I fell into bed a little over an hour later, having decided absolutely nothing. My biggest question as I drifted off to sleep was what I would say if he were to actually call me to ask me out. It still struck me as strange that this apparently �ruthless� man that had just slept with me after knowing next to nothing about me, would want to actually see me again. Perhaps he had two sides � like a kleptomaniac. Perhaps it was like one second he was stealing, and the next he was a wonderful, law-abiding, considerate human. It could be like that. It could be that he�s an asshole at work, but at home he�s wonderful and charming. It could be like that�but it was highly unlikely that someone with his reputation would be charming at all, unless he had a motive.
**
I kept my word and met with Cordelia, Anya and Willow at our favorite brunch spot at three in the afternoon. Cordy and Anya were nursing hangovers, and I was still very upset about my night before, but overall everyone was in good spirits. I told the girls my basic story. That I had barely knew anything about him, that I let him take me home and take my virginity (ok, I left out the virgin part), and that then I�d found out from his I.D. (which I said had fallen to the floor on its own and opened up, not wanting to admit my stalker ways) exactly who he was, and that he wanted to see me again for dinner. Cordelia had an immediately different reaction to this intruding European lawyer than she had on Friday in my office.
�Honestly, Buffy, any guy that looks that good can�t be all that bad,� she said.
�Cordelia,� I almost laughed, and looked at her like she was completely stupid. �Any guy that looks that good has got to be full of shit, money, or some other corrupting device that makes him an asshole to women and the general population of earth.�
�Maybe so,� she sighed, �but God, Buffy�he was incredible. He�s a guy I would have gone after if you hadn�t.�
�I didn�t go after him,� I was quick to remind her.
�Whatever,� she rolled her eyes, �the details are of no consequence. The fact of the matter is that he is gorgeous, and I would like to know if you�re done with him. I need to make sure he knows the�particulars, of my case. Maybe I should meet him over dinner tonight and tell him the whole story.� She was fishing for permission to use this brilliant excuse of hers to sleep with him.
�Shameless, Cordy,� I sighed.
Willow decided to speak then, perking up instantly as she said, �Maybe this is all a good thing for your career, Buffy.� We all looked at her like she had just missed the last half an hour of the conversation. There was no way this could be good. It was going to destroy my career. It was that simple. �No really,� she tried to get us to stop looking at her like she was crazy, �maybe if you develop some sort of relationship with his potentially good side, he�ll be better on the case and in the end give you more of the credit because he�s with you.� She seemed hopeful and na�ve � true Willow fashion.
�She�s almost got a point there,� Anya said thoughtfully as she sipped on her three o�clock cocktail.
�Guys, that�s like being a prostitute!� I objected.
�No really, Buff,� Anya objected. �It could actually work. If you can make him interested in you enough to let you do most of the case your way, he�ll be willing to give you more credit � and maybe even talk to the senior partners � because he wants to maintain a relationship with you outside of the office.�
�Guys, even if that were to work � and I sincerely doubt that it would work�but even if it did, the senior partners would find out about us if Angel were to start talking me up, and in order to keep him ruthless � like they want � they�d fire me. They wouldn�t want me as a distraction to his �killer legal attitude�.� I said the last part sarcastically, making little quotation symbols with my fingers. �They don�t want to hear how great I am, from him. They wouldn�t expect it and they�d get suspicious, and if they were to get suspicious before the case even ends, they could pull me off of it.�
�I don�t want that,� Cordy said quickly. �Yes, Angel is hot and all, but I really don�t feel like having to explain Martini Nights and why those are ok, but that Wesley�s cheating voids the prenuptial.� Always thinking of herself � in true Cordelia fashion.
