All Over The Guy
“There is no occasion for women to consider themselves subordinate or inferior to men.” - Mohandas K. Ghandi
She’d never know why she limited herself to one glass of wine whenever she drank because she was starting to severely regret that decision to be almost tee-total.
Kate arrived home a little after five to an empty apartment. She hadn’t exactly been expecting a welcoming committee, but it would’ve been nice if Tony had actually been around. She needed a drink, a hug and a bath in that order. Still bemoaning the fact she drank rarely, she was thankful she’d picked up a six-pack of beer on her way home because today really was the day for drinking.
The remainder of her first day had gone mostly without a hitch until she’d met with her most arrogant, distasteful client to date. The man had no concept whatsoever of the meaning of the words no or punctuality, nor had he any manners. She wasn’t even going to think about the toothpick thing. He reminded her of a mafia boss who’d exchanged his Cuban cigars in favor of a flavored stick.
Leon Vance had arrived thirty minutes late, barged in on Kate while she was on the phone and proceeded to demand a coffee from Jeanne three times, claiming she wasn’t making it right; not to mention insulting Kate’s intelligence by suggesting she knew nothing of what she was doing, and that she’d slept her way to her current position - pun intended.
The bad manners and arrogance she could handle, Vance wasn’t the first obnoxious asshole Kate had ever encountered in her life, but he was certainly the most hands on. She began regretting her decision to wear the sheer black blouse, that left little to the imagination, since Vance spent most of his time staring at her near visible breasts and her very visible lace bra; that was when he wasn’t making suggestions for some off the clock work she could do for him, while touching her thigh and trying to slip his hand under her skirt whenever she was near him. For future occasions, she was going to start keeping her most conservative clothing in her office as emergency wear anytime she knew Vance was going to be in the building, not that it would stop him right enough.
Eventually, after politely asking him to remove his hand and refrain from touching her several times, Kate had implied calling security to have him removed from the building due to his behaviour, not caring if they lost his business or not. Vance’s hands remained in his lap for the remainder of the meeting but by then it was too late; Gibbs was getting a new client and Kate knew he wouldn’t take kindly to the reasons behind Kate handing him over.
Kate had reasoned with herself on the drive home that she only drank in celebration or stress, and since today was both she felt she’d earned a beer or two and was sure Tony must be wanting something more than iced tea while he was at her place.
Setting her briefcase down on the dining table, Kate wandered through the archway to the kitchen, the only area that was cut off from the open plan layout of the first floor, and put the beers in the fridge after taking one for herself. Going back into the living area, she spotted Tony’s laptop on the coffee table, which she hadn’t seen when she first arrived and realised he must still be floating about somewhere. There were only so many places he could be, and she’d put money on him being on the roof.
Her heels clicking against the hardwood floors and steel stairs echoed loudly throughout the apartment and it made Kate realise just how empty her home actually was. The previous owners had left a few scraps of furniture behind, like the patio furniture and potted plants on the roof terrace, but Kate couldn’t see herself actually being at home there until she made it her own. She shuddered to think that the emptiness of her home represented the emptiness of her life, but she hoped it wouldn’t be that way for long just as long as she had someone by her side to help fill her life up with something more than publishing and sleazy clients.
Reaching the top floor landing, where her den was located, Kate head down the short hallway to the door at the end. The ceiling high plate glass windows, similar to the ones at the office, provided an excellent view of the Virginia skyline, and of Tony. He was sprawled in the chair nearest the shade the outer wall provided, with a bottle of iced tea held loosely in his hand, and was sound asleep.
Taking a swig of beer, Kate pushed on the handle and the door swung open quietly, letting her feel the cool air being on the roof provided as opposed to the suffocating heat of being on the street. Still, she was glad she kept her wool coat on as the breeze drifted around her bare legs.
She hadn’t the chance to properly study Tony while he’d slept that morning so she took the chance now, walking toward him as quietly as her heels allowed. Taking the bottle from him before it fell, she placed it on the deck and leant over him, looking into his young face as if it held all the answers she was looking for. As young as he was, he looked younger when he slept, something which Kate envied. She knew no matter what she still looked every bit her thirty-six years.
