Chapter fourteen.

Kiss, kiss.


Buffy was reading a magazine as she waited for Spike in the sitting room.
She’d been alone when she woke from her nap. The guard at the door had told her
Spike had gone to his study, and had left instructions for her to be ready
for him at seven O’clock. Now it was ten past seven and he was still in his room.

When he opened his door she had to do a double take, he looked, WOW!
Buffy had only seen Spike wearing jeans once, the rest of the time he was
dressed in suits, which she felt gave him an intimidating aura, but tonight he was
dressed casually, but casual looked so hot on him. Well, that’s if hot could
also be described as incredibly dangerous looking, which was how he
looked in the tight black t-shirt and jeans. He smirked at her sexily when he
came out of his bedroom, and made her blush just with the arch of his brow.

Buffy too, had dressed casually, in a knee length inky blue denim skirt and
white gypsy blouse. Her plaited hair hung down her back in one long braid,
and little flat open toed sandals graced her feet. Her outfit was finished
off with silver hoop earrings that complemented her blouse.

When Spike noticed what Buffy was wearing he stared at her. With her hair
plaited and the white blouse hiding her curves she looked so childlike.
“Blood hell Buffy! You look ‘bout twelve, people are goin’ to think I’m a
pervert.”

Buffy laughed at the astonished look on his face, it was comical. “Oh
don’t worry, if anyone asks I’ll tell them you’re my older brother, or
better still my dad, which should stop anyone calling you pervert to your
face,” she joked.

Spike was mesmerized, this was the first time since her arrival that he’d
seen her really laugh, and the sound was beautiful. He’d have to take her
out more often if this was the effect it had on her. Then he realized what
she’d said. She was still laughing as he took her hand in his.

“If you sit on my knee and call me daddy I’ll buy you ice cream,” he
playfully teased. Picking up her braid, he brushed the end over her cheek
and leaned in to whisper into her ear. “Call me daddy Buffy, and I’ll buy
you anythin’ your sweet little heart desires,” he said seductively.

Buffy snatched her hand away. “You ARE a pervert,” she gasped.

Now it was Spike’s turn to laugh at the expression on Buffy’s face, she was
a picture of scandalized outrage. “And again I’ll admit you’re quite right,
I am a pervert, but only in the best sense of the word, and I can see you
don’t have a clue what I’m goin’ on ‘bout, but I can’t wait to show you.”

Buffy couldn’t tell if he was teasing her or not, but she thought not. Yet
again, Spike had twisted something innocent into something sexually
suggestive. What was worse was she could still feel the thrill that had
run through her as he’d whispered the naughty words in her ear.

She was still blushing, her eyes large and startled. Spike pulled her into
his arms. “Oh pet there’s so much I want to show you,” he kissed her lips as
she gasped softly, her breath tickling his face as she tried to push him
away. “I’ll show you how good a woman like you ought to feel, I’ll make you
feel so good you’ll think you’re in heaven, and so bad ‘n’ dirty you’ll beg to come
back for more,” he rubbed his hard shaft against her stomach. “And I’ll teach…”

There was a short knock on the door and Gilbey walked in. He stopped dead
in his tracks when he saw Spike’s murderous look. “Fuck,” Spike cursed softly.

Gilbey could see his boss had his arms wrapped around a furiously blushing
Buffy. She was trying to hide her face and push his boss away at the same
time. Seeing her embarrassment Spike released her. She moved to hide her
face from the other mans obvious stare, and Spike stepped in front of her,
shielding her from Gilbey’s view.

“What is it Gil?” he barked.

“Sorry boss I should’ve waited…I didn’t think,” he apologized.

“Yes! You bloody well should’ve, now what the fuck do you want?”
he snapped. The unwelcome interruption had irritated him, but Gilbey’s staring was really pissing him off.

“The cars are ready, and the others are standing by.”

“Good, we’ll be down in a mo.” He turned his back to the other man in a
dismissive gesture.

Buffy was standing with her head hanging down. Spike lifted her chin smiling at her.
“If you don’t want to go we can stay in.”

“No, I want to go,” she quickly said. The blush was fading from her face, but
her heart was still running like a train. Staying in with him was the last
thing she wanted to do, her thoughts were a jumble, going out would be a
welcome distraction.

“Okay, are you ready?”

Buffy nodded her head.

*****

They took two cars; Spike and Buffy in the first one with Spike doing the
driving, and Gilbey and three other men from the guard crew in another. It
would seem Spike had been serious about them not being alone. Her heart
sank, she hadn’t really contemplated trying to get away, but if this was
going to be how Spike treated every trip or outing, she just knew the
constant watching would drive her round the twist.

The journey was quiet; Spike concentrated on his driving and seemed lost in
thought, his eyes focused on the road ahead. Buffy watched him from the
corner of her eye, his hands on the steering wheel looked pale and powerful
in the dim light, he controlled the car with a practiced ease. Buffy
couldn’t help but admire that about him, he seemed to do most things with
ease, and she was also beginning to realize that Spike liked to be in
control, whether it was a car, a situation, or people, Spike had to be in
control.

A thought occurred to her, What if she gave control of herself to Spike?
Could she get him to relax conditions for Angel and herself? Probably,
but that would mean she’d be compromising herself, and playing right into
his hands. The kiss he’d made her promise to suddenly seemed like a bad
idea, she felt sure that somehow he’d find a way to use it to his advantage.
She felt foolish…had he out maneuvered her again?

This was so hard, how could she hope to keep up with the twists and turns of
his devious mind, she just wasn’t capable of thinking like Spike, and now he
had her questioning and doubting herself. He was driving her nuts! She
screamed internally; silently venting her frustrations.

And on top of all that, the stupid attraction thing was complicating things
even more. Angry with him, and herself, Buffy thought back over the last few
days. He’d been polite and friendly, keeping her company in both the
mornings and the evenings, and aside from a few very hot kisses he hadn’t
tried to force himself on her. His looks though, were undeniably wanton, and
Buffy suspected his words were all carefully chosen to seduce. He remained
in control, especially of himself. Buffy vowed she wouldn’t let herself
forget that this man had, had Faith raped, forced her into trading Harmony
for Dawn, and was blackmailing her into captivity to punish Angel.

Angel? If Angel hadn’t loved her Spike would’ve had to find another method in which to punish him.

Angel was at the root of all Spike’s hatred and anger, and Buffy had so
many questions about that, their history was unknown to her, and without the
full facts she wasn’t going to be able to figure a way out of this mess.
The whole thing was a puzzle. Glancing at Spike, she thought that the only
answers she was ever going to get would come from him. Angel was locked
up tight, and Spike would never agree to her talking to him on her own, not
that she was sure she’d want to. No, it was best to forget Angel; he was in
no position to help her in any way. So it would have to be Spike who
provided the answers. But how? She’d have to catch him in a good mood,
or in an unguarded moment, to get him to open up.

Maybe she couldn’t think or act devious, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t
find a way to get him to bend a little, but it wasn’t going to be easy. If
she became too compliant with his wishes he’d be suspicious of her,
and then his guard would be up. She needed to get him to trust her, and
the only way she could see to doing that was to go along with him as much
as possible; be docile and accepting. Choose her battles carefully, and
stand firm if he tried to manipulate her into doing something compromising.

She felt a little better having come to some decisions; more empowered, she
felt sure it was a step in the right direction. If he wanted to sit her on
his knee and have her call him daddy, she could do that…Couldn’t she?

Buffy swallowed around the nervous lump in her throat. The image made her
blush, but as long as she was in control and he continued to take
no as meaning no then she could do it,
and if he showed signs that he was getting out of hand, she’d dig her heels in and
withdraw all cooperation. Biting her lip Buffy realized that she had to try
something, and this plan was as good as any, and tonight’s trip to the
cinema was a good place to start. She’d make sure he had no reason to
complain, or lose his appalling temper, she’d be the perfect little hostage,
and then she’d start probing for answers.

*****

Spike waited for Buffy to come out of the Ladies Restroom. The movie had
been entertaining, but not half as entertaining as Buffy. He’d found himself
watching her closely, expecting her to try something or to draw attention to
them in some way, but she never did. She’d sat in her seat, ignoring Gilbey
and the others, watching the movie and eating her popcorn. The movie hadn’t
been his choice, and when Spike had told Buffy she could decide on what
they were going to see, he wasn’t surprised when she chose a girly movie.
Some romantic comedy that he tuned out of after the first five minutes, not that
he minded, it gave him the chance to sit and watch her, and his men weren’t
going to be distracted by the nonsense that was showing.

He smiled at her petty little act of rebellion, but he’d told her the trip
was for her benefit, so he wasn’t concerned with what she chose, and his
men weren’t there to watch a movie, they were there to watch her. That
information had earned him an angry little scowl, and prompted her choice.

But Buffy’s good behavior had been a very pleasant surprise, she hadn’t
pulled away from him when he took her hand, or placed an arm around her
shoulder as a means of keeping her close, when they were in the crowded
lobby. In fact she allowed him to lead her meekly wherever he wanted,
totally unresisting.

For several reasons, sitting next to her in the darkened auditorium had been
a kind of beautiful hell, the way she was dressed being one among many.
The short denim skirt exposed a very tantalizing amount of her shapely
golden legs. When he’d noticed how the skirt had rode up when she’d first
gotten into the car, it had taken every bit of his willpower to keep his eyes
focused on the road, and not gape at her like a over sexed spotty teenager.

But the damn skirt had continued to torment him, all the way through the
soddin’ movie. The urge to reach out and touch her had been overwhelming
at times, and yet again he was cursing himself for being affected by her in
such a way. He was sure the sooner he managed to coax her into bed, the
sooner he’d get over this stupid fixation.

As Buffy sat engrossed by the story, Spike sat engrossed by her, getting
more and more aroused by the way she’d unconsciously move her legs. First
crossing them one way, then crossing them the other, he nearly groaned out
loud when her hand had started playing with the hem of her skirt. If it had
been any other woman, other then Buffy he’d have sworn he was being teased.
But it wasn’t, it was Buffy, and he had to remind himself that in all the time he’d
known her she’d never displayed anything but a sweet artless
sensuality. It was this he yearned for, this sweet guileless thrall that
he’d never known or experienced with anyone else before. She called to him,
even if she didn’t know it, and bloody hell! He was going to answer,
he’d stop at nothing to possess her.

Two more days and Drusilla would be home, could he persuade Buffy
to become his lover before then? It would be better for him if he could, but
he had a feeling Buffy would resist. She was warming to him he could tell,
but it was slowly, and he was getting impatient and restless wanting to take
things to another level. Drusilla’s presence would complicate things for him,
but he still harbored thoughts of the relationship encompassing
all three of them, and he was sure if given enough time he could achieve that.

He could just imagine himself and Drusilla, teaching Buffy to appreciate all
the wicked acts that his dark princess had taught to him so many years
before. The thought of shy blushing Buffy tied down and trussed in leathers,
panting and gasping as he fucked her, while Drusilla rode her face had him
completely hard. He struggled to calm himself, searching for something to
distract him. Angel instantly popped into his head, but that only annoyed
him, and that led him to think about Angel and Buffy together, and that
caused a burning rage and anger to boil in his stomach.

Seeing Buffy dressed so sweetly, looking like a little girl with her hair in
a braid, and thinking of Angel looking at her, touching her, and fucking her
made him see red. He vowed Angel would never again get the chance to
do more then look at her, and only if he was present to control things.
Strange how things worked out sometimes, he thought.
The long years of loving Dru had been some of the best years of his life,
but they’d also been some of the worst. Their time together had taught him
not to expect the love he’d always longed for and dreamed of. In Drusilla
he’d thought he’d found the perfect woman and lover, only to discover he
had no choice but to share her or lose her.

