She saved the dress that she'd bought for the last evening in France. He'd offered to take her to Paris for dinner, and though the idea was tempting to say the least she'd insisted on a nice, formal evening out in Nice. She didn't think he'd want to wait with a long car ride, and given how tight her dress was there wouldn't be any way to fool around without destroying it. She'd be damned if that happened.
Much to her surprise he'd gone on ahead of her, promising to send Jean back for her once everything was ready. His wording had turned her stomach, which must've made it to her face because he'd laughed, assuring her that he wasn't proposing. She'd barely been able to keep from looking too relieved. It had helped her to calm down, though, not having to worry about him spoiling the surprise of how amazing she looked before she was ready. As with the red dress she'd taken a multitude of precautions to keep him from seeing anything until she was ready, so by the time she was dressed, her hair and makeup done, she could hardly stand waiting to see how he reacted. She wanted him to feel that he'd gotten his money's worth out of this trip, wanted him to keep their arrangement going because it was going to mean a much nicer standard of living for her, and so many more doors could be opened. Besides, Thor hadn't called either one of them since the one time he'd caught her by surprise, and she was choosing to take that as a great sign. Everything was working out, would continue to, dammit all. She'd gone above and beyond to make it so.
Jean came back for her quarter past nine, and even his eyebrows shot up when he caught sight of her.
"If it's not too forward, madam, you look stunning," he complimented. She didn't think she'd ever heard him speak so much.
That made her laugh, and the tension between her shoulder blades lessened incrementally. She couldn't help but bob her foot the whole ride over, trying not to ruin her lipstick by chewing on her bottom lip the whole while, hands near wringing in her lap.
The restaurant that Jean dropped her off at was lit up, yet empty. She knew it was early, still, for the dinner crowd, but still. For such a place to be wholly devoid of people? Surprising. Unbelievably so.
The heels of her black pumps clicked on the stone flooring as she followed the lights inside, led further into the restaurant by the friendly hostess who'd greeted her at the door. Loki sat at the only table set up for dinner, and he stood as she came closer. His jaw dropped, which made her flush and straighten her back, perhaps more than strictly necessary, her breasts straining against the lace confines.
"You never stop taking my breath away, you know that?" he said when she came closer, pulling her chair out for her, and pressing a slow kiss to the back of her hand. She thanked him quietly, smiling when he finally managed to close his mouth. He looked incredible as well, the smooth cut lines of his black suit making him unbelievably tall. He'd managed to slick his hair back and tamed what curls he had so it fell in easy waves. There was a nervous energy about him, though, even if she couldn't imagine why. The music filtered softly in the background while the server came out with a bottle of red wine that Loki had gone ahead and ordered. Nat couldn't help but order a couple fingers of vodka to go along with it, though. It might help settle her own nerves, her old adage of not drinking when with a client so far out the window it wasn't even in the same country.
"Here's to our last evening in France," Loki said, their wine glasses clinking gently when they toasted. "Thank you for agreeing to this adventure."
Now there was a good word for it. Her smile was demure as she looked up at him from under her eyelashes. "Thank you for inviting me. I've loved it here. It's so relaxing." The look Loki shot her was skeptical at best, causing her to laugh and shake her head. "You know what I mean. Every moment in between bed, just about, has been relaxing. And in bed-I think exhilarating might be the best word for it."
His lips cracked into a wide grin. "I'll drink to that."
She smiled, mouth opening to say something when the waiter came back with food and Natasha's drink. She frowned, not having ordered-or having even seen a menu-but supposed that Loki had gone ahead and ordered for the pair of them. Oh well, might as well let him have what control he wanted. It was as much his evening out as it was hers. The salad looked delicious either way, bright greens interspersed with nuts, ruby pomegranate seeds peeking through the leafy composition for a pop of color and flavor, with a delicate vinaigrette on the side. Loki and Natasha ate in quiet for the most part, though she could hardly say Loki was focused on the food. His eyes wouldn't stop wandering. Couldn't, even.
"That dress is a vision on you. It's driving me mad," he growled, voice just loud enough for her to hear, after they'd finished eating.
She didn't flush, just smiled, her tongue flicking out against her bottom lip. He inhaled sharply. "You ruin my dress," she started, voice matching his volume. "And I'll kick your ass."
"I'll buy you as many more as you want so long as I can rip them off you."
Nat tried not to snort, but it was hard. "My, you're romantic tonight."
