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Tasting Forbidden Fruit	By : Raushana Category: 1 through F > Frasier Views: 13988 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Frasier, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Tasting Forbidden Fruit
- 1
Tasting
Forbidden Fruit
By
Raushana

Timeframe: An alternate universe version of season 4�s �Daphne Hates Sherry�

Rating: NC-17 all the way�don�t read this if serious sex isn�t your cup
of tea.

Disclaimer: Grub Street Productions owns the characters of Frasier, Niles,
Daphne, Martin, & Roz, and no copyright infringement is intended by the
writing of this story, so please don�t shoot me, guys, particularly given the
activities described�I mean no harm.

�Well, I suppose under the circumstances we could both sleep
in the same room.�

The words no sooner tumbled out of Daphne Moon�s mouth than
she froze in shock. Did I just say that? What must Doctor Crane be thinking! Another part of Daphne, though, was
puzzling out what words to utter next to complete this seduction scene, the
magic formula that would bring Niles Crane into her embrace and quench her
surging lust. Daphne held her breath
for what seemed to be the longest moment of her life, as she waited for Niles�s
reply.

�It does . . . oscillate,� he finally murmured, his voice
edgy with barely suppressed desire.

Daphne�s lips formed an �O� of amazement as she contemplated
the possibilities suggested by that phrase.
She gasped, �What?�

�The fan.�

Daphne swallowed, not sure what signal Niles was sending
her. Does he know what I really
want, or is he playing the bloody gentleman again, damn him! I don�t need him to be decent tonight, I
need him to be a pirate, an animal, the man I�ve always dreamed of . . .but I
shouldn�t be thinking of him that way at all!

The soft chiming of her wristwatch alarm broke into her
thoughts. Daphne jumped, startled, and
blurted out, �Oh dear!�

�What?�

Daphne gulped, realizing that the perfect excuse to escape
the heated emotions churning around and within her had just presented
itself. �It�s time to take my
pills. I forgot all about them�they�re
back at the apartment.� She began to
hurry past Niles and up the stairs, the silk dressing gown swirling against her
bare legs.

�What pills?� She could
hear the shock and dismay in his voice.

�It�s me thyroid.
Nothing serious, it�s just a bit overactive. If I don�t take me pills I tend to faint dead away.� Daphne gave Niles a small reassuring smile
as she faced him on the landing, her hand on the railing.

�What�s the point in having a fainting coach if you can�t
use it once in a while?� Niles said
glibly.

Daphne found she was beginning to panic over the choice that
confronted her. �I�ll just run over and
get them. I�ll come right back,� she
said hurriedly, her need to flee warring with her powerful, sudden lust for the
man standing before her.

�No, wait!� Niles�s
eyes shone eagerly as he caught at her hand.
�I have a prescription pad, remember?
Not to mention that there�s an all-night pharmacy across the street from
the Montana. Let me get them for you,
please. This way you don�t have to deal
with Sherry again, and you can stay comfortable. It�s much too hot to be driving around, at any rate.� He smiled at her with that unexpected sweetness
he could conjure up, his blue eyes pleading silently with her to stay. Daphne was reminded of a handsome puppy in a
shop window begging to be bought. As
disquieting as his light touch on her hand was, she couldn�t bring herself to
crush his hungry hopefulness�Niles was just too adorable at that moment.

Daphne smiled hesitantly and said, �That�s so kind of you,
Doctor Crane, to go to such trouble for me�you�re always such a gentleman. If you�re willing, then yes, you can do
that.�

�Wonderful!� His
smile became dazzling, so much so that Daphne swayed a little. Niles instantly became concerned. �Daphne, are you all right? Are you feeling faint? Please, come upstairs and lie down . .
.�

Niles quickly propelled Daphne up the second flight of
stairs with a gentle but firm arm around her waist, his hand in hers as she
fought to control the heat his touch was stoking in her whole body. It was a relief when he sat her down on the
edge of the bed and stepped back.

Daphne glanced around and allowed her curiosity to get the
better of her manners. �This is your
bedroom, isn�t it? It�s splendidly
posh�but of course, I should have expected that,� she said thoughtfully, as she
took in the carved four-poster bed, the burgundy and green color scheme, and
the small tiled fireplace.