What would it have been like if he’d met Buffy first instead of Angel? The
bastard hadn’t known a good thing when he found it. Buffy wasn’t the
type of woman to play games and ensnare a man with sex, and then
torment him with other lovers, Buffy was the type of woman, who when she
gave her body to a man, it went with her heart. Spike had never been
so glad in his whole life that Angel had somehow fucked it up with her.
Buffy was young and healthy, with, he imagined all the normal needs
of a young woman in the prime of her sexuality, and she belonged to him.
She might not see it that way as yet, but it was only a matter of time before
Buffy realized that he was the only man available to her, her own needs
would drive her to him eventually. But Spike didn’t want to wait, he was
impatient, so he’d just have to nudge her along a little.

As Buffy came out of the bathroom she saw him waiting for her, his hand
held out to her in a ‘come here’ gesture, so she did as he requested and
took his hand, he smiled at her his eyes sparkling with delight.

“Ready to go ‘ome pet?”

She gave him a half smile and a short nod, marveling at the way he always
tried to make it seem that she had any real choice. What if she’d said no,
what would he have done?

Bundled back in the car they started the journey back to the house. Feeling
rather full on the silly amount of treats and popcorn Spike had insisted on
buying for her, and all snug and warm in the dark cozy interior of the car,
it wasn’t long before Buffy was nodding off. Spike remained a silent
presence, and she didn’t feel any need to disturb his quiet mood, her eyes
fell shut as she drifted off.

A hand on her knee startled her awake, instinctively she pulled back, but
when she realized it was only Spike she relaxed slightly. Spike was looking
at her his expression apologetic. Blinking back her confusion, she noticed
they were parked outside the front entrance to the house; she must have
slept the whole way back. Spike wasn’t making any moves to get out of the
car; he was just staring at her.

Baffled she asked, “What?”

He smiled at her. “Nothin’ pet, I was jus’ thinkin’ how beautiful you are
when you’re asleep and even more beautiful when you wake.”

Buffy scoffed at his silly flattery as she reached for her seat belt, but
Spike stilled her hands and leaned over kissing her unexpectedly. The kiss
started innocently enough but by the time he pulled back from her they were
both panting.

Light-headed Buffy fumbled with the door, the cool air hitting her burning
cheeks as she got it open. Spike was beside her, his arm stealing around her
waist, leading her into the hallway with its black shiny floors. They
stopped beside the elevator where Gilbey and the others caught up with
them. Gilbey glanced at her flushed face, smirking he winked at her and
chuckled when she frowned at him. Spike hadn’t noticed this exchange; he
was busy talking to two of the other men, who he sent off in the direction of the offices.

Turning to Buffy as the doors opened Spike smiled and tugged her through.

“We’ll go and see Angel now, that way it’s over and done with,” Spike
announced.

Buffy knew she shouldn’t be surprised by this, but she really was, she’d
expected Spike to try and weasel out of his promise to take her to see
Angel. But now she was on her way to talk to him and she wasn’t sure what
she was going to say. Spike was going to be there and Gilbey too no doubt,
and that was going to inhibit anything she might have been able to talk
about. Better to just test the waters and keep things light and friendly,
let him know in gentle terms that she didn’t hate him completely, and that
despite everything she still cared for his wellbeing, and that she would do
everything within her power to see he was treated better.

They stopped just outside the room. Spike took her by the shoulders and
fixed her with a serious look, his blue eyes pale and hard. “Buffy before we
go in ‘ere you must promise me a couple of things,” she scowled at him. “If
you don’t promise we don’t go in, it’s as simple as that,” he said.

“Tell me what it is first.”

“Firstly, you mustn’t try to touch him in any way, and if he asks you any
questions ‘bout anythin’ other then your own wellbein’, you’re not to answer
him. Even if you don’t understand the question, or if you think it harmless.
Do you understand?”

That seemed fair. She nodded.

“And you’ll promise?”

“Yes, I promise.”

Spike must have given his men instructions to have Angel prepared, because
he was sitting at the steel topped table, chained to the surface just like
the last time she’d seen him. Buffy had a horrible thought occur to her,
what if Spike had left him chained like this for all that time? But he
wouldn’t do that, would he? Buffy pushed the ugly thought away, it was too
sickening to dwell on.

Spike pulled out the chair for her, letting her make her self comfortable
before he retreated to another chair, positioned at the wall under the
observation window, giving him a side view of both Buffy and Angel.
Casually he lit a cigarette, his eyes narrowing as he brought it up to his
lips to drag the smoke and nicotine into his lungs. Gilbey positioned himself
against the wall opposite Spike, leaving Buffy and Angel in full view of him
too.

Angel successfully ignored them, focusing on Buffy. She had a harder time
blanking the others out. She glanced at Spike who gave her a friendly smile
and a nod. Angel couldn’t help but notice the silent exchange and bristled,
his hands clenching noisily within the metal cuffs.

Buffy immediately turned to him; he was scanning her face and hair, smiling
at her through his growth of beard, seeing the girlish plait and cute
clothes, his eyes drinking her in. She smiled back at him, sadly noting how
bad he looked. He was still wearing the same dirty clothes as she’d seen him
in the last time, and judging by the strong body odor, he still hadn’t
showered. She shot Spike an angry glare, but his expression didn’t falter,
if Spike was bothered in any way by her anger he didn’t show it.

“I’d ask you how you’re being treated, but I can see for myself what the
answer would be. So instead I’ll go with, are you okay?” Buffy asked, trying
to sound cheerful for his sake.

“Oh! You know me Buff…I’m not really the type to let a little confinement
get me down, but saying that, I’m all the better for seeing you.” He gave her
one of those looks that used to set her heart to fluttering. She smiled at
the bitter sweet memory. “What about you, are you okay? You’re not being
mistreated are you?” She shook her head.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. She wasn’t sure where that had come from
or why she was sorry, other than the fact they were caught up in a nightmare.

“Oh God! Buffy NO, you have nothing to be sorry about, it’s me that should
be sorry, and I am,” he said, twisting his hands in the cuffs. “If it wasn’t
for me you’d never have been dragged into this mess, and now you are
and I’m so sorry I can’t help you.”

His head spun angrily to pin Spike with a hate filled glare. “Let her go
Spike, I’ll do anything you ask, if you just let her go.”

Spike shook his head mockingly. “We’ve been over this Angel, if I let
her go you’ll never do anythin’ I want you to, it’s only ‘cause Buffy’s ‘ere that
you’re cooperatin’ at all.” Spike felt he could say a lot more, but why
speak when a picture is so much more affective?

Angel was furious, straining madly at the restraints, his face twisted into
an ugly mask of hate and loathing trying to break his way free to reach
Spike. The blonde man was laughing at him, goading him to thrash about
uselessly. Buffy reached forward, and placed her hands over Angel’s. Angel
instantly calmed, gazing down at the tiny hands that couldn’t possibly hope
to cover his.

“Don’t Angel, can’t you see it’s what he wants?” she whispered.
He looked at her, hoping he would find some sign of affection in her eyes. But it was
only her hands that gave him any comfort.

“BUFFY,” Spike barked.

Gasping, she guiltily snatched her hands back, placing them securely on her
lap under the table and shooting frightened looks at Spike.

Angel stared at the two of them. “He told you not to touch me, didn’t he?”
he demanded.

Buffy stared at him, but remembered her other promise to Spike, and didn’t
answer, biting her lip she dropped her gaze to the tabletop.

“You bastard, what did you tell her you’d do to her if she touched me?”

“Nothin’ mate.”

“Liar,” Angel looked at Buffy, his voice softening. “Buffy please, what did
he say he’d do to you?”

“Don’t answer that,” Spike said his voice flat and emotionless.

Buffy looked at Spike, he held her gaze with an unreadable expression; she
was unsure what to do. She’d promised him she wouldn’t touch Angel
or answer his questions, and now she’d broken one of those promises, but
Spike hadn’t told her what would happen if she broke them. Looking at
Spike she felt sure she’d pay for it in some way.

Carefully wiping her face of anything that might give away her true feelings
of fear and uncertainty, she looked at Angel and made a decision. Buffy
answered him knowing she might well regret it, but she gave him the only
thing she could, the truth. “I swear to you Angel, he never said he’d do
anything.”

Angel blinked at her, but seemed satisfied with her answer and sagged back
into his chair. Spike kept his eyes fixed on her, his jaw twitching in
suppressed rage.

“Angel you mustn’t waste time asking useless questions, and I don’t think it
would be good for either of us if you lose your temper. I can’t help you
anymore then you can help me, but perhaps we can help ourselves,” Buffy
stated calmly, trying to reach him with quiet reason.

Angel glanced between Spike and Buffy. Spike was still intently staring at
Buffy, Angel laughed knowingly. “She’s getting to you, isn’t she Spike?
Can’t say I’m surprised.”

Spike raised a brow at him and smiled sardonically. “Seems to me mate you
should be more worried ‘bout me gettin’ to her.”

“If you touch her or hurt her I’ll…”

“You’ll what?” Spike laughed, shaking his head. “Chained up and you still
think you can lord it over me, well I gotta hand it to you Peaches you’ve
been very entertainin’, but you’d better get used to the idea Buffy’s mine
now, and how I treat her really depends on how well you behave yourself,”
he looked at Buffy, but continued to speak to the chained man.
“And think ‘bout this
Angel, how well I treat you, will depend on how well Buffy…treats me.”

Angel swallowed back whatever it was he was going to say next. He
closed his eyes breathing deeply, when he opened them it was to look
at Buffy. “Don’t worry about me Buffy; I’ll be fine, you just think about yourself. Just
do…whatever you have to do to make sure you stay safe.”

Spike stood up slowly, grinding out the butt of his cigarette under the heel
of his boot. He helped Buffy up from her chair, holding her hand gently,
“Time to go Buffy.”

“I’ll be able…I mean, will I be able to see him again?” Buffy asked Spike.

Gently he brushed his hand against her cheek, smiling down at her. “Why
should I allow you to see him again Buffy, after you went and broke your
promise to me?”

She looked at him nervously her eyes darting away. “I didn’t mean to, it
wasn’t deliberate, I simply forgot.”

“The first time…yes, but not the second, that was deliberate, so now you
‘ave to make it up to me,” he saw her worried frown and stroked her cheek
again. Angel rattled his bonds, but Spike paid him no attention, this was
between himself and Buffy. “You made me another promise earlier today,
maybe if you keep that promise now I’ll forget ‘bout your little slip.”

Oh! God he means the kiss, she thought, shaking her head and
glancing at Angel. How could he be this cruel? But then it
occurred to her, that this was what he’d planned all along, one way
or another Spike would’ve maneuvered her into giving him the kiss in front
of Angel. She’d been stupid to think she’d managed to out think him, he’d seen right through her.

“I’m waitin’ Buffy,” he said sweetly.

She glanced quickly at Angel, but didn’t think it was a good idea to focus
on him. Gilbey moved into her line of sight over Spikes shoulder, he was
staring at her with that hateful twisted smirk of his. “Please Spike not
here, not now,” she whispered.

“Yes, right ‘ere and right now,” there was a hard edge to his voice, he
wasn’t going to change his mind, this was his way of teaching both herself
and Angel a lesson.

She sighed and leaned up placing her hands on his shoulders,
she pulled them nearer to each other. Angel gasped. Buffy tried to block
him out. This was so humiliating, Spike was letting her do all the work,
he wasn’t even touching her, or giving her the smallest bit of encouragement.

Their lips met and she kissed him, coaxing him to respond to her, but he was
deliberately resisting her. Buffy slid her hands into his hair, twisting the
tight curls at the nape of his neck in her little fingers, but there was
still no reaction from him. She was getting a bit anxious, if she didn’t
make this good he’d probably make her do it again.

She stepped in close to him, and as a last desperate measure she rubbed her
breasts against his chest, gripping his hair tightly and pushing his head
down to her. That got her a reaction, his mouth opened and she slipped her
tongue past his lips, deepening the kiss and shamelessly explored his mouth.

