Time for editing. This is the first chapter of the first fic I ever wrote. I hadn't had to proof read for punctuation and grammar in a long time so that part kind of sucked. I hope I've fixed most of it now that I'm back in the swing of things and with the helpful reminders from my wonderful beta.

Enjoy.

I don't own Lie To Me but maybe if i did I would be kissing Fox's ass at the moment. Oh, and hanging out with Kelli and Tim.

"Cal…seriously. There's no way this is going to work and you know it," she called after him as he continued striding down the hallway toward his office, running away as usual.

"Oh and you've gotta better idea, eh love? Send in Loker perhaps?" he called after her derisively.

"No. Not Loker," he heard the clicking of her heels cease their pursuit. "Me,"she said to his retreating back.

Her words had their desired effect and he stopped in his tracks, spinning on his heel. "You can't be serious Foster".

"As a heart attack Cal. I can do this and you know it. I'm the only one who can and we need this account." She caught up with him finally.

He studied her and she met his gaze, projecting all the confidence and defiance she could muster and refusing to be unnerved by him.

"You want to go underground in a highly illegal, high-stakes poker game. A nice girl like you Foster? They'd eat you alive. Not that I could blame them, love," he said in that annoying way of his, taking a step closer to her and invading her personal space.

She knew it was his way of challenging her; throwing her off balance. She met his challenge, refusing to break eye contact. "Well it's not like Jimmy the Mouth can just pull up a seat." She hit him where it hurt and was rewarded with just the slightest tightening of his eyes. Let me do this Cal."

"Well you're right about one thing: I can't be the one to go in on this." He studied her again and she thought she saw the moment when she'd won. His face softened somehow and she thought she saw…concern? No that wasn't quite right... Fear? That didn't make any sense. "Do you even know how to play poker?" he asked, finally stepping back.

"Try me," she said, but she already knew she had won.

They set up in the study off Lightman's office. Cal whipped out a deck of cards from a drawer.

"Name your game then Foster," he said.

She met his gaze, leaning forward on the table, "Hold 'em."

"Ah, a purist," he said taking the seat across from her. "Right…name the stakes then".

"Stakes?" she said, off balance for the first time.

"Yeah, stakes Foster. I mean the only way to get a real read on someone in the game is when they have something to lose…or to gain," he said, leaning toward her; feeling his sudden advantage.

"Money then," she said, gathering herself.

"Nahhh…I have money. Besides, what fun would it be for me to take all your money?"

"Fine," she said, thinking fast. Now it was time to try to throw him off balance.

"Loser picks up the other's dry cleaning for a month." She cocked a smile.

"Dry cleaning? You actually do dry cleaning? Try again love," he said arrogantly.

"Loser has to handle all meetings with the financial backers for the next two months," she tried again anticipating his inevitable turn-down.

"Right love, and have this become the Foster Group in two months time?" he threw back.

Now to give him the unexpected, regain her advantage. "Clothing." She dropped the word slowly, a slight, seductive smile at the corner of her mouth as she met his eyes.

He studied her face as she studied his. What was that she read? A slight startle? Maybe initially. Now it was something else. Pupils dilated, mouth slightly open…Arousal? More like intense hunger. So much for her advantage.

"Now that's a very dangerous game love," he said in a low voice. "Are you certain those stakes aren't too high for you?" he cocked his head to the side quizzically.

Why was her heart suddenly pounding in her chest? She'd thought this through so carefully.

She leaned closer against her better judgment. "Are they too high for you?" She nearly whispered. She thought the sound of her heart beating must be absolutely filling the room.

Suddenly he leaned back beginning to shuffle the cards. "Right then love, strip poker it is."

He dealt out the cards and then turned over the flop. She glanced down at her cards. A decent hand; pair of Kings with an ace high and still two cards to go. She studied his face. She knew he would give nothing away and she fought to relax the muscles of her body, unwilling to give him anything to work with.

"First wager then Foster?" he glanced up from his hand momentarily searching her face for any sign.

"Shoes," she said, taking the safe road.

"Right then" he said coolly, "check". He dealt the turn card and she watched him for any sign.

