Remember Me

Chapter 7 - Strategies and Networking

Buffy lay on the beach for most of the day. She grabbed a quick
sandwich at the bar, and brought it back to her lounge chair for lunch.
The sun was warm and felt wonderful on her skin, making her feel
both languid and lethargic. It was a nice feeling, something she
thought she hadn't felt for a long time. From what she remembered oher her job it was incredibly fast paced and stressful. This trip was just
what she needed to re-energize her flagging strength. s shs she lay with her eyes closed her mind turned to the events that
had occurred only hours ago in their suite. Buffy remembered vividly
every hard plane and rigid muscle of Will's body. Her own began to
tingle at the very memory. Her whole body had been buzzing during
their kiss and she'd known nothing at the time except the yearning for
more. How could she have decided to not take their relationship that
one step further?

It wasn't as if she were afraid that they didn't know each other well
enough. She doubted there was anyone else who knew her half as
well as Will did, and vice versa. They'd known each other for what
seemed like forever and she knew, whether she remembered the last
few weeks in detail or not, that there was no one she trusted more.
So why not take it to the next level? Maybe it was time to re-evaluate
that earlier decision.

She thought of Will's reactions to her earlier, and even during the
remembered kiss they'd shared at the airport. Thinking back she
couldn't help but feel that both kisses had begun reluctantly, almost
as if he had tensed at the first feel of her lips. Why would that be the
case? Maybe she was imagining things? But the more she thought
about it, the more it seemed to be true. And the way he'd acted this
morning, after her initial overture, had seemed odd as well, almost as
if he were hiding something from her.

Buffy knit her brow in thought. What could be the problem?
Suddenly she gasped as an idea struck her. Could Will have found
another woman? Could that be why he didn't want to kiss her, or
make love to her? No, Will would never cheat on her, she was sure
of that. Maybe he'd just realized that he didn't really love her, and
was going to break it off before her accident. Will wasn't the type of
guy to kick her while she was down. Maybe he was just biding his
time until she got better, before breaking things off with her. Buffy's
lip began to tremble and her eyes misted over. Did Will not love her
anymore?

She tried to think back over their relationship. It was strange but she
couldn't pinpoint the moment they'd gone from just friends to
something more. She had plenty of memories surrounding them
together, and several of him saying those three sweet little words, 'I
love you'. But she was sure that Will had never had a problem telling
her he loved her, even when they had just been friends. So, what
clear memory did she have of them as a couple? None. Unless you
counted the day they shopped for the engagement ring. And that
memory was far from clear. More like disjointed images of a jewelry
store, Will slipping the ring on her finger and her own attempts to
arrest the tears that gathered in her eyes.

It seemed a recent memory though. If he had stopped loving her,
why would he have gotten her a ring? Why hadn't he called things off
before going that far?

Buffy wracked her memory for anything that might help. The only
things prominent were Will, and her job. She did seem to spend an
awful lot of time at the studio. She remembered several all nighters
as well. Could that be the problem? Could Will resent the fact that
she worked too much? That she didn't give enough to their
relationship? Buffy couldn't imagine her life without Will. Her job did
mean a lot to her; she wanted to be successful in her career, but not
at the expense of her relationship with the man she loved.

What could she do to change his mind? Maybe she just needed to let
him know that *he* was her priority. She had all week to convince
him of that fact. And when they got back from this trip she would re-
evaluate her job and whether it truly did make her happy. Maybe she
could cut back on hours there, or find another studio that would be
more reasonable. Being a PA wasn't exactly glamorous, though she
loved working in the industry. Maybe it was time to see about
changing careers. Either way Buffy couldn't lose him. She was
determined to spend this week making sure Will knew how much she
loved him.

***

Okay, all he had to do was keep them out of the room for as long as
possible. Being in public was the only solution. Spike knew that
being alone with Buffy was something he couldn't afford to do. Being
in public with Buffy was already weakening his resolve to keep things
platonic between them; private time would just eradicate it completely.
Especially because she was determined to maintain physical contact
at all costs, or so it seemed.