Slowly his hands came up to rest on her hips, pulling them closer still. Her
stomach started to do little flip flops and her heart was beating wildly.
Oh! God! He can really kiss, she thought. Spike was rubbing her
against him, rocking her hips from side to side, pushing his erection against
her stomach. Buffy couldn’t help it, she moaned at the sensations he was
creating within her.

Suddenly, Spike had taken control of the kiss, moving his hands higher up
her body, he gently brushed his fingers over the sides of her breasts, and
up to her face, sliding one hand around the back of her head holding her
still.

When he broke away she was gasping for breath, briefly he looked down
into her flushed face before wrapping his fingers in her plait and pulling her
head back to attack her mouth again, she whimpered against him, struggling,
but he pulled tighter on her hair to subdue her. Buffy was becoming dizzy,
her hands at his shoulders were gripping him for support, and she was losing
her ability to think straight.

Spike broke the kiss and pulled her into a possessive embrace, looking at
Angel over her head he said. “I’ll let you see Angel next week kitten, now
say goodnight and let’s go back up stairs.”

Buffy was in no state to argue, she mumbled a soft goodnight to an angry
Angel, and let Spike lead her out of the room. When they were back outside
in the corridor three of the more familiar guards came out of the
observation room, they were all gawking at her. Spike hardly glanced at
them; he called instructions regarding Angel over his shoulder. Buffy heard
him tell them that Angel was to be allowed to shower and shave, and be
provided with a change of clothes. Spike quickly steered Buffy along with a
gentle hand nestled into the curve of her back. Vaguely Buffy wondered if
the men had been witnesses to Spikes dominance of her. Slowly her higher
brain functions were coming back into focus, and by the time they had
reached their suite she was struggling with her embarrassment and anger.

*************************************************************

 

Chapter Fifteen.

Trick or Treat.


As the door closed leaving Gilbey and the guard in the hallway, Buffy
turned on Spike. Angrily, she swung at him with an open handed slap
to his face. It must have hurt, because her hand was stinging from
the blow. Shocked and instantly angered, Spike grabbed her by her upper
arms, his fingers biting into her as he pushed her with a hard thud against
the door. “What the bleedin’ hell was that for?” he demanded.

“You planned that all along, you bastard,” she moaned and pushed against
his painful grip. “This afternoon when you were persuading me to promise
you that kiss, it was just so you could torment Angel and humiliate me.
I hate you…get your hands off me,” she yelled, pushing harder.

Angry, he wanted to shut her up, so he lowered his head trying, to capture
her lips, but she thrashed her head rapidly from side to side evading him.
Spike slammed her against the door, knocking the air from her lungs, her
head hit the wood with a sharp bang, but she continued to thrash. Afraid he
was going to really hurt her if he didn’t back off quickly, he tried to put
some distance between them, but as soon as he let go, she tried to slap him
again, so he desperately latched back onto her arms, locking her in place.
She was screaming mad, shouting at the top of her lungs “I hate you, you
bastard,” over and over again.

Then, just as he thought she was running out of steam, she kicked him…hard.
How the bleedin’ hell had he forgotten about her soddin’ feet? Like little hammers
they were. Gritting his teeth, he wrestled her to the carpet in front of the door,
heedless of the noise they were making, or the fact that Gilbey and the
guard could probably hear everything that was going on. He roughly snatched
the sandals from her feet and flung them as far away as he could. Then he
pulled Buffy face down over his knee. Furiously he hiked up the skirt that
had been tormenting him so much, exposing the candy pink cotton panties
that covered her bottom. Buffy was gasping, her face red from indignation and anger.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING? STOP THAT!” she cried. She’d stopped all her
wild thrashing as soon as she felt him pushing her skirt up.

“Not on your bleedin’ life, you seem to think its okay to slap and kick me,
well the way I look at it luv, is if you can hit, then so can I.” He slapped
her bottom…hard.

Struggling she howled in outrage, trying to squirm out of his grip or even
just reach her skirt to pull it back down, but he fended off her hands with
ease.

“Jus’ be thankful I decided to spank you and not whip you,” he landed
another couple of hard blows, making her squeal painfully. “First you break
promises and now you’re attacking me for not falling for your little ploy,”
he continued to spank her, placing harsh slaps on her reddening bottom.
“You must think I’m stupid if you thought I didn’t see right through your
pathetic attempts to play me, “Oh Spike you’re so right, I can’t sleep
because I’m worried ‘bout the way you’re treatin’ Angel,” he mimicked
her, throwing her words back in her face as he punished her with a heavy
hand. “You’re a little girl Buffy, playin’ at big games, and if you act like
a naughty child I’ll treat you like one.” He’d been raining blows on her
bottom and upper thighs all the time he’d been speaking, and he didn’t stop
until he was satisfied she’d learned her lesson.

Abruptly he let her go, irritably shoving her off his knee, to land in an
undignified sobbing heap on the carpet. Standing, Spike angrily looked away
from her as she pulled her clothes back into position. He marched over to
the bar pouring himself a stiff drink and swallowed it in one quick gulp.

Buffy stood wiping the tears of pain and humiliation from her face. Without
looking at him she walked to her bedroom. He turned to look at her, she was
a mess. Her plait all frizzy, her cute clothes all rumpled and twisted, and
her face, red and stained with her tears. His guilty heart twisted in his
chest, and even though he hated himself for the weakness he didn’t want her
to leave.

“Buffy,” he called softly as she crossed the sitting room floor.

She ignored him moving nearer to her room.

“Buffy,” he called louder, but it was no good, she didn’t even hesitate.

Her door closed with a soft clunk of wood and metal, shutting him out. He
knew this was bad; he’d completely lost his temper and pushed her too far,
and now she’d retreated from him. Angry he poured himself another drink, a
large one, and swallowed that one quickly as well. Everything had been
going so well. This afternoon on the bed, the kisses had been both sweet and
promising, and their trip to the cinema had been a great success. And then
her kiss in the Holding Room had ignited something within him that he
couldn’t explain. He’d been so stunned by her all out effort, that for a few
moments he’d been unable to move. Fuck! Was Angel right…was she
getting to him? Apparently so, or he wouldn’t be feeling so bad about what
had just happened. A third drink followed the first two.

He knocked on her door, unwilling to leave things as they were, but there
was no answer. He knocked again waiting for her to open up. Sighing he
realized she wasn’t going to let him in. He headed back to the sitting room, and
grabbed the bottle of whiskey from the bar before dropping himself heavily onto
the couch. He turned on the TV, and poured himself another drink, hoping to lose
him self in a haze of alcohol and hoping she’d come out on her own.
Bloody hell! He cursed, she has to come out sooner or later, stupid chit.

*****

Shocked at the rough treatment Spike had subjected her to, Buffy was curled
up on the bed sobbing her heart out. Her body ached from the combination
of the beating and the sobs that shook her system, gradually her body calmed
and exhaustion overtook her as she succumbed to sleep.

Hours later she woke with a sore throat and a pounding head. She stumbled
into the bathroom, and washed her face with cold water. Stripping out of her
clothes she examined her throbbing bottom. In the harsh white light of the
bathroom it looked red and sore. Sniffling back fresh tears she wrapped
herself in her fluffy bathrobe, pulling the soft folds snugly around her
tired and aching body.

She knew that she needed to get back to sleep, but she didn’t think that
that would be possible, not without some painkillers, and she couldn’t find
any in the bathroom or on the dressing table. Then she remembered that
Spike always kept some in the bar, as part of a hangover cure, but she
didn’t want to draw attention to herself by banging on the door to wake him up for them.

Then she remembered; that when Spike had knocked on the door earlier she
hadn’t heard him lock it. She padded over to the door just to try it, not
really expecting it to be open, but it was.

Buffy stood with her hand locked around the handle, nervously biting her
lip. She’d only opened the door a crack and didn’t know what to do. Should
she close it and forget about the painkillers? Or should she go out there,
get what she needed and return to her room? Or maybe she should try the
outer door and see if the guard really did stand out there all night? But if
she did that and the guard was there he’d tell Spike; and that would be bad,
and what if the guard was Gilbey? She shuddered at the thought of that.
Did Spike forget to lock me in? She wondered. That seemed unlikely.
What if he was just sitting out there, waiting for her? She didn’t think
she could face him, not after he’d spanked her like a badly behaved child.

But she really needed those painkillers, and the unlocked door was too much
of a temptation not to explore. She opened the door fully and hesitantly
tip-toed into the sitting room. The only light in the darkened room was
coming from the muted, flickering TV. Buffy froze. She
could see
Spike sprawled out on the couch, fast asleep, a nearly empty
bottle of
whiskey sat on the coffee table next to him. She looked back
towards the
open door of her bedroom and the relative safety it offered,
uncertain
whether she should go any further. Spike’s presence in the room
didn’t make her feel very confident about crossing the room to get to the
bar, but he seemed to be fast asleep.

Taking a firm hold of her resolve she bravely skirted the room, all the
while keeping an eye on Spike, just in case he should wake up. Once at the
bar she started looking for the painkillers. They weren’t where she thought
they’d be, so she searched around for a couple of minutes and eventually
found them on a shelf under the bar itself.

Slowly she made her way back to her room. She was half way there and still
carefully watching the sleeping man, just in case he showed any signs of
waking. But she was so intent on watching Spike, that as she passed him she
misjudged her footing and bumped into the coffee table. The whiskey bottle
rocked dangerously on its bottom. Buffy held her breath, she was too far
away to grab hold of it, all she could do was watch, praying it would steady
itself and not fall. God didn’t hear her prayers, the bottle fell hitting
the glass topped table with a loud clatter of glass on glass.

Spike was immediately on his feet, instinctively lashing out at the only
person in the room. He grabbed her, hauling her off her feet and flinging
her onto the couch, where he pinned her with a knee placed over her
stomach, and his forearm pressed to her throat. His speed and strength
shocked her. Buffy couldn’t breathe; the air had been effectively knocked
from her lungs, and was being squeezed from her throat. Just as she was
starting to feel dizzy, Spike abruptly let go.

“Bloody hell Buffy! What d'you think you’re doin’ sneakin’ around in the
dark like that,” his words were slurred and Buffy could smell the whiskey on
his breath, she sat up slowly clutching her throat. “You stupid bint, I
could’ve ‘urt you.”

Staring at him, Buffy rubbed her bruised neck unable to speak.
The shock of being body slammed into the couch and nearly choked had
stolen what ability she had to answer him.

Spike, though half drunk was wide awake, he was looking at her feeling
dazed. She was shaking, and her eyes were wild and wide with fear.
What is she doing out of her room in the middle of the night, and
what the hell happened to the lights? Then he remembered he’d
been watching TV, he realized he must’ve fallen asleep.
He spotted the over
turned whiskey bottle, and everything fell into place, the kiss, spanking
Buffy, the whiskey, standing outside her closed door, everything.

Spike was sobering fast, watching her rub at the new injury he’d just
inflicted. She was nervously looking towards her bedroom, probably wishing
she’d never left it. She was wrapped in her fuzzy bathrobe and had
something clutched in her hand.

“What’s that you’ve got there luv?” he asked quietly.

She opened her hand, showing him the bottle of painkillers. Realization
dawned on him. This was why she’d come out of her room, she’d been hunting for painkillers.

“Do you want some water?” he asked kindly.

She nodded her head.

Spike fetched the water and switched on a couple of lamps, he turned up the
volume on the TV, desperate to fill the quiet room with some noise. After
giving her the water he sat on the couch, but not right next to her. He
wanted to tell her he was sorry for losing his temper and spanking her, but
years of stubborn pride wouldn’t let him, so instead he tried to offer her a
different kind of olive branch.

“I’m goin’ to ring down for some hot chocolate, do you want some?” She
shook her head no. “Well, I’ll order a pot jus’ in case you change your mind.”

He quickly placed the call and took his seat again.

“Why don’t we see if there’s anythin’ on the telly, while we wait for the
hot chocolate luv?”

Baffled, Buffy thought, he’s acting as if nothings happened. Without
speaking she started to rise off the couch.