�Thank you,� said Niles, both proud and nervous. �Now be good, and lie down, and I�ll go and
get the fan.�

Niles rushed out, and Daphne carefully lifted her legs and
stretched out, making sure that the robe covered her from at least the knees
up. Niles brought the fan in then and
arranged it to give her the maximum amount of air. Before she could thank him, he dashed downstairs again and
quickly reappeared with the champagne bucket and fruit tray. He placed both on the nightstand next to
Daphne.

�There you are!�
Niles�s cheery tone belied his hot gaze as he looked at Daphne. �Everything you need, and then some. I should be back with your pills in about
fifteen minutes or so. Get some rest.�

On that note, Niles left her, unable to resist giving her a
longing glance over his shoulder as he walked out the door. Daphne held her breath until she heard the
front door shut, and then she expelled a deep sigh. My God, what have I gotten myself into? Oh well�I guess I�ll have to go with the
flow now�and this is awfully nice, I never am cosseted by anyone but
Doctor Crane . . .Daphne paused, the name floating into her mind unbidden�Niles
. . .

She wriggled deeper into the thick pillows behind her head,
enjoying the breeze wafting over her sweaty body. She sat up then and arched her back, letting her nipples rub
against the silk. The feeling was so
good with the air that she impulsively opened the dressing gown, confident she
would be able to hear Niles soon enough to cover up in time. As the fan blew over her nakedness, she gave
a satisfied sigh. The sigh changed to a
whimper as she spread her legs a little and felt cool air brush her engorged
labia. Oh, why did I have to get the
hots for my boss�s brother? I can�t
jump his bones, no matter how much I want to!
Talk about screwing up me job! Daphne
swallowed nervously as the image of Niles opening the apartment door earlier
popped into her mind�s eye. She�d
always known Niles was rather cute, and had fantasized about him occasionally
over the years, but she�d never imagined he could be so absolutely delicious�it
had taken all her self-control not to start kissing him when she dragged him to
the fainting couch. The breeze touched
her again, and she squirmed, desire burning in her once more. Another thought crept in�maybe if I make
meself come before Niis bis back, I can be a good girl and not throw meself at
him�I�ve got to get some relief, I can�t manage if I keep feeling this way . .
.

Her hands slid down her thighs slowly, and she spread her
legs again as her fingers tangled through her auburn bush and began stroking
her labia. She bit her lower lip when
one finger begarclircling her swollen clitoris�the sensation was almost more
than she could bear. She persisted,
however, and then slipped another finger into her vagina at the same time. It didn�t take her long to become totally
aroused. As her head tossed, she saw
the champagne bucket and smiled to herself.
Time to kick this up a notch, hmmm? She reached over with her free hand and fished out an ice
cube. Her hips bucked up a little at
the chill shock of the ice, but soon the wetness was adding a whole new level.

Daphne�s head lolled back even more as she felt the mounting
heat in her groin�she could already sense she was heading towards a huge
orgasm. Determined to climax quickly,
she closed her eyes and began to visualize the faces of various
ex-lovers�Clive, Derek, Joe. But all
the mental pictures kept dissolving into another face, one with blond hair,
blue eyes, and a ravishingly lovely smile.
After fighting the image for a few seconds, Daphne capitulated and
imagined that Niles was there, kissing her all over, thrusting into her more
and more deeply until she screamed his name . . . her body arched off the bed
as she teetered on the edge, panting, rubbing her clitoris furiously and
preparing to climax, her moans growing louder and louder . . .

�Oh my God, Daphne . . . �

Daphne froze in disbelief and slumped backwards as the
hoarse whisper reached her ears. Her
eyes snapped open and she saw who was watching her from the foot of the bed.

Niles�s eyes were dilated, his breath coming out in sharp
gasps as he clutched a bedpost to support himself. Daphne realized he was now barefoot�hence her failure to hear him
come back�and he had unbuttoned his shirt.
Daphne�s eyes widened as she appraised Niles. His chest, far hairier than she ever imagined, had nicely sculpted
muscles, the perfect complement to his flawlessly tight buttocks. He�s absolutely fantastic, I never
dreamed he was this fine, I want him so much . . . Daphne could also see
the large bulge at the front of Niles�s trousers. It was obvious he was even more turned on than she was. Their eyes finally met, and Daphne licked
her lips instinctively as she saw the expression of pure lust on Niles�s
face. He shuddered and struggto
to
speak.

