Hello, hello! Welcome to Ch. 2. For those of you who missed it, there is a playlist for this fic on Spotify. Just search 'Customer is Right' and you will find it!
I also have a Tumblr account and now an AO3 account. But my AO3 will pretty much house the same stories so not sure there is much of a point to it lol.
Thanks to my Bae-tas Beej88, Ninjette Twitch, and Revy689! And thank you to all of you who have R&R for me on this and any of my other fics. Reviews are not needed, but they are still nice! Also thanks to those of you who have followed and faved me! That is just as good as a review in my book!
If you haven't already, give Hot and Heavy Chronicles a chance! Lots of smexy lemons in there. This month, they are all Christmas themed. Check it out and let us know if we managed to get you in both the Christmas mood and the...mood, or killed it for you haha!
Enjoy lovelies!
Chapter 2
Love Me Tender...
He made sure to put on his mask of indifference before entering, putting himself at the back of the group. He was already regretting this, he should never have made that call last night, to Henderson or Michelle. But here he was now, walking up to what would most likely be his doom.
She stood there, staring at him, her little mouth open slightly in her surprise. He forced his mask to stay put even as he took in the sight of her. She looked so very different, gone was the flower child he had met months ago. Now she was a strong, stern looking woman. The black she wore didn't suit her but she still looked every bit as beautiful as he knew she would. She pulled her white top around her tightly as if she was hiding from him.
His heart was pounding painfully in his chest. This was a mistake, a huge mistake.
She finally took her eyes off of him and he could breathe again. Andrew stood near him and by the look on his face, his mask wasn't strong enough to hide from him. It was almost as if the guy felt sorry for him, clapping a hand on his shoulder as he led him deeper inside.
Serena led the tour, her hips swaying thanks to her heels. He didn't remember her wearing any a single time they were together. Even when he took her out to 'high class' restaurants, she still wore chunky wedges. He was starting to get the impression that the woman before him was not the same person he used to know.
The group had stopped halfway inside the cafe, gawking at the wall next to them. Serena was explaining something to them but he was too busy drinking her in to listen. It wasn't till Andrew spoke up next to him that he caught on to what they were talking about.
"We are really lucky to have such a talented person working with us here at Nectar. I don't think we would be standing here today if it wasn't for Serena."
He watched the blush creep up onto her face. "None of us would be here if it wasn't for you Andrew."
One of his coworkers was staring at the wall, "I mean, just look at the work she has done on this wall! There is nothing like it in all of New York, I'm telling you!"
He finally took his eyes from her, looking at the wall they were all gushing over and his breath left his body. The wall stretched from the front of the building all the way to the back and Serena had painted a large mural on it. It was a swirl of colors and shapes, abstract flowers and stars. And in the middle was a large tree, just like the one on her chalkboard in her apartment. The one he loved so much.
"Be careful everyone, it's still wet. Not quite done yet."
He looked back to her, her eyes dancing around the group, refusing to look at him for more than a few seconds. He still couldn't stop noting the differences in her. It was more than her clothes, her body looked different too. Even though she was trying to hide it, her breast were bigger, he knew her body well enough to know that much. And her hips were a little wider, it made her walk a little different. It was slight and it could have just been the heels, but he swore he saw it. She had also put on a little weight, a little belly sticking out against her skirt. She was trying desperately to hide that the most, pulling her sweater around herself over and over again. He found it all made her look even more beautiful.
Andrew droned on about the equipment they had gotten and their plans for their big opening. It all sounded good and Henderson and the two other members of his team nodded along. Serena started falling to the back of the group, getting closer and closer to him. He wondered if she realized it, that she was slowly making her way back to him. He got his answer when she suddenly looked around and hastened her way back towards the front.
The tour was ending and everyone was filing out. Taking one last look at Serena, he followed them out the door.
oOo
She let out a deep breath, all the tension and stress that had been building since he walked in releasing with it. Andrew was by her side in a second.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah...yeah, I'm good."
He hugged her tight, "I'm so sorry, Serena. They assured me he wasn't coming."
"It's okay. It's okay. This was good."
He pulled back, looking at her, "Good?!"
"Yeah, I needed to see him again. To get over him. For closure."
Andrew released her, shaking his head, "If you say so. Well, you want to get out of here?"
