A New Taste on the Tongue

A New Taste on the Tongue
by AnitaB and Gatekeeper

Chapter 8: Easier after this


Grace walked through the office with a wide grin on her face, wondering how John and George’s dinner date had gone. Wondering how soon they would tell the rest of the team about...their relationship. She laughed, trying to see the look that would be on Bailey’s face when he realized that John-the king womanizer of the decade–was involved with his former-criminal, gay hacker, best friend. That would be a one in the lifetime expression, and it would be a huge shame to miss it. So Grace decided it was a good week to hang out at the conference table. It should be a great show.

Turning the corner, Grace stopped short at the sight before her. God, they were cute together.

Sitting shoulder to shoulder at John’s desk, the boys had their intertwined hands resting on the desk’s surface. But even cuter than that was the way John’s free hand was woven through George’s hair, pulling him in for what looked like an extremely deep and passionate kiss where from where Grace was standing in the doorway. //I knew it, I just knew it.// Grace smiled, fighting not to laugh. //I guess John adjusted pretty quickly after all.//

Leaning against the door jam, she cleared her throat with a quiet but definite cough. Her smile widened as they flinched and broken the kiss. They kept holding hands though. “Morning, boys. How was your weekend?”

“Hi, Grace,” John smiled at her before glancing at George with heat in his eyes. “I had an amazing weekend.” His voice was low and rough and his eyes lovingly watched the blush on George’s face, before turning back to Grace. “How was yours?”

“Not as nice as yours apparently,” She turned to George with a vaguely expectant look on her face.

He smiled in return, covering the back of John’s hand with his free one. “We probably owe you ladies a thank you, don’t we?”

“Yeah, you do.” The smile on her lips took on a slight tinge of...not malice, more like...evil joy. “But don’t be shocked if the other girls seemed surprised. They bought the Stephanie scene. Nicely done, bravo.” She clapped her hands a few times, smiling at the clearly cemented couple before her. She knew they’d be good for each other, she’d just known it. “Well?”

The boys exchanged a glance, then like the obedient children she knew they could be, turned, smiled and chimed. “Thank you, Grace.”

“That’s better.” Pushing away from the doorway, Grace walked down the hall, smiling.

***

“Morning, John.” Rachel sauntered into John’s office, trailing her fingertips lightly over the edges of his furniture. John glanced up nervously. Every line of her body shouted a warning: Predator, Victims beware. He leaned back in his chair, waiting for whatever explosion Rachel was planning. “Morning, Rachel. Have a good weekend?”

“Not really,” She moved in front of his desk, somehow pouting with every line of her body. “I spent the whole time trying to figure something out. But I think I get it now.”

“Get what, now?” John watched her get closer with almost a sense of panic. Every cell in his body was sitting on edge, waiting for the attack.

“I put it all together last night and I have to say I was impressed. You and George certainly played your scene well, but it didn’t quite fit. Something was wrong and now I know what it was.”

“Really, what?” Before John could gather himself to react, Rachel leaned in, grabbed his face, and planted her lips on his. Shock rode him for a moment before he grabbed her wrists and pushed her back. “Rachel!” Seeing the look on her face, John smiled. “Sorry, Rachel, you missed your chance. I’m seeing someone.”

“Yeah, someone tall, attractive, intelligent and male, perhaps.” Sitting back on his desk, Rachel crossed her ankles and watched the look in his face. He looked... happy, comfortable with himself and the relationship. It really had happened. “You’re falling for George, aren’t you, John?”

Leaning back in his chair, John folded his hands over his stomach, smiling. “Yeah, yeah I am.”

“So you don’t like girls anymore?” She shifted a little, making her pose more provocative.

“No, I didn’t say that. I just ...like George more.” He said it simply, straightforwardly as if it was a statement that needed no explanation, as if it were just a known fact, and unquestioned reality.

“So we don’t affect you at all?” Leaning farther over, Rachel strained the buttons of her blouse.

Reaching out to pat her knee, John smiled widely and laughed. “Sorry, Rachel, I’m seeing someone right now.” He stood, gathering up a file and moving to the doorway. John turned a moment. “Besides, George is a better kisser.” With a grin on his face, he left a fuming (well, maybe half-fuming) Rachel perched on his desk. Maybe that was a smile on her lips.

