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Whenever, Wherever
By MeriBeth

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: This is all the fault of a challenge tossed at me by Annabelle. Thanks to Richess for the beta as well.
DISCLAIMER: These are not mine. I lay no claim to them. Joss & co. own all… I am merely a mom. The song Fred is dancing to is Wherever, Whenever by Shakira.
FEEDBACK: Much appreciated, please send to: meribeth@aesiraven.com

Wesley cocked his head to one side, listening intently as the faint sounds of music drifted into his office from the lobby. He knew that Cordy and Gunn had left for the day and that Angel left for a patrol around the same time. Thus it had to be Fred playing the music. Curiosity and a deep yearning to see what Fred was up to, caused Wesley to rise from behind his desk to the blind covered window looking out onto the lobby.

The ex-watcher shifted the blinds enough to see, Fred, comfortable and happy, dancing to the music that echoed in the empty lobby. He could hear what she was dancing to and raised an eyebrow in surprise. Definitely not something that he would have expected her to dance to.

As he watched, Fred shrugged her shoulders, shifting the loose peasant style top that she was wearing back into place and scampered across the floor to restart the song. As the light barely audible introduction began, Fred began swaying slightly to the music, gathering her full tiered black skirt in her hands.

Suddenly she twirled, giving him an enticing glimpse of her thighs as the skirt swirled around her. She moved freely, uninhibited, in ways she never did in front of the rest of them, as if the music opened up some secret corner of herself that no one was allowed to see anymore. Wes shifted on the sofa, getting into a comfortable position. Fred’s dancing reminded him of tales of Gypsy dances in pre-war Europe, erotic and exotic. She was dancing to entice, capture her man. He could see it in her moves, toward and away, drawing him in only to deny him the rewards of her body.

Wes slipped off the office sofa, moving the couple of inches to the door and slowly, cautiously turned the knob to open it. Peering around the door, Wes smiled. He had gotten lucky. Fred was facing away from him, twisting sinuously to the instrumental interlude in the song. Wes quietly closed the door behind him, settling into the well shadowed chair next to his office. With the better view, he could truly appreciate Fred’s dancing. For once he appreciated the more casual, darker clothing that he had taken to wearing since Angel had fired them all those months ago. Now, he blended into the shadows and could watch without getting caught.

She whirled again, the skirt flaring about her and again exposing her upper thighs to Wes’ gaze. With this turn, the shirt slipped off her shoulder, exposing her creamy skin to his gaze. Now Wes knew what she wasn’t wearing as well as what she was; the two combined made him want to rise and join her, to feel her sensual moves against him. He wondered what she would do if he did just that, slipped up behind her to join her. He leaned back in the chair, crossing his legs and tried to relax, just enjoy her abandonment.

Wes’ willpower was greatly weakened when Fred released her skirt, trailing her hands up over her body to tangle in her hair, tousling and tossing it. Her eyes were closed, back arched and it was all Wes could do to keep from grabbing her. He badly wanted to be the one that she was dancing for, to have her arch like that in his embrace.

Wes glanced to the side, tearing his eyes from Fred long enough to locate where on the old check-in counter she had placed the cd player. Fred twirled again, and Wes rose, quietly crossing the small space to hit the repeat button on the player. The song started again, causing Fred to jump, flinging out a hand. Wes caught that outflung hand, wrapping his hand around her wrist and tugging her toward him. Fred squeaked in surprise as he pulled her back against him, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Dance with me," Wes purred into Fred’s ear, rubbing his hand against her stomach. Wes tugged her hand up behind his neck, releasing his grasp on her wrist to trail his hand down her arm, and began swaying in time to the music. Wes felt her shiver, even though she was slightly stiff in his embrace; however, as the music began, he could almost sense the moment she decided to throw her innate caution and shyness to the winds, letting go and truly dancing with him.

Movements that before were merely erotic, now took on a deeper more sexual meaning as Fred began to dance for, and with, Wesley. He smiled, reaching a hand to catch her waist for a moment, only to have her push him away with a soft laugh. To Wes, the dance was slightly more familiar now, taken on some of the more obvious moves of a sultry rumba, while still carrying the exotic overtones of her earlier dancing.

Wes was thoroughly enjoying himself. Fred was openly flirting with him as they danced around the lobby. He would briefly catch her, only to have her escape him. As the music began to wind to a close, he caught her with a soft laugh, arching her back over his arm in a conscious repetition of her earlier move, tangling his hand in her hair and dropping a brief kiss in the hollow of her throat. He heard her gasp softly as he dragged her back up against him. She was wide-eyed as he held her loosely against him.

"Winifred," he murmured softly, releasing her hair to trail that hand over her skin until he could cup her cheek. Wes stared down into her eyes captured and fascinated by what he saw in her unguarded gaze. He gave into temptation, lowering his head and kissing her softly, gently, with none of the anger that had characterized their first kiss. Wes felt her tense for a moment before sighing and relaxing into him. He knew that it would take little for him to coax her into his bed after the highly charged dance they had shared and reluctantly released her lips. He brushed his thumb across her mouth, smiling again.

Slowly, Wes released Fred, allowing his hands a brief caress before catching hers. When he spoke it was in a rough, raspy whisper, "Go to bed, Fred." She shook her head no, clearly not wanting to leave, and Wes raised her hands pressing soft kisses to her inner wrists. "Go Fred. Before I do something we’d both regret tomorrow." She stared at him, more than a little wide-eyed, as he dropped her hands. Backing a step away, Wes sighed, "Tomorrow, my love. We’ll talk. For now, go to bed."

Wes watched her scamper away from him, almost running up the stairs, though she paused at the top to look down at him, a shy smile gracing her lips before she turned the corner to head down the hall to her room. As soon as she was out of sight, Wes crossed the lobby to the counter. He rested his hands on it for a moment before turning the cd player off. He’d just made the toughest decision of his recent life, sending her away now when she so clearly wanted him. Shaking his head, Wes grabbed his leather jacket from the hook in the office and headed across the lobby to exit out the courtyard doors, pausing only to snatch Fred’s cd from the player and tuck it into his pocket. "Pleasant Dreams, Winifred," he whispered into the empty lobby as he closed and locked the door behind him.