Was I excited? Definitely not. Was I happy? Hell no. Was I going to shoot myself any second�The jury�s still out. It�s weird though, because I�ve always been one of those �calm and collected� girls, and yet here I am, angry as someone that just got cut off in the fast lane by a little old woman that believes the speed limit is only a recommendation, rather than a guideline. You�re probably wondering what could possibly make such a naturally calm and appropriate young woman such as I contemplate murder as an alternative to suicide. Well the correct question wouldn�t be what, but rather who. What�s his name? Honestly who gives a shit? I�d hate him if his name was Satan, but it makes matters worse than his name associates him with holiness.
That�s right, his name is Angel.
I�ve been a lawyer for three years, and a partner in my firm �Smith, Perot, Gallahan, and Jones� for two. I was second from the top in law school (although the girl that took the top had a lower GPA than my own, and she was sleeping with our Dean). Nevertheless, things have been going along just fine for me. I win cases, I have great friends, and I have a gorgeous condo and a brand new car. What�s not to be grateful for? Usually I wouldn�t have an answer to that question, but this morning one of the senior partners, Gregory Smith, popped his head in to my office (that has a great view of New York City, might I add), and made an announcement.
�Summers! Great job and the O�Neil Case last week! I hear her ex-husband�s new mistress left him already due to this recent loss in assets.� Smith seemed to find this hilarious, probably because of the use of the pre-fix �ass�, and he laughed for a good ten seconds before I realized I should laugh as well.
�Thank- you, sir,� I responded, trying as hard as I possibly could to make my very-fake chuckle sound believable.
�Summers,� Smith moved in to my office and took a seat in one of the two plush leather chairs across from my antique oak desk, �I�m sure you�re aware with how pleased the senior partners and I are with your work since you came to us almost two years ago. I know you�ve been meeting with Cordelia Chase regarding her upcoming divorce from Wesley Pryce, and�it�s not that we necessarily doubt your abilities, but we feel that perhaps this case load would be too much for you to handle on your own.�
�Sir, if you don�t mind my asking, is it really that you think it�s too much for me, or is it because Miss. Chase and I have been friends for so long?� I leaned forward curiously in my plush leather desk chair.
�No, of course not! If anything, it gives you an instant advantage over Mr. Pryce�s lawyers as you thoroughly know your client, her assets, her abilities, and so on and so forth. My concern really does rest with the case load, as do the other partners. Now, I suppose you may not have heard just yet, but we have just signed a new junior associate to our team. I fear he may one day replace me, as it is,� again, he chuckled. �He is to be a senior partner within a year, as per the terms of the agreement he signed just over an hour ago with the partners and I, providing all goes well. The Chase-Pryce case is going to be a very public ordeal due to the status of the Chase family in social circles, and Pryce�s inherited family wealth and prestige. I would like you to work with our new junior partner on this one. Not for him or above him, but with him. I have no doubt in my mind that the two of you will get along, and I�m sure that with two ruthless minds such as yours and his, this case is as good as won.�
�With all due respect, sir, I have no doubt that on my own the case is as good as won. I have hard evidence in the form of photographs, video, and confessions from Mr. Pryce�s secretary that he was very actively unfaithful to Cordelia, which voids the pre-nuptial agreement she signed with him when she was eighteen.� I picked up a growing file from in front of me and dropped it across the table in front of him.
�Buffy, let me be honest,� he leaned forward. �I have no doubts in your abilities to win this case. The senior partners and I both agree that it would be in the best interests of the firm if Mr. D�Aestas were to take part in this victory with you. A prestigious case such as this will initiate his already-ruthless and determined image into that of the firm.�
�But mean while, I�ll get half the publicity as opposed to all of it,� I tried to make him see my side of things.
�Buffy, you�re a very good lawyer. A young lawyer, in fact the youngest we�ve ever had, but a good one nonetheless. You add so much to the firm, but Angelus is a different kind of ruthless. Once he�s a senior partner, the firm�s image as the most determined will be firm. His reputation in Europe is astounding. There is not a lawyer that does not know him. The only reason we don�t make him a senior partner to begin with is we want to give him some time to ensure he makes the transition to American laws. He has a degree from Oxford, and he�s incredibly brilliant. I�m sure that you�ll be more than pleased working with him, and you may even be able to teach each other a few things.� He leaned back and made a little winking-gun motion that made me want to roll my eyes in disgust.
What a pathetic loser. Honestly, who does the wink and the gun any more?
**
To make matters even worse, Cordelia wasn�t happy. She showed up at my office around 1:30 after I called her to let her know there was a change in plans, and she was very unhappy. To put it better, she burst through the door of my office screaming.
�Where are those ass hole big-time lawyers up top? I don�t want a fucking team of Oxford prissy British bitches. I married one of those creeps, and I don�t want one trying to defend me. He�s probably on Wesley�s side for all we know. Wesley went to Oxford!� She was a mess of Chanel and Prada � a mixing of designers that ordinarily she was against. Cordelia has a theory that if a designer sees you mixing their style with that of another, they punish you by coming out with a really bad angora sweater in the fall that the pay some new starlet to wear that becomes the next fashion trend that you then have to take part in.
