The long awaited second part I said I might write ;) This story fitted the third theme of hayffie week: cliché. So… here ;) I hope you enjoy it. It's still crack-ish.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid…"
Effie kept her on muttering the very same litany she had been ever since Peeta had showed her to her room. The water slammed on her skin but if she had hoped a shower would erase her embarrassment, it wasn't working so far.
What had she been thinking?
Offering a ride to a stranger? Sleeping with him ? Of course, it was always going to be a bad idea. She could have been murdered. All things considered, finding out her latest one night stand was the father figure to the woman her nephew was about to marry wasn't the worst case scenario here.
A part of her wondered if she wouldn't have preferred being murdered and buried on the side of the road.
She had kept a poker face in the kitchen earlier, shaking Haymitch's hand and pretending not to know him. He had followed her lead but hadn't been able to resist teasing her at every opportunity. She didn't think the children had noticed anything though. She hoped they hadn't. The last thing she wanted was for Peeta to find out she had slept with a stranger in a rented car. What sort of example would she be setting?
This was a disaster.
A complete disaster.
She tossed her head back, eyes closed, letting the stream of water wash the sleepless night from her face, and pushed her damp hair back.
She heard the click of the door being opened but before she could turn around or panic, an arm was wrapped around her waist, a hand pressed against her mouth to muffle the shriek.
"It's just me. Relax."
Her heartbeat slowly calmed down and she wondered at what point in the last hours his voice had become so familiar. She escaped his arm and turned around, automatically covering herself with her hand and forearm.
"What are you doing here?" she hissed.
Really, she should have been more outraged at him assuming he would be welcomed to join her in her shower – stark naked – but she was too busy taking everything in. It had been dark the night before and there hadn't been much room for observation that morning. Car sex wasn't made for… looking.
And what she had in front of her was certainly appealing.
His shoulders were broad and made her want to run her hands over them, maybe nip a little to test how firm the muscles were. He had no abs to speak off but he was lean and the pale hair on his chest made her mouth water. His arms were strong and so were his thighs. As for the rest… Oh, the rest made her ache for a third round. The rest felt too good buried deep inside her.
"Seriously?" he snorted, apparently amused that she was covering herself. "I've seen everything already."
"That was before." she retorted. The water was trickling down her back but she didn't want to reach out to close the tap. "What are you doing here? I thought you had a house nearby."
That was what Katniss had said anyway.
"Next door." he nodded. "Sneaked back in."
"Why?" she insisted. He lifted an eyebrow, his smirk enough of an answer and she immediately shook her head. "No, no, no. Nothing of that sort will ever happen again. If I had known who you were I would have never…"
"You do know how to flatter a guy's ego, don't you?" he mocked, reaching out to tuck a damp strand behind her ear. "Look… It was all fun, right? And it was fun. You're here for the week-end… Can be fun all week-end… The kids don't need to know about it. We don't have to make a big deal about this."
"You do realize once the children are married we will be family." she retorted. "We will see each other often enough. There is no need to make this more awkward than it already is."
"We're having a talk in a shower, sweetheart." he chuckled. "It's always going to be awkward."
She pursed her lips. "Well, you should have waited for me to come out like a decent human being. And dressed. Clothes are a key point here. Why aren't you wearing any?"
It was distracting.
And it was even more distracting once he took a step forward and water splashed on him. It wasn't fair. Not fair at all. Effie prided herself on an excellent self-control but it had been a very long time since she had an affair and even longer since she had decent sex. Sex with Haymitch was… very, very good. And being constricted in the car had hindered their moves. The things they could do with more room…
"'Cause I was planning on fucking you right here." he declared, so crude and vulgar she shivered. It turned her on. It shouldn't have but it did.
"Language." she chided him for appearance's sakes.
"You want me to go or to stay?" he asked, his eyes roaming on her, taking in everything he could see. She slowly lowered her arms, letting him get an eyeful.
"It is the last time." she warned him. "The very last time."
"Last time." he agreed distractedly before pouncing on her.
She laughed, it was genuine and it took her aback because she was used to faking laughs. It soon turned to moans though.
She was right.
With more space, they were not just great they were amazing.
She could have grown used to having shower sex with Haymitch.
They lingered under the spray long after they were done. She briefly wondered if there was a water balloon and if she had just emptied it. They kissed and touched. Now that they had rode the frenzy, it was mostly innocent, almost exploratory… She lost herself in it, tilting her head when he brushed her hair aside to licked the water trickling down her neck, and grinning from ear to ear at his groan when she kneaded his butt cheek.
The knock on the bathroom door made her jump and she didn't exactly know how to feel when his instinctive reaction faced with the startling noise and her obvious fright was to push her behind him.
"Effie?" Peeta called from the other side of the door. "You've been in there forever. Did you fall asleep?"
There was a tinge of worry underneath the amusement.
"I will be downstairs in a moment!" she replied. "I am afraid I did doze off a bit."
