Buffy sat at the boardroom table strumming her perfectly manicured fingernails against its glass top.
“He’s late.” She announced to everyone in the room.
“You know actors. They run to their own schedule.” Xander his agent tried to explain.
“I am an actor. Yet somehow, I found time to be here. Giles this is ridiculous. It cannot work. He doesn’t even want to show up. Deals off.” Buffy started to get up out of his seat. “I have much more important people to meet with.”
“Now pet, we all know that’s not true,” Spike made his way into the boardroom full of the sex and swagger that had made him famous. “Otherwise you wouldn’t need me.” He extended his hand for her to shake.
“And if you didn’t spend your time stumbling from bar to bar, breaking into ex lovers houses whilst singing Barry Manilow. You wouldn’t need me.” His face fell as he withdrew his hand.
Buffy looked Spike up and down. She had seen some of his movies, but somehow in person he looked different. His eyes were the most amazing blue she had even seen. They seemed to lack a sense of life in them. His signature blond locks were in desperate need of retouching. His face so expressive on the screen seemed drawn lacking colour as if he had not seen the sun in weeks. His cheekbones, some would say his most striking feature, stood out more that usual it, seemed through lack of food. ‘He needs a good home cooked meal. He has probably been living on Jack Daniel’s and cigarettes for the past month.’ Her desire to cook that meal for him took her by surprise. Maybe she did need a boyfriend, if she was suddenly feeling sorry for the shell of the man in front of her.
Spike felt awkward under Buffy’s gaze. He knew he did not look his best. To say he was taking the pain of the break up with Dru out on his body was a slight understatement. He had barely eaten a thing in months and had solidly been surviving on a steady diet of alcohol, cigarettes with occasional protein bar on the side. He was in bad need of a detox; that was why he had a two o’clock appointment at the Golden Door Spa.
He looked at the young women in front of him. He could not understand why she needed this arrangement. She was nothing short of stunning. He had seen a few publicity shots, but no picture did her justice. He knew her reputation. Hollywood was a small town and everyone talked. From their recent exchange, he understood how she penned the nickname ‘Ice Queen’.
He had heard stories of how on set she was no nonsense and got the shot every time. However, as soon as anyone tried to get to know her, she was out of there. She was a good actress. As soon as Xander had left yesterday, he had a copy of all her work. He saw a maturity to her work beyond her twenty-two years. She could break out of the damsel in distress roles and hit the big time. If she played her cards right. That is where he came in.
The tension between the two stars was thick and Giles quickly tried to diffuse the situation.
“Right, well now that we are all here why don’t we go through the details of this arrangement?”
Spike took his seat and lit up a cigarette.
No Smoking."
Spike coughed and spluttered. "You’ve got to be joking? There are ashtrays on the table."
"I don’t mean in here."
He sighed in relief and took another puff.
"I mean around me."
"This is outrageous. I don’t have to put up with this," he said as he got up from the chair.
“Spike, sit down.” Xander cautioned.
“I don’t spend 3 hours a day in the gym and live on a steady high protein diet to pollute my body with second hand smoke.”
“Ok then,” he searched his mind for the right condition. “Mini skirts.”
“What?”
“Mini skirts, you can only wear mini skirts when you are with me. I don’t want my reputation as a ladies man slipping if I am seen with a dowdy sensibly dressed girlfriend.” Spike leered.
“Giles this is ridiculous. I haven’t worked this hard for the last four years to be treated like a piece of meat to further my career. I am better than this.” She was fuming now. She should have trusted her instincts. She did not need a man, let alone Spike Simons to further her career.
“Ok everyone, let’s just settle down.” Giles tried to diffuse the situation, but he could see the next few hours were going to be tough. “Let’s calm down and try to get through this like the mature adults I know you can try to be.”
Buffy and Spike stared at each other, a battle of wills to see who would look away first. Buffy won.
“Ok, but the smoking stays. I will try to cut down in front of the Ice Princess here.” She tensed at the sound of her nickname. She was not dumb. She knew her reputation on set would precede her, but at least the people she worked with were kind enough to call her that name behind her back. Somehow hearing his words aloud hurt her more than the whispering behind her back.
Spike saw the hurt play across her face. He cringed inwardly at being so hurtful towards her. He always seemed to have this habit of his mouth talking before his brain had time to catch up.
“It has to be real.” Buffy started. “No one knows about our arrangement besides the four people in this room.”
“Agreed.”
“And while we are together there can be no one else. If either of us meets someone, we will tell the other before we start the new relationship. I did not work this hard to maintain a personal life to have it turn into tabloid fodder just to further my career. Got it?”
Spike could see how important this was to her. He did not put up a fight; not that he wanted to. He really could not see the downside of being linked to such a gorgeous women for ….
“How long?” he asked.
“How long what?” she replied
“Our relationship. How long will it last?” he asked.
Xander looked down at the shooting schedule.
“Well there is the initial six weeks of shooting then four months post production. So, I would say to be safe, six months.” Spike’s eyes widened with shock.
“Six months, I can’t even look at other women for six months. Surely I can get some kind of conjugal visit.”
“Spike it’s not prison.” Buffy rolled her eyes.
“So how far will we take this relationship?” he looked her up and down.
“Not far. Spike I am not having sex with you, not now not ever. It can’t be that hard to keep it in your pants.”
“What about kissing pet?”
“What about it?”
“Well isn’t that what people in love do. They kiss, often and passionately.”
Buffy felt the room suddenly get very warm. She hated how he seemed to flick the ‘I’m too sexy to function’ button inside himself. She hated the way it affected her even more.
“We kiss.” She could have sworn she saw a flash of desire cross his face. “But only for the cameras. And no tongues, I can only imagine where yours has been.”
Spike smiled to himself. He liked Buffy; he did not intimidate her. It was refreshing.
“So when do we start?”
“Tomorrow we start production.” They all stood up and started to leave the room.
Spike went over to Buffy, placed his hand in hers and kissed it. Buffy pulled it back as though she had touched something hot.
“Till tomorrow pet.”
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