She studied him and studied her hand. It was a pretty good hand and still a safe wager. "I raise one stocking," she said, unwilling to end this so quickly.

"Careful Foster or this will be over before it even begins. Check," he said and turned over the river.

Gillian carefully considered her options. "Both stockings," she said slowly meeting his eyes and carefully schooling her features.

"Well that's a good start then. Fold," he said throwing his cards on the table.

So he had tried to bluff her out. She tried to remember everything she had seen in his face to use as the game went on.

Five hands later and she couldn't tell who was ahead. He was down to his jeans and briefs, she still had her skirt and blouse but had lost her bra and panties in a heated round of wagering.

"Sure you want to go on Foster, its high stakes now, it is. We can call this quits right now and it's a draw?" he said searching her to ferret out a real response.

"No way you're getting out of this that easily Cal. The way I see it I'm two pieces of clothing away from proving my point. Either way I think we can both agree that we're pretty evenly matched," she said with more confidence than she really felt.

"Right then," he dealt the cards. Not her best of hands. So, it was going to have to be a bluff. She studied him, bared to the waist across the table. His state of undress did make it easier to observe his breathing. Why was it that watching him made her own breathing and pulse speed up? It's not like he was a prime specimen of manhood. He was 46 and he had the body of a 46 year old. He wasn't flabby but he could definitely stand to hit the gym more often. Still, there was something about him; a vulnerability betrayed by the scars on his abdomen that he never told anyone about and covered by the tattoos that colored both of his arms. The markings of a life lived roughly; on the streets.

"Oi !Foster," his voice jolted her from her contemplation. "That bad eh? Ready to throw in?"

"In your dreams Lightman," she shot back.

"Remains to be seen, love," he grinned at her.

"Bottoms," she wagered slowly.

He studied her as she studied her cards. She still had clothes on most of her body but suddenly she felt naked beneath his gaze. Worse yet, she realized she liked it. She wondered if he could see her hardened nipples through her sweater. Given the tightness of it she had no doubt he could. She lowered her arms giving him a better view…just in case he had missed it. What the hell was she doing?

Just playing the game, that's all, throwing him off balance.

She realized it was impossible to bluff against her own mind. She wanted him to look at her for reasons having nothing to do with the game. At least not with this game.

After what seemed like an eternity he suddenly turned over his cards on the table. "Alright, I fold then." He stood up and reached for the closure on his jeans. She watched him and realized she was licking her lip as he slowly undid the buttons of his fly and she forced herself to drag her eyes back up to his. She was completely thrown by what she saw there. She had known Cal Lightman for 8 years and never, never in all that time had she seen his eyes, his whole face in fact, so completely open to her. She could read everything there; every feeling he had for her laid bare and over all of it, arousal so strong she felt dampness between her thighs from the heat of it. How could he look at her like that without the room bursting into flames?

Her eyes were drawn downward again by the movement of his hands as he pushed his jeans over his hips where they rested around his upper thighs.

Her breath caught in her throat. No wonder he walked like that.

There was no denying the bulge in his briefs. More than a bulge. He was so hard it was a wonder he could still maintain the power of speech.

"Still want to play Foster?" he asked thickly.

"Cal," she whispered, looking back up at him. She knew the throatiness of his name on her lips betrayed her own arousal.

Slowly and without a clear thought she stood up, walking around the table to stand in front of him as if compelled.

"I told you it was a dangerous game Gillian," he practically growled, stepping closer to her as he backed her up to the table. "Do you want to go all in love or cash in your chips and go home?"

She raised a somewhat shaky hand to his chest, running it up to his shoulder and behind his neck as she pulled him toward her. She propped herself up on the wooden table as he moved to stand between her legs. She leaned forward and embraced him, pulling him against her body as his arms circled around her. Having her breasts pressed against his chest with only the thin layer of her sweater between them made her nipples harden and ache. She felt his thick hot cock against her thigh as she twined her fingers into his hair. Her breath was warm against his ear as she whispered, "I'm all in Cal."

