Chapter Two
“Between men and woman there is no friendship possible. There is passion, enmity, worship, love, but no friendship.” ~ Oscar Wilde
The phone ringing jarred Buffy from her intense studying of real estate for sale in the greater Boston area, and she leaned back in her computer chair, stretching. She was intent on making another sale before vacation. If not for anything than to be able to stick it to her competitor, Riley Finn. The guy thought he was God’s gift to real estate. Sure, their numbers were close and almost comparable, but not quite. And yes, they were both quite young to have succeeded as well as they have, but Buffy knew she not only had the drive, but the talent. People loved her, which was why they bought from her. Riley was just a fake, saccharine sweet, annoying pain in the ass.
Scowling at the direction her thoughts were taking, Buffy snatched up the phone on the fourth ring, “Hello?”
“Whoa, there kitten. Retract those claws.” Spike.
Buffy sighed, “Sorry. What’s up? It’s like . . . nine, your time. You’re never up at this hour.”
“Can’t call my favorite girl?” he purred.
“I’m not your girl,” she said automatically, and stood, reaching a hand over her head and stretching some more.
“That hurts, kitten.”
“Not your kitten either.”
“Buffy—“
“I refuse to be lumped into the same group as all your . . . groupies,” she told him.
“Buffy, you know you’re not.”
Yeah, she thought bitterly, only because I’ve never slept with you. The fact that the idea had appeal was what did not sit well with Buffy. Did the fact that she kind of wanted to sleep with him make her no better than the floozies he took up with?
“So, what’s up?”
“You were upset with me last night.”
“I wasn’t,” she lied.
“You’re lying.”
“Can’t prove anything.”
She could almost see the grin on his face by the smile in his voice when he asked, “Are you pouting?”
She immediately sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, “Nope.”
“Liar.”
“Again, can’t prove anything.”
“Can you tell me what upset you? Was it something I did? Said?”
“Spike, I was just . . . busy. Work and all. . . “ she trailed off, hoping he stopped questioning her about something she had no real answers to.
“That wanker Finn giving my—you a hard time?”
She decided to skip over his near mistake on calling her ‘his’ and shook her head, even though he couldn’t see her. Why was it that people did that anyway?
“Do what, luv?”
“I said that out loud, didn’t I?” she said on a sigh and sat down in her recliner.
He chuckled warmly, “Sure did. You know that’s my favorite part. Love it when you speak your thoughts like that. It’s cute.”
She tried not to let her heart flutter at the ‘cute’ remark and snorted instead.
“So why do people do what?” he pressed.
“I shook my head after you asked me about Riley. It’s not like you can see me do it, but everyone does it.”
Now she could see him shrug in her mind’s eye. “We all do it I suppose. So, he’s not bothering you then?”
“Well, not anymore than usual. It’s okay, though. I can take him.”
He laughed and she smiled at the sound, adjusting herself so her legs were curled under her.
“What did you do last night?” they asked at the same time and then laughed together.
“You first,” she told him.
“I’m afraid to tell you.”
She let out big sigh and said “Spike,” on a whine.
“She was nice! She was a fan.”
“A fan? You slept with a fan? Are you crazy? You’re nucking futs you know that?”
He laughed again, “Oh, Buffy, no one makes me laugh like you do.”
“What was her name?”
“I – I think it was Mindy.”
“Mindy? Was she missing Mork?”
“I was her Mork for the night.”
Buffy groaned, “Bad. That was bad.”
He chuckled, “Come on.”
“She probably doesn’t even know who Mork and Mindy are,” she muttered.
“I never bothered to ask. What about you? What did you do?”
“I went out to dinner.”
“With?”
She smirked into the phone, “Someone.”
“Someone have a name?”
“Will.”
“As in Willow?”
“Maybe.”
“Buffy . . . just tell me.”
“Are you seeing Alicia today?”
“I am, in a couple hours I’m picking her up.”
“Mindy going with you?”
“Of course not, she was just a – a—“
“One night stand? Come on Spike, you usually don’t trip over that too often. Why now?”
