Tygers Den | Fanfic | 17 Days-chap11

The call came early in the morning, as expected. Apolo and I looked at each other and took a deep breath before I answered the phone. I listened to Chuck's orders as Apolo tried to study the frown on my face for the answers. I swung my legs over the side of the bed, turning away from him. Shortly, and with little response required of me, the call ended. I sat on the edge of the bed, continuing to stare at the floor and make sense of what I just heard.

"Mica? Mica, what's going on? What did he say?" Apolo inquired, rubbing his hands over my shoulders and arms. I blinked my eyes and shook myself back to reality.

He gave me a broad smile and threw his arms around me, pulling me back down on the bed. He turned around till he was lying on top of me and kissed me; breaking the trance the news had put me in. I scarce could believe it. Somehow, they had decided that even though my cover was blown, I still made a formidable presence.

"I know." I agreed. "I didn't expect this. I didn't expect to stay." I looked deep in his eyes. "I thought last night would be the first and last, and then we'd never see each other again."

A heavy question. Would I have? I traced my finger over the scar on his left eyebrow. Last night was incredible...and it seems, inevitable. So then, does it really make a difference when it happened?

"I wouldn't change last night for anything, Apolo. We both wanted to, it was just a question of when we would get a chance. Or maybe more when I would take the chance. But I don't regret anything."

He leaned down to kiss me again, pressing his body against me as he slipped his tongue into my mouth. I could feel my want stirring again, and wrapped my arms tighter around him. I ground my hips against his, eliciting a moan, then broke away from his lips.

"Well, actually, there is one thing I regret." I grabbed his ass and pressed him firmly against me. "I wish I would've taken you sooner!"

"Um, well, true...but that's not what I meant." He teased his hardness against me and trailed the tip of his tongue over my lips before continuing. "Come on, say it..." I was too busy getting lost in his ministrations. "Say it or I'll stop!"

"Dammit, fine! I wanted you from the first day I met you...you egotistical little bastard!" He pressed his lips hard against mine, then began to trail kisses down to my chest. I stole a glance at the clock.

"As you wish." He replied and slid off the side of the bed between my legs. Standing at the edge, he pulled my hips toward him and lifted me into position. With a quick thrust, he was inside of me and pumped urgently. My thighs quivered as I groaned, the feelings inside of me quickly building to a crescendo. He growled as he pounded deep into me, then held as I clamped tightly around him, moaning through my own release as I felt his warmth inside.

We high-tailed it to the press conference, going over our game plan on the way, setting our stories straight so we can diffuse any rumors before they start. Chuck met us behind the partition, apologizing for succumbing to the media pressure that was forcing us into this conference. I gave him a tight smile, reminding that I had “done this before” and turned to face Apolo just as the time came to face the lights. Wordlessly, we held one another’s hands, calming. With a deep breath, we parted and stepped around the partition, emblazoned with “Salt Lake 2002”, and sat down at the makeshift, material draped, conference table.

The questions started out simply enough: our general well-being, background information that we thought they already knew. Even the toughest question to Apolo, on how he felt about the whole incident. Humbly, he admitted his fear, but thanked me for being there and saving his life. I could feel myself blush as I smiled at him, and perhaps my look lingered a little too long, for the next question to “either of us” was whether there was any truth to the notion that the “girlfriend” façade was not really an act.

“So you’re asking if we have any interest in one another beyond our business relationship?” I repeated back to the interviewer. He confirmed, as did a few others. Prepared for this one, Apolo and I looked at each other, smirking, then broke into raucous laughter, as if such a suggestion would be totally absurd.

“Now you all know as well as I do what something like that would do to our careers.” I responded. “I would hope people would give us more credit than that.” If the government has taught me anything, it was how to lie, lie, lie.

“He’s a nice guy and all,” I continued, “and we get along quite well, despite how much of a pain in the ass he was at first.” Apolo looked at me and stuck his tongue out. “See what I mean?” The press chuckled. “But my fondness for him is more like that for a kid brother.”

“Yeah, she’s tolerated me so far.” Apolo added. “But, you know, we’re just friends. Like, I’ve got some girls back home that I’m friends with and stuff, but people don’t automatically assume anything is going on.”

“But what about the pictures of you two on the town, holding hands and kissing and such?” Asked another reporter. “The affection seems to be pretty authentic.”

I smiled and laughed. “And they said I would never make it in Hollywood. My friends, that is called acting. I was asked to present myself in a certain way to elude suspicion that the FBI was involved. It seems the terrorist was not the only person it fooled. Now, when do I get my Oscar?”

My humor and candid answers seemed to dissipate any further questioning on the subject. A few more inquires on some “classified” information were directed to Chuck, and soon, we were “no longer needed” at the conference.