�They have different graduating classes, Cordy,� I said as I got up from my desk and went over to close my door to ensure any potential British clients of the other associates didn�t run from the building, �not to mention different majors. I doubt they�ve ever met.� I went over to my mini-bar and opened the fridge to grab a bottle of Perrier for Cordelia. I took off the top and offered it to her, �It�s not like I�m thrilled about this,� I reminded her. �But I don�t exactly have much of a choice.�
�Have you even met him? What�s he like?� She leaned forward anxiously as I returned to my chair and sat down.
�I told you I haven�t met him yet. I didn�t even know we were getting a new partner until Smith told me about it this morning when he told me that I�d be teaming up with the new guy. I think the senior partners think I�ll be honored they�d trust me with their precious new guy,� I took a sip from the mug of herbal tea cooling on my desk.
�Well I don�t want him! Doesn�t that matter?� Cordy looked like she was going to start whining any minute now.
�Your dad already avidly agreed to it, and since he�s paying to ensure this divorce goes as smoothly as possibly, you can�t exactly do anything unless you talk to your dad, and by the sounds of things, he�s very excited about having Angelus on this case.� I sighed. It was completely hopeless. This case would be huge for my career, and I had a personal interest because I�d known Cordelia since we were kids. If we lost, it would be blamed on me for sure � not the new guy. From the sound of things, he�s definitely a new favorite with the big guys.
�So what are we supposed to do?� She seemed to be accepting defeat.
�There aren�t many options here,� I smoothed a hand over my long blonde hair. �Apparently they�re rolling out the welcome mats for him Monday morning, so until then all we can do is to keep on preparing for trial without him. If he�s the legend they say he is, I�m sure he�ll be able to pick up the pace when he gets on the case, so I�m not going to slow down and wait for him.�
Cordy stood up, adjusting her tight, black cashmere sweater. Collecting her purse and her car keys, she walked over to my side of the desk, �Buff, none of this is your fault. I don�t want you to stress over this. Tonight we�ll go out and tomorrow morning you can have a fabulous hangover that will take your mind off this headache.�
I stood up and hugged my friend. �I take it you�ve called Will and Anya?�
�Of course. I�m in crisis mode. I�m young, loaded, gorgeous, and soon I�ll be finishing my first divorce. I�ve got a lot going for myself. And I am not going to let some European jack ass ruin my flow. I refuse to have Martini night ruined.� She smiled brightly, her eyes gleaming with mischief.
Seeing that tingle in her eyes, I suddenly remembered why Martini night is bad. �Cordy, no!� I couldn�t stand another night like that. �Don�t you remember what happened at the last Martini Night?� Referring to her own nakedness in central park, and the tabloids that followed, I figured she�d surely retract her ideas.
�Oh, you�re such a pooch sometimes, Fluffy,� she teased me. �You seemed to have a little bit of fun that night�well, at least, from what Will and I could see of your fun with that Norwegian supermodel. You had to go and take it back to his place.� She headed for the door.
�I told you! He threw up on me during the cab ride back there, and I ended up making the one-stop trip into a two.� I crossed my arms, miffed by the fact that after telling her the story a million different times, she still refused to believe that I didn�t have sexual relations with the yummy Norwegian supermodel affectionately named Tag.
�Oh I believe you,� she pretended to have mock-sympathy for me. She pointed directly at me then as she opened the door to my office to let herself out, �tonight, my place, ten o�clock. Limo arrives at eleven, and I don�t want to hear any excuses.� With that, she left.
I sat back in my chair and sighed. There really was no point in trying to argue with Cordelia Chase. She�d kidnap me from my bed and dress my in Prada and drag me out if she had to. The fact was that if she wanted you somewhere, you were going to be there whether you liked it or not. I thought back to the last martini night � which is really just an affectionate term for drinking way too much and having Cordy bring her favorite security guard named Martini to keep an eye on us when we got too drunk. I personally wasn�t a huge fan of over-intoxication. The last Martini night, with the Norwegian model Cordy couldn�t let me forget, I really hadn�t done anything. But he had ruined a favorite pair of pink satin pumps of mine. I had thought about doing something, and had gotten in the cab with Tag, but I still had doubts about going all the way with a model I barely knew and would probably never see again. So as my doubts circled in my head on the cab ride over to his place, I found myself saved when a case of food poisoning from a few days earlier reared its head and caused him to upchuck all over my shoes and ankles. Gross, yes. But it was a complete savior. I got home that night, virtue still in tact, tossed my expensive shoes in to the garbage, and never heard from Tag again.
That was my last Martini night. Anya�s had worked out well. She had ended up with some guy named Spike that turned out to be the dark and twisted love of her life, and Willow had faired even better when she met up with her childhood crush, Xander Harris, and they had started dating and promptly gotten engaged. In fact, her wedding is in three weeks, and naturally she made Anya, Cordy and I the three bridesmaids. Thankfully she didn�t curse us to horrid bridesmaid dresses, and instead let us help her decide on what we would wear. Cordy wanted deep red of course, and Anya wasn�t opposed to the idea of something red and extremely low cut, but Willow finally compromised with all of us on something baby blue, revealing, but tastefully done.
So what would become of tonight? Certainly I could remain composed and intelligent enough to know my limit and keep my wardrobe intact.
Right?