Looking back over her work, she shook her head, "No, not yet. I still have some work to do on this wall. I think I'll stay a little while and work on it."
"Alright, but not too long. And no ladder work while you're alone!"
Andrew left and she walked to the back, going to the small locker she kept while she painted. The lockers would be for the employees when the place was up and running. For now, it housed a pair of emergency clothes and a few pieces of clothes for painting. Unfortunately, all she had in it was a smock, meaning she would be left to work in her nice shirt and skirt. She would just have to be extra careful.
Not planning for it, she really wasn't going to paint that day. But with Darien surprising them all, she needed something to calm her nerves and distract her a bit. Her music was not doing the trick lately, probably because she was forced to leave her piano at home and work only with her guitar at Mina's. When she wasn't at Mina's, she was at Lita's who, proceeded to feed her the entire time she was there. Not that she was complaining, of course.
Plus, Lita was a cornucopia of baby facts. The woman was a walking, What to Expect When You're Expecting to Expect book. She was learning a lot about her body and the baby's body with each visit.
Her smock over her shoulders and her face mask on, she flipped on her tiny radio, letting the soft music fill the empty room. She kicked off her heels and picked up her brush, going back to work on the trunk of her tree. She couldn't get it to look right. No matter what she did, it just didn't hit her the way she wanted it to.
The bell over the door dinged. Andrew must have forgotten to lock it. She called out through her mask, not looking as her fingers were busy creating a delicate design.
"You can probably tell this, but we are not open!"
"Still leaving doors unlocked I see?"
(AN: For those into my playlist, pause and put on the song called Satisfaction. It is what I listened to writing this next scene.)
She almost fell over, his voice making her jump and her work smear. His eyes danced from her fingers at the wall to her face, a puzzled look covering it as he saw her mask.
She took a step away from the fresh paint and ripped off the mask, tossing it to the side, "I thought you left?"
"I tried."
He stared at her and she stared back, silence falling over them. The only sound in the room was the radio still beating away. She tore away from his gaze and slowly started taking her smock off, feeling foolish in it.
She looked back at him, his jaw flexing the way it use to when she did something to tease him. His eyes were lingering over her body and she felt the need to cover her bump, fearing he would notice it any second now.
"I packed up your things and left them in your place."
She hadn't been home in a while, living with what she had or borrowing from Mina, "Thank you."
"I have your key with me now, if you want it back…"
"Why are you here, Darien?"
He looked surprised by her question, "I don't know."
"You weren't even supposed to be here today. You gave up our account to Henderson, remember?"
"I haven't forgotten."
"Then what are you doing here?"
He turned away, breaking his hold on her finally, "I thought it would help."
"Help?"
"But I was wrong. It's only making things worse."
"What are you talking about?"
"Why are you dressed like that?!"
He sounded angry, not approving of her new look at all. "I have more responsibilities now. I'm just dressing the part."
"Dressing the part, huh? You look like a little girl playing in her mother's clothes."
She seethed. "What do you want, Darien?!"
He stepped up to her, moving so fast she didn't even have time to react. "I want you to take it off."
Her breath had left her, his closeness scaring it away. "What?"
He loomed over her now, his stormy eyes almost scaring her. "I said, take it off."
She managed to get her hands out behind her to soften the blow before he rammed them both into the wall, covering both of her hands in paint while it seeped through her clothes in seconds. He held her tight, not that she was fighting him, and his lips mushed to hers. His desire over flowed him and rushed into her, filling her quickly and replacing her fear. She grabbed his face, smearing paint all over his cheeks.
He leaned away from her, separating just long enough to rip her shirt apart, little buttons flying everywhere. But she could hardly care; the shirt was already ruined. He turned her around, her hands against the wall, coating them in paint once again, while he popped the seams on her skirt, the material going slack and falling to the ground.
Spinning her around, he picked her up and pressed her against the wall again, putting her up on his knee with her legs on either side. She grabbed the lapels of his jacket, smearing more paint on his chest.
His hands went under her bra, pulling the thin cloth up and freeing her breast. She felt the blush on her face and his eyes went to it, darkening even more at the sight for some reason.
Grabbing handfuls of her, he kneaded her flesh, while his mouth went to her neck, biting roughly on her. She grabbed at his coat, trying to push it off of him, getting it down his shoulders before he stopped and finished it for her. She grabbed his tie, pulling him back to her and wrapped her arms around his neck as his tongue danced with hers.