After his phone call with Wesley, Spike had gone out for a long walk.
By the time he'd returned to the room, Buffy was alr dre dressing for
dinner in the bathroom. He quickly donned his suit and used the
vanity in the bedroom to insure his unruly curls were tamed. When
Buffy had stepped out of the bathroom, Spike nearly reneged on his
promise to keep a safe distance from the girl.

The dress she wore was a shimmering gold that fell just inches below
the shapely curve of hips.ips. Nothing indecent, but something
definitely a bit risqué. The neckline was modest, swinging to just
above the soft mounds of her breasts. The fabric was so thin he
could see the outline of her hard nipples, and wondered if that meant
she wasn't wearing a bra.

She had just a splash of make-up on, and Spike was glad. He never
thought she needed any, preferring to see her fresh-faced. The
subtle odor of her perfume wafted across the room and aroused his
senses. He had no idea what type of flower it smelled like, only that it
tickled his nose and made his body tingle.

Spike cleared his throat clumsily, nearly choking instead. "You look
beautiful, Buffy." He managed the words. "Ready, luv?" He held his
arm out for her, both aching for and dreading her touch.

They walked out together, heading downstairs to the dinner. The
outline the director had given him had stated that a formal dinner
would be held each night in one of the ballrooms of the hotel. It was
a chance for conference guests to mingle, exchange business cards,
and make new contacts. In short, it was everything Spike hated, yet
everything he was here to do.

When they entered the room, Spike barely held back a cringe. There
were several hundred people in the room. He searched the small
sign-in table for their name tags, finding them he helped Buffy pin
hers on before pinning on his own. He scowled slightly at the tag,
realizing that all the men in the room now had a reason to focus on
Buffy's chest.

"Relax, Will." Buffy ordered him, feeling the tension in his taut arms.

"Relax? In this bloody mob?" Spike swept the room with his gaze
and groaned. "Great! Look who's coming this way."

Buffy glanced up to see a dark haired man and a blond walking in
their direction. "Who's that?" She whispered.

"You don't remember?" Spike asked.

"Duh! Head trauma?" She reminded him.

"It's that Angel git, and his ditzy better half, Harmony. We met them
at the airport." He offered.

By the time the other couple had reached them, Buffy head a
welcoming smile plastered to her face. "Hello, again." She nodded in
their direction.

"Hello, Buffy." Angel gave her a smile, reached for her hand and
placed a kiss on the back of it. He completely ignored Spike, who
began to emit a deep growl at the other man's temerity.

Buffy immediately pulled her hand away from Angel and placed it
around Will's waist, leaning her body into his. The growling ceased,
but Spike continued to stare daggers at the man talking to his girl.

"So, how have you been, Buffy? I heard you had a little accident the
other day. I have to say you definitely don't look any worse for wear."
Angel winked at her.

Buffy felt distinctly uncomfortable. She could feel the tension
tightening every muscle of Will's body. And the feelings she got from
Angel were of the creepazoid variety. Why didn't the woman he was
with say something to him instead of just smiling inanely?

"Yes, we had a small mishap surfing. But I'm fine now. Will took
good care of me." She turned and placed a quick kiss on Will's
cheek. "Thanks, honey."

Spike continued to remain silent. Finally, Harmony spoke up. "So,
when do you two plan to get married? Have you set a date yet?"

Buffy's smile widened into a genuine one. She turned to Will and
asked, "We haven't set a date yet, have we honey?" Then turning
back to Harmony she continued, "But I'd love to do it as soon as
possible. Maybe in October, I'd love a fall wedding. The whether will
be cool, bot cot cold." She didn't notice Spike's gaze shift to her.
Didn't notice his close scrutiny, or the wistful look in his own eyes.

"It's a good thing our circle of friend's are all couples. That way we
don't have to worry about pairing anyone up for the wedding party.
We haven't actually started official planning yet, but I know my mom
has probably planned everything down to the minute since the day I
was born." Buffy chuckled. "And she loves Will. She's been telling
me for years that we should get together."

