Chapter 10 - The Kingdom I Rule

Alex was in her kitchen getting all of the ingredients together for the meal she was preparing. Jillian was leaving for Baltimore this evening to celebrate her grandmother's 75th birthday with the rest of her family and had called to give Alex a pep talk before she took off on the three-hour drive.

"So what are you going to wear?" she asked.

"I don't know. Maybe what I wore to work? I haven't given it much thought, you know, since it's kind of a sure thing," Alex replied. She had just finished slicing the silver skin off of the pork tenderloin and was now seasoning the meat.

"The guy wears Armani suits, for God's sake. At least put on a dress. You'll look ridiculous in your casual dress-down Friday jeans and top while he's rocking a suit," Jillian remarked.

"Well, my yoga pants and ratty cami certainly didn't seem to deter him last night," Alex responded. She had begun wrapping prosciutto slices around the tenderloin, overlapping them slightly.

"Come on, Alex. At least make an effort."

"Okay. Okay. What about the turquoise sundress?"

"That's perfect. Wear the gold Michael Kors wedge espadrilles with it. And those gold chandelier earrings you have," Jillian suggested. "So what are you making?"

"Prosciutto Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with a Port Fig Sauce. Pan Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon. And Roasted Herbed Fingerling Potatoes," Alex responded with pride.

"Nice!"

"I did cheat on the Port Fig Sauce. Bought a bottle from Dean and Deluca," Alex admitted.

"I doubt he would notice or care," Jillian assured her. "Listen, I need to take off. I promised my Mom I'd get to the house before eleven. I'll be back Sunday afternoon and will check in to see how things went tonight. I'm really, really glad you talked to him. I hope you have a fantastic time."

"You too. Tell everyone I said, 'hi,' especially Grammy."

"Will do."

"Hey!" Alex called out before Jillian could hang up. "Don't tell anyone about Loki, okay?" Alex asked, trying to sound casual, but the pleading tone in her voice was unmistakable.

Jillian paused. "It's not my story to tell. I won't say a word."

"Thanks. I'll talk to you Sunday."

Alex hung up and scrolled through the playlists on her iPhone. She had a specific one she loved to listen to when she was cooking or cleaning, and so she selected it to shuffle through her Bluetooth speakers. As Grace Potter and the Nocturnals' "Hot Summer Night" came on, she began cooking the bacon in a cast iron skillet. She quickly chopped a small onion and then began halving her washed Brussel sprouts, singing out loud with the music. Once the bacon was done and drained on paper towels, she chopped the slices into small pieces to add to the sprouts later. The potatoes had been washed, with the herbs, salt, pepper and olive oil applied liberally, and were now spread on a baking sheet that had been preheated in the oven.

She poured her cheater sauce in a heavy saucepan to bring up to a light simmer, and placed her grill pan on the burner to get scorching hot. She looked at the clock and determined that she had just enough time to change and make herself presentable before she needed to start searing the meat.

The turquoise dress she had selected was perfect for such an occasion. It was not too dressy for a casual dinner in, but was extremely flattering with the halter neckline and bared back and a vivid color which complemented her skin tone. She put on the gold shoes that Jillian had suggested and decided to forego jewelry altogether, leaving her exposed skin bare. She sprayed some Moroccan Oil on her loose curls to add some shine, but otherwise just pinned her long bangs away from her face. Satisfied that her make-up was natural looking, she glanced at the clock and saw that it was 7:15 PM. She had nothing to base it on but figured that Loki would be the punctual sort. Donning on a purple and yellow pleated apron which had been a sentimental keepsake from her mother, she poured herself a glass of Pinot Noir and checked her grill pan.

At precisely 7:30 PM, Atif buzzed in, announcing her guest. Alex threw her apron on the counter, smoothed a few light creases in her dress, took a sip of wine to bolster her confidence, and then promptly answered the door at the first knock. The God of Mischief stood in the doorway, in a black, single-breasted, slim-fit suit with a light grey button-down shirt, his perfectly manicured hand gripping a bottle of wine. She gaped at him for a moment, so caught up in how perfectly pulled together he was. Whose stupid idea was it to have dinner first before getting naked, she thought, cursing herself.