Everything was going so fast; her heart, her mind, Darien's hands. It was making her spin as she was overtaken by lust. Darien's knee lifted her a little higher, pressing almost painfully into her hot spot, so he could take her nipple into his mouth. The pressure of his lips and the heat of his mouth mixed in with just how much she missed him and her pregnancy hormones making her super horney, she actually screamed.
It took him by surprise, but he recovered quickly, returning to her skin and not stopping. She held onto the back of his head, gripping his hair tight. She was still screaming and moaning with no way or will to control it. And he had had enough.
He ripped off her panties, the fabric getting tossed into the unknown in a sad strip of cloth. In seconds he had his pants out of the way and replaced his knee with himself. He pushed himself inside, their time apart causing her insides to have to adjust to him again.
He moaned in her ear as he went in up to his hilt. "Fuck, Serena, you are so tight."
The words threw her, her lust going sideways and her mind returning for a moment. Had he slept with Michelle so much at this point that it was like a slip and slide? If they were fucking as much as she and Darien had when they were together then the woman was surely like a hallway and him a hotdog at this point.
The thought enraged her and she pushed him back, but he didn't release her. Looking at her face, he saw her anger. Instead of stopping, he kissed her instead, keeping himself deep inside, and her rage disappeared, turning back to wanting.
It wasn't long till he started moving. Pumping into her hard, her back banging against the wall, knocking the breath out of her again and again and again. And she didn't stop him. She wailed as she came, white spots in her eyes and her gravity began shifting around her while she finished.
She was back on the ground, her toes touching the cold floor. Darien released her, turning her around and pushing her down. Now she was face down over the arm of one of the loveseats. He took her from behind, one hand on her hip holding her down while the other grabbed her hair, the force of it pulling her hair free as he pulled her head back, arching her back against his pounding.
She came again, stronger than the last. He stood her back up and turned her to face him, then pushed her back so that she fell on the couch behind her. Climbing on top of her, he didn't even give her a moment to recover before thrusting inside of her again. He had never been this rough with her and she wasn't sure if she liked it or not. He gripped the arm rest behind her, her head knocking against it from his force. His weight was all the way on her now and it pressed painfully against her little baby bump.
"Darien, you're hurting me…"
It came out as a whisper and not loud enough to make it over his groans. But she didn't stop him, she didn't want him to.
He was mumbling and whispering against her neck, but with the pounding of her heart and the moans and groans falling from her mouth, she couldn't hear him. His strokes were rough and uneven like he was struggling to hold on. He wanted her to come again.
White hot filled her eyes as she came harder than she ever had in her entire life, blinding her. All she could do was scream. She gripped his shirt tight, her orgasm rocking her so hard she had to hold on to something. Her name left his lips and she knew he had met his end as well.
She had never been more tired in her entire life, the whole session lasting a few minutes but her body felt like it had been hours of constant lovemaking. But that wasn't lovemaking.
Her consciousness was leaving her, the last thoughts were of her anger, anger that he had taken advantage of her. He had come in here and used her. Fucked her when he knew she wouldn't turn him away. Because she had missed him too much too.
He was still slowly pumping inside her, finishing up and she started to feel sick. She felt dirty and used.
She tired to push him off, to push him away but she was too weak, slipping off into nothing before she could even get out a word, 'I hate you, Darien'.
oOo
She had fallen asleep before he even pulled himself out of her. He had lost control, been way too rough with her and now she was too tired to even move.
He intended to leave, to walk away and never look back, declaring himself 'fixed'. But he ended up back inside the damned coffee house.
Finding her in her bare feet put him on edge, but her flushed face had almost been the end of him. He was determined to leave, to get away from her. But then other images flashed in his head, ones of her with the guy she hugged last night. Now instead of his hands roaming over the black lace of her teddy, it was that guy's. He couldn't take it, the thought of anyone else's hands on her.
So he took her, needing to claim her, to make her feel like only he could make her feel. Her screams only pushed him further over the edge. And how she blushed when he released her breast. He had lost it. He didn't even have control of his goddamned mouth, saying how much he missed her and loved her over and over again.