�H-here, I have your pills, D-Daphne,� he stammered, and
held out the bottle and a small cup of water.
His hand was shaking.

Daphne fought to gather her thoughts for a few suspended
seconds. What do I do now? I ought
to cover meself up, right now, he must think I�m the biggest slut in the world,
what can I possibly say to him? Another,
cooler part of her brain, though, whispered, Why worry? It�s done now, so why cover up? It�s clear Niles likes what he�s seeing, and
so do I . . . I guess what�s going to happen, will happen�and he may back off
anyway. . . She reached out slowly
and took the pills and water from a trembling Niles, their eyes locked. She swallowed down her dosage, and carefully
placed everything on the table beside her.
She collected what little dignity she could muster while naked to
Niles�s stare, cleared her throat, and began to speak.

�Niles�Niles, I��
o:p>
He let her go no farther.
In a heartbeat, he was on top of her, lifting her off the bed as his
mouth claimed hers. Daphne let her lips
part underneath the pressure, and she immediately felt his tongue sliding into
her mouth. She moaned, unable to
believe how enflamed she was again�she could feel her vagina growing even
slicker. She allowed her arms to dangle
behind her, and Niles immediately took the hint, pushing the silk gown off her
shoulders and flinging it to a far corner of the bedroom. One hand reached up and ran through her
hair, sending it tumbling down. The
other was frantically caressing her curves, while he kept kissing her.

Daphne growled as Niles�s mouth left hers and began to tease
her nipples. It was her turn to claw at
his clothes. She practically ripped his
open shirt away from his back, and then attacked the belt holding up his
trousers. He paused long enough to
allow her to pull them down, stepping free of both pants and underwear and
kicking them aside. She caught her
breath as she saw him completely naked for the first time, standing next to the
bed with a totally vulnerable expression on his face.

He was quite simply beautiful, she decided, and she knew she
needed to tell Niles that. �You�re
beautiful, you are, you are,� she murmured as she put her arms around his waist
and pulled him on top of her.

�Not as beautiful as you�you�re a goddess�I want to please
you so much, Daphne�� His mouth traced a path down her throat and began to roam
over her breasts again. Niles murm,
�,
�I want you to have the most mind-blowing orgasm you�ve ever experienced�and
then another, and another�until you�re on fire.� He kissed the undersides of her breasts softly, and slowly
trailed more kisses down her stomach, around her navel, until his tongue was
painting delicate lines along her inner thighs.
o:p>
Daphne gasped in disbelief as she realized where Niles�s
final destination was. He�s so sweet
and giving�hardly any of me boyfriends liked doing this! She lifted her head a little to watch
Niles kissing her, and a surge of unexpected tenderness washed over her. It would be so easy to adore him forever,
he�s such a doll�that wife of his is a total idiot to let him go�

Sensation replaced thought at that moment as Daphne felt
Niles�s tongue begin to circle her labia, making her tremble as her head arched
back. She moaned, and he responded by
slipping his tongue into her vagina and slowly sliding it around her
wetness. Already aroused from her own
efforts, it didn�t take Daphne long to dangle on the edge of orgasm. She cried out, begging him huskily, �Oh,
Niles, don�t make me wait any longer, I can�t stand more!�

Niles drew away a little and chuckled. �As milady wishes,� he whispered. He gently pulled her folds of flesh apart,
revealing her clitoris. He leaned
forward and flicked the tip of his tongue over the swollen bud, once, twice,
three, four times . . .

Daphne gave an animal-like
cry as her whole body explowithwith the most magnificent climax she�d ever
experienced. She clutched Niles�s hair
as she shivered and shook, rainbow fragments waltzing before her eyes as her
hips rocked up into Niles�s mouth. He
kept tonguing her, prolonging her climax, until she lost all sense of time, and
she felt herself on the verge of comp unc unconsciousness. Her cries peaked as she gasped for
breath.

Niles finally slowed his oral caresses and lifted his head
slightly. He blew her pubic curls
softly, making her shiver again. Daphne
waited for him to stretch out beside her, to move to the next stage, but
instead Niles continued to hover over her, letting his breath cool her. After a few seconds, she felt him dip his
head between her thighs once more, his tongue exploring her, lapping up her
juices. Daphne moaned, bubbling over
with desire, amazed that this man�uptight, restrained, nervous Niles�could make
love to her with such intense passion.

