Read Between the Lines

[Nikoleta]

Well that certainly tickled his fancy. She was pleased by that, but it didn't take much to do that. But he was far more sure of himself then their last time together, especially by how he touched and kissed her. His uncertainly had mostly vanished by this point, and a more collected and cool Rod was inviting her to wine. But deep inside him, Nikoleta wagered he was still insecure.

"Well," She began, frowning down at the dried out blanket and fire still crackling in the night, "Why don't you bring what's left and we'll go to my place."

Her face return to his smiling one, but had turned a bit surprised at her suggestion. She explained. "Lighting fires near museums is a bit of crime."

[Rod Stafford]

Nikoleta's face suddenly changed. Rod turned and saw what had caused her concern. As if to emphasise her point, a patrolling police car had rolled around the corner onto the road leading up to the planetarium. They broke their embrace, he gathered up the blanket and used it to extinguish the fire while Nikoleta snatched up the wine and glasses.

When he pulled the blanket away a thick cloud of smoke puffed into the air. He turned to Nikoleta breathless, his face stained black in places, he smiled.

"Your place?"

[Nikoleta]

She laughed at his appearance, "You look like a chimney sweeper, but yes my place! Hurry!" Nikoleta quickly grabbed his elbow and raced across the lawn with Road in tow like scared teenagers afraid to be caught in the act!

The Immortal half tossed Rod against the Roadster and unlocked the doors, shoving the wine and glasses behind her seat.

"Get in quick!" She turned the engine over and saw in the rear view mirror that the Cop hadn't made it close enough to see them yet. The lights stayed off as she pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main street, before turning onto Lake Shore Drive, affectionately know as 'LSD' for short.

With the coast clear, head lights were switched on and they cruised down the Outer drive at a cool 65mph with the hood down.

[Rod Stafford]

Rod caught glimpses of his sooted face in the rear view mirror. He rubbed at the dirty spots with the sleeve of his shirt until he was content he was clean. They had picked up speed and the dazzling city closed in on them. He enjoyed the feel of the rushing night air and the feeling of narrowly avoiding getting into a tangle with the police. He smirked.

"Maybe we should'nt have taken off in such a hurry."

He placed his hand on her inner thigh and he caught her eye.

"We could've borrowed his handcuffs."

[Nikoleta]

"Rod!" She exclaimed, her foot pressing down the pedal faster in shock! "I never would have expected that from you."

The Immortal took him under scrutiny as they took the exit towards her penthouse. "What has my Rod been up to since we parted, hmm?"

[Rod Stafford]

"Rome, Paris, Moscow, Cairo, Honk Kong, New Dehli and New York. Then I finally came back to Chicago, where I have friends, and got myself a job and a place of my own."

He leaned across and nuzzled her neck, he spoke softly.

"And I've been chasing the ladies off ever since."

[Nikoleta]

"You've been very busy." She grinned widely and took a moment to relish in the gentle touch of pleasure that was given. Even with minimal traffic, she wanted to avoid and accident.

She pulled into an underground parking lot and pulled into her reserved space. The engine purred softly before shutting down and Nikoleta placed an arm behind Rod. "Then you waited for me?" she asked for clarification. The Immortal was keen at reading people, but she wanted to make no assumptions regarding Rod's feelings. "All this time and you waited for me ..."

[Rod Stafford]

"Not so much waited for you," he began, his eyes evaded hers and he spoke frankly.

"More like spent the last three weeks plucking up the courage to get in touch."

He looked up again and grinned.

[Nikoleta]

"Fair enough," she replied, her voice deep and sultry. Her fingers swept through his hair softly before kissing him. "I'm glad you did."

[Rod Stafford]

"Me too," he said, and returned the kiss.

His hands began to wander when another car pulled into the parking lot, the sharp glare of headlights splashed their long shadows against grey walls. Their privacy lost, Rod pulled away and with a smirk, climbed out of the car. Nikoleta followed suit, except by the time she had closed the door behind her, Rod's hands had settled on her hips and he pulled her close. Their lips met once more and when they broke, he smiled like a schoolboy privy to a mischievous secret.

"Coffee?"

His hand slipped into hers and he pulled her away from the car.

[Nikoleta]

Nikoleta bit her lip and eyed him with devious intentions as she turned leader and guided him towards the elevator ...

... Reaching the top of the five story building, the doors parted and Nikoleta left a disheveled Rod waiting inside the elevator as she opened the door to her penthouse.

She keyed in a code to turn off the alarm system and turned around with a wink. "I'll start the coffee."

[Rod Stafford]

"It's already started."

Rod swooped down on Nikoleta, and scooped her up in his arms. Her warm fingertips caressed his face, one of his hands slid down her back and below her waistline, she gasped and bit his lip. Heaving, he carried her beyond the threshold, kicked the door shut behind him and her shoes fell to the floor. They tumbled into the living room; lips smacked, soft moans escaped, and the candles flickered to life all around. His jacket had been discarded somewhere in the corridor and her blouse was open, revealing a bra of black lace and a stunning mid-riff. His eyes were fixed fiercely upon her.

