Chapter Six
Authors Note: I apologize for any errors that I make concerning the filming of the movie. You�ll notice that I have tweaked a few things about the characters that I did not know or for reasons of making the story flow. If any of you are big music fans you might notice in some of the chapters that I have made reference or used music that was not currently released at that time, just play along. There is a reason for it.
Part 6
Justice was the first to wake up the next morning and she looked at her clock on the bedside. A little after seven. She gently took Orlando�s arm from around herself and slid out of bed. After brushing her teeth she walked into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. She would need to wake Orlando up soon to be able to get him to work on time. Grabbing another water and a few aspirin from the cabinet she headed back into her room. Orlando was snuggled into her pillow, his hand resting where her head had been. She set the water and pills down then crawled onto the bed.
�Hey handsome, time to get up,� Justice whispered into his ear. He barely moved. She repeated herself then nibbled on his ear. She nipped her way to his neck and began kissing it gently. �Wakey, wakey, Sunshine Sally,� she murmured quietly into his ear before kissing over to his lips to plant little kisses there. She was really hoping that he was a lot nicer about being woken up in this manner than Jake had been. She had tried it once and he had been less than pleasant the second he woke up, yelling at her for waking him up and covering him with slobber as he put it. Justice was startled when Orlando rolled over onto his back and grabbed her hips holding her over him. His eyes were shut but he was smiling. Justice let her nerves relax; didn�t seem like he would be yelling at her.
�I�ll give you an hour to stop that,� he mumbled sleepily. Running one hand up to her neck he pulled her down to his lips. The kiss was short but invigorating. When Justice had pulled away he opened his eyes to look up at her. Her curly hair was pulled back into a ponytail, the tight curls being kept out of her face. For the first time he took in her pajamas. She was wearing a light pink camisole that stopped just below her breasts by an inch and a pair of black boxers that hung low on her hips allowing the smooth paleness of her toned stomach to show. She had her hands on his chest and was leaning over to look at him.
�Mornin�,� she greeted in her southern accent. If her accent was any indication he was definitely going to visit the south on one of his trips to the States.
�Morning. Loved the wake up call,� he commented. She smiled then leaned over to grab the water and the pills.
�Here. Sit up and take these,� she instructed. As she went to move off of his lap, he tightened his grip and held her there.
�Stay. I like you there.� Quickly he swallowed the pills and downed most of his water in three large gulps. Setting the water bottle down he held her as he scooted up to the head board a little more to lean against it. Justice situated herself more comfortably. Orlando felt himself harden as she moved her position on his lap. She either didn�t notice or didn�t say anything. Glancing to her night stand he noticed it was only a little after seven. He had a few hours till he had to go to the set.
�I made some coffee but I�m afraid I don�t have anything to make for food. I thought maybe we could grab some breakfast on the way to your house,� Justice explained as she let her hands wander over his chest absentmindedly.
�Sounds good. I don�t have to be there until 10. I�ve just got some training stuff to do today. No actual filming.� She nodded her head in understanding. Her gaze drifted down to his exposed chest and stomach, where she could see his ab muscles working from time to time under the ministrations of her fingers. Her finger nails scraped over his nipples and she noticed that along with a contraction of his abs his breathing seemed to increase, so she did it again.
Orlando sat there with his hands on her hips trying to keep his body in check. He watched as she played with his body, learning his reactions to her ministrations. The innocence of her movements was causing a surge of arousal to course through him. His breathing hitched as her nails scraped gently down his torso to stomach. He was aching with desire for the woman sitting there straddling him. She continued to let her hands wander over his body, while he fought for control. Without warning he slipped his hand under her butt and lifted her slightly, using his other hand to pull the blankets from between them, settling her right over his erection. She gasped at the movement and looked up into his eyes. He watched her green orbs go from surprised emerald to desire filled deep green. Without wasting a moment he pressed his lips to hers hungrily. She moaned deeply into his mouth. Their tongues dueled in a passionate battle. He finally pulled away to trail his tongue down to her neck. She threw her head back when he began alternating between kissing and nipping at her neck. He knew that she responded to him with moans and whimpers when he would bite her. He�d always been a biter but many women found it too rough to enjoy. Not Justice. She could take just as well as she could give. She quickly became one of the best lovers he had ever had, even after only one night and a morning. She had so much more passion than most of the other women he had ever been with.
