"My God, that's good!" Carol declared with a throaty moan. The babe had just taken her first bite of a classic cinnamon doughnut and she looked like she was going to pass out with joy from the experience.
Normally nothing came between Scud and his daily dose of circular gold, but the noises coming out of her mouth as she ate were enough to make him stop chewing and stare slack-jawed at the vision sitting across from him in the van. As per her earlier request, they had stopped a Krispy Kreme's for a post-breakfast snack on the way to her apartment. The neon red and green sign had beckoned the pair like a mother-ship signally them back to the home planet. Now they were sitting in the parked van, him in the driver's seat and her riding shotgun as they worked their way through an assorted dozen of the finest food to have ever graced the face of the Earth.
Carol sat with her head thrown back, eyes closed and her face scrunched up as she savoured the deep-fried goodness in her hand. The sight of her sitting there like that was better than anything he'd ever seen in Penthouse or Playboy. The only thing he'd even think about changing would be the ensemble she was rocking. Despite his protests the babe had insisted on leaving his BPRD shift back at the warehouse and had redressed in her outfit from the club. As much as he loved the way that red dress clung to her killer curves he bet she'd look even better in something straight out of a dirty magazine…something like a string bikini, just off the top of his head.
His eyes drifted down to the spike heels she had slipped back on before climbing into the front seat of the van. In his ultimate fantasy she'd lose the dress, but there was no way those sexy black stems were going anywhere. No sense in ditching footwear like that. Those puppies would come in handy later on.
On second thought, maybe a string bikini would be too much in the grand scheme of things. All Carol needed was a doughnut, those heels and a come-hither smile and he'd be set.
Man, was it getting pretty hot inside the van all of a sudden? He cracked the window down a few inches in a bid to level out the soaring heat but another stolen glance over at the babe just made his temperature skyrocket past the triple digit mark.
Carol was sitting there, munching on her doughnut with her eyes still closed and her head thrown back. Her neck stretched with the action, pleading with him to taste the taunt skin on display. The top of her dress had worked down slightly to reveal a decent amount of cleavage that he was sure would be harbouring crumbs from her post-breakfast snack.
He bet the miniscule pieces of doughnut he found there would be more satisfying that the original glaze in his hand right now.
A sigh of happiness coming from the babe tore his attention away from her very enticing rack and back to her face once more. A few stray granules of cinnamon were clinging to the side of her mouth and Scud had the almost uncontrollable urge to lunge across the seat and lick every last morsel of that goodness from her. He had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't the leftover sugar and spice that was calling to him though; when it came to the babe in the red dress he didn't need too much enticement to want to do an entire laundry list of things to her with his tongue. She was all spice with just the hint of sugar.
He wasn't much of a cook but he knew that added up to a recipe for disaster; his disaster. This girl owned him body and soul and it hadn't even been twenty four hours since he'd first laid eyes on her.
The look of ecstasy that crossed C's face the moment she took another bite of the freshly cooked cinnamon nearly caused him to drop his own half eaten original glaze on the litter-covered floor of the van and ravage her then and there in the parking lot of the bakery. It was by no means the most romantic location but when it came to this girl he had a hard time keeping his thoughts PG-13.
"Holy shit," Scud breathed, unable to take his eyes off the babe and the seductive way she was polishing off that snack. He never thought watching a girl eat something other than a Popsicle before could be a turn on but he'd been wrong…dead wrong.
He couldn't help but imagine her lips wrapped around something else of a bigger size instead of that last chuck of doughnut she was holding onto.
The babe popped the remaining bite in her mouth, sighing contentedly as she swallowed. With her head still against the headrest she cracked her eyes open and slid her gaze across to him. "You ok there Scud?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow in his direction. A teasing smile graced her lips and she chuckled lightly, reaching into the flat cardboard box resting between them and coming out with an original glaze of her very own.