"Good evening, Alexandra," he greeted her warmly. He felt her instantaneous attraction to him, the sparks she sent out which electrified the air between him, and it delighted him that his appearance could make her feel this way.

She gestured for him to enter, taking the bottle of wine from his hand when he offered it to her. She glanced at the label and saw that it was a French Bordeaux. "Thank you," she said as she gathered her senses and vowed not to allow his hypnotic good looks get in the way of her food preparation. After all, she had promised him something better than that bacon, egg and cheese sandwich and she couldn't afford to botch the carefully crafted meal now.

"Whatever it is you are preparing smells divine," he commented in a low purr, making her insides flutter.

She beamed. "Why don't you just make yourself comfortable while I finish up. Shouldn't be more than just a few minutes. I've got a bottle of Pinot Noir open — would you like me to pour you a glass?"

"Yes, please," he replied. As she returned to the kitchen, he casually walked over to the bookshelves that were lining the majority of the walls in her living space and began perusing the various titles. Although there were a fair number of novels dotting the shelves, he was most interested in the range of non-fiction books that encompassed a significant portion of the shelf space. Littered among the titles were everything from self-help books, to biographies, to tomes on mythology, religion, and art history.

"You have an astounding number of cookbooks," he commented, as she walked over and handed him his glass of wine.

"Yes. I suppose I do," she remarked, smiling. "I got on a kick for a while trying to learn how to cook different ethnic cuisines." She moved back into the kitchen and took the potatoes from the oven, tilting the pan so that they fell onto a serving dish she had positioned below.

Loki walked over to the table behind the sofa where Alex had a large number of framed photographs on display. There was an old photo in a silver frame of what could only be Alex as a young child, her head adorned with a ring of flowers atop a disheveled mop of unruly curls. She was standing between a man and a woman, who Loki surmised must be her parents. They were standing in a field, gazing down adoringly at their child and holding onto her hands as sunlight streamed behind them.

There were at least five other pictures of Alex and her mother taken throughout the years as well as several photos of Alex with the same group of people, all similar in age, taken in various locations. Loki recognized the blonde woman who appeared in all of these group images as someone he had seen or met before at Stark Industries.

As he peered at all of the photos, studying Alex as she appeared in each, his eyes caught one that gave him pause. It was the group of friends again, posing together on the deck of a large sailboat. This time there was a sandy blonde man that had not been in the other photographs. As Loki studied the image, he felt an unfamiliar knot form in his stomach as he noticed that the man had his arm around Alex and that her head was nestled on his shoulder. She looked radiantly happy and relaxed. It was the look of someone in love and he recognized it only because he had seen the same look on Jane's face every time his brother was near. The man did not wear the same expression and Loki despised him instantly because he had clearly forsaken the treasure that was right beside him. Who was this lowly mortal to Alexandra — and more importantly — where was he now, Loki wondered, feeling pangs of inexplicable jealousy.

Breaking through his dark thoughts, Alex called out, "Dinner's ready!" Loki walked toward the dining table and feasted his senses on the delectable smells and delightful presentation of the meal. "This looks fantastic," he said with the utmost sincerity.

"Why, thank you," Alex said as she took her seat. He sat across from her and reached to pour her more wine. "May I serve you?" Alex asked, a serving fork poised over the pork tenderloin slices she had already carved and fanned out onto the serving plate.

"Always," he teased.

God, but he could make her insides flip at the merest turn of a phrase, she noted. It was entirely unfair, this power he had over her. She had had the upper hand in only one relationship years ago, back in college, and had gotten bored with the guy after three months. She knew at this rate, Loki would be tired of her within days if she couldn't maintain some air of mystery for him. But she really was an open book. Perhaps she could keep him interested with her impressive culinary skills, she wondered. With that thought, she started placing generous helpings of the various dishes onto his plate.