Her hands had dropped from his shoulders to brace herself on his arms that were wound tightly around her tiny waist holding her to him. Her moans filled the room as he let his head fall to her lace-covered breasts. Her breasts were one of his favorite spots on her body. They filled his large hands with only a little more to spare. For their weight they were perky and extremely sensitive to his touch. He took one of her pert nipples into his mouth and sucked on it through the material. It wasn�t enough. Releasing her waist he took a moment to pull her camisole over her head and to take her hair down out of the pony tail it was in. The brown silky tresses flowed down her back and over her shoulders, still messy from sleep. He was positive that she thought it looked terrible, but he thought it looked sexy all tousled. He took his time to look her over fully. A slight blush was covering her body and she was breathing heavily. She squirmed slightly as his eyes took her all in. He had noticed that she became uncomfortable when he looked at her.
�Justice you are so beautiful,� he whispered, her gaze shifted to a spot just behind his head.
�You already have me...� she began saying then paused and took a deep breath and continued. �Thank you though,� she finished. He could tell that she said it as a standard reply to a compliment that you knew someone had said to be nice to you. Only he really meant it, she was beautiful. He opened his mouth to tell her as much but the phone rang and Justice quickly climbed off his lap to answer it over by her desk. Orlando sighed and ran a hand over his face and into his mohawk. She�d shut down on him again.
Justice took a deep breath before answering the phone.
�Hello?�
�Justice?� The voice asked.
�Yes.�
�Hey, it�s Mark.�
�Oh, hey Mark.� Justice didn�t notice Orlando�s head whip around at the mention of a man�s name.
�I was just calling to let you know that we are going to switch you from Monday through Wednesday to Thursday through Saturday. You did a great job last night and Melanie thought that you would be perfect to take over that position. She can�t because of another job she has. What do you say?�
�I say yes. That�s great. Same time and everything?�
�Yah. So I guess I�ll see you on Thursday. And I�m sorry if I woke you. I know it�s quite early.�
�Oh no, you didn�t wake me. It�s cool. Thank you for letting me know though. It changes my day drastically. I�ll talk to you later then.�
�Okay, bye Justice.�
�Bye Mark.� With that Justice hung up the phone and walked back over to the bed smiling.
�Who was that?� Orlando asked trying to keep from sounding as jealous as he felt.
�My boss. He wanted to let me know that I was changing from a weekday bartender to a weekend one. Can you believe that? I�ll make like twice the money now!� She was excited. Hopefully if all went well she wouldn�t need a second job. When she had moved to New Zealand a year before, she had bought the house, figuring that she would find a roommate. She had but they all kept turning out less than desirable. Not wanting to have to sell the house, she was determined to afford it by herself, even if she needed a second job to do it. Maybe this was the break she needed.
�That�s great.� Orlando was relieved.
�I know. Okay, I�m so hungry my stomach is gonna eat itself if I don�t feed it soon. You go jump in the shower and I�ll get dressed and try to make myself look a little more presentable,� she commanded and he got out of bed to comply. She went over to the bathroom and removed her clothes from the night before.
�Towels are in the closet and I have a new toothbrush you can have.� He heard her say as she pointed to the linen closet and then dove under the sink to produce the toothbrush, which was still in its packaging. �I�m sure I have a shirt you can wear until we get to your place. That way you won�t smell quite so much like a bar,� she giggled and walked past him into her room. He shut the door to the bathroom behind him and stripped out of his boxers.