“Sit down Buffy,” she froze half way off the seat. “If you leave now I’ll
follow you the whole way into your room…so sit down,” he firmly requested.

Buffy plopped down, staring at him.

“Look…we should talk, and we can’t do that if you’re not ‘ere, so I think it
would be a good idea if you stayed,” he explained. She raised her brows at
him sardonically. “Okay, so maybe you don’t want to hear anythin’ I’ve got
to say, and you clearly don’t want to talk, but that doesn’t mean you
shouldn’t at least give me a chance.”

Buffy folded her hands in her lap and sat back waiting for him to continue.
Spike heaved a heavy sigh, running his fingers through his hair he displaced
the smoothed back style into untidy curls. He looked at her, uncertain how
to say what he wanted to say.

His tone was half apologetic, half accusatory. “What happened earlier was
jus’ as much your fault as it was mine, and you’ve no business sittin’ there
sayin’ nothin’, actin’ like some fuckin’ ‘ard done by saint,” he glared at
her, but she didn’t give a response of any kind. “I know I ‘urt you and I’m
sorry I did, but I’m not sorry I spanked you, you deserved it, and if you
ever attack me again I’ll take a strap to you,” he threatened, frustrated
with her.

Buffy glared right back at him. “And what should I do the next time you
decide it’s okay to attack or molest me?”

“Buffy, if I’ve attacked you it’s only been in retaliation to somethin’ you
did first, and I don’t molest you, I’m jus’ tryin’ to make you admit there’s
an attraction between us, and I won’t apologize for being a man who knows
what he wants and is willin’ to go after it.”

“I see, and I suppose you think you didn’t deserve that slap I gave you?”

“No, you promised me that kiss, and I was more then within my rights to ask
for it. So big deal I asked for it in front of Angel, I’d already told you I
was goin’ to make him suffer, so why are you makin’ such a stink now?”

“You tricked me,” she screeched.

He shrugged and smiled devilishly at her. “One mans trick is another mans
treat, and I don’t mind tellin’ you sweet’eart, that for me it was all
treat,” he leaned towards her his eyes locking on her mouth. “Fuck…Buffy,
the way you kiss would be any mans treat.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Well of course it was for you, but for me it was
humiliating, with Angel and Gilbey, and no doubt those other men in the
observation room looking on,” she was trembling, but Spike wasn’t sure if it
was from anger or remembered embarrassment. “You deliberately
misled me this afternoon into believing that it was a kiss you wanted from
me, when really what you wanted was to hurt Angel, and to put me in my
place, teach me a lesson…well fine I’ve learned.” She looked at him her eyes
cold and angry. “I’ve learned not to believe you, not to trust you, and never
to promise you anything ever again.”

As she’d been speaking Spike had gritted his teeth, biting back his own
rising anger, he was just about to answer her, when there was a knock at the
door. Heaving a loud frustrated sigh he went to answer it, he came back
carrying a tray with a pot of hot chocolate and two mugs. He banged the tray
onto the table, and poured them both a mug of the steaming beverage, even
though Buffy had told him she didn’t want any. Angrily he thrust the mug at
her, giving her no choice but to take it.

They sat silently drinking, both staring at the TV, but neither of them
seeing what was showing. Buffy rushed drinking her hot chocolate,
wanting to get away from him as quickly as possible, her headache was
easing off and her bottom didn’t feel as painful as it had earlier,
but she still wanted to go to sleep and escape for a few hours.

Finished, she placed her mug on the tray. “Can I go now?”

Slowly Spike turned his head to look at her, his expression cold and hard,
his blue eyes glittering. “No,” he whispered through clenched teeth.

Buffy quickly looked away, he had that pissed off look in his eyes again,
and she could feel his anger radiating from him in waves. She focused on the
TV; trying to lose her self in the program, but it was impossible, she was
too aware of Spike and every little move he made. He wasn’t even pretending
an interest in the TV; he was just staring at her. From the corner of her
eye, she could see his jaw twitching and his hands clenching.

Abruptly he jumped up, and began to pace back and forth in front of the TV,
his movements sharp and angry.

Buffy shrank back from him, afraid to move.

Suddenly he stopped right in front of her.

Buffy flinched, expecting a blow, and that seemed to annoy him even more.
He closed his eyes to block out her image, and trying to calm him self, Spike
slowly breathed in and out, in ragged, harsh pants. When he opened his eyes
he saw her looking at him fearfully, he knew he couldn’t hold onto his
temper for much longer, he had to get away from her before he did something he’d regret.

Through gritted teeth he gruffly commanded. “Go to your room.”
She sat there stupidly looking at him with her big eyes blinking nervously,
and her breath coming in little gasps. Catching her by the arm, he pulled
her from the couch and propelled her in the direction of her room.
“GO TO YOUR FUCKIN’ ROOM…NOW…! BEFORE I TAKE YOU TO MINE,” he yelled at her.

She ran to her room without looking back at him, the loud slamming of her
door signaled she’d done as she was told. Not trusting him self, Spike
quickly marched to her door and locked it, but this time he knew he was
locking himself out, and not locking her in. She was driving him fucking
mad.

Leaning against the door breathing deeply, he tried to think straight.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Things were worse then ever, she’d never let him
near her now. He needed some space to think. She was filling his head, he
could smell her perfume lingering in the air, and when he closed his eyes he
could see her face, her smile, and her body. Groaning, Spike pushed himself
off the door and stomped through the sitting room. He snatched the
door open startling the guard outside.

“I’ll be in the gym if anyone needs me,” he barked, as he swiftly made his
way to the elevator.
*************************************************************
TBC.
A/N:- That chapter wasn't as long as some of the last few, but I couldn't have added it to the last one, it would have made it way too long. But the next chapter is another long one (and there's smut too), so if I get lot's of lovely reviews I might just be persuaded to post it as early as Saturday.

Chapter Sixteen.

Imagination.

It was mid-morning when Buffy woke, and the fact that Spike hadn’t knocked
on her door to invite her to the gym was a clear indication that he
was still mad at her.

She quickly showered and dressed, but she was unsure what she should do
then. She couldn’t hide out in her room all day, her stomach was already
growling from hunger. Looking at the clock she saw it was a lot nearer to
lunch time then she’d thought. That meant that Spike would be waiting for
her to come out. She was surprised he hadn’t come looking for her,
but maybe after last night he was punishing her, maybe he hadn’t even
unlocked her door. Buffy didn’t like the thoughts of that, and swiftly went to try the
door. It was open, heaving a sigh of relief she went into the sitting room.

There was no one there. Unnerved, she crossed the room and went
out onto the balcony. Buffy could see his feet and legs sticking out
under the table, but the rest of him was hidden by a large potted plant.
Squaring her shoulders she walked into view. But it wasn’t Spike at the
table, it was Gilbey. He looked up from his paper when he heard her approach.

“Well, good afternoon Sleeping Beauty, did you sleep away all your little
aches and pains?” He rasped, smirking at her.

She ignored his remarks. “Where’s Spike?”

“Working,” he was letting his eyes slide up and down her body, he chuckled
when he made her blush.

“Did he…is he coming up for lunch?” She hated the way he looked at her,
and she hated having to ask him about Spike.

“No,” he smirked at her worried little frown. “Looks like you pissed him off
good and proper last night, Sugar Lips,” he got up from the table and slowly
walked around her. “I won’t be surprised if he starts to lose interests in
you all together, despite that whopper of a kiss you landed on him. What
with the way you’ve been holding him at arms length, and the fact that
Drusilla will be back any day now,” he leaned down to her, whispering in
her ear. “Your chances aren’t looking too good right now Princess, but don’t
worry, I can always be persuaded to watch your back,” he ran his fingers
suggestively down her back, letting his hand linger on her bottom.

Disgusted, she flinched away from him.

“Oh sorry Princess, still a bit tender there are you? Would you like me to
kiss it all better?” he teased.

Sickened by his suggestion, Buffy swiftly moved away from him. Gilbey
laughed at her. “I don’t think Spike would like it, if he heard you talking
to me like that.”

“Really, you don’t say, and who’s going to tell him? Not me,” he grabbed
her arm twisting it painfully behind her back. “And not you,” he roughly pushed her away.

Buffy stumbled backwards, hitting her hip on the edge of the table. She
gasped in surprised pain, turning to steady herself on the table before she
could fall any further.

He advanced on her, leering. “Spike isn’t the type of guy, who likes to wait
for things darling, and he sure as hell doesn’t like being teased, and you
Ms. Buffy Summers, are nothing but a tease,” he accused.

“I am not,” she gasped indignantly.

Gilbey snorted derisively. “Right, I saw the way you were kissing him.
Getting him all worked up…and then what did you do when you got back up
here, huh?” He sneered at her. “I’ll tell you what you didn’t do, you didn’t
follow through, that’s what, and in any guys book that makes you a tease.
If it’d been me you were dealing with, I wouldn’t have stopped at just
tanning your ass for you,” he backed her up into the potted plant, towering
over her he hissed in her face. “I’d have fucked you silly ‘n’ sore.”

Buffy pushed him away and ran. As soon as she reached her room,
she slammed her door shut and leaned against it. Her tears were hot
and painful, choking her sore throat. She sank to the floor hugging her
knees to her chest, and pressing her back to the door.

What the hell was she going to do? Did Spike think she was teasing him?
But surely to tease someone, you’d have to want to initiate any contact with
them, and she most definitely hadn’t wanted to initiate anything with
Spike, not even that kiss. But maybe Spike shared Gilbey’s opinion, and
thought she’d been teasing him, could that be why he’d got so mad with
her when she’d slapped him, had he been expecting something completely different?

Oh God! Gilbey’s right, Buffy thought, as she remembered
Spike pacing the floor ready to explode, screaming at her to go to her
room before he took her to his.

And Gilbey’s words had hit a tender target, when he’d suggested that his
boss could be losing interest in her. Spike himself had hinted at what might
happen to her if he lost interest, and Gilbey hadn’t said anything that was
untrue, she had been keeping him at arms length, if fact she’d worked very
hard to keep him at a distance. But now she found herself seriously asking,
what would happen to her if she didn’t eventually respond to him? Gilbey had
said Drusilla would be back in a day or two, and once Spike had his
girlfriend back what would he do with her?

The idea of being tossed away like unwanted junk to Gilbey, or any of the
others, made her want to vomit.

And there was no use trying to sweet talk Spike into anything, he’d see
right through her, just as he had her previous attempt to maneuver him. He
was obviously mad as hell at her, so what did that leave her? If she gave
into him, she could still be cast aside as soon as Drusilla got back, and if
she kept holding him off he’d get tired of waiting and just give her to his
men. No matter what way Buffy looked at it, she was going to end up like
Faith, casually and indifferently being given away. Spike wouldn’t care if
she slept with him willingly, or with his men unwillingly. Angel would still
get to hear about it, after all that was Spike’s real goal in all of this,
she reminded herself.

Angel’s words came back to her. Tormenting her with the million different
ways in which they could be interpreted. “Do whatever you have to do to
stay safe.” Was Angel telling her to sleep with Spike, or telling her
of his understanding if that’s what she had to do? Did he realize that Spike
would hand her over to his men, if he got bored with her? Was he trying to
hint to her, that she should find some way in which to cope with that, if it
should happen? Angel knew Spike better then she did, was he hinting that
there was a way in which to stay safe with him? And that was the crux
of it all; she just didn’t know what she had to do to stay safe.

*****

At seven O’clock there was a knock at her bedroom door. She opened it
expecting to see Spike, but it was Jonathan, he was standing behind a food
cart that held an assortment of covered dishes.

“Good evening Miss would you like to eat in your room, or would you
prefer to dine on the balcony?” he asked politely.

“Oh…uh…on the balcony please.”

Jonathan wheeled the cart onto the balcony and began to set the table, Buffy
followed him out. Thankfully Gilbey was nowhere to be seen, and neither
was Spike, but she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. She noticed
Jonathan was only setting the table for one. When she asked him why,
he told her he had no idea, and he was just following the instructions
that had been left for him in the kitchen.

