The Grey Edge: Chapter Seventeen
Taylor stared at Magnolia. His Magnolia. He’d posed the option to stay, not to quit not to leave him.
Stay.
Stay.
Stay.
A full second had passed and she hadn’t agreed. She was staring at him, in shock. She was shocked. Shocked at the offer, or shocked that he’d been stupid enough to ask, he didn’t know. Stupid. It was a stupid idea. He never should have-
There was something else. Something other than the shock. Her vitals were like that of the fairy woman, she was aroused. By him.
Unlike with the fairy woman, he didn’t mind.
Stay.
Stay.
Stay.
Two seconds had passed. She still hadn’t agree. It was a trick. Nothing but a trick. They were in it together, for no other net gain than his humiliation. He’d opened up – chanced showing weakness. Chanced being less than perfect. Chanced showing desire. All of it. All of it just so they could ridicule him for it.
He couldn’t trust either of them anymore. But, at least he could-
‘Of course,’ she whispered, smiling. ‘I’ll stay, sir.’
Maybe it wasn’t to humiliate him. Maybe it was real. Maybe it wasn’t weakness. It didn’t feel like weakness.
It felt…good.
There were recruits to dismiss. There was paperwork to be done. There was the problem of replacing twenty-seven recruits. There were legs wrapped his waist.
He kissed her again. And slid his hands up under the folds of the skirt. Feeling her.
Wanting her.
He easily found the edges of her panties, but stopped himself before removing them.
‘Say yes,’ he said, ‘and it’s not an order.’
He felt her smile against his cheek. ‘Yes,’ she said, moving to whisper into his ear. ‘Yes, sir, I want you. In every unimaginably dirty and unprofessional way I want you.’ She bit his ear. ‘Fuck. Me.’
He fought an urge to say “yes ma’am”. A joke. Another bad habit from spending too much time around Grigori. The reaction could have been amusing though – but not this time. Next time. If there was a next time. She started to play with his ear like Grigori had done, and he hoped there was going to be a next time.
He snapped the seams of her panties, and pulled them away, dropping them behind him.
‘On the desk,’ she said haltingly as he slid a hand onto her newly-exposed arse. ‘Would be easier.’
Suggestions. He liked suggestions when they made things easier. He wrapped one hand around her, pulled her away from the wall, and carried her the three steps to his desk, easing her onto the edge.
Rough calculations flitted through his head, and he made a requirement, his bed appearing behind his desk like at the beginning of each sleep cycle. It was a better choice. It was a traditional choice. And this time, the calculations didn’t predict collapse.
He lifted her down onto the bed, and she let herself lie back, legs spread, and as prone as when he bested her in a spar.
Ideas formed, and he filed them away. Too much. There were too many new ideas. Too many new sensations. Everything had to be slow, had to be paced, else chance confusion, or complications, or-
He stared at her. Complications could come later.
He knelt over her. Removal of clothing was the obvious next step. Removal of the rest of her clothing. It could all be required away, that was easiest. But there was the chance it was too quick.
Skirt. Her skirt was closest. It was the obvious choice. There was no complicated buckles or straps, just a simple elastic band. He grabbed it and pulled it away, tossing it to the side. With her panties already gone, it left her bottom half nude. His breath hitched, wanting to touch, to explore, to touch more of her skin, but logic dictated that he should get rid of her top first, lest distraction occur.
Her top was more complicated. Buckles and ribbons crisscrossed to keep it in place. There was a simple way to remove it, and simple was best. He grabbed a handful of the material with each hand and ripped it down the centre, and she sat up to wriggle herself out of the remnants, bare skin brushing against his hands. He dropped her top, and laid a hand on her chest.
He’d touched her before, both by accident, and on purpose. He knew what her breasts felt like. He’d felt them before, they’d laid across his arm not twelve hours ago when everything had begun. One day. So much significance, all in one day. It was too much. It was ludicrous. It was- They were soft.
It was different to be touching them with intent. Everything was different with…this kind of intent.
She pushed herself down the bed, not taking her out of his reach, just so she was low enough to grab his belt. As his belt came loose, she slipped a hand into his pants, and he felt the shock ripple through her as she touched his…requirement.
‘Sir…’
One requirement had him free of all of his clothes, free for her to touch him, and left so much skin touching skin.
Logic, want, and need all aligned, giving him one course of action. He let the hand on her chest, on her breast, slide lower-
There was a knock at the door.
