resist, you know that?" He said brushing his hair with his hands trying to wipe his feelings away while she wiped her lipstick from his lips.
-"I'll show you later how sorry I am for what I did, okay." She said buttoning back her dress.
He cleaned up the smudged lipstick from the corners of her mouth. -"Okay. But you could start by coming back here in an hour or so and sending that jacket over to the cleaners."
-"All right, I think I deserve it. But in exchange I'll send your wet underwear back to you as a bonus."
-"Oh, you're so sweet that my teeth hurt."
-"You are getting me for someone else, baby. You better get yourself a dentist."
He guffawed.
-"What?"
-"Oh, you would love to listen to the story I heard just before I came in."
-"Let me guess - Nanny Fine?"
-"Who else?"
They walked downstairs holding hands and laughing, unafraid if they could get caught or not.
~~~~~~~
The following days ran rather calm between the Butler and the Blonde while the nights were spent on endless discoveries. Cozily tucked into his or her bed, they would rise together in the morning and get to work before any suspicious questions could be asked.
The family, however, was living a turbulent moment. Maxwell was still having a hard time to mount a new show that would justify the fact that he should be renting the 49th Street Theatre and not Sir Lloyd Webber. He remained out of plays, was very upset by that, and almost drove the entire family crazy. They were all doing their best to please him but he didn't seem to be satisfied. Fran even offered her grandmother's love letters as a possible inspiration for a new musical, but as always, not following his wife's instincts when it came to show biz, he rejected them. To make things worse - a couple of days later - the man went through the roof when he found out, thanks to a silly accident, that Webber himself had seen a great promise in those bad written lines and convinced Yetta to sell the rights to her story over to him.
~~~~~~
Again, even though the mansion was upside down, the Butler and the Blonde were living in the clouds. They were making love in every possible way and their creativity never seemed to cease. Niles left Miss Babcock’s apartment very early that day but for the first time she just couldn’t make it; she had to sleep longer.
Mr. Sheffield was pacing from one side to another in his library. He had too many things in his head and he needed his partner desperately. -‘They’ve been around each other for 21 years, why in Heavens did they have to pick one of the worst weeks of my life to simply jump into the Twilight Zone and tune out for the world?’ He thought when finally an ‘angelic’ C.C. walked in for work that morning.
Maxwell stared at the Blonde with a puzzled look. She was there all right, but…was she? Her garments were strange, her voice was strange…and…what about her mood? His friend was performing miracles, it’s true, but he also had to admit that C.C. had a similar effect on his butler. And despite the fact that he knew they were getting more than "plenty"- it seemed to be more than sex. He could tell it involved something else. Could them possibly be…in love?
Nonetheless, those were considerations that would have to be put on hold for a while. He had this big trouble on his shoulders and he didn't seem to find how to get rid of it. C.C.’s voice brought him back from his thoughts.
-"Hello-hello. It’s spring in the air…"
Impatiently, Max decided to pull her back to Earth at any price. Not even caring for a ‘good morning’, he darted. -"Yetta signed the rights to her letters over to Andrew Lloyd Webber! Hm, what do you have to say about that?!"
C.C. barely heard him. She had behaved that way the whole week and it was getting worse, as if she was more interested in listening to her heart than to her duty.
-"Why are these doors closed?" She opened the glass doors. -"It's such a BE-au-tiful day!" She went out deep breathing almost in a trance. -"Smell that breeze!"
To Maxwell's entire shock, a bird sat on her hand and started singing after she whistled and talked to it. He could swear he was witnessing some sort of Disney's fairytale - adult's version.
When she started singing in return, that did it. He shut the glass doors leaving that nonsense outside, at the exact moment his wife walked in through the hallway door.
-"Sweetie, I brou-.." Fran was also puzzled by the picture outside. -"I brought you some ice-cream to make you feel better."
-"Oh hon, you know, I would really love some chocolate syrup."
-"Yeah? Well, who wouldn't?" Fran muttered, implying that there was one more "food item" missing that could probably be found in Niles’ room.
Maxwell seconds later exposed the facts to his wife arguing that perhaps they could object to that agreement signed by Yetta since she was a senile senior. His mother-in-law, who walked in and heard their conversation, confirmed his idea, alleging that she was the only one who could legally sign anything for Fran’s grandmother.
Sylvia agreed to sign the rights to her mother’s letters over to Maxwell, but a trip to France was asked in return. The Fines and the Sheffields, with the exception of Maggie, flew to Europe the following Thursday, with intentions to stay there for the weekend.
~~~~~~~~~
C.C. Babcock walked into Dr. Bort’s clinic with a different glow that Friday morning. The Doctor couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, but it was there.
-"Claire? Long time, no see. Three weeks without a session? I thought you had called it quits." She smiled friendly.
-"Doc, Doc, shame on you. All these years and you still know very little about my life."
-"Wrong. You repeatedly said what life means to you over the years, "a terminal disease afflicting all living creatures of which such periods as adolescence and aging, are merely symptoms."
C.C. laughed. -"That’s right. But not lately, my dear, au contraire."
-"Oh, a good mood for a change."
-"A very good mood, I must say."
-"My-my, you only come to me when you don’t have anybody else to talk to, which particularly happens when the fights with "you-know-who" leave you totally out of ground. Hmm, I wonder…"
C.C. laughed again. -"I take it back. There is only one person that knows me better than you do and that person is… "you-know-who". You are something, Bort. God made us doctor and patient, Prozac made us friends."
Dr. Bort shook her head. -"What do you have for me this time, C.C.?"
-"Well, for starters: hello-hello." The Blonde smiled and sat on the Doctor’s couch.
-"It’s a good start." The Doctor responded ironically. -"It’s generally agreed that 'Hello' is an appropriate greeting because if you entered a room and said 'Goodbye,' it could confuse a lot of people."
C.C. frowned. -"You’re puzzling me."
-"That’s what I’m paid for, now, spill the beans." Bort insisted.
-"You’re not gonna believe this." She gave the Doctor another huge smile.
-"Try me.."
-"You won’t."
-"Well, since I charge by the hour and I had my next appointment cancelled, go on, I’m enjoying this."
-"Oh, you mercenary, you. Just a little suspense, that’s all."
-"C.C. Babcock, whatever happened to you? That smile, on that particular couch; it’s just not you. What happened?"
-"It happened. It simply and finally happened."
-"What finally happened?"
-"What could have possibly happened that would make me this happy?"
-"You were out of estrogen and you did have a gun?"
-"Oh, come o-on.."
-"Good Heavens, she didn’t even snarl at my remark! This is unusual. She’s really glowing." The Doctor thought out loud. Then her chin dropped. -"Are you trying to tell me that…"
-"Mm-hm-mm-hm..." C.C. grinned again and nodded frantically.
The doctor walked like hypnotized to her intercom. -"Sandra?"
-"Yes, doctor Bort?" A female voice sounded over the speaker.
-"Cancel my next session, will you. I’m on the verge of a major breakthrough here."