Buffy sat to a solitary meal, telling herself she wasn’t worried about the
implications Spike’s absence could mean. But as the night lengthened and
Spike still didn’t show up, her attempts to convince herself slowly began to
crumble. In her heart she knew it was useless to lie to herself, she was
more then worried, she was terrified. By the time she cried herself to sleep
on the couch, she was certain Spike was going to give her to his men.

*****

Her tears were still visible on her cheeks when Spike arrived back. It was
well after midnight, and the last thing he’d expected to see was a sleeping
Buffy on the couch. He’d been so sure she wouldn’t risk being anywhere,
where she might have to see him. Gilbey had told him she’d spent the day
sulking in her room, and Spike had figured that’s where she’d still be.

After the terrible way they’d both behaved the night before, he’d wanted to
give them both a bit of space, he’d hoped the ‘alone’ time would help her
relax, but judging by the tears on her face, that wasn’t the case. She
looked so fragile and lovely curled up on a pile of couch cushions. He
wanted to reach out and touch her, but he was afraid he’d hurt her. Hell! He
was afraid he’d already hurt her too much.

All those the years he’d been with Dru, and had been a witness to
the way Angel had hurt her, he’d promised himself he’d never do that
to her, but he’d hated it when she’d beg him to hurt her, and he’d tried
so hard not to. But eventually over time he’d come to realize that Drusilla liked it, she got
off on it, and he’d blamed Angel for that and despised himself for breaking
his own promise. If Angel hadn’t treated her like that, she wouldn’t have
come to crave it, she’d have found pleasure in tender love, rather then the
cruel twisted version Angel offered to her.

How many times had he dreamed he’d been the one to meet her first,
and have her fall in love with him, and not Angel? He’d imagined how their lives
would be, sweet and gentle, how he’d longed for her to want those things
from him, but it was just a dream. Drusilla loved Angel and his cruelty,
she’d barely tolerated the few times he’d persuaded her to make love in a
tender fashion, and because he’d loved her, he’d abided by her wishes and
allowed her to dictate the manner in which they both found pleasure.

He’d forgotten what it was like to hold a woman in his arms, one who
trembled with passion and blushed with genuine shyness. He’d never
been able to kiss Drusilla with the tenderness he’d shown to Buffy, and
though she was fighting him and herself, he could tell she was gradually
responding to him. And then there was her kiss. Dear God! Did I really
promise her I’d show her heaven? His words seemed so foolish now,
he was humbled by the way she’d kissed him. It had been so unexpected.
He’d thought she’d give him a shy chaste kiss, and if she had, he’d have
been more then happy with that. But she hadn’t, she’d kissed him with
abandon, like a woman full of passion and desire.

He’d had plenty of time to think about that kiss, and all it promised. He
realized that Buffy wasn’t even aware of what she’d done, but it had taken
him the rest of the night and the whole of the day to work it out. Here was
a woman that he could hold and pet, and be tender with. Despite her
association with Angel she was still exactly what she portrayed herself to
be; a modest,
blushing and damn near innocent young girl, but underneath all that was
a woman with the potential for great passion and fire, he’d felt it
in that kiss.

Spike looked down at her and wondered if he’d been given a second chance,
and if he had, had he ruined it before they’d even started? It didn’t
matter, he’d give her time, as much as he possibly could, but first he had to
make it up to her, if that was possible.

He hated to wake her; he wished he could stay there forever just watching
her sleep. Gently he shook her, “Buffy luv, wake up.”

She slowly began to stretch, opening her eyes she saw him and froze. “Hi,
are you alright?” he gently smiled at her.

When she saw him smiling, she nodded her head and sat up fully.

“Where’ve you been all day?” she asked.

One corner of his mouth twitched up. “Why? Did you miss me?” he teased,
seating himself on the coffee table in front of her.

She frowned, not sure how to answer. “I just wondered…Gilbey wouldn’t
really…” she trailed off, staring at her hands.

Spike sighed. “You look tired luv, you should get some sleep.” He wasn’t
just saying it, she really did look tired. He got up to move out of her way.

“No…please couldn’t we just…watch some TV…or…talk I’m really not that tired,” she stammered.

Spike sat down again, frowning at her. “What did you want to talk ‘bout?” he asked wearily.

She shrugged, staring at her hands again.

Could it be that she was trying to broach the subject of last night but
didn’t want to just in case he was still angry, or maybe she was unsure if
he even wanted to talk to her?

“Do you want to talk ‘bout last night luv?” he asked quietly.

She looked up at him through her eyelashes, and nodded her head.

“Okay, what was it you wanted to say?”

She shrugged.

“Buffy, to talk ‘bout it would mean that you actually ‘ave to…talk. I can’t
and won’t carry on a one sided conversation, so unless you’re goin’ to say
somethin’, I’m goin’ to bed.” He gave her a few seconds to reply, but she
just blinked at him. Sighing, he got up and started walking towards his room.

Buffy jumped up and followed him; catching hold of his sleeve she
tugged him to a standstill. “No please, don’t go…I…I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have
slapped you,” she said in a rush. She let go of his sleeve and took a step back, her head bowed.

Spike was stunned, it was the last thing he’d expected her to say, and as
soon as that thought occurred to him, he realized he should always expect
the unexpected from Buffy. When she raised her head to see his reaction, he
arched a quizzical brow at her, but maybe she didn’t understand what he
wanted, because she dropped her head again. Carefully he closed the
distance between them, but stopped just short of touching her. “And
I’m sorry I ‘urt you, I shouldn’t ‘ave spanked you,” he apologized.

She looked at him, and slowly nodded her head in acceptance. She looked
uncertain about what to do next, twirling the ties of her blouse in her
fingers as she shuffled from foot to foot like a little child. Spike smiled
at her nervous little display.

“Do you still want to watch some telly luv?”

“Yeah, that’s if you do?”

He took her hand and led her back to the couch, smiling at her. They settled
in next to each other, Buffy curled her feet up under her and pulled a
couple of cushions over to lean against. Spike slipped off his jacket and
toed off his shoes. Propping his feet on the coffee table, he flicked through
the channels. He found an old comedy that was just about to start.

“How ‘bout this luv, ‘ave you seen this before?”

Buffy read the menu on the screen, Spike had highlighted a classic oldie.
It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, staring Spencer Tracy. Buffy smiled and
nodded her head. “Yeah I’ve seen it lots of times, but it always makes me
laugh, so unless you want to watch something else, I’m happy with this.”

“Well it looks like we agree on somethin’, ‘cause I love this movie too.”

Spike turned off most of the lighting, leaving only two dim lamps to cast a
soft glow to counteract the light coming from the TV, he settled back down
next to her, marveling at this change. As the opening credits began to
appear on the screen he glanced at her from the corner of his eye, she was
beginning to relax, her posture softening as she sank into the cushions
she’d arranged behind her. He could still hardly believe she’d apologized
and accepted his apology. He sat back to enjoy the movie and Buffy’s company.

Half way through the movie he felt her weight drop onto him. She’d fallen
asleep, he knew he should try and help her to bed, but he just couldn’t
resist the urge to wrap an arm around her and pull her closer to him.
Holding her sleeping form to him, he told himself it would only be for a few
minutes, and then he’d get her to bed.

He slid his feet up next to her, stretching them both out along the length
of the couch, and gently tugged her into his arms, she moaned softly and
moved restlessly for a second or two. Spike held his breath, hoping she
wouldn’t wake. She settled, moving deeper into his embrace, snuggling into
his side. Spike groaned and squeezed his eyes shut when she draped her arm
across his chest. Holding as still as he could he savored the feel of her
in his arms; her small frame fit so perfectly next to him, her soft breath
warming his chest, and the smell of her shampoo scented hair under his nose
tempting him.

He let his hand gently skim over her waist and hip, feeling both the softness
and firmness of her, but as soon as his hand reached the firm flesh of her
thigh he knew he’d made a mistake. He’d been half aroused all night; he
always was when he was anywhere near her, but now his cock had surged to
life, fully aroused and straining against the confining fabric of his pants.
He shifted slightly, trying to create a bit of room for his bulging hard-on.

Long minutes passed, and he tried to get back into the movie, and it
would’ve worked too, if Buffy hadn’t moved her head back. He looked
down at her; her head was resting on his shoulder and her pretty little
face was turned up towards him. She looked so young and sweet, her
eyelashes lying long and dark on her creamy cheeks. Her full, red lips
were parted slightly, and he could feel her breath caressing his face
as he stared at her.

He placed a barely there kiss on her lips, then pulled back to see if he’d
woken her, he hadn’t. Carefully he kissed her brow, and her cheek, and
her nose, pulling back each time to check he’d not disturbed her. Growing
bolder, his kisses grew a bit firmer, just enough for him to feel her soft
flesh yielding under his lips.

He pressed his lips to hers one more time, a little firmer and for a little
longer, telling himself that he wouldn’t kiss her again, because he was sure
to wake her up if he did. But she woke anyway. He felt her wake and guiltily
he pulled back, preparing to face her understandable anger. Long moments
passed, and she didn’t pull out of his arms, or shout at him as he’d
expected. She just blinked at him. Then her eyes strayed to his mouth, and
she licked her lips, as if she were trying to taste the kisses he’d left
there. Spike groaned, and kissed her fiercely, deeply.

Buffy’s hand moved to the back of his neck, her fingers sliding into his
hair. Spike answered her caress by pinning her between the back of
the couch and his body, careful to let her feel his erection without grinding into
her. She pulled back from his mouth gasping, and pushed his head down
to her throat. Spike didn’t need any more encouragement then this, he
kissed and nibbled the length of her neck, sucking on the juncture
between her shoulder and neck, groaning into her flesh when he heard her breathless moan.

Buffy’s heart was hammering, and not from fear, he was doing
such wonderful things to her neck, his mouth felt like wet silk sliding
over her. A part of her was shouting at her; telling her she should
stop him, but another part of her didn’t want to. She gasped loudly when
his mouth found a particularly sensitive spot below her ear, and he paused to
suck and lick the area, causing her to arch up rubbing against his erection.

Oh fuck! How the hell am I going to stop? He asked himself. She
can’t possibly want me to keep going, but why hasn’t she stopped me?
Breaking away from her neck Spike looked at her, her face was flushed, her
eyes glazed and dark, she was panting softly. She closed her eyes
tilting her head up, offering her mouth to him. Spike had never seen
anything like her before, she was hesitantly sensual, and he’d never been so
turned on by one simple gesture as he was by her offer of a kiss.

She felt his lips meet hers in a simple kiss, but he took the lead quickly,
deepening the kiss to passionate heights, his tongue sweeping into her mouth
tasting all of her. His hand came up from her hip to fondle her breast,
gently feeling the shape of her through her blouse, then more firmly as
their mouths moved passionately together. His groans were becoming
anguished, and Buffy fearfully wondered if they’d gone too far, he didn’t
seem as if he’d be able to stop, and she was afraid to try in case he lost
his temper.

Spike felt a change in her. Thinking she was withdrawing her permission he
pulled back from her mouth, his hand still caressing her breast just in
case. He saw both fear and desire in her eyes, but was confused by the mixed
signals. Then it occurred to him what the problem might be.

“It’s okay Buffy, we don’t ‘ave to do anythin’ you don’t want to do,” he
kissed her cheek and gently caressed her breast. “I want you to set the
pace. Tell me what you want?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered.

He nodded understanding her shyness. “Okay, how ‘bout if I ask you some
questions and you try ‘n’ answer me?” Spike asked, he kept placing tiny
kisses on the corners of her mouth and rubbing his thumb over her hardened
nipple, unwilling to let the passion between them die while he explored how
far this was going to go.

“Okay,” she moaned as he rubbed her breast sensually.

“Do you want to sleep with me?” Spike asked. Best to get that question
out of the way first, he thought.

She didn’t answer. The question seemed to frighten her, and the dark passion
was fading from her eyes as they filled with fear.