Now she laid beneath him, completely sated, and he wished he could feel pride but all he felt was guilt and disgust with himself. She left him, she didn't love him anymore, she was with someone else, but he took her anyways. His longing for her took control like never before.
He stood up, getting off of her, her little body curled up on the small couch before him. Putting himself back together, another wave of guilt crashed over him at the slight pink that covered him. He had been way too rough with her.
Paint covered her and now the couch, looking down at himself to see he was also covered with it. He looked back to the wall, they had ruined her work.
It was all too much. His regret and guilt spilling over and splashing to the floor, adding to the mess he had created. She was going to hate him when she woke up and he knew he couldn't take that, that he would break away to nothing knowing that she hated him. And knowing that she would never want to see him again. So he left.
oOo
She woke up alone and in the dark. Mostly naked, the only clothing that remained on her was her sports bra pushed up on her chest and what remained of her shirt. It was stiff with the dried paint and stuck to the couch when she tried to sit up.
She looked to her mural, the imprint of the two of them set in the center of her tree trunk; the lasting impression of their last moments together. But the place was empty. He was gone. She had wanted to believe it wasn't true; that Darien hadn't just used her. But she could no longer deny it. For the first time, he had treated her just like all those other women he had sworn she was nothing like. Her body was so sore from him, it hurt as she sobbed, a continual reminder.
On wobbly legs, she made her way to her locker, pulling out her emergency clothes and slowly pulling them on even with the protesting of her muscles.
Something didn't feel right. It was slick and wet between her legs, more than usual after sex with Darien.
She put a finger on her inner thigh, finding it wet. Pulling her hand up to the light, her heart stopped to see her fingers covered in blood.
oOo
Mina stood beside her bed as she waited. The paper under her made bare bottom itch and the cold air ran through the paper gown as if it wasn't there at all. Mina was holding her hand as she sat on the edge of the exam table, her knee bouncing as the fate of her baby hung in the balance.
The door flung open but to her dismay and added discomfort, it was Andrew along with Rita, "What are you two doing here?"
Rita rushed over, hugging her tight, "Mina called us. What's happening? Is something wrong with the baby?"
"I shouldn't have left you alone."
She did her best to dispel Andrew's guilt, "I don't know what's going on yet. We are still waiting for the Doctor. But I do know that it is not your fault."
Because it was hers. She was being punished for her weakness, for giving into Darien and sleeping with him. For letting him use her again.
The door opened again, this time Dr. Fields shuffling through finally, "Oh...Oh my...you have doubled the people in here while I was gone. Okay, well, Serena, your baby is perfectly fine and healthy. There is absolutely nothing wrong with her."
Mina gasped, "Her?!"
They all turned their eyes to her, excited, "Yeah sorry, I was going to tell you guys…"
"I am so sorry to have ruined the surprise!"
While her friends gushed, she gained the Dr.'s attention again, "Then what happened? Why was I bleeding?"
Dr. Fields smiled softly, "It is not uncommon for women to have a bit of spotting during their pregnancy. Some women spot their entire pregnancy, which is why you have those crazy stories where the women didn't know they were pregnant until they were in labor…"
"But this was more than spotting Dr. Fields. My underwear was soaked."
"Yes well, this can also happen after having really rough sex."
All eyes were on her again while hers went to the floor, a fever coming over her in the form of a blush.
"Now, did you use protection?"
Her head snapped back up, Dr. Fields waiting for her response while she just wanted to get everyone else back out of the room, "No."
"Then, do we need to run HIV or STD tests on you now?"
Dr. Fields was asking, not even a hint of judgment in her voice, while she made up for it in spades. She didn't even know how to answer that question. Did she need those tests? She knew Darien was clean when they were together, she saw his tests results. But they hadn't been together in months and she knew he was at least sleeping with Michelle. But she had insisted they used condoms. But was that just at her expense? Pointing it out to get a rise out of her?
"Yes. I need to be tested."
The words tasted bitter in her mouth and she couldn't even look at anyone in the room. A nurse left to get her blood to the lab, leaving her alone again with three, very judgemental sets of eyes on her.
"What the hell, Serena? Just who the hell are you having rough sex with?"
She refused to look at Andrew. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Was it consensual?"
The fear in Rita's voice was palpable, forcing her to face down her fears. "Yes, it was."