"Lunch is almost ready." her nephew told her. "Katniss has gone to fetch Haymitch."
"Great." Haymitch grumbled, reaching out for one of the towels on the rack.
"I'll be right here." she repeated for Peeta's sake, catching the towel Haymitch tossed at her and wrapping it around her chest.
He got dressed quickly – in the very same clothes he had been wearing all night – and rubbed his wet hair before dropping the towel in the sink. Then he planted a kiss on her lips. "I'll catch you later."
"No, you won't." she retorted firmly. "This was the last time."
His grey eyes were sparkling in obvious amusement. "If you say so, sweetheart."
"I say so." she stated.
Lunch was a disaster.
He seemed to be very good at sneaking in and out because the children didn't suspect anything. The food was simple but good and for a while, she focused on Katniss and try to get to know her better. The girl wasn't very open though and she was starting to be discouraged when Peeta whispered to her, in the kitchen, away from Katniss' and Haymitch's ears, that she had lost her sister a few years earlier, that her mother was mostly out of the picture because of this and that Haymitch hadn't had much more luck in life. Peeta didn't tell her to drop her inquiries but she was smart enough to get the hint, she turned her questions to Katniss' archery skills instead.
It wasn't long before Haymitch grew bored though.
"How was your shower, sweetheart?" he asked, cutting her off mid-sentence.
Peeta and Katniss exchanged a puzzled glance.
For her part, she glared.
The smug smirk and the knowing spark in his eyes made her annoyed though. Two could play that game after all.
"Hot." she deadpanned.
"Yeah?" he chuckled. "Helped you unwind some? You must be tired after that long night…"
She glared harder, stabbing a tomato with her fork. "It would take much more than that to tire me out."
"Week-end's not over yet." he challenged, licking his lips.
"Do you want some more salad?" Katniss cut in, tossing her uncle a dark look.
It didn't discourage him of throwing various innuendos around. Effie took great pleasure in keeping her features schooled and deadpanning at every turn.
She pretended she didn't enjoy the bantering as much as she really did.
She heard Katniss muttering several times to Haymitch to shut it and it made her smile although she felt a little guilty about it because Katniss was obviously a little nervous about meeting her.
She spent most of the afternoon catching up with Peeta. It was good to see her nephew. They talked on the phone every week but… It wasn't the same as seeing him in person.
It was lucky she never went anywhere without a cocktail dress because she would have otherwise been forced to attend the party in everyday wear. She couldn't help pouting at her reflection in the mirror though, not quite happy with it. If she had known there was going to be a party, she would have brought a better dress. This red one was classic and it wasn't her favorite. Her chest looked too flat and her stomach, on the other hand, didn't.
There were already guests in the living-room when she wandered downstairs and she realized, belatedly, that she and Peeta didn't have the same definition of party. People were wearing jeans and she was clearly overdressed.
"Red looks good on you." Haymitch murmured in her ear on his way to the table covered with bottles of liquor. His hand briefly rested at the small of her back and drifted lower when he left.
She chose to pretend nothing had happened and helped Peeta make sure everyone had drinks and food. There were a lot of people and a lot of names to remember. Johanna, Beetee, Finnick, Annie… The whole town seemed to be there. She smiled and nodded and exchanged pleasantries…
"Nice ass." a man commented as she was placing a tray full of freshly baked cupcakes on a table.
She glanced at him. He was standing with Haymitch, far enough that she supposed she wasn't meant to hear. He was missing a hand and was not wearing a prosthesis or trying to hide it. She went back to arranging the cupcake, pricking her ears. Whatever Haymitch answered, it was too low for her to catch.
"Well, if you're not going for it, I am." the man laughed.
"No, you're not." Haymitch growled.
"Oh, you tapped it already?" his friend asked, apparently amused. "Quick job, you did. She's been here what? Six hours? What's she like? Tiger or vanilla?"
She pursed her lips and pretended to be entirely focused on the cupcakes, awaiting the unavoidable crude answer Haymitch would give. Men were peacocks. They liked to preen. No matter how disparaging it was for the women involved.
"Shut up." Haymitch snarled, surprising her. "Don't make her sound like a slut. Didn't happen like that."
"You like her." the man answered and it sounded almost awed to her ears, like it was a miracle Haymitch could actually like anyone.
It took a few seconds for Haymitch to answer and she could feel his eyes burning a hole in her neck. "She's something else, that girl."
She made a hasty exit toward another group of people. His eyes followed her. She felt them on her all night. Every time she glanced in his direction he was staring at her legs or her ass or her chest. When their gaze met, he either winked or smirked.
Despite her reserves about the dress, the way he looked at her made her feel hot.
She started flashing him a little cleavage when she bent to grab a glass on the coffee table. She brushed against him on purpose when she walked around. She flashed him slow cocky smiles from the other side of the room.
It affected him.
It was obvious.
But he never once made a move on her.
Half the people were gone by the time she cornered him in the kitchen.