“It’s okay Buffy, I told you, I want you to set the pace and if you’re not
ready for that yet, then that’s fine. There’s other things we can do for,
and to each other until you’re ready, so don’t think I’ll be mad if you say
no. I want you to be honest.” The fearful look was holding steady, but there
was no way to prove it to her, other then to prove it to her.

He rephrased the question. “Are you ready to ‘ave sex with me?”

“No,” she whispered.

“What, not at all, or jus’ not the whole way?” he asked holding his breath,
praying hard.

Her eyes fell from his face and she blushed. “I’m not ready to go…to have…”
she stammered trailing off.

Smiling he kissed her. “Ssh baby, that’s alright, you don’t ‘ave to say it,”
he reassured her. “But you think maybe you might be ready to let us explore
things a little?”

Seeing her nervousness he quickly added. “Like we ‘ave tonight?”

She nodded shyly. Spike took his hand from her breast and tilted her chin
up, so he could kiss her mouth softly.

He knew what he was going to ask her next might frighten her off, but
he was desperate, his hard-on was going to kill him if he didn’t do something about it soon.

“Okay luv, now we’re gettin’ somewhere.” The fear was draining from
her eyes, so he returned his hand to her breast, her eyes widened. “Is
this okay?” he asked giving her a tiny squeeze. She nodded her head.

“Good, ‘cause I like doin’ this,” he smiled at her, kissing the corner of
her mouth. “Now I know you’re not ready to ‘ave sex yet, but things ‘ave
got a bit heated ‘ere, and as you can probably tell I can’t jus’ stop, so can I
ask you to help me?” he held his breath.

Oh God! What does he want me to do? She wondered, and if I
say no, he’ll think I was leading him on, and then what? “Help how?”
she asked nervously.

He laughed at her, not because she was nervous, but because he really didn’t
think she’d ask how she could help, he’d expected her to simply shake her
head and withdraw from him, but yet again she’d done the unexpected.

“Jus’ let me put your sweet little hand on my…uh…on me…and touch
me,” he whispered. He’d nearly said something else, but had stopped at the last
moment; he didn’t want to frighten her off by being crude, not when she was
taking such shy steps towards him. Time enough for dirty words, when she’d
grown used to him and the passion was racing. But first he had to get her
permission. She was thinking about it he could tell. He could see the
unasked question in her eyes. “Jus’ your hand luv, I won’t ask you to do
anythin’ else, and I won’t get angry if you say no. We’ll jus’ lay ‘ere a
bit longer maybe kiss a little more, and then say goodnight and go to sleep
in our own rooms.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

“Okay what luv?”

“Okay I’ll…help you.”

Spike nearly came in his pants when she said the words. He closed his
eyes and groaned, propping himself up on one elbow he leaned over her.

“Are you sure luv? I promise I won’t be angry if you change your mind,” he
said.

Buffy could hear the plea in his voice. “I’m sure.”

Slowly he moved back to the edge of the couch, giving them both a bit more
room. He kissed her gently, letting his lips slide over hers, building the
passion higher and higher, he hardly gave her time to catch her breath
between kisses. Her hands were in his hair again, playing with the curls and
caressing the back of his neck. He slipped his hand up the inside of her
blouse, feeling the muscles of her stomach twitch as he skimmed over
them on his way up to touch her breast, but he wanted more then just to feel her he
wanted to see her, so he pulled his hand out and awkwardly tried to undo the
buttons with one hand. Her hands came up to stop him.

“I’m sorry luv I didn’t think, I should’ve asked, I guess I was getting’ a
bit carried a…” he shut up when he noticed her undoing the buttons for him.
Silently, he watched her hands as they worked each little button out of its
buttonhole, when the last one was undone shyness overwhelmed her, and she
nervously clutched the blouse closed. Gently he moved her hands aside so he
could look at her. She was wearing a white bra with tiny little strawberries
embroidered on it. Spike smiled at the girly garment that covered a woman’s
curves. He brought a finger up to trace a red strawberry, and his cock
throbbed when she gasped.

“I luv strawberries,” he whispered to her. He kissed the side of her mouth,
then slowly he kissed a path lower until his mouth was poised above her
breast. “They’re so red, and sweet, and juicy,” he lowered his mouth to a
strawberry placed conveniently over a nipple, and gently suckled at her
breast, wetting the fabric as he slid his tongue over and around the bit of
tender flesh.

Buffy moaned as she arched her back, pushing her breast further into his
mouth and clutching his head to her. She was so lost in the wonderful
sensation of him nursing at her, that she didn’t realize she was babbling to
him; encouraging him on with her soft moans and breathless pants.

Suddenly, he pulled her into a sitting position, while he knelt on the floor
between her legs. His hands swiftly removed her blouse and he reached for
the clasp of her bra. Spike gently tugged the scrap of cotton and lace from
her pert young breasts. Shyly her hands came up to cover her body, but he
caught her and slowly moved her hands away, watching her face carefully.
He held her gaze for long moments; his blue eyes staring into her green orbs
before letting his gaze wander down her body to settle on her lovely
breasts. His cock was throbbing, keeping perfect time with his speeding
pulse. Groaning, he let go of her hands and gently caressed both her
breasts, she gasped, her small hands fisting in the cushions either side of
her.

Kneeling up, he leaned forward and captured her mouth in a passionate kiss.
Buffy moaned softly, returning the kiss with equal passion, her hands
sliding along his arms to his shoulders pulling him closer, deepening the
kiss.

Spike tugged one of her hands away from his neck, holding it close to
his mouth. He broke away from her lips long enough to place a multitude of
tiny kisses to her palm and fingers, sucking each digit sensually into his
mouth, holding each one there for a moment, sliding his tongue over them,
groaning and gasping when he felt her little fingers play with his warm
tongue. When each finger had received the same treatment, he returned
to her lips and slowly lowered her hand to the buckle of his belt.

Her hand froze for a moment, but it was soon joined by the other, and she
nervously fumbled with the buckle. He marveled at how much her shy
hesitant movements were turning him on. When she’d finally opened the
button and zipper she froze again, this time pulling back from his mouth.

Spike was panting heavily, if she changed her mind now he’d cope…
somehow, but he prayed she wouldn’t. Afraid to speak in case he
humiliated himself by begging her to touch him, Spike did the only thing
he could think of. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, willing her
not to lose her nerve or change her mind.

One of her hands gently touched his face at the same time as the other
touched his shaft. His eyes flew open and he groaned loudly, turning his
face into the hand that caressed his cheek, kissing her palm.
Her small
fingers lightly clasped his cock, and slowly began to slide up and
down his length.

“Oh God luv, that’s so good,” he breathed encouraging her. “Hold me a little
tighter Buffy…yeah that’s it.”

She pulled his head to her shoulder and wrapped an arm around him, gently
cradling him to her for a moment, before returning her concentration back to
her other hand. His cock was so big and he felt so good in her hand; his
skin as soft as rose petals and the core of him hard and strong, the
contrast made her burn and squirm on her seat. His hands were playing with
her breasts, fondling her, gently tugging and flicking her nipples into
hard little peaks. She could feel the moisture pooling from her, her body
responding to him, crying for more. But she felt a bit strange with him
kneeling on the floor she wanted to feel his weight on her, so she slowed
her movements and took her hand off him.

He looked at her in stunned alarm, but this time it was her turn to shush
him. She smiled at him to let him know everything was alright, she could see
he was beyond passion, all he knew was his need. Trying not to upset him,
she moved back into the corner of the couch and settled herself into a
reclined position against the cushions, tugging him up with her.

Finally he understood what she wanted, and climbed up between her
legs, but just as he was about to embrace her, she stopped him.

“Turn around and lean your back against me,” she whispered.

Kicking off his pants and panting with anticipation he did as she asked,
letting her set the pace just as he said he would, thrilled that she was
taking control.

She wrapped both arms around him and reached for his throbbing cock.
As soon as her fingers encased him she began to move her hand, gently
at first, then more firmly, listening to the sounds of pleasure he made.
He turned and lifted his head to kiss and nuzzle her cheek.

“Oh Buffy, baby, your hand feels so good,” he said.

Buffy sensed he was holding back. “Does it?” she asked. He nodded his
head against her neck. “Tell me how it feels…tell me what you want
me to do, to make it feel better.”

“Oh fuck,” he groaned. “It feels like pure ecstasy, squeeze a bit ‘arder luv,
and go jus’ a bit faster…oh yes, that’s perfect.”

“Don’t stop, tell me more,” she panted.

It took him a moment to think through the noise of his rushing blood, his
hips began to thrust upwards into her hand. “Fuck Buffy, I want you to keep
doin’ exactly what you’re doin’…you’ve made me so ‘ard baby…oh
yes…fuck, don’t stop…I want to feel your fingers stroke my cock to
a frenzy…and…and…I want to…oh fuck…more…”

She lightly tickled his balls with her finger nails as she squeezed the
thick head of his cock, spreading the moisture she found there along his
length; using it to aid her rapid strokes. Gently, she brushed her fingertips
over the sensitive underside of the head every time her hand reached
the top of her strokes. He was panting and gasping, straining to hold back,
or straining to complete, she wasn’t sure which. Feeling empowered, she
wanted him to remember it was her that took him over the edge…she
wanted to be sure he’d want her, and that she’d be secure with him, so she
hushed him, kissing his brow and gently whispered to him.

“Shall I tell you what I want Spike?”

He nodded, gasping and thrusting into her hand.

Keeping her voice soft and low, she placed her mouth right next to his ear.
“I want you to look down,” she whispered breathlessly. He did as she asked,
moaning at the vision of her hand on his cock. “I want you to watch as I
touch you,” she dragged her hand along his whole length, squeezing the tip
lightly with her finger tips. He made a strangled noise in the back of his
throat. “I want you to fuck my hand,” she licked the outer shell of his
ear, blowing on it softly before sucking his lobe into her wet mouth.

Dear God! Did she just say that, he thought? His hips
shot up, thrusting into her hand.

“I want you to come in my hand,” she gently squeezed his tightening balls.
Spike swore loudly. “I want to feel you spill yourself all over my
fingers,” she wrapped her hand firmly over the tip of his cock and squeezed.
Spike was grunting. “And I want to hear you say my name when you do.”
She loosened her fingers and rapidly pumped him to orgasm.

He came shouting her name again and again, spilling his warm seed
into her hands and over her fingers, thrusting and fucking into her palm,
whipped into frenzy by her words, delirious with a powerful fever created
by her voice.

She continued to stroke his shrinking cock, calming him down with soft
noises. Gradually his breathing slowed, she peered down at him, his
eyes were closed, but she thought he looked content and sated…he
was a dead weight in her arms.

She shifted under him, trying to make her self more comfortable. Spike felt
her restless movements and swiftly pulled away from her. Buffy squeaked at
the sudden rush of cool air hitting her naked breasts, she grabbed a cushion
to cover herself, her shyness slamming back. Spike was staring at her in
wonderment, his eyes full of desire and awe; she blushed under his strange
gaze, embarrassed by what she’d just done for him…what she’d done
to him. She looked away, blushing again.

“Buffy,” he whispered.

She looked at him shyly, shielded behind her cushion. He brushed a
strand of hair out of her face and looked at her hands, shiny and wet with his
seed. Quickly Spike reached for his pants and retrieved a handkerchief, and
using it he wiped her hands of most of the sticky mess. Smiling at her he
gathered her into his arms, pulling her onto his knee and hugging her to his
chest, kissing her mouth softly.

“Oh Buffy, baby…thank you…I never imagined…” he trailed off lost
for words, unable to tell her how he felt. “Thank you,” he whispered.
He stood with her in his arms and carried her to her bedroom.

“What are you doing?” she cried, alarmed.

He chuckled at her. “Don’t worry luv, I jus’ thought you might like to wash
your hands.”

“Oh.”