-"You don’t have any sessions left today. Only your appointment with doctor Oldfield, at four."
-"That’s the session I want you to cancel. I won’t need it. I’m too happy today."
-"Very well, doctor."
-"Okay. Now, you…I’m all ears."
The Psychiatrist heard patiently for a long half-hour all the details about that "upgraded" relationship. C.C. described how he popped the question, how she turned him down, the huge fight, and the earthshaking lovemaking after they made up in that stormy night. She told the Doctor about his gentleness, his boldness, his caring mood, and why not, his seemingly endless stamina.
Dr. Bort knew that most of C.C.’s emotional problems originated in her complicated romance with Niles, a.k.a. "Love Of Her Life" or "Stone In Her Shoe" depending on how the Butler would make the Blonde feel that week. But she also knew that he represented her cure. The Doctor knew Niles: his looks, his charm, and his strong personality. She had the chance to meet him several times and talk to him when he came to pick up little Grace and drive her home. Something in the back of her head always told her that if he was alone and never chose anybody else over her friend it had to be for his own choice and based on serious reasons; love perhaps? It had to be for a man like him to gravitate around her for so many years. She was a gorgeous beauty, no question about it, but not exactly a candy-coated heroine. Yes, it had to be love, and love was all Chastity Claire Babcock needed. The Doctor also knew that deep inside she was a very loving person, a well-meaning friend. Nevertheless, her fear of being hurt had granted her a hard crust of indifference towards love, towards everything.
-"So that’s why I haven’t come to see you for three weeks." C.C. wrapped up the story.
-"No wonder." Dr. Bort mumbled.
-"I’ve heard that." She giggled. -"Anyway, I owed you all the update."
-"Does this mean you’re not coming back?"
-"Are you kidding? I bet my worst problems are about to start. I’m still confused, Bort. He insists we should get married and I’m not so sure about that."
-"Why?"
C.C. sighed loud. -"Just to start with, will some people ever understand that there are women on this planet whose ultimate goal isn't marriage?"
-"You know very well that I was one of those women for many years. You don’t have to tell me that. I had three pets at home, which answered the same purpose as a husband. I had a dog that growled every morning, a parrot that still swears all afternoon, and a cat that used to come home late at night."
-"So?"
-"Seriously, the thing is, it happened and I didn’t fight. I decided to go for it and for seven years I’ve been happily married."
-"So?" C.C. insisted in the same tone.
-"One of the things that I know you associate with getting married is a lack of freedom. Am I right?"
-"But-.."
-"C.C., I’m not saying that you don’t love him. I’m just saying that you’re afraid of losing your independence. Yes or no?"
-"Yes."
-"This is also creating problems in your life because Niles finally decided that he wants to settle down."
C.C. nodded.
-"The point is, it sounds like you’re not even considering the possibility of a wedding."
-"But, I am. For the first time in my life, I am-I am..."
-"And?"
-"It’s just that…my life has been too long on two-timing boyfriends. I've been on so many blind dates that I should have gotten a German Shepherd instead of a Pomeranian. "
-"And as you told me, these dates would bore you to tears when they got to the point to sing along at some of your Broadway musicals."
C.C. nodded and shuddered.
-"And as you also told me many times, it was never like "hours of passion"."
-"Before Niles, you mean?"
-"Yes."
-"No way. Not with the help of a guy, at least." C.C. smirked.
Bort cleared her throat. -"And…er…during this - let’s call it - solo career?"
-"You know that very well. I also told you that zillions of times."
-"Niles?"
-"Of course, Niles. Niles-Niles-Niles. Always fantasizing about Mr. Snarly Niles." She let out uncomfortably.
-"C.C., that’s my point. For all these years, you tried to deny Niles as much as you could. You went out with all kinds of men - as you just admitted it. From perfect-faced musical dancers to guys that were good enough because they didn’t have back acne."
-"And?"
-"And the results?"
-"I couldn’t forget Niles." She let out shyly.
-"And from what you told me here, it was worth the endless wait."
-"Every painful year." C.C. let out mischievously. -"I held myself back from experiencing pleasure during sex as far as I can remember. I had always been in control of what I felt. But I have no such control with Niles. I’m always amazed at how wonderful I feel."
-"I know that but does he?"
-"Yes. I have no idea how I had the guts to tell him but I did."
-"That’s a good start."
-"What makes me wild about that man, I mean, the reason why he kicks me over the edge, is that he’s so bold, so daring. I slept with guys that I felt like if they were afraid of me, not Niles. On the contrary, he’s so unselfish. Every time I am with him I feel like he wants to make sure that I’m enjoying every single move as much as he is." C.C. sighed loudly. -"And I don’t know, for the first time I feel that I’m also pleasing a man in return…I feel like sharing, like exchanging."
-"The difference is, you didn’t want a man only in your bed, but in your head. C.C.."
-"Well, I guess before I could find my handsome prince, I had to kiss a few frogs."
-"Wrong."
-"What?"
-"Wrong. All these years you weren’t looking for Mr. Right because you had found him already, when you were 21. You were just looking for Mr. Right now and then."
-"Niles was my first love."
-"No, he was not."
-"What do you mean?"
-"He was and is the only one."
C.C. sighed loudly again. -"I’m obsessed with Niles. Is that what you’re saying?"
-"No." Dr. Bort chuckled. -"You’re not obsessed. You’re like you said; in love."
-"Do you think he really is my Soul Mate?"
-"I wouldn’t say that either."
-"Then what?"
-"I’m not very fond of that concept. It became let’s say, an unrealistically high standard for relationships. So high that it is bound to generate failures, C.C.."
-"I don’t think I get you."
-"It’s simply a dangerous idea in my way to see things. Some people - especially twenty-somethings - are so starry-eyed about love today that most aspire to marry a "Soul Mate." But such romantic expectations are unsustainable and bound to explode down the rocky road of marriage. Psychologists who study marriage think that it’s an erroneous concept inherited from movies, music and books. Our culture fell in love with this idea of romance and this fantasy about marriage."
-"What you are saying is that there is no such thing as a "Soul Mate"."
-"It’s just that the whole concept became trivial, a hackneyed term."
-"I see."
-"I have patients that said they had married their "Soul Mate." They later ditched that "Soul Mate" because they met their "Real Soul Mate" at work and he or she was sexier and smarter. Later on, they ended up missing their "Former Soul Mate." Over the last hundred years, marriage has changed drastically. We have had this really exhilarating social experiment where we have tried to combine passion and marriage."
-"You mean, ongoing passion and romance is something long-term marriage cannot deliver?"
-"No. I’m not saying marriage is devoid of lusty, sexy passionate moments such as those you described me in details minutes ago. But knowing someone's bathroom habits, eating rituals and personality tics can sometimes dim the flame. This may sound unusual, but, the goal of marriage should not necessarily be "happiness" but a lasting affection, commitment and partnership that enables a couple to go the distance. Many marriages end because spouses decide they haven't found the love and companionship they thought they wanted. Not because they are in destructive unions."