He pulled back from her, cupping her face in his hands. "I need you to be sure about this Gill because I don't trust myself to stop this once we start, even if you asked me to." He ground himself against her lightly letting her feel the effect she had on him.

She should have been frightened by his words, by the truth behind that statement that she read in his eyes. Instead she felt…need, desire, and a burning hunger for his touch. She reached a hand behind his back, running her hands over his ass before grabbing it roughly and pulling him into her, grinding his erection right into her core where a thin layer of fabric was all that separated their bodies. The move forced a rough grunt from Cal. "Good god love, you're going to end this quickly if you keep that up," he growled from between clenched teeth.

"Put your hands on me Cal," she whispered.

Without hesitation he leaned forward pressing his lips to hers. The kiss was rougher than she expected but she opened herself to him, meeting his tongue with her own as his hands fumbled at the bottom of her sweater before pulling it off roughly, forcing them to separate for only a second before his lips crashed onto hers once more. One hand stroked up her thigh and her breath hitched in her throat as he cupped her mound before stroking her swollen folds with a finger, spreading the moisture before inserting that finger inside of her. She marveled at how he found her most sensitive places immediately, as if he had a map. A gasp escaped her as his thumb circled her clit while he continued to stroke her walls with just the right amount of pressure. He bathed her neck and throat with his tongue and lips as she fisted her hands in his hair. She grabbed the waistband of his briefs and tugged them down, releasing his hard thick length from its confines. She stroked him lightly, testing his girth and realizing that her finger and thumb were just barely able to close around the base of his cock. She let out a hungry gasp at the thought of how he would feel inside her and she felt him twitch and pulse beneath her hands. He groaned into her neck and bent lower to lave a swollen nipple while a second finger joined the first to stroke her with increasing intensity from the inside.

She trembled in his arms, arching her back to press her breast into his mouth and her aching sex into the palm of his hand. Her fingernails raked the skin of his back. She was right on the edge when he withdrew his touch and she sagged against him in frustration. She realized his breathing was as ragged her own and his muscles rigid with the effort of restraining himself. "Please Cal," she moaned, and her voice was his undoing.

He positioned her right on the edge of the table and pushed her skirt up higher as he moved himself between her thighs. He nudged gently at her entrance a few times and her breath caught in anticipation.

Why was he waiting? "Please Cal, I need you inside me. Please." Her voice was breathless and pleading in his ear.

"Easy love, I don't want to hurt you," his voice was rough and strained as he moved his lips back to hers, brushing against her gently before drawing her bottom lip into his mouth and softly teasing it with his teeth. She realized he was shaking with the effort of restraining himself, his breathing ragged and shallow.

"You won't Cal," she breathed against his lips and pushed herself toward him, eliciting a primal growl from the back of his throat.

She only had a moment to savor the feel of his hard cock pressing against her clit before he bent his knees and pushed inside of her with one hard thrust. A strangled cry escaped his throat as he completely buried himself inside her and she lost her breath at the sudden feeling of fullness he created.

She was close, so close, and she needed him to move. She ground her hips against him, feeling him move within her as his breath hitched. She wrapped her arms around him. pulling him close to her and buried her face in his neck. It was impossible to get as close to him as she felt she needed to be. She turned her head and found his mouth, thrusting her tongue into him as he drove into her body once more.

His hands fisted on her hips. "Oh God Gillian, I can't…I can't..I need you too much." And suddenly he was pushing her backwards onto the table. He reached down and hooked her legs over his arms as he bent over her. This new angle allowed him to push into her deeply while his body stroked her clit with each thrust. She cried out as his thrusting become rougher, more desperate. She opened her eyes to find him watching her, the strain on his face evident. She felt herself building toward her climax quickly and intensely and the look on his face brought her even closer to the edge.

"I'm going to come Cal, can you come with me, please…I need you to come with me…oh god Cal..." Words failed her as her legs began to shake, her fingernails digging into the tattoos on his bicep. She forced her eyes open as her orgasm washed over her in wave after wave of pleasure. She watched him as he threw his head back, crying out as he completely lost control, thrusting wildly into her as he came hard, exploding over and over inside of her with a series of hoarse grunts that bore some resemblance to the syllables of her name. With one final thrust and breathing hard he released her legs and pulled her up, holding her close as they both drew rough breaths into their bodies.