Justice went to her closet and pulled out a pair of her favorite jeans. They were tight and low hanging but so comfortable. Grabbing a maroon tank top and a zip up black hoody she walked back out of her closet and over to her dresser. The jeans were tight enough that she either had to wear a thong or go commando and she only went commando when she was sleeping. Lucky for her last night she had thought she was going to go upstairs and check on Orlando, or she would have been naked. She had never been one to sleep in clothes, they typically got all tangled around her body as she tossed and turned in her sleep. Pulling out a black thong and a black lace bra to match she listened to make sure the shower was still going and stripped down. It wasn�t like he hadn�t seen her naked before, but she wasn�t sure how he felt about just walking in on her changing clothes. Quickly she pulled on the thong followed by her dark blue jeans and then her bra and tank. She walked out of the room and into the living room. She had been doing her hair a few nights back, out of boredom and her straightening iron was still there. Going into the half bath off of the living room she plugged it in and let it heat up while she went about getting her makeup bag out of her purse and bringing it to the bathroom as well. It only took her about 15 minutes to straighten her hair and only about five more to put on a little bit of foundation, powder, mascara, eyeliner and gloss. It wasn�t gorgeous but it would have to do. She smoothed her hands over her now straight and glossy hair. Unplugging the iron she walked back into her room as she heard the shower turn off. As she was pulling open the drawer that contained her big lounging shirts, the door to the bathroom opened and Orlando stood there with a towel wrapped around his narrow waist and wet from the shower. He looked absolutely gorgeous to Justice with water flowing down his body in droplets. She swallowed and turned back to find him a shirt. Smiling, she pulled out a white shirt that had a Texas flag on it with the words: Don�t mess with Texas, Bitch. She turned around and found Orlando sitting on her bed with the towel wrapped around his waist. He was looking at her again.
�What happened to your hair?� he asked her. Justice ran her fingers through it again.
�Nothing, just straightened it today. I know better than to go to bed with wet hair. I always wake up looking like I took a trip to Medusa�s salon of horrors,� she laughed and threw the shirt at him and turned to leave the room so he could get dressed. �I�ll be in the kitchen.� She shut the door behind her. Orlando looked down at the shirt in his lap. He couldn�t help but smile at it. Damn girl had spirit. Shaking his head, he went and got his boxers from the bathroom and started dressing. After brushing his teeth, he put the toothbrush in the cup next to hers. He never knew when he might need it again. Couldn�t hurt to leave it there. Smiling, he walked out dressed and ready to eat. She was in the living room putting on her Docs and singing along to some country music.
�And here I thought you had good taste in music,� he commented with a smile.
�The best!� she replied and stood up. She turned off the radio and he followed her into the kitchen. She was making a travel cup of coffee for herself. �I had no idea how you like your coffee.�
�Cream please.� Orlando smiled and walked up behind her as she made him a travel mug of coffee as well. He ran his fingers through her hair. It was soft and flowed through his fingers. He had never been able to do that before due to the curls.
�It�s soft, but I still like the curls better,� he commented and Justice smiled. More often than not guys always preferred girls with the straight never tangled hair. That wasn�t her, hers was constantly knotted.
�Thank you.� She handed him his coffee. �Now to your house first or to food first?�
�Food. I just need to change pants and trousers before I go to the set.� She looked at him quizzically.
"Aren't those the same thing? Pants? Trousers?" she questioned him. He smiled at her.
"Boxers, love, pants means boxers," he explained and she returned the grin.
"Got it," she told him just as her stomach growled. "I need food." He grabbed her hand and led her out of the room.
"I think I know somewhere we can go." They continued to talk as they got in her car and began the drive to the restaurant that Orlando had suggested.
Breakfast was great as the two talked and ate. Orlando was amazed at Justice�s sense of humor and how easy she was to just sit and talk to. She listened as he told her about his family and how it felt to get the chance to be a part of the film. He tried to ask her about herself but for the most part she would withdraw and slyly change the subject back to him or begin a story about Lij when they were younger. Before he realized it, they had to go if he was going to get to work on time. She drove him to his house and went inside with him. She found a drink in the fridge and sat down at the bar while he changed clothes.
�Jus, you wanna come to the set today?� Orlando asked as he came out of his room and saw her sitting reading a magazine. Glancing down he discovered that it was Maxim. She was laughing at a joke she was reading. She set the mag down and looked at him. He still wore her t-shirt and had changed into tennis shoes and a pair of dark blue track pants.
�I can do that?� she asked, the surprise evident in her voice.
�Sure. You can be my guest. Pete doesn�t mind as long as work still gets done. You can surprise the hobbits.�
�Yah. I�d love to do that!� She smiled and he walked over, coming to stand between her legs. Even sitting on the stool she had to look up into his eyes.
�Good,� he whispered and picked her up off of the stool. She was light in his arms and immediately wrapped both arms and legs around him. The new position helped her to look him in the eyes. Her gaze traveled down to rest on his lips. She licked her own, and before she knew it his lips were covering hers as his tongue explored expertly. She could live off his kisses. He broke the kiss and she nearly groaned out her protest until he spoke.