-"You talk about Niles and I getting married, but be honest Bort, don’t you think we have a destructive relationship?"
Bort chuckled again. -"Why?"
-"I don’t know. Could it be, because he’s ironhanded and I’m also not always the most lovable character in the world?" C.C. let out sarcastically.
-"Do you still fight a lot?"
-"Not as much, but yes, we still quarrel. Isn’t it a bad sign?"
-"C.C., most divorces happen in the first three years because, again, our concept of marriage is built on a big fat myth. We think that if we've found the right person - and "true" love - then we'll agree on everything. Nothing could be further from the truth! All couples disagree, all the time. Even if you lived with your best friend, or your clone - you'd disagree. You disagree because you are two separate individuals. Which brings us to another big fat myth: we do not actually "become one" at the altar. You will both continue to have opinions about everything - till death do you part."
-"But Niles and I-.."
-"Niles and you have mastered the hardest thing in a relationship, C.C.. That is how to handle disagreements in a way that makes your romance stronger, sexier, and more fun. You two are absolutely mad about each other. You quarrel, and you fight, all right. But you are always there for each other."
C.C. grinned.
-"Successful couples don't have fewer disagreements, they just accept them as a normal part of a relationship. They simply know how to handle them."
-"From what I get, understanding that disagreement is normal is the first big step, right?"
-"Yes. The second step is to learn how to thoroughly discuss the issues. And I have good news for you. It takes practice, but you and Niles always did that awfully well. You were always responsive to each small act made toward connection, each gesture of kindness and every invitation to listen, cheer, enjoy and respect each other, in an unusual way, it’s true, but…"
-"I’m confused again. So why did it take so long?"
-"I wouldn’t be surprised. It took me three years just to convince you to reveal your whole name!"
-"Very funny." The Blonde pouted.
The shrink grinned. -"Now seriously, it took that long because again, you are two different individuals obfuscated, for many years, by stubborn emotional obstacles such as resentment, anger and deep wounds. You said yourself: he’s an ironhanded man and you’re a stubborn woman. But by removing the obstacles and airing out the wounds, you two finally "released" what was down below; love."
C.C. smiled to herself. -"You’re right, it’s not only sex, he’s certainly the man I want to snuggle when "Shakespeare in Love" becomes available on DVD." She frowned. -"What am I saying? I hate that movie. A-anyway, you get the picture."
Bort nodded. -"By the way, in the sexual field, I also have great news for you…Well, I’m sure you know that already."
-"I do…But do you think it will last long?"
-"You two had all that energy bottled up for too long, Claire. Although the coal-hot passion of new love-built upon mystery, obstacles and anxiety about the outcome - cools as couples spend years together, not all psychologists agree that chemistry and infatuation are bound to end."
-"The thing is, we sort of spent over 20 years living together already, Bort."
-"Now you got to the point I wanted. You have something that I personally call, inverted matrimony. That’s very, very rare. I don’t have any patient in particular that ever lived this experience, but I studied cases."
C.C. narrowed her eyes.
-"For all these years you went through all the missteps of a long-term relationship. It was as if you were married. The relationship finally matured and has now solid grounds. It wasn’t built only on the unstable ground of passion. Sure the fuel was always there, the unbearable tension was there, but it took all these years for you to spark the fire. The relationship was built on wanting one another, obviously. But before all that came respect, companionship, friendship."
-"I guess you’re right."
-"You bet I am. The reason why none of the guys you slept with ever managed to - let’s say - last long enough to make you happy, it’s because you were never there. Sure, your body was, but your heart, your head, your whole spirit were with-.."
She nodded understandingly. -"Niles."
-"Yes. You were always in love with somebody else that you couldn’t forget, and deep inside, you were never able to separate the idea of sex and love, Claire. For you they always came together. In your vocabulary, sex is a three-letter word which needs another four-letter word to convey its full meaning."
-"You make it sound so corny."
-"Oh, so you use the words "Soul Mate" and I am the corny one?"
C.C. smiled.
-"Look, what you two have is better than a simple "Soul Mate" relationship, although it could define it very well. But it’s a classical case of perfect chemistry at all grounds. Emotionally, mentally and physically. You two are absolutely in the same frequency, in perfect sync. Chemistry occurs between lovers, it’s true. But what you have is an inexplicable, ineffable magic. That happens only when two people are profoundly attracted to each other. They become magnetized by each other's voice, thoughts, smell, gestures…and infused by a feeling that one has hit the equivalent of the mate lottery and stumbled upon the right fit."
-"And they have to be together no matter what. I mean, even if it takes a lifetime."
-"Yes."
-"I know, it’s almost as if it was biological, isn’t it?"
-"But it is biological. Our emotions literally are nothing but physiological storms in our brains that generate all kinds of biological reactions in different parts of our body. For instance, how many times you told me that you feel a quickened heartbeat and euphoria when he is around?"
-"Well, doesn’t every person in love?"
-"In different levels and patterns. This is why some couples stay up until dawn talking, lose their appetites, and experience extraordinary bursts of energy."
C.C. laughed in her throaty way again. Suddenly her cell phone startled her. -"Oh shoot, I forgot to turn this darn thing off. Will you excuse me?"
Bort nodded and walked to the door allowing the Blonde to have some privacy.
-"You don’t have to-.."
-"I need to talk to Sandra for a sec." The doctor said in a friendly tone.
-"Thanks." C.C. reached out for the phone in her pocket. -"Talk." She darted. -"Max? How’s everything?…Good… I’m at Dr. Bort’s Clinic… Her what?…Middle name? Isn’t it Sylvia Elizabeth Fine? Oh fine…No, I mean, fine, great! You are something else, you know that? Just a minute, I need paper." She got to Bort’s desk. -"Say it again. Sylvia Isabelle Fine. Yes, two "l-s"?…Right…Is that the only thing wrong in that contract? All right. Say, don’t you have a copy in your laptop…? How come? Ugh.. Do you need this for today?…No rush? Okay then, I’ll fix it and I’ll have it e-mailed to you as soon as possible. Perfect…Take care...Bye."
Dr. Bort entered the room again. -"Any trouble?"
-"Maxwell. First he flies all his family to Europe just to convince his mother-in-law to sign the rights of some stupid love letters over to us. Then, he makes me type the wrong name on a contract, he doesn’t carry a copy of the whole deal in his computer with him to Europe, and now I’ll have to clean up the mess." She puffed. -"Did you ever meet a person who stopped to think, and forgot to start again? That’s Maxwell after he married nanny Fine. Anyway, where were we?"
-"I was about to ask you another reason why you don’t feel ready to marry Niles. I understand that there are women on this planet whose ultimate goal isn't marriage, as you put it, but that’s not all."
-"No."
-"What else?"
-"Because there will be a bunch of men that will be sorry when I get married?"
-"Really? I thought Niles would be the only one. How many men are you marring?"
-"Oh, you…"
-"C.C., let’s be serious."