“Because I sense you don’t like it.”
Now she shrugged, “What are you and Alicia doing?”
“You’re not going to tell me if it was Willow, or some guy named Will are you?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“Are you pouting now?”
“Yes.”
She laughed, “Too bad.”
“Anyone ever tell you how stubborn you are?”
“You do, all the time.”
“Alicia and I are going to the zoo.”
“Awww, that sounds like fun, Spikey.”
“I’m pretty fond of it myself.”
“She’s so cute when she gets to feed the animals, the look on her face is a picture,” Buffy mused happily.
“Buffy . . . “
“Yeah?”
“When can you come out?”
“What do you mean?” she asked hesitantly.
“I mean, when can you come out here to visit? I miss you.”
“You don’t miss me Spike. You just miss have another female around all the time now that Harmony’s gone,” she told him dryly, a slightly bitter tone to her voice.
“You know that’s not true, Buffy,” he said, sounding angry, “Why would you say something like that?”
She sighed and rubbed her head with the heel of one hand, “I don’t know. I’m sorry.”
“Are you, really?”
“Yes, I am. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“You need a vacation, pet. You work too hard and too much.”
“Not all of us can have the summer off like you and besides, I have a vacation coming up next –“ her eyes widened with that slip and she thought fast on how to cover it up, “Hey, can you take a picture of Alicia feeding the animals for me?”
“Buffy,” he said sternly, “You have a vacation coming up next week?”
She sucked at lying, so, squeezing her eyes shut, she squeaked out, “Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me before? You wound me, Buffy, you really do.”
“Because I . . . “
“What?”
“I don’t . . .”
“Spit it out, Buffy.”
“I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want you to ask me to go out there. I knew you’d turn on the charm and no matter how much I try to resist that devilish charm, somehow you always end up getting me to do your will, and then I’d go out there and be the third wheel while some dopey college cheerleader draped themselves on your arm for my entire visit and –“
“Buffy, stop.”
She clamped her mouth shut, and pouted.
“If you come out here to visit me, I promise not to have some dopey college cheerleader on my arm.”
“I don’t think that’s a promise you can keep. Let’s be real here, Spike. I used to think you were in danger of having your penis fall off from too much sex, and now I think you’d be in danger of it falling off with no sex.”
“You’re just so funny, you know that? Come see me.”
“Spike . . . no,” she was starting to whine now.
“Why not?”
“Because I now I feel guilty.”
“For?”
“For not wanting to go out there, for basically telling you how you’d have to stop living your life if I visited. That’s not fair to you. If you want to go out with some dopey college cheerleader, then you should go out with some dopey college cheerleader. I have no right to tell you not to do it. Which is why it’s better that I stay here, I don’t want you feeling obligated to entertain me –“
“Buffy, the whole reason I’m asking you to come out here to see me is for me. I mean, yeah, it’s your vacation and you should be doing vacation type things, but if you came out here, you’d really be doing me a favor.”
“Really?” she asked in a small voice.
“Pet, I miss you. I want to spend some time with you. If you came out here, my attention would be focused on you and you alone. I wouldn’t make you the third wheel and I wouldn’t put you in any situation that would make you uncomfortable. I promise.”
“You see? There’s that charm.” She sighed. “I hate you.”
He chuckled, “No, you don’t. You love me.”
She said nothing.
“So? Will you come?”
Taking a deep breath, Buffy finally conceded. “Yes. I’ll come.”
“Excellent! How long is your vacation?”
She scrunched up her face, really wishing she could lie, and well. “Two weeks.”
“Perfect! I’m calling my assistant now and you should have tickets in just a few days—“
“Spike, you don’t have to do that, I can get my own—“
“Hush your lip, I’m doing it. I can’t wait to see you, kitten.”
He hung up before she could tell him she was not his kitten.
[Reviews - 1461]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | 
Chapter or Story
Has been viewed 9211 times
- Text Size +
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | Chapter or Story - Text Size +