Exquisite

Chapter Nine

Lena woke the next morning and realized last night was the first time in years she’d not been woken by a nightmare. She almost felt amazed by it until the guilt swept in and suffocated any other feeling that was bubbling under the surface. Looking at the picture on her dresser she saw her sister smiling out at her and her heart clenched tight in her chest. She hadn’t thought about Carly at all last night. In fact, she hadn’t thought about anyone except the man in font of her that had set her on fire with a single look. She stared at the ceiling taking a deep breath in then pushing it out. Squeezing her eyes shut she flung back the covers and got up. There was no point in lying in bed feeling bad about her ability to turn off her grief and enjoy herself. Sure, it’d been what everyone had been telling her to do for years. However, it was a different story to actually feel yourself consciously decide to not think about a horrible tragedy so you could enjoy yourself.

Lena walked into the bathroom and turned the light on pushing her hair up and into a ponytail. She blinked and stared in disbelief at the bluish mark at the base of her neck, he’d left a hickey on her! She reached up and touched it trying to stay mad at him but instead she felt a smile trying to force its way through. Running a finger across it she wondered if she’d left any marks on him.

Mason looked at his chest a second time that morning and noticed four little indents on his chest where Lena had gripped him as he’d sucked on her neck. He felt a smug grin come across his face and remembered her telling him softly, second base is not down there Langley. She’d grabbed his hair lightly and pulled him back up then kissed him quickly on the lips before pushing him away with a smile. Then she’d turned, taken the hose and sprayed herself down. He swore if he hadn’t been holding the side of the sink that sight would have brought him to his knees. As it was he’d had to eat dessert opposite her while she was in just a wet bra and her skirt and that had been some kind of monumental task all on its own, but he’d made it through and she’d agreed to meet him for a run on Saturday morning.

He hadn’t been surprised that she ran, she was in amazing shape and her legs were long and strong. Which only made him think of her wrapping them around him, but he’d been shocked when she’d invited him to join her. He’d jumped at the chance to see her outside of work and in a way, outside of a date. This felt more serious, like she was letting him in just a little bit. He wasn’t kidding himself though, he knew she had huge walls erected around her and it would take a lot of hard work to get past them, but Mason was shocked to discover her was looking forward to the challenge. She intrigued him, made him think about things he never had. Like his reaction to her. He’d never felt such an intense pull to another person. She made him so angry at times but then she pulled him in another direction and he wanted nothing more than to rip every piece of her clothing off. Lena was a mystery and she was slowly letting him unravel her. He scratched his stomach and reached over to pick up the phone. He quickly dialed her number, knowing she had the day off. Three rings later she answered.

“Hello.” Lena said as she picked up the phone.

“You left marks on my fragile body.”

Lena sat on the edge of the bed and found herself grinning at his deep voice. She scooted back lying back down. “Well you left a damn hickey on me.” she heard a deep laugh travel through the line and closed her eyes imagining his dimples.

“I did that on purpose.”

“I know you did.” she paused then muttered, “Smug bastard.”

“What? I didn’t quite get that.” he asked with a louder laugh.

“I said, you’re a smug bastard.” she heard a rustle and asked him softly, “Are you calling me from bed, Langley?”

“Hmm. Yeah I am. Where are you?”

Lena sank down in her covers and rested her head on the pillow. “In my bed.” she heard a low groan and smiled laying an arm across her forehead.

“What are you wearing?”

“Are you trying to have phone sex with me?” she asked laughing softly. She heard a rustle again then he grumbled.

“Well no. Not now that you asked me like it was an idiotic idea.”

That had her laughing even harder. The sulky note in his voice had tears leaking out her eyes. Finally she calmed down and heard him ask.

“You done?”

Clearing her throat she answered, “Yes. Thank you. Has anyone ever told you that you act like a spoilt brat at times? Man, you can work up a good sulk Langley. Were you a sulky kid?”

She heard him chuckle, “Actually, I was. Just ask my mother.”

“Well I would but I don’t know your mother.” she pointed out.

Lowering his voice he asked, “So Lena, tell me something I don’t know about you.”

She paused, “Like?”

“Like how many men would I find if I Googled you?”

“You did Google me.” she pointed out then sighed, “Not many. I told you I don’t do relationships.”

“Just sex?” he asked quickly.

“In the past, yes.”

She heard him clear his throat then continue, “How far in the past?”

Her eyes opened and she stared at her irritating fan, almost happy to have something to concentrate on, as the thwump thwump kept time for her.

“Doctor?”