"It was Darien, wasn't it."
She glanced at Mina who frowned back at her. No words would form but her tears did. She gave her a nod as it was all she could do.
"That son of a bitch! I'm going to kill him."
Rita grabbed on tight to Andrew, trying to hold him still while both she and Mina tried to calm him down, "Andrew! Think of your children!"
Mina's quick thinking worked for a second, "Nope, still pissed. My daughters will thank me for getting that sicko off the streets."
"Andrew! I wanted it just as much as he did!"
"Oh yeah? Is that why he's in the hospital now, too? Having to get tested?!"
She looked back at the ground, her guilt making her throat sting, "I needed it. I needed it to get over him."
Now Andrew calmed and Mina was working on her, "Oh Serena. You are far from being over him."
She shrugged her off, pacing the room in anger, "Yes I am. I hate him. He took advantage of me. I was weak and he knew it. Then he just left me there like I was trash! I hate him!"
Mina put her hands up, trying to calm and still her, "You weren't weak, Serena, you're just in love. You love him. That is what he took advantage of."
She stopped, starting to shake, "I wanted it. I wanted him. I wanted to be with him again, for him to hold me and care for me like he use to. But that was not what that was."
Mina grabbed her, holding her just as her knees failed her, "I know. I know. It's okay."
Mina and Rita held her tight as she sobbed, not noticing Andrew leave the room.
oOo
The scotch in his glass slipped out, hitting the floor. "Shit."
This was good scotch, too. Too good to be wasted on the floor. He fell into a chair, no idea how he got there in the first place, just knowing it was close to his bottle was good enough for him. He had no idea what time it was or how long he had been drinking, but Richard was just leaving when he got there and the bottle, that was now half empty, was full when he started.
He still wore his clothes from the day, covered in paint, but he didn't give a damn. All of it smelled like her and he never wanted it to go away. Her eyes haunted him and her lips, her thighs, her butt. He was an addict. He needed help and his medicine wasn't working as it should.
His doorbell rang, not remembering letting anyone up. But that wasn't surprising. He either forgot or the doorman missed them. That doorman...he really did do a shit job sometimes.
Opening the door without looking, he stumbled back as a fist hit him square in the jaw. The pain radiated into his skull but it was nothing compared to what he already felt.
Laughing, he looked up at his attacker, the blonde seething as he stood in the doorway. "Come on in, Andrew."
Andrew crossed the threshold, "What the FUCK is wrong with you?"
"A lot of things, Andrew. A lot of things."
"How could you do that to her? To Serena? The girl is nothing but light and you snuffed it out!"
His heart stopped. "Is she dead?!"
"What?! NO!"
He stumbled, clutching his heart as it started beating again painfully. "Oh, God. Be more careful with your metaphors, ass!"
"Forgive me!" Sarcasm dripped from his voice, "I'm finding it hard to believe that you would give a damn what happens to Serena."
He rushed him, grabbing him by his collar and lifting him with the strength that only a drunk man would have. "It's all I care about!"
Andrew stared at him, bewildered. He slowly dropped him back to the ground, leaving him to refill his empty glass, its contents now on the floor.
He flopped back into his chair, filling his glass up while Andrew slowly and carefully sat down across from him.
"Are you drunk?"
"Not enough."
He watched the man as he took the second glass Darien had gotten, a spare in case he dropped his, and poured himself a glass. Andrew took a sip and was taken back.
"Damn, that's smooth."
"Is Serena okay?"
Andrew's attention went from his glass back to him, "Tell me why you care first."
He sat back hard in his chair, "Isn't it obvious?"
"Not to everyone."
He scrubbed his face, running a hand through his messy hair. "Because I love her."
Andrew set his glass down, "Good, now that you have admitted that to yourself, you should know that Serena is fine...physically. And if you want to get her back, it is going to take some serious work. The both of you have done a really good job of hurting one another, the likes I have never seen before."
"She loves me, you know. She told me, twice, while she was sleeping."
"I have no doubts that that is true."
He rubbed his still sore jaw, fully expecting a bruise in the morning. "You weren't kidding about that right hook."
"And don't you forget it."
"I deserved it. I deserve more. You should hit me some more."
"Not tonight."
"I should be flogged. For hurting, Serena. God, I've hurt her so much."