He ate everything with enthusiasm and complimented her several times between bites. "I like this proscuitto almost as much as I like bacon," he commented, placing another forkful in his mouth.

"I thought you might," she remarked, amused at his exuberance. "Is the food on Asgard much different than what we have here?" she asked, spearing into a Brussel sprout and popping it into her mouth.

"Let's just say that most Asgardians do not have very refined palates," he said as he wiped his mouth with the bright blue cloth napkin that complemented the blue and white chevron placemats. "The basic ingredients and food groups are very similar to what you have on Midgard but they are not prepared in the same ways. Most Asgardian males would not eat a vegetable if their very lives depended on it," he said, as she chuckled in response. Her laugh always seem to enchant him and he stopped to look at her face in the candlelight. "There are no complex sauces such as what you've prepared this evening," he continued, taking another bite of the pork tenderloin. "If there is gravy to accompany the meat and potatoes, then it is considered a special occasion."

"True confession. I did not make the sauce," she admitted. Loki gave a mock gasp. Grinning, Alex was quick to clarify, "For the record, I could have made that sauce but I didn't have enough time."

Loki gave her a bewildered smile and shook his head. "Alexandra, are you always so free from deception?"

"Pretty much. Haven't you ever heard the phrase 'Honesty is the best policy?'" she asked.

"I am familiar with that useless phrase. Rubbish, really," he replied.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Hmmm. So, God of Lies, it doesn't appear to me that lying has brought you much success or happiness," she pointed out.

He took a sip of wine, avoiding her gaze. "I was somewhat joking," he replied. "But yes, you are correct that my mastery over the art of deception has not exactly improved my circumstances in any way. Although, I dare say that fooling others into believing you're something that you're not can provide hours of entertainment."

"Interesting perspective," Alex noted tersely. "I've had some experience with trying to be someone I'm not, all for the sake of pleasing someone else. And I never found it to be all that entertaining." She paused to take a bite of potato. "In fact, I found it to be quite tedious to maintain and absolutely meaningless in the end." He was intrigued by her comment and stopped eating to give her his full attention.

She could see he was fully engaged by the intensity of his gaze. She continued, "You see, I discovered that hiding who I truly was to become someone else didn't guarantee me anything. It sure as hell didn't make the person I was trying to please love me more. Here I spent all that time burying the real me and it didn't end up making a bit of difference. And then after a while, I sort of lost myself and it got really hard to dig my way back out."

He stared at her wide-eyed. He had never articulated as much in all his years, had not ever really thought about it in depth, but upon hearing her words, he understood, really understood what she meant. The things he had done, the lies that he had woven, all to be adored, admired, respected by the All-Father and others had never actually achieved anything. Loki cleared his throat. "You make a valid point," he said, as he picked his fork back up and resumed eating.

Alex noted that the mood had gotten heavy and wanted to lighten it by changing the subject. "Do you think less of me now that you know that I didn't make the sauce?" she asked with humor in her tone.

Without missing a beat, Loki responded, "Yes. You will now have to work harder in the future to regain my approval."

Well, at least there's a future, Alex thought.

"All joking aside, this was a wonderful meal and I thank you for it," he said, as he set his fork down indicating that he was finished.

"It was my pleasure," she replied sincerely. "I didn't plan much by the way of dessert. I've got some incredible Sea Salt Caramel ice cream or some chocolate truffles we can nibble on, but that's pretty much it."

"Thank you, but I just want to savor the wine for a bit if you don't mind," he replied.

"Of course. We can move over to the sofa after we clear the table."

"We?" he frowned.

"Yes, we. As in you and me," she responded. "Surely, you don't think I am here to wait on you?"

"Ugh. I detest that most people here on Midgard do not have servants for these menial tasks. I am royalty, a god for that matter. I shouldn't have to clean up dirty dishes and utensils," he pouted.

