[Reviews - 25]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 3190 times

- Text Size +




Part eight: Ante Up!



I've gotta give Spike credit. I never thought he could
hold out this long. The guy must be taking a lot of
really cold showers.

I know this, because I'VE been taking a lot of them. God,
I haven't been this sexually frustrated since my 'Riley'
days.

And here I was, thinking that little problem was behind
me forever. After all, since I fell for Spike, I haven't had one
moment of dissatisfaction. In fact, I've never been so
totally satisfied. That's why this stupid bet is so damn
tough on me.

My love life up until Spike had been a series of mistakes.
Catastrophic (Angel)...embarrassing (Parker)...stupid
(Riley) mistakes.

In the beginning, there was Angel. The guy my dopey
sixteen year old brain said was 'The One'. He was sweet
and gentle with me, and very protective. I was crazy about
him.

Problem: The minute we got horizontal, it was "Goodbye,
Angel" and "Hello, Angelus".

Talk about your split personalities!

Angelus was vicious and violent, a murdering psychopath, and
I'll be sorry till my dying day that I didn't dust him when I had
the chance...before he killed Jenny Calendar. Maybe, if that
had never happened, Giles would still be here.

Well, it's all water under the bridge now. Suffice it to say that
Angel and I weren't as "meant to be" as we'd once thought.

What can I say? I was young.

******************************

My second wrong turn on the freeway of love was Parker
Abrams. Actually, he was more like a broken down car
blocking the high speed lane and causing traffic jams in
the lives of innocent drivers. A nice enough looking guy,
brimming with sensitivity, and all the integrity of a smarmy
used car salesman.

Still, the whole mess was really my fault. I don't know what
I was thinking, climbing into bed with a guy I barely knew.

I pretty much deserved what happened the next day.

That was, without a doubt, the most humiliating confrontation
I've ever had with a guy. I still duck and hide if I happen to
spot him anywhere around town. Spike offered to kill him
for me, but I had to pass.

I halfway considered it, but I figured that chip in his head
would likely blow a fuse. Killing Parker isn't worth losing
Spike.

So, romance wise, I was O for 2. Then, Riley came along.
Big...handsome...hunky...not too bright Riley. Another
monumental fiasco.

Oh, it was all fun and games at first. Nice little dates. Movies,
picnics, walks on the beach, blah, blah, blah...and I do mean
blah.

I worked like hell to land him, then once I did...I didn't much
want him anymore. As I once told him, he was quite the
regimental soldier. Early to bed, early to rise and all that crap.
Everything was done on schedule. Meals were eaten at the
same time every day, and boy howdy, make sure you're getting
the recommended daily allowance of every vitamin from A to Z.

After the relationship went south, I was about ready for someone
to stick a warning label on me. There just didn't seem to be
any chance of finding a man that I really wanted, and that would
fit into my unorthodox life.

Then, I took a good long look at the resident pain-in-my-
ass vampire...and I noticed a few things that I'd been missing.
Things like...how good looking he is. And sexy. And funny.
And really sexy. Stubbornly loyal...protective...amazingly
gentle when he wants to be...and did I mention, sexy?

That's my boy.

And he really is mine, too. This bet is just a bump in
the road. When it comes down to the brass tacks, no
matter what either one of us says to the contrary, I'm
his and he's mine.

I'm gonna have to tell him that one of these days.

Sooner than later, if he has his way!


******************************

"You did that on purpose," I complained, picking my wet
shirt away from my skin.

Spike didn't answer, just kept wiping yellow goop off
his coat sleeves.

"That was one of those demons that Giles turned into
once, right?" I had to keep griping. It's sort of my job.

"Fyarl demon," he said, making a disgusted face.

Yeah, I remembered that now. Back when Giles got
screwed over by Ethan Rayne, I hadn't bothered to find
out too much about this particular brand of demon. All
I remembered was that it was strong and you needed
silver to kill it.

Of course, nobody bothered to clue me in about their
sinus problems.

"You could have said something BEFORE he sneezed!"

"Look, stop bellyaching," Spike said curtly. "We've gotta
wash this crap off now, before it sets. Got any bright ideas,
Slayer?"

There was only one possibility. The closest available body
of water was in the middle of the memorial park. It's a
fountain, dedicated to all the men and women from Sunnydale
that had died in the service of the country, donated by
Roberto Callaveri.

He's the closest thing this town has to a millionaire.
He had the fountain built back in 1944, after his oldest son
was shot down on the road to Rome.

The whole family was Italian, born and bred, and emigrated
to the states during the twenties. After the war, none of them
ever went back to Italy.

So, he had this fountain built, and it's huge. Gorgeous white
marble, the size of a swimming pool. In the middle, there's
this angel, and she's got her wings outstretched to shelter
the figures of the young soldiers. The water shoots up in
a cascade behind her, and when the sun hits it just right
during the day, you'll see rainbows.

******************************

We each went to one side of the fountain, cut off from view
by the figures in the middle.

I stripped off my clothes and washed all the Fyarl snot out of
them. Not that I'm ever planning to wear them again because,
yuck! But I need something to get home in.

Over the splashing of the fountain, I could hear Spike singing
something. I put my wet clothes back on and sloshed around
to the other side, and....oh, god!

Those rainbows that you can see during the day are nothing
compared to what I'm seeing in the moonlight.

Naked vampire. Beautifully naked vampire.

He's striding around like he's playing in a
pool, kicking up big splashes. The cold water
doesn't seem to be bothering him one bit.

He turned his back and walked over to stand beneath the
cascade. Tilting his head back, he let the water shower down
over him, washing away all the remnants of Fyarl.

I swear...he could be the inspiration for a statue. Standing
there like that, the water sluicing down his skin, his muscles
gleaming in the bluish light....

"Getting yourself a nice long look, Slayer?"

Huh? What?

He's standing there, grinning at me, shaking the water out
of his hair.

"What's the matter baby?" he asked, glancing down at his...im-
pressive...equipment. "You missing this?" He punctuated the
question by pushing his hips forward a little.

Yeah. Yeah, I really am missing it. Badly.

"You can have it, you know." His voice was deep and husky as
he walked toward me, kicking up water. "All you have to do is
say that I win the bet."

Well, if THAT'S all....

"Come on, babe," he coaxed me. "You can do it. Say the words,
and I'll make love to you all night long."

And that's no idle boast. He can do exactly what he said.

All...night...long.

"Say it, Buffy. I want you to say it."

Hell's bells! I WANT to say it, I really do.

But if I do...if I lose this bet...then tomorrow I'll have
to.....

Feet...don't fail me now!

I can hear him laughing at me as I run.




TBC...
Next: Ace In The Hole





You must login (register) to review.