It only took a few minutes for Daphne to feel another climax
wash over her, more diffuse this time, leaving her floating in a warm haze of
dreamy, drugged satisfaction. She came
back to full awareness when she felt Niles kiss her lips. She could taste herself on his mouth�she was
startled to realize how arousing that was for her. An overwhelming wish to give Niles the same kind of pleasure he�d
unselfishly given her seized Daphne.
She pushed Niles onto his back and knelt beside him, smiling at his
surprised expression.

�Daphne, I��

She laid a gentle finger on his lips. �Hush�it�s your turn now. You�ve been so generous, and I want to make
you feel just as good. Let me do this�I
know you want this . . .�

Niles fell silent, his breathing ragged, his eyes closing
slowly as Daphne teased his nipples.
She then kissed his body with increasing heat as the tip of her tongue
outlined his navel. She bathed his
inner thighs with moist kisses and was delighted when Niles groaned. Her fingers finally strayed onto his
erection, sliding up and down slowly as her lips grazed the silky head, her
tongue swirling around as she began to engulf his length with her mouth.

�Oh my God, Daphne�that feels so wonderful�I can�t believe
this�don�t stop, please . . .� Niles�s hoarse voice dwindled to a whisper as
his hips started moving in time with Daphne�s strokes.

Daphne ged ued up at Niles�s face, his eyes closed and lips
parted as he continued to groan helplessly.
It was intoxicating to know she had the power to reduce him to this
state. She caught sight of the tray out
of the corner of her eye as she looked down again. An idea came to her, and she laughed lightly. She replaced her mouth with her hand as she
straightened up, and then she leaned over and picked up a slice of passion
fruit.

�Daphne, what the��

�Shhh�this will be fun, I promise.� Daphne rubbed the fruit over Niles�s
erection, letting the juice drip down slowly.
She then ate the piece sensuously as a startled Niles watched her�she
noticed he couldn�t stop licking his lips.
Finally, she took him into her mouth again, savoring the mingled taste
of fruit and flesh. She moved up and
down his length, her strokes gradually speeding up as she teased his testicles,
then allowed Niles to thrust into the back of her throat. It was when she tasted the first salty drops
oozing from the soft tip that she realized it was time to stop�confirmed by Niles�s
moans.

�Oh, Daphne�I can�t�oh my God, I�m about to��

She drew away her mouth gently, letting Niles regain his
control. She smiled as she began to lie
down beside him. She jumped a little in
surprise as his hands caught her hips and pulled her on top of him. �I need to see you, Daphne�I want to see
every inch of you, your beautiful face, and magnificent body��

Daphne rapidly yielded and positioned herself over Niles as
her hand grasped him once more. She
slid forward and sighed as she rubbed against him, and then she paused.

�Now�now, I want you so much . . .� Niles grasped her
breasts, his eyes wild.

Daphne impaled herself on his rock-hard erection, and she
and Niles groaned together as he sheathed himself in her. She began to move up and down slowly,
determined to prolong the pleasure as thoroughly as she could, but raw desire
overpowered them both. She rode Niles
with greater and greater speed as he started to match her thrusts, lifting his
hips with surprising strength. His hands
slid down her back and then cupped her breasts again, his thumbs rubbing her
nipples hard. Daphne groaned and
swayed, her head thrown back and her mouth open as she sobbed out Niles�s name. She tightened her vaginal muscles
instinctively and pushed down hard, sweat pouring off their bodies as they both
hungered, climbed, reached . .

�Ohhhh�yes, yessss . . . � Daphne�s voice spiraled up into a
mindless shriek as the last devastating orgasm consumed her, her whole body
shaking feverishly. Her head drooped
forward and she stared down into Niles�s face, overcome with passion as he
cried out with his own orgasm then, his eyes cl and and lips parted as he
reared up into her. She clenched down
on him once more, determined to milk every last drop, wanting him to fill her
up completely.

