'What happens in Venice' part 2
A Revolution fic: Bass Monroe/Charlie Matheson, Jeremy Baker. Charloe; No Blackout AU.
Sebastian Monroe has a well-earned reputation as a stunt man, fighter and womanizer and his Agent and friend, Jeremy Baker is used to smoothing the way, dealing with hotel suites, publicity, twitter accounts, restaurant bookings and jealous boyfriends, as well as organising his MMA bouts, video shoots and generally doing everything but brush his teeth…
Charlie Matheson has known Jeremy for years. A kind of adopted member of her family, he's been a shoulder to cry on, a strong arm when she needed a sparring partner and there for her to talk to when her family were busy with other things - which was most of the time. She also knows Bass, although she hasn't seen him up close since he left Jasper when she was a teenager with a major crush...
After a raging argument with her mom, Charlie has to get away. Jeremy and Bass are working in Venice, so she decides to fly there to meet up with them…
Author's note:
Hi there and thanks so much for reading and joining me for the second part of this birthday story for Hayj Oh, I still don't own anything of Revolution, but I wish I did...
'What happens in Venice' part 2
Charlie was feeling more than a little light headed with the combination of jetlag, amazement at her surroundings and her body's reaction to being this close to Bass Monroe. He moved so quietly, so smoothly with the kind of relaxed readiness for anything that only came after years of physical training, and she was totally aware of every brush of his body against hers, every touch of his hand on the bare skin of her arms, her shoulders. His hands were hard, strong. She could feel them through the light fabric of her dress over her waist and back and his warm breath was soft against her cheek making her shiver with anticipation of more…
She took a couple of deep, steadying breaths. Shit, get a grip… but it was too late, her mind had already stripped him naked, her hands roaming over that golden skin, the toned muscles, the broad chest and wide shoulders, the six pack that she knew was there, and lower…
'Hey… Earth to Charlie?'
She jumped, her eyes flying wide to meet his amused blue gaze…'Oh, sorry,' and damn it, she could feel herself blushing. 'I think maybe I'm jet lagged or something.' Yeah, or something... She mentally kicked herself…
He smiled down at her, 'probably are… you should have a rest after lunch, everyone and everything here comes to a screeching halt between one and three in the afternoon anyway.' He walked with her to where she and Jeremy had left her bags near the piano. 'Come on, I'll show you to your room while Jer organises the food.' He grinned over at Jeremy who'd followed them into the big room, 'in the big dining room, Jer?'
Jeremy nodded, his face impassive, 'Yeah, Giovanni just sent a text, they're on their way.' He held Bass' eyes for a moment, then spread his hands out like an Italian mafioso, 'Hey, I've got an idea. What if Charlie and I swap rooms?' He turned to her, 'mine's way over on the other side of the apartment, Charlie, near the stairs, away from everyone else, and if you happened to meet some nice young guy and wanted to have a Venice fling?' he wriggled his eyebrows, 'you wouldn't have the two of us older guys cramping your style…'
Charlie couldn't help it, her eyes flew up to see what Bass thought about that but he was still looking at Jeremy, a little smile playing around his lips. Then she realized that Jeremy was just worried about her and whatever was happening between her and Bass. He always got a bit OTT when he was worried. It was sweet, even though she wondered how on earth he thought that some young guy could be as interesting as Bass Monroe, and if Bass was interested in her too, even for a little while, she was totally ok with it… 'I don't want to swap rooms, Jeremy, I'll be fine, really' and she smiled. He was just trying to be a good friend...
He sighed and lowered his arms, looking defeated…
Bass turned to her, his eyes amused again but with something so hot and urgent in their depths that it sent ripples straight to her clit and set her heart pounding again, 'I think our Jeremy's worried that I might try to take advantage of you, Charlie.' He stood in front of her as though he was waiting for something. 'But you're quite safe, I promise. Twitter rumours to the contrary, I only take advantage if a woman wants me to…'
Her breath caught in her throat when she thought of all the ways he could…Damn it, she didn't want to be safe with him, she wanted…
And for fuck's sake, they were both staring at her now, waiting for her to say something...
She took a deep breath, let it out then frowned at each of them in turn, 'Will you two please lighten up?' Then she couldn't help smiling a bit, because Jeremy still looked like doctor doom… She sighed and went over to him, reaching up and patting his shoulder, 'I'm not helpless Jer, and you know it. You've trained with me and you know that I wouldn't let anyone touch me if I didn't want them to, so you can quit worrying about me, ok?'
