~*$**$**$**$*~ Part 2

They continued past the other shops and specialty carts, one or the other 
occasionally stopping to ask the cost of an item or to show something to the 
other.

It was Scully's turn to be dragged off course and she found herself staring 
up at the white oval sign with the dark blue lettering announcing the 
'Speedo Authentic Fitness' shop. Attempting to pull her firmly rooted 
partner across the concourse wasn't working.

"Oh no you don't, Mulder. I thought we'd been through this speedo phase and 
decided--"

He cut her off with, "You didn't like my red speedo? I heard that the 
clerical pool was placing bets on who would be lucky enough to see me in 
it." His smugness was exceeded only by his accuracy.

There had been quite the wagering pool at the time -- and only she herself 
had had the pleasure of seeing him in the infamous speedos. But only because 
he'd later insisted on wearing them the first time they'd gone swimming 
together.

"As 'hot'? As I'm sure you thought you looked, I prefer to leave a little 
something to the imagination."  She let his hand go, but he was right behind 
her, crowding her, running right into her. Showing her evidence of what she 
wanted 'left to the imagination'.

"You're downright incorrigible, Mulder."

Not missing a beat, he replied, "And you're downright hot, Agent Scully."

~*$**$**$**$*~

Efficiently extricating herself, she moved them back toward the center 
gallery where the four walkways converged and then split to direct the flow 
of visitors to hotels or main streets outside the shopping galleries.

"I'm getting hungry, Scully," Mulder stated as he brought her hand to his 
sweater, "So hungry that you can 'feel' my stomach grumbling."

"I can't feel anything but your shirt, Mulder, but if you're hungry, we can 
get something to eat." She pulled her hand away after patting his stomach 
for good measure. She headed straight ahead and left toward the California 
Pizza Kitchen.

While he headed straight ahead and right toward The Sweet Factory.

"That is dessert, not lunch." Trying to steer him back across the tiled walk 
wasn't working. Not when his attention was focused on the plate glass floor 
to ceiling windows that clearly displayed the plexi-glass candy dispensers. 
Row upon colorful row of Jelly Bellies, gumdrops, and assorted gummy animals 
interspersed with milk and dark chocolate bark, bridge mix and sundry 
enrobed goodies. Any child's dream.

Squinting her eyes, debating, she nonetheless followed him on his quest for 
a sugar high. He moved to the back wall, taking a clear and blue striped 
plastic bag from the stack. Before she could ask him what he had selected, 
she saw the blue scoop digging in to the multi-colored gummy bears. "Those 
won't fill you up."

The hands on her hips told him exactly what she thought of his choice, but 
that wasn't about to stop him from filling the bag. "Have you ever tried 
them?" Thankfully, the tiny shop was empty except for the sales staff at the 
front, allowing him to bring a few chewy and sticky candies to her mouth. 
"Open up, Scully."

His eyes fixed intently on her mouth; his fingers poised centimeters from 
her lips. When he saw that she wasn't listening very well, his other hand 
grasped her wrist, the half-full bag dangling from his hand.

Her smirk evident, she nonetheless opened her mouth as she fixed him with 
her stare. The tiny moist shapes stuck to his fingers, making it difficult 
for him to place them in her mouth. But, calling upon years of teamwork, she 
decided to help him accomplish his goal and pursed her lips over his 
fingers, drawing them and the confection into her mouth.

Totally lost in the sensation of her tongue caressing his fingers, Mulder 
let go of the blue striped bag, spilling its contents on the shiny floor. 
That action, however, attracted much less attention than his moan as she 
sucked his fingers further into her mouth.

Both Agents decided they had probably created enough of a public stir and 
quickly exited the store. Doing his civic duty, Mulder stopped on the way 
out to leave a twenty with the sales staff for the downed gummies.

"Still hungry, partner?" Scully shot him a glance that told him she was as 
effected by the little scene in the candy store as he was. Their afternoon 
browsing the shops was developing into an exercise in self-restraint.

"I think I can wait till dinner, Mulder, but I do want to get something to 
drink."

Now carrying the Body Shop brown handle bag and his Sweet Shop striped bag, 
Mulder placed his left hand on her right shoulder, guiding her up the steps 
to the over-the-street enclosed walkway to the Marriott Gallery of Shops.

"I'll buy you a lemonade from the lounge."

~*$**$**$**$*~

Iced tea and lemonade in hand, they proceeded to the escalator taking them 
up to the Gallery. As Scully wandered over to the Tiffany display windows 
sipping on her tart drink, Mulder gravitated to the windows on the right. 
Glancing around to locate his partner, he spied her at the slate gray facade 
with the small square viewing windows. Wondering for all of about ten 
seconds whether it would be rude to call to her across the mauve marble 
concourse, he simple spoke her name. It was enough to get her attention 
without attracting others.

She turned to see him standing at the large storefront windows with the 
large read lettering above. "'Bally's', Mulder?"

She was eyeing the Armani Exchange next door knowing just how well her 
partner filled out a suit. How much she'd love to help him try something on. 
Like a fine pair of light-weight worsted wool, flat front trousers that 
would drape and hug him in all the right places....

She wondered what caught his eye until she saw the slight leering 
expression. She blinked several times as she pushed her navy velvet headband 
back from her forehead. "What're you looking at?" As if she didn't already 
know.

"What do you think of the two women's suits, Scully?" He'd already drained 
his iced tea and walked to the trash receptacle with feigned casualness. He 
turned to watch her as she checked out the two different female dress forms. 
Arms crossed in front of her chest, the clear plastic lemonade cup in her 
right hand, her weight shifted to one hip. Her navy slacks falling quite 
nicely over her hips. His eyes traveled upward to the white, long-sleeved 
angora sweater that hugged her like a second skin, the kitteny furriness 
floating over her curves.