"Wah, wah, wah. Stop being such a whiner baby. The sooner you get off your royal ass and help me, the sooner we'll be done," she admonished, getting up from her seat to begin picking up the plates. She was about to reach for one when it, and every other empty plate and dirty utensil, disappeared from the table.

"Shit!" Alex exclaimed in shock. "What did you do with my dirty dishes?"

"They're arranged neatly in your dishwasher. I would have done something with the leftover food, but wasn't sure of your preferences there," he replied matter-of-factly, folding his arms across his chest.

"Are you kidding me? This I've got to see." Alex opened the dishwasher to find everything was accounted for and placed in the appropriate tines of the racks. "How would you even know where everything goes inside a dishwasher?" she asked with an incredulous tone.

"Because like you, Jane seems to think that my brother and I should contribute to a meal by helping to clean up after ourselves. So I've had some practice with loading these contraptions," he replied with disdain. "She prefers that we do it manually, but I always resort to magic when she isn't looking. I can take care of the rest of this if you tell me what you would like done."

Alex began pulling some food storage containers out of a drawer. "Okay, I want the leftovers put in these separate containers and then placed in the refrigerator. Then the rest of the serving plates can go in the dishwasher." In less than a second, everything disappeared, including the empty storage containers. Alex opened the fridge to find them neatly stacked on one of the shelves. "Christ, but you're handy," she commented. "Imagine how much money you could make as a cleaning service with your mad skills."

He responded with a snort as she walked back towards the table. "Did you really just call me a 'whiner baby?'" he asked.

"I sure did," she replied, smirking.

"No one has ever done that and lived to talk about it," he said in a menacingly sweet tone.

She smiled at him and provoked, "And just what are you going to do about it?"

He grabbed her and pulled her onto his lap. "Well, for starters, I plan on giving you a severe tongue lashing. Just where my tongue will be, I'm not sure of yet."

"Promises, promises," she challenged, her insides doing that flip they did every time he made a suggestive comment.

He put his palm against her cheek for a moment and then reached his hand through her hair around the back of her head to pull her face towards his. He felt her sharp intake of breath as he slanted his lips over hers. Their tongues danced briefly and then he pulled his mouth away to begin kissing her neck just under her ear. Alex murmured her approval as she ran the fingers of both her hands through his hair. Uncharacteristically taking control of the situation, she yanked his head up from her neck and sought his mouth with hers, plunging her tongue deep within its depths. Loki buried one hand in her mane of lustrous curls to hold her head in place and reached with the other to palm her breast, his fingers pinching her hardened nipple through the fabric.

She was already on fire for him but knew the time had come for her to finally take the lead with him. Her hands came down from his hair and she reached for the fastening on his trousers, relishing the rasping sound of the zipper as it released its straining contents. She broke away from the kiss and shimmied down his lap to kneel between his legs, trying to free his penis from the confines of his pants and boxers. If it could be said that a penis was beautiful, then his most certainly was. She marveled at its considerable size, the engorged head that was a delicious shade of purple, the ridges of his veins which stood out so prominently from the porcelain smoothness of his skin.

Taking his shaft with both hands, she proceeded to drag her tongue from the base to the tip in one slow lick. Loki leaned his head back and gave a low sigh of contentment. Placing the head of his penis just within her mouth, Alex began licking around the tip as he groaned his approval. Bolstered by his reaction, she took as much of him in as she could and hollowed out her cheeks to provide just the right amount of suction. Pulling her mouth up back to the tip and then descending once more, she continued the rhythmic motion, inhaling his familiar scent of sandalwood and tasting him while he entangled his fingers in her hair.

This was the first time she had put her mouth on him and Loki was caught up in the barrage of sensations — the warm, soft, velvety wetness of her tongue swirling over his skin, the exquisite pressure of her hands expertly stroking the length of him, milking him. He was having great difficulty allowing himself to just feel rather than taking control of the pace and guiding the movement.

Alex's playlist had cycled through all of the songs and now the only sounds in the room were of her oral ministrations and his corresponding moans. It was so erotic, hearing his pleasure and knowing that she alone was responsible for it. As she quickened her rhythm, she could feel his muscles begin to tense.

