And… here we go again!

Chapter 2

My heart was racing, my body trembling. Holy cow! Had that really just happened?! The alcohol I'd consumed earlier must have evaporated because not a hint of it was still lingering in my system as I raced out of the men's locker room and sped down the hallway. Images of ripped abs, taut rounded butt cheeks and broad shoulders flashed over and over in my mind and as I turned into the main room of the guild hall I nearly slammed into Gray who was walking casually by with his hands tucked inside his pants pockets.

"Whoa, Lucy! What are you doing?" he asked as he jumped out of the way, startled.

I didn't bother to stop, only turned my head and yelled back, "Sorry!"

I sped through the room, my eyes searching for a drunk brunette, and when I finally spotted her, sitting at the end of the bar, I veered towards her and stopped just beside her stool.

"Hey, Lucy… where have you been?" Cana turned and asked, a mug of beer in her hand.

I felt my blood seeping into my face and I glowered at Cana's smiling face. "Are you kidding me? Where have I been? Where have you been?! You were supposed to stop anyone from walking in."

Cana took a large gulp of beer and looked back up at me all innocently. "I was? I don't remember saying that."

I stomped my foot and placed my fisted hands on my hips.

"Oh wait," Cana said, turning in her seat to face me fully. "Yes I do remember. But I just meant I would stop ugly guys from going in."

My eyes narrowed and I glared at her.

"Oh come on Lucy, you're not really mad at me."

I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest. "Yes I am. Do you know how embarrassing that was?" I said.

Cana laughed and stood up, wobbling slightly before throwing an arm over my shoulder. "Not yet, but you're gonna tell me what happened… right?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes. I was about to scold her again but suddenly heavy footsteps entered the room from the back of the hall and I turned nervously at the sound. Standing just inside the doorway with his large arms crossed over his massively broad chest was Laxus. A wicked grin spread across his face and his shoulders started to shake slightly as his deep booming laughter floated through the room.

I gulped nervously, my eyes fixated on the figure. Without my brains consent, my eyes started to peal of his clothing, removing them piece by piece till I turned and grabbed Cana's hand, fleeing the guild hall as another loud chuckle echoed across the room.

"Ugh! Why did you make me run?" Cana complained, falling into one of my overstuffed chairs in my apartment.

I ignored her and made my way to my kitchen, filling up two glasses with water and walked back out, handing her one.

"So, you going to tell me what that was all about?" Cana asked. She lifted the glass to her lips and then spit the water back out. "Eww, what the hell Lucy?"

I laughed and took a seat in the chair adjacent to her then watched her get up and disappear into my kitchen.

"You gotta have something better than this." She came back a few minutes later with two shot glasses and a bottle of chilled vodka.

"I'm not drinking any more," I said, sipping my water.

"Yes you are… and you're gonna tell me what you saw," Cana said, filling both glasses and shoving one in my face.

I groaned and took the small glass then lifted it to my lips. "Just this one," I said and tilted it back, letting the cool liquid slide down my throat and then cringing.

"So, what happened? Is it the same in there as ours?" Cana asked, leaning forward slightly in her chair.

I laid my glass on the coffee table and sat back. "Yea, pretty much."

"And… did you see… anything?" she pressed.

"Well," I started, trying to put an angry scowl on my face, "after you shoved me inside, I looked around for a minute and it was basically a mirror image to our bath house; just a few little things that aren't the same. When I heard a noise I scrambled for one of the changing rooms and hid in there, hoping that whoever it was wouldn't notice me and leave."

"Oh? And did they notice you?" Cana asked.

"Well, I didn't think they did. That is until Laxus yanked open the curtain to where I was hiding and caught me."

"Why were you in there so long then?" she asked.

I wiggled uncomfortably on my seat and sighed, "He didn't catch me right away."

"You're hiding something Lucy."

My head rolled back and I groaned, "He caught me watching him take a shower."

Cana's mouth fell open and her eyes went wide. "He what?!" she exclaimed. "You mean… wait, what did you see?"

I leaned forward in my chair and started rubbing my eyes. "Everything," I answered and I was surprised by the huskiness in my voice.

"Everything? Like… everything?"

I nodded my head and groaned again. "Yes… everything."

"Oh man! You should be thanking me, not yelling at me. Now I wish I'd gone inside."

I laughed but then remembered what he said to me right before I ran out. "The worst part is, he said to me as I was trying to run away, 'payback ought to be fun'."

Cana's mouth dropped open again and she reached out for the two glasses on the table. She filled them up again and this time when she handed one over I took it without hesitation and gulped it down.

"What do you think he means?" she asked.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe he's going to tell the Master or something. Or worse, Mira. Can you imagine the scolding she'd give me? This is all your fault."

Cana laughed and leaned back in her seat. "Laxus would never do anything like that. I don't think he'll tell anyone."

"Then what do you think he'll do… blackmail me? Make me a slave for a day like he did to Natsu?"

"Oh no, I don't think so. But I will say, you may want to check around the area before you take anymore showers."