�So I can�t do that then,� I concluded. �Yes, it may make the case easier, and it would definitely make Monday morning easier, and it may even make it less awkward for me to go to dinner with him tonight and just be able to tell him the truth�but there�s too much at risk. I don�t want the senior partners finding out, because I�m sure they�d get me on inappropriate office conduct and keep him, and then I�d be out of a job and black-balled because they wouldn�t want me going up against him in any case � distracting him.�
The girls all looked at me, and Willow was the first to speak. �Buffy�didn�t you say your career would be destroyed by him either way? So why not make the best of it? Either he takes your spotlight and gets all of the credit and you become some last-resort lawyer at the firm, or�you take advantage of the situation, and encourage him to put you in the spotlight. That way, if you get fired, you have that publicity and public image to get you a job somewhere else. Or you could even quit once you get some decent exposure, and find somewhere else with your recent success.�
I hated it, but she had a decent point. As underhanded as it was � which was strange for Willow�it was a good point. At that exact second, my cell started to ring. I looked at the caller id. It read: Blocked ID.
�That�s probably him,� Cordelia, master of the obvious, was all smiles.
�Answer it,� Anya instructed, and Cordelia and Willow seemed to think that was a good idea.
So I did. I opened the phone and held it to my ear, �Hello?�
**
This was such a stupid idea. This was never going to work. He probably already knew, and I�m sure he�d find out my motives were terrible and make me look even worse than I would if we lost the case. But nevertheless, it was worth a shot. I figured I didn�t have much to lose. It was pretty much a lose-lose situation. At least this way would get me a nice dinner and an excuse to wear the Prada shows I�d bought with Willow this afternoon after brunch. Angel was taking me to the Green Garden, a primarily vegetarian hotspot that also served the best steak in all of New York � a real contradiction that pissed off every animal rights activist in the country.
I wore my favorite skirt: a black A-line that swished with me when I moved. It hugged my derriere in all the right ways, but looked quite conservative because of its length. My new black Prada shoes added about two an a half inches to my short stature, elongating my legs in the most provocative way and adding a wonderful sway to my step. My top was another favorite. It was a royal blue, sleeveless silk top that dipped low in the neck to expose almost too much of my chest. It had two pieces of attached silk fabric to tie up in the back for the added appearance of a bow. Overall the look was elegant, sexy, sophisticated, and hopefully powerful. I added volume and waves to my hair so that it cradled my face � looking soft and feminine.
Examining myself in the full-length mirrors in my walk-in dressing room and closet, I sighed. I arched my back, trying to add extra height to my body and make myself appear slimmer and more�intimidating? Who knows? I dropped my back to its usual non-slumping, non-strained position and glanced at the clock. At that exact second, there was a knock on the door. Oh God. It was time, and I wasn�t even close to ready. Was this even a good idea? True, I lack the abilities to successfully manipulate people when I�m outside of a court room, but maybe I could somehow use my potential failure in the workforce to aid me and give me the extra confidence I was sure I would need in order to pull off this scam. He would probably see right through me, but I had to try.
I went to the front entranceway and flipped a switch next to the door. A small screen emerged from hidden behind a piece of the wall to reveal the scene outside my suite door. It showed Angel � or Angelus � or whatever, standing there waiting patiently. You�ve got to love new technology, right? No longer do we have to rely on peep holes. In this day and age, a simple camera records who is outside your day at all times � a pretty handy tool if you ever get robbed I must say. Film evidence is very convincing to any jury or judge. I flipped the switch and the screen retreated back into the wall to be concealed by the small photo of a castle that concealed it when it was hidden.
I smoothed my hands over my outfit one more time and took a deep breath. I then hit the code to unlock my door, and slowly opened it. My breath caught when I saw him; he was even more perfect than I remembered. How on earth was I supposed to try to use and manipulate this gorgeous man? He, on the other hand, could use me any way he wanted�No, bad Buffy. Bad, bad Buffy!
�Hi,� I finally managed to get a very lame introduction out of my mouth. I smiled in a way that I hoped wasn�t too dorky.
He smiled back at me, �Hey.� His response sounded much cooler than my own. I felt shy and dorky. What was wrong with me? It wasn�t fair that he could do this to me.