~~
My wardrobe for the evening would suggest otherwise. Cordy called around eight and told me I had to dress �provocatively� because she had gotten us into the hottest new club in all of New York City, accurately entitled �Grind�. So for some stupid reason, again I listened to Cordelia Chase, and dressed quite provocatively. My short strapless red dress with the plunging neck line left very little to the imagination. The silky material hugged in all the right places, and the black strap heels I was wearing added a nice boost to my normally short stature. Having showered after work and added a lot of volume to my long, blonde hair � I was looking hot, if I do say so myself. But now as I looked in my full-length mirror, I was questioning trying to get out of the night. I doubted Cordelia would let me, but maybe I should just be firm and tell her I�m not up to it. My career was heavy on my mind since I found out that my biggest victory ever was about to go to some European badass.
And why shouldn�t that upset me? I knew I could win this case on my own, and the Senior Partners know that too. I�ve won every case they�ve thrown at me, and every case I�ve ever took on without them. I could win this one with my eyes closed, and yet they wanted to throw their new boy toy on my coat tails as an introduction to their new weapon. He wouldn�t be doing any of the work, but he�d be getting all the credit. Then, my client list would go down, and his would go up because everyone would forget that I win all of my cases due to the fact that he had to �help� me win this high-profile social bashing of the century.
You know what? Fuck it. If my career is about to get destroyed by success, I might as well have one last night of fun while being a big-shot, rather attractive attorney. So with one final hair toss, I grabbed my purse and keys and walked out the door of my penthouse condo.
Once I arrived at Cordy�s place, there was a rush of pink, blue, red and emerald green as Willow, Anya, Cordy and I exchanged hugs and kisses. It had been at least two weeks since the last time we had lunch together, and even longer since we�d gone out together � especially for a Martini night. And the Martini in question, an exceptionally large black man with muscles that resembled basket balls, covered in an expensive black suit laughed uproariously as the girls and I squealed about our excitement over going out for the first time in so long. Willow was sporting her extremely large engagement ring, and Cordelia was exclaiming over and over again about how �light� her left hand felt without her heavy wedding band and engagement ring weighing her down. Anya and I sat back � the only two girls that had never imagined marriage (except for an accidental one-night marriage that I helped her annul when she and Cordelia went to Vegas a year ago). I felt a pang of sadness for a moment. I wasn�t like Cordelia or Anya � always on the look out for the next guy. I was more like Willow. I wanted to settle down eventually, but I appreciated my independence. Cordelia didn�t appreciate independence. If her dad wasn�t taking care of her bills, her husband was. And Anya would be just as happy to marry rich and never work a day in her life again. Willow was a success on her own, and she�d be happy with Xander whether she was wealthy, he was wealthy, or they were both poor and living in the sticks. That was just Will.
I won�t deny that I love my nice things. My expensive Lexus convertible. My beautiful penthouse condo on the upper east-side. My wonderful designer wardrobe, and so on and so forth. But I want other things as well. A husband one day would be nice, and a baby girl with shining blonde hair. But more than anything, I�d like to find someone I can be with when I have no make-up on, a baggy sweatshirt, and dirty hair.
Cordelia knocked me from my thoughts when she hooked her arm through Martini�s and exclaimed, �Ladies, it�s time to go! Our night of drooling men is about to begin!� She giggled and jumped up and down excitedly in her emerald green stilettos that perfectly matched her own little green dress. Oddly enough, all of us had worn little dresses. We all looked adorable, and surely the men would actually be drooling tonight. We were ushered by Martini, into the waiting Escalade limousine. Cordelia apparently felt that tonight would be the perfect opportunity to preview her newly soon-to-be-completely-single availability, and she apparently intended to do it in style. I couldn�t blame her. For a while when she was married to Wesley, she changed in ways I never thought she would. She was actually faithful, and she actually cared about him. It was a shame that things had turned out the way they did, and she had been really hurt by him. I think she�s so intent on proving that she�s still got this incredible life in her, because for so long she almost forgot she could have fun without him. I was happy to see her liberating herself, so I didn�t even mind if this Martini night ended anything like the last�which had worked out well for Will and Anya.
Grind was certainly the place to be on a Friday night, and it seemed as if all of New York City knew that and was trying to get in. Paparazzi was waiting outside the club to see what celebrities would show up for the first big night of the latest hot spot in the city, and the line up to get in was at least three blocks long. Naturally Cordelia Chase and her friends wouldn�t have to wait, however, and the velvet rope was removed very quickly when we stepped out of the limo. Paparazzi went nuts, and I admit I felt a little giddy. This wouldn�t be the first time my picture had appeared in a magazine with Cordelia, and in some cases it was the reason I landed high-profile cases. Inside the club, bodies were everywhere, and Martini made quick work of finding us a table in V.I.P. from which to take Home Base (essentially a meeting place if we lost each other and started to get bored). But before I knew it, we had hit the floor.
The usual mob of male hotties immediately surrounded us, and Cordelia seemed to be the only one completely interested in them. Willow had no interest since the love of her life, Xander, had wandered back to her world, and Anya lost interest soon after arriving when I followed her gaze to a spot on a lower level of the dance floor. We hadn�t been there for more than ten minutes, and already we had our first scandal. You could guess what we saw. I quickly got Cordy and Will�s attention, and we all stared in disbelief as Spike (Anya�s boyfriend, remember?) was making quick work of feeling up and making out with what looked like the supermodel in the new Calvin Klein ad on the billboard I passed every day on my way to work.
