Buffy was highly unimpressed and now she was pissed off to boot. Not only had their clients, her first clients as a staff member in the hotel, messed up her carefully organised schedule for their arrival by being too tired to fill in all the paperwork etc. they had to be perverts.
When she’d slept the night before, her dreams were of Hollywood, of endless queues of people staring at her, of a warm, comforting presence at her side and above it all a pair of intense blue eyes. She’d been looking forward to meeting their guests properly, but then he had to go and ruin it by saying something so… male.
Gritting her teeth, she forced a smile onto her lips and deliberately sweetened her voice to the point that it was nauseating. “Good morning, Mr Harris, Mr Giles. I trust the… service has been adequate so far?”
She didn’t know what made her say it, but she noticed the blush that stained the dark-haired man’s cheeks and the way his companion shifted nervously. She had to fight to keep the smile from turning into a smug smirk when Harris, as Anya had told her, filled the silence.
“Uh, yeah, it’s been great thanks.”
Her smile widened. “Yes, I intend to make sure you receive only the best service, starting with my own.”
The blush darkened on one, while the other made a strangled kind of coughing sound. She wanted to cheer and stick her tongue out at the two men, but she contented herself with smirking. Just a little bit. Reminding herself to be professional, she looked down at her clipboard.
“I have a few bits of paperwork for you to fill in and a few details to clear up, then I’ll give you the tour, you can meet the staff and we’ll be out of your hair.”
Spike watched as Xander signed a few documents, taking the time to study the feisty Miss Summers while she was otherwise occupied. If she’d been pretty in the darker atmosphere the night before, she was stunning in daylight. She’d swept her hair back and secured it in a large clip, the soft style highlighting the alluring innocence that seemed to cling to her.
She was wearing the same suit as the night before, but now he could properly appreciate how it emphasised her slight curves and made her body seem fuller, more feminine. Even with the simple black heels she was wearing she was shorter than him, but she held herself proudly, making her seem much larger than she actually was.
She looked over at him and, caught off guard, he looked into her wide eyes and was lost. He watched as her chin rose, her gaze holding his almost defiantly before she broke their stare, turning to stride to the silently assembled staff. As she introduced them, only some tiny corner of his brain heard and responded to each greeting.
He watched how she moved, her hips swinging with a natural sensuousness that made his body burn with desire. He finally shook himself from his stupor when she began to take them on a tour of the suite. Finally, she led them out onto the balcony. In true California style, the sun was already shining merrily.
Shortly after they arrived there, the dark-haired woman with long, crimson nails and the blonde with the horsey face joined them. He noticed the way both of them glared at Buffy (she’d told them to call her that) before turning simpering smiles on he and Xander. He fought the urge to back away very, very quickly.
“Mr Harris, Mr Giles, this is Drusilla Evans, your PR rep for the duration of your stay here.” The dark-haired woman met his eyes boldly, her gaze trailing down his body before rising again. She licked her lips and gave him a coy smile. “And this is Harmony Kendall, your private secretary.” The blonde gave him a smile she obviously thought was seductive and flipped her hair over her shoulder.
“We’ll take it from here, Buffy.” That was Drusilla, her voice almost a hiss. He noticed the stress she put on her boss’ name and the way the gorgeous woman’s face tightened.
“Yeah, we’ll take it from here.” This from Harmony, her voice a nasal whine. Seeing the muscles in Buffy’s jaw tick as her lips thinned, he sauntered over and draped a long arm over her shoulders. She stiffened, but didn’t push him away.
“S’alright, ladies. It was nice to meet you, but ‘m sure you’ve got important things to be doing. We’ll just sit out here with Miss Summers and sort things out, all friendly like.” His voice was quiet but firm and while he smiled at the pair, he knew it didn’t reach his eyes.
Harmony sighed and Drusilla preened. Ladies, indeed. Buffy thought savagely. Nevertheless, when his comments sent the bitches packing she couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Suddenly realising that his arm was still locked around her shoulders, she tried to step away but it only tightened, drawing her back into the cradle of his body.
For a moment, she relaxed and melted into him. It had been so long since she’d been held by a man, any man. She closed her eyes and breathed in his scent, feeling something flicker to life inside her. Her insides warmed and she knew she had to move, for the sake of her job. Slowly she stepped away, looking up to meet those dazzling eyes for the first time in full daylight.
The crystal blue had darkened with desire to a midnight colour when she snuggled into him. Those eyes were like a window into his soul, letting her read his emotions like a book laid out before her. And God, she wanted to know their story. Wanted it with an intensity that shocked and frightened her.
Now that he’d removed the huge combat boots he’d been wearing when he arrived, she could see that he was actually an inch or so shorter than his friend. Under his skin-tight t-shirt she could see chiselled muscles that made her fingers itch to explore his body and learn its secrets. When she looked up again, his eyes had darkened to almost black.