"One would think you do not know how to take a hint." she observed, trailing her hand on the back of the chairs and on the table as she walked closer to him, a predatory spring in her steps.
He was leaning against the counter, a half full glass of whiskey in his hand, a smirk on his lips. "You said this morning was the last time. I listened."
"You are not the sort of men who listen when they want a woman." she huffed, pouting a little. "Don't you want me anymore?"
"Coy is so not your style." he snorted.
"What is my style?" she challenged.
"Dangerous temptress." he answered at once, without missing a beat.
It was her turn to chuckle. "Well… The dangerous temptress I am is going to tell the children she is retiring for the night. I will be on my bed. Naked. Feel free to join."
She was being bolder than she usually was with men she had just met – never mind never dated – but it was thrilling nonetheless.
At least until she found herself actually naked on her bed, in a sexy position that wasn't comfortable, waiting for the door to open.
She waited fifteen minutes.
Then she angrily wrapped her silk dressing gown around herself and told herself she was stupid. She had been acting like a fool for twenty-four hours. How was she supposed to face Haymitch the next day? Never mind for the rest of her life? There would be the children's wedding and family events after that and…
She flushed crimson.
She was an idiot.
She was so busy berating herself she almost didn't hear the door handle turning. She did hear the lock falling into place though.
"What happened to being naked on the bed?" Haymitch teased.
"I grew bored of it ten minutes ago." she snapped, turning her back on him to draw the curtains close. "Goodnight."
"Katniss wouldn't let me go." he grumbled, wrapping his arms around her, pressing his chest to her back. "I did as fast as I could. You're a bitchy person, sweetheart. Anyone ever told you that?"
"Oh, as if you were so delightful yourself." she hissed.
He smirked and damn his smirk.
"Good thing you like bad boys, right?" he mocked.
"Good thing you like difficult women." she taunted right back.
And then they were kissing again.
She quickly decided having sex with Haymitch in a bed was even better than the car or the shower. It was more comfortable at any rate.
She expected him to sneak out as soon as they were done but he seemed to be just as exhausted as she was – and with good reasons, they hadn't slept much the previous night – because he remained where he was, legs tangled with hers, arms firmly locked around her.
She didn't realize she was falling asleep until it was too late.
She woke up to irritated groans and it took her a few minutes to realize Haymitch was making the noises in his sleep and that it was more than probably a reaction to the loud hammering taking place outside. She didn't know what the children were doing but really they should have done it a little more quietly.
She hummed and buried further into his warmth, breathing him in. He smelt like faint whiskey, sweat and sleep. She liked it.
"What the fuck are they doing?" he mumbled against her hair.
"Don't know." she slurred, still half asleep, nuzzling his throat with her nose.
It wasn't until she heard a key being wedged into place and the loud clink of the lock being turned that she realized what was going on.
The hammering had actually been knocks and by the time her brain woke up enough to tell her to scream for them to stop, the door was open and the children were standing there, gaping.
"What the fuck!" Haymitch shouted, quickly drawing the sheets up to cover them both properly. Effie lost no time in wrapping it around her chest. Too late though if Peeta's peeved expression was to be believed. "Can't you fucking knock?"
Katniss didn't look impressed. "We've been knocking for twenty minutes. It's two p.m. We were worried Effie had gone into a coma or something."
"Oh." she winced, glancing at the clock. How on Earth had they slept so long? "I am fine."
"Clearly." the girl scoffed, her grey eyes darting from her to her uncle.
"This is so embarrassing." she muttered.
"You think?" Peeta cringed, looking red in the face. "How did this even happen?"
"You want me to draw you a picture?" Haymitch snapped.
"I mean you weren't drunk." her nephew groaned. "Neither of you. How…"
"Are you saying a man should be drunk to want to sleep with me?" Effie frowned, patting her hair self-consciously. "I can assure you…"
"Don't assure me anything. I don't want to know." Peeta cut her off, rubbing his face.
"I told you to be on your best behavior with her." Katniss scowled, clearly exasperated. "I told you…"
"I was on my best behavior. Heard no complaining from her." Haymitch interrupted. "Made sure she came first and everything. Got any complaint, sweetheart?"
"Haymitch!" she gasped in horror, whacking his chest.
"Oh god, this is the worst." Peeta mumbled.
"Then maybe fuck off." Haymitch growled. "She's not dead. I'm not dead. Get the fuck out and next time wait for us to tell you it's okay to come in."
"It's our house!" Katniss exclaimed.
"Well next time I'll take her to mine!" he shouted back. "Out. Now."
The children scampered away and closed the door behind them, leaving Effie to flop on her back in the bed, her hands pressed against her face, absolutely mortified. Peeta had a point, this was the worst.
"Next time?" she asked anyway, from behind her hands.
She felt him shrug.
"If you want to." he grumbled, settling back down next to her.
She dropped her hands and studied him. "I would love to."
She was rather glad they had missed that plane after all. Maybe it had been meant to happen this way.
Maybe fate wasn't such a fickle thing after all.