Wow. First Cordelia and now Anya. This night was about to get interesting. It was like time slowed as we all looked at Anya as her heart broke. She hadn�t exactly been engaged to Spike, but he was the freak she seemed to be crazy about being with for a while. Cordy, knowing exactly how she felt, spearheaded the mission as she nodded at Anya and pushed her forward. I followed Anya as the four of us made our way through the crowds to the lower dance floor for the confrontation to take place. I felt a bit like I was in high school again, accompanying my friends as they break up with their boyfriends of two months because they found out that another ex-friend decided to get fresh with their man at a Kegger. But despite the immaturity of it all, Spike needed to be told�and the model he was with needed to know that she had absolutely no ass.
Martini was hot on our heels, emerging from the shadows he had been watching from, expecting the coming confrontation to get heated. And it sure did. Anya launched herself at Spike, and when the supermodel�s lips disconnected from his, the girl flipped and pulled at Anya�s hair. Cordelia responded by yanking the bimbo off of her and knocking her off her feet to get trampled by the dancers that quickly moved off to the side to let this dispute settle. A circle formed, with our group in the middle, and cameras started going off as Cordelia and I held off the bimbo, and Willow tried to keep Anya from making Spike bleed.
�You get your shit out of my house! And give me the keys to the Porsche. I paid for it, and I hope you�ll enjoy taking the bus back to this skanky skinny whore�s house, because if you step foot near me or my shit again, I�ll cut your fucking head off!� She screeched as she whaled on the bleach-blonde cheater.
When Spike tried to defend himself, Martini stepped in the middle, followed closely by club security, and picked Spike up by the neck. �You don�t hit the ladies, the ladies hit you,� he told him in his rough, low voice. Club security took over then and escorted Spike out, taking the no-ass bimbo with them, and dropping them out on the street, in front of the four-block line. It was probably quite embarrassing.
That scene over, we went back to our table to relax before hitting the floor again. Anya didn�t cry. She had too much pride to cry in public, especially here where cameras had probably caught the whole scene and were waiting to watch her crumble into the arms of her best friends.
�Well, better now than after you get married, I guess,� Cordy sighed, staring down at her very dry martini.
I sighed. This wasn�t the liberating night we�d all planned. It was a self-pity party at the moment, and I was sick of it. �Well, we have one more single gal again, right?� I tried to be cheerful. �Now all we need is for Willow to catch Xander cheating.� I tried a joke, and it obviously fell flat because Willow pulled out her cell phone and dialed Xander�s number. I rolled my eyes, �I�m going to get a drink. When you guys decide to brighten up a bit, join me on the dance floor.�
I headed over to the bar, which had a built-in fish tank filled with a brightly-colored, exotic assortment of fish. I ordered a small glass of Alize, and when the attractive bartender gave it to me, I turned around and leaned again the bar as I sipped. I watched the crowd of grinding bodies for a few moments, before a voice I�d never heard before said, �Can I buy you a drink?�
Before turning around, I lifted my own drink and said, �already taken care of.�
�No,� the voice came again, �a real drink.�
I turned then, and the man before me made me literally drop my mouth open in amazement. He was perfect. Completely and totally perfect. He had chiseled cheekbones, dark eyes, perfect dark hair, and a smile that could make you boil. I suddenly felt naked before him. His gaze had yet to venture over my body (that I had seen, that is), but already I felt like we were too intimate. His eyes had a sparkling laughter in them, and yet the depth of them frightened me. How could one man be so intense and yet so light? He was wearing a black, long-sleeved silk shirt, and the top few buttons were undone, exposing just a little of his perfectly sculpted chest. His muscles rippled beneath his clothing, and he smirked at me in the most adorable way.
I tried to compose myself. What had happened just there? I felt overwhelmed and confused, but I tried to regain my sense of self. �What would classify as a real drink?� I asked in a breathless tone that made me wish I hadn�t spoken at all. It came out sounding overly lusty � a bit like a woman that hasn�t had any�ever.
He smiled at me and called over the bartender, shouting the name of a drink that I didn�t hear, and the bartender produced two shots of a bluish liquid. This strange man handed one shot to me, and kept the other for himself. Not one to act like a sissy, I accepted the shot and clinked glasses with him when he offered. Downing the shot like a pro (if I do say so myself) I didn�t feel or taste anything for a minute. But then it kicked in. The shot seemed to course through my veins like an icy fire. I leaned back against the bar as the sweet taste in my mouth made my tongue and hands tingle. I closed my eyes as the sensation swept over me. When it subsided, the gorgeous man was smiling at me.
�Is that a real drink?� he asked.
�It�s real strong,� I responded, feeling a little stupid at my choice of come-back. I sounded like an immature teenager. What was wrong with me? How could I be losing it like this? I had dated Lucas Muirano for six months before he was famous, and he�s in one of the hottest bands around right now! He even gave me a shout-out on the album cover. And here I was, trembling before this gorgeous, unknown man. It must be the shot, I tried to convince myself, knowing that wouldn�t work � I had been this bad before the shot. I was completely messed up.