One of Bass' eyebrows lifted and his lips twitched…
Jeremy had the grace to look a little embarrassed, 'Sorry, Charlie, I didn't mean to come over like your dad, it's just…'
'You felt like you should, I know…' She wrapped her arms around him, feeling him relax just a little, 'you are very sweet, Jer, and I'll tell dad you did your best to keep me on the straight and narrow, ok?' She smiled up at him, her dimple flashing.
He rolled his eyes, 'Ok, but I'd still rather not be the one to tell Ben, or Miles about…whatever this is… so how about I close my eyes if I see something I don't want to know about?' he looked down at her again, then over at Bass, who shrugged, 'because that was some serious flirting going on back there…'
She shrugged too, 'you can close your eyes if you want, ' then the dimple flashed again, 'but you might find yourself bumping into lots of things…'
He chuckled, hugging her back, 'Ok, ok, I give up…'
'All grown up, Jer, remember?' She reached up to kiss him on the cheek, then let go, went back and picked up one of her bags, hoisting it over her shoulder, 'Now where's my room, I want to get changed and I'm seriously hungry enough to eat the furniture.'
Bass picked up the last bag, his teeth flashing white in a wide smile. 'Can't let you do that, Charlie, we'd lose the security deposit, your room's this way…'
She followed him, the huge space welcoming and strangely intimate despite its size. There were comfortable looking seating areas set along the walls, bright Persian rugs in crimson, vermilion, purple and cream, portraits and archaic scenes on the walls in ornate gold and pewter frames, the chandeliers were beautiful – crystal flowers glittering in the light reflecting on glass and the pale painted ceiling… She sighed happily as she walked, 'I love this place, it's incredible,' her words seemed to echo just a little and she laughed…
He pointed across the room to an arched doorway, 'that's mine' then he turned to a similar one on their side, opening both of the doors with a flourish… 'And this one's yours,' He held out a hand for her to go first…
She walked past him into the room, her eyes wide. It was very, very big, almost the size of the lounge room and dining room combined back home, and beautiful, all in creams, blues and gold with an enormous, dark framed four-poster bed at one end, its pale, gauzy curtains billowing down over the posts in graceful, shadowy folds. A white and gold baroque wardrobe stood at the other end and there was a seating area in between with two small cream and blue couches set around a glass-topped coffee table. Another of the flowered chandeliers hung from the high, ornate ceiling in the centre of the room and a pair of big Tiffany lamps were set on small tables on either side of the bed. A large flat screen tv was set onto the wall, tilted towards the bed and a door was ajar beside that, a shining white, claw-foot bath just visible through the crack.
She was definitely going to overuse her stash of superlatives soon. 'Wow…'
Bass walked over to the robe and put her bag down on the low bench next to it, 'you can see the garden if you look out the window.'
She dropped the bag she was carrying next to the other one, and went to look, holding back fine gauze curtains that smelled faintly of lavender and lemon. Way down below she could see high stone walls around sunlit velvet green lawns, tall, shady trees and fountains, water sparkling over dolphins, nymphs and assorted gods…'It looks lovely, Bass'. She felt him come up behind her, the heat of his body sending little ripples of sensation over her skin, making her feel raw, exposed, every nerve open. Her breath caught again as the air seemed to disappear and she struggled against the urge to just lean back against him.
Shit…what was happening to her? She hadn't been this way about other men, had she? It was like she had a fever, it was hard to think straight when he was so close…
Then he put a hand next to hers on the window frame, his body surrounding her, almost, almost touching her, his lips close to her ear, 'did you mean what you said back there, Charlie?'
Out of the corner of her eye she could see every little curling hair of his beard, every long, blond tipped eyelash, the hard male curve of his lips, the straight nose, gorgeous cheekbones, and it was as though everything went still around them, quiet, waiting. Had she meant it? He'd been in her thoughts and dreams for so long now that it was hard to believe this was happening… that this was her chance to see if she was just one more young, pretty, disposable blonde, there in his life one day, gone the next, or if there was something else, something more...
She felt reckless though, right now anyway, maybe as reckless as he was, and he was worth the risk, because she didn't know if she'd ever have another chance...
She turned to face him, so he could see that she was telling the truth, 'Yes, I meant it.'