I gasped and yelled, "No! You don't think he would…"

"That's exactly what I think," Cana said and smirked. "Why else would he have let you watch him?"

I bit nervously on my bottom lip and then covered my face with my hands. "This is horrible!" I whimpered. I loved my showers and baths. I didn't want them ruined by worrying about whether or not I was being peeped on. It's bad enough I had to check and make sure Gray and Natsu weren't lurking anywhere first. Now I had to watch out for a hulking hotty who would actually be trying to sneak in and watch me. At least Gray and Natsu didn't do it on purpose.

"Girl, just get it over with. Invite him over or something to watch. It's just gonna bother you until it happens," suggested Cana who I answered with a glare.

"Yea, great idea. Except, I'm not a pervert like you."

Cana laughed and said, "I'm not the closet voyeur..."

I picked up a nearby pillow and chucked it at her, satisfied slightly when it bounced off her head and fell to the floor beside her. "I need another drink," I said and reached for my small glass and the cool bottle of vodka.

"Pour me one too," Cana said.

I filled up both glasses and tipped mine down my throat, easing back into the comfort of my chair. It was dark outside, well into the night and the effects of the alcohol slowly started to return to me.

"Maybe I'll go do a job tomorrow, leave for a few days," I said, staring out through the window at nothing in particular.

"It's only going to prolong the inevitable," Cana remarked.

"You don't know that's what he's going to do. He could just forget about the whole thing tomorrow!" I yelled but Cana just laughed at me.

"Sure Lucy."

I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. "Maybe you're right."

"Of course I'm right… what am I right about?" Cana said.

I continued to lay there with my eyes closed as I answered, "Maybe I should just get it over with. I'm going to be paranoid until it happens."

"Hey, you know… you never gave me any details."

"What kind of details?"

"Was he hot?" Cana asked.

I chuckled and let my thoughts start to drift. Inevitably they returned to the shower, picturing the rivers of water sliding down his gorgeous body. Every inch of him was gloriously masculine and I felt my body heating up at just the thought of him.

Slowly I nodded my head and groaned. "He most certainly was."

I turned back to my living room after closing the door behind Cana and ran a hand through my hair. Usually before bed I would take my shower but tonight, just the thought made me hesitate. I was being silly though, wasn't I? There's no way he would come in and watch me. For one, I doubted that he even knew where I lived. And two, the whole thing was just some absurd idea that Cana had conjured up in her alcohol muddled brain. His 'payback' would more than likely be some silly request to get him a sandwich or something.

I shuffled across the room, my legs a little wobbly from the vodka and made my way to my bathroom. I couldn't help but take a glance around and my eyes found nothing so I closed the door, locked it just in case, and started taking off my clothes.

By the time I was finished, I felt silly for even harboring the thought that Laxus would do something like that. I mean, it was one thing to be stuck in the same room while someone was showering… who could resist a few peeks? Ok, maybe more than a few, but it was a wholly different thing when you went out of your way to watch someone.

I toweled myself dry then wrapped the cloth around my body. I took my time drying my hair and brushing my teeth and just as I was hanging my tooth brush up I heard a bang in the other room. Immediately I tensed. 'No way, it couldn't be.'

I rushed out, securing the towel over my breasts and glanced around the room.

"Hey Lucy! Are you out of milk?"

I sighed heavily and relaxed. It was only Natsu. "Yea. You used the last of it the other night, remember?" I called out and walked back into my bathroom. I finished getting ready for bed, pulling on my tank top and shorts and walked back out to my living room. "It's late. I'm going to bed," I said to Natsu who was holding a piece of paper in his hand.

"I have a job for us. Do you wanna go tomorrow?" he asked, standing up and moving to my window.

I remembered my conversation earlier with Cana and nodded my head. "Yea, sounds good. When do you wanna leave?"

"I'll meet you at the guild tomorrow at ten," he said and slipped through my window and left.

I lifted the thick covers to my bed and slid inside, wiggling till I was comfortable and then laid back. As soon as I closed my eyes, my imagination plastered images of Laxus's naked body into my mind with steamy water running rivers down his hard body. I tried to force them out of my head but whenever I thought I had succeeded, another blaring image crept its way back, making my body warm and creating strange tingling sensations to shoot through my body. Eventually I gave up and just let my mind wander. I mean, what harm could there be anyway? It's not like people could read my mind… at least, I didn't know any mages that could do that… yet.

I remembered the way his muscles had bunched and flexed as he'd washed himself, the way his hand had slid over every delicious inch of his body. Even in my imagination the thoughts made me blush, especially when I remembered the way he'd touched himself. The sight had been so erotic and I squeezed my legs together, subconsciously trying to ease the ache that was growing there.

I can't believe he'd known! The whole time, he'd known I was there. Why would he have waited until he was finished to say anything? Did he think I would have run out before he'd started? Did he want me to see him? He'd certainly shown no sense of modesty, that was for sure.