He couldn't speak. The ability to form words had swiftly exited stage left the second Carol had started her own performance art piece with a pastry. All he could focus on was the way her mouth moved as she tore a large chunk out of the second doughnut her fingers were wrapped around. It should have been fucking criminal how hot she made eating something as everyday as deep-fried batter look.
The rest of his doughnut slipped through his fingers and landed with a thud on the driver's side floor. He barely registered the loss. No use crying over spilled pastry when there was something ten times better fuelling your appetite.
The babe in the red dress continued to watch him as she ate, her eyes fixed firmly on his. In no time she'd inhaled the rest of her food and was onto the task of licking the remaining smeared glaze from the digits of her right hand. The way her cheeks hollowed out as she sucked every last trace of sugary goodness from her fingers was damn-near pornographic. If that move alone wasn't enough to stop his heart beating the babe proceeded to run her tongue up the length of her middle finger, from her palm to fingertip, licking the length like a cat cleaning its claws after a meal.
Oh kitty, scratch me. Please.
Scud's momentary bout of laryngitis paled in comparison to the fact he couldn't breathe. The way her tongue slid lazily up the length of her finger was too much to handle. The image of her doing that to something long, hard and attached to his own body flooded his mind. Geographically speaking, if his brain was located in Alaska then all the blood in his body was making a play for the Mexican border.
Carol was the sexiest woman he'd even been in the presence of and he was sure at that point she'd be the death of him. Could a guy his age die from a heart attack brought on by an extreme case of raging hard-on?
"Well?" she asked, an amused smirk playing at the corner of her mouth. Judging by the knowing look she levelled his way the babe in the red dress knew exactly what her performance piece had done to him.
The woman was a minx and Scud was head-over-heals in love.
"You want more?" he squeaked, unable to control the tone of his voice now that it had finally decided to return. Quickly he scooped up white cardboard and held it out towards her like some sort of ritualistic offering to a powerful Goddess. In his eyes Carol was most definitely a deity, but it wasn't like he could offer her up a virgin. Those things were harder to find nowadays than unicorns, and there was no way anyone would believe he was a virgin anymore.
That ship had sailed long ago.
Carol shook her head, the action sending her curls flying back and forth around her head. "I'm good thanks. I really should be getting home anyway."
Scud's shoulders slumped and he dropped the Krispy Kreme box unceremoniously down between them. The mention of her home reminded him why he was out with the babe in the first place.
With a sign Scud gunned the ignition and backed out of the doughnut shop car park. The curtain was falling on their time together, and he knew there was no encore act to follow. Well…not in the foreseeable future. The mission statement from Blade had been very clear: get Carol a weapon, get her home safely and get his own pot-loving ass back to HQ. The weapon part had been easy. The babe in the red dress was now the proud owner of a tiny handgun loaded with silver bullets, tastefully concealed under her dress, somewhere out of sight.
God, how Scud envied that gun and holster.
The piece looked like something that Spy Barbie would be packing but that didn't matter. It was small and made for a woman's needs; lightweight and easy to hide. The gun would stop vamps in their tracks regardless of how much it looked like it came out of Agent 99's purse. Scud had no idea exactly where along her body the gun was attached because as far as he could see there was no outline of a holster or gun straining against the skin-tight fabric of that red dress.
He'd made a very long, thorough visual examination to determine the weapon's exact location and all he'd come up with was how hot that dress made her flawless body look.
She was also set up with a can of his very own brand of leech mace. Silver nitrate in aerosol form was perfect for wasting suckheads if they got too close. Scud trusted that if any creatures of the night follow Carol home, she'd be prepared. Once the heat had died down and Blade was sure the coast was clear Scud could pay a visit to the Amazon, but in the meantime they'd have to maintain radio silence. The gun and the mace was her best bet for the mean time. That, and him keeping five hundred yard from her at all times.
The ride back to Carol's home was the last time he was going to see the babe for who knew how long and the thought alone nearly killed him. In no time at all he was pulling into an empty bay nestled in front of a modest but clean apartment complex that was apparently Casa de Carol.
