A Slow Build

Author's Note:
Thanks to LOVELUST, calemzoe, Fawnheart and A.T. Flight for reviewing the first chapter! I hope you'll enjoy this next installment. :D (Btw, I love a little--or a lot of Asian in my men too. ;D)

A Slow Build


Chapter 2: Elevated Anticipation
(07/18/2008 - 08/01/2008)


Quentin Townsend had long fingers. And they were distracting. Really distracting. Fanny had concentrated so much on moderating her reaction to his dimples only to find herself focussing on his graceful digits. Not that his hands were feminine by any means; they didn't have work-roughened manliness (she'd never liked that anyway) but their shape was unmistakeably masculine. Even through his simple gestures over the dinner table, Fanny couldn't ignore the sense of controlled strength and confidence in his movements. It was... fantasy-inducing.

She tore her eyes back to her plate of spaghetti and fought blushing for the umpteenth time as she made a show of eating. She was actually ravenous after a day of missed meals and, had she been alone, she'd have cleaned her plate by now. But shy modesty prevented her from stuffing her face as she'd like to. How could she, in front of Quentin?

Fanny looked across the table at her dinner companion, somewhat dazedly. Quentin. Her lips twitched into a smile that she would consider, in retrospect, to be quite moony. But this situation--this moment was so surreal! Tonight she not only learned the name of her previously far-fetched crush, but was also spending time with him on his initiative! She had never before entertained the idea that he might even talk to her, let alone invite her anywhere.

Right, talking. Fanny finally registered the fact that Quentin was speaking to her. And here she was zoning out! What the hell was up with her tonight? Okay, concentrate. A smile and nod should do until she caught up with the conversation.

Quentin's fingers encircled his glass of water and Fanny's eyes darted towards the movement. Dammit! But she couldn't suppress an excited shiver. She was sure that those fingers would work magic when encircling her--

"Would you like to share?" His voice permeated her train of thought. And it sounded like he wanted to share her spaghetti.

"Sorry, what?"

Dimples again! He was too damn cute. "You're pretty obvious when you daydream. I must be boring you," he laughed good naturedly.

Oh. Oh! She hastened to answer, "No, no, of course not--Shit, I'm sorry! I wasn't..." Had she just cursed in front of him? She hoped the dim lighting of the restaurant would hide her blush.

"I'll forgive you if you let me in on your daydream."

He was already in it.

Fanny was thankful that her handsome dinner-mate (she hadn't yet decided if he was her date) couldn't know the nature of her thoughts. She giggled nervously, searching for a way to answer without incriminating herself. Telling him the truth was out of the question--she'd probably scare him off if she was suddenly so frank with him! But there was a voice in the back of her head that wondered if her inner freak might entice him instead...

She noticed Quentin's smile broaden into a grin, his eyes looking knowingly at her. Caught drifting in space again! But she felt how indulgent Quentin was acting with her, as though he would sit through anything. She couldn't help wondering why.

"It's nothing, really," she answered finally.

"Fanny," (she almost melted as he said her name again) "has anyone ever told you that you're a terrible liar?"

She laughed in surprise. "Actually, yes! This makes twice in one day."

Quentin smiled at her response. He looked charmed. Had she done that?

"Well, I'll let you slide right now. But..." he leaned over the table and it seemed to shrink. "I'd love to know what goes on inside your head," he murmured. The honesty in his voice made her heart flutter.

How she was going to control all the fantasizing tonight was beyond her.

Somehow, Fanny made it through the rest of dinner without incident. She had half-expected to drop spaghetti in her lap or knock a glass or two off the table, but her accidents tonight seemed to be limited to fun things like smashing her head and limbs into Quentin's body. Which was a shame considering all the other preferable ways she'd imagined touching his body. (Most of these were imagined throughout dinner.) She hoped again that her expression didn't give her away to the perceptive man in her company.

Fanny had fully expected to take the subway home from the restaurant, assuming that, as kind as Quentin was, he couldn't possibly want to humour her for much longer (that's all tonight was, right?). For this reason Fanny was verily tingling with delight and anticipation when, twenty minutes later, she was in Quentin's car while it pulled into a movie theatre parking lot. With anyone else she might have given an inward eye roll at the somewhat clichéd dinner-and-a-movie outing, but at present the combination seemed pretty close to perfect. It was probably--no, it was definitely thanks to the company she was keeping.

