C-Box

[Lorelei]

Lorelei was so goddamned tired.

But Lance had called for her presence, and weakness was not tolerated in HQ. Lorelei downed an entire carton of Orange Juice. That woke her up.

She shoved her sandals on instead of her usual Pumps and put her contacts in because her glasses were making an impression on her nose.

Lorelei wondered what Lance could possibly want since she just went over their next plan with him...

hmm. Anyhow, she'd better be going.

[Lance]

A clocked ticked melodically in the room, showing anyone who watched it just how late it was starting to get. The sun had long since set. The florescent lights of the Indigo Plateau hummed on, producing a low, annoying drone. Lance settled back into his wooden desk chair. It squeaked, not out of protest, but as a way for the grains to nestle themselves into their proper positions. A computer whirred away on the metal desk next to him. Flashing across the screen were thousands of numbers that dictated various things such as DNA sequences, probability outcomes, lab results... Lance rested his elbow uncomfortably on the metal surface, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. Orange bangs bushed against his hand, causing it to itch slightly. An exhausted sigh escaped. It was the eleventh hour for the planned attack on the school. Everyone, including mind-slave Bruno, was sick and tired of the preparations. They were sick and tired in general. Agatha had caught something again - he could tell from the way Lorelei nervously trotted around the headquarters, stiff-legged and irritable. In truth, he felt like an ass for dragging her all the way down to his sleeping quarters to review something they had already gone over. There was still something that wasn’t quite ... perfect about this plan and it bothered him.

Lorelei was the only one he could call on in the wee hours of the night. Agatha would have told Lance he was being a selfish bastard and left. Bruno’s intelligence was just too low to be of any use. The coy researcher absolutely hated to be toyed with like this, but she kept coming back for more every time. That’s why Lorelei was the leader’s favorite. Not only was she very alluring and sensual to look at, she was willing to put up with whatever demands Lance could think of. The said woman appeared just then, a shadow in the doorway. The dragon trainer was surprised he hadn’t heard her coming until he noticed she had on sandals instead of her famous heels. He could always count on their clacking sounds to judge Lorelei’s mood. She had also put in contacts in place of the usual, glare-reflecting glasses. In this low light, her eyes looked almost purple.

“My, you look much prettier without your glasses.” A sly half-smile appeared on Lance’s lips. “You should have told me you were getting dressed up. I would have put on something more suiting.”

It was Casual Friday after all, and Lance wasn’t dressed in his usual jacket-and-cape attire. Adorning his lower half were a pair of navy blue slacks. They fell onto bare feet (Lance preferred the cold feel of the tile floors during winter than the inside of shoe). The upper half had a short-sleeved, white collared shirt. The collar was popped up in a lazy fashion, flopping over in some parts. But that's what you get when you let the Dragon Master do his own laundry. The top two buttons had been left freed, exposing a little chest and a pendant. Around his neck on a woven black chord there lay a fang. It was a pristine white save for the areas where the enamel had been chipped off or worn away. The chord was wound around the base of the fang twice, crossed in an x, then looped once about half an inch down the tooth. The dragon master was not really a fan of jewelry but this was his one exception. The sacred Dragon Fang around his neck served as a physical manifestation of his power over his cousin, Clair. He had beaten her to obtaining one, even though he was several years her junior, and therefore given entry to the powerful Dragon Clan. The fang never left his person.

“Really, you should give me fair warning when you plan on being voluptuous in my presence. There have been times when I’ve lost my self restrain, you know. You’re too tempting.”

To be completely honest, he rather liked this tasseled look on Lorelei. It portrayed her strong nature better than the clean, neat look she usually went for. Although glasses suited her better than contacts. Contacts didn’t give her a look of refined dignity.

[Lorelei]

Lorelei walked into Lance's room...well dragged herself really, and sank into a chair not to far from Lance, sitting on the edge of his bed. That Orange Juice was only temporary.