�Would you care to dance?� he offered me his arm, and I smiled. I would.
He escorted me to the dance floor, and pulled me close. The song playing was a darker type of tune, making it easier to get up close to this gorgeous man. He was much taller than me, and it almost hurt my neck to look up at him. I turned my head to the side and leaned in closer to his chest, smelling the sweet scent of his cologne. It was a little bit spicy, revealing that perhaps he was a mix of sweet and spicy himself. Oh God what is wrong with me? I�ve become such a moron in the past twenty minutes.
Feeling my movements, he bent his head down to get his face closer to me. His hands pulled me closer to him as they massaged my lower back. We weren�t really moving to the beat, but rather swaying in a slow, sensuous rhythm of our own. His hands were making me sweat, arousing feelings in my body I had never felt before. He whispered something in my ear that I couldn�t understand, or maybe I had just felt the hot expel of his breath and figured he had said something. At this point we had barely exchanged more than a few sentences, and already I felt more intimate with him than I�d ever felt before�with anyone. He made me want to do the thing my friends told me were so great. The things that only Willow knew I had never done before. I would have told Cordelia and Anya, except for the fact that if they were to actually believe me, they�d probably just laugh at me for a while.
I nudged my head closer to his chest, and he responded by kissing my temple ever so gently. It was such a soft touch that I momentarily forgot who I was and the fact that I didn�t even know this guy. I lifted my head to look up at him, hoping to look up and be able to see that he was just a man; just a basic, plain man with nothing more to him then the basic manlike qualities that all men possess. But I had no such luck. When I looked up, his gaze settled onto my own, and the depth of his eyes frightened me. It was so intense, that even a moment later after it ended, I could not even hope to describe what it felt like. You can�t imagine intensity such as this. Picture your most intimate moment with your most intense lover. Take that moment, and multiple it until numbers cease to exist, and then you will have a sight understanding of what I mean, but I doubt that anyone anywhere will ever be able to duplicate that moment as fire literally passed from his eyes to my own.
And then his lips were on mine. It was gentle; sweet. His tongue licked over my upper lip, requesting access. I was quick to grant, parting my lips as we kissed again, and sighing (more like moaning) in to his mouth as I lifted my arms to circle his neck and pull his head down closer to my own. It was as if all time froze. The bodies around us were moving so slowly now, and all I could hear of the music was a lone drum line that repeated in a slow and yet frantic rhythm � Or was that the beating of my heart?
I knew I wanted to have him. I knew that I would. It dawned on me that a guy that buys a girl he doesn�t know, a drink, and leads her to the dance floor to grind and make-out, may not be the most honorable of guys. But fuck it. He�s so gorgeous, and so intense. I pushed myself even closer to him, and one of the hands that was holding my back pulled me even closer; close enough to feel the bulge in his pants that was quite apparently a sign of his interest in me.
I felt a tap on my shoulder then, and reluctantly I pulled my head away from my stranger to see Cordelia standing next to me.
�Sorry to interrupt!� She shouted over the music that, now that I noticed, was actually quite loud and upbeat. She definitely wasn�t sorry � I could tell by the twinkle in her eyes that she had never been happier to interrupt me. �Buffy, we�re going to get some drinks. Do you want to come with?� I knew what she was doing. She was giving me the option of an Out. We came up with this when we first started going out together; the four of us. If one of us happened to get a little too close with some random guy, another one of us would interrupt after a couple of moments to ask a very basic question that could easily provide you with a way out of the situation. It was a very basic thing, but in some cases it could be a lifesaver. Take, for example, a time that Willow was getting mauled by some random heavy Portuguese gangster wannabe named Brittle. I tapped her on her shoulder after a reasonable amount of time (always allow time to ensure it doesn�t come off as �saving your friend� and piss the guy off to the point that he causes a scene, bringing attention to the fact that your friend ever had anything to do with him in the first place), and asked her if she wanted to accompany me to the Ladies room. Willow has never been the smoothest of smooth, so her response about really having to go pee was more than necessary to get herself out of the situation, but of course she had to go a little too far. Certain ways of getting your friend away never really work. Telling your friend that there are some people she just has to meet, tends to give the impression that you�re telling the guy she�s with that there are far better people she just has to meet. And just asking if your friend wants a drink, rather than asking if she would like to come with, occasionally makes the guy think you�re hinting at him to tend to the duty of getting your friend a drink, and then he rushes to take the drink orders for both your friend and yourself, leaving you both scrambling to escape. Cordelia�s Option Out was basic and clear � a result of years of experience in what not to say.
I appreciated her help, but I knew she was really just doing it out of courtesy. She knew this stranger was hot and intense and perfect, and if I had taken the Out she probably would have jumped on him herself. But I enjoyed her courtesy just the same. I felt the impulse to go with her to the bar just to gush over how incredible this guy was, and how amazing his lips, body, and everything else were, but of course that would mean leaving his arms�and I really had no desire to do that.
�I�m good, thanks hun!� I shouted back, giving her a very hinting look.