He drew my attention to the red roses in his hands when he held them towards me, and I felt my reserve melting away. I wanted to be distant, right? I needed to not fall completely if I was going to manipulate this entire situation. Roses and smiles and sexiness�he was making my knees shake and I hadn�t even touched him yet. Not that I was going to touch him tonight�or at least, not that I was planning on it.
�For me?� I couldn�t stop the beaming smile on my face as I answered my own question. I took the flowers he offered me and held them close to my face as I inhaled their sweet scent. A dozen red roses is such a classical display of passion and desire. I stepped back and said, �These smell heavenly. Come inside. I need to put these in water.�
He stepped inside and closed the door behind us as I turned and headed for the kitchen. He followed me in and watched as I placed the roses gently on the counter. I went in to the hall and retrieved the prettiest vase I had, and brought it back in to the kitchen where he was still waiting. �Roses are my favorite,� I confessed as I filled the vase with water, paying careful attention so as not to get any water on myself.
�Are they?� it wasn�t really a question. It was more of a �of course they are� statement. As if he was expecting me to say that. �Any other favorites I should know about?� It was then that I noticed just how close to me he had gotten. I arranged the flowers in the water-filled vase in an attempt to distract myself and my body from how close he was to me. I moved away to dispose of the wrapping, being careful to remove the card first. I walked back over to where he was leaning against the counter in front of the vase, and opened the card. My heart was racing as I removed it from the envelope, and I felt a little bit nervous. My fingers trembled slightly as I opened the card and read it to myself.
Buffy,
To another incredible night with you.
A
I smiled after reading it. It was sweet and sensitive, but not overly romantic or mushy. I felt a little tingle in my stomach, and then I realized that this was just what I wanted; him thinking I was adorable and wonderful (to the point where he would talk me up to the big guys and give me lots of credit), but now that things were going my way�I felt bad. I felt very bad.
�Shall we go to dinner?� he prompted me from my guilty musings, and I looked at him and managed a nod despite the lump in my throat.
**
Dinner, naturally, was perfect. There were vanilla candles on all of the tables and everything seemed to have a romantic glow. The food was divine, and Angel was a gentleman � holding doors and chairs and generally being the ideal type of man that I would want to date�except for that whole Evil Lawyer from Europe that wants to steal my job thing. Angel talked openly about himself, his career, and his life back in Europe. He confided that since moving to the U.S., he hadn�t gotten out too much. He told me he feared his reputation scared away most of the friends he could have had or the women he could have dated. But something scared me�It was the way his eyes twinkled devilishly when he leaned in and said, �I�m glad you don�t know me. You probably would have been scared away too.� He looked straight at me�as if he knew what I was trying. It was like he already knew that I knew who he was and what he could do to my career. In a way it was like he was looking forward to it. He was looking forward to screwing me�and not just in the way that made me hot with anticipation. He wanted to screw up my chances of ever working in any respectable law firm in the country ever again. Great! With my luck, I�ll end up on a welfare salary since my new job as an attorney paid by the state for criminals that can�t afford a lawyer won�t pay me enough to buy Gucci. In fact, I�ll probably end up buying my heels from K-Mart. Really exciting future ahead of me, huh?
After dinner Angel helped me in to my coat, and we walked through Central Park, which was lit up magically with sparkling white lights through all of the trees. It was truly magical. The skies were sparkling with stars, as if the lights were mere reflections of their own beauty.
�So tell me about you,� he said as we strolled slowly through the winding stone pathways. �You�ve barely told me anything.�
I sucked in a breath. Was he about to reveal that he knew who I was? I paused and then said, �There isn�t too much to tell. Pretty basic life. Pretty basic childhood. Parents�no siblings�I was born and raised in the U.S. except for a brief stay in Paris with family a coupe of years ago�I have three best friends that I�ve known for ever�that�s about all.�
�What else?� he turned to look at me suddenly, stopping my steps. He reached a hand to move a strand of hair from my face. �There�s got to be more. How can you have so little to tell?�
The intensity in his eyes was frightening me and exciting me at the same time. I needed to break the silence. I attempted a lame joke, �gee thanks. My life is boring. You don�t have to rub it in.�
He humored me by chuckling softly at my joke. �No really,� he looked down at my hands as he cupped them between his own. �Who are you? What do you do? What was your cat�s name growing up?� At the last question he lifted his gaze to my own again, and the half-smile that played across his features was adorable and sexy at the same time.