His eyes lit up, the light from the window catching them making them look like deep, bottomless blue pools, and he smiled, 'good…that's good' then he moved forwards just a little, one hand landing softly on her shoulder, stroking down her arm as his lips came closer…
She kept her eyes open until he was too close and she couldn't focus… and then his mouth was on hers, gently exploring at first, then harder, deeper, his breath warm and sweet, the scent of sandalwood and something more spicy on his skin and a kind of laugh rippled through her belly along with an excitement like lava in her veins although her lips were way too busy with his to let it out. She was coming to love Venetian shower gels…
His arms tightened around her, his mouth more demanding on hers, his tongue invading, dipping in, hard then soft, his body pressing close, the whole length of him hard, muscled male, so strong…
She leaned into him, her breasts cushioned against his chest, arms snaking up around his neck, her breath coming faster, blood rushing like a river of heat in her veins and her heart beating so fucking loud it felt like it was going to burst. She swayed her hips towards him, helpless, her pussy feeling heavy, full, so wet, wanting to be filled, and she was so close to coming just from this…
His hands circled her waist, pulling her closer still, the thick ridge of his cock big and hard against her belly and ribs, then he slid a knee in between hers, lifting her onto her toes…letting her ride him, the muscles of his thigh flexing against her clit and the fabric of her dress pulled tight on her skin like a thousand fingers…
She tightened her legs around him, the heat and hardness so fucking good against her flesh that she cried out as she came in bright sparking floods against his thigh, her voice muffled by his lips on hers, feeling his satisfied laugh rumbling against her breasts…
There was the sound of a bell ringing somewhere, clear, insistent, loud, it echoed into the room…
'Shit…' He pulled back a little, breathing hard, his leg moving back from between hers and he dropped a light kiss on her lips, 'That's the bell for lunch…' He looked down at her, eyes dancing, 'and we'd better go, or Jeremy'll come looking...' He kissed her again, 'Did you want to get changed?'
'What?' she was panting too, shivers and lightening bursts of excitement and anticipation and a really good orgasm rocking her world until she really wasn't sure which way was up…
He laughed, one hand brushing a long strand of hair behind her ear, his eyes teasing this time, 'you look absolutely gorgeous just as you are, Charlie, but I thought you said you wanted to get changed?'
'Oh, yeah…' she grinned back at him, her hands roaming over his chest, sliding under his jacket, loving the feel of him, the contours of narrow waist, shoulder blade, heavy pads of muscle, smooth skin… 'But I know what I want right now… and it's not more clothes.'
His eyes darkened and he ran his tongue over his lips, tasting her, 'Oh Charlie…' he leaned down and kissed her again, hard and fast, then pulled back, his eyes teasing again, 'Part of the fun is the anticipation, the waiting…'
The bell rang again, louder this time.
Damn it, she'd been waiting long enough. She heaved a sigh, but through the haze of arousal her stomach was growling at the thought of food… 'Ok, then I guess we can go,' She looked over at her bags, trying to remember which one she'd packed her other dresses in, then deciding that she didn't care, 'and I'm fine as I am, I can't remember where I put anything anyway…' She pulled her dress straight, fluffing out the wrinkles he'd put there, then looked up and he was laughing at her again…
Then he went quiet, the smile gone and his face serious. 'You've turned into a hell of a woman, Charlie. You're smart and beautiful and sexy as all get out and you deserve so much from life… ' He sucked in a breath, 'so I need to tell you something before we go any further, because there's still time to stop this, for us just to be friends, for you to go find your little Venetian…' He looked into her eyes, searching, 'I'm not good at relationships, Charlie, haven't been for a long time, although I guess you probably already know that, and the last thing I want to do is hurt you, so you have to decide, yes or no, right now, because I'm not going to lie to you, I can't promise you anything more than this, right here, right now...'
She nodded, looking away, 'I know, and it's alright,' which was a lie, but he didn't need to know that… Then she took a deep breath, meeting his eyes again, hoping hers didn't give her away. 'Bass, like you said before, I'm all grown up, and I don't want us to stop, so let's just enjoy it, ok? For however long it lasts' Then she curved her lips into her wicked, dimpled smile, making sure it reached her eyes…'Besides, don't they say that what happens in Venice, stays in Venice?'
He chuckled, 'I'm pretty sure that was Vegas, but it'll do…' He breathed out a sigh, then held out an arm, 'Ok then, may I have the great pleasure of escorting you to lunch, Signorina?'
…..
