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| NC-17 Warning |
| RED HOT |
| by Mazzy |
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| PART II |
Shannon Hoffman stood in an alley outside the Magic Box. She had been there for a while. It had grown dark and she knew that soon the creatures of the night would be popping out all over Sunnydale. She knew that the Slayer would leave and then Rupert Giles would be all alone in the shop. She wondered about working her plan all in the same evening that she had made contact with him. But she knew with the help of beads and the enchantment spell that she had baited him properly. She saw the glimmer in his eyes. He was hooked. So why not strike while the iron was still hot? �Cammius glorificus,� she spoke as she waved her hands over her body. Her clothing changed from a blouse and jeans into a short black mini-dress. �Not bad, not bad at all,� she approved as she examined the way the dress clung to her breast and hips and accentuated her shoulders. Her fiery red hair hung loose around those same porcelain shoulders. She knew she was dressed to kill. That was the idea, after all. ~*~*~*~* �You know Giles, I really think that second work-out was very beneficial today. I finally nailed that kung-pow/tai chi move you were showing me.� �Yes I do agree that you hit that on the head.� Giles rubbed his temple where the Slayer had apparently nailed him. Buffy finished her stretching and approached her mentor with a quick hug of his shoulder, �And you thought a second work-out was a waste of time.� She smiled at him and he attempted a similar gesture. �Ok, well, that was good and all, but I gotta bail if I wanna ka-pow the vampirinos tonight.� �Vampirinos?� Giles questioned, �Are they suddenly Italian demons?� �Oh Giles,� Buffy breezed, �you know us crazy kids with all the fun tongue speak. You should get that by now.� She kissed her Watcher on the cheek. �Ok, see you tomorrow. 9 am! Don�t forget!� She gathered her stuff and left the training area to go out into the night and fight the good fight, like she did every night of her young life. �God bless her,� Giles thought then reprimanded himself for feeling so impatient with her extra zeal these days. If only it hadn�t tired him so, but between opening the shop and the stepped-up training program that both he and his Slayer had agreed upon, things were beginning to take a toll. Then he reprimanded himself again. He might just be lazy. After a year of being a gentleman of leisure, he shouldn�t complain�not even silently�that he had too much to do. Perhaps, it would be easier if he could just go home and have someone there to whom he could tell his troubles. He missed those quiet moments he had shared with Olivia a year ago. She�d make him tea and he�d rest on her lap while she�d massage his temples. Temples, yes they could certainly use a bit of a rub right about now. The front door jingled in warning and Giles became alert. He hadn�t had time to properly close up the shop, but it was way past merchant hour. He assumed Buffy was back. �What did you forget? Weapons?� He rushed from the back toward the sound, while looking around searchingly for a Buffy belonging. He heard a familiar voice as he drew closer to the door. �Weapons? Whatever for?� A voice seductively questioned. It was Shannon, fully dressed to the nines with a bright smile and a playful look in her eyes. �I hope you don�t mind; I didn�t mean to intrude.� �Ah, Miss Hoffman,� Giles beamed. �What brings you back around here?� He instantly relaxed at the sight of her. She walked a few steps closer, running her hand slowly against the glass of the display case, much like a young girl might do. He found it charming. �It�s just that, well, I was in town, and I realize I don�t know anyone here, and I saw your light on, and well, you�ve just been the nicest face I�ve seen all day�� She looked up at him, and blinked long eyelashes in his direction, waiting for him to say something. Giles removed his glasses and began to rub at their lenses with a handkerchief. �Well that�s very flattering. Thank you. But what about your niece Willow? I saw her earlier today. I know she went off to look for you.� Shannon continued to run her hand along the counter �til it led her directly next to Giles. She stood close to him. �I think she and I must have gotten our signals crossed,� she spoke breathily, �and I was actually looking for some adult company to pass the evening away.