“Three years.” she mumbled quietly. She heard a soft groan over the phone and asked defensively, “What? There’s nothing wrong with not having sex you know? I don’t know what it is about you and Shelly, just because I don’t hop into bed with every available man, I’m some kind of freak?”

There was nothing at the other end, just silence. She waited knowing he was still there because she could hear him breathing. Well she’d be damned if she spoke first.

“Are you done Lena?” he asked in a low deep voice that sent a pulse right down between her thighs.

“Excuse me?”

“I asked if you were done? You’re quick to accuse me of sulking but no one has you beat on throwing a temper tantrum.”

“Ahh..”

“No.” he cut her off effectively, “No. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I was just imagining how tight and hot that’s going to make you when I finally do get to slide deep inside of you.”

Mason waited on the other end of the phone with his eyes closed and his breathing deep, wondering if she was going to hang up on him. “Lena?”

“Yes?” she almost sighed and he smiled to himself.

“Why don’t you have relationships?”

“Why don’t you? Surely you can’t tell me all thirty three women in the past year have been meaningful and long lasting.”

He laughed at her surliness and was pleased to notice she almost sounded a little bit jealous. “Well no they haven’t been long and meaningful, and for the record I’m almost positive that number is exaggerated.”

“How reassuring.” he heard her mumble.

“But at least I put myself out there.”

“What a giant understatement.”

“See Lena, this is why I can’t argue with you over the phone, always a quick smart ass comment. At least in person I can shut you up.”

There was a pause then she asked him, “Why do you date so much?”

“Because I don’t like to be alone.” he answered quickly then added, “Plus I love women.”

Lena smiled at that response and knew he was telling the truth. She didn’t know what she was doing with him. She didn’t want a deep long lasting relationship but she also knew she didn’t want to walk away.

“What do you want from me Langley? You hardly seem the commitment type.”

There was a pause and she heard some movement, “Right now or in the future?”

“Lets start with the future.”

“Hmm. I want to know at some point in the future that I’ve made Dr Magdalena O’Donnell so happy that she walked around smiling all the way to her toes, for a whole week, with not a care in the world.”

It seemed like such a simple thing to say and yet at the same time she was amazed at how perceptive he was. He knew, from only a handful of meetings, that somewhere deep down inside her soul there was a huge gaping hole and although she may smile it was only on the surface and it was only for that second. When had he become so attuned to her? Since she didn’t want to ask him that she decided to take the easy button.

“And right now?”

He sighed as if he knew she’d chosen to side step the huge elephant he’d just put in the room. “Right now I want you to tell me one thing you’ve thought about, while you were around me, but didn’t tell me.”

Lena groaned softly then answered him in a husky whisper, “Last night,”

“Yes?”

“Will you be quiet and let me finish?”

“Sorry. I got excited.”

“Last night when you took your shirt off and your stomach had all that juice on it,” she paused then she heard him suck in a deep breath, “I wanted to get down on my knees and lick it all up. You have an amazing body Langley.”

She heard a breath whoosh out of his mouth then he groaned, “I’m going to die of frustration I think.”

Lena laughed softly, “You asked.”

“I know. I never said I was smart.”

She paused thinking about what she wanted to say then went on before she lost her nerve. “You tell me all the time things you’re thinking. So what about things you wish you could do to a woman but never have? What is one thing you want to do to me?”

He was very quiet while he thought about his answer. She had the phone cradled against her ear, resting against the pillow, which was a good thing because when he opened his mouth and answered her she was sure she would’ve dropped it.

“I find myself feeling things with you that I haven’t felt before. I feel edgier, more intense. You make me want to strangle you and in the next minute throw you over my shoulder. I’m not usually like that. I’m always the easy going guy and I don’t know how that makes me feel.” he paused took a breath then continued. “My reactions to you make me question myself because they aren’t light and carefree, they’re dark and dirty Lena. I want to do so many dirty things with you, to name them all wouldn’t be possible.”

His voice had hit that rough pitch that grated over her nerves and made her throb between her legs. “But if you want one thing in particular I’ll give you this. All that amazing hair you have so neatly tucked away most of the time? I want to unravel that hair and wrap it around my cock and feel it all over me as you sit on top of me and I stroke myself with it.”

One heart beat, two heart beat.

“Holy shit Langley.” she murmured, “If you’re gonna to die from frustration. I’m about to die from a meltdown.”

He chuckled breaking the intense moment, “You asked.”

“Well on that note I need to go and take a long cold shower.” she could almost see him smile when he spoke.

“I’ll see you Saturday. Be ready to sweat.”

“See you then Langley.” and with that she hung up the phone.