The big dining room was spectacular, and Charlie felt her jaw drop as they walked in… The walls were lined with painted silk, scenes of landscapes, trees, flowers and birds dancing across the room and another of the gorgeous chandeliers hung above the big antique table set with a luxurious setting for three... The narrow, velvet curtained windows looked out over the Canale which was busy now with boatloads of travellers going home or somewhere else to spend the afternoon in sleep or rest, ready for a night of parties, late dinners, carnivale…
Jeremy was waiting for them, his face a study in mixed emotions and a glass of deep red wine in his hand that he drained as they walked in, and he looked at her then Bass, his eyes carefully blank…
He knew, of course he did, and Charlie smiled, and talked about ordinary things, the movie they were working on… what to see in Venice, what was happening back home… trying to reassure him, because he still looked so torn…
The food was wonderful, but then she hadn't expected anything else. There were loaves of crusty, chewy Italian bread, still warm from the oven, bowls of olives, cheese platters, cold meats… fruit and pastries. And the wine was amazing…
But despite all of that and the fact that she was completely ravenous, the thing that occupied her mind and her body most was Bass sitting next to her. She buzzed with it, with him so close… wanting more as his leg gently brushed against hers under the table, his hand on hers as he passed her the basket of the chewy, fragrant bread or poured her another glass of red wine, his long fingers careful, precise, his shoulder touching hers as he bent to tell her something about the palazzo.
She felt heavy with wanting him…
He leaned closer, 'It's actually called the Palazzo Loredan dell'ambasciatore, Charlie. The Ambassadors palace, and it was built in the 15th century.' His eyes were bright, fascinated, 'it was the Austrian Embassy for years…'
She looked at his face, he was so alive, so vibrant, and she realized that she'd been wrong all this time. She'd thought he was running away from life, seeking out danger because he didn't care… But he did, he cared a whole lot. It was like he couldn't face Jasper and what he'd lost there, and of course that was tied up with the whole not doing relationships well thing too, because the only thing he was frightened of was losing more. And the stunts? The fighting? They were like a challenge to whatever had taken his family as well as a way of using up some of his restless energy. It was like he was offering himself up. Here take me as well… She blinked away unexpected tears, not wanting him to see…
Jeremy leaned towards them and joined in the conversation, 'The Loredan's were really important back then, Charlie, very political,' he tipped his head towards the big room, 'and the portraits in there? They're of some of the family.' He drained his glass and placed it back on the table, dabbing his mouth with one of the thick, creamy linen napkins, 'They were a pretty wild bunch too apparently…' Then he stood up, pushing his chair in. 'I'm going for a walk, but I'll be back in time to get things ready for tonight, ok?'
Bass looked up at him, 'Thanks, Jer.'
Charlie glanced from him to Jeremy, 'tonight?'
'Fight night, Charlie…'
She turned back to Bass, 'Could I go?' she hadn't expected to see him fight for real, it'd be a whole universe better than a video and a story she could take back to Miles and Nora.
He looked pleased, 'sure, it's a demonstration match, the Venetians have a guy they think is pretty good,' Then he grinned at her, the angles of his face predatory, confident, 'But I'm better…' He looked at Jeremy, 'Can we swing an extra seat, Jer?'
'Yeah, leave it with me,' Jeremy turned for the door, then paused, looking back at Charlie, then Bass, 'You know I love you both, don't you, so be careful with each other?'
Then he left and they were alone.
Between them they got the remains of the food put away into the fridge in the big kitchen next door, stacked the dishwasher and put the linen aside for the maid service later. It was such an ordinary thing to do in that place that it felt slightly unreal even without all the sexual tension.
Charlie knew Bass kept looking at her, because she kept looking at him, the air vibrating between them, and she honestly didn't know how they managed to do it all and not break or spill anything. She did like the way they worked together though, they were both neat, methodical - and he obviously knew his way around a kitchen.
But as she knelt down to put the last dish in the washer, her heart was pounding and her mouth dry with tension. She looked down at her hands and they were shaking. Then, when she stood up and turned around, he was right there… Tall and so beautiful he took her breath away and he was looking at her as though she was the only other thing in the world.
He took a step towards her, his eyes never leaving hers, 'I think we can leave the rest of it.'
She nodded, feeling dizzy, swollen, breathless, every part of her waiting.