"I need to be inside you. Immediately," he growled, as he pulled her head back.

She looked up at him with wide, bright eyes, her tongue still laving the tip of him. "Mmmm. I don't think I'm done yet," she said as she resumed her work.

"Alexandra!" he commanded, although she paid him no heed.

"Alexandra...Please," he implored. The last word was said more as a whisper and she stopped immediately, knowing that it was a rare thing to have him plead.

She wasn't aware of the moment he had vanished their clothes, only aware that they were now both naked and that she was at eye level with him. She was already so wet with her arousal and eager for him that the notion of any foreplay seemed like wasted effort at this point.

He pulled her astride him and raised her just over the tip of his jutting cock. Grabbing the cheeks of her bottom, he slowly lowered her onto him by infinitesimal degrees, until he was fully rooted in her. She groaned, reveling in the delicious bite of his deep penetration combined with the bliss of feeling so fully stretched. She arched her back and the forward motion of her hips made them both moan.

He pulled her back towards him and growled, "Do. Not. Move."

He loved keeping her rock still whenever he first entered her so that they could both feel the walls of her sex slowly begin to relax to accommodate him and then slowly start to tighten around him again. He wanted her to savor even the slightest sensations of their coupling and knew how difficult it was for her since she was always so impatient with wanting. She craved his relentless ramming into her and, as much as he loved it as well, he wanted to feel every subtle nuance of his possession of her body.

He felt her spasm around him and knew she was so, so close. He held her firmly to quell any movement and whispered in low, sexy tones that seemed to vibrate across her skin, "I am as hard as stone and so deep inside of you. Do you feel it? This is the kingdom I rule."

And with that, she exploded around him, crying out and shuddering with such force that she feared her bones might fly apart. Still, he remained immobile inside of her, luxuriating in the sensations of her spasmodic clenching and releasing around his cock. It was too perfect, he thought, being inside of her. He felt that she had been born for this glorious purpose and that it could not have been intended for anyone but him. And he could think of nowhere else in all the Nine Realms that he would rather be.

As he waited patiently for the last tremor of her orgasm to fade away, he raised her to crown her entrance with the head of his cock and then speared into her again, repeating the motion over and over with controlled precision. Each downstroke filled the silent room with their harmonized grunts of pleasure, the volume rising to a crescendo as he quickened the pace and proceeded to grind her against him so that she could feel the pressure against her clit.

In all her life, she never knew anything could feel this good. He had promised her when they first met that her body would weep with joy at his touch, but he was wrong. It sang in response to his touch and made her feel so fully alive as if she had just spent the last twenty-six years of her life merely existing. Her arms were on his shoulders, hands clinging around the back of his neck. She threw her head back, lost to everything but the pleasure she felt radiating from her core.

"Look at me," he commanded hoarsely, and she immediately obeyed, becoming caught up in the intensity of his gaze. He brought his mouth to hers and kissed her deeply as he continued to move inside of her. "I am so very, very close and I want to take you with me. Do you understand?" he said against her lips.

"Yes," she replied, breathlessly.

He drove himself harder into her several more times before he cried out and began bucking his hips in release, setting off a chain reaction where she suddenly stiffened around him and abruptly climaxed, calling out over and over for a deity that he felt sure must be a reference to himself.

He pressed his forehead against hers and just breathed her in as they both slowly came down from their euphoric release. She brought her hands up from his neck and ran them through his hair, settling her fingers back near the top of his scalp.

"I really don't think I can stand," she murmured. "I feel boneless."

He chuckled with a low, rumbling laugh and raised himself from the chair, effortlessly lifting her while she was still joined with him. He carried her over to the bed and gently laid her down on it, breaking their connection so that he could lay next to her.

She was drenched in perspiration from their efforts but noticed that he appeared as pristine as when he had first arrived. Turning to face him, she asked, "Seriously, do you not sweat? Ever?"