�I would love to lay you down right here and shag you until you screamed but I have to get to work. Rain check?�
�You better believe it,� she all but moaned out. He gently set her down and led her outside.
�Let�s take my jeep, it�s a beautiful day and the top isn�t on it.� She nodded her agreement and climbed into his 4x4. It was only a short drive to the set, which passed with the radio blaring and each of the occupants lost in the beauty of the day. Once parked, they climbed out and made their way over to the trailers. Ahead of them they saw the hobbits walking toward the cast tent, which was set up with chairs and tables. Orlando and Justice sped up to catch up to them. From behind them Justice spoke up.
�Did I ever tell you how erotic big hairy feet are?� The group turned around and smiled when they saw Justice standing there in front of them. They also noticed the way that she and Orlando were holding hands. Elijah stepped forward and Justice dropped Orlando�s hand to hug him.
�Hey Lij. Long time no see,� she joked and he smiled. Billy jerked her attention away from Lij and pulled her into a tight hug. �Hey Billy.�
�Hey Jus. Nice to finally see you again.� His accent nearly made Justice swoon as always.
�You as well,� she responded.
�Oi. Move over and let me have a hug,� Dom�s voice broke through.
�Dommie!� Justice exclaimed and was caught up in his warm arms. He picked her up off of the ground and she giggled. �Dom, don�t! You�ll hurt yourself or mess up your costume.� She tried to make him put her down. Which he did, reluctantly.
�Missed you Jus. How�s it goin�?� he asked looking her over. She was such a beautiful girl, too bad she had chosen Orlando, he inwardly sighed. He immediately noticed that her hair hung straight and sleek. It somehow wasn�t Justice.
�Good! I started my new job last night. I love it!� From behind her Orlando noticed the trainer waving him over.
�Hey guys I have to get going. The trainer is ready for me. Later,� he rapidly told the group and with one last look at Justice he walked off. Justice watched him go for a second before she turned her attention back to the other three.
�Look at you guys. You hardly even look like yourselves. Fantastic hobbits you are!� The guys all beamed at her then led her toward the tent they were headed to before she showed up. They had an hour break while they fixed some lighting on the set they were using that day. The four of them walked into the tent and found some seats. Justice found herself snuggled between Elijah and Dominic with Billy sitting across from them in an arm chair.
�So how was work last night?� Billy asked once they were situated.
�Oh it was great! I really like the people I work with. In fact I think it will be even better, since I got a call this mornin� telling me that I was going to be switched to the weekend staff. I can�t wait to see what that is like if last night was any indication of how busy it will be.�
�That�s great!� Elijah gave her a hug, knowing that Justice would be happy with the opportunity to make more money. He had been upset when she told him that she might have to take a second job to help pay for her house and living expenses, sometimes waiting tables just wasn�t enough. �So with any luck you won�t need a second job right?�
�That�s what I�m hoping, but we�ll have to see.� As Justice finished talking a group of actors walked in and came to sit with the hobbits and Justice. She immediately recognized two of them as Viggo Mortensen and Liv Tyler, the third she didn�t know.
�Hey guys,� Elijah greeted with his usual youthful exuberance. �Guys I like you to meet my best friend from back in the States. Justice this is Viggo, Liv, and Andy.�
Justice smiled to each of them as they were introduced to her. Around them the room was busy with various cast members and crew members going in and out. Occasionally someone would stroll by and say hello to one or all of the group.
�Oh you weren�t lying then, Lij, you actually have one friend,� Liv joked with her soft voice, her carefree smile lighting up her face.
�Well he pays me, does that still count?� Justice said with a giggle as Elijah pinched her side. �Ow! Abuse, abuse!�
�I�ll show you abuse,� Lij said as he grabbed her thigh and gave her a charley horse, the ticklish action causing Justice to let out a mix between a scream and a laugh. A sound that made the others sitting around start to smile and chuckle. Curious gazes from the other people around the tent turned to see what was happening.
�Dom! A little help here, dear!� she managed to squeak out in between breaths and screams as Elijah began a new campaign on her leg.
�What is it worth to you?� he asked with a gleam in his eye.
�Anything! Oh gawd, anything! Just make the rat stop!�
�Sold your soul to the devil now,� Billy chimed in from across them. Back on the couch Dom pushed Elijah away from Justice and pulled her into his lap in one rapid movement. From Dom�s lap Justice stuck her tongue out at Elijah who did the same in return.