"I can't help it," he admitted with a laugh, his voice lightening as he took another sip of his wine. "There's something about you, Natasha. I can't get you out from under my skin, and everytime I look at you-. It's hard to explain." He paused, chewing on the inside of his cheek as Nat felt her heart beat harder against her chest. He better not be seriously considering doing something drastic, not when they were having such a good time, not when things had been going so damn well. "I don't suppose you'd like to quit your job and just move in full time, would you? Let me provide for you? You could do whatever it was you wanted-."
She held up a hand, breathing in sharply. Nope. No way. She was going to put a stop to this before he got talking and managed to twist her own ideas of what she wanted to match his. "Loki, let me stop you. I like what I do. As strange as it sounds, I . . . like my job. I'd not have met you if I didn't do it," she reminded him, her smile turning playful as her hand found his. He allowed her to intertwine their fingers, though his lips were pursed. "I'm not someone's kept woman, and even if you say that's not what this would be, that's how it would feel." She kept his gaze as long as he would allow, tipping her head to catch his eye when he looked away. "I really like being with you, Loki. You're exciting, you're amazing in bed, and you and I have this ridiculous chemistry that I'd be an idiot to deny is as addictive to me as it is to you. But I'm my own woman, and to agree to a situation that I wouldn't be entirely comfortable with wouldn't be who I am. You wouldn't like me when I'm bored, or not myself, and that would be what would happen if we were to live together and I was to give up working. I'm eager to make this new situation between you and I work on the weekends, but that's all I can promise is a few days in a row every week. I can't make it a lifestyle, though you flatter me with your offer."
She barely dared breathe once she'd finished talking, the heat rising in her cheeks. To even think about not working while being with him was terrifying. She'd be entirely at his mercy, as she'd been when she'd pissed him off before, but it would never end. She was so sure he'd see everything he'd done for her as a favor to be repaid, and if she wasn't working she'd just fall into further debt to him. Sex would stop being pleasurable, but more of a job than ever, as she'd owe it to him rather than being able to decide when and how she wanted it. At least this way, with him as a client, no matter how strange things got she could always break their contract.
She wasn't so sure she'd be able to do something like that if she moved in with him on a permanent basis.
"This is what I love about you," he finally said, his voice low. He squeezed her hand. "If I'd have proposed that to just about any other woman, I believe they'd have taken me up on my offer. But you don't see me as some endless bank account to be expended at your every whim." His grin was genuine, but the look in his eyes terrified her. Love was a helluva strong word to use for the pair of them, she felt. "I respect your decision, of course. It'll make the time we do have together all the better, and certainly we'll both have something to look forward to. It should help to make the week pass more quickly."
Did he expect her to stay in every weekend? They'd have to talk about that on a different day. She didn't want to rock the boat too much tonight. She smiled, grateful that he hadn't flown off the handle either way, and something in her gut relaxed because of that. "Exactly. Not to mention, I'm a huge slob. I didn't show it this week, but trust me," she winked. "I'm not the neatest of roommates."
He let out an appreciative laugh at that, and the atmosphere between the pair of them relaxed considerably. Though they'd hardly touched their salads, the second course came out shortly after, and their conversation moved onto more pleasant topics.
"So I'm thinking about taking classes at the community college," Natasha said after smiling at the waiter, who'd set down a plate of seared sea scallops in a light sauce. Loki had opted for the same thing, and he looked up from cutting into his dish.
"Really?" he asked with a laugh. "I can't think of anything less appealing than going back to school."
Yes, well he hadn't had to scrape by, had he? She put a polite smile on her face. "It's different when you want to," she teased him. "I've not really had the opportunity and I want to at least get my Associates."
That softened his expression considerably, and he swallowed the bite he'd taken before speaking. "I'm sorry. That's very astute and forward thinking of you, truly. And adorable, I must add." He winked. "I'd be more than happy to offer you my tutoring services."
Hah. "You'd like that?" she purred as she looked up at him through her lashes. He squirmed under her gaze, and she slipped her heel off so she could run the flat of her foot against the inner side of his left leg. He stiffened, mouth falling open for the slightest of moments as she managed to angle her body so that her foot slid up his inner thigh, and stop just short of his groin. "Professor Laufeyson, come to ensure that I get all the nuances and important information from the lecture, spending all hours of the day privately, thoroughly, teaching me. I can be a difficult student to sit down, I must warn you."
"I'm sure we'll figure something out." He was growing red around the collar and she bit back a laugh. He was cute when he got flustered, and it wasn't anything she was used to.