"Of course, I do," he replied matter-of-factly, casually placing his hands behind his head. "When I exert myself. Usually that's during battle or battle training."

"Oh," she responded, her voice laced with disappointment. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought. After a pause, she said, "I wish that I could make you feel as incredible and as wrecked as you make me feel."

Stunned by her remark, Loki immediately turned to face her. "Alexandra, please don't infer anything by our different physiological responses. Asgardians don't expend our energy in the same way that you Midgardians do. It takes a tremendous amount of heat and a tremendous amount of physical exertion to cause us to perspire. Don't take that as any indication that you do not also bring me extraordinary pleasure nor affect me as profoundly." He rolled on his back again and said softly, "You are incomparable."

She laid there in silence for a few moments as she let his words sink in, smiling broadly when she finally comprehended it all. "Incomparable, huh?" she teased, trying to tickle his ribs. "You totally like me!"

"Stop ruining it," he commented dryly, which sent her into a fit of laughter. Loki did not appear amused, which only made Alex laugh harder. Exasperated, he rolled on top of her and pinned her hands above her head with his left hand, while the right began tickling her under the arms and along her sides. She was laughing so hard at this point that tears began streaming down her face as she thrashed her body underneath him trying to break free.

"Stop! Stop!" she cried out, laughing hysterically. "I'm going to pee myself any second and that would not be cool." He instantly let go of her hands and gasped in mock revulsion, but stayed on top of her long enough to give her a quick kiss on the lips.

He rolled onto his side so that he could face her, draping his arm leisurely around her hip. He felt so comfortable, truly content, laying beside her watching her wipe the tears of laughter from her beautiful face. He was so unaccustomed to this type of intimacy, and although he was enjoying it, he was at a complete loss for how to behave. The sex part was easy — it had always come so easy to him. But he was never one to enjoy a woman for much more than her body, given that he never spent any time with his partners beyond the initial seduction and eventual intercourse. But he found himself deeply intrigued with the idea of getting to know her, and it was both confusing and exciting all at once.

"I forgot to thank you for the flowers," she said, after regaining her composure. "They're beautiful."

'Would you like more?" he asked. "I could fill this entire room if you wish."

"No, no, that's all right. Thank you, though," she replied, looking at the arrangement that was still on her nightstand. "It was a very lovely and unexpected gesture."

Her comment enveloped him in its warmth and he decided that he would need to make a point of discovering other gestures that she would find just as lovely and unexpected. His hand moved from her hip to trace light patterns along her back.

"Mmmm. That feels nice," she said.

"If I wasn't here right now, Alexandra, what would you be doing?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

"Well, it depends," she responded. "If my friend, Jillian, was around, we might go bar hopping or hit a dance club with some friends. Maybe catch a movie. But since they're really more her friends than mine and she's out of town for the weekend, I'd probably hole up here and read or watch a movie on TV. How about you?"

Before he could respond, Alex quickly said, "On second thought, don't answer that. I know exactly what you'd be doing." There was an awkward moment of silence that passed between them. "Is it hard," she asked softly, "juggling all of us?"

Loki stopped caressing her back as he thought about how to respond in a way that would not alienate himself from her. "No, it's not difficult. Because I don't have a need to juggle anyone."

Alex looked puzzled. "I don't understand."

"I don't usually see any woman more than once, so there's no reason to work through anyone's schedule. It keeps things quite simple, really," he explained.

Her eyes were wide with surprise. "Then what on earth are you doing here with me again?" she asked.

Loki rolled onto his back to stare up at the ceiling. "I already told you, Alexandra,'" he replied softly. "You're incomparable."

Alex looked at him for a long while, but he did not meet her gaze. "Loki, I'll admit I'm pretty enough to have turned a few heads, but I'm definitely no supermodel. I'm damn smart, but not what you'd call a genius. And you already know that when it comes to sex, it's not like I have a vast amount of experience or expertise in the area. There is nothing that makes me stand out in a crowd, so what in the world would compel you to want to see me again if you're never with a woman more than once?"