“My, you look much prettier without your glasses.” Lance gave what might be considered a smile. “You should have told me you were getting dressed up. I would have put on something more suiting.”

Oh please, casual friday, I'm tired, let's get this over with.

"I'm sorry Lance, but that is where i must draw the line, i am much too tired to come up with my usual witticism. Please, let's get down to business."

She wasn't sure about that look in his eye...

Lorelei yawned into the back of her hand. "Oh dear."

If she didn't watch herself, she was going to get run down just like Agatha, then she wouldn't be able to do anything for Lance.

If only she hadn't consumed all of those cartons of OJ today, they help keep her brain going, but then comes the crash.

Lance had apparently ignored her. “Really, you should give me fair warning when you plan on being voluptuous in my presence. There have been times when I’ve lost my self restrain, you know. You’re too tempting.”

What in hell was he talking about? She was starting to show dark circles under her eyes, her hair was fallin out of the hair-tie (in fact she was rather sure it dropped out of her wild looking hair on the walk here), and she looked as if she hadn't eaten in days.

Again, what in hell was he talking about?

Lorelei thought to say that he looked fine as well, but that animalistic gleam in his slitted eyes was holding her back from saying so.

Lorelei shuffled her feet and looked down. Bad idea. Her sandals sent a sliver through the side of her foot. She gave a small scream and fell forwards into Lance's lap...her face was rather close to his belt buckle.

She pushed herself backwards in embarrassment and hit the back of her head on the chair.

Ow. Damnit, the one person who needs her to act professional at the moment and she goes and does this.

[Lance]

His coworker stumbled her way across the room and sank into the spare wooden chair at the foot of the bed like a deflated balloon. She snorted at his statement about her glasses. Lorelei was never open to praise, and Lance could never understand why. Or maybe it was just praise from the redhead she couldn’t take. It was hard to know when he was being serious and when he was being sarcastic. In this case, it was a half-truth statement - even more confusing to the recipient.

“I’m sorry, Lance, but that is where I must draw the line. I am much too tired to come up with my usual witticism. Please, let’s get down to business.”

Lorelei yawned, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. There was a faint scent of orange juice in her breath. The man cocked his maw in that amused half-smile again. It wasn’t coffee or energy drinks or caffeine that kept her up. For some reason orange juice made his friend rather energetic and jittery for a couple hours. It was surprising she had ventured to meet him before the citric sugars kicked in.

Lance offered another comment about her looks tonight. Lorelei appeared more confused than anything. She met his gaze and looked down. The sound of shuffling feet could be heard. Were his comments making her uncomfortable? This was a new reaction. The woman would usually offered up a snide insult or told him to shove off. Perhaps her armor had caved momentarily. Her physical armor had cracked anyway. The icey trainer gave out a sudden yelp of pain and fell forward into his lap. To Lance, this wouldn’t have been nearly as awkward if more than just her head made it onto the desk chair. He struggled to decide whether to help her up (although he was pretty sure she would misinterpret the gesture and he would lose a hand) or to sit limply.

She quickly pushed herself up, solving his mental dilemma, very red with embarrassment. Lorelei then proceeded to crack her head on the tipped-over chair. I think I need more klutz-friendly furniture. She sat back on the floor, head down. Lance smiled, appreciative that she tried so desperately to please him and disappointed with how she was abusing herself in the process. The redhead slipped off his desk chair to be level with his subordinate.

“Lori,” He knew she hated that pet name. There was always a scowl on her face when he addressed her by it. “One day your people-pleasing personality is going to kill you.” Lance reached out with both hands and lace his fingers through hers. “I’ve seen you working almost nonstop for the past five days.” He leaned over, bringing his face close to hers. She smelt warm and milky, with a little bit of spice and ocean salt. It reminded the dragon trainer of a summer night on a beach. “You should relax once in a while. You know, take a personal day.” His voice was low and smooth, made thick with suggestion. “The Elite Four can shuffle on without you for one day.” Lance touched his nose to Lorelei’s. His gaze was filled with a kind of warmth that was hardly ever seen in their coppery depths. It wasn’t a pleasant warm; it had something more bestial to it. “Want to take the night off?” He cocked a brow as he waited for a response.