"She has?" Spike broke in, surprised.

"Oh yeah. You didn't know that?" Buffy answered smiling at him.

"No, luv. You never said."

"I thought it might just make you uncomfortable. You never seemed
to want anything besides friendship with me."

"But you wanted more?" He was intrigued.

"Well, we're engaged aren't we?" She emitted a low sexy laugh.

Spike barely kept the scowl off his face. That wasn't the answer he
was looking for. The only reason they were engaged was because of
his own stupidity. He thought back over their recent conversation.
Did that mean that Buffy had feelings for him? That she had wanted
to become more than friends, and had never told him? Or was that
just wishful thinking on his part?

"Come on, Angel. Let's leave the two lovebirds alone and find our
table. I'm starving." Harmony began to pull Angel away from them,
waving a quick goodbye.

"See you later, Buffy." Angel's goodbye sounded more like a threat to
both their ears. It made Buffy shiver and Spike's arm tightened
around her.

"Let's go, luv. You must be hungry too. You only had a sandwich for
lunch, yeah?" He asked, leading her toward a table.

"Yeah. I'm a little hungry, but I'm okay. Don't worry Will."

"Can't help it, luv." Spike answered.

"I know. That's one of the reasons I love you so much." She kissed
him on the lips this time. The kiss was quicker and definitely more
chaste than Spike would have liked, but he conceded it was probably
for the best.

When the rest of the table sat down, Spike tried to make conversation
with t tab table-mates but it was not one of his more honed skills.
Fortunately for him, Buffy was an expert at socializing. She soon had
the whole table chuckling and in a light hearted mood. Spike watched
her, his heart swelling. Every now and then she would brush a hand
against his, or lean her body into his, as if the brief contact gave her
enough energy to keep going throughout the night.

Afterwards, when the women separated to make a trip to the ladies
room several of the men commented on his luck. Spike could only
smile and nod, knowing that if his engagement were real that
statement would be nothing but the truth. He was also able to get
several business cards, and pass out several of his own before the
night ended.

Finally the night waned and Spike informed their new acquaintances
that he should be taking Buffy up to get some rest. He guided her out
of the ballroom and back up to their suite, dreading a sleepless night
beside the woman of his every fantasy. He knew he wouldn't be able
to get a wink of sleep with Buffy laying beside him.

When they got upstairs he let Buffy use the bathroom first. He
stripped down to his boxers and got under the covers to wait for her.
Normally he slept in the nude, but he knew that was out of the
question. When Buffy exited the bathroom, Spike nearly fainted, all
the blood rushed to his n len leaving him lightheaded and groggy.

While Buffy had been getting ready for dinner this afternoon, she'd
come across something hidden at the bottom of her suitcase. It was
one of her Victoria Secret's sexy nightgowns. She'd figured this was
the perfect way to hint to Will that she wanted to nix her original plan
to wait until they were married. So she'd take it to the bathroom and
left it there, slipping it on when they'd returned from dinner.

She looked beautiful. Better than any fantasy he'd conjured of
ov
over the years. Her curves were covered with a very thin silky
materialace ace edging crept to just above her hard nipples, and the
top itself ended at just about her waist. He could see she wore
matching thong underwear, and a see through robe thing that ended
at hip level. He groaned, his erection pulsing between his legs.

"Buffy?" Her name was a croak between dry lips.

Without a word she came to stand beside him on the bed. Leaning
down she took his mouth with her own, slipping her tongue between
surprised lips and exploring his warm mouth. His arms came around
to wrap around her waist and haul her on top of him. She could feel
his arousal through the sh, an, and ground her hips down, making
him moan and thrust up toward her.

"Buffy, we can't." He nearly cried, trying to pull away from her.

"Yes, we can." She silenced him with another kiss. "I know I don't
remember everyth but but I know I want you. There's no reason to
wait."