She smiled at me then and said, �Okay! Behave!�
After she left, I turned my head quickly back to my stranger, to make sure he wasn�t watching her ass or anything as she swayed away from us in her regular Cordelia fashion. But surprisingly I didn�t catch him snapping his head back to me, but rather that it had been there still looking down at me, the whole time. He smiled mischievously at me, and I smiled back. �Do you want to go somewhere?� his lips mouthed to me, and all I could do was smile and nod back that I most certainly did.
�I�ll be right back,� I promised, motioning to where my friends were, which explained my need to let them know I was leaving. He nodded back knowingly, and watched me as I stepped away from him.
I made quick work of getting over to the bar where Anya, Willow and Cordelia were watching me approach, clapping and causing a scene. Cordy and Anya cheered excitedly as I started to blush, wishing they�d stop making such a fuss over the fact that Buffy was finally getting some play.
�Yeah, yeah, yeah,� I sighed, stealing Cordy�s drink and taking a sip.
�So Buff,� Anya peered close at me with a smile playing across her full lips, �who�s the hottie? Anyone I�d know?�
�Not if I have anything to do with it,� I smiled back at her. I laughed and then said, �Is it terrible that I don�t even know his name so far?� I hoped they wouldn�t shame me for not knowing his name, but Cordelia and Anya of all people hopefully wouldn�t blame me for that � after all, Anya had married someone who�s name she hadn�t known once. Granted, she realized what it was the next day when she woke up the next day wearing a shirt that said �Mrs. Cleaver�.
�Oh please,� Anya scoffed. �A guy that hot can�t be a soul-sucking vampire or anything bad like that. You�re good to go. Just don�t call him by any name. Make sure you don�t lose his attention so you never have to try to think of his name. Maybe he�ll even surprise you and introduce himself.�
�You should be careful though, Buffy,� Willow, always the cautious one, eyed me skeptically. �He�s dressed really well. That�s a Coralevallio suit. He�s definitely got money, and he may even have a personal assistant to pay you off after you sleep with him, to keep your mouth shut.�
�Please, Will,� Cordy rolled her eyes. �You�re forgetting that Buffy�s not exactly white trash either. She�s wearing Armani, Jimmy Choo and Tiffany diamonds. He�s not going to try to pay her off. If anything it�ll probably be one hell of a one-night stand, so I say go for it. You haven�t gotten any in so long.� Or ever, I wanted to add, but held back. �Just take care of yourself, don�t forget your cell,� she handed me my purse, �and meet us tomorrow at 3 for Brunch at Lesalliette to give us all the details.� She smiled warmly at me, and Anya and Will seemed to back her up.
So with the support of my friends, I felt triumphant. I had decided. I would go wherever he wanted to go, and see what happened. I turned around and took a deep breath, looking to where my dark stranger was waiting for me near the door. I headed for him, passing Martini as I walked and smiling at him I said, �one less in the limo tonight.�
�I�ve got my cell, sweet thing. Call me if it gets out of control,� he said with a nod and a knowing smile.
Reaching my stranger, he offered his arm and I accepted. He led me from the club and out into the warm night. There was a slight breeze to cool me down, which I was thankful for due to the heat radiating between me and my incredible find. �So, Buffy,� he smiled down at me, �where can I take you?�
�How do you know my name?� I peered at him, tilting my head questioningly.
�Your friend,� he smiled. I remembered then that Cordelia had used my name.
�Of course,� I smile. I started to have doubts then. Could I just ask his name? Would he think it was bad of me that I asked his name? Would he remember then that he hadn�t told it to me and think I was some type of easy whore that makes out with random men when she doesn�t even know their name? What would he think of me? Would he leave me here, forcing me to go back inside and tell the girls I�d blown it with the hottest guy ever? I could only hope not.
�Allow me to properly introduce myself,� he took my hands between his. �My name is Angel.� Of course it was. Of course he was an angel. No one man could be this amazing. He hadn�t dumped me, and he�s even known that I didn�t know his name. He leaned down and kissed my hands gently, looking at me with eyes that spoke for his desires. He wanted me too.
I don�t know who decided that we were going back to my place, and I don�t remember much of the ride back to my place. All I know is that somehow I had directed Angel back to my building, and somehow we had ended up in my suite. The first thing I could think of was the feeling of his muscles under my hands through his silk shirt as I slid off his leather jacket and dropped it on to the couch across from my bed. His left hand found its way down to my ass and he grabbed it tightly, pulling my hips closer to his own, revealing just how much he wanted me. I moaned longingly into his mouth as he kissed me, not even once considering that he may think I�m inexperienced and dorky.
His hands moved to my shoulders, and he smoothed them down my arms, taking the straps of my dress with him in expert movements. I helped to remove my arms from the straps, exposing my bare chest to his gaze. He dropped to his knees before me, tugging my dress over my hips and to the ground. He lifted it from the floor and flung it on the couch over his jacket. How perfect? Not only was he incredible, but he was considerate of my dry cleaning bills as well. His tongue trailed over my belly, circling around my belly button and down to the top of my underwear. He licked just beneath the fabric at the top, and then slid his fingers to slowly remove my black lace booty shorts.