"You sure you're not too tired?" Quentin asked her after maneuvering the vehicle into a parking space. He watched her carefully while he engaged the parking brake and cut the engine, looking a little concerned; she probably looked a little worse for wear after her lengthy day at work. For the second time that day, she recalled the unhappy fact that what little makeup she owned was rarely put to use. Surely it could have come in handy today, if only to camouflage the bags she probably had under her eyes. (That couldn't be too attractive.)

Luckily, Fanny was on her second wind of the day and felt rather energized. Being in Quentin's presence had given her an adrenaline boost, among other things. But Fanny wouldn't tell him even if she was tired--there was no way she could pass up this opportunity!

"I'm fine," she said shyly, somehow able to hide the fact that she was currently imagining the naughty mischief one could get up to in a late-night movie theatre.

Quentin grinned happily at her and his relief was obvious. He was a surprisingly open person and seemed at ease letting his emotions come to the forefront. It reminded her of Sadie, in a way.

"Great!" His dimples were still making their appearance. "Let's go and choose a movie."

They walked into the theatre entrance and scanned the movie show times that scrolled across a digital screen hung above the ticket kiosk. By now most movies were screening for the final time of the night. They'd missed the start of nearly all of the currently playing films so their choices were limited to an Oscar-nominated tear-jerker and a popular three-week-old action movie. In her first show of initiative that night, Fanny readily voiced her preference for the latter film, which earned her a surprised look from Quentin. She realized too late that her choice wasn't the most feminine but couldn't bring herself to worry about it when Quentin winked and told her, "You're my kinda girl."

Even while knowing that there couldn't be any meaning behind it, the flirtatious comment still made her insides flush as hotly as her face.

Quentin led Fanny to the ticket booth and insisted on paying for her ticket (she agreed as long as he let her pay at the concession stand) and soon they were seated and watching previews in the theatre.

Her heart raced. Her mind raced. She couldn't stop thinking about the man next to her, about all the possibilities of the situation. There were less than a dozen others in the theatre with them and most of these people occupied the seats in front of them so they would have relative privacy. Might she be able to muster the courage to... What? Proposition him? She laughed inwardly at herself. Her previous intimate experiences--from hand-holding and innocent kisses right up to full-blown (and disappointing) sex--had always been initiated by the other party... and now she fancied herself capable of using feminine wiles on someone else? Would she say "wanna get to third base?" Fat chance.

Nevertheless, Fanny wanted to try something. She had realized over the course of the night that the more she learned about, spoke to, even sat in close proximity with Quentin (as she did now), the more she wanted to be with him. From afar she had entertained a shallow crush and been satisfied with it, but now that he was within reach she felt tempted by him. It was too early to tell just how involved she could be with Quentin, or even if he would consider being involved with her at all beyond this friendly date, but Fanny's fanny was tingling insistently enough to reinforce the fact that she wouldn't mind "furthering their acquaintance".

After a moment of consideration during the previews that continued to flash on screen, she settled on the idea of trying to catch his eye the next time he went for a handful of the popcorn that sat between them. But by the time he made the anticipated motion, the dimmed lights in the theatre faded completely as the feature film prepared to begin. Damn, now she couldn't see his eyes! How was she going to get his attention with her inviting looks now? This was as far as she had planned so, essentially, she had no idea what she would do with his attention even if she won it. But first things first. Maybe she could wait until their eyes adjusted to the dark. But maybe Quentin wouldn't appreciate her interrupting the opening sequence of the movie...

Ooh, that explosion was pretty cool. Ugh, don't watch the movie, watch Quentin! Her eyes were pretty well adjusted now, maybe she could--Whoa, did he do that stunt himself?

Before she knew it, all her half-baked late-night-movie-seduction plans were abandoned and Fanny was fully engrossed in the action flick. She would probably kick herself later on but, wow, the special effects were amazing.

Quentin's hand rested lightly on the small of her back as he guided her from the theatre. They'd both enjoyed the action film and enthused about all the aspects they'd liked best. Fanny was happily surprised to note that they had enjoyed the same scenes and laughed at the same one-liners. But now the feel of Quentin's well-shaped hand on her person reminded Fanny of the thoughts that had occurred to her ninety minutes earlier.

