Champagne and Chocolate
By
Gin
**Disclaimer: The characters from ER
belong to Amblin, NBC, etc., etc. I’m just borrowing
them for a bit of fun.
***Warning: This story is rated R for
explicit sexual situations. If you find that offensive, or
if you are under 18 years of age,this story is not for you.
Caitlyn Martinson, M.D., drove up outside
her small house, turned off the motor, and sat there. It
had been a long day and she was beat. She forced her
tired limbs to move as she trudged up the path to her door.
Fumbling with her keys, she soon stepped inside the dimly lit,
blessedly cool interior of her home. Immediately
something soft and furry curled itself around her legs.
“Hello Isis, my love, how was your day?”
she scooped the little calico cat into her arms. "I
hope your day has been better than mine.” Heading
towards the kitchen, she quickly fed her ‘starving’ cat
and poured a glass of iced tea. Well Cait, another
Friday night alone, she thought to herself. Oh well,
she had her plans – stripping off the slightly damp clothes
she was wearing and submerging herself in a nice warm tub of
scented water. Gulping her tea, she shrugged out of
her top and pulled off the bra she wore, shivering slightly as
the cool air from the AC vent blew over her.
The bathroom was beckong and she heeded the
call. She loved her bathroom with its deep whirlpool
step-up next to the picture window facing the yard. It
looked like part of the outdoors, surrounded by plants of all
varieties. Reaching up, she turned on the taps, slowly
filling her deep green tub. She added her favorite
bath scent of lavender. Kicking off her sandals she peeled
off her undies, rummaging for an elastic to hold her long auburn
hair off her neck. Placing her iced tea on the small table,
she sank into the tub. She groaned in bliss as the heat
relaxed her tense muscles. Breathing deeply, she let the
water soothe away the frustrations of the day. I think I’ll
just spend the rest of the night right here she thought.
Damn, she thought, as her cordless phone
began to ring. Maybe I’ll just ignore it, but her
conscious wouldn’t let her get by with that. What if
it was the hospital and they needed her. She reached
out a wet hand and grabbed the phone. “Dr. Martinson,”
She answered crisply.
“Hi, Cait, did I catch you at a bad
time?” said a husky, deep voice with its charming Croatian
accent.
“Luka?” she questioned,
disbelieving her own ears. “Damnation, I’m trying
to drown the phone, or electrocute myself here, I’m not sure
which.”
“I can call later if this is a bad
time.”
“Oh no, don’t hang up. I’m situated now.
“ Caitlin laughed.
“Just what am I interrupting?”
Luka inquired.
“You’re not interrupting anything,
I’m just relaxing in the tub. It’s been a hell of
week here. I just felt like pampering myself!
She heard him sigh. “I know what
you mean. It’s been a hell of a past few months in
Chicago. “
“Are you still in Chicago?”
“No,” Luka replied, “I’m
here in San Diego, actually. I’m staying at Jack
Patterson’s beach house while he’s taking his wife to
Europe.”
Caitlyn laugned, “I wonder who his wife
caught him with this time?” They shared a laugh,
knowing their colleague’s penchant for getting into trouble.
“I was hoping we might get together,
maybe having some dinner, if you’d like, it’s been a
long time.” Luka ended quietly.
“That’s the truth.” Caitlyn
replied. “Yes, I’d like that. How long are
you planning on staying?”
“Oh, I’ll be here for awhile, I’m
on leave right now. Have you had dinner this evening?”
Luka asked.
“Well, no,” she replied, “I
only made it as far as the bath. Okay, you twisted my arm.
Do you remember how to get to my house?” When he
hesitated she quickly gave him directions. “Thats only
about 15 minutes from here.”
“You’d better hurry and get
dressed then, I’m hungry.” He hung up the phone.
Caitlyn flew out of the bath, leaving a
trail of puddles. Luka Kovac – now that was a
voice from the past. It seemed ages since they had worked
together. He was one of the best ER attendings she had
known. As one of the trauma surgeons on staff, they
had often worked together, developing not only a professional
relationship, but also friendship. She had missed him when
he left for Chicago, more so than she was willing to admit to
herself.
Shaking off the memories, she searched her
closets until she found a soft, pale peach, sleeveless dress.
She ran a quick brush through her hair, and touched up her make
up. A quick spritz of her perfume and she was ready, when
she heard the doorbell. She went and opened the door.
