Title: Sex or Love

Author: Bru Cardoso

Summary: Rory is a successful businesswoman in her mid-twenties with no time - or skill - for relationships. Jess is a good looking guy who is willing to spend a night pleasing a woman as long as she pays for it. What happens when they meet? AU Lit

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters; do own the plot. You know the drill.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, it is extremely important to me! Huge thanks to ginnyclone for the beta. There is some smut in this chap (not as much as in the previous one, but for some reason I feel like this chap is heavier). Please, drop a line telling me what you think of it; anything true goes - as always.

Chap 04

In the last three days she couldn't help the grin on her face; it's from ear to ear and starting to scare her co-workers. They have never seen her so happy and easy-going. For the first time, they were seeing her acting like a normal person and there were a few bets going on over the reason for the sudden change.

Some of the women guess she had found the man of her dreams; some guys, that she had become an alcoholic and was always drunk - hence the good mood. There were some who thought she has miraculously gotten enough money to buy the company and some who bet she has simply gotten laid.

Man, they had no idea how right they really were.

Rory hasn't called him back yet, thinking it was too early to ask for a 'repeat' and that she would sound desperate. But his card is always with her and his number is on her cell phone; just in case she changes her mind. She knew he wouldn't call; his job was to attend who called, not to call in the morning after.

She is sitting on her desk, staring at the blank computer screen, frequently stealing glances at her phone. "Okay, you're being stupid. Just call him!" she tells herself out loud. She raises the phone to her ear than looks up and puts to its back to its holder. She goes to the glass wall on her office and let the curtains down to get some privacy before going back to her chair and dialing his number.

"Hey."

"Hi." she says shyly.

"I was wondering when you were going to call," he tells her.

She smiles like a teenager, "You were so sure I would call?"

"There has never been anyone who didn't call back. Besides, you said you would 'keep in touch' on the card."

She closes her eyes, glad he can't see her blush through the phone, "Right. The card. About that, was it enough or do I own you-"

"It was fine, don't worry about it. But that wasn't the reason you called, right?"

"No, actually I was wondering if you could fit me in your schedule."

For some reason she could bet he was smirking when he answered, "Sure, hold on."

A second later he was going through his schedule, trying to find some time for her. "Nights, right?"

"Uhm, yeah. You work days too?" she asks confused.

"Some women are workaholics, have crazy shifts, or even worse, husbands. So, sometimes I have to work during lunch time."

She wants to laugh but just musters a 'huh'.

"Okay, next week I'm free on Monday and Wednesday."

She sighs disappointed, "I can't make it on Monday, so it'll have to be Wednesday."

"Okay," he says, while writing her name on the date.

"Are you really too busy on the weekend?" she tries.

"Today is Friday, 48-hour rule, remember?"

"Right, right."

"Well, you can decide where you want it and what time and send me a message one day earlier, okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Alright then, see you on Wednesday."

"Bye."

This time Rory was calmer while getting ready to meet Jess, even though she was running late due to her work. She's still insecure about her appearance, unsure about what to wear, and embarrassed about the situation, but she is also excited about seeing him and doesn't feel as weird as she thought she would. She sent him a message the day before telling him she had reserved the same room in the hotel and that they would meet around 8-ish.

She gets there twenty minutes late and out of breath.

"I'm so sorry, but there was this meeting..." she trails off, noticing for the first time that he is only on his briefs, laying in bed, waiting for her.

"It's okay," he says, standing up and walking to her. He wraps his arms around her waist and kisses her on the lips, "How do you want it?"

She tilts her head to the side to have a better look at him, "You choose."

He chuckles, "You are the one paying!"

Her face falls. "Don't say that, okay?"

He nods and shrugs, not really seeing why she would feel offended.

She sighs. "You choose," she says again.

He un-zips her skirt and lets it fall to the ground, bringing his lips down to her neck, "Okay." He keeps kissing his way down from her neck to her shoulder and the side of her breast. She feels like a doll, being played or just a naive girl, making love for the first time. Except it's not her first time and this is no making love; this is pure sex and she is well aware of that.

He walks slowly, making her walk backwards until the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed. He gently lays her down, lying with her. He takes thing slow, taking off each item of clothing on his own pace, to enjoy it as much as he can. When she is finally naked on bed she looks up to realize he is still fully clothed. She tries to move and cover herself, but he just moves forward and takes her hands into his. She feels his eyes on her, traveling up and down, burning her skin and leaving her breathless.

"Why?" he asks.

"'Why' what?" she asks, confused.

"Why are you so ashamed of this? Of being seen like this?"

"C'mon Jess."

"Just tell me," he asks.

She shakes her head, tired, "I don't know."

He nods, staring at her, "I think you are uncomfortable just because you're not used to it anymore," he says, hovering her.