The walk to her front door was painful. With every step he took Scud felt like he was wearing cement shoes. He didn't want whatever this was with the feisty Amazon to be ending as quickly as it had started. After everything he'd put her through in the last twelve hours he'd be surprised if the woman ever wanted to see his face darkening her doorstep again. The only good thing about the walk was the view he got to take in on the trip. Carol's ass swayed back and forth as she moved, giving him a show that rivalled the performance piece from earlier with the doughnut. He cocked his head to the side in an effort to appreciate fine art when it was right under his nose.
He'd just eaten a mountain of food for so early in the morning but Scud felt his mouth water the longer he watched her. He was a man in desperate need of some fries to go with that shake.
That ass was a masterpiece, no doubt about it. Observed from every angle, it just plain worked.
The fine art appreciation was rudely interrupted when Carol stopped short in front of an apartment door. He'd been too engrossed watching the show to notice the babe had come to a complete halt. Suddenly his vision was filled with a mass of brunette curls instead of the signature curve of her shapely ass.
Carol had stopped at what was apparently her destination but Scud had continued on full steam ahead. His hands flew up from his sides to land on her hips, steadying himself from their collision. Now the babe in the red dress was the meat in a sandwich consisting of one slice of Scud and a slice of her apartment door.
He had to say, all in all it wasn't an entirely bad setup from where he was standing but C probably wouldn't have agreed. The combination of her back pressed against his front and the feel of her hips under his palms was having what he'd come to expect as the usual reaction to everything that was Carol.
The door wasn't the only thing in the immediate area boasting wood.
He wanted to grind against her ass but the memory of what happened between them in the warehouse kitchen that night flooded back. It had been good but he'd never meant to cause her any pain, and pain had been exactly what he'd been responsible for when he'd slammed her full force into the unforgiving surface of the fridge door. With a sign of regret Scud untangled himself and backed away from the babe. The middle of her hallway at eight in the morning was not the time or place to get down and dirty with a girl like her.
Carol reached above her doorframe, stretching her body out like a cat reaching for a bird in a tree. Once again he was treated to the delicious sight of the babe's killer body on full display as she strained and reached up high, her fingers groping for what he assumed was the spare key. With a triumphant noise she returned to her normal height and swiftly unlocked the door.
The babe in the red dress disappeared through the dark doorway, leaving him standing on her front doormat with his hands wedged in his front pockets and unsure what his next more was. Did he just walk in, all casual like he owned the place or did he wait for a formal invitation? He still wasn't too sure where he stood with Carol, but one thing Scud did know was that he didn't want this to be the last time he saw her.
"Are you coming in or not?" Carol's voice rang out from the darkness. Even though it was poised as a question the tone of her voice left little room for hesitation.
God, he loved it when she was pushy. Scud smirked and stepped over the threshold, entering into the Amazon's humble abode. He glanced around, taking in the soft colors of the walls and furniture and the comfortable layout of the place. It was clean and tidy and most definitely the home belonging to the fairer sex. His apartment by comparison was a dump; a toxic waste dump if you wanted to get technical about it. Carol's place didn't have any mouldy food wrappers or old pizza boxes strewn around it like he knew his did.
"Nice place," he commented, slowly walking around the room. Photos decorated the walls and side tables, giving the whole thing a friendly, welcoming vibe. He reached down and picked a frame up from the hall table closest, noting that Carol was in the picture with two other smiling woman. The two other chicks seemed familiar but Scud couldn't put his finger on where he knew them from.
"My roommates, Lori and Andrea," Carol's voice sounded from his side. He'd been too busy trying to work out where he knew the other girls in the photo from that he hadn't noticed the babe in the red dress had materialized next to him. "I was at the club with them last night."
Aw, the blonde and the brunette that originally he'd planned on trying his luck with a little four-way action. But the moment he'd locked his sights on Carol that plan had evaporated.