Luka stood there on the porch, smiling. It had been so long
since she had seen that smile. “You didn’t waste
anytime getting here, did you? She said, letting him in.
Luka took her free hand in his. “Told
you I was hungry.” He stepped back and looked at her,
still holding her hand. “You didn’t waste any
time getting ready. You look lovely.” He reached
over and pressed his lips against her cheek.
She looked at him. He had a
little more gray in his hair, and he had lost weight. There
were dark circles under his eyes, those eyes that still had their
haunted look. Just what had they been doing to him in
Chicago, she wondered.
“Thanks. You look good too, if I
ignore the dark circles under your eyes. Just what have you
been doing in Chicago?” she said, frowning a bit.
Luka smiled, “Well, obviously not getting enough sleep.”
Then quickly changing the subject, he said, “Lets go eat.
I’m not going to last much longer.”
They found a small restaurant on the
waterfront. It was intimate and quiet. They sat at a
table overlooking the beach. After giving their order
to the waiter, they chatted, catching up on what each had been
doing since Luka left for Chicago. Luka was not
surprised when Caitlyn told him she was now Chief of Trauma
Surgery. He knew she was on the fast track to the top.
He told her about County, and they laughed over some of the
‘amusing’ cases he had seen.
Luka and Cait picked their way through the
various dishes, and sat back replete. The waiter removed
the empty dishes and brought out a plate with sliced fruits and
assorted chocolates.
Caitlyn sighed, “Oh great, he brings
out chocolate! There’s no way I can resist that.”
Luka laughed, “That’s right, you
always were a chocaholic. Here.” He reached out,
picked a sinful looking dark piece off the plate and held it out
to her mouth. Caitlyn gave him a dark look. “Friends
are supposed to help, not corrupt.” He smiled and
brushed it against her mouth. With one last look she closed
her lips around the small piece of heaven. Biting into it,
the flavor exploded on her tongue. Her eyes closed and she
groaned a little. “Oh Luka, when you tempt, you pick
the right things!” She licked her lips delicately as
she swallowed.
He wanted to see that expression on her face
again, and held out another piece to her. Once again, an
expression of sheer delight crossed her face as she concentrated
on the flavors in her mouth. It was the most
unselfconsciously erotic thing he’d ever seen.
Her eyes opened and she looked at him.
“No more, I could go overboard with this, but my wardrobe
would not appreciate it!” She smiled.
Luka grasped her hand, pulling her up.
“Let’s dance then.” He said. Her look
of surprise quickly turned to one of delight. “Okay,
but it’s been awhile, so watch your toes!” She
followed him on the dance floor and found herself enfolded in his
arms, moving to the slow rhythm of the music. Cait
relaxed into Luka’s embrace. His skin was warm through
the soft silk of his dark blue shirt, and she could feel the play
of his muscles under her hands. He moved smoothly and
without effort, and Caitlyn found herself following his lead.
She felt his hand move to the exposed skin of her back, gently
stroking the bare skin from her neck to waist, stopping at the
end of the deep V neck, then returning upward under her hair.
Caitlyn found it hard to move, it felt as if her bones were
turning to water. Luka kept up the gentle stroking while
still moving to the music around them. Cait felt as
if the room was spinning around her. She grasped Luka more
tightly. He reached down and gently kissed her cheek,
brushing aside her hair, brushing his lips across her ear. She
felt a shiver run through her entire body. Luka felt her
involuntary movements, and tightened his grip on her, pulling her
tightly against his body.
At that moment the song came to an end.
Luka stood for a moment before releasing Caitlyn, and finally
drew back, his hands moving from her back, down her arms to her
hands. He looked at her without speaking, and then lead
them back to the table. Caitlyn sipped her wine.
Earlier Luka had moved his chair closer to hers, and they sat
side by side. He captured her hand, pulling it onto his
lap, gently playing with her fingers. He remained silent.
Cait thought she would go crazy.
Between his silence and the soft touch of his hand on her, she
wondered how could anyone seduce a hand, but that’s what he
was doing. Pulling her hand free, she said
“Lets go for a walk on the beach.” Luka looked
surprised for a moment, but quickly agreed. While he was
taking care of the check, Caitlyn hurried to the restroom.
She patted cold water on her face and washed her hands. She
knew was stalling, trying to regain her composure. He was
affecting her more than the wine. Finally she headed back
out and caught up with Luka waiting for her outside.
End Part 1