He turned his head to see the intruder. Ryan.
[Go away.]
[Open the door or I’m shifting in,] Ryan replied.
He stood, requiring his uniform back on. Magnolia followed suit after one quick look, another dress appearing over her naked form, and she stood, grabbing the top file, pen at the ready. Another thought made the bed disappear. Everything was normal. Nothing looked out of place.
‘Enter,’ he growled, and Ryan walked in.
‘I’m going to ask you a very simple question, and I want a very simple answer.’
He stared at the other agent, shrugged, and sat at his desk.
Ryan took a step forward, then a strange look crossed his face. He looked down, then looked across the floor. He followed the other agent’s gaze, and saw what Ryan was seeing: Magnolia’s clothes, torn away and discarded.
‘I’m going to make an assumption,’ Ryan said as he took a step to the left, so that he was no longer standing on the torn panties. ‘And say that it’s about damn time. That aside, you cannot dismiss your entire department.’
He ignored the assumption. ‘I can do whatever I want.’
‘No, Taylor, you can’t,’ Ryan said as he crossed the room, and placed his hands on the desk. ‘As hard as it is to work with people you don’t like, you cannot just summarily get rid of that many recruits.’
‘This department has been empty before,’ he growled. ‘And we still did our duty.’
‘Why?’ Ryan asked.
‘Take a wild guess,’ Magnolia said.
‘Commentary about the video is…unavoidable. Is the situation with them really that untenable?’
‘Yes,’ he said without hesitation.
Ryan sighed. ‘At least think about it until morning. You can’t process all of these tonights. Keep them restricted and on-base. If you want to do this, then you at least have to do individual exit interviews. I would really, really appreciate you managing to keep a few of them. Seven would be nice. And you’ll have to pull in favours getting the outposts to offer up anyone they can for the meantime if you do let all of them go.’
‘I-’
‘Accept,’ Ryan said, ‘or I’ll just convert them all to field.’
‘Fine,’ he said after a long moment.
‘I’ll inform them to come back up to their rooms. Until tomorrow, just make damn sure you think about this.’
‘You finished?’
Ryan sighed. ‘Yes.’ He took one more look at the clothes on the floor, then turned, and left without another word.
‘There’s something I have to ask you, sir,’ Magnolia said as she crossed in front of his desk. ‘If I can be so bold as to assume that you’d like more than a one-night stand?’
‘Yes, more,’ he said.
‘You’ve seen the video, and you know my reputation, you’ve seen me with people, you know what they say, you know what they call me when they think we can’t hear. I don’t want to reflect on you, if you want to-’
‘Consider my best friend,’ he said. ‘And your line of thought.’
She leaned against his desk. ‘What now, sir?’
A simple answer for a simple question. ‘Take off your clothes.’
…has such wonderful little thought mannerisms. I actually laughed a fair bit at all that.
…can just very fun to write. Of couse, I want to reach through and punch him most of the time, but the short little choppy sentences are a different way to write, and I love what he doesn’t say. Like…one of those lines, should the thought have been finished was going to have him contemplate snapping her neck. >_>
OHOHOH TELL ME.
Plz look up definitions for “prone” vs “supine” I think you have them back to front.
I’ll fix it.
and the previous chapter.. are awesome! 😀
Really no words to describe it, but it’s really cool, and all new and… *speechless with glee*
Also, Ryan’s right.. It’s about damn time 😛
It’s pretty exciting how much Taylor has changed, and while he thinks way too much.. he’s actually doing the right decisions now.. I’m impressed, and a little proud of him ^_^
P.S. Wasn’t Mags really weak and powerless after getting out of the infirmary? I mean, she notices she was way too weak, and I’m sure this will have a big impact.. on everything.. until she’s ok, right? Also, considering all the shock she’s getting now, I hope it won’t just make it works for her >_>
Really no words to describe it, but it’s really cool, and all new and… *speechless with glee*
I’m just glad it’s done. It’s probably the hardest stuff I’ve had to write in ages, and the hardest stuff for the foreseeable future (well, minus the next chapter of course, that’s going to be difficult).
Also, Ryan’s right.. It’s about damn time 😛
Everyone ships it. Everyone. Even the other characters.
