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Ch. 15: Office Flirting

Buffy was nervous. It wasn't because she was seeing Spike again. No, that had become rather consistent in these past weeks. They often walked home together, actually living only a few blocks away from each other. They had dinner together, had seen a movie once, had even gone jogging together through Central Park. No, seeing him wasn't making her nervous. She enjoyed his company, and their friendship from the summertime seemed to be returning. What made her nervous was that she was actually introducing her to others, to the office, to the world outside herself. Allowing him into other parts of her life meant acknowledging that he was important, real, substantial. What exactly did that mean? What did he mean to her?

She lay awake in her bed, trying to sleep. Tomorrow Spike was picking her up at work, actually coming into her office to get lunch. Part of the reason he was coming was because she wanted to surprise her boss, but part of her knew she just wanted to see how he'd get along with her friends, react in company that extended beyond her own. She knew that meant something; she simply didn't want to define what it meant. Right now they were friends, good friends; that was all she could handle right now.

***

Spike sat on his fire escape stoop and smoked, staring out at the lit city blurred beneath him. Buffy. Her smile and laughter swam in and out of his thoughts. Little by little, she'd let him in. They'd talked on the phone, met for drinks, taken walks, enjoyed each other's company--little by little he was becoming part of his life. That made him feel very excited--but it wasn't quite enough. Every moment was torture. He knew, even though they laughed and chatted and smiled together, that she was holding him at a distance. Her eyes were warm, but they didn't have the affectionate spark that they used to. He did see a struggle, which gave him hope, but he was not going to push the situation. Instead of brooding about the current relationship, he simply thought about her.

He loved the way the scent of her hair and skin lingered with him after they'd spent time together. He loved how she nodded and listened actively whenever he had a story to tell or a joke to share, making him feel like he was the most interesting person in the world. He loved how she was so confident and mature as a photographer and a woman but that she scrunched up her nose at a putrid scent or squealed in terror at the sight of a rat. He loved the way she walked around the city, her eyes still eagerly devouring the various sites with an expression of awe mingled with pure joy at being alive. There was just so much about her that called out to him, thrilled him, warmed him. He was in love.

He flicked his ashes from his burning cigarette and exhaled slowly. It pinched him that he was so restrained, that he couldn't simply proclaim how much he loved her. He'd been spending time at his guitar writing both maudlin and hopelessly romantic songs--songs that were even beginning to annoy him with the whining and the sappy lyrics. He felt perpetually hard, to the point that even the scent of vanilla aroused him--bakeries were becoming an erotic treat. It was crazy, really, the way she had taken hold of him. The months spent apart had been difficult, but in some ways being with her was harder. Knowing that she was right there, tangible and visible and yet untouchable--really it was the lesser of two evils, he supposed. Sighing for the last time, he put out his cigarette and turned in for the night.

***

Spike was nervous. He pulled a little at his blue button-down shirt, smoothed his hair down, and pressed the elevator button to make his way down to Buffy's office. It was part of a dare, of course, to tease her boss and show the actual flesh of the model that graced the walls of the magazine's office. However, Spike knew that it was a big step for Buffy; up till that point it'd always been just the two of them, and she seemed to like the sense of secrecy, of not having to explain who he was to others. Now he was entering a different part of her life. How was she going to introduce him? The elevator went up, the doors opened, and Spike strolled into the office, feigning nonchalance. He went up to the receptionist and smiled charmingly.

"Hello, there. Could you tell me where Buffy is?" he asked politely, putting his hands into his pockets in an attempt to hide his nervousness.

"Huh?" Harmony responded inarticulately. The blond secretary was utterly speechless; this was the model from Anya's office, and damn if he wasn't fine even with clothes on. Her eyes slowly slid down his body, undressing him till he was down to the Speedos from the photos, slightly wet from the ocean. She hungrily took in this sight and began moving her eyes up again, pausing at the only part of his body that she still hadn't seen yet, and--

"Like what you see?" Spike said, interrupting her ogling. He had an amused smirk on his face--who wouldn't be flattered by such blatant appreciation? He smiled slowly at her, enjoying how she was blushing under his blunt question.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just..." Harmony began gesticulating in an attempt to hide her own arousal. This man was so incredibly sexy, and looking at him just made her want to jump him, nibble on his skin, and ride him till she screamed. "My name's Harmony." She extended her hand, still ignoring his question about Buffy.

