Gray Langdon stirs from his beautiful nightmare and inhales deeply. Why does it feel like something heavy has just landed on his chest? It's warm and soft and… smells like lilies? He stiffens for a moment and listens. There is that usual faint humming of the heater and the rolling waves in the distance but there's something more, something closer. It's like a slow breathing of someone sleeping soundly. His eyes flip wide open when he feels something move on top of him. He slowly looks down and almost jolts upward in surprise. There's a mass of something black against the white blanket and beneath it is a body—a naked body.
Oh, shit.
Gray closes his eyes for a moment and breathes deeply. What has he done? Some stupid one-night stand with a stranger? He can't remember a fucking thing the night before, except maybe that nightmare where he's having a sexual affair with the Black Witch.
Wait. Uh… black?
He snaps his eyes open again and slowly eases from under the girl he hopes is not the one he fears she is. He clears away strands of black hair from the girl's face and Gray swallows hard.
Bloody hell. It's Lucy Ferdelance Woods!
She isn't as dangerous when she's like this: eyelids fluttering, mouth slightly opening, face all expressionless but still manages looking like an angel. But it's her lips that… crap. What is he thinking? The white blanket that covers her slight frame makes her bare shoulder skin look creamy white and satin-smooth.
Oh, hell. Oh, hell. Oh, hell. You do not want to touch that, Gray Langdon.
He swallows hard and scoots away from the bed. She's his arch nemesis all right, but Gray is still a man. He has needs… needs like—shit, Lucy begins to stir and moan. Does she know? He watches cautiously as she slowly stretches in bed—thank heavens the blanket is doing a good job sticking to her skin or he would have lost all reason to control himself.
A pair of moss green eyes stare at him first in confusion suddenly morphing to recognition, and then to a realization. Her mouth opens for what seems like a scream, but Gray could only hear his own voice shrilling in the morning air.
"Get out of my face, Langdon!" Lucy sits up, clutching the sheet firmly around her body. Oh, that slight coloring of her cheeks makes her even cuter. Gray douses himself from perverse thoughts and grabs the other end of the blanket to wrap around his trunks.
This is unbefuckinglievable.
"You get out of my room, Lucifer." The warmth of her skin seeps under the thin blanket and despite the cold October breeze, drops of sweat start to bead Gray's temples. "How did you end up here, anyway?"
"That's none of your business, jerk! How dare you do this to me?" Lucy's long raven hair spills over her shoulders and her face starts to take on that signature Lucy glare.
"Do this to you? We were both drunk, okay? We didn't know what we were doing and it's not a big deal. It's not like you've never done this—" Gray stops dead when he sees Lucy blush fiercely. Oh, come on. She's not some Virgin Mary, is she?
"You don't know what you're saying, idiot!" A pillow smacks Gray on the face and he thuds to the floor, pulling the entire blanket with him. That leaves Lucy… oh, don't even go there, Gray.
He groans. "Will you please find a shirt in my closet so I won't be, you know, distracted?"
"Pervert!" Lucy yells and he hears a shuffling on the floor, the blanket providing cover on his naked body. A boxer and a white shirt land beside him on the floor and he slips these on.
"Thanks," he mumbles while sitting back on the bed. He regards Lucy carefully: she somehow managed to find a shirt that's only a little larger than her small body. Gray could see a faint trace of boxers underneath.
"I know I'm attractive, Langdon. Don't stare too long." Gray is about to have a comeback but his eyes catch a stain on the sheets. Bloodstain, it seems.
"Holy fuck, you are a virgin," he mutters.
"Why does it sound like you don't believe it? I am—well, I was—a virgin and I promised myself that I would only lose it to the guy I'm going to marry. Apparently, that's never gonna happen anymore." She crosses her arms on her chest and shifts from one foot to another.
"Are you blaming me?" Gray asks exasperatedly, leaping to his feet. "As far as I can remember you're the one who walked into my room and seduced me into doing this."
"Seduced you? You're the one who kissed me, Langdon."
"That's impossible! I would never kiss you and if I have to choose between you and a cat, I would choose the cat." She's lying, isn't she? She's only putting the blame on him so she wouldn't look like she wanted this.
"Oh, yeah? Because you were too drunk to remember! You're this jerk who jumps on any girl anytime he's under the influence of alcohol!"
"So, for argument's sake that I'm the one who kissed you, why didn't you stop me if you're that sober to remember?"
"Because… because…" There it is again—that blush. "Your grip on me was so tight you just pinned me to the bed and did it!" She stomps hard on the floor and turns her back on him. Damn, that rings some bell. His nightmare runs perfectly like that. For a moment, Gray feels petrified.
What does he do now?
The silence is broken by the buzzing of the intercom. "Good morning, Mr. Langdon. Your father and Mr. Marcel Woods are here to see you." Lucy turns back so fast Gray almost jumps. Shit! This is the last thing he wants to happen right now.
"We are seriously dead," Lucy says, horrified, but Gray raises his left hand to shut her up. He presses the 'talk' button and clears his throat.
"Would you mind telling them to wait for a moment while I fix myself? I just got up."
"There's no need for that, sir. They're already on their way up. Have a good day." Yeah, and thanks for not telling me beforehand they're coming, idiot. Gray slams his fist on the bed and thinks hard. What is he going to do? It's very rare of him to panic in such situations. Lucy starts pacing to and fro agitatedly, muttering profanities and casting him an evil look.
"There's a great possibility you'll meet them in the hallway if you attempt to get out of the room now," Gray says, trying to make his voice as steady as he could. He stands and hurries to put back the blanket in place, obscuring the bloodstain underneath. "Can you jump out of the window?"