[Lorelei]

Damn, the crash from the OJ was getting into her head. Right now, all she wanted to do was take a nap in that warm looking lap of his. She was getting not only physically weak, but mentally as well.

Lorelei didn't do weak.

Just before she could attempt composing herself, Lance laced his fingers in hers. She felt him leaning in, but what was worse was that she felt herself lean in a bit to meet him. They were nose to nose and her senses must have been going because that animalistic look melted into a warm lucid stare.

Lorelei was loosing control of her body and mind. Now it wasn't his lap, but his warm embrace that seemed the perfect spot for a well deserved slumber. 'This is not professional' her critical mind told her.

“One day your people-pleasing personality is going to kill you.” Lance said. “I’ve seen you working almost nonstop for the past five days.”

Lorelei felt something on her face. 'Are those tears? YOU DO NOT CRY! her critical mind screamed at her. In response to Lance, she whispered a small "I know..." What was happening to her?

“You should relax once in a while. You know, take a personal day.” Now they were so close that the only thing that let Lorelei know Lance was the one talking to her, and not the voice inside her head, was the vibration she felt under his skin, calming her.

Something was definately wrong with her.

“The Elite Four can shuffle on without you for one day.” Lance continued, Lorelei was so dragged in that she didn't notice the return of The Animal. “Want to take the night off?”

Oh my God, she actually felt a fluttering in her chest. The critical voice inside was dissapearing so quickly, she couldn't understand more than a mumble.

She sank into the form that was her boss in any given moment but this one. She felt as if she were sinking into a pool that wouldn't kill her if she bothered to breath. Lorelei sighed, is this all she wanted? Someone's arms around her?

Lorelei sank deeper into Lance and sighed again while saying helplessly "I would love to take the night off. I'm so busy with Agatha being..." she continued, but inaudibly.

Oh my God why did Lance have to be so warm? She felt her free hand move from her lap to his chest without much of a thought. Her hand was the only thing keeping them apart, and it wasn't doing a very good job of it.

What was the harm in letting herself sink into Lance the rest of the way?

[Lance]

He could feel Lorelei leaning in to meet him. Perhaps all of his overt flirting and suggestions were going to pay off tonight. She didn’t seem happy about what she was doing, however. There was a certain stiffness, as though she were still arguing with herself. There was a moment after he commented about how hard she worked where she appeared crestfallen. Is she going to cry? Lance’s composure flickered for a second. He had worked with this woman for years and seen a spectrum of emotions on her. But never something that resembled self pity like this. I really have broken you down, haven’t I? He smirked.

“I would love to take the night off,” she broke the stare by looking off to the lower left. “But I’m so busy with Agatha being...“ Lorelei trailed off. The man almost released a frustrated snort in her face. Could she really not see where he was going with this? There were very few things that caused Lance to be frustrated, so it was an emotion he didn’t have practice controlling. One could always tell he was frustrated by the purse in his lips. In this case, he was being denied something he wanted. It wasn’t something that happened often - he was Lance - and it therefore elicited a very negative response. He checked himself, however. Getting angry with her wasn’t going to get her to give in.

“You can’t be our mother, love.” His voice was thick with persuasion again. “If you’re trying to take care of the rest of us, who’s taking care of you?”

Her hand went up to his chest. Maybe he was getting somewhere. Lance wasted no time using the leverage she had given him to pull her close. With a hand on her hip, he moved their faces close again. His lips were on hers, enveloped in a soft kiss. There was the distinct taste of orange juice. We outta buy a sweeter-tasting brand.

[Lorelei]

She knew what game he was playing at. Lorelei would have pushed Lance away and thrown insults at him.

But Lorelei wasn't Lorelei tonight.