***

“We thanked Grace,” George smiled and raised a cup of coffee to his lips.


“Rachel knows,”

George tilted his head and quirked an eyebrow. “There’s got to be an explanation behind that face,” Setting down the cup, he leaned forward on his elbows. “So spill.”

“She kissed me,” At the look on George’s face, John reached out and covered one of those hands with one of his own. “Like I’d settle for anything else after I’ve had the best.”

“And what did you do?” George wound his fingers through John’s and leaned closer with a smile.

John dropped his eyes for a moment before looking at George with serious emotions on his face. “I told her I was falling for you and sent her on her way.” He raised George’s hand to his mouth, kissing the back of it with a languid caress of lips and tongue. The blush on that handsome face warmed John’s heart.

“John, you charmer.” George leaned over the table and pulled John into a kiss, trying to express every emotion he felt in the sweet caress of lips and tongue. Pulling back with a tender smile, George clasped John’s hand between his own. “So that leaves Sam still in the dark. We should give her a proper thank you. What do you think, flowers?”

A wide smile crossed John’s lips as he nodded eagerly. “I want to write the card, you call the florist.”

“Right,” George moved to his laptop, pulling up a local florist. “Not roses, daisies? Carnations?” George felt a familiar hand on his shoulder as John leaned down.

“Tulips, red ones.” John tilted George’s head up, brushing a thumb over his lips. “Sam helped me find these lips, so I’m sending her some. She’ll love the symbolism.” He moved closer, pressing a tender kiss on George’s lips, slowly, sweetly exploring that mouth with his own.

Pulling back, George cleared his throat. “Red tulips it is, then.”

***

Bailey Malone looked up at the knock on his office door. An agent stood before him holding a vase of red flowers.

“Sorry to disturb you, sir. These were delivered for Samantha Waters a few minutes ago. Security said she was up here.”

He stood, feeling suspicion pour through him. Sam didn’t work here anymore, so she shouldn’t have any stalkers. But how would anyone legitimate know she was here and why wouldn’t they send them to the house? Always overprotective of Sam even before he admitted to himself that he loved her, Bailey was even more cautious now. “The flowers cleared all the security measures, right?”

“Of course, sir. Nothing even potentially harmful found.”

“I’ll take them.” Bailey reached for the vase and dismissed the carrier, setting the flowers on his desk. “What have we here?” Sitting back in his chair, he carefully opened the card. The suspicion left his body at the sight of the signatures only to be replaced by confusion. “It makes no sense, why are John and George sending My Sam a dozen red tulips and a thank you card?”

While Bailey still puzzled over the situation, he spotted a steak of blonde hair passing the window.

“Sam,”

“Just a second, Bail, I need to talk to Rachel and Gra--”

“Sam, come here. There’s something I hope you can explain to me.” Bailey held out a hand to her, “Come here, Sam.”

“What’s up, Bail?” Sam moved through the door, shivering slightly at the heat of his hand on her back.

“What do you see on my desk?” His voice rumbled with a mixture of amusement and confusion.

“A bouquet of red tulips.” Sam turned and rested both hands on his chest. “Is some other woman sending you flowers, Malone? Does she know I’m fully trained FBI agent and a better than average shot with a firearm?” The half-teasing tone of her voice was matched by the half-serious smile on her lips.

Wrapping his arms around her waist, Bailey brushed a kiss over her lips. “While I’m flattered you’d fight over me, Sam, the flowers aren’t mine. Read the card.” Turning her in his arms, he held her close and walked her over to his desk, handing her the card. “Explain this to me.”

Sam settled backwards against his chest and looked at the small envelop in her hand with confusion. Her name was written in a flowing cursive across the white paper. “They’re for me?”

“Read the card,”

“Ok, take the command tone out of your voice, I don’t work for you anymore.” Smiling at him over her shoulder to take any sting out of her words, she cuddled deeper into his arms. It wouldn’t do to let Bailey think himself too powerful. Opening the envelop, Sam recognized John’s writing sprawling across the inside of the card.
Dear Sam, Thanks for all your ‘help’. Love, John and George
P.S. So much for my women in heels, huh Sam?


“So are you gonna tell me what’s going on?” Bailey watched her reread the card two or three times and blink repeatedly. Laughter began to shake the body in his arms. “Sam?”