He carried her into the bathroom, and placed her on the counter top next to
the wash basin. He ran some water into the basin, and left her to wash while
he went to find her some night clothes. When he came back he placed a pale
pink and blue nightshirt on the counter. Still clutching her cushion to her
breasts she looked at him expectantly, but he didn’t move. She thought he
looked silly standing there with his bare legs sticking out under his shirt;
that thankfully covered all the shocking bits. After a minute of just
staring at her she shooed him out, laughing at his baffled expression and
mumbled half hearted protest as she shut the door.

*************************************************************

TBC...soon...promise.
 

Chapter Seventeen.
Out of My Mind.

When she went into the bedroom Spike was sitting on the bed. He’d changed into a pair of joggers, but his chest was bare. Buffy didn’t think it would be a good idea to get too close to him, not after everything that had just happened. She swallowed back a lump in her throat, just the sight of him made her mouth water. He was grinning at her and patting the bed next to him, but she shook her head, declining the invitation.

“You know, I don’t mind if you stand there all night, ‘cause with the light from the bathroom shinin’ at your back I ‘ave a great view of everythin’ luv,” he teased.

As Buffy jumped out of the lights path, Spike laughed at her.

“Am I still setting the pace?” she asked.

“Yes,” he answered, without hesitating.

“Then the pace stops here.” For a moment he looked disappointed, but he quickly covered it. Slowly he nodded his head.

“Okay,” he continued to sit there looking at her. Buffy could tell he had something he wanted to say, so she waited. “Does that mean you don’t want to do this again?” he asked carefully.

Buffy laughed nervously, it seemed so odd to be standing here having a conversation with him about sex. He was acting like a typical guy, skirting around the real questions of, ‘when am I gonna get more, and how much more, and how often.’ He was frowning at her, and she was afraid to tell him that she didn’t know what the answer was. After what she’d just done with him, she felt sure he’d think she was playing hard to get, or leading him on, or something. Gilbey’s accusation was still smarting.

“I’m not sure how to answer that,” she said.

His frown deepened. “What’d you mean you’re not sure how to answer?”

“Well, I’ve never had to discuss sex in such planned terms before…it’s kinda always come naturally, it’s never been something I’ve had to think about, because I was always in…” she couldn’t finish. The look on his face had gone from puzzled to annoyed.

He stood up abruptly, and quickly strode towards her. “Always in love,” he looked down at her, “Because you were always in love. That’s what you were goin’ to say, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” she said quietly.

“But you’re not in love now?”

“No.”

“But you still had sex with me.”

“No…I mean that wasn’t sex…well it was, but not the kind that…” she stammered.

He moved closer to her, backing her up against the mirrored wardrobe. “That was definitely sex Buffy, ‘cause it sure as hell wasn’t jus’ a friendly hand shake,” he caught her hand in his, holding it up to look at. “In fact, that was the best hand job I’ve ever had, and maybe in the past you’ve always had to tell yourself that you were in love with someone to justify sex with them, but you don’t ‘ave to do that with me.”

Buffy didn’t have an answer for that.

“You’re not in love with me, are you?” he asked her.

“NO,” she snapped, snatching her hand from his.

He turned her by her shoulders so she was facing the mirror, and pressed himself up against her, pushing his hardening cock into her bottom. Buffy looked at him in the glass, startled. “But I bet a thousand dollars, that if I was to put my hand in your panties, I’d find you all wet,” he whispered.

Buffy gasped.

He rubbed against her, kissing the back of her neck. Buffy watched him in the mirror. She tried to suppress a shudder at the erotic image he was creating. He was moving sensually behind her, and their reflection was incredibly sexy; his bare arms encircling her, his hands crossed and resting on her hips, pulling her back to meet him. She closed her eyes, blocking out the sight, overwhelmed by the feelings of arousal it provoked. Oh! God! I can’t believe this, he feels so good, she thought.

“No, don’t close your eyes luv, look at us,” he slid one hand up to cup her breast through her nightshirt, squeezing gently. She moaned softly. “This might not be love Buffy, but it still feels fuckin’ wonderful. Look at you, all aroused and breathless, you look beautiful,” he nibbled her ear, watching her face in the mirror. “Put your hands on the glass Buffy.”

She shook her head, her eyes wide and glassy. But she didn’t try to break his hold on her. Spike pinched her nipple, and slid his other hand over her lower stomach, splaying his fingers over her womb. Buffy moaned, trembling under his hands. “Put your hands on the glass pet,” he repeated, in a low whisper.

But Buffy placed her hands over his. Spike could see her desire burning in her eyes, but she was fighting both of them again. Spike didn’t want to let her give in to her fears, but how to make her let go was beyond him. Then he realized that he shouldn’t make her, he should help her. He’d told her it was up to her to set the pace.

“Do you want me to stop?”

She took a couple of deep breaths before nodding her head. Spike let go and reluctantly stepped back. Buffy leaned her head against the cool glass of the mirror. Spike watched her struggling with her arousal. Taking her hand he led her back to the bed, and sat her on the edge.

Buffy sensed he was waiting for her to make the next move. She could hardly believe he hadn’t taken advantage of the situation, or tried to push her, and for that she was truly grateful. So, she offered him a crumb of…hope…possibility…or something, she wasn’t sure what.

“I’m not ready, and I don’t know if, or when I’ll be ready,” she looked up at him, hoping he could see the truth of her words. “I won’t lie to you, and tell you what I think you want to hear, because that would be leading you on, but I don’t know how I feel, I’m so confused, I need time to think things through.”

Spike sat on the bed next to her, nodding his head. “What can I do to help? And don’t say anythin’ stupid like ‘let me go home or let Angel go’ ‘cause you know, those things are jus’ never goin’ to happen.”

“I don’t know, there’s so much going on in my head, and I haven’t had time to work it all out, and I don’t have any answers to all the questions I want to ask, because I’m not even sure if I’m allowed to ask any, and I’m so tired of trying to guess if I’m doing the right thing, or saying the wrong things…and…I’m so tired.”

Spike smiled at her, petting her silky hair from her shoulders. “Okay, I think I can see some of the problem, but the most important thing you said was the bit ‘bout being tired. So, what do you say to gettin’ some sleep, and since tomorrow is Saturday you can ‘ave a lie-in, and we’ll talk ‘bout the rest of it after a late breakfast?”

Buffy returned his smile, nodding, relieved that she’d managed to at least open up a real dialogue with him.

Spike pulled the covers back for her, and she climbed under. He sat next to her again. “Can I stay with you?” he asked.

She looked at him nervously, “Why?”

Spike laughed at that. “Because I want to hold you, because you’re lovely, because I like watchin’ you sleep, because, because, because. I could sit ‘ere all night givin’ you reasons Buffy, but the most important one is simply, because I want to.” He laughed at her distrustful expression. “I jus’ want to sleep in the same bed as you, I promise I won’t try anything.”

Buffy didn’t have the energy to debate it. “Okay, but just to sleep, no holding or touching, or stuff.”

“Okay,” he smiled at her.

Spike turned out the bathroom light and climbed in beside her, keeping a careful distance between them. Like the last time, Buffy had her back turned to him, her hair was spread out on the pillow behind her, he wanted to touch it, to feel the silky strands in his fingers, but she’d said no touching, so that’s what he’d do. If it meant he got to spend the night with her, he’d do it happily.

He felt a giddy kind of astonishment every time he thought about the unbelievable things that had happened earlier. He couldn’t help smiling when he remembered the way she’d touched him, and when she’d taken control she’d nearly drove him mad. Her little hands had been so soft and shy at first, but when she’d pulled him up onto the couch, she’d revealed the passionate woman he knew she could be. The combination of her hands on his cock, and the low breathless sound of her words had inflamed him in a way he’d never felt before.

Spike yearned for more, but he wanted Buffy to give it to him willingly, and to willingly accept from him everything he wanted to give her. If he didn’t push her, if he gave her space and time, he knew those things would be possible, and he had a feeling it wouldn’t be that long of a wait.

Things could only get better between them, she’d already taken the first steps towards him, and after the small sample of what things could be like, he had no intentions of letting her slip through his fingers.

Angel was another factor to take into consideration. He’d planned on flaunting each and every little conquest of Buffy, in Angel’s face, but now that he’d experienced something so unexpected, and unbelievable with her, he found he didn’t want to share the experience with anyone, least of all Angel. Spike didn’t doubt that Angel would still suffer, it would be enough for him to know that Buffy was with him willingly, without any of the details having to be aired. Angel’s face had been a picture of pain and anguish when Buffy had kissed him. Spike knew Angel would be constantly worrying and wondering, about all the possible, different things that could follow that kiss. Spike wouldn’t need to torment Angel with the facts, or repeat anything that might occur between himself and Buffy. The hours of isolation, and his own imagination would be a much more effective torture device.

Buffy had fallen asleep, Spike could hear her soft steady breathing. He leaned up on one elbow to watch her. She looked so peaceful and serene; the effort to be constantly on her guard washed away by the escape sleep afforded her. Spike wished she would look so tranquil awake, but he hoped over time, when she’d adjusted to her new environment and life style, she’d begin to relax and find sources of enjoyment.

He wondered if there was something he could do to help her in that area. He knew she liked to use the gym, and liked to watch old movies, but he didn’t know if she had any other hobbies or interests. Maybe he should read that report Wesley had compiled for him, he hadn’t studied it too closely when it came to what her likes and dislikes were. Spike made a mental note to reread it.

He lay down again, inching a little closer to her, but he kept his word and didn’t touch her. He lay there listening to her breathing for hours, thinking of how different things had turned out to how he imagined they would. He’d known Buffy was going to make life interesting, but he hadn’t counted on been so affected by her.

Drusilla would be back late tomorrow evening, and he wondered and worried how that would change things. Drusilla was a force not to be ignored, and she would try to make as much mischief as she possible could, but Spike had a feeling Buffy could hold her own with the other woman. So far she’d continued to surprise him by constantly doing the unexpected, but how the two women dealt with each other was bound to be unpredictable.

Sleep finally claimed Spike, as he continued to ponder over the problems that would arise with Drusilla’s arrival.

*****

Buffy was woken by a smiling Spike; he’d brought her breakfast in bed. Still half asleep, she sat up and examined the tray. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, lots of orange juice, coffee, fresh fruit and cereal. Spike had brought enough for four people. He climbed up next to her, placing the tray on the bed between them. From under a folded napkin, he pulled out a single white rose bud and gave it to her as he leaned in to kiss her cheek.

“Good mornin’ beautiful,” he said cheerily.

“Oh…uh…thank you,” she said, as she took the flower. She looked at the overflowing tray. “I hope you don’t expect me to eat all of this.”

“No…I brought enough for two, I was hopin’ you wouldn’t mind if I joined you,” he looked at her sheepishly.

Buffy was totally thrown by his behavior; he was acting so sweet and caring. She couldn’t help wondering, what he was up too?

“Well since you brought enough for four, and I can only eat for one, I guess you’d better help.”

Spike settled himself against the headboard, and smiling handed her a cup of coffee. He watched her while she ate, putting more food on her plate every time she made a little more room, until she called a halt.

“Are you trying to make me fat?” she accused. “Because the way you keep piling all this food on my plate, says you’re not keeping up your end of the bargain, and eating your fair share.”

Spike laughed. “Yeah I guess it does look that way, but let’s face it, an hour in the gym and you’ll burn it all off.” He gave her a searching look, and glanced at his wrist watch. “But it’s a bit late in the day to have a workout now luv, what’d you say to a swim in the gym pool later this afternoon?”

Buffy hadn’t had a chance to use the pool before now, and Spike’s suggestion had a certain appeal, so she found herself agreeing before thinking it through too much.

“Wait I can’t, I don’t have a swimsuit.”

“Oh I wouldn’t worry ‘bout that luv, I don’t mind if you skinny dip,” he smirked suggestively at her.

As he expected, she blushed and stuttered an indignant reply.

“It’s okay pet, I was only teasin’, if you look in one of the drawers you’ll find some suits. I kinda bought them at the same time as the lingerie,” he said, with a forkful of eggs poised before his mouth.