"Hello, Harmony. Name's Spike," he replied, shaking her hand and briefly squeezing it. He smiled again, smirking as she blushed and stammered under his gaze. "As I was asking before, do you think you could tell me where Buffy is?" The girl was cute, but Buffy had him completely under her thrall.

"Why don't I escort you personally?" Harmony purred. She linked her arm in his before he could say anything and slowly began to walk towards Buffy's cubicle. Rubbing his arm, she deftly felt his muscles and giggled with glee at touching this walking sex. "Ooh, nice biceps."

Spike looked down at her in amusement, his eyes dancing with laughter. She certainly was forward. He chuckled a little and was about to reply when he heard a cold voice.

"Looks like you found the office okay." Buffy stood by her cubicle, trying not to let the furious jealousy creep into her throat. She was rather unsuccessful. That stupid bitch was touching her--her what? She was taken back by her own reaction to Harmony's pawing of Spike. She had no claim on him, no reason to feel like Harmony was encroaching on her territory. Still, the way he had looked down at her with that smile--it made her want to pull on all that fake blond hair and claw at the stupid pink outfits she always had on. Surprised again by the intensity of her response, she pasted a bright smile on her face.

Spike looked up quickly, hearing her voice carry over to where they were approaching. He tilted his head slightly, trying to understand that awkward smile on her face and how it related to the slightly cold tone of her voice. Could she possibly be jealous? He knew it was terrible of him, but he decided to test his theory. Just a little bit--just enough so he could figure her out.

"Thank you so much for personally escorting me," he said graciously to Harmony. He watched for Buffy's reaction as he lightly squeezed Harmony's hand and gave her a stunning smile. Buffy seemed to be looking for her purse and didn't even notice.

"Any time. You know, if you ever want to model for me, I do a little photography myself." Harmony flipped her hair back and leaned forward a little, her breasts pushed together for his pleasure.

Spike chuckled at her brazenness and shrugged. "I think my modeling days are over. But thanks for the offer." He smiled again and then turned to look at Buffy. She looked a little bored, as if he was taking up time in her busy day. "You sure you're up for lunch? You look a little busy or distracted."

"If you can't, I'm sure I can take Spike out to lunch," Harmony piped in quickly, still not ready to leave.

"Oh no, I'm fine. I was just cleaning up a little before I left. I got a lot of work done this morning so I could have a leisurely lunch." She smiled genuinely at Spike. Just a moment before, she'd had to use almost every effort not to push Spike behind her and hiss at Harmony. She'd had to force herself to look indifferent and unaware of how they were flirting with each other--yes, he was definitely flirting back. Her look must have been too successful. She smiled again, not wanting him to feel unwelcome.

He smiled back, and Harmony was a distant memory. He turned his back to her completely as he reached for Buffy's jacket to help her. "I'm so glad. I was really looking forward to lunch today. There's this great café that I found nearby."

"I'm glad you have something planned. I don't feel like making a decision." She zipped up her jacket and enjoyed the way he did little things like that without making it uncomfortable. There was no one around--no one important, anyway--for her to introduce him to. Willow had run out to meet a friend for coffee, Anya had a meeting outside the office, and those were the only two she really felt needed to meet Spike. It all worked out, because now she had time to ease herself into his presence; by the time they got back, she'd be fully ready to handle things, not react insanely the way she had to Harmony's actions. Grabbing her purse, she said to him, "Oh, Anya's out of the office right now, so we'll go make our little visit after lunch."

He nodded and moved towards the elevator with her at his side. The two walked past Harmony without a second thought.

"Oh my god. Is that the Speedo guy?" Faith, another employee at the magazine, asked Harmony as the couple left the office.

"Yes. That Buffy is trying to keep him all to herself." Harmony stared daggers into the girl's back. "She could at least have introduced him properly. I'm lucky to have that front desk--never thought it would serve me till now."

"Well, Buffy has to come back sometime. We'll just have to make sure we're around. Unless they're dating, which it doesn't seem like since he didn't put his arm around her or anything, he's fair game. We'll just have to pounce when he gets back." She cocked her head in confidence and smiled as the two girls began plotting.

***

They were seated in a cozy booth in a small café, just two blocks from their building. It was tiny, so tiny that their legs couldn't help but be entangled underneath the tablecloth. It was made for intimacy, and Spike expected her to move her legs or apologize for the touching or something--but she simply smiled and allowed their legs to fall where they may. He tried not to let his glee show on his face, hiding his grin in the menu.