Once I was completely bare to his gaze, he stood again in a fluid motion that made me jump slightly in startled surprise. He pulled me close again, and resumed kissing me as his left hand slid between my legs, gently massaging my smooth skin in a way that made me moist and hot. My own hands went to work at the button of his shirt, and when I was finally able to completely remove his shirt and toss it over the couch, my breath caught in my throat. He was a picture of masculine perfection. He was so well shaped, and so incredible. A slight tan to his skin that was naturally perfect set off his sculpted chest, shoulders and arms. Having his arms around me was like being held by brick walls. They were so sturdy and so sure, and I bet nothing would be able to break them. My hands moved to the top button of his pants, and I fumbled with it briefly before finally removing it and unzipping them. I reached my hand inside and was encountered with a cock larger than any I�d ever heard of her seen before. I felt a tinge of fear in the pit of my stomach, momentarily interrupting the pleasure his fingers were sending through my body. Would I be able to handle something that big? Especially for my first time�
He helped me to remove his pants, and then he lifted me into his arms. We were both completely naked, and while that should have intimidated me even further, I instead felt like finally I was going to taste perfection. While in his arms, I glanced at his back shoulder to a tattoo. It was of the letter �A� and something that resembled a bird � perhaps something more like a griffin with further consideration. He laid me down on my king sized bed and covered my body with his own. I could feel his hard cock against the inside of my thigh, but for a few minutes he made no move to enter me. Instead he just kissed me; holding my face in his hands � cradling me tenderly as his tongue explored my mouth. I couldn�t imagine this getting any better. Angel. My wonderful angel. This perfect man was paying such perfect attention to me, and all I could do was enjoy. I knew this was supposed to be about mutual pleasure, but I found myself barely able to move to try to make things better for him. Even now I�m surprised I was even able to take off his pants.
He motioned with his hips to have me part my legs and I did as he requested. He slid one hand down to caress my clit as he positioned his cock at my entrance. He tested how wet I was with one finger, and I could hear him groan slightly when his finger entered me. He couldn�t tell, could he? He wasn�t going to find out how inexperienced I really was, was he? He broke our kiss momentarily to look down in to my eyes and whisper in a hoarse, sexy voice, �You�re so tight baby. So tight.�
I felt vibrations rushing through my body then, and I pulled his lips down to mine once again, moaning as he kissed me. I used his kiss as a distraction when finally he began to enter me. The pain was definitely there, but I tried to focus instead on the good. I couldn�t think of much other than the raw feeling of his huge cock sliding in to my wet channel, but I tried with all of my might to imagine that this would soon feel ridiculously good, just like everything else he had done to me.
Noticing me tense up, his hands moved to gently smooth my hair out of my face. �Just relax, baby.� He kissed against the side of my cheek, causing those vibrations of arousal to once again rivet through my body. Eventually I relaxed and it was then that I realized he was moving in and out of me in a gentle rhythm that my hips were actually rising to meet, and when I relaxed further and let me muscles breathe, I actually felt pleasure rocking throughout me from where he was plunging in to me. Kissing him longingly, I pushed my own tongue into his mouth and gripped his back tightly with my hands. His muscles flexed beneath my touch, making me all the more aware of just how gorgeous he was, and just how perfect his body was.
He moved then and while staying inside of me he rolled us over so that I was on top. Linking his fingers with my own so I was forced to sit up, he drew himself in and out of me again, encouraging me to move on my own. Not wanting to stop the wonderful movements of his hips, I continued them with my own. Rising up and down. Faster and faster. I could feel pleasure stroking inside of me every time he came in or exited me. I moaned softly and closed my eyes.
�Look at me, Buffy baby,� he whispered, and I opened my eyes once more to look down at his dark eyes. He was watching me with that same intensity. That intensity that I�d never felt before him. My pleasure increased then, and noticing that my movements were beginning to get more frantic, he took over by lifting my hips and pushing up into me on his own. I started to sigh and moan, more than before as his cock entered me again and again. Oh God it was perfect. So incredible. So amazing. Such rapture.
And then I felt as if I was exploding around his cock. As my orgasm washed over me, I felt my pleasure increase with his release. He moaned my name like a prayer, and pulled my head down for a kiss.
I collapsed against his chest and sighed. When finally the haze cleared, I realized he was still inside of me. I looked up at him and smiled. �Um�There�s a bathroom right through those doors if you want,� I motioned to the French doors leading to the Master Ensuite.
�Thanks,� he smiled. �But ladies first.�
I appreciated that. One detail that all of my friends� sex stories and every porn movie ever had failed to mention or show was the fact that after sex � you need to clean up. I got up and walked over to my bathroom, trying hard not to reveal that I was having difficulty walking. It was kind of like trying to walk after riding a horse � the legs just didn�t seem to want to go together.
Once cleaned up, I exited the bathroom, still nude and at this point feeling a little strange, and smiled at Angel, who had put on his silk boxers. He stopped for a kiss as he moved towards the bathroom, and said, �Why don�t you get into bed? I�ll be out in a minute.� With that he went into the bathroom and closed the doors.