Still, it begged the question. "Loki, you don't happen to have experience in a relationship such as that, do you?" she asked with a grin. "A teacher of yours, perhaps, that caught onto how bright and perceptive you were as a student and decided to take you under her wing? Or his?" The ball of her foot pressed right up against his cock, feeling that he was hard as hell underneath the fabric of his trousers.
He coughed, trying to mask the way his hips bucked closer at the attention. "Her," he said, the color in his cheeks darkening. "Angrboda. She was my languages professor in my first year at school. She was . . . abrupt, but she knew what she wanted, and she didn't let anything get between her and her desires."
Admirable of her, then, to take advantage of a young, impressionable Loki. Natasha frowned, pulling her leg back. "If it's a bad memory we don't have to-I didn't mean to insinuate-."
"It's not bad, it's just complicated," he assured her, cutting her off. "It'll be better with you because, well, I actually understand myself now. I'm not some wide-eyed imbecile, angry at the world and looking to piss my parents off." He paused and allowed himself a revelatory grin. "Well, not entirely."
That made her laugh quietly, but she still watched him and his reaction, how he calmed down as soon as she backed off but didn't meet her gaze for some time. Her hand found his and squeezed. "We can do just about whatever you want, Loki. I'll never push you to do more than what you're comfortable with."
Oh, how things managed to come full circle.
Natasha was glad that they'd opted for a nearby restaurant, as Loki could hardly keep his hands off of her once they were in the car. His every action had a ring of desperation than it had before, even more so than when they'd come back from the club, as though he was trying to get the memory of Angrboda out of his system and replace it with Natasha. Any other time she might've put on the brakes, made him slow down until he worked everything out himself, but now? He needed it as badly as she needed him inside her, needed to burn the past from his mind in favor of something far better. She supposed she was the best woman for the job.
Still, she urged him to at least take a breather once they got to his room, pushing him backwards onto the bed so he could sit. "Just watch," she said, voice low. She slid out of her heels, one by one, taking her time and making sure to exaggerate her movements so that his gaze followed the stretch of her legs as they nudged the shoes off to the side. As she worked to ease the zipper down the back of her dress, peeling the garment off inch by inch, she imagined how his eyes widened when he realized that she had the same plug he'd put in her the night before snuggly back in place. She'd thought it might be a welcome surprise, and he audibly groaned when she turned around and wiggled her bum for him as she stepped out of her dress, biting her lip and grinning at the sound.
"You're perfect. Have I told you that?" His voice sounded wrecked already and she hadn't hardly touched him. Hanging the dress over the side of the bedroom dresser, she ruffled her hair and turned back to face him.
"You might've said something like that before," she said, walking closer and dropping to her knees before him. Her red curls fell over her breasts and her eyes were bright as she looked up at him, fingers inching up his thighs towards the buckle of his belt. As her hands worked to undo it, she mouthed along the line of his cock, feeling it throb beneath her touch. His breathing got harder as he took enormous fistfuls of the sheets, as though to keep himself from hurrying her. Wasn't that sweet of him? She grinned and hastened to undo his belt, button of his trousers, and fly, before he lifted his hips to allow her to slide his pants, and boxers, off in one fluid motion. Her mouth watered as she looked up at him with a coy smile and pressed unhurried kisses along his cock, flicking her tongue out to swirl around the head and delighting in how his back arched yet his eyes never left hers.
"You're so good at this, Tasha," he moaned when she opened her mouth and took him to the root in one fluid movement, her tongue laying flat against the vein near the head, applying pressure until his breathing broke and she could practically see the flush beneath his shirt. Speaking of which.
"Take off your jacket and shirt, leave the tie," she said when she pulled away, own cheeks warm from a lack of constant oxygen. She took him in once more, bobbing her head shallowly, as he worked. Her hand came to cup his balls, squeezing them gently, as he jumped as though she'd burnt him. His jacket hit the floor beside her, button up and undershirt following, but the green tie-she wondered if he even had any other ones that weren't black or green-stayed loose around his neck.
With one last bob of her head, she pulled off of his cock and stood, aligning her legs so that they pressed into the bed on either side of his own. Her breasts pressed up against his bare chest, and she slipped the bottom of the tie around her fingers as she aligned her hips with his own, the tip of his dick, slick from her saliva, rubbing against her clit. It made her breathing catch in her throat, moving her hips so he could feel just how wet she was from having blown him, and when she finally took him into her body with a simple swivel, her name was the only intelligible thing he shouted. With one hand on his shoulder, balancing her, and her other wrapped around his tie and pulling him as close as she could, she rode him as quickly as she dared, alternating between bouncing herself on his cock and taking him slowly, rotating her hips so that she felt every inch of him pressed right against where she needed him. His pupils were blown, his eyes glassy, and he seemed incapable of intelligent thought as she worked, changing her technique and speed just often enough to keep him guessing. He tried to buck up against her, to take her by the hips and command her to pace, but she wriggled out of his hold and pushed him back. He hit the bed with a surprised "oof," and she released his tie to turn around and set her hands on his knees.