I laughed again and felt the need to be a little honest. He�d find out everything soon enough and it would keep things good between us if he found out from me instead of my name tag on Monday morning. If I was going to keep this �charade� of liking him up, I would need to keep things good between us. I needed to try to make him like me enough to spare me, and things wouldn�t stay so good if he thought I purposely tried to hide who I was�that would only raise his suspicions.
I tried to be honest in the most nonchalant manner. I looked down at his large hands covering my own, hoping to seem as innocent as possible, and then I spoke. �There isn�t too much to tell,� I paused, thinking of the right words. �I�m a lawyer.� I looked up at him and smiled sweetly.
He was grinning from ear to ear. �Just like me�Go on,� he encouraged.
�I�m a divorce lawyer actually. I think I�m pretty good,� I tried to seem bashful (if you�ve ever tried to appear bashful before, you know just how hard this can be), �I mean I can�t remember many cases where I haven�t won everything my client was looking for in the settlement. I�m defended some pretty big ones too!� I saw this as the perfect way to point out our connection to each other, so rather casually I added, �I�m actually defending a pretty public case very soon. It�s a personal case for me since my client is one of my three best friends; Cordelia Chase.�
His head snapped closer to me in sudden attention. �Cordelia Chase?� he clarified. �The Cordelia Chase? Married to a Wesley?�
�That�s the one!� I confirmed. I tried to continue with the casual/clueless demeanor as I continued, �actually you may have seen her last night. She was the friend that came over and asked if I wanted a drink.�
He smiled in remembrance, �she was the friend that came over and tried to save you.� Damn this guy was good. He could see through everything. So why couldn�t he tell I was faking? Could it be because I genuinely liked him?
�Well, you know�� I trailed off, not too sure where to go with that. �What�s a friend for?� I laughed nervously. �But yeah, it�s a pretty big case but I�ve got a ten of evidence proving Wesley�s infidelity � including testimonies from the mistresses he frequented, so I don�t have too many concerns about the case.� I tried to sound as mature and on-the-ball as possible all of a sudden, so that if he had figured out by now who I was (and I was sure that he had) he wouldn�t think an innocent/bashful-sounding little girl was the one he would be destroying. I had to have some dignity.
�Is it just you working on the case?� he asked, as if leading in to something.
�No, actually,� I frowned. �It was supposed to just be me, but the senior partners at my firm have decided to use the publicity in this case to premier their newest soon-to-be partner from Europe, so I�m going to be working with someone come Monday morning. Up until now it�s just been me, and a lot of the hard work has been done already, but I�ll have a little more help Monday morning.�
He was silent a moment, and then he asked, �What are your thoughts on secret office relationships?�
I tried to act confused, as if I had no idea why he would be asking me this, �I�ve never really given it too much thought,� I admitted. I then peered at him curiously � trying to judge his reaction. �Why do you ask?�
�Because if you and I see each other beyond tonight�we�ll be having one.� He smiled wickedly at me, as if he liked that idea.
�What?� I tried to act as surprised as possible without seeming fake or over-the-top. �Why do you say that?�
�Because I�m your new partner,� he smiled. He then took my right hand in his own and shook it gently, �Buffy Summers, I presume. Allow me to introduce myself properly. Angelus D�Aestas�your new partner on this case.� He suddenly sounded formal, and the closeness between us lessened slightly even though he made no move to back away from me.
I wasn�t sure the proper response to this, so I simply stayed quiet and looked at him. I was trying to get some sort of reaction from his eyes, but as far as I could tell he wasn�t doing anything out of the ordinary. He was just looking at me, waiting for me to respond.