"What do you mean?" she asks, sinking into the mattress.

"That you-" he says between kisses, "are not used to be seen in all your naked glory. Or even just naked," he jokes.

She stiffens and stares at him while he kisses her collarbone. She pushes him off of her, but it doesn't cause much effect, "You're saying you think I don't have much sex?" she asks, pissed off.

He shakes his head and pushes himself and her onto the mattress, kissing the side of her breast and his way up to her neck, burying his face into her neck, holding her hands by her sides, trying to contain her momentary rage. "I don't think, I know I'm your first fuck in a very good long while; and will probably remain the only to fuck you at least for now."

She freezes and glares at him and he lets go of her hands. The rage is still burning inside her, and if she can't win with the truth, she will win lying. "You know nothing," she says just before kissing him passionately, scratching his back with her nails.

He groans and laughs at her response, an almost evil mock smirk on his face. "Oh, I know, I do know," he attacks her neck. "That's the reason you call me and we have these meetings. That's why you're so shy about all this and you hate so much when I talk about money. That's why you blush, you don't choose how you want it and you are so fucking tight," he whispers into her ear, slowly trusting into her.

"Why are you doing this?"

"You're paying me to, remember?"

She bites her tongue, regretting her earlier question. "Just end it soon? Please?" She pleads, letting a few tears drop.

"End what?"

"This. The loneliness."

He nods shortly and starts to thrust faster and harder, making her moans increasing in volume and she almost screams; not sure if it's from pleasure or pain.

When he rolls to the side of the bed she just takes a deep breath and stands up, gathering her clothes as fast as she can.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing?"

"I shouldn't- I shouldn't-" she starts crying again. "It was a mistake. I don't know what I was thinking. Why? Why?" she cries between sobs.

He stands up and hugs her, "Hey, I wasn't trying to make you feel bad." He leads her back to the bed and she lets him because she is just too broken to protest. He sits against the headboard, hugging her. "I was just being honest, but I didn't want you to feel like this. I'm not judging you."

She looks up at him, not really believing. But his eyes remain the same, and he just re-affirms his statement, "I'm not." He pauses and embraces her, "Don't read too much into it. I was just telling you the truth, but it's only the truth because you make it that way," he tells her softly.

"Stop it. Just- stop it, okay? Please!" she asks almost hysterical.

He nods, "Okay, okay." She keeps crying and sobbing while he rocks her, until she calms down and starts crying quietly. "Shh... c'mon, you need to sleep." He lays her down on the hotel bed still holding her and watches her cry herself to sleep for the person she has become.

He runs his fingers through her hair and watches her sleeping quietly. It's not he feels pity for her, but he feels for her. The way she got hysterical... he hadn't expected that. He thought she knew how screwed up her life was; that she had chosen it; fuck, that it was what she wanted. But when she started crying uncontrollably and tried to fly out of the room as fast as possible, he had to think it over. He stares at her but can't really understand why she is in a situation like that. Okay, he knows, and he has seen this story played over and over again in many different ways, but he can't understand how she ended up in a story like this.

He touches her cheeks and she stirs in her sleep and opens her eyes. At first she looks confused, but then she seems to remember what had happened and even in the darkness of the room it is possible to see the fading blush on her cheeks.

"You don't have to stay."

He shakes his head, "I don't mind."

She looks down, "Before... I don't know what happened."

"Forget about it. I don't think you'll want to ever understand it."

She nods and a couple of tears run down her eyes, "I know. I understand. I just... hate it."

He runs a hand down her cheek, "It's okay. I'm not going to bring it up again, if that's what you are worried about."

She looks up at him, as to see if he is telling the truth and he adds, "And as I told you, I was not judging you; just stating facts. But if you don't want to deal with them, fine," he shrugs.

She stares at him, still upset, then looks down. "I didn't plan to be like this. I never wanted to become a workaholic with no personal life," she tells him in a whisper.

He kisses her shoulder quietly, not responding. She sighs, standing up, "I have to go home, get ready for work..."

He nods, in a way pitying her. "Okay," he says, also standing up.

"Oh, no, you don't have to leave. Stay, sleep, have breakfast, whatever. You've already worked a lot; now it's my turn."

He is not sure if she is saying that for real or if she is mocking him, but in case of doubt, he lays back down letting sleep finally start to allure him.

"I'll leave your money on the night stand. I'll call you later okay?"

"Sure," he says, watching her putting her clothes back on while walking around the room. When she is ready, she puts a few bills in an envelope and places it on the nightstand, getting her purse and heading to the door. "Have a nice day at work," she hears him say faintly from the bed, already half asleep.

She closes the door and he glances at the envelope at the nightstand, torn between staying in bed or standing up and checking the content of it. He stares at it for another moment before turning around and falling back asleep. He knows that she has overpaid him anyway.