She lost track of time again, but theodieodies finally
stopped moving, utter satisfaction taking over. Daphne let herself collapse onto Niles�s chest, her hair falling
across his mouth as he hugged her to him.
He gently rolled them over so they were lying face to face, still locked
together. She felt the tip of
fi
finger tracing the outline of her lips; she looked at him from under her
half-closed eyes and enjoyed the look of fulfillment she saw there. She playfully nibbled his finger, and then
let herself drift under his hypnotic touch as he kept stroking her mouth.

She didn�t know when it was that Niles leaned towards her
and kissed her softly, but she faintly heard him whisper against her lips, �I
love you, Daphne, I do, I do . . . �

Daphne�s sleepy brain formed the words I love you too,
Niles, but before they could reach her throat, she had toppled into
oblivion.

* * * * * * * * * *

Daphne snapped her eyes open to bright sunlight. Disoriented, it took her a couple of seconds
to realize where she was. A horrified
gasp escaped her as memories came swarming back into her now-clear mind. She turned her head slowly on the pillow, praying
she was mistaken.

She wasn�t. Niles
was sprawled out beside her, nude, his normally immaculate hair rumpled and his
body artistically marked in various places with love bites. Daphne bolted upright, somehow not waking
Niles, and clapped her hands over her mouth to stifle a despairing moan. She could feel the hot blush mounting in her
cheeks.

Dear God, dear God, how can we ever look each other in
the face again? I can�t believe how I,
and Niles, behaved last night . . .what he and I did to each other! I�ve never been such a complete and total
whore with anybody else, not ever in me life!
I was like some bitch in heat! Daphne
gulped as she remembered not just their first encounter, but the two subsequent
ones as well.

She�d been awakened around two in the morning by the rumble
of distant thunder as a storm broke and cool air rushed through the open
windows. As she blinked, she saw Niles
standing next to her side of the bed, staring at her with undisguised
desire. He�d lit some candles on the
bureau, and the flickering light burnished his hair and body in a golden glow. He didn�t say anything this time, just
leaned down and kissed her passionately.
She responded in kind, and stretched out as Niles started kissing every
square inch of her body. After a long
and luxurious tongue bath, he pulled her over the edge of the bed, knelt
between her legs, and proceeded to bring her to orgasm orally again, not
stopping until she had climaxed at least three or four times. When he finally stood up and began to climb
on top of her, Daphne shook her head and murmured, �No�I want to finish it
right,� as she gently shoved him against the bureau. She knelt down in turn on the Turkish carpet, keeping Niles
spread-eagled as she went down on him with a zest she�d never exhibited before. Daphne kissed, savored, consumed, until
Niles exploded into her mouth. She
tipped her head back and greedily swallowed every bit of cream he gave her
while his whole body convulsed and the candle flames danced wildly.

After that exhausting session, they both dropped off to
sleep quickly. Daphne had never
imagined that Niles Crane, of all men, would be such a stud that he could make
love again, but she woke up at dawn to find him looking at her hungrily again.

�Please? Just once
more? Don�t be angry with me��

Daphne cut him off with an open-mouthed kiss. What began as slow and sensual speedily
escalated into the most overheated coupling of all. By the end, Daphne was braced against the headboard, her hips
jutting up as Niles took her from behind, ramming her harder and harder as he
bent down and kissed her back, caressed her breasts, whispered all the things
he wanted to do to her in unbelievable language. When she climaxed, it was so intense she�d actually passed out
for a few moments.

Now it was morning, and she had no idea what she could
possibly say to Niles.

I�m sorry implied she wished the night had never
happened, which wasn�t true�as embarrassed as she was, the sex had been so good
she couldn�t completely regret it. Boy,
if I had any idea you were this fantastic, I�d have jumped you long ago made
her sound even more sluttish than she felt right now. Do you really care about me? created the unfortunate
impression she automatically expected a commitment since the morning after had
arrived. And worst of all, it seemed,
was to stare down into Niles�s face and say I love you, because she was
still the paid help and he was still married to that wicked dwarfish witch . .
.

Daphne choked back a sob and slid off the bed, stumbling
towards the bathroom blindly as she felt the tears claiming her. She shut the door quietly, hoping that Niles
still slept, and slowly sank onto the edge of the tub as the full implications
of their mutual recklessness hit her.