The Blonde sighed loudly. -"Again, as you said, "the lack of freedom" thing. I guess it’s because I feel like I’m always losing myself to him. I don’t know… I used to have a handle on life, but it broke. You know what I mean?"
-"I’ll pretend for a second that I don’t. Go ahead."
-"I feel like I’m becoming clingy, needy and somewhat pathetic. I think about him all the time. How can I avoid being so needy?"
The Doctor stared at C.C. for a long second.
-"What?"
-"I may regret this…" Bort said in a dry tone.
-"Regret what?"
-"I’ll try it anyway." The doctor sat on her chair, as the Blonde looked at her in total surprise. -"C.C., for how long have you been coming to my clinic?"
C.C. thought. -"For 20 years, I guess."
-"Precisely. For 20 years, I’ve been trying to make you understand a thousand things by yourself because I wanted to stick with my Psychiatric School. You know very well that my line is Freudian Therapy also known as non-directive Therapy. The thing is, I should never have started with you in the first place…"
-"What are you talking about?"
-"Please, hear me out." Bort said gently.
-"I’m sorry. Go on."
-"I shouldn’t have admitted you as a patient because I knew you from college, I knew most of your relatives, I knew your business partner and his family…all that, before you walked through that door for the first time. Years later, I even got to know the man you claim you loved for the same number of years and the reason why you came through that door in the first place."
-"I don’t get you."
-"The thing is, I knew too much about your universe through my own eyes and I shouldn’t. But you can be very convincing and that’s why I kept you booked. The other reason was, as you mentioned, we are friends. But enough already! If you want to keep coming, I’ll be delighted, because I like you. But how much longer is this gonna take, seven, ten, 20 more years? You have to "want" to change, Claire. Not because you like me, or because you love Niles, but because of you. Because if you don’t change, how painful will it be? Now, that’s what I meant by, I might regret this…Listen, I’m not supposed to direct you. That’s what "Non-directive Therapy" means. But…"
C.C. watched the Doctor under a lot of tension; Bort never spoke with her that way.
-"…But I know too much about your background to not try to push you a little bit." The Doctor fidgeted in her chair. -"I feel like it’s my obligation to point you to the right direction once and for all."
C.C.’s turn to fidget on the couch.
-"This is too new for you, Claire. You’re a successful businesswoman. You’re bossy and you tend to nag when things aren't done your way. I think the main issue here is one; control. Okay, you work for Maxwell but without you he would be in trouble. He’s extremely good at the creative process of a musical but the dirty work of production - he knows nothing about. You do. As a matter of fact, we just had a sample of that, with that phone call. Listen, you've been a boss and a manager - and a very good one - for many years, C.C.. This means you've made decisions and reached them by yourself. But you're now in a partnership, you won’t be able to run everything. Niles is the type of man that won’t allow you to put him on a leash."
Both women smiled at the idea.
-"Anyway, if you didn’t love Niles, I would be the first one to say forget about it. But you do. And you know that. So now you’re no longer in complete control, and that scares you."
C.C. nodded thoughtfully.
-"Now, let’s get to the point I wanted. I also know you enough to tell you that the main reason why you don’t want to commit to him is not control."
-"I don’t know…I also don’t think so."
-"And it’s not the lack of freedom, nor his social position, nor the men that will be sorry because you got married – like you say."
-"I know that. I also found out that his job has really nothing to do with it." C.C. was quiet for a second. -"And I guess that lack of freedom…No, it can’t be that either, I mean, I count the minutes to be with him again."
-"Exactly."
-"What is it then?" The Blond asked legitimately confused.
-"The fact that you don’t want to commit to him is because you think committing is gonna mean more pain than not committing."
-"I still don’t get it."
-"C.C., how many times did you tell me that your mother favored your sister when something was wrong? Your sister was the one to blame but she would always point her finger at you, and your mother would buy it?"
-"A million."
The Psychiatrist thought a little longer. -"And how many times did you cry when your father would take Noel on a business trip – perhaps because he was older, or because he was a boy – and wouldn’t take you?"
-"A zillion?"
-"Remember when you told me one time - when you were a little girl - that you got the first prize in school for the best finger-painting poster for Mother’s Day and all you wanted was to get home quickly to give the poster to your mother?"
The Blond moaned.
-"But even before she said anything like, "oh, how beautiful, what is it dear?" or "how lovely, let’s put it on our refrigerator," like the parents of the other kids in school, she sent you right to the shower yelling at you because your dress was filthy with paint."
C.C. gazed down.
-"I may sound drifting a little, but there is a point in all this. When you were growing up you gave a hundred percent of your mind and heart to your family. Giving love meant pleasure to you not pain. So you gave, gave, gave and you were totally committed to loving them but you don’t feel like they gave back, at least not at the level you were expecting. Your brother and sister, because they were basically takers. Your father, because in the beginning he was absent building a business and later because his relationship with your mother had deteriorated and he would use the trips to get away from her."
She looked at the Doctor again.
-"Claire, deep inside, you know you have always been a naïve, impressionable person. You were also a romantic person that would look up to your parents and imagine that they were the perfect couple because your father always had the good sense to never fight with your mother in front of his children. So suddenly, out of the blue, your parents divorce. You felt more than ever – unloved. The custody fights start, money meaning more than anything, at least to your "beloved" mother. She then finally wins the battle. When you think things are getting back to normal, she sends you and your siblings to boarding school, and you are all separated. You’re also sent away from the only good female role model you had at the time, nanny Bobo. By the way, one of the reasons why you hated Fran so much. It wasn’t only jealousy of Niles or Max, was it? She loved the kids and she reminded you of your beloved friend who you never saw again."
C.C. nodded bitterly.
-"As a result, you had to grow up with tremendous feelings of loss and a lot of pain for you. Then – at university – you had those problems with Kyle. Somewhere along the way you linked up, if you commit and you love somebody 100%, that will mean pain to you and that somehow soured everything associated with marriage for you."
C.C. swallowed hard and nodded again.
-"But you also have to recognize that your mother is a witch with a capital "B", C.C.. You are not. You pretend to be, but you are not. You are a grown woman, capable of loving, and you found your man."
The Blonde nodded one more time, this time, smiling. -"I guess I did."
-"Listen, all that chemistry that I mentioned earlier, opens one to receive another being. You grow to enlarge yourself beyond what you would otherwise be, know, and perceive." Bort thought for a split second. -"Look, Niles was educated in one of the best institutions in Europe, wasn’t he?"
-"Yes. What’s your point?"
-"Do you think he remained a butler over the years because he likes it? I very seriously don’t think so. Speaking of clingy? I have a hunch that Niles silently devoted the best years of his life to you. If that is not love, what is it then?" The doctor hesitated. -"By the way, don’t ever tell him that I told you this, but since I decided to break all the rules today..."
-"What?"
-"He seldom comes now that Brighton is driving, but still, every time he comes to pick up Grace from her sessions, he always finds an excuse to talk to me about you."
-"He does?"
-"Yes. The funny thing is, he tries to fool me into talking about you and I always play along."