“You gonna stand there staring at me all evening, or are you gonna join me?”
Kate jumped as Tony’s sleep laced voice dragged her from her thoughts and he opened one eye to look at her lazily, silently appreciating her being there when he woke instead of him finding her to be still at work; he would blame this on the fact he’d been tormented all day by the thought of her in that blouse and wanted nothing more than to rip it from her body. Before she had the chance to respond, Tony had sat up and grabbed her round the waist, positioning her so she was sat between his legs and leaning against his chest.
“I would’ve sat down you know. No need to go all Neanderthal on me.”
“I know, you just looked like you needed a hug.”
Kate damned herself for letting her emotions show so clearly on her face, for letting her guard drop. When she was around Tony, despite knowing him now for a whole day, she felt as if he could read her mind and that she couldn’t keep anything from him. She became a whole different person when she was with him; she became human. Handing back her beer to him, Kate settled in for the long haul.
“I guess I did. Turned out to be a really long, hard first day.”
“You wanna talk about it?”
“I don’t know. The last time someone asked me that I got angry, but the subject in question was entirely different. I do want to say thank you though, again, for being so honest about Jeanne.”
“Well if we’re involved you deserve to know. I‘m hoping you‘d show me the same honesty.”
“I would. The only thing you really need to know is that I had a thing with my boss a few years ago, and now he’s a little jealous of you.”
It had been the one thing they hadn’t discussed at lunch. Their relationship status, Jeanne and work had all been fine points, but Kate didn’t quite know how to tell him that she loved her boss. He could easily have taken it the wrong way and she never would have seen him again, or he could be taking it like he was now. Calmly and patiently awaiting her story.
“What you need to understand about Jethro, is something I don’t really understand myself. I’ve known the man for sixteen years, and in those sixteen years I’ve been the one constant thing in his life. He’s had to deal with a lot of pain and I’ve been there with him every step of the way. We love each other, no doubt, and he got a little worried about me, us today. You ever see the X-Files?”
“Yeah. Scully was hot.”
Elbowing him in the stomach for his remark, she covered it up as if she were trying to get comfortable and settled for kicking off her heels and turning on her side so she was able to throw a leg over his and be completely wrapped up in him.
“Jethro and I are like Mulder and Scully, as I told him today. That basically sums us up, really.”
“So he’s like your best friend, the one you can tell everything to; I get that.”
“Yeah. But you know, I don’t want to talk until I’ve said hello properly.”
“Fine, we won’t talk.”
Kate turned again and moved so she was straddling him. Tony looked up at her expectantly as she towered over him, but she was giving nothing away. He set the bottle down beside the chair so he had both hands free to touch and caress and hold her. One look from Kate was enough to turn his legs to jelly, and for the most part he was glad he was always sitting when he was around her.
Kate smiled slowly and secretively, as if she knew something he didn’t. Tonight the tables had turned and now he was putty in her hands instead of it being the other way around. There were no words spoken, everything they wanted to say being done through their eyes and the only sounds were of the plants rustling beside them and the traffic on the street below. She was being wicked and they both knew it.
“You gonna say hi, or am I gonna have to do what I’ve been wanting to ever since I seen that blouse?”
“And what might that be, Tony?”
“Rip it off and ravish you, until the only thing you know is my name and how good I am for you.”
She closed the distance between them slowly, teasing him as her hands moved up to undo the buttons on her blouse. His hands stopped hers in their progress of getting her undressed, since he really did want to rip it from her body in some cheesy, macho romance way. Kate moved her hands to his shoulders and leant in closer, until they could feel the heat of each other’s breath on their lips, as Tony slid his hands to the opening between two buttons. He gave an experimental tug and Kate chuckled, moving only to kiss his jaw all the way to his ear where she softly whispered to him.
“I dare you.”
Author's Chapter Notes:
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