He Said She Said (5) - Hey Boo-Boo

'Mario...'
'zzzzzzzzzzz'
'Oh Mario you darling little thing...' 
Darius and Pandora have been writing all day and  Pandora has fallen asleep at her desk again.  Darius glances at the clock. It is 0300; he's on a roll writing about Himself.   At first he hesitates, then he reaches over her slumbering form and surreptitiously switches on the digital recording device she keeps near her desk. She has this OCD need to record every darn thing against future need. This ought to be good, he thinks.
'Mario? I loooooove that police lock you're wearing. It's so hot.....'
'...'
'.... those knobs and levers are just the right height if you get my meaning, oh........... let me just  press myself against them, Mario..........'
Darius suppresses a chuckle and watches intently.
'Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, Marrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiio.....where did you learn to do that..oh yes, that's the spot!....'
By now Darius is kind of getting into the spirit of the dream.  On the one hand he is feeling perhaps like a courtside coach watching a tennis volley, hoping for a no fault service, or maybe a good solid lob job, from  his partner. On the other hand,  this Mario fixation  is becoming a bit of a nuisance as well as a distraction. He recalls DFW remarking that 'every love story is a ghost story.' Darius does not believe in ghosts but Pox does and he's happy to allow her her fantasies.  Sometimes they turn out to make good story arcs. All of a sudden he sneezes.
'erumphh....HEY!'
'Pox? You're awake?'
'What's going on.....where am I?'
'Shhhhhhhhhh...you should go home and get some sleep, P.'
'What is wrong with you, D?  We have work to do! Deadlines ya know. Not getting any younger here!'
'Right you are..'
'What time is it anyway?'
'Its 0305...'
'Like AM? Hey, Darius, why is the red light blinking on my recorder?'
'Uh, well, you were telling a story in your sleep and I thought you might want to hear it in the morning.'
'You are so full of it, Mr Man. I do NOT talk in my sleep.'
'Not only do you talk in your sleep, Ms. Pox, but much much more.'
'Oh, you....'
'...'
Pox turns back to her computer with a huff.
'Pandora, you like young boys, don't you?'
'What the hell do you mean by that, Darius?'
'Well, you have this obsession for Mario.  Mario's only 19. You little cougar you.'
'Cougar? Are you saying you think I enjoy robbing the cradle or something? Because nothing could be  further from the truth.'
'...'
Pox turns around and punches him hard in the arm. 'You KNOW what that's for,' she growls.
' Oh  hey STOP that! .....Pandora,  now this  is just a wild guess, but would you like to write about Mario next time?'
' Darius, I think it's your turn to pick the next topic actually. But if it's mine, sure, okay. I would be glad to do Mario.'
Darius laughs his trademark 'heh heh heh heh heh' because he thinks this is maybe true. He finds it by turns disturbing and funny. But all he does is smirk.
The partners resume writing to the ubiquitous hum of the Concavity fans outside the office window. The clock glows  0312.  They will both write about who knows what,  and hopefully err on the side of hilarity. At least that's the plan.