"You're not the kind of drunk who will forget all of this in the morning, will you?"
He shrugged, a grin forming on his face, "No idea, I can't remember!"
Darien laughed but Andrew didn't, "Oh great. You are clearly wasted."
He pulled out his phone and Andrew grabbed it away, "What are you doing?"
He snatched it back, "I'm calling her."
Andrew took it back again, "Serena? Bad idea bro. Especially after today."
"I have to tell her. I have to tell her how sorry I am. That I never should have treated her like that. I was too rough. But I missed her. Oh, I miss her so much."
"I'm starting to see that, yes. But it is still a bad idea. Besides she is probably just getting back from the hospital now…."
"Hospital?!"
Andrew blanched, "Oh shit. That stuff is strong, isn't it?"
He lept up off his chair, a difficult feat given the spinning of the room, "Why is she in the hospital? Oh god, the door! I didn't even lock it!"
Andrew jumped up as well, grabbing him and trying to put him back in the chair, "She WAS in the hospital, but she is fine! It was just a little scare. She had to get tested after her time with you. You didn't even use a fucking condom, you asshole."
Darien sat back down, confused, "Why would I need a condom? We never used them before."
Andrew shook his head, "And you have been apart for months now…"
"I haven't slept with anyone...at all! No one since Serena. Since today actually. I don't want anyone else…what time is it?"
Andrew glanced at his watch, "12:46."
He couldn't help but chuckle as the memory came to his brain, "Serena use to do this thing...she would wake up around this time and then she would roll me over, go under the sheets..."
"Whoa! TMI buddy. We are talking about my sister here. There are definitely things I don't want to know and knowing what you guys did in my shop is more than enough!"
"I understand. I have a sister, too, you know. I never told Serena about her, but she would like her. Everybody loves Serena. Oh hey, sorry about your couch. I'll buy a new one."
"Do I even want to know?"
He shook his head, guilt filling him again. "Tell me what to do, Andrew. Tell me what to do to get Serena back and I will do it. Whatever you say."
"I don't really know, but you need to
make today right before she will even consider taking you back."
"Okay, then that's what I will do."
"And secondly, you need to get things straight with that Michelle girl. I'm getting tired of her lurking around."
"She's been lurking?"
"Yeah, she keeps popping up every now and then. She got to Serena the first time she showed up, but since then, I've been able to keep her away from her. But once the Brooklyn store is up and running, I won't be there to protect Serena."
"I'll take care of it."
"Good. We have enough weirdos lurking around as it is. As you said, everybody loves Serena and it gets her into trouble a lot. There has been this one victim around lately. Man he is creepy wears all black, huge dude!"
"Serena has other suitors? Of course, she does, look at her! I saw her with another guy the other night at the concert? That's partly why today happened. I couldn't stand the thought of her with someone else."
"Well, you better hurry up then, cause she has many and it won't be long till she moves on for real."
Andrew helped him finish the bottle and then got him into bed.
He woke the next morning to a blinding headache and sunshine filling his room. Looking for his clock, he found a post-it note instead.
Remember last night? If not, give me a call and I will happily remind you, asshole!
Andrew
Last night came into his brain in flashes. Mostly getting punched in the face and bit and pieces of his conversation with Andrew. One bit flew into his mind and had him jumping out of his bed for his phone. Andrew said Serena was in the hospital.
He didn't call her cell or Mina's, he knew they wouldn't pick up, so instead, he called Nectar, hoping to trick someone into handing her the phone.
"Nectar!"
"Is Serena Sparrow there?"
"Yeah, hold on."
His heart was beating erratically in his chest. If she was at work then she must be okay.
"Sparrow here."
"Are you okay?"
She was so silent, he thought she hung up on him. "I'm fine."
He released the breath he was holding, "Why were you in the hospital then?"
"Who told you abo….Andrew…"
"He may have stopped by last night."
"I can't believe he told you!"
"Don't be too mad. There was alcohol involved."
"What do you want, Darien?!"
She was short, her anger still very clear, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"Nothing a few STD tests didn't cure," she whispered harshly into the line and it made him cringe.
"Which came back negative."
He wasn't asking her, he knew the answer already, "Yes."
"Look, I know it's asking a lot Serena but...could you just answer when I call?"
"...I'll try."
That was the best both of them could do so he would take it.