Lorelei was a souless shell that played mommy 24/7 and to further validate that point, Lance whispered softly “You can’t be our mother, love.” He cajolled suggestively. “If you’re trying to take care of the rest of us, who’s taking care of you?”

He kissed her, so softly it felt as if a butterfly had rested on her lips. As his hand went to her hip, she dragged her hand to the center of his chest and inserted a finger through the space between buttons. She could feel his warm core, the heart that never skipped a beat, the fine tuned clockwork that made him run.

She thought to move her leg and intertwine it with his, but there was something about the kiss that had to last longer before anything else happened. His fingers gripped hers harder and the moonlight broke through the cracks in the blinds, adding a luminescent blue tint to their skin. And that's just it, it wasn't Lance's and Lorelei's skin, it was their skin.

If tonight didn't release Lorelei, no other night was going to.

[Lance]

She kissed him back, and that was all the invitation Lance needed. He came back with a rougher kiss, curling his fingers harder against her hand. There was something irresistible about her tonight - he couldn't tell if it was the sex that was possibly in store, or something about Lorelei herself. That spicy-sweet scent filled the air, along with the heat that emanated from their bodies. It certainly did not feel like a cold December night in that room. He moved on to press his lips to her jaw line, then kiss her neck. A hand slid its way up her waist and under the hem of her blouse. The female’s skin was very soft. If it weren’t for the warmth, it would have been hard to imagine the covering belonged to something organic. Lance pressed his cheek against hers, feeling the same warmth reach his face. He let out a satisfied purr. The sensations produced by this closeness with another human were overwhelming. They were wonderful and euphoric, but overwhelming.

He pushed himself forward, so that he was hovering over her in a dominating position. His hands touched the floor; she must have been resting almost as far back as on her elbows. Their faces were still close, and Lance had fixed his fiery, hungry gaze on her blue eyes. That smile was back - the cynical, knowing smirk. The man held himself like this for a few seconds, enough time to let Lorelei’s mind exhaust itself thinking of possible outcomes. He knew what this night was going to end with, but it would be cruel to just take it. With an amused snort, he backed off. The dragon trainer stood to his full six-foot-something height in one, majestic movement. Oh no, he wasn’t done with her just yet. Lance stuck his right hand out, offering to help Lorelei up. If they were going to get to anything frisky tonight, it wasn’t going to happen on the cold, uncomfortable tile floors. Especially when there was a soft, square mattress in the vicinity. His companion could have come back to her senses by now anyway. She had to decide if she was committed to her work, or (as Lance saw it) to her mental well being.

“So,” he stood there, hand held out, and gave her one last choice. “Are you taking the night off?”

[Lorelei]

Lorelei felt his form meld with hers, she didn't want to open her eyes. She felt pulled into his body although he was clearly leading her closer to the ground. The floor was cold and heartless but the lips running down her face and neck accompanied by the hand on her skin and under her shirt were definately warm and welcoming. Lorelei had to take her hand from Lance's chest so that she wouldn't fall.

He rested his body further into hers, she went from her elbows to lying flat on her back with her arms bent to either side of her, her hair surrounding her head. Lorelei opened her eyes, but only halfway, she stared into Lance's eyes and saw something she wanted, wanted for a long time, wanted more than anything...wanted...and must have...Lance made one sound, an almost felinic purr, that was the sound that triggered it.

It.

The thing inside that was going to get what it wanted. They both couldn't help but smile knowingly.

Lorelei closed her eyes again and Lance still held himself above her but at a close distance. She felt part of her move from her to Lance as he stood.

She breathed one deep breath before opening her eyes to his hand reaching for hers.

“So,” His voice did something to her that it had never ventured to before. “Are you taking the night off?”

Looking through her eyelashes and giving a small smile, she took his hand and stood slowly and as close to his body as possible. With her neck on his she whispered.

"Weren't you the one telling me it was in my best interest, or was i imagining that?" She traced her finger along the seams of his pants, "I'd be crazy not to take the night off." She knew her earlier tease was goign to get her exactly what she wanted.