"Spike, I'd really like to get to know you, but can we...never hang out with your friends again." No, that won't work.
"Spike, did you know your friends were depraved sex maniacs?" No...and frankly, he was acting a little hinky himself, but he's not like them, right?
"Spike, I really enjoy spending time alone with you." But what if I don't. He barely spoke last night...and there was that whole jumping me in the pool house thing...that wasn't so bad. Maybe I'm losing my mind. I've got to talk to Wills.
With an exasperated sigh, Buffy rolled out of bed. Why did she agree to meet with him again? At least she had until the following evening to call him and tell him she'd changed her mind. She just met the man, yet it seemed like she would just dumbly agree to anything he asked of her. With another sigh, she wandered over to her dresser for a change of clothes.
As she reached to open a drawer, she caught her reflection in the mirror. "Oh...my...god." Buffy was horrified. How would she ever explain this. Spike had completely mauled her neck. It was a mosaic of black and blue bruises. How she climbed into bed last night without noticing the extensive damage to her sensitive skin, she didn't know. It was downright macabre.
Wearing a turtleneck really wasn't an option with the weather being so warm. No, she would just have to cover it with concealer as much as possible and spend the day hiding from her parents. She forgot about changing clothes for the moment and padded back to her bed. Picking up her phone from her bedside table, she dialed a familiar number.
"Hellooo."
"Hey, Willow, it's me."
"Buffy! Oh my god! Did you go to that guy's house? What was it like? Was he as hot as you remembered?"
Buffy snickered, "Slow down, Wills. Yeah, I went to his house last night...met some of his friends."
"Ooooh...was it fun? My dad says William Blackwell has the biggest house in the area...there are rumors that he has a dungeon..."
Buffy rolled her eyes, "Yes, his house is totally huge, and yeah the guy seems a little eccentric....but a dungeon? That's just ridiculous. To answer your first question, I don't know if I'd classify the evening as fun. That's actually...uh...why I'm calling."
"Oh? Did something happen? Oh my god, he didn't try to do anything to you, did he?"
"No...I mean...god Willow. His friends...they're kind of snotty, and they have this really sick sense of humor, and...." She just couldn't bring herself to tell Willow that she'd unwittingly been privy to some sort of live sex show. "I don't know...I wasn't there for them, ya know? I just wanted to spend some more time with William...or Spike...whatever he wants to call himself. It was just sort of a stupid experiment...I thought it would be nice not to be boring Buffy for once."
"You're not boring, Buffy! You're just...reserved. So, you didn't like his friends. No biggie. It's not like you're planning on spending the rest of your life with the man or anything. You like him, right?"
"Yes...no...yes, I think I like him. I just know that he affects me. I feel like he's a mystery, and I'll go crazy if I don't solve it. God, maybe I'm already going crazy." She sighed softly, "I almost slept with him, Willow...right there on his pool house floor."
"Oh my god," Willow began in a hushed tone, "that's so..."
"Not me. I know."
Willow's voice was hesitant, "He didn't try to force you..."
"Of course not! Do you really think I'd be this calm if he did? He was pushy all right, but I was...I was going along with it...until he bit me."
"He bit you?"
"Yeah...it startled me. I guess it wasn't...bad. My neck's a mess, though."
"Wow...that's sooo neat."
Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Getting your inner freak on, Willow."
"Buffy! It's just...every day has pretty much been the same for us for awhile, and now you suddenly have gorgeous, rich men biting you! No one ever bites me."
Buffy laughed softly to herself, "I'm sure you'll find your own biter some day, Wills." She let out a breath, "He wants to see me again. Alone."
Willow giggled, "He must have found you pretty tasty. So...are you going to see him?"
"I told him I would...do you...do you think I should?"
"Well, if you're curious and he's not dangerous or anything, then I don't see why not."
"I'm pretty sure the whole tri-state area would know if William Blackwell was a danger to society. I don't think the man keeps an extremely low profile."
"Well, my only advice is to be careful and have fun...oh, and use protection!"
Buffy rolled her eyes, "Whatever, Wills."
"I want you three out before she gets here tomorrow. I mean it, Angel, you're not coming anywhere near this house tomorrow night."
Angel continued to recline casually against Spike's large mahogany desk. "Relax, Willy, you worry too much."
Spike scoffed, "I'm lucky she's coming back at all. You three couldn't even behave decently for one evening."
Angel clucked his tongue, "Do you hear yourself? God, man, what have you turned into? It's pathetic. This whole thing is pathetic.
"Shut it, Liam," Spike snarled from his place behind the desk.
Angel simply smirked and continued, "Really, Spike, this whole plan you've concocted is completely absurd. Do you really think it's ever going to work? You think you're going to get what you want? Have you already forgotten how miserably you failed last time?"
Spike gritted his teeth, "It didn't work last time because of you, you bloody pillock!" He roughly pushed his chair back from the desk and stood. "You just couldn't stand the fact that maybe I wanted something different, something better."
Angel snorted loudly, "Better, Spike? What could be better than what you already have? You're such a poor sap, and you can't accept the fact that's it's not my fault your plans fell through. Face it, man, you got played."
Spike's fist crashed down on the surface of the desk. "Fuck off, Angel! Just stay the fuck out of my business this time and leave Buffy alone."
Angel pushed off the desk and shook his head. "Temper, temper, Spike. Seems to me, this girl is already tearing the family apart." He placed his palms on the desk and leaned in, speaking in a low voice, "If she becomes a threat, I will be forced to take matters into my own hands." He straightened up and backed away. "Control yourself and control your girl, and we won't have any problems." He smiled, "Don't worry, my boy, your family will be there to pick up the pieces when this ridiculous experiment fails."
Spike watched Angel saunter out of the study. It was everything he could do not to hurl a book at his retreating back. God, why did he have to be so insufferable? Spike scowled as he dropped back into his desk chair. No matter what Angel thought, he would get what he wanted this time...at any cost.