She might not be an
attorney, but she knew perfectly well she�d just been a party to an act of
adultery so decadently flagrant it would do endless damage to Niles on several
levels if anyone in his snooty social circle learned about it. It took very little imagination to summon up
the whispers, the gossip, the innuendos, the open slanders, especially if Maris
Crane discovered what had transpired and with whom. Daphne�s gut twisted up in knots as she imagined testifying in a
divorce about the night before and what she�d done with Niles�she�d never be
able to live it down, she could just hear the sniggers as Seattle society
talked about Niles Crane and his �physical therapist.� Poor Niles would be so humiliated�he�d never
want to look at her again, she was sure of that.

�Oh my God,� Daphne gasped, the tears flowing down
her face. She slid onto the floor and
cried, terrified of the demons about to be unleashed by one night of lustful
stupidity on her part. She kept crying
softly, but even as she sobbed one clear thought emerged in her brain. If I really care about Niles�if I actually
love him now, feel anything at all, then the best thing I could do is make sure
this never happens again, and that no one learns what we did last night. That way, he�ll be safe�that bitch Maris
can�t hurt him�he can go back to her if he wants with no trouble�

Daphne gulped back another wave of nausea, suddenly sickened
at the picture of Niles bottling back up all the passion and sensuality he�d
shown her to keep catering to that little ice princess, a woman who obviously
had no appreciation for the lovable, loving man she�d married. Maybe she should confess the way she�d begun
to feel about him and prevent that disaster from occurring�she�d meant to tell
him last night and hadn�t. After all,
she had a foggy memory of Niles saying �I love you� during the night. If he really felt the same way, then
admitting she loved him now as well would be best. He could get a divorce, they could have a wonderful future together.
. .

Daphne shook her head, the daydream fading like a broken
bubble. What a silly dreamer I
am. How could Niles and I possibly have
any kind of future, no matter how fabulous the sex is? He�s so upper class and intellectual, and
I�m a working-class girl from Manchester whom he pays to massage his father�s
bad hip. I�ll never be the kind of
woman he�d be willing to marry. I can
just see him introducing me to all of his posh society friends; they�d cut us
both dead. Niles would hate that, he
adores his social position, it means the whole world to him. We don�t have any interests in common, so
how can we live with each other? I get
crazy enough with his brother�s operas and wines and art�how would I manage
with Niles, he�s even more refined! And
what happens when I�m older and start losing me looks? He�d go find himself a younger, prettier
woman then, I�d bet, and she�d be a lot more well-bred, too.

Daphne impatiently wiped her tears away, got up, and turned
the shower on. She thanked her lucky
stars that Niles was such a sound sleeper as she began scrubbing her skin and
hair. As she let the hot water flow
over her, she ruthlessly buried the tiny whisper of doubt in her brain,
allowing seeming logic to triumph. The
best thing is to go back to being friends�nobody gets hurt, I keep my job, he
keeps his life intact, everybody stays happy . . . I know this is the right
thing to do, it is, it is . . .

She climbed out and toweled dry, repeating her mental mantra
over and over again. As she combed her
wet hair, she heard Niles� worried voice.
�Daphne? Daphne, where are
you? Are you still here?�

�I�m in the bathroom�I�ll be right out.� She grabbed the robe hanging on the door and
turned back to the mirror as she put it on.
Sit hit her lower lip and tipped her chin, determined to be an adult
about everything. I can be brave,
I�ve got to be, I must . .

Daphne threw open the bathroom door and slowly walked
towards the bed and an expectant, smiling Niles. She took a deep breath and began to speak, steeling herself to
ignore the dawning fear in Niles� eyes.

�Niles�Doctor Crane�we need to talk about last night . .
.�

* * * * * * * * * *

Niles slumped on the fainting couch, a bottle of Chateau
Haut Brion dangled between his legs while his CD player filled the apartment
with the strains of the Prelude to Tristan und Isolde, courtesy of the
Bayreuth Festival. Daphne had left much
earlier. As soon as she departed, he�d
called Mrs. Woodson and had her reschedule all of his daily appointments. The rest of the day passed in an
alcohol-soaked haze as he wallowed in grief and self-pity.

What had made him believe that Daphne could possibly love
him, even after a whole night of heavenly physical passion?