-"You discuss our sessions with him?" The Blonde asked in surprised shock.
-"..‘Course not. But he’s always asking, "how is she doctor," and I say, "why don’t you ask her…" Games like that. The point is, it’s obvious that he never forgot you."
C.C. smiled to herself.
-"You have to admit, you got a gem in your hands." She fanned herself. -"And he’s not only a magnetic smile, I mean, he-he…"
-"BO-rt!"
The doctor chuckled. -"The man has breeding."
-"Believe me, he has more than that." She let out in a sexy tone.
-"Let’s just say that "that" is also part of the breeding."
-"Oh-yeah.." C.C. jested.
-"So the sex is great, but…but I’m sure he wants the whole package. Emotional and spiritual included. Think very seriously. If you don’t commit to Niles 100%, how is this going to affect your relationship over the next years?"
-"But what if it’s not meant to be?"
-"Look, if you’re not able to commit with a man that you need very close to oxygen itself you won’t commit to anybody else. No man will ever feel loved. You know that already because you tried and you failed. You never could forget Niles."
-"You’re right." The Blonde swallowed hard again. -"You’re totally right, Bort. I agree with you and I admit that I never thought about my life and my relationship with Niles that way. I never saw it through that prism. But still, again, what if I marry him, I commit to him 100%, as you say, and suddenly he gets tired and he leaves me? I will be totally in pain."
-"Well, I think that would be very unlikely. That man has been around you for one hundred years. He knows you inside out. But think about this for a second: what if he leaves you because you didn’t try to commit?"
C.C. felt a pang in her heart and a lump in her throat. -"You’re right again. No guarantees."
-"Nope.." The Doctor pouted. -"Which remind me…Are you driving home from here?"
-"No, I have to go to the mansion."
Bort giggled. -"What I mean is, are you driving today?"
-"No, my car has some serious electric problems and has been stuck at the dealer for almost a month already. They don’t seem to find what’s wrong. I’ll hail a cab. What kind of question is that, anyway?" C.C. frowned confused.
-"I’ll explain. Let’s pretend you were driving. No-no-no, better yet, let’s suppose that you had to drive to New Jersey, okay?"
-"..‘K.."
-"You would get through several two-lane avenues and streets and all that is separating you from the other cars coming from the other direction is a bunch of interrupted and continuous lines. Now, is it possible that even though you’re committed to driving on your side of the line, the folks on the other lane may be not as committed? Is there any guarantee that just by you being committed to staying on your side those people will stay on theirs too? Isn’t it possible that you may experience a lot of pain if they fail in their commitment and they cross to your side of the line while you’re there?"
C.C. nodded starting to get her friend’s point.
-"So how can you possibly drive out there in the streets when people you don’t even know if they’re committed are doing the same in the opposite direction?"
C.C. giggled. -"You have to trust."
-"And what if you don’t?"
-"You’re trapped. You won’t go anywhere."
-"Ah, an angel got its wings!" The Doctor scoffed and clapped her hands.
C.C. smiled shyly.
-"Okay, Claire. I’m happy you brought me such good news, but there is a huge follow-up there."
-"I know, doc." She moaned. -"I know."
-"Look, you got to want to change. To-to…to want to commit. I don’t think it’s fair for me to grab your money if you are not willing to fix your feelings. You’re very close to healing your wounds."
-"I hope."
-"You are, trust me. It’s up to you though."
-"Thanks Bort. That was a hell of a lot. I needed to hear that."
-"Just think about all the topics very carefully and bring me yet better results next time. I want to see you happy, C.C.. You have to believe that you deserve that." Bort offered her hand.
C.C. sighed, clasped the doctor’s hand, and stood up. -"I’ll try hard." Then shook her friend’s hand. -"Really..." And walked towards the door.
The doctor dropped her big glasses to the tip of her nose and looked up at the Blonde over the thick lenses. -"I know it scares you but remember two things…First, you're going to have to learn to share the decision-making process with Niles, as a lover or a husband. He too will have views on how you should proceed in this partnership. Second, your sense that you're clingy is the neediness talking. It’s that loving person that you still have inside you, manifesting her deepest feelings towards the man she loves. That is not unnatural from a woman that has been expecting this relationship to bloom for 20 years." The doctor sat on the edge of her desk. -"You spent your whole life being too rational about how much people "loved you" or "loved you not," and since a love-detector test that would rank people's ability to care about you as much as you care about them has not been invented yet, that makes you uneasy. You’ll have to trust Niles, C.C.. And if I were you…" She pushed the glasses against her face again. -"I wouldn’t doubt his love for a minute."
C.C. grinned. -"Thanks Bort. I’ll think about it." Then winked at the Doctor, bade adieu, and exited the room.
One more thought crossed the doctor’s mind. -‘Yessss!’
~~~~~~~~~~
The Blonde got to the mansion and rang the bell. A few seconds later, Niles came to get the door in very sexy jeans that she checked out through the glass. -"Hello hello? Remember me?" She jested when he opened the door.
He narrowed his eyes at her. -"Hmm, kiss me if I’m wrong, but isn’t your name Consuelo?"
C.C. laughed and kissed him slowly. -"Here is my answer, papi."
He smirked. -"Oo, mamacita, I remember those lips very well, now. Muy calientes!"
-"Niles, have you been watching that Mexican soap opera again? It’s not my lips that are calientes but what you are eating. Whew. What is that? And what is this Spanish all about?"
-"Me first - why didn’t you use your keys to the house? Do you think I’m twenty-four hours at your service?"
-"I’m sorry, your Majesty, but I had some volunteer work to do this morning and I left my purse at home."
-"Volun-"
-"Don’t start with me today, Niles. You won’t win."
-"Wanna bet?" He half smiled.
-"No. Anyway, I promised one of our backers that I would serve hamburgers at a charity school baseball game and from there I went to see Dr. Bort. To tell you the truth I’m exhausted and I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for your brainless boss."
-"Ours."
-"Whatever."
-"What happened?" He took another bite of what he was eating.
-"Oh, some document that I have to e-mail him later." She had another peek at what he was munching on. -"What the heck are you eating that is so spicy? I want some."
-"Cream Cheese Jalapeños." He mumbled between chews.
-"Mm, that sounds good. Come on, give it to me."
He smirked at her for a split second. -"You want to try my Jalapeños?"
-"Niles, don’t sell yourself short." She cackled evilly. -"I tried your Jalapeños already, and their more the size of an overgrown red pepper."
-"Oo, thank you milady." He praised in a provocative way.
-"No way, Jose. Not yet, you energized geriatric gigolo. Let me "arrive" first. My feet hurt."
He chuckled and checked her out for a second…There was no denying spike heels were sexy. They arched her back, forcing perfect breasts and buttocks to protrude while her long legs tapered down to an almost immeasurable point.
-"Can I have a bite, or not?" Her voice brought him back from his reverie.