She wrapped her legs around his upper thighs, locking her ankles and holding him inside of her as she felt him continue to twitch deep within in response to the contractions of her own muscles.

He breathed into her neck,"Gillian, oh my god Gillian." She felt wetness against her neck as he sighed her name, his arms clutching at her as he trembled and kissed her shoulder gently, trailing kisses up her neck until he raised his head, cradling her heavy head in his hands as he probed her eyes.

"My God, that's for real, that is," he sighed breathlessly before lightly, almost reverently kissing her lips. His own eyes were languid smoldering pools, damp and half covered by his heavy lids. She knew what he saw in her eyes. She forgave him for reading her just this once. She looked at him from beneath damp lashes as she stroked his cheek with her thumb.

He stood her up on shaky legs and slipped from inside of her. Bending, he quickly and used his recently discarded briefs to wipe himself and then knelt before her to softly clean the evidence of their lovemaking from her thighs. She convulsed slightly as he grazed her overly sensitized sex. "Sorry Love; necessary evil," he chuckled. He set down the makeshift towel and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his head in her stomach as he pulled her to him. She stroked his back and his hair marveling at the fact that he would allow such a moment of intimacy and vulnerability. She didn't know what she had really expected of his post coital interactions but this definitely wasn't it. The way he held her and breathed against her soft skin; the way his hands gently stroked the back of her calves; the way he nuzzled and gently kissed her belly. Every time she thought she knew Cal Lightman he surprised her again.

She shivered slightly, her body cooling. He grabbed her sweater from the pile of clothing on the floor and raised himself up, gently tugging the sweater down over her upraised arms before pulling her into another embrace.

"We should probably get dressed, love. From the sweet sounds your stomach was making you could use a good meal," he said, pulling back from her and smiling before kissing her gently.

They began picking up discarded pieces of clothing and dressed hurriedly. Cal folded and shoved the soiled underwear into the pocket of his coat. "Guess I'm going commando for the rest of the night then, eh? I'd throw them away but it already smells like sex in here and we don't need to give housekeeping any more room for gossip." He winked at her knowingly and she blushed slightly.

Gillian decided it was time to press her advantage. "So I guess this means you'll have no objection to me taking the case then?" she asked in mock innocence.

"What? The card game? Are you still on about that then?" he asked with feigned surprise.

"Well I did beat Jimmy the Mouth," she pushed back.

"Well, technically you did. But only because I let you win," he threw at her with typical Lightman hubris.

"You let me win?" she said incredulously. "Why in the world would you do that? You hate to lose".

"Well it all depends on the stakes love. The way I look at it, by losing, I actually won," he said with a grin. "Lets face it Gill, you've got a terrible poker face".

"I don't believe you!" she said throwing up her hands as she fastened her bra behind her back.

"Alright, alright. I admit you did pretty well for an amateur. You can work the case on two conditions," he said risking edging closer to her.

"And what might those be Dr. Lightman?" she asked, setting her hands on her hips as she fastened her skirt.

"Well one: You have to let me give you a few more lessons before I send you into that snake pit," he said in all seriousness.

She looked at him. A smile was playing at the corners of his mouth as he fought to maintain his mask of seriousness.

"And the other?"

"Well that one involves a little more trust on your part," he said as he edged up closer to her until they were centimeters apart. His eyes searched hers.

"Okay" she said, maintaining her composure.

"Well first you have to let me take you to my place," he ran a hand up her arm, "cook you a spectacularly awful curry," his other hand pressed into the small of her back, pulling her against him. He kissed her neck and his breath was warm in her ear as he whispered his final demand. "And then you have to let me show you why they really call me Jimmy the Mouth," he gently nipped and suckled her earlobe as she squirmed against him, feeling his already growing erection against her hip.

Ahh...so much better. Of course those of you reading this now will never know the difference but I feel better. Trust me you enjoyed it more! Next two chapters were Beta'd so no worries!

Please review, I need inspiration.