"Nice place you've got," he grunted.

They crashed onto a rug and beside them, the fireplace errupted into dancing flame, filling the room with a warm orange glow.

[Nikoleta]

Six months of time was only a small blip on the radar for one of Nikoleta's ancient status. She hadn't changed even the slightest since meeting Rod in Greece, but him!

At the core, Rod was still socially inept, as evident by making that fire, but he was able to find his confidence. Not to mention the ability to be quite smooth. Lighting the fireplace was a nice touch.

She fell on top of him, and Rod expertly removed her blouse before his lips were crushed again. Breathless from the affections, her lips crooked into a smile before diving below his neck. Teeth nipped at his exposed flesh, while hands grabbed at either side of his shirt and ripped it open. Buttons popped into the air and bounced against the hardwood floor before rolling to a stop.

[Rod Stafford]

Rod grinned in spite of himself. A flick of his finger and her bra strap unhooked. Nikoleta gave him a look of suprise and he gently turned her over, the black lace slipped effortlessly from her arms and crumpled delicately amongst the buttons. He laid her on the rug, leaned in close and pressed his lips against her bare shoulder. Her hands deftly slipped the shirt from his back.

"I almost forgot how soft you are," he said on a breath, "And tasty."

He gave her a devilish look and took her hands in his. Tenderly, he pinned her arms against the floor. He tasted her lips first then ran the tip of his tongue steadily down her middle until he was past her belly button. His hands slid slowly from her fingers, along her arms, down her sides and when they reached her hips, her slacks slipped away with the faint hiss of shifting fabric.

[Nikoleta]

The Immortal's moan was soft and sensual, escaping through her nose first before the crescendo reached her mouth sharply! She rolled over onto hands and knees, cupping Rod's chin and forced him to stand as she did.

"And I forgot how amazing your hands were," she purred and licked the tip of his nose. With Nikoleta guiding Rod towards the bedroom, they stumbled and smacked against walls, knocking into tables, tipping over chairs as clothing continued to be discarded and hands roamed along each others bodies. Hands groped and fondled, hair was tussled around while lips sought the others in earnest.

Fiercely pressed into one another, they rolled into the doorway that led into her bedroom. The door slammed shut behind them so forcefully that the pictures nearest were knocked off center.

[Rod Stafford]

Sunlight streamed in through the open windows and stung Rod's heavy eyes when he woke. He stirred slowly, and once free of Nikoleta's arm, rubbed his face. The clock on the bedside cabinet read half past three. He slid out of bed and looked around for his underpants.

When he found them, he whipped them off the bedpost and slipped a leg in. He paused. After taking his leg back out, he held his underpants aloft and grimaced. A fresh ray of sunlight blinded him through a crude hole where the crotch of his pants should've been. He grunted and cast them to the ground. Quietly, he left for the bathroom, making sure he didn't step on the scissors.

[Nikoleta]

She groaned, not wanting it to be morning. Her and Rod had been at it well into the night and all throughout the apartment. How they actually made it back to the bedroom to sleep, Nikoleta honestly couldn't remember.

One green eye peeked opened and quickly snapped to attention. It was 3:30pm?! That jolted her awake and was now upright in bed with a thin black sheet covering her. She stretched, her body screaming in protest as she arched her back. The last time her body felt like this was back in 1509 when she was dragged three miles by horse to where she was to be hung until dead as punishment for impersonating a man in the English Army.

That had, to put it simply, sucked.

Rolling out of bed, Nikoleta tightened the sheet around her like a toga, and walked out of the bedroom. Along the way to the kitchen, she tidied up. Straightening pictures, putting chairs upright and shoving clothes to the side with her feet.

"Oh hell!" She pouted at a big marshmallow fluff stain on her hardwood floor. She collected the container and turned off the chocolate fountain before disappearing into the kitchen.

[Rod Stafford]

The tiled bathroom floor was icy on his bare feet so he hopped haphazardly from foot to foot until he reached the toilet. He sighed with the release, his head rolled back and he shivered. Still feeling a little groggy, he turned to the sink and splashed his face with cold water. He shook it off like a dog and stood upright. His naked self stared back at him in the wall-encompasing mirror and he froze. There was something written on his chest:

HCTIB YM

He pressed a finger to it, it was lipstick, deep scarlet. It smudged easily enough. He frowned and lathered a coarse flannel with soap.

[Nikoleta]

She threw out three empty bottles of wine, an empty carton of strawberries and a can of whip cream while fresh orange juice was being made. The fridge was a disaster and Nikoleta slammed it shut immediately after taking a peek. Everything was tossed around as if a bunch of monkeys had been let loose in there. The freezer was no better and splotches of ice cream were everywhere!

[Rod Stafford]

Once his chest was free of lipstick, Rod dried off with a damp towell and plodded into the corridor. He could hear someone pottering about in the kitchen and assumed Nikoleta was awake; he felt a pinch of guilt for the state to which her home had been reduced. There was a high-pitched squeak and Rod stumbled forward into the bedroom. He turned around and looked down to find a curiously shaped rubber duck lying on the floor. He smirked and kicked it into the bathroom.