And then she was in the air, his arms under her thighs lifting her up and around, wrapping her legs round his waist, so he could kiss her as they went, his arms hard and strong under her ass, his mouth pulling hers into a crashing, wine flavoured, heated kiss, her hair flying and falling over them both…
The high ceilings and echoing spaces of the long room went by in a blur of colours and whirling shapes as he carried her towards the bedrooms, her senses reeling as she tasted him, devoured him and he feasted on her… She tightened her legs, hooking her ankles together to give her more leverage, her hands playing with his hair, stroking over his shoulders, the muscles like iron under her fingers…
And then they were in a room, she thought it was his but couldn't be sure because she'd lost any idea of where they were by then and he lowered her down onto something soft, yielding, velvety, her legs slipping from around his waist, his eyes gleaming above her, full of intent… Then his weight and length were heavy next to her, the bed dipping with it and she fell against him, laughing, as he bent to kiss her again, his hands moving over her shoulders, sliding the straps of her dress down, her breasts suddenly free in the warm air, her nipples pebbling just because he was there…
He paused, just looking down at her, smiling, his eyes gone dark, gathering all the light… 'So beautiful…'
The fingers of one hand trailed over her nipples, circled her breasts.
She gasped, her back arching up towards him, her clit aching, her pussy so wet she could feel the juices on her thighs, her panties soaked and hot.
He dipped down, suckling one nipple then the other, while his hand stroked the skin over her ribs, down over her hip and leg to the hem of her dress, sliding underneath and back up, gathering the material until it bunched at her waist in soft folds.
Then she felt his fingers on the little triangle of lacy fabric as he cupped her, his hand big and warm, his fingers pushing the sodden fabric between her pussy lips, gently rubbing it over her clit, the textures catching on the sensitive bud as he circled over it.
She gasped, her hips rising into his hand, her legs falling open to let him closer, feel more of her… 'Bass?' Shit, she was going to die if he didn't fuck her soon…
He laughed, low and husky... 'So beautifully wet too…' He moved down the bed until he was kneeling between her legs, his hands on the little straps of her panties, sliding them down over her hips, her thighs, the little string of the thong coming out from between the cheeks of her ass with a wet, juicy sound and leaving a cool trail on the inside of her legs.
Charlie licked her lips, waiting to see what he was going to do as he slowly freed her pussy, exposing the neat little triangle of dark golden curls just above her slit, her little arrow, the rest of her bare, smooth, swollen with need.
He moved back again, carefully lifting the little scrap of material over her feet, taking her shoes at the same time and letting them fall, then climbing back onto the bed, sliding her legs even wider apart, his eyes on her pussy, his tongue flickering out over his lips, his chest rising and falling as fast as hers…
She could see the thick outline of his cock straining at the seams of his pants, and her breath got faster with anticipation as he reached down, flipped his belt open and unbuttoned his fly. His cock sprang out, long and thick and heavy, it's veined length topped by a thick ridged, rounded helmet.
She smiled and hummed her approval…
He swallowed, taking his cock in his hand, his fingers sliding a condom over the slippery head and heavy shaft, 'The first time might be hard and fast, Charlie, I don't think I can do slow right now…'
She licked her lips, opening her legs even wider, rubbing her hands over her breasts and down, her fingers playing with her clit, her pussy lips, her fingers slippery and wet, inviting him in, watching his face become feral, flushed, need making his eyes burn, knowing her own were the same, 'hard and fast is good right now, Bass, believe me…'
He was on her with a groan, his hand frantic as he found her opening with his cock head, sliding inside with a wet, greedy sound that got louder, wetter as they found a hard, fast rhythm, his cock filling her, stretching her out, his balls slapping soft against her flesh with every deep thrust, their bodies moving together, straining, hands grasping at hands, lips joining in hard, frantic kisses, shared moans...
Charlie wrapped her legs round him, her hands pulling him closer as she felt herself shattering into little shining pieces around him and felt him pulsing inside her as they tumbled into a pile of messy limbs and tangled fabric…
When she had enough breath to speak again a laugh bubbled up in her throat, although she was a little uncomfortable 'Bass, I'm sorry, but your belt buckle is sticking into my ass and I think my dress is trying to strangle me'
He lifted his head from the pillow beside her, a laugh in his voice too, 'we'd better take them off then…'
…
AN: Hope you enjoyed this bit. I know I said there'd be one more chapter, but I have a feeling it might stretch into two. Hope you don't mind Thanks so much for reading, cheers, Magpie…