Buffy frowned, but said nothing.

When they’d finished breakfast, Spike took the tray out while Buffy went for a shower. As he was putting the things back on the cart, there was a knock at the door. He opened it to Gilbey.

“You know, you can jus’ come on in,” Spike said.

“Sorry boss, I just thought after the other night it would be better to wait out here.”

“Well I think you’re safe in the day, but jus’ remember that while I’m in ‘ere with Buffy, to always knock.” He fixed him with a hard look. “Buffy’s shy and sensitive, so I don’t want her upset, or embarrassed by you lot bargin’ in any old time you like.”

Spike sighed, and turned back into the sitting room with Gilbey following him. He continued to stack the breakfast things on the cart. Busy thinking about how to spend the rest of the day with Buffy, he didn’t notice Gilbey’s interest in the single tray that held the remains of the obviously shared meal. Gilbey watched Spike; there was something different about his boss today. Maybe it was because Drusilla would be back tonight. Gilbey couldn’t figure out why Spike would even want the nut case back, now that he had the pretty blonde bit tucked away within easy reach. If Spike wanted to spend his time trying to get Drusilla to pay some attention to him, that was up to him, and the advantage to that would be that poor little Buffy would be all on her lonesome.

“Did Luke call yet?”

“No boss.”

“I’m going to make a call to Masters, if Buffy comes out before I’m back tell her I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Spike said. “And call down to the kitchens, to get rid of this.” He pointed at the food cart.

After Spike left, Gilbey flicked through the magazines on the coffee table, and Jonathan arrived to collect the cart. Gilbey gave the little man an ugly stare the whole time he was gathering up the used things. Poor Jonathan rushed about, nervously glancing at the scarred man from the corner of his eye. He hurriedly closed the door behind him as soon as he was finished, without saying one word to the other man.

Gilbey wandered out onto the balcony, scanning the gardens and smiling to himself at the stupid little waiter.

The sound of a cupboard door banging, attracted his attention; the noise had come from Buffy’s room. Gilbey could see that her balcony doors were pen, but the curtains were still shut…or nearly. Quietly he crept nearer to the open doors, and keeping to the shadows he positioned himself at the gap in the curtains. He could see Buffy; she was wrapped in a large bath towel, and she was combing out her damp hair as she searched in the wardrobe. Gilbey spotted the bed, it looked as if both sides had been slept in. Well it’s no wonder Spike seems in such a good mood, the little Ice Queen must have given it up last night. Gilbey was a bit surprised at this, he’d been pretty sure she was going to keep the boss dangling much longer. He smirked at the thoughts of Buffy all naked and wrapped around Spike, it would be fun to watch how Buffy was going to fit in as the other woman once Drusilla got back.

Buffy was walking around the room, pulling items of clothing from the drawers, and tossing them on the bed ready to change into. She went over to the dressing table and opened a drawer, and selected some underwear. Gilbey watched her glance nervously at the bedroom door, and then at the peach colored silk items in her hand. He knew she was wondering if it was safe to change in the bedroom, and he thought it odd that she would feel inhibited in front of Spike, since they’d obviously spent the night together in the same bed. He was disappointed when she headed towards the bathroom, but he was thrilled when she came back, wearing the sexy scraps of peach silk and lace.

God! She’s gorgeous, a man could easily lose it over a woman like her, she’s so hot, I bet she’s a great fuck…nice tits…and that mouth I bet she could suck…The sitting room door banged shut interrupting his day dreams, and he swiftly moved to a safer part of the balcony, before Spike could catch him watching his hostage. He sat at the table, and waited for Spike to find him.

Walking onto the balcony, Spike saw Gilbey sitting at the table. “No sign of Buffy yet?” he asked.

“No, she’s still in her room,” he replied.

Spike made his way to her balcony door, and quickly pushed the curtain aside and stepped through. “Well don’t you look gorgeous?” He greeted her, using the same word Gilbey had thought described her.

When Spike entered her room Gilbey heard Buffy’s surprised scream, then he heard Spike laugh, and what he could only guess was Buffy scrambling into the rest of her clothes. Spike was still laughing, when Gilbey crept back up to the curtain.

Buffy had managed to get into her jeans, but Spike had snatched up her blouse from the bed, and was holding it out of her reach. He stood there just admiring the lovely picture she made standing bare foot in her jeans and bra. He dropped the blouse to the floor and made a grab for her. She squeaked, and tried to slip from his grasp, but he was too quick for her, and he managed to back her up and pin her to the mirrored wardrobe.

Spike leaned into her, gazing down into her face, she smelled beautiful all fresh from the shower with her hair still damp.

“What are you doing?” she asked, when he didn’t speak.

“Oh jus’ admirin’ the view luv,” he said, kissing the side of her neck. “You look so damn sexy I jus’ can’t resist you.” He gazed hungrily at her silk covered breasts and started to nibble a path to them.

Buffy gasped, surprised at the rapid feelings of arousal that his kisses were invoking. Spike was gently sucking on the soft flesh at the top of her breasts, causing her to moan. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back, hitting the mirror behind her, and exposing her throat. She half-heartedly tried to push him away, but he laughed at her, and pulled her hands away from his shoulders, holding them to the mirror either side of her head. He continued to kiss her, waiting for her weak struggles to stop before releasing her hands. Once she’d stilled, he gently lowered the straps of her bra and eased her breasts from the peach silk. As soon as his tongue touched her nipple Buffy gasped, opening her eyes she looked down at what he was doing.

Spike had his eyes closed, and was slowly licking at her breast and nipple. Buffy swallowed back a moan, the sight turned her on so much, she could feel her body trembling, and a warm flush was creeping down her stomach to her womb. Spike sucked hard on her nipple, and she felt a sudden flood of moisture pool into her panties. She moaned loudly, unable to tear her eyes away from his mouth at her breast, he was suckling deeply, his tongue lapping at her, and he was moaning, his voice full of unfulfilled longing.

Spike was desperately trying to control himself, but each time he touched her it got worse. Just the sight of her was enough to inflame him, and when he held her it was getting harder to let her go. He could tell she was trying to resist him, but he could also tell that she was beginning to weaken. He didn’t want her to feel pressured, so with a great effort, he pulled away from her before he did something stupid. He was pleased to see her faint disappointment.

“See, I told you, you’re irresistible,” he laughed, trying to keep things light.

Buffy was panting, her eyes round and large in her flushed face. He pushed her bra straps back up, settling the fabric over her luscious form before kissing her lightly on the mouth.

She continued to lean on the wardrobe, while he went to retrieve her blouse. Politely he handed it to her, and backed away, not trusting himself to linger too near to her. Buffy silently slipped the blouse on, unable to meet his eyes. She could feel him watching her as she finished tying the cord at her neck. Silently he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and gently kissing the back of her neck.

“Would you like to take a walk in the gardens?” he whispered to her.

She nodded her head, “Yeah that would be, nice.”

*****

They were under the shade of a large leafy tree. Spike had Jonathan set up a table and lounge chairs, along with some light refreshments. Spike was reading, and Buffy was listening to music on her MP3 player. Spike had ordered it brought up from storage along with her music collection, and various other personal items. He watched her, lost in the music, her eyes closed, her foot tapping to the sounds in her head. It felt good to see her finally relaxing. He went back to reading his book.

Buffy was enjoying the lost in herself feeling she was experiencing, listening to her favorite music always helped her relax, and she wondered at herself, or not asking Spike to let her have her things earlier in the week. Although Gilbey hadn’t been too pleased to play errand boy for her. When Spike had told him to arrange the return of her stuff, he’d given her such a strange look, but then Buffy realized Gilbey had looked at her oddly as soon as she’d joined them both in the sitting room. She shivered, thinking about that unnerving look. She pushed thoughts of the scarred man out of her head, making a firm effort to tune into the music, letting the beat thrum through her.

The throbbing of the rhythm, reminded her of the throbbing ache Spike had ignited in her veins. She was surprised to think that after only one week he’d managed to get right under her skin. The attraction was getting worse. Back in the bedroom earlier she’d nearly asked him to touch her, but thankfully he’d broken the contact before she’d embarrassed herself. What was worse was how she’d nearly reached out to touch him, for a few moments the urge had been overwhelming.

After what had happened the night before, she just knew Spike wasn’t going to back off. Oh she didn’t doubt he’d keep his word, and let her set the pace, but he wasn’t stupid, he knew what he was doing, and what effect it was having on her. He might have said he’d let her set the pace, but he was still doing his best to wear her down, and God help her, it was working.

This realization made Buffy feel very confused, she wondered how it was possible to be so strongly attracted to someone she didn’t even like and there was no doubt in her mind about THAT, after the things he’d done, it just wasn’t possible to like him. So shouldn’t that mean it should also be impossible to be attracted to him, and if that were true, where the hell were all these feelings of arousal coming from?

If she acted on those feelings, as Spike suggested she should, wouldn’t that just make it all about meaningless sex? Buffy had never been involved in a relationship based on just sex before. She’d been honest when she’d told him she’d always been in love when she’d slept with someone…not that there had been that many, and this seemed to be the source of Buffy’s confusion, she just couldn’t understand how it was possible for her to be attracted to Spike, and dislike him at the same time.

She didn’t want to be attracted to him, but she didn’t think she could help herself. She liked the way he looked at her, it made her tingle, and when he held her, all still and quiet and just stared at her, it made her muscles clench and her heart beat fast, and God! Could he kiss, and that wasn’t the only use he could put his tongue too, because the way he’d used it at her breasts earlier had made her knees weak. Buffy found herself seriously wondering if his tongue was as talented in other areas, but the mental picture made her heart beat jump alarmingly, and she could feel herself blushing so she quickly stifled it.

She groaned mentally, now just thinking about him was enough to turn her on. It wouldn’t be long before Spike guessed she was lying about not being ready to try more. She was afraid of him and the way he made her feel, and she was still uncertain and afraid about what was going to happen to her.

When she’d woken up on the couch the night before, there had been no mistaking the way he was looking at her. After the horrible day she’d spent in fear and doubt of her future, she’d allowed those fears to compel her to go along with his passion. Hoping that if she gave him something he wanted, it would go some way to safe guarding her position with him.

The hours spent worrying about being given to his men, had convinced her she needed to respond to him. Once she had, she found that she didn’t need to worry about fooling him with a good performance, as he really did turn her on, so much so, that he’d swept her away.

Thankfully though, she’d found the courage to take control when he’d shown signs of weakness. That too had surprised her; she hadn’t expected him to react to her in such a way. In all the times he’d initiated all sexual contact, she’d been under the impression that he was completely in control, but once she started to touch him he’d melted in her hands, making her feel like the strong one.

Buffy groaned softly as she remembered how he’d felt in her hands, and how he’d turned her on by reacting to her whispered words. She’d looked down at him when he’d rested in her arms, just to confirm what her hands were telling her, he was so big…really big…bigger then…Oh! God! What am I going to do? She was falling under some kind of spell, and she felt powerless to prevent it. Buffy wondered then what she was more afraid of, him growing bored of her and giving her to his men, or of him, and his ability to make her feel all these new and frightening feelings.

There was just no getting away from it; the man was driving her mad.

Buffy jumped when she felt Spike tap her on the shoulder. She’d been so lost in her own thoughts, that she hadn’t realized how long they’d been sitting there. Spike was talking to her, but with her earphones on she couldn’t hear a word he was saying.

She quickly took the gadget off her head. “Pardon…sorry…I didn’t hear what you said.”

“I said, do you fancy that swim now?” Spike had closed his book, and was sitting on the edge of his chair. “If we go now, you can still ‘ave time to rest up before dinner.”

Buffy nodded her head, “Okay.”

*************************************************************
TBC...soon.

A/N:- Chapter 18, titled 'Besieged' will be up soon, and then it's Buffy's turn. So if you want more and you want it quickly, you all know what to do...Review, review, review...lol

 

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