�You both reek of maturity,� Billy observed.
�Thank you, Dommie,� Justice pouted with a saccharine voice. Her breathing was still fast but she was settling down.
�You�re welcome, but you still owe me my anything,� he reminded her.
"Of course," she responded but before he could tell her what he had in mind they were interrupted by an assistant telling Andy that he was needed by the special effects team. They all said their good byes. When he was gone Justice got off of Dominic's lap and moved back to her own spot between him and Elijah. A silence descended over the group. Dom not being one to like silences took it upon himself to break the ice once again.
"So Justice, Elijah says that you are a habitual flasher," he stated with a smirk as she turned to Elijah who was squirmming in his seat.
"He told you that, did he?" she asked, looking into the innocent blue crystals that belonged to Elijah. Across from them Liv and Viggo were smiling to see Justice level Elijah with a look. Perhaps there was one person in the world immune to his puppy dog eyes.
"Told us you had a thing for flashing truckers," Billy chimed in. She continued to stare the American down. Justice couldn't contain the smile anymore. Elijah quickly sucked in a breath of relief when she smiled.
"I'm afraid it�s all true. Unfortunately it isn't something that I have outgrown either," she joked as she looked around the group.
"I'd say that's more of a fortunate thing," Dom quipped and received a slap to the stomach from Justice.
"Careful Dommie, besides have you ever seen one of those truckers smiling as they drive down the road? I just take it upon myself to brighten their day. My sister in law is worse, she moons them," she added as an after thought.
"Janice? She moons them?" Elijah asked and then shuddered. "I could have gone a lifetime without the visual of her doing that." Together they laughed while the others just looked at the friends.
"Sorry," she apologized to them. "I know it sounds completely trashy and all but really at the time it seems like something really funny to do," she tried to explain to Viggo and Liv. Viggo smiled broadly at her.
"I'm sure they think it's great," he replied.
"What if it's a woman driving?" Liv asked. Justice smirked.
"The women are great about it. They usually smile the biggest and honk their air horns," she explained to the other brunette. The two girls smiled at each other as each of them thought that the other girl would be fun to hang out with.
�So Justice, what brings you to New Zealand?� Viggo questioned after the chuckles had died down.
�Oh I live here in Wellington,� she replied politely. From that point on the conversation flowed smoothly between the group.
�So I can assume that Viggo is Aragorn, Liv is an elf." Both of the actors smiled.
"I'm playing Arwen," Liv told her. Justice smiled and looked back and forth between the two.
"Really now? So you'll get to kiss him?" Justice asked, Liv and Viggo both smiled. "Damn I should have gone into acting." Behind her a PA walked up and told the group that Peter was ready for the hobbits and Aragorn. Justice stood up with the group.
�Um I guess if you wanted you could come with us to the set,� Elijah offered, not wanting to leave Justice alone but knowing at the same time that she would be bored just sitting and listening to them trying to get their marks down.
�Actually, I�m free for a little bit longer and I wouldn�t mind if Justice kept me some company,� Liv interjected with her sweet smile.
�I�d really like that,� Justice told the statuesque brunette in front of her, returning the smile.
�Great, well then Jus, I guess I�ll see you a little later. If you need anything I�m sure you�ll be able to find someone who knows where we are,� Elijah kissed her on the cheek and followed the rest of the group out of the tent. Justice turned to Liv.
�Are you hungry?� Liv asked.
�Girl, I can always eat,� she replied.
�Good, there seems to be a shortage of girls on this set who think that one meal a day is entirely too little to live on,� Liv and Justice walked out of the cast tent to make their way to the caterers, talking the whole way. After they had each gotten a large plate of food and found a table to sit at they fell back into conversation.
�Liv, how do you do it? I mean I�m sitting here looking around and its like a virtual meat market. A gal could go cross-eyed looking at all the goodies here. How do you manage?�
�Lots of calls to my boyfriend,� Liv replied cheekily.
�I can only imagine.� The girls lapsed into a fit of giggles. After they were sufficiently full the two decided to wander around the set so Liv could introduce Justice to some of the other people involved with the film. After about an hour of touring the set Justice and Liv were heading toward the makeup trailer so that she could get touched up before going back to the shoot, when Justice was startled from behind as someone grabbed her waist. Immediately she was calmed by Orlando�s rich voice in her ear.