I found one of my cutest silk tank-top and short combinations for sleeping in (the ones you buy just incase someone ever sleeps over), and climbed into the bed. Pulling the blankets over me, I laid back against the pillow and sighed. I heard the shower kick on, and I sat up immediately. It was terrible, but I had a thought. His wallet. Maybe I could find out a little bit about what he does for a living or at least if he�s married. The shower would be my alarm, and with that I slid out of the bed again. I found it in his pants and opened it up, feeling a little bit guilty about snooping around behind his back after only sleeping with him, but I reasoned away with the guilt with the fact that if he came out of that bathroom and left without any more words, I�d want to at least be able to tell the girls something other than that he was hot and his name was Angel.
The first thing I saw when I opened the wallet was a picture of Angel and a dog � a wolf to be exact. It wasn�t through a cage or anything, but actually sitting next to him as if it were his pet. The picture looked current, and it was more focused on the dog than on Angel. He just happened to be in it. I smiled. Animal lovers are usually nice people, right? Maybe. The usual driver�s license, health card, etc. followed. I noticed the date of birth and did the math quickly in my head. So he was 30. Four years older than me. Not bad. Not bad at all. Born in Galway, Ireland. That was kind of cool.
But then I noticed a business card. I could see his name on it Jackpot! I pulled it out and looked at it fully.
Angelus D�Aestas, Attorney
Smith, Perot, Gallahan, and Jones
Oh no. No no no. This couldn�t be happening. I shoved the card back into his wallet when I heard the shower turn off. I put his wallet back in his pants pocket and jumped back into my bed, my heart pounding. I�d just given my virginity away to the devil. Not an Angel; a Devil. What now?
When he emerged from the bathroom in his boxers, my heart did a flip. I was nervous, I was upset with myself, and I was filled with renewed lust. Angel � or Angelus sauntered towards the bed, as if stalking me. He smiled at me and when he reached the bed he crawled over to me until he was on all fours above me. �So Buffy, tell me about yourself.�
He honestly had no idea. He didn�t know I was his new co-worker on our upcoming case � MY upcoming case, that is. Should I tell him who I was and wait for him to figure it out? Or should I just let it go for now? After all, he�d know soon enough who I was. It�d be hard to hide it when the senior partners introduce us on Monday. I decided to simply make small talk.
�Not much to tell,� I began. �I work, I live here, and I have friends.� I realized how lame that sounded and immediately regretted it. My �small talk� attempt came off as an attempt to sound basic, stupid, and apparently uninterested in him for anything other than sex. I rushed to elaborate slightly, while still keeping the whole �small talk� theme going, �I was born in New York, and I work on Wall Street.�
�Really?� He moved to lie next to me. Turning onto his side to face me, he propped his head up on his hand. �So do I. Well, I will officially as of Monday. But I wasn�t born in New York.�
�I know,� I smiled.
He looked at me then and asked, �how did you know that?�
I rushed to cover my tracks, hoping I wouldn�t reveal my snooping ways. �I could tell you weren�t born in New York. You don�t act like a New Yorker. We just have this way about us that you don�t have.� I hoped that was a sufficient cover.
�I guess,� he shrugged.
There was a silence then, and I rushed to try to think of something to break it. �So�� I began, �where were you born then?�
�Ireland,� he smiled as if thinking of it made him happy.
�Ireland?� I tried to act surprised. �So what are you doing all the way over here?� I tried to bate it out of him, �did you follow family? A career?�
�Career actually,� he smiled. �I�m an attorney. I specialize in divorce law. I was doing pretty well in Europe actually, but I wanted to expand my horizons.� His smile was bright and charming, and there was an adorable twinkle in his eye that almost made me forget that I should hate him. I was still trying to think of how exactly to end this night, and I was also still trying to decide whether or not to tell him who I was and that I knew who he was. Martini night, as usual, was ending up very strange.
�Very nice,� I smiled. Just then I felt a yawn coming on, and I tried to suppress it but it came out anyway. �I�m sorry,� I said then, �it�s not that you�re boring me or anything, I swear.�
�The thought hadn�t crossed my mind until now,� he chuckled.
I laughed slightly, �I guess I�m just tired. Long day, long week, and now a long night.� I wasn�t sure what I wanted him to do with that information. Did I want him to leave? Did I want him to stay the night? Dear God this was all so messed up. He was going to know on Monday, if not sooner, and then it would be a terrible working environment. So what do I do to make this night be as easy to not discuss on Monday as possible? I was so confused. I knew I wasn�t doing any of this right.
�You�re tired,� he concluded. �I should go. But I want to get your number. Maybe I can take you out tomorrow night,� he looked at the clock then and saw that it was three PM. �Or should I ask to take you out tonight?� he chuckled again, the sound warming my heart.
�Yeah, sure, I can give you my number.� I smiled and got out of the bed. I left the room to find something to write on, assuming he would get dressed while I did that. I went into my office and found a blank white card. I didn�t want to hand him my business card since it said the same thing as his except for the name part. I wrote down my phone number and my first name, leaving the last name for Monday. I turned around to head back to my room then, but jumped back in surprise to find him standing in the door to my office. �Woah,� I sighed. �You can�t do that. No walking up behind me without announcing. It�s�stealthy.�
He smiled at my reaction, �sorry.� I handed him the card and he read it over and smiled further. �Good,� he looked up at me then, �walk me out?�
I did. But when I moved to lead him from the office, I didn�t notice his eyes traveling to the degree hanging on my wall from Harvard, congratulating Buffy Anne Summers on completing her lawyer's degree.