Seeing the attention that Spike seemed to get from all of the women and some of the men in the city, Buffy was starting to feel a little unsettled. How was she supposed to keep him interested, ensure that Spike stayed focused on her when all she was offering was friendship? It wasn't that Spike would ever say such things, or even think them for that matter, but she couldn't escape these fears. Okay, friendship was there--she knew she'd always find a friend in Spike--but the past weeks had been unfettered by other people. The whole thing was pressuring her to define things sooner than she wanted. All she wanted to do was enjoy the light pressure of his leg on hers, the way he tilted his head and listened to every single word she said.

"So are you still up for going to the concert in Central Park tonight?" His voice broke into her thoughs. They had been planning to see one of the local bands playing in the park, but details hadn't been set yet. Spike didn't want her to feel that they were spending all their time together, but there was no harm in asking.

Buffy nodded. "Definitely. And the weather's supposed to be great, so I'm looking forward to it. Did you have any ideas for dinner?" Friends went to concerts together. Friends had lunch together. Did it really matter that they were spending more and more time together?

"Actually, if you don't mind staying in, I was thinking I could just whip up something quick and eat in. Does that sound okay?" He was very proud of his place, the way he'd been able to decorate and call it home. For whatever reason, he really wanted to share what he'd done with her.

"That sounds great. Besides, we're eating out now. Don't want to waste too much money. Oh, and then I can finally check out your apartment!" she said excitedly, a smile brightening her face.

Spike soaked in that smile and let it warm his toes for the rest of the lunch.

***

When they got back to the office, the place was hopping. It was as if the news had spread during their absence, and now Spike was a hot and wanted commodity.

"Hi, Spike. Glad to see you again," Harmony called out the moment he'd entered the floor. She didn't even acknowledge Buffy at first, her attention so focused on Spike, but eventually she greeted her as well. "Buffy, hi. I have a message for you." She held out a phone message to Buffy but kept her eyes on Spike.

The two lingered in front of the desk, and Faith decided it was time to be introduced. "Hey, there, you look mighty familiar. I'm Faith." She shook his hand but held onto it while pulling herself forward. Smiling coyly, she let go but trailed her hand down her chest as she backed away.

Spike grinned at her and almost laughed out loud at the look of fury on Buffy's face. "Glad to meet you, Faith," he murmured, turning on his charm. He smiled at both women before turning to Buffy and saying, "Buffy, you didn't tell me there were such--"

"Let's go meet Anya, okay?" she interrupted. Buffy knew he was about to give those two airheads some sort of compliment, and it was difficult enough not to push them aside physically. She put her hand lightly on Spike's arm and then led the way.

"See you later, ladies," he said politely, reining in some of his earlier charm. Buffy had made herself known, and that was enough for him. A large grin on his face, he followed her down the hall to the large corner office of the magazine.

"You know, they attack every male that comes into the office," Buffy commented, keeping her eyes away from his observant face.

"I'm sure they do. They're harmless. Just a little innocent flirting." He shrugged.

"Ah, so you admit that you were flirting with them," she noted with triumph.

"Well, yeah. I didn't know flirting was a bad thing." He looked down at her in all innocence, wondering if she could hear the possessive tone in her voice--not that he minded, of course.

"Of course it's bad! I mean, leading on women is generally a bad thing," Buffy explained, keeping all of her justifications on a very global level, even in her own denials.

"Of course." He smiled again at her as they heard Anya's voice calling out for them to come in.

"Anya, I want you to meet--"

"Oh my god. You brought him. My very own Speedo man." Anya stood up and blatantly stared at his body. Suddenly Spike felt a little violated.

"Anya, please. This is the real thing, not a picture. You can't just stare and no expect him to get a little wigged out." Buffy tried not to be annoyed by her boss's obvious attraction to her, well, her friend. She was looking out for her friend.

"Hi, I'm Spike." He held out his hand in an attempt to get her to stop looking at his crotch.

"Anya. Nice to meet you. Ooh, nice grip," she observed, still not seeing him fully as a person.

As flattering as the attention was, he was starting to get a little annoyed. He pulled his hand back and then moved to look at the various photos adorning the walls. "I was wondering which ones you ended up choosing." He walked from one to the next, amazed at Buffy's ability to capture so many of his emotions on film. That day came flooding back to him, the way they'd held each other in the water and came in each other's arms. He began to become aroused, and he tried to subtly adjust himself.