"Are you trying to get me killed? We're on the third floor, dumbass! I'd rather hide somewhere!"
"Where should you hide, then? Under my bed? Behind the curtain? Oh, behind the door seems like a good idea, too," Gray says with sarcasm while he hurriedly fixes the room as neatly as he could. He's certain this is his father's doing. He still suspects Gray to be bringing some tramp in his room every night to play with—well, that's technically true but it's different this time. What happened between him and Lucy is just an accident, a night to be forgotten.
"This set-up won't do. It's too neat and organized. Even an idiot knows what a room that's just slept in looks like so try to mess things up a bit." Lucy begins to toss several shirts on the floor but goes on to pick up her underwear with a fierce blush on her cheeks. She rumples the bed sheets but leaves it covered near the center where the bloodstain is.
Just then, a solid knock startles them both. "Gray, are you already out of bed? This is your father."
"Shit," Gray mutters frantically. He looks at Lucy and tries to focus. "You need to hide now. Go inside the bathroom and don't make any noise."
"Like I will!" Lucy snaps silently. Why does she have to be so stubborn!
"Now is not the time to argue, Lucy Woods. Do you want our fathers to find out we just had sex?"
This somehow strikes a chord in her. "Of course not! We'll end up dead."
"Exactly my point. So go in there and try to shut up while I deal with them." Gray lets out a sigh of relief when Lucy finally ambles to the bathroom. But before she closes the door, she turns back and glares at him threateningly.
"Don't mess up, Langdon, or I'll skewer you to death later." And the door closes. Gray rolls his eyes and reaches up to rumple his hair to look like he just got out of bed. He also rubs his eyes several times to achieve the sleepy look as he makes his way toward the door.
Keep it cool, Gray, he tells himself. Looking panicked would give you away.
"Good morning, father, Mr. Woods." He fakes a yawn and steps aside to let them in. "What brings you here so early?"
Gray watches his father slowly take in his room's setting, scrutinizing every detail as if anything out of place in the set-up would give him away. Mr. Woods, on the other hand, is oblivious of this inconspicuous inspection. The two old men are both wearing hand-tailored black suits cut specially to fit their hefty and heavily-built frames. Cornelius Langdon is carrying a brown attaché case and he places it on a desk by the window overlooking the vast expanse of water below them.
"Have a seat." Cornelius gestures Marcel to one of the leather couches and the two of them make themselves comfortable. Gray picks the farthest chair and sneaks a glance at the bathroom door in the west part of the room. Miraculously, Lucy Woods hasn't made any noise yet.
"Seven o'clock is too early for some business, father. Why are you here?"
"Well, there is this urgent matter that cannot wait any further." His father opens his attaché case, takes the documents inside, and hands them to Gray. "I know you are aware of the constant news about you and Lucy's misadventures. There are speculations as to your credibility to take over the company and the administration board is pressing us to come down to a decision before the world loses trust in us."
Gray shifts uneasily. "What does that have to do with me?"
"Son, you and Lucy are the future of Helterground. The critics think you cannot control the company when time comes that you take your positions as the new CEOs. All their doubts stem from your, ah, recent scandals." Cornelius indicates the paper he just handed to Gray. Those are clips from the New York Post and some print-outs from Times. One of the headlines reads:
HELTERGROUND'S FUTURE RESTS ON TWO JUVENILE DELINQUENTS
"Can't you do some damage control?" Gray manages to ask despite his shock from the articles. Marcel is about to say something, but a loud crash goes off from the bathroom.
Oh, fuck. Couldn't Lucy stay quiet for ten minutes? Blood drains from Gray's face as the old men glance at the direction of the sound.
"What was that?" his father asks.
"Probably nothing, father. Could be a cat sneaking in through the bathroom window." Gray knows his excuse is lame but it's too late to take it back.
"Son, a cat couldn't break in a six-story building. Do you really think there will be a stray cat in the middle of the Pacific?"
"Heh. Probably. Let me check it for a second." Gray leaps forward quickly and dashes to the bathroom before any of the men could react. He slams the door shut and finds Lucy panting, fear evident in her bright green eyes. As soon as she sees him, she whimpers and prances behind him.
"What's wrong?" he asks under his breath, noticing that Lucy is gripping a plastic hanger in her hands. The bathroom necessities are scattered on the marble-tiled floor and the toothpaste is spilled over the sink.
"There's a spider," she squeaks. "It's on the wall, near the shower." Gray looks up and right there, perched on the sprinkler, is a palm-sized spider.
"You're risking your silence for this pest?"
"I'm arachnophobe, okay. I'm scared of those ugly creatures."
"You gotta be kidding me. I'm going back there to deal with our fathers. Stay here and do not make any noise."
"I don't want to!" Lucy whimpers again. "Kill that goddamn spider first before leaving me here."
Gray attempts to move away but Lucy sticks closer and grips his arms tighter. Her body trembles and her hands are clammy against his skin. He could feel her rapid breathing but the fact that she's only wearing a thin shirt over her body beats all sensations. Crap, Gray thinks. The enclosed space makes it worse.
"Fine!" he finally blurts out, untangling himself from her before he loses control. He looks at Lucy for a second and he's struck at the obvious relief that washes over her face. Is she really scared at some harmless spider? In the face of the situation, Gray stifles a chuckle. "Get back a little."
"Okay," she replies and braces her back against the door. Gray takes a deep breath and reaches for the black spider but it leaps out of reach and aims behind him, right at the panicked woman. Before he knows it, Lucy screams in terror and bolts out of the bathroom.
Lucy's running wild. Half-naked. Wearing his shirt. Into their waiting parents.
"Holy mother of all things unknown to human race," Gray whispers to himself.