Aware of his presence, that he was looking her over from head to toe, she 
could feel his gaze. And didn't mind it one bit. Reveled in the sheer heat 
of it. She was sure he was checking to see if she'd choose the same suit he 
had.

"You chose the red leather, didn't you, Mulder?" Seamlessly, she unfolded 
her arms to hand him her now empty cup before he'd even reached her side.

He just shook his head, amused at just how often they operated without 
words, and deposited it after his own.

"Just look at it, Scully. It's you."

"It's not 'me', Mulder. It's the wrong shade of red for my hair; much too 
lipstick red."

He moved behind her and wrapped both arms around her once again, loosely 
holding her to him. "Oh, I don't know. You wear most clothing well."

Her head butting him in the chin as she looked up, she asked, "Just 'most', 
Mulder? What don't I wear well?"

But he was already elsewhere, his partner's face superimposing itself on the 
white glossy mannequin. The lifeless limbs suffused with flesh and blood. "I 
take it back, Scully, you wear everything and nothing with equal aplomb."

~*$**$**$**$*~

His whispered words seemed to drift over her and she was curious over his 
mood. He'd been lighthearted and playful, but also with an undercurrent. 
Something a bit.more serious? More sensual? Her thoughts were interrupted 
when she felt his thumb and forefinger on her earlobe.

"The red leather suit, for instance," his lips were close enough, but not 
quite, touching the shell of her ear, "would fit you like a calfskin glove. 
But I'd remove the jacket."

She squirmed involuntarily, leaning back into him.

"The matching red tee would stretch over you, but you'd have to be braless."

At that, she twisted slightly, her right brow arching upward. "Really, 
Mulder. Where would I go without a bra under that shirt? It's extremely 
sheer."

Turning her back to face the window and resuming his earlier position, he 
told her, "Exactly."

She briefly recalled there were people milling around them, but she noticed 
they seemed to be paying them very little attention. Which was a good thing, 
because she seemed to have very little attention to pay them, either, since 
Mulder's words were having quite the effect on her. Had he just said that he 
wanted to see her in a bright red, sheer, stretch shirt with no bra 
underneath? Her nipples tightened in affirmation.

And he noted the response to his words through the thin fluffy, knit of her 
sweater. "Does that turn you on as much as it does me, Scully?"

In a hushed tone that barely qualified as anything much more than a breathy 
sigh, she told him it did, her hands clutching his forearms as they 
enveloped her.

"It would be tucked into the buttery soft and skin tight leather pants that 
sit right here," his hand traveled to just below her navel, "and hugged you 
right about here." The same hand smoothed over her hip and followed the line 
of her outer thigh.

"Mulder, you do see the other people all around us, don't you? I mean, 
you're aware that we're not in some time warp that has suspended us from 
reality?" His chuckle sent a warm breath through her hair and tickled her 
neck.

"Of course I see them, Scully. But I also see that leather."

"Leather fetish? I never knew."

"There's probably a not a lot you don't know," he purred.

She was intrigued and finding it more difficult to keep up her end of this 
strange conversation. "Like what?"

"Like the fact that I've always wondered what you'd look like in really 
spiky heels -- and leather with maybe a pair of handcuffs."

"You've seen me with handcuffs."

"Don't interrupt me; this is my fantasy. With handcuffs and maybe a whip."

"A whip, Mulder?"

"A whip, Scully."

~*$**$**$**$*~

She was intrigued; intrigued and rather hot and just a little wet and by the 
somewhat obvious and insistent feel of Imagination Mulder behind her, he was 
equally hot.

The arched eyebrow accompanied her smirk. "What do I do with my toys?"

"Oh, this is where it gets good. First you cuff my hands behind my back."

"You let me?" Her surprise evident.

"I do."

The strolling senior couple regarded what appeared to be a pair of 
starry-eyed lovers with tolerant amusement.

Only momentarily distracted, Scully asked, "What does all this have to do 
with that rather conservative looking red suit?"

Repositioning himself against her ass and lower back, the subtle sway of his 
hips wasn't lost on her as he switched to her other ear and spoke, "That's 
just it, Scully; it only *looks* conservative. But, when you stop and really 
think about it, red is anything but sedate and conservative. It's more the 
cut of the suit juxtaposed with the color. Think about it, red is 
volatility, it's Mars, the Red Planet."

The slightest quirk of her eyebrow and she was trying to set him back on 
course; moving him toward making his point. If there *was* a point to be 
made.

"The Red Planet, very seductive in its heat."

"I wouldn't call temperature ranges from -67 to 80 degrees 'seductive'."

"Just go with me on this one, Scully."

"It's not working for me. Mars was named for the Roman God of War. How does 
that connect back to 'seductive' and red leather?" She eyed him 
suspiciously. "Make it good, Mulder, or we're moving on to the next shop."

"Ah, but you're forgetting one little known fact, partner. Mars was first 
named for Ares, the Greek god of agriculture. Planting, fertility. Now do 
you see where I'm going with this?"

'Oh, yes', she thought. 'I see' very well. "You came up with all of this 
because of the suit in the window?"

Just as suddenly as his narration had begun, it ended and he moved away from 
her, causing her to nearly topple from the sudden lack of support. He 
crossed to the shop windows, moving to one side of the display, his hip 
leaning into the cinnamon granite wall and out of the main path of 
passers-by.

The object of all his attention seemed just a bit startled by his departure 
and also a little bothered. Hot and bothered. He decided he liked that look 
on her very much. Hot and bothered Scully was a lot of fun to play with.

~*$**$**$**$*~ End Part 2