Buffy was being bombarded with memories, the photos of Spike bringing back the feel of her legs around his waist and the water up against her body. She thought she'd become inured to those flashbacks, indifferent to his face staring down at her each time she'd entered the room, but his presence surrounded by the photos had broken down her defenses.

Anya noticed the tension between the two and pulled Buffy to the side. "What's going on between you two?" she whispered.

Spike tried not to eavesdrop, but the office was not that large--and he hoped that it would help alleviate the growing tightness in his pants .

"What do you mean? We're friends," Buffy whispered back, trying not to let the flush of her cheeks unnerve her.

"Yeah right. That's why you're blushing like a horny virgin and he's adjusting himself in his pants."

Spike starting coughing loudly, choking on something--whether it was surprise, horror, or laughter, Buffy couldn't tell. Whatever the case was, she needed to get out of that office.

"Oh my god, Spike, are you okay? Come with me--I'll get some water for you, and then I should probably get back to work." With a final glare at Anya, she led the choking man out of the office.

"She's got it bad," Anya said, shaking her head. She watched them walk away--watched that tight ass walk away--and sighed. "At least I have my photos." Turning back to look at the gorgeous model, she closed the door behind her.

A glass of water later, Spike could finally laugh the way he really wanted to. He threw his head back and laughed, the sound zinging up and down Buffy's body. It was only laughter, innocent laughter, and it made her hot. She shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry if she made you uncomfortable."

Spike shook his head as his laughter died down. "No, it's no problem. I mean, I wasn't expecting it all, but I guess those women have seen most of my body already. I must look strange with all these clothes on." He smiled again, not wanting her to feel awkward.

"I'm glad you don't mind that women are throwing themselves at your luscious body," she said dryly, rolling her eyes.

"Luscious? That's a new one," he said with a smirk, curling his tongue.

"You are so terrible," she teased, laughing. "I should have known the modeling would go to your head."

"Those aren't all the photos, though," he said, suddenly growing serious.

Buffy's blush returned full force. "Uh, no. I didn't give her all of them. You know, some of them were a little more personal." Her voice lowered to a hushed whisper, as if she were sharing a secret.

He stared at her, wanting her to look up. "That was a wonderful day, our time at the beach." He reached out and touched her hand lightly.

She gasped at the sudden contact, the first he'd initiated since she'd left him so long ago. For a moment, she was speechless, but then all the memories came surging back--all of them. She pulled her hand back slowly but kept her eyes on him.

"Buffy!" Willow's voice approached. "So who was this mystery guy that you--Oh. Uh, hi! I'm Willow, normally not with her foot in her mouth." Spike had been seated at her desk, so Willow had mistakenly assumed that Buffy was alone. She mouthed an apology to Buffy.

Buffy awoke suddenly, as if shaken out of a dream, and then turned on her polite voice. "Willow, this is Spike. He's my, uh, he's a friend of mine." She widened her eyes for emphasis when Spike had turned to greet her, and Willow nodded in understanding.

"So good to meet you. Hope Harmony didn't give you too much trouble. She's been obsessed with you for a while." Willow smiled, trying to make up for her earlier slip.

"Good to meet you. Listen, I better get back to work. You want me to meet you back here, or should I call you about dinner?" Spike asked, getting ready to leave.

"Oh, why don't I just call you when I get home? I have some errands to run after work."

"Sounds good. I'll talk to you then. Lunch was great. Nice meeting you, Willow." He waved, not wanting to seem like Willow had broken into a moment, and then walked towards the elevator.

When the elevator had safely closed its doors, Willow neared to hear what had happened. "I'm so sorry if I goofed. I didn't see him at first."

"God, everyone else did. I was fighting to keep them off of him." She sighed heavily while sinking into her chair.

"So you have been keeping a secret! This is the guy you've been fantasizing about, right? With the baggage and all?" Willow's voice lowered to a whisper.

"Yeah, and I'm still not sure how I feel about it all."

Willow said nothing, not commenting on what Faith and Harmony had said about her jealous behavior and certainly not commenting on the way he'd been looking at her and how Buffy's face had expressed such longing.

"It'll all work out, right?" Buffy asked, her eyes desperately wanting an easy answer.

"Yes, it'll definitely work out," Willow reassured her. They shared a smile before Willow returned to her cubicle.

Alone again at her desk, Buffy closed her eyes and tried not to remember too much. "It'll all work out," she repeated one more time. Breathing deeply and then opening her eyes, she launched back into her work before her thoughts could take control of her.





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