Maybe she was more tired than she realized; she definitely must have been experiencing some sort of fatigue-induced insanity earlier on. Why did she even consider trying to entice Quentin? She could fantasize about such scenarios all she liked, but to apply it to reality seemed absolutely ridiculous now. Fanny was glad she hadn't acted on her thoughts. It could only have led to embarrassing results, after all. If she was someone more like Sadie then perhaps she would stand a chance... but she was only Fanny.

Still as kind as ever, Quentin offered to drive her home. A glance at the time on her cell phone showed that she could probably catch the final subway of the night if she hurried a little, but Fanny knew she'd rather stay in Quentin's company for that little while longer. She smiled at him in thanks and relayed the driving directions to her apartment.

Fanny was still feeling a little like she was floating in some sort of surreal space. Adrenaline continued to rush through her body and stave off the sleepiness that she knew should be affecting her. She watched Quentin from the passenger seat of his car, taking in his profile. Fanny wanted to memorize him in this moment as best as she could, fully expecting that this dream would end once they reached her apartment. She wasn't stupid enough to hope that this could be a recurring thing. As open and friendly as Quentin had been tonight, she felt sure that he couldn't possibly want to be anything more than her friend.

She sighed, probably more loudly than she had intended to because Quentin glanced towards her at that moment.

"You must be tired," he said considerately. "Sorry to keep you out tonight."

"Oh, not at all! I've had fun."

He smiled gratefully. "Me too." He paused. "So, do you live alone?"

She shook her head. "I live with someone."

Quentin nodded slowly. "Are you close?"

She smiled brightly, thinking of Sadie. That girl was so magnetic, it was hard not to feel close to her. "Yeah, really close. We've lived together for about five years."

"Wow, five years... so I guess you met in school?"

His tone seemed a bit different, but Fanny was sure it had to be her imagination. She answered him blithely. "Yeah, and we were total opposites back then. I guess we still are, but.. opposites attract, right?" she laughed.

Quentin laughed along with her, but she noticed that his dimple didn't appear. "Did you call home already? Your, uh, roommate could be waiting up for you."

Fanny was perplexed. "Well, she's not my mum or anything if that's what you mean," she laughed a little. "She's probably out with her boyfriend, actually."

"Oh, you live with a--Shit, I--" Quentin coughed awkwardly. "Sorry, I just assumed..." he stopped and glanced at her sheepishly. "You were checking your cell phone earlier so I thought you were, you know, checking for calls from someone. Your boyfriend, maybe."

She stared at him in surprise. "Boyfriend?" she blurted. "I don't, uh," She cleared her throat. "I haven't dated anyone in a long time." She winced a little at the confession; he didn't need to know that. Now she probably sounded pitiful.

A slow grin spread across Quentin's face and erased all thought from her head. "I'm glad I'm not the only one," he told her.

No way. He couldn't get a date either? "But you're gorgeous!" Had she just called him gorgeous?! Great, when she wasn't knocking heads with him or practising to be a mute, she apparently couldn't control the words that came out of her own mouth.

But Quentin's grin sparkled at her and she didn't care as much. "You're such a sweetheart, Fanny."

She blushed to the roots of her hair and stared out the windshield. "Uh, thanks?" Clearly, Fanny was not good at taking compliments. She finally focussed her eyes on the scenery outside the car and realized they were already in her neighbourhood. "Oh! Turn left here."

Quentin did as she asked and within minutes they had pulled up alongside her apartment building. Without looking up, Fanny thanked him for the ride and practically dove out of the car. She felt so embarrassed! But Quentin was at her elbow in the next second, telling her "I'll take you to your door." She couldn't find it in her to refuse him.

They boarded the elevator inside her building and Fanny searched the back of her head for something to say. Anything that might distract the both of them. The elevator was inching up to the fifth floor at its usual pace so she knew she had to say something to fill the long silence. She felt his eyes on her. Say something. Anything! She took a breath and turned towards him.

The next thing she knew, Quentin's hands had cupped her face and his lips swooped down to meet hers. She must have fallen asleep in the car because this could not be happening. She must be dreaming. But the caress of warm breath and hot lips on her face and mouth were too vivid and, besides, her dreams usually involved a lot less clothes.

She leaned into the kiss dazedly. Her hands dangled uselessly at her sides; caught off guard as she was, she didn't have the wherewithal to finally take advantage of the sudden access to the body she'd been lusting over all night. But Quentin slid his hands down her arms and brought them up around his neck and, as though given permission, she pulled him towards her and buried her hands in his thick, dark hair.