-"Hm? Oh, here." He slid the last chunk of food into her mouth and licked his fingers joyfully. He then sat on the second step of the stairs and made a sign for her to give him one foot at a time so he could help her with the shoes. -"Pff, leave it to Beaver the idea of working on a school game wearing Stiletto boots."
-"Oh, perhaps you would like me better if I stepped in one of those Herman Munster platforms."
-"Oo, I’m so dainty I could die." He scoffed in a funny voice.
She lifted her right leg and leaned the needle heel against his chest, dangerously too close to his heart.
He lay back. -"Be careful with that, woman. You’re wearing shoes that could double as a weapon. You could make my heart stop, alright. But right now it is racing very near out-of-control. For your own sake, stop now." He held her foot and helped her to get rid of that boot.
She moaned alleviated as he started massaging her sole.
-"Look at her, cleverly disguised as a responsible adult." He said under his breath.
-"What did you say?"
-"Never mind."
-"Oh Gosh, this is good."
-"The food or the hands?" He smiled.
She moaned. -"Mm, that was good food too. Did you cook it?"
-"Yes." He put her foot down then repeated the operation with the other one.
-"Where did you learn that recipe?"
He thought for a second. -"From Carmencita."
-"You geezer, you were watching that soap, weren’t you?"
-"Nooo. Besides, that stuff ended two or three years ago."
-"The soap is over?"
-"Yes. Latin soaps usually last six months tops."
-"Really?" She let out surprised then quickly turned around and sat on one step below his.
Niles stretched his legs on each side of her body. -"What now?"
-"Do my back, please?"
-"I could do more than that." He leaned against her and inhaled her perfume.
She giggled and wriggled lightly. -"Just the back for now."
Firmly and with great skill he obeyed, kneading her shoulders and rubbing the back of her neck. She felt the tension and pain melting from her muscles as he worked. He was good, she thought, he was very good. His touch was absolutely electric. -"So that telenovela is over. How do you like that?" She disguised her disturbance.
-"Oh, C.C., use this thing that you have between your ears, will you." He patted her head lightly. -"You watched the last episode of that thing with me; in this very room."
She frowned for a second. -"Oh yeah. True. Now I remember…Juan Carlos proved that Carmen wasn’t the one to shoot papa after all."
-"There you go." He resumed the massage.
-"That’s true." She rolled her head. -"Gosh, you’re so good at this."
-"Thank you again, milady."
She sighed loudly.
Niles gave a nervous laugh.
-"What?" C.C. asked suspiciously.
-"Nothing. Speaking of Spanish, I heard a stupid joke from Marcus, this morning."
-"Who’s Marcus?"
-"The neighbors’ driver."
-"Oh..And?"
-"Do you want to hear it?"
-"Check, please!"
-"Come on…?" He whined.
-"You said it is stupid."
-"Hmm; just silly."
-"Do I have time to run out that door and get hit by a car before you start?"
-"No."
-"Well, go ahead then." She smiled.
-"There were these three handsome male dogs walking down the street when they see a beautiful, enticing, female Poodle. The males are speechless before her beauty, slobbering on themselves and hoping for just a glance from her in return. Aware of her charms and her obvious effect on the three suitors, she decides to be kind and tells them." Niles impersonated each noise and voice. -"The first one who can use the words liver and cheese together in an imaginative, intelligent sentence can go out with me." The sturdy, muscular black Lab speaks up quickly and says, "I love liver and cheese". "Oh, how childish", said the Poodle. "That shows no imagination or intelligence whatsoever". She turned to the tall, shiny Golden Retriever and said, "How well can you do?" The dog thinks for a second. "Um. I HATE liver and cheese", blurts the Golden Retriever. "My, my", said the Poodle. "I guess it's hopeless. That's just as dumb as the Lab's sentence". She then turns to the last of the three dogs - a cute Chihuahua - and says, "How about you?" The Butler approached her ear and whispered the rest of the story. -"He gives her a big smile, a sly wink, turns to the Golden Retriever and the Lab and says in broken English, "Liver alone. Cheese mine."
C.C. squirmed and laughed. -"Oh, why didn’t I run?"
-"It wasn’t so bad." He shook her gingerly.
-"No. It was cute. At least it wasn’t a blonde joke."
-"Now, come on, take off that coat. I can’t reach your back the way I should." He stood up as she undressed a beautiful Ralph Lauren’s Forest Green Suede Quilted Jacket.
-"So, you went to visit your doctor, hum?" Niles asked walking down the steps.
-"Yes. And she says hello.." C.C. played recalling all the nice words Bort used about Niles.
-"Pardon me?"
-"My turn; never mind." She smiled. -"Anyway, I tell you, I made a lot of progress today."
-"Is that so?" He jested, hanging the jacket and then placing her boots inside the closet.
-"Yes. I used to be schizophrenic." She sighed. -"But from today on I guess we'll be okay."
Niles chuckled and shook his head.
-"It’s true, from now on I’ll only do what my Corn Flakes tell me to do, which reminds me, I also found out that Bourbon is not the only thing you can have for breakfast."
-"C.C. quit the nonsense, will you?" He turned around and was surprised by her fiery gaze.
She liked what she saw, a very casual and relaxed look. He very rarely wore clothes like that and she loved it when he did: a nice pair of comfortable topsider shoes from Rockport, a light yellow Lacoste polo shirt, and again, those very sexy jeans.
He returned the gaze for a few seconds. She was wearing a lighter shade of green suede pants and an orange cashmere long sleeve turtleneck, both also from Lauren’s collection; he could tell. However, something caught his attention. She had a paper sticker tag over her left breast that read, "C.C.".
She followed his eyes and realized what he was staring at. -"Aw, I forgot to take this off." And snatched it off her sweater.
-"C.C., hum?" He walked towards her, grabbed her hands, and pulled her against him enticingly.
-"Yes, any trouble with that?" She giggled.
-"Noo…That’s cute." His eyes riveted to that breast again and then turned to her right side. -"What do you call this other one?"
C.C. burst into laughter, thought for a second, and then added. -"Guadalupe."
He smirked with his eyes still riveted to that particular part of C.C.’s body. -"Muy bien, Guadalupe. I'm here to fulfill your every sexual fantasy." He let out in a feigned Spanish accent. -"Yours too, C.C.." He soft-spoke to her other half.
C.C. pulled his chin up with an index finger. -"Oh, you mean you've got both, a Donkey and a Great Dane?"
Niles guffawed and shook his head in disbelief again.
C.C. laughed with him and stuffed the piece of paper in his back pocket. -"I’ll keep the name in here, in case you forget."
-"Oh, I won’t have any trouble with that one, but you better jot down the name of the twin sister." He frowned. -"What is it again, Guadalupe?"
She giggled. -"Yes. I’ll do that later. Anyway, you hold your hormones for a while, Mister Crackleflame. I have to fix some papers for Maxwell, e-mail him, and I’ll get back to you."
-"Uh-hm, señorita..." He squeezed her lightly. -"First things first."
-"But not necessarily in that order, señor."