"Roommates," he said, nodding his head. Certainly explained why the three of them were at Pandemonium, and why Carol had been so hell bent on getting in touch with them once she regained consciousness. The other two women were easy on the eyes but they paled in comparison to the wild brunette curls and shinning baby blues of the third girl pictured. "They here now?" he asked, noticing the lack of life signs in the quiet apartment.
Carol shook her head, sending her curls back and forth in a wild dance. She looked down at the frame and plucked it from his hand. "When I called last night they said they were staying with Lori's boyfriend. They got taken to the hospital after…well, everything that happened. Rick's a cop and he wanted to keep an eye on them, just in case."
"I know that feeling," Scud admitted, looking across at the woman standing next to him. Ever since the collapse of the club he was having a hard time even letting the babe out of his sight for one second.
The babe's eyes left the photo and set on his face instead. She raised her hand, cupping is cheek gently and letting her thumb trace the line of his jaw.
Her touch felt fucking fantastic. Shots of electricity surged along every inch of his skin that she came in contact with. God, he hoped she never stopped touching him.
The babe looked at him with sad eyes and sighed heavily. "I never did thank you."
"Thank me?" he asked, too distracted by the feel of her hand to even decipher the meaning behind her words. "For what?"
Carol smiled softly, her eyes never leaving his. "For everything last night. Trying to get me out of there before the explosion…for taking care of me." Those blue eyes he was in constant danger of drowning in fell to the ground as she ducked her head. "You didn't have to do all that," she mumbled to the floor.
He couldn't deal with not seeing those pools of blue focused on him; dragging him down in their undertow until he was gasping and spluttering for air. The only way he could breathe when it came to this girl was to surrender to the deep, dark depths of that vast ocean. Scud was a man that didn't need a life raft; he wanted…no he needed to drown in that deep blue that was the window into her soul.
He reached down and tipped her chin up, returning her gaze to him once more. He kept his hand on her face as he spoke, wanting her to see the depth of the meaning behind his words. "Yeah Babe, I did. I'm never going to let anything happen to you."
"I told you not to call me that," she chided, but the growing smile on lips betrayed her previous aversion to the name.
"It's not like I'm lying when I say it. You are a babe, Babe. Own it. Ten out of ten, no question."
She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Ten out of ten, huh?"
"Yeah." He pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, letting his hand threat through the mop of curls to encircle the back of her head. With the barest tug he succeeded in drawing her closer. "Judges give you a perfect score."
Carol swatted him playfully on the chest. "You're…adorable. And cute," she chuckled, dipping her head down to rest on his chest. The fierceness of the controlling Carol never failed to turn him on, but the softer side of the babe was just as effective at weakening his defences.
"Damn, I was going for suave and sexy," He chuckled, amused at the description. He'd been called a lot of names by a lot of chicks over the years but he'd never been accused of being adorable or cute. He'd never aspired to be either of those things. He'd always prided himself on having more game, like James Bond or Don Juan.
Adorable and cute were words used in a pet store to describe a litter of fluffy kittens, not words appropriate for use around the Scud the Stud.
"Well…dragging me from a collapsing building does make you kinda sexy." Carol toyed with the button his shirt as she smiled up at him.
Scud couldn't help but return the smile. Looked like it wasn't just the babe's eyes that held power over him. He wrapped his free arm around her shoulders, revelling in the comfort he felt in simply holding her. If events had have played out differently last night neither of them might have survived to make it there now. But there they were, alive and kicking. It felt good to have the babe back in his arms again. It seemed like from the first moment they met one thing or another had been conspiring to drag them apart, but now here they were, alone, with no collapsing club, no vamps, and no Blade to interrupt.
Carol put her hands on his chest and pushed back from his hold. "I need to go have a shower and get changed." She unwound his arm from her shoulder and pointed behind him to the direction Scud guessed was the bathroom. "Do you need to get back to Blade soon?"