“Those...little...liars.” Sam trembled all over, leaning helplessly into his arms and laughing between words. “Stephanie...John’s haircut...fooled....smart little bastards.”

“Sam,” Bailey felt her body beginning to slide down his. Hauling her close, he maneuvered her over to the chair, guiding her into it with his hands on her hips. “Sam, honey, I want you to breathe and tell me what’s going on, right now.” Crouching at her feet, Bailey rubbed both hands against her legs, waiting for laughter to stop, only it didn’t. Tired of waiting, he rose up on his knees and pulled her head down, urgently catching her lips with his own. That stopped it short. Sam wrapped her arms around his neck and responded eagerly to his kiss.

“Hm, Bailey,” He reveled in the sound of his name on her lips, before reluctantly pulling back. Bailey loved it when Sam moaned his name and it almost tempted him back. But curiosity won.

“Don’t start laughing again, just tell me what happened.” He plucked the card out of her hand to wave before her eyes. “What, John suddenly found himself into women in sneakers? Sandals?”

The smile that crossed her lips sent panic alarms down Bailey’s spine.

“No, John suddenly found himself into George.”

“John and Ge-George.” His face went blank and he leaned closer against her knees. “I didn’t hear you right, Sam, did I?”

“You heard me right, Bail. Our John and George are together. Started at the New Year’s Eve party. They fought it for almost a week. Then the little jerks managed to hide it for almost a week just to drive us mad.”

“Us?”

“Grace, Rachel and me. I knew it, I just knew they were meant for each other.” Sam smiled and rubbed her hands together.

“Meant for each other... John and George... you’re serious?” His hands slid down her thighs as Bailey sank back to sit on the floor near her feet with a dazed expression. “You’re serious. They’re really a couple.”

“Yes, baby, they’re really a couple. A cute one at that.” Sam ran her fingers through his hair, cuddling him closer.

“I should be more shocked, shouldn’t I?” He leaned against her knees, the beginning of a smile on his face. “So much for no relationships between co-workers.” The smile got wider. “We always broke the rules anyway.” Bailey smiled up at Sam. “They’re happy?”

“Yeah, they are.”

“Good, that’ll make the flack a little easier to take.” He leaned more comfortably into Sam. “You know, I could do my job of protecting my team a lot better if I wasn’t always the last one to know anything.”

Smiling at the man she loved still sitting in a vague pile of shock on the floor, Sam chuckled under her breath and rested her cheek on his hair. “We’ll try to keep you in the loop next time.”

“Damn, I missed it, didn’t I?” Grace pouted from the doorway, moving closer to see Bailey’s face. “I wanted to be here when you found out.”

Sam shifted, looking at Bailey herself. “If it’s any consolation, Grace, he’s still wearing some of the expression he had on earlier.” She patted his shoulder then grinned. “Besides he hasn’t seen them yet, that should be fun.”

“The two of them were in John’s office a few minutes ago, should still be there.”

“Let’s go.”

The boys weren’t in John’s office but at the conference table. Well, George was at the table with his laptop. John was walking across the room with two cups in hand. Neither seemed aware of the trio in the hallway.

“Coffee, George?”

“Sure, John, thanks.” Taking one of the cups, George brushed a kiss against the inside of John’s wrist.

“You call that a kiss, George?” John smiled tenderly and pulled George’s lips to his own.

The ‘ah’s from the hallway made John lift his head. “Hello, ladies. Enjoying the view?” His eyes flicked a little nervously to Bailey as his hand reached for one of George’s. “Afternoon, Bailey.”

Was that the beginning of a smile on Bailey’s face? It was. John glanced down at George and he seemed to see it too.

“You two just keep this” Bailey made the universal hand waggle that meant ‘relationship’ “from interfering with your work.” The tone of his voice stayed on the edge of being a serious reprimand but his face was falling rapidly into a small but sincere smile.

Relieved, George smiled. “You got it, boss.”

“Really,” John’s face said in no uncertain lines that he didn’t quite believe his eyes and ears.


“Yes, John, really.” Bailey laid a hand on the younger man’s shoulder with a smile. “That coffee looks good.”

“There’s roast Kenyan in the decaf pot.” Rachel stood in the doorway with a wide grin on her face.

Glancing around at their closest friends all smiling, George pressed his lips to the back of John’s hand. “I bet it’ll get easier after this, don’t you?”

*** The end.