-"I know, but Don Sheffield can wait. Besides…" He had a peek at his watch. -"…he’s six hours ahead of us. They’re all probably retiring by now."
-"Oh.." She had a peek at hers. -"You’re right. Then, I’m all yours Juan Carlos." She let out sensuously in his ear and then grinned.
His eyes consuming her. -"Always smile, Babcock. It's the second best thing you can do with your lips."
-"Really? What is the first?"
He pulled her close for a kiss and the kiss that came back was incredible.
They teased for a while…The Butler then dragged the Blonde to the door, locked it up and dimmed the lights to a lower glow never leaving her mouth.
C.C. broke the kiss. -"Niles, you don’t intend to…I mean, not here?"
-"I don’t think I’ll be able to get to my room."
-"Holy Cow…" She whispered feeling a fierce reaction underneath his jeans.
He laughed evilly. -"Your fault. Don’t ever come to work in those boots again." He said in a hoarse tone.
-"And don’t you ever show up in these tight jeans when I’m trying to concentrate. Thank God, I don’t have to operate any heavy machinery." She moaned as her hands traveled down his back to his rear pulling him to her more tightly. -"I never thought I would ever say this to a man, Niles. But you got yourself buns that are the 8th world's natural wonder, you know that?" She squeezed them lightly.
-"I thought they were fat."
-"I say it, but I don’t mean it." She mimicked his usual tone.
-"I’m glad to hear that. Now I wonder what are the 9th and 10th world’s natural wonders, "C.C. and Guadalupe"?" Niles kissed her neck slowly.
-"If you say so, I won’t be the one to deny it."
He grunted lowly. -"Trust me, I mean it."
She giggled. -"Niles, I don’t care if you can wait or not, I won’t have my way with you in this living room. Anybody from out in the street can see us."
-"They can’t. It’s darker in here."
-"I don’t care what the laws of physics are, I won’t be able to relax. Besides the big one is around."
-"You bet the big one is around." He scoffed.
-"NI-les.." She interrupted him with a pinch on his butt.
-"Her name is Margaret and she’s been out with her boyfriend for hours. Now come on…"
-"No way..." C.C. in a swift move got rid of Niles’ arms and ran up the stairs.
The Butler made no attempt to catch her as she made all the way up to the top. -"Now, come on, Don Niles."
He shrugged. -"Yo pienso que no."
-"Now stop that Spanish nonsense. It’s a huge turn-on, but I get very little of it. Now come to your room and finish what you started."
-"Mejor no." He whined.
-"Mejor sí, damn it!"
-"Mejor no." He whined again.
-"Ugh, you’re impossible." She disappeared through the hallway.
-"Good God, what now?" He thought loudly. He knew she was teasing him and decided to play along. Since she didn’t return in the next minute he sat on one of the first steps again and waited.
-"Broom Hilda?" He heard a sexy voice calling from the top of the stairs, about two minutes later. -"Broom Hilda?" She insisted.
-"Are you talking to me?" He asked not turning to look at her.
-"Yes."
-"I have a name and it is not that."
-"Oh, come on Broom Hilda…Look at me..I have a gift for you."
He didn’t move a muscle.
Annoyed by his indifference she threw something at his back.
-"Ouch!" He stood up reacting immediately to the pain and looked around to see what had stung him. He found a beautiful red rose on the step he was sitting on. -"You damned little hellion, this flower is covered with thorns!" He caught it up.
-"It serves you right!"
-"You-.." When he looked up at her it was time for his heart to feel a sting. His mouth dropped open at the view. Standing on the last step, she had no clothes on except for her lingerie - panties that had a very provocative V shape and a bra that offered great support but very little coverage, both in the most beautiful shade of turquoise he had ever seen. -‘She looks like the answer to a teenager’s wet dream’. He mischievously thought and grinned. -"Oh my…Oh my, oh my, oh my! What do we have here? Haven't we met before?"
-"Yes, I'm the receptionist at that STD Clinic you go to." She said unhappily and then sat on the last step of the stairs.
He grinned. -"Oh, Beelzebabs, one way or another you make my blood boil. Come down here."
-"No." Like a spoiled girl.
He carefully put the rose across his teeth, clapped his hands above his head, and stomped his feet on the floor like a Spanish dancer.
She tried to hide a smile but failed.
He then spread his arms open to her.
-"No." She insisted in the same tone.
He yanked the flower off his mouth, stuck the rose in a vase that was on the occasional round table behind him, spat lightly, and turned to her with his hands on his waist. -"Lucyyyy!"
-"No, no, and no." Why don’t you come up here?" She stood up.
-"The distance is the same."
-"Ditto." She scoffed.
-"You play dirty."
-"You haven’t seen a thing yet."
-"On the contrary, I can see a lot." He watched as C.C. reached behind and unhooked her brassiere slowly. -"Holy shh-smoke." He bit out at her gorgeous sight. -"Oh my, if love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?"
-"Why don’t you come and get it all?" She made the piece of fabric rest on the banister.
-"Ditto." He mimicked her and yanked his T-shirt off like a wild Vegas Chorus Line boy showing his "meat."
-"She moaned lowly. -"Hm, hace calor in here."
-"And I can make it hotter."
-"And I’m the one who’s playing dirty?"
-"You use your tools and I use mine." He quipped.
-"I rather play when we join toys."
-"Bring yours and I’ll enter with mine."
She narrowed her eyes at his sexist statement and leaned on the handrail as if showing him he would have to do better than that. But by doing so, she made her underwear accidentally fall down the stairs and hook on one of the flowers from a vase on a sideboard close to the toilet door. She looked at him and he returned a defiant smirk.
-"A perfect gentleman would catch it for me." She said with a cute, spoiled girl type pout.
He looked around. -"I don’t see any, though. You’ll have to come down and get it yourself."
-"Nice try."
-"Oh come on, niña bonita, I want to give myself to you." He said in another feigned Spanish accent.
-"Sorry, I don't accept cheap gifts."
He could not restrain a gurgle of laughter. -"Aww, you would call your identical sister ‘ugly’ if that made you look uglier, wouldn’t you?"
She giggled. -"Which reminds me. Halloween is over, Niles. Why don’t you take off that mask."
He closed his eyes for self-control and growled low Lurch-like.
She snarled in return.
When he looked up at her again there was a sudden silence between them. Both caught in the circle of an unearthly light, understanding each other perfectly. How long did they stand there? Hard to tell.
Niles was the first one to take the first step…she then followed. One more step from him…the same from her. A game of seduction and pride…Step by step…slowly…teasingly. The sexual aura in the room could be cut with a knife.
They finally met in the middle of their path, halfway up…halfway down. C.C. stood before him, one step higher, like a goddess on a pedestal. She was the first to break the silence. -"I’m feeling a déjà vu here." She gently smoothed back the hair of his temples and then ran down her hands to his shoulders.
-"Me too." He said hoarsely holding her waist and inhaling her perfume one more time.
-"It happened in that back yard, 21 years ago. No shirt…" She squeezed his biceps. -"…and very sexy jeans."