�Miss me?� he murmured.
�Oh yes Billy, I did,� she replied with a laugh before turning around to place a chaste kiss on his lips. �Hey there Bloom.�
�Hey Orlando,� Liv greeted happily as she watched the interesting interaction between the two. Justice hadn�t mentioned anything about her seeing Orlando.
�Hullo, Liv. How�s your day going?�
�Great actually, Justice and I have been roaming the set and getting to know one another.� She flashed a smile at the shorter girl standing in front of Orlando.
�Good, mind if I steal her for a little while?� he asked, looking down at Justice.
�I suppose not,� she joked and then continued, �I need to get to my next scene anyways. You two have fun and I�ll talk to you both later.� With that she walked away towards makeup.
�All sweaty there OB, kinda sexy,� she teased with a wicked smirk on her full lips.
�Feeling left out?�
�Maybe,� she replied quietly.
�Can�t have that now can we? Let me just wipe some of this off on you then,� he threatened and she backed away from him with her hands out trying to keep him away from her. She was smiling and laughing.
�Back beast!� she teased, before she was brought to a sudden stop by a body behind her. �Excuse me, I�m so sorry,� she began apologizing before turning around. Orlando had stopped his advance and smiled as Justice blushed and apologized. She turned around and looked up at the tall figure of Sean Bean, dressed as Boromir. �I�m so sorry, I should have been watching where I was going.�
�Quite alright,� the soft British accent from his lips made Justice smile.
�Justice this is Sean, Sean this is Elijah�s friend Justice,� Orlando introduced the two quickly.
�The breast baring Texan?� Sean teased and Justice blushed and muttered something about Dom and castration.
�Sounds like I missed something! Been showing off the goods love?� Orlando asked when he saw her reaction.
�All Dom and Lij�s fault,� she pleaded. She turned her attention back to the tall man in front of her. He looked somewhat familiar but she couldn�t place it. Suddenly it hit her like a ton of bricks. �006? That�s where I�ve seen you!�
Sean smiled at her excitement. Not the shy girl from a second ago. �Guilty,� he replied.
Justice seemed to be lost in her thoughts for just a moment.
�Damn, I think I should have put England in the hat instead of New Zealand. What is it with you Brits? Ever since I�ve been around these guys I�m surrounded by hot English men. Dom, you, Orlando, gawd the list goes on and on,� she rambled more to herself than the two men who were exchanging amused glances above her head.
�You just got the cream of the crop with us,� Sean added and she looked up at him, her eyes caught his attention with their intense green.
�Probably right,� she smirked. �So who are you portraying?�
�I�m Boromir,� he stated proudly.
�Yummy,� Justice purred and Orlando grabbed her around the waist. She was looking at Sean a little too intensely for his liking. She responded by lacing her fingers in his.
�I was just going to show Justice the training room, let her see what I�ve been doing all day,� Orlando informed the older man.
�Well I�m sure you�ll have fun. It was nice finally meeting you Justice. Be sure to let me know when you�ll be giving another sneak peak at the coming attractions and I�ll be sure to be there,� he joked and she laughed with him, the earlier embarrassment gone now that she had met him.
�I�ll make sure you�re the first to know, Sean.� The three said their goodbyes and Orlando led her to the training room, which was really one of the sound studios, set up like a gym with tons of open space for them to practice stunts and movements. Justice listened as Orlando explained the types of martial arts he was learning and some of the stunts he was working on. She found it all extremely interesting.
�Guess I�ll have to remember not to start a fight with you,� she teased him.
�I don�t know, it might be fun to wrestle around with you,� he told her as he placed his hands on her hips and walked her slowly backwards into a wall so he could pin her there.
�Course I might hurt a pretty boy like yourself,� she whispered as she leaned forward and nipped his neck with her teeth followed by a soothing flick of her tongue.
�Tougher than you might think.�
�Why don�t you show me? Put those muscles to good use,� her voice was a low whisper in his ear that sent a shiver of arousal straight to his groin.
�Tease,� he groaned as he pushed his body into her. �Not here, too many people going in and out. My trailer�����.. now!� The two pulled away from each other. and she smiled at him.
�Pushy, pushy,� she paused and smirked. �I like.