Loki sighed. Those nights he had been staring up at her apartment earlier in the week, he had been asking himself the same question. He knew that Dr. Chase had wanted him to think through his reasons and he hadn't been quite ready to address them just yet. But he also knew couldn't put it off any longer now that Alex was also questioning his actions. And more importantly, he needed the answers for himself.

Still staring at the ceiling, he said, "Alexandra, it should come as no surprise that I find sex to be highly pleasurable. It's something that comes very naturally to me and I have no difficulty finding willing partners. But the primary reason I engage in it as frequently as I do is because I am exceedingly bored almost all of the time here."

He turned his head to look at her. "I am alone quite frequently, and there's only so much reading or TV watching or Sudoku playing I can do to pass the time. I want to be respectful of Thor and Jane's limited time together and give them their privacy. Sometimes I socialize with Stark, but we can only take each other in small doses before we start trying to destroy things."

He began rubbing his eyes with his hand as if he was nursing a headache. "And I can't really raise any mischief to entertain myself because chances are highly likely it would break some ridiculous societal law and result in my imprisonment. So I gravitate towards activities that seem innocuous enough, like sex."

He sat up and swiveled his legs over the side of the bed and, for a moment, Alex thought he was getting up to leave. Placing his elbows on his knees, he put his head in his hands and continued. "I know you think me conceited, but it is a point of fact that when I go to a social function or a drinking establishment, women are literally throwing themselves at me. They will do anything to capture my attention, even if it means ignoring the person they came with. I am other-worldly and a prize to be won in their eyes. They are desperate to know what it's like to have sex with a god — even if it is the demonic one who destroyed their city."

Loki's chest felt heavy as he struggled to find the right words to convey his thoughts. "Celebrity is celebrity and they will do anything to be near it and to claim it for themselves. They are about as interested in me as I am in them, meaning not one whit. So I suffer no contrition over never intending to see them again once I'm done."

Alex watched him from behind and saw his shoulders sag with the weight of his confession, unaccustomed to seeing his self-assured, regal posture looking so diffident. She wanted to reach out and touch him but worried that the gesture might make him withdraw into himself.

"When I went to that party a few weeks ago," he continued, "I had no intentions of sleeping with anyone there because I knew, based on the project we were embarking upon, that we were about to become semi-regular fixtures at Stark Industries. And I did not want to create an awkward situation where I would encounter someone I had no wish to see again." He paused and then turned toward her.

"But when I saw you — standing out from the crowd, I might add — I couldn't help myself, despite my better judgement. You were so alluring and looked so lost and desperate to be rescued." He turned his head to face the wall again. "If you recall, I came to you. Already from the start, you had me deviating from my familiar routine."

He stopped for a moment to pinch the bridge of his nose, lost in thought. Reconciling his feelings had always been so very difficult for him, and he was already exhausted from the efforts of the therapy session earlier in the day. He decided that he far preferred the flaying of his skin at the hand of the Other over having to endure this form of torture. He turned to face her again, but avoided her gaze for fear that he would be met with contempt in her eyes.

He drew in a deep breath."When you struggled so with your decision to be with me, I have to confess that it completely upended me and drew me in. I'd never experienced that before and, as much as it unsettled me, it also greatly piqued my interest. I simply had to have you," he stated. "Everything about you, from how you behaved to the words you spoke, was so unpredictable in comparison to what I'd experienced time and time again. It fascinated me," he admitted.

He laid back down on the bed, facing her. Her eyes were soft and held only genuine interest and compassion. She was so beautiful, he thought, and completely oblivious to how much she affected him. He welcomed her ignorance in the matter, but felt it only fair to gift her the truth of why he was there.

"The sex with you was beyond my expectations," he reflected. "Not because of anything specific that you did. In fact, it was the contrary. I was becoming weary of all the ridiculous attempts by others to impress me in bed, everything so forced and theatrical," he scowled. "But with you, you went into that evening with no expectations and no preconceived notions of what you were going to do." He stopped to brush away a loose curl that had fallen over her eye.