-"Well, I had more hair on my head back then."
-"You had less hair on your chest."
-"Did you like it better then? I can fix that."
-"Don’t you dare." She let out seductively as her hands explored his torso free and easy and her fingers played with the coarse hair.
-"Some became gray though."
-"I would say some of them are silver when they once were gold; no biggy."
-"It’s because he also has more years."
-"So does she." She bitter smiled.
-"She also has more curves." His hands explored her boldly.
-"He also has more muscles, more experience, more wisdom, more-.."
-"..love." He buried his face in her body and kissed her enticingly.
C.C. grabbed his neck and held him yet closer. She could smell the muscular scent of his skin.
He then bent slowly bringing her body with him.
She protested. -"Niles, I’m sure this carpet hasn’t seen a Hoover in a decade. The Butler in this house is not very fond of vacuuming, you know."
-"It depends on what he has to suck on."
She moaned.
He chuckled. -"I agree that cleaning is not exactly his cup of tea, but we have a cleaning lady, you know. She vacuumed these steps two days ago."
-"I doubt."
-"Oh, here…" He kept her on air with one arm as the hand that was still holding his polo shirt spread it open on two of the steps so she could sit on them. -"There. Comfortable?"
She didn’t bother to answer and pulled him down on an enticing kiss.
-"That tag on you got me curious again. Tell me what C.C. stands for?" Niles tried when they broke the kiss.
-"What kind of question that is? Is this blackmail?"
He could see her chest rising and falling. -"You know very well what kind of question is that. Enough already! Come on, woman…tell me!"
-"Oh yeah? Why don’t you tell me your whole name?"
-"C.C. don’t tell me you don’t know. You’ve been taking care of my pension plan for many years. You know my Social Security number…I bet you had a look at the public records and found out already. Don’t play coyly."
She laughed in her throaty way. -"I was tempted, Niles, I really was. But I didn’t. I thought we had a deal, I don’t ask you yours and you don’t ask mine. All I know about your name is those stupid letters that are in your driver’s license and that I always bump into every time I get a hold of the documents you have: "B.D.". What are they?"
-"The letters that come before and after C.C.." He chuckled.
-"B.S., Niles."
-"No B.D., C.C.. "
-"Will you cut that out!" She regained some control. -"Are they a middle name and a last name?"
-"For my entire disregard and disrepute, yes. And that’s all you’ll get to know."
-"Hm, so my lover has a name." She teased.
-"So does Cher. What about yours?"
-"Another nice try, Niles." C.C. trembled slightly.
Niles knew the spots that would make her wiggle and tormented them relentlessly until she was helplessly aroused.
-"I want you." She said feeling hungry for him.
There was a sudden change in his features and he unexpectedly dashed. -"No."
-"What?"
-"I said, no." He repeated in a hard-edged voice. Before she could say anything again he shushed her with one hand. -"Quiet, Love..."
C.C. heard voices as the outside door opened.
-"I was right." Niles stood up and pulled her with him. -"Miss Margaret has arrived. Run..!"
C.C. panicked. Her legs didn’t respond and she nearly rolled down the stairs. Niles caught her by one arm, threw her over one shoulder, grabbed his shirt from the stairs and ran up the remaining steps. His blood pounding in his ears.
Maggie and Michael stepped inside the house by the split second the Butler and the Blond disappeared through the hallway.
-"I wonder if Niles is at home. I gotta see if it’s okay with him if I stay at your place tonight."
-"If he’s not home, you could leave him a note or call him later." He pointed at the toilet down the foyer. -"Mags, may I er..?"
-"Sure... Meanwhile, I’ll check if he’s in the kitchen." She paced through the living room.
-"Fine." Michael walked towards the restroom when he spotted C.C.’s lingerie hanging on the vase. He wanted to share that with his girlfriend but for a second he thought it could be a sign of something going on in the house. -"No, I don’t think you’ll find him in the kitchen." He mumbled to himself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Butler burst in his room carrying the Blonde on his shoulder, tossed his T-shirt on the floor, and dropped on the bed with her. -"Good Gracious, if you had any doubt about my heart condition…" He laughed noisily while catching his breath.
-"Shh..Niles." She addressed him completely embarrassed. -"And please, shut that door." She whispered.
He jumped out of bed and locked it in a swift move. -"I’m too old for this, Babcock. We better start behaving ourselves."
-"We? I told you I didn’t want to fool around in that living room. You were the one who couldn’t keep your hands to yourself!"
-"Like you didn’t like it."
-"I-.." She was strapped for words than melted in a mischievous smile. -"Why do we have to have orgasms, Niles?"
He thought for a second and returned the smile. -"How else would we know when to stop?"
They burst into lusty laughter.
-"Ooo.." C.C. ran to the bathroom in a sudden reaction.
Niles flopped on his bed again.
-"Ugh.." The Blonde protested when she sat on the cold toilet and realized the seat was up. -"What in this world would get you men to put down the toilet seat?"
-"A sex-change operation."
Seconds later C.C. came out of Niles’ bathroom wearing his robe and a livid expression on her face.
-"What are you wearing that for? Come here." He spread his arms open to her.
-"We rather not, Niles. I just remembered. My bra is downstairs and you better run and get it before Ma-Ma…what’s her darn nam-…Margaret sees it." She turned around and peered out the window.
He walked to her, held her shoulders and brought her to him.
She closed her eyes trying to remain in control of her emotions.
-"No need to get aerated, C.C.. I just thought about that. I’ll tell her that I was separating the laundry."
She shrugged free of his hands with a nervous twist of her shoulders before she would get in the mood again. -"Yeah, right Niles. And whose Bra are you gonna tell her that thing is, Fran’s? It’s not the girls’, for sure."
-"No. I wouldn’t be able to say that with a straight face." Implying her size. -"But she doesn’t need to know it’s yours. I always can say it’s one of my girlfriends’."
She shot him a glare.
-"Well, it is for a good cause." He smirked.
-"Say what you will." She said deadpan.
-"Now come here."
She kept him arm-distance. -"I’m sorry, Niles. I’m all turned off with this whole story. I’m afraid she’s gonna come knocking at that door after you at any moment." She lay on the bed and curled. -"Later, okay?"
He sighed unhappily. -"I am going to have a shower then." He said starkly walking to the bathroom.
She heard the thickness in his voice. -"Ni-les?"
-"Mm?" He stopped and leaned on the doorframe.
-"If it’s not asking too much…Do you think you can cool off without wasting all that energy? I had plans for us later."
-"Babcock, there are very few things in life that I hate more than a cold shower." He said never turning to look at her.
-"Please?" She soft-spoke.
His knees turned jelly.
-"Do you think you "hate" me more than cold water?" She said child-like, not able to see his smile at her metaphoric question. -"Do you?" She insisted.
-"Infinitely more." He added in the same tender voice and entered the bathroom.
Seconds later C.C. heard him cursing from under the shower and giggled at the certainty that her wish would be granted.
Go on to Part Two
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