� She grabbed the glasses with one pair of hands and pulled them from him. Giles fumbled to put the handkerchief away as the beautiful woman stood in front of him. She delicately placed the frames back over his face. �If you want my opinion, I find you more handsome with the glasses on. It makes you look very distinguished.� Giles actually blushed from the compliment, and his senses reeled from the closeness of her body. My but she was a sight to behold. She smelled of strawberries and a sweet summer day. It smelled familiar and comfortable to him. He couldn�t help but notice how her short dress skimmed every round curve of her body, and he did nothing to move out of her way. He was too curious to see what kind of adult plans she had in mind. Her hands moved from his glasses to his head and she began to run her fingers through his short brown strands of graying hair. �Of course, I don�t mind a little bit of a messy look,� she teased as she continued to play with him and massage his scalp. He let himself feel the comfort of her touch and didn�t take his gaze from her. Her brilliant eyes shone as she looked above him at the bits of hair she tangled with. He placed his hands on her hips and grasped them firmly, but then moved her aside and stepped away. �Shannon�Miss Hoffman�I don�t think this is quite the place for this type of encounter.� He moved to the front of the shop and headed toward the door to close it. �Ok Rupey,� she chided as she snapped her fingers, �Nocturnes!� Instantly, the door was locked, the shades pulled down and the main lights switched off. He heard another snap of her fingers. �Illuminus!� Nearby an ancient druid chandelier was set alight with flames and the warm glow of the fire tinted her jaw line with amber and gold. �That�s not exactly what I had in mind.� He smiled at her, impressed by her power and forthrightness. He knew he would be in for a wild ride with this one. �Well, then, let�s see what you do have in mind.� She stared into his eyes and the distance between their bodies completely disappeared. He felt his mind being bored into by her power, as if he was slipping from consciousness on some kind of flashback high, like ones he had experienced in his Ripper days. Suddenly they were on a train. It felt like, could it be? The Orient Express? A transcontinental railway? Someplace exotic, mysterious, he was unsure, but he had been there before, in his dreams�his fantasies. It was dark, the only light shone in from the train-car windows, which were filled with silver moonlight. They were traveling at unknown speeds. He became aware of the solitude of the car and the eeriness of the solitude, but it excited him. He sat in a wooden seat, yet he could feel her presence. He wore not much more than a white T-shirt and a pair of old jeans. The car door slammed open with the sound of metal clanging and he could see the silhouette of her soft features. She was wearing a tight mini-skirt and a silk-looking blouse. She strode toward him in a cat-like fashion and assertively straddled him. Her hands grabbed around his neck as she began to move up and down teasingly. �Is this what you want?� she asked. Her head whipped in a circle of movement and her long hair followed, striking him sensually in the face with its movement. �Oh God, yes!� He said hungrily as he grabbed her upper body and placed his ravenous mouth on hers. She parted her lips and drank him in. He tasted of musk and juicy sweetness, and his firm hands held her body tightly. One hand slid down the length of her long torso and reached for the tight leather of her skirt. It caressed the outside of the garment, feeling the slick material against its palm. Her hair hung in their faces and got caught up in their tongues. His hand reached up for a moment to sweep away some of the long stray strands and then grasped the long length of her hair. He pulled back strongly on her head, and she yielded back, positioning herself fittingly on top of him. She relished his strength and command. Her hand reached down for his pants and felt the bulge that was growing beneath them. The sound of the train�s whistle blew into the night. ~*~*~*~*~* �Rupert?� Shannon�s voice spoke, as they stood face-to-face in the brightly lit magic shop. �Shall we go to dinner then? It�s been a while since I�ve had good Mexican, if you know a place...� Giles stunned awareness left him standing in shock. What had happened? The lights were on? �Rupert? Are you OK?� Shannon asked him, eyes wide and innocent. He slowly came back to reality. �Ah, yes. I suppose, I just got distracted. Shall we go then?� Giles escorted the redhead to the door and locked up the Magic Box for the night. |