The more I thought about it, the more I wondered, had he done it all on purpose? If he'd been able to smell me then obviously he'd known I was there from the beginning. Did that mean that all of it had been a show… for me?

I laughed at myself. Of course it wasn't. He'd probably just wanted to make me embarrassed. In that, he'd certainly succeeded.

But what about this payback?

These thoughts remained with me as I drifted to sleep and plagued me the entire night till I woke up the next morning, feeling un-rested and anxious. I got ready fast and headed out, making my way to the guild to meet up with Natsu. I looked at my watch as I walked in and realized I was a little bit early.

Mira was behind the bar already, wiping down beer mugs and I walked over to her and offered to help.

"You're here early," she commented, smiling at me as she handed me a rag.

I grabbed the rag and picked up a mug, drying it off as I answered, "Yea, I didn't sleep well. I'm meeting Natsu here in a little bit for a job."

"Ah, yea I saw him pick one up yesterday. It shouldn't be a long one," Mira said and then asked, "Can you grab the bucket and mop from the closet for me? I want to get these floors washed next."

I hung the rag over a peg and nodded my head. "Sure thing." I headed out of the main room and made my way down the hallway to the closet. I had to pass the men's locker room on the way and I cringed slightly as I did. I don't think I'd ever look at that door the same way again. The next door was the closet and I opened it and grabbed the bucket and mop from it then closed the door behind me.

I was fumbling with the mop, trying to keep it from falling out of the bucket when a voice froze me in my tracks. "Didn't get enough yesterday?" the deep voice said, making goose bumps rise on my flesh.

The mop fell to the floor with a loud bang and I stood there, slowly lifting my head to see the man standing in front of me. I gulped audibly, my eyes wide. My fantasies had been fairy accurate the night before but the real thing, standing in front of me again, was so overwhelming I nearly spontaneously combusted on the spot. Wow, he was incredible. My eyes raked over his body, starting at the muscular calves and thighs, moving my way up to his narrow hips which were clad in a pair of black exercise shorts. His charcoal grey tank top was tightly fitted, clinging to his sweat dampened skin and clearly outlined his well defined abdominals. My eyes drank in the sight of his broad chest and shoulders, his tattoo peaking out of the top and wrapping around his shoulder muscles. My fingers gripped the handle of the bucket so tightly that my knuckles started to turn white and even though I knew I was plainly ogling his body, I couldn't get myself to look away.

"I guess not," I heard him chuckle and then I snapped out of my daze when I saw him take a step towards me. "Would you care to join me?" he asked and my head shot up to look at his amused face.

"Wh-what?" I mumbled. What was it about him that made me act like a blubbering idiot?

"Well, I just finished my workout. I need a shower," he said and my already flaming face turned a shade of crimson that rivaled Erza's hair.

I quickly knelt down and started grabbing at the fallen mop, desperate to look anywhere but at him. "I umm, I'm going on a job," I somehow managed to say and then stood up, clutching the mop handle tightly.

"Shame. We could have had some… fun."

I gulped again, my eyes shooting up to his. Oh God, I wish I hadn't done that. His crystal blue eyes stared into mine, making an erotic shiver travel down my spine. A rakishly handsome grin spread across his face and wicked thoughts tumbled into my mind. I gotta get out of here… now!

"Bye Laxus," I said and stepped forward to walk around him. His arm shot out just as I was about to pass him and every muscle in my body tensed.

"Don't worry. My payback can wait... at least a little while."

I gasped and stared at him. I was close and I was surprised by how far I had to bend my neck back to look up at him. Without a word I yanked my arm free from his grasp and sped away. I deposited the bucket and mop beside the bar and took off for the front of the guild hall.

Thankfully Natsu was just walking up the path and I hurried to him, anxious to get away. "Let's go!" I said, walking past him and exiting the guild grounds.

I could hear Natsu pause mid-stride and then his footsteps sounded behind me, running to catch up to me. "Lucy, are you ok?" he asked, moving to walk beside me.

I nodded and kept my head trained forward. "Yea, I'm fine. Let's just get going."

From the corner of my eye I saw Natsu shrug his shoulders and I was grateful that he didn't push the matter further.

In the train, as Natsu sat in the corner with his cheeks puffed out and his face a sickly shade of green, I revisited my encounter this morning. I wish my brain didn't turn to moosh every time he was around. For some reason, putting two thoughts together in his presence was a feat unobtainable. And what he'd said, "Would you care to join me,?" holy CRAP! I couldn't believe the audacity. But what unnerved me even more was my reaction. Somewhere, deep inside of me, a longing had burst forth and it gnawed at me. Even now, as I sat here, watching the landscape zip by outside the window, I couldn't keep my thoughts from drifting back.

I blame Cana. She's the one that put all these images in my head. I was certainly going to have a word with her when I got back from this job.

To be continued…

Yes, yes… to be continued. I've been persuaded. Thank you for all the support everyone. I truly never imagined I'd get so many people interested in this.

And once again, this story is dedicated to my favorite Dirty Bitches, Deathsembrace137 and Leoslady4ever. Love you guys!