Kate Hoffmann - Brian

When she got to the bathroom, she turned on the water at the sink and scrubbed her face clean. Then she pulled off her panty hose and kicked them aside before walking back into the bedroom.

"I'd forgotten how beautiful you were."

Lily's breath caught in her throat as she looked up to find Brian standing in the doorway, the light from the sitting room streaming in behind him. They stared at each other for a long time, Lily's heartbeat measuring out the seconds. She was afraid to move, afraid to breathe, afraid that if she even acknowledged his presence she might spontaneously combust.

Then, a tiny sigh slipped from her throat and it was like a quiet surrender. At the same moment, they moved to each other, Brian gathering her in his arms, Lily collapsing against his body, their mouths meeting in a desperate kiss. His hands frantically skimmed over her body, beneath her silk shirt, over her lacy bra, down her back and around her hips.

Though Lily knew she should fight the desire, she couldn't summon the energy. She loved the way his mouth tasted and the way his hands felt on her skin. Blood pounded in her veins, awakening every nerve in her body until the simplest caress sent waves of sensation racing through her.

He grabbed her backside and lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. Their mouths still locked, he moved to the bed, but stopped halfway there to press her against the wall. His hips ground against hers and she arched toward him, remembering how it felt to have him inside of her, the wild sensations created by their shared release.

Lily tore at his shirt, aching to feel his body beneath her fingers and he did the same, shoving her shirt off her shoulders and exploring the skin beneath with his mouth.

"God, Lily, what are you doing to me?" he murmured.

And then, just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. His breath came in deep gasps and he pressed his lips to her shoulder, nuzzling her shirt aside. "Are we going to do this again?"

She grabbed his face and kissed him again. "Yes," she murmured.

"Yes," he repeated, savaging her mouth with his tongue. Then he drew back. "No."

"No?"

He slowly lowered her to the floor, then fussed with the front of her blouse, adjusting it until he could button the top two buttons. "Even though I'd love nothing more than to spend an evening in bed with you, I think we need to exercise some restraint." He chuckled softly. "I can't believe I'm saying this. I'm just a heartbeat away from tearing that blouse off of you."

Brian stepped back, then lowered his hands to his sides. "I have to go. I'll… see you. We'll have dinner sometime. In a restaurant. A well-lit, very crowded restaurant." He gave her a quick kiss, then straightened his clothes as he walked out of the bedroom.

Lily heard the door to her suite close and she leaned back against the wall and willed her heart to slow to a reasonable pace. Raising her fingers to her lips, she sighed softly. She could still taste him, smell him and feel his body against hers. It hadn't been a fantasy or a dream, he'd been here and they'd nearly lost themselves in each other again.

She wasn't sure how long she stood there, waiting for her breathing to return to normal. Her eyes were closed when she heard a knock at the door. For a moment, she considered not answering, certain that if she let him into the room again, they'd end up in bed. But then, Lily realized that she wanted him-beyond all reason.

She hurried to the door and pulled it open, but it was only the room service waiter who stood outside. "Good evening, Ms. Gallagher. I have your dinner."

Lily stepped aside as he pushed the cart into the room. By the time she got a hold of her emotions, he'd laid the dinner out on the table and was making his way toward the door. When she was alone again, she wandered to the table and picked up the crème brûlée, cracking through the hard sugar topping to the custard beneath.

This was exactly what had gotten her in trouble in the first place. Eating dessert before trying the appetizers and main course. With Brian, she'd been focused on instant gratification, certain that sex was all she really wanted. But now, she wondered what might have happened if she'd done things in the proper order, calling on a bit of willpower.

She took a bite of the crème brûlée and let the silken custard melt on her tongue. "This is better than sex," she murmured. "I just need to eat more dessert. Then all these crazy feelings will disappear."

" Ineed the camera goddess!"

Brian grabbed his jacket and slipped it on, then searched his desk for a tie. He liked to look respectable when he appeared on-air, but sometimes news happened, whether he was dressed for it or not.

"Taneesha!" he shouted, striding through the newsroom. He poked his head into the editing suite and found her sitting at the control board with one of the news editors.

"Come on," he said. "We have to go."

Taneesha glanced up. "I need to get this offline editing done by noon. They want this piece for the six o'clock news."

"This is more important," he said. "Jerry can finish that for you, can't you, Jerry?"

The tape editor nodded. Taneesha got up and followed Brian through the door. "What's up?"

"A judge just issued an injunction on Patterson's waterfront project. He claims there are some irregularities with the financing that need to be explored. Dave is going to get me a transcript of the court report. We have to go ask Patterson what he thinks. Catch his reaction on camera."

"Quinn, we don't have a story here. You've got the news director and the station manager telling you to back off. If we go sticking a camera in Patterson's face, it's going to come back and bite both of us in the butt. He'll file harassment charges if you're not careful."

"I'll take full responsibility," he said. "Bob's got the van parked in back. I need you to get me a good shot. We're building our case here. Persistence will pay off."

Taneesha grudgingly agreed, picking up her pace as they headed to the station's parking lot. As Bob promised, he was waiting with the engine running. Taneesha was the best cameraperson at the station and in Brian's opinion, Bob was the best driver. He wove in and out of lunch hour traffic, easily making it from the station to the financial district in less than ten minutes. He pulled up in a No Parking zone in front of Patterson's office building.

"So, how are we going to do this?"

"Patterson has a meeting this afternoon with his investors at his club. His driver is scheduled to pick him up here in a few minutes." Brian pointed to a Lincoln Town Car parked in front of them. "That's his car. So I figure, he's coming this way."

"How did you know he had a meeting?" Taneesha asked, grabbing up the camera. She checked the battery pack, then balanced it on her shoulder.

"The guy who owns the car company that Patterson uses is an old high school buddy. We once stole a television together."

Taneesha gasped. "You stole a television?"

"It was just sitting there on the back of the delivery truck. I had very bad impulse control when I was young."

"And I can see you haven't changed much," she muttered.

Brian stared out the window at the front entrance to the office tower. "He'll see the van when he comes out. If he turns and runs, I want to get that on tape, too. The fact that he won't want to talk to the media will make even a bigger statement." He paused as the doors came open. "Here he is," Brian murmured. "Get ready."

But just as Brian was ready to hop out of the van, he noticed a figure exiting the building right behind Patterson. "Lily," he murmured, his hand frozen on the door handle. For a long moment, he didn't move, her presence causing him to rethink his actions.