"Can't get rid of me that easily, C. I'm all yours as long as you want me." He meant it too. As long as she let him be a part of her life he would be there.
"Good," Carol declared, dazzling him with a hundred-watt smile. "I won't be too long," she said, manoeuvring her way towards the far door.
"You want a hand getting out of that dress, Babe?" he asked, feigning innocence. He hated that her body was no longer curved against his but the prospect of helping her out of that dress sounded appealing in its own right. And the Scudster had manners after all. It would be impolite of him to not offer his assistance to a lady in what could be a very difficult situation. "I'm very skilled with my hands." He waved his fingers at the babe to illustrate his point.
Carol put her hands on her hips and levelled a raised eyebrow in his direction. "I am not that easy. I got out of my dress fine without your help last night. I think I can manage a repeat performance." She pointed at the couch behind his back. "Sit," she ordered with a hint of Amazon filtering through her voice. "Make yourself comfortable and I'll be right back."
The most comfortable he could possible by was right in that bathroom with her, watching water fall over her naked body as she lathered every inch of her skin with soap but he had a hunch that option wasn't on the agenda.
Scud instead collapsed back into the plush cushions of her couch that was ten times more comfortable than the one they'd spent the night on back at the warehouse. "Sure you don't need me to scrub your back?" he called hopefully, craning his head over the back of the sofa and zeroing in on her ass that was quickly sashaying out of the room along with the rest of her rocking bod.
"I've got it covered, thanks." Carol and her amazing ass disappeared as she shut the bathroom door.
"I bet you do." He waited to hear the click of the lock ring out across the apartment but the sound never came. It dawned on Scud then that the reason she didn't feel the need to lock that door was because she trusted him. It wasn't an invitation to join her but she trusted him enough to know he wasn't going to burst in on her while she was in a vulnerable position.
Carol trusted him. Carol wanted him around. She hadn't kicked his ass the curb the moment the 'Scud Taxi' had delivered her to her destination. She must have felt the undeniable connection between them.
Scud smiled and let body relax further into the inviting couch cushions. He put his hands behind his head and chuckled. Life was good. He'd met a gorgeous girl who completely trusted him to keep his hands and dick to himself while she was naked and soapy under a stream of hot water not ten feet away, and she'd invited him to stay there for an indefinite amount of time. Yeah, life was good. He picked up the nearby remote from the side table and punching TV on, channel surfing until he stumbled upon some toons that looked promising. It would be a new experience for him watching without also rocking a buzz, but some things couldn't be helped. He was high from the realization Carol trusted him.
He put his feet up on the coffee table and settled back into the plush cushions. C had said to make himself comfortable and that was exactly what he intended to do. If he couldn't be sharing that shower with her then this was the next best thing. If he was lucky enough the babe would walk out of that bathroom dripping wet, wearing nothing but a smile.
Scratch that. If she walked out wearing a smile and those black stiletto's he'd could die a happy man. He kept his eyes glued to the bathroom door, waiting to see exactly what ensemble the babe would be rocking when she re-entered. The TV blared in the background but not even the allure of Scooby Doo could drag his attention from that bathroom and the promises it held.
He crossed his fingers the next outfit he saw Carol in was a birthday suit.
A/N: Thanks again for reading everyone. I know, I know, a large part of this chapter focuses on food. I wanted to make Carol's seductive eating of that doughnut as believable as possible so I spent a decent amount of time standing before a mirror with a chocolate glaze in hand trying to figure out the best way to write that scene (there aren't any Krispy Kreme stores in the state where I live, so I had to make do with the next best thing from the local bakery).
Well, we're back at her place and Lori, Andrea and Rick have had an honourable mention. I really liked the idea of them all being friends, instead of just throwing some random OC's in there to fill the void.
Thanks for reading and (hopefully) reviewing. I hope you enjoyed this offering.