Little chit’s checkin’ me out! Spike had to resist the urge to beat his chest and howl his masculinity to all of LA. He watched as her eyes dropped to his torso, clinging greedily to the muscles displayed by his tight clothing. With a shift so small it was invisible, he tensed to make his defined abs look even more so. Xander, being a guy, noticed it and snorted.
That seemed to startle her out of her contemplation of his physique. He watched as a blush crept up her neck. Wonder if she blushes all the way down… She took in a deep breath and pasted on a smile. She was back into Business Buffy mode.
“Mr Giles-”
“Spike.” He interrupted.
“Pardon?”
“Call me Spike. He’s Xander.”
She hesitated a moment before shrugging, her false smile becoming more genuine. “Spike, Xander. I understand that you are here to be taken care of. To that end, it would be greatly appreciated if you could give me a day’s warning if you want a massage or have any special requests.”
Spike watched Xander’s eyes glaze over at the thought of a massage. Buffy, noticing it too, smiled. “Of course, Tara had to come in this morning to meet you both. I’m sure she’d be more than happy to give you a demonstration now, Xander.”
Xander nodded, a goofy grin spreading across his face. Buffy called Anya over. “Anya, could you take Mr Harris here to see Tara?” She cast an impish look at Spike. “He wants a demonstration of her skills.”
The young man blinked as the pretty maid grabbed him by the hand, chattering blithely away as she towed him towards the room set aside for Tara to work in. Buffy suppressed a smile and turned back to Spike, only to find him leaning casually against the wall. When he saw her looking, he curled his tongue behind his teeth in a gesture so erotic she thought faintly that it should be illegal.
“So pet, care to give me a demo of your skills?”
She looked at him through wide, innocent eyes. “But Mr Giles, I’m in action all the time. I’m like the Energiser Bunny: I keep going and going.”
He choked at that and she shot him a sweet smile over her shoulder as she strolled back inside. He shook his head, sighed and followed after her. He found her talking to the chef, though his assistants weren’t there. Spike thanked God for small mercies. One of them had been giving him a disturbingly longing look earlier…
A wave of irrational anger swept over him as he watched the glorified potwasher lay a hand on her arm and give a lewd leer. The smile instantly vanished from her face, replaced by cool professionalism. He saw her lips move and moments later the man’s eyes narrowed as his hand dropped away and he stalked back towards his domain.
Spike tried not to smirk as the man passed him, but he had to raise a mocking eyebrow. Warren, if he remembered the guy’s name correctly paused and scowled at him, fists clenching. Buffy, seeing this, cleared her throat and shot him a coldly pointed look. He moved away, almost vibrating with the strength of his anger.
As Buffy turned to talk to Wesley, a smile replacing the frown marring her features, Spike felt someone’s eyes on him. He turned, scanning the room. Drusilla met his eyes boldly, running one finger across her painted lips before sucking the end into her mouth. Disgusted by the blatant, in-your-face vulgarity of the move, he turned his back on her.
Buffy was looking at him, head cocked appraisingly. She’d seen Dru’s attempt at appearing seductive and had watched for his reaction. Pleased, for some unknown reason, that he seemed unmoved, she let a slow smile spread across her lips.
Spike caught his breath. She was gorgeous all the time, but when she smiled like that it looked as though some inner light shone from her, making her gleam with exquisite beauty.
“My angel.” He breathed, unaware he’d spoken out loud.
Warren watched the exchange from the doorway of the kitchen, feeling rage course through him. So, I’m not good enough for the little bitch, but mister big shot celebrity is. We’ll see who has the last laugh. Hey, cool! I sound like some kind of super villain!
Drusilla had seen the lingering looks and smiles between the couple too. Sweet William, how naïve you are. That stupid cow, she won’t hold your attention for long. I’ll make you see what a real woman’s like.
As Buffy reluctantly turned back to business, saying goodbye to Anya and Willow for the day and sorting through the papers she needed to hand over to Drusilla, Spike wandered off to find Xander. He poked his head through the door into the massage parlour, chuckling at the sight that met his eyes.
Xander was stretched out on his stomach on a padded table, his head supported by a square pillow with no middle that allowed him to keep his face free. A small, stocky woman with dark blonde hair was working expert hands over his back, which glistened with unscented oil.
At his laugh she looked up, giving him a shy smile. He winked at her. “Mornin’ pet. Hope he hasn’t given you too much trouble.”
She blushed. “N-no, sir.” Her voice was soft and clear, despite her stammer.
Xander’s own voice was slightly muffled, his words slurred as though he was drunk on pleasure. “Spike, man, you have to try this.” He groaned as she began to vigorously knead his shoulders. “Tara, my love, my darling, my sweet. Can I keep you?”
She giggled. “I don’t think you could a-afford me.”
Spike grinned as Xander sighed. Buffy’s amused voice from the doorway startled them all. “At least we’ll know who to look for if she goes missing.”
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Author's Chapter Notes:
I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed the story so far. As always, I write for your enjoyment as well as my own , so it's always a pleasure to know what you think. Sorry this chapter's a little short, but at least I got it up!