All thoughts left her head.

It no longer mattered that she had felt embarrassed. She no longer cared about making a good impression on him. All that mattered right now was this moment. The heat she had suppressed all night suddenly rose to the surface and spurred her on. She didn't stop to dwell on the fact that she was rarely the aggressor and allowed her baser instincts to take control.

While their kiss had begun gently and searchingly, it became strong and insistent. Fanny opened her mouth underneath his and ran her tongue against the seam of his lips. His lips felt so good! Not to mention his hands... she felt them sliding down the sides of her body and exploring the shape of her hips. Her excitement rose as his hands travelled up her rib cage. Fanny arched her back to encourage him when his movements hesitated just below her breasts. Heat shot through her body when his hands obeyed her silent plea and gently squeezed the fleshy globes of her chest. Her nipples hardened quickly as they rubbed against his palms through her clothes.

Fanny tilted her head back as Quentin's mouth left hers to trail down to her neck, sighing as he swirled his tongue around her racing pulse and sucked on the sensitive skin there. His groan vibrated against her neck and she became dimly aware of her hips gyrating against him and her right leg trapping him against her. When his left hand moved from her chest to grab her raised thigh she only moved more against him. His erection pressed towards her insistently through their clothes.

"My God, Fanny... We should slow down," Quentin groaned.

The words were like cold water down Fanny's back. Suddenly she realized what she was doing and who she was doing it with. Hell yes they should slow down! Although her body protested, she pulled herself away from Quentin, her face flaming. He must think her a right trollop for going at him so wantonly. For all she knew, he had only intended to give her a small kiss! And here she was dry humping the poor man. Okay, so maybe he was pretty obviously excited himself, but hadn't he just said to slow down? She felt mortified.

"Sorry. I dunno what came over me." She straightened her clothes and smoothed a hand over her hair nervously.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to give you the wrong impression."

What, the impression that he was interested in her?

He looked as though he had more to say, but Fanny didn't give him a chance to continue. The elevator halted at that moment, having reached the fifth floor, and Fanny exited quickly, though unsteadily. Quentin followed her down the hall silently.

Could this night get any worse? All things considered, she felt like she'd made an absolute fool of herself tonight.

As she reached her front door she realized her tote bag wasn't slung over her shoulder. Great. She sighed.

"Sorry, I think I left my bag downstairs in your..."

Quentin half-smiled at her, holding the forgotten object out towards her. "You dropped this in the elevator when we were... busy."

"Oh. Thanks, I didn't even notice."

She accepted the bag from him, careful not to brush her fingers against his hand, then dug into the bag to fish out her keys. She fumbled with them as she attempted to unlock her front door, dropping them once and nearly banging her head on the doorknob as she bent to pick them up. She finally got her door open and stepped over the threshold.

Looking at a spot beyond his shoulder, and still feeling acutely embarrassed, she mumbled, "Um, thanks for everything. I guess I'll see you when I see you..."

"How about tomorrow?"

She had been ready to shut the door but snapped her head up in surprise when he spoke. "Tomorrow?"

"Well, I know they say to wait a few days before asking for a second date... but I don't mind breaking a few rules if you don't." He grinned charmingly. "Are you free tomorrow afternoon?"

Hell yes! "I think so..." she said unsurely, despite the excitement building up inside of her. He hadn't rejected her. This was too good to be true.

"Great. Give me your cell phone for a second?"

Reeling, Fanny took a minute to root for her phone and then handed him the wireless device, looking on with glazed eyes as he pressed the keypad. She felt absolutely thrown. Quentin never ceased to amaze her. No matter how convinced she felt that he would be put off by her or want to keep a friendly distance, his words and actions continually proved her wrong.

"I'll call you tomorrow," he grinned, handing her phone back to her.

Quentin watched her for a moment, his eyes flickering down to her lips. If she'd noticed this she would have expected his next motion, but she hadn't noticed and had no time to react as he aimed another kiss at her, pressing his lips to hers once again. This time the kiss was chaste, but it affected her no less than the first one had.

"Sweet dreams, Fanny," he breathed against her lips before turning back down the hallway.

Fanny watched him move down the corridor, feeling a delighted shiver glide over her body. She was definitely going to have sweet dreams tonight.