"Perhaps your lack of experience allowed you to act on instinct only, I don't know. But our time together was all about pure sensation and primal responses, and it was real. After that, I just didn't know how I was going to be able to go back to the tedium of my previous routine and be satisfied with it," he concluded.

Alex could feel her insides fluttering about wildly. Every word he had said had an air of reluctance in its delivery, and she knew that it was not in his nature to be so forthright. It was less about what he said and more the fact that he had opened up to her at all that had her reeling. She reached for his hand and laced her fingers with his. After a long moment of silence she remarked, "I don't know how long it will be before my lack of sophistication ceases to be refreshing for you."

"Don't twist my words, Alexandra," he responded, sharply. "I never said that you were unsophisticated."

"In any case, I think you are going to get bored with me fairly soon," she replied.

Loki put his arm around her again and resumed tracing lazy circles along her back with his fingers. "I rather doubt it," he remarked. He took in a breath and then exhaled slowly, trying to relax the constriction in his chest. "I can't explain it. You just make me feel... so comfortable when I am around you. It's probably difficult for you to understand the significance of that, but I'm hardly ever comfortable, even in my own skin," he confessed.

Her eyes widened in surprise but there was no pity nor any revulsion that he could discern, and he felt his chest begin to loosen a bit.

"That is probably the greatest compliment I have ever received," she responded breathlessly after a long pause.

"Really?" he looked at her, bewildered by her statement. "Don't most women just want to be complimented on their appearance?"

"Oh, please. Where are you even getting your information from?" she scowled. "Beauty can be manufactured — do you know how many plastic surgeons there are in New York City alone? Besides, that's so superficial. Don't you ever get sick of hearing how gorgeous you are?" She paused and cast him a look.

"Do not answer that. It's a rhetorical question," she declared. He grinned broadly and she gaped at him for a moment at the way his smile lit up his perfectly chiseled features. She would absolutely never, never, get tired of looking at him, but damned if she was going to tell him how good-looking he was. His ego did not need any further bolstering.

"The fact that I can set you at ease so you feel like you can just be, especially when most others can't — now that's a rare compliment worth receiving," she said, joyfully. She sat up and repositioned herself on the bed so that she was leaning on her elbow and staring him straight in the face. "You know what you need, Loki?" she asked, excitedly.

"To be inside you again?" he responded seductively.

"Um...yes...in a little bit," she replied. "But I'm serious."

Loki quickly and gracefully flipped her over so that she was on her back and he was over her, his hips and lower body ensconced comfortably between her legs. "I was serious as well," he crooned in her ear.

Ignoring him, Alex continued, "You need a friend here of your very own."

"And why would I need that?" he asked, as he began kissing the side of her neck.

"Because you're bored and lonely and need things to do beyond just sex and Sudoku. I can be your friend," she responded. "A friend with benefits," she quickly added as he began nibbling on her earlobe.

"Benefits?" he asked.

"Yes, benefits," she explained. "Friends don't typically have sex because it can ruin the friendship. But since we started with the sex first, it will be an added benefit of our friendship until it gets in the way or just doesn't appeal to us anymore."

Even though Loki continued to kiss her neck and ear as if he had not heard her, his mind was fully processing what she had just said. He really didn't have any friends of his own. The Warriors Three had been primarily Thor's friends, and Sif simply loathed him. Stark was more of a friendly acquaintance and, although Loki had begrudgingly come to adore Jane Foster, she would always be Thor's lover first and foremost and then Loki's friend second. The notion of Alexandra as a friend seemed appealing somehow, especially if it also came with sex as part of the bargain. This arrangement held promise, he thought.

"So what do you think?" Alex prompted.

He stopped what he was doing and raised his head so he could look down at her face. "I think that as much as I enjoy conversing with you, I far prefer the unintelligible sounds you make when I do this," he said as he moved himself and his mouth further down her body to claim the kingdom he ruled.