�Umm�� I chewed on my lower lip like I usually did when I was stumped or unsure, and then I stopped suddenly � scolding myself for responding in such a childish manner. Mature Buffy is what I needed right now � not Childish Buffy, Crazy Buffy, or any other version of myself that was threatening to take over. �So what do we do now?� I finally asked, unable to think of anything else to say.
�Well�if things go my way, we keep things relatively normal at work. We meet Monday morning like we haven�t met before�� He trailed off then, seemingly having nothing else to add.
�And what do we do with the rest of this?� I asked, motioning around us � to the park, to us, to him, to me�
He smiled as if what he was about to say was completely normal, �I�ll take you home and we can go over the case a bit if you�d like. Otherwise, I�ll drive you home and we�ll say goodnight and I�ll meet you Monday morning.�
I had to stop myself from letting my jaw drop in shock at what he was suggesting. He was suggesting that we pretend nothing ever happened between us. He wanted me to go in Monday morning, introduce myself and so on and so forth, and that was it. If there was any chance that I could still manipulate or use him, I�d do it with pleasure now. I lost my crush on him very quickly � he was being an asshole.
I knew I should try to keep up my sweetness, but his attitude was pissing me off, and rather than sticking to my role, I let the Real Buffy take over. �No need to take me home,� I announced firmly. �I�d be happy to take a cab. I�m sure it�s out of your way anyway,� I pulled my hands away from him and stepped back. �Thank you for dinner.� With one last smile, I turned to walk away.
�Buffy!� he stopped me by reaching out and touching my side gently. I stopped and turned to look at him with a blank expression. He looked at me, as if confused, and asked, �What are you doing?�
�Saying goodnight and going home,� I said as if it should be quite obvious. Guess he wasn�t as clever as the senior partners thought if he couldn�t even figure out what being blown off sounded like.
�You�re angry,� he stated � again, something fairly obvious.
�You�re observant,� I snapped back in a tone that I knew was a little too harsh.
�I can�t imagine this has anything to do with the fact that you know we�re going to be working together. Are you leaving because you think if you let me take you home, something will happen? Or are you leaving before you start wanting something to happen?� he stepped closer to me.
What the Hell is wrong with this guy? Two minutes ago he was writing me off and pretending like nothing had happened between us so that it wouldn�t be �weird� at work, and now he was practically hitting on me. Psycho much? I didn�t know what to say to him. I was disgusted at the idea that maybe he thought he could get some from me and just pretend like he hadn�t ever seen me before. And it made me even angrier that he could actually want to keep screwing me secretly once we �met� officially on Monday morning. The sweet and gentle lover from last night � my first time � was gone. It seemed as though there was a cold stranger in his place. I didn�t know anything about him other than what he had told me � and all of that could have been Bull shit. But true or not, I didn�t want to know anything else.
Although my damn body still responded to the sexy smirk on his face and the slightly suggestive tilt in his eyebrow. I hid my attraction and said, �I have some papers to go over before we meet on Monday morning. I�d like to be as prepared as possible when I have my first case discussion with my new partner.� I kept my voice steady despite the fact that I was angry for losing out on what could have been an ok fling with Angel � or Angelus or whatever.
�I see,� he took his hand off of my side, where I hadn�t noticed it had remained after he reached out to me. �I�d still like to drive you home. It�s the right thing to do.�
I smiled � actually I almost laughed. �I don�t think we should have a discussion about the right thing to do here.� And with that, I turned and left.
**
�What???� Cordelia nearly screeched at me when I told her how the night had gone over lunch the next day. �Where the Hell did that come from?�
I sighed. �I don�t even know.� What upset me the most was that I actually felt disappointed about the way things had gone last night. I had actually wanted things to go well. I almost liked this ass hole�although I wasn�t going to admit that to anyone, not even myself.
�So what are you going to do?� she asked. Are you going to try sticking to the plan, or just pretend like it never happened and try to keep your recognition the old fashioned way?�
�I�m going to pretend like it never happened,� I said as I looked down in to my tea cup. At least�I was going to try to act like it never happened.