Spike was helpless. How was he supposed to refuse her? He was
only human, and what little intelligence he normally sported seemed
to have drained down to the lower portion of his body. And god, he
wanted her too.

Carefully he repositioned them, scooting Buffy over so that he could
throw off the covers. He laid her down beside him, rising up on his
elbows to get a better look at her. With her hair fanned around her
face, and her cheeks flushed she was the sexiest woman Spike had
ever seen. He wanted her more than he ever thought possible, but
still he fought against his instincts knowing that the 'real' Buffy would
never forgive him if he went too far.

"You're so sexy, Buffy." He murmured, bending down to drape his
lips over hers. "Close your eyes, luv." He commanded as he drew
back from her. He then began to trail kisses all over her face, and
then down her neck. He stopped to suck lightly on her pulse point for
a few minutes, loving the breathy moans that he could feel vibrate
against his lips.

As his kisses traveled further down her body, Spike's hands came up
to slowly begin to divest Buffy of her lingerie. Finally she was wearing
nothing more than the lacy thong. Her eyes were closed, and her
chest rose and fell with every deep breath she took. Spike's gaze
focused on her hard nipples, and his mouth watered at the thought of
suckling there. Before allowing himself the pleasure, he divested
himself of his own clothing, leaving him nude beside her.

At last he dipped his head down and took one rosy nipple into his
mouth. Buffy mewled, and arched her back, loving the feel of his
rough tongue on her sensitive flesh. As he licked and sucked one
breast, his hand covered the other, kneading the soft mound gently.
When he let his lips wander to her right breast, Spike's hand began a
slow journey downward. He caressed Buffy's flat belly, tickling the
smooth skin there.

Spike lifted his mouth, and raised himself higher so that he could
once more kiss her passion swollen lips. Leaning forward he
whispered, "There are other ways to give each other pleasure, luv."
And then he dipped his fingers beneath the small scrap of lace Buffy
still wore. Spike knew he was probably only fooling himself, but he
hoped that if he at least kept them from performing the final act Buffy
would find it in her heart to forgive him.

Spike swallowed her surprised cry with his own mouth, his tongue
and fingers dipping into her body at the same time. His own arousal
flared at the first feel of her moist center. Already slick his fingers
entered her easily, and he setup an even rhythm. Her hips began to
thrust in counterpoint to his movements, and he could tell that she
was getting close to the edge.

Unexpectedly Buffy's eyes shot open and she caught his gaze with
her own. "I love you." She whispered softly, and then reached down
to grasp his rock hard member. Spike gasped and threw his head
back, but kept his own fingers moving steadily. Without conscious
thought they matched each other's rhythm, Buffy's hand moving in
pace with Spike's.

Their breathing sped up, as did their fingers. When Buffy's orgasm
hit, she squeezed her hand unintentionally sending Spike over the
brink as well.

As their lids grew heavy and their breathing evened out, Spike
couldn't remember ever feeling more sated. They hadn't even made
love, yet this felt like the most intimate moment he'd ever shared with
another human being. He moved in closer, wrapping his arm around
Buffy and nuzzling her neck. God, what would happen when she got
her memory back? He clung to the hope that souldould see that he'd
only tried to do what was best. But even if she did, would *he* ever
be able to forget these days with Buffy? Would he be able to go back
to being 'just friends' with the girl that he'd secretly loved for years
now that he'd had a taste of what it was like to be more?

Buffy felt completely boneless. She had wanted to seduce Will into
making love to her. Although her plan had failed, she didn't think that
this was too far off her original mark. He was obviously still attracted
to her. And although he hadn't responded to her love declaration, he
had been a little busy at the time. Buffy had to admit that most men
lost coherency when all the blood rushed from one head to the other.
She still thought the evening had turned out pretty well. And it only
made her resolve to stick to her original plan to make sure that Will
knew how important he was to her. With that last thought she
snuggled further into Wilembrembrace and finally drifted off to sleep.