He�d been so sure, though, that she realized how he really
felt, that she knew it wasn�t just a lustful one-night stand. He�d poured all the passion and tenderness
he felt over Daphne, determined to show her the depths of his love for
her. Her response had been everything
he�d dreamed of�her every moan, cry, and groan had spurred him to even greater
effort. Niles had been amazed at
Daphne�s intensity and proud he was the one to provoke her to such extreme
pleasure. It was balm to his wounded
spirit, helping him to forget Maris� constant harping on his inadequate
lovemaking. Niles flinched a little as he
recalled Maris� vicious comments�made more so by their understated
venom�implying her icy unresponsiveness was all his fault, that if Niles would
learn to be less clumsy, less demanding, she might actually feel something
instead of shrinking away . . .

Niles� temper snapped abruptly. �That frigid bitch,� he snarled, taking another slug of
wine with no consideration for the quality of the vintage. �Emasculating, selfish little bitch . . .
thanks a lot for the damage, Maris, it�s turned me into a hopeless coward who
can�t say what he feels, despite being a damn psychiatrist . . .�

His brief outburst quickly subsided as he drank more wine,
lapsing into self-reflection again. Who
was he to blame Maris for his inability to say I love you to Daphne when
he desperately needed to?

She�d stood there twisting her hands together as the nervous
words came pouring out, all the reasons why the two of them could never repeat
their encounter�it would cause more trouble with everybody, his family especially,
and that meant her job might be in jeopardy, not to mention the horrible
consequences if Mrs. Crane found out about last night . . .

Daphne stopped then, her brown eyes wide with real terror,
and Niles was reminded of a doe whose throat was about to be slit by a hunter�s
knife. As he pictured Daphne called as
a witness in a ghastly divorce trial, their physical passion coldly dissected
and made a mockery in public, Niles felt the faint stirrings of courage wither
and die. My God, what a selfish pig I�ve
been, I didn�t even begin to think through what this could do to Daphne! All I thought about was finally getting what
I wanted, and now I�ve hurt the woman I love more than life itself. If she wants this to be a one-night stand so
our lives don�t change, so be it. I
guess keeping silent can be my punishment for what I�ve done to her.

�If�if you want me to keep quiet, and pretend last night
didn�t happen, then I will, Daphne�you should know by now I would never do
anything to hurt you.� Niles battled
down a wave of despair, determined to give his goddess what she wanted, no
matter what the price was to him.

His words drew a nervous but still dazzling smile from
Daphne, and Niles felt his heart twist up in his chest. �Oh, Dr. Crane, thank you ever so much! I�m sure this is the best thing for both of
us, you�ll see! Oh God, it�s getting
late, I must get back to your brother�s or he and Mr. Crane will be full of
questions all day, we don�t need that . . .�

�But Daphne, can�t you stay for breakfast? You shouldn�t leave without eating, please
let me fix you something!� Panic
grabbed at Niles as the moment for her departure approached.

Thank you again for being so understanding,� she murmured, her
eyes filling again as she bit her lower lip.
Then she stunned him by swiftly kissing his mouth before turning on her
heel and fleeing out the frdoordoor.

Now, two hours and three-quarters of a bottle later, Niles
knew he had just made the biggest mistake of his entire existence.

�How could I have let her walk away without telling
her?
As he tipped the wine bottle again, he suddenly became aware
of the words streaming from the stereo.
�O sink herneider, Nacht der Liebe, gib Vergessen, daB ich lebe . .
.� The Love Duet was now filled
with a level of meaning that was beyond unbearable�he wondered if he could ever
listen to it again without his heareakieaking.
Niles closed his eyes as the music consumed him, letting the grief well
up uncontrolled as he contemplated the price he might pay for his night of
love. He whispered into the air, all
hope nearly but not quite gone.

�I swear, no matter how long it takes, I�ll get you back,
Daphne�I don�t care what I have to do, you�ll find out how I feel�please
forgive me for being a coward�I�ll
never forget last night, my goddess, because I love you, I do, I do . .
.�

Farewell! thou art too dear for my possessing . . .
Shakespeare

Thou blind man�s mark, thou fool�s self-chosen snare,
Fond fancy�s scum, and dregs of scattered care;
Thou web of will, whose end is never wrought:
Desire!
Desire! I have too dearly bought
With price of mangled mind, thy worthless ware.
Sir Philip Sidney
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Tasting Forbidden Fruit

ByRaushana

By
Raushana