It’s pretty exciting how much Taylor has changed, and while he thinks way too much.. he’s actually doing the right decisions now.. I’m impressed, and a little proud of him ^_^
Our little pyshcopath is growing up…*wipes away a tear*
P.S. Wasn’t Mags really weak and powerless after getting out of the infirmary? I mean, she notices she was way too weak, and I’m sure this will have a big impact.. on everything.. until she’s ok, right? Also, considering all the shock she’s getting now, I hope it won’t just make it works for her >_>
Well, she’s not about to go kicking ass anytime soon, but think about the insane rush of endorphins she’s getting right now. 😛 That, and he’s pretty much a sexytiem noob, so he’s not going to notice if she’s not, like, at the top of her game.
Life finds a way. They aren’t just going to cuddle. 😛
Taylor and Magnolia cuddling…
…
…
*brain shuts down*
*restarts*
*shuts down*
*restarts*
…
…
…
Auuugh! The CUTE! *falls over*
Yeah, but it makes sense. 😛
Taylor’s thinking so much… did he just spark new neurons? Hope he doesn’t hurt himself with all that thinking.
Mags, however, is most likely the happiest person in the world.
And Ryan must have had the shock of his life. Hehehe.
Taylor’s thinking so much… did he just spark new neurons?
What were his three brain cells? One for violence, one for Mags and one for…dammit, can’t remember. Let’s just say it was the Mags one doing all the thinking. 😀
Mags, however, is most likely the happiest person in the world.
Without a doubt. 😀
And Ryan must have had the shock of his life. Hehehe.
And he also owes Jonesy $20. 😛
Just $20?
Awwww Ryan, why you gotta ruin the fun? Not only did he delay sexy teims but I was amusing myself with the image of all those recruits waiting around in the conference room while the sexy teims were happening.
Though, now that I think of it, nobody managed to tell them to go to the conference room.
I was amusing myself with the image of all those recruits waiting around in the conference room while the sexy teims were happening.
In a couple of versions of this (in my head, not written down), the sexytiem wasn’t interrupted, and yeah…the recruits were left waiting in the conference room (Taylor kind of barked the order at them on his way back to his office, so they were told), and it wasn’t until someone noticed them all sitting around that someone went to find out what the hell was going on.
But it seemed a little too…silly, I guess, so I went with this route.
Stormy forgot to announce it over here. *goes to fix.*
And I figured out how that OpenID thing works, so I can log in now and not be a vampire.
Taylor actually acknowledges a friend? A best friend, even, implying that he has more than one! That’s almost as shocking as him saying please.
I didn’t forget…I was just too tired last night after finishing it to announce it. >_< Taylor actually acknowledges a friend? A best friend, even, implying that he has more than one!
Nope, just the one, he only has Grigori, but he’s comfortable enough calling him his best friend. And it’s by choice, not by default.
That’s almost as shocking as him saying please.
Yeah, “please” is a bit more O_O than even kissyface was.
phrase it “only friend.” It makes one wonder.
Yeah, but honestly, can you imagine anyone else wanting to be his friend? >_>
Yus. Magnolia! And I bet Ryan wouldn’t mind being his friend if he wasn’t such a huge ass.
Oh Ryan probably couldn’t be happier too, he might get his friend back or at least someone close to them.
At least Taylor didn’t shoot him when he tried to come in for interupting them. Yes you need to save a few people Taylor, last time was because most everyone was killed.
At least Taylor didn’t shoot him when he tried to come in for interupting them.
But that would have delayed things even further…
Yes you need to save a few people Taylor, last time was because most everyone was killed.
But he has Maaaags, he doesn’t need anyone else! 😛
i like the thoughts of Taylor, you can see it’s bare and simple thinking, even though it’s too complicated, he still tries to simplify things, it’s awesome.
It’s fun. It’s hard to write sometimes, because he’s such a minimalistic guy, and there are certain things he won’t say/think, but…when it works, it’s fun. ^_^
You…. Epic Downer is EPIC!
>___>; Is it bad that I’m waiting for things to all go to hell? Stormy likes to jerk her readers around. T__T
…That isn’t encouragement, Storms!
…but now you’ve tempted my wrath. WRATHY WRATH. MWHAHAHAHA.
Punishment awaits in the new chapter. 😛
*giggles at the next chapter* Sexy sexy wrathy wrath!
hehehehe
“were legs wrapped {around} his waist” – missing word
“all of these tonights.” – ‘tonights’ should be ‘tonight’