"Fuck-god dammit you're so beautiful," he stammered, and she shifted herself forward to give him an unimpeded look at the gem of the plug.
"You think so?" she asked, her own voice husky. "I can always take it out."
"No, no please don't," he said quickly.
"Then keep your hands to yourself," she said, looking back to smirk at him, before picking up the pace once more.
Admittedly, she hadn't anticipated him undoing his tie, looping it around her neck, and tugging her backwards with it, throwing her rhythm off as she fell back with a squeak of surprise. His right hand massaged her breast, pinching the nipple until she squirmed, as he slid them forward, planted his feet, and pumped up into her. "It's impossible to," he moaned in her ear. "I love it when you take control, darling, but it's my turn."
Mmm. Well, alright then, if he insisted. She moaned and spread her legs a little wider, shifting her pelvis to take him in all the deeper. He groaned in her ear, nipping at the earlobe, as his pace picked up. "You feel like heaven around me, darling. You're so tight, so wet. Like you were made for me to fuck you, to rule over your body as I see fit." He lowered his mouth to her shoulder, biting down until she shouted. There'd be a bruise there in a few hours. "You've ruined any other lover for me, Natasha. I can't get enough of you, and I don't want anyone else. Ever. Just you."
"Ng, you-too," she panted, shutting her eyes as she felt her nerves begin to go crazy. She tightened around him and he let out a hissed curse. His thrusts slowed down, became more powerful, and the hand that had been playing with her breasts shifted down to tease her clit instead, rubbing two fingers around the sensitive bundle until she started to vibrate atop him. Her mind was a mess, Nat hardly able to do more than moan and gasp for air as he went on, the words babble in her ears in comparison to the rush of adrenaline and pleasure that clouded every other sensation except for the feel of him inside her.
When she came it was with a shout, tugging at the tie as she tried to sit up, but instead he tugged her back down and muttered for her to turn her head. His lips found hers and the kiss was searing, ripping at her seams and yanking her in every direction all at once as she struggled to come down from the high of her orgasm. He followed her shortly after, not wasting time reaching his completion. Nat had to say she was grateful for that. Her whole body felt wrung out, though she couldn't put her finger on why. It wasn't as though sex every day was a new thing for her, but for some reason or another it just felt like this had been a great deal more than she'd ever done before. Emotionally, of course, but physically as well.
She collapsed back on him, letting him roll her over to the side, his fingertips dancing on the edges of her exposed arm, lips tracing slow, measured kisses down her spine and between her shoulderblades.
"Sleep now," he murmured. They'd already packed in preparation of flying out tomorrow, so for once she let herself follow his order without thinking, easing into her sleep with a smile on her face. This she could do. He pressed himself up against her, and between his murmured words and the comforting heat of his body beside hers she found herself drifting off to sleep without having to even think about it.
She hated-hated, hated, hated-waking up early. She was pretty sure she'd made that much obvious the first time they'd flown, but apparently Loki hadn't gotten the message. Four in the morning came around again this time, and she was roused awake by a less than chipper Loki murmuring that she needed to wake up. At least she could smell coffee being made somewhere downstairs. Their belongings had been brought down to the car, all she had to do was get there in one piece. Loki didn't seem near as excited to get going as he had been when they'd left the States, and she figured she was right to assume that the flight back would be a far more muted affair. She hoped so, at least. She was sore from the night before and couldn't keep herself from yawning even as she sipped at her coffee. It was so good, far richer and not near as bitter as what she was used to, that once it had cooled down it wasn't long before she'd guzzled the whole thing.
"I don't suppose there's a way to get more of their coffee, is there?" she asked Loki with a small, hopeful smile as buckled themselves into their seats on the plane.
Her question was met with a laugh. "I'll get Jean to send some over, how's that?"
"You're the best." She leaned in to kiss his cheek, and he allowed it, not going for anything more. She put the armrest up and leaned against him as they took off, the fingers of her hand threading with his, her eyes closing as they lifted off and headed back home. The coffee had warmed her up, and Loki's hand in hers was another comfort that she was rather enjoying. Only eight more hours of it, then they'd separate until the weekend and do it all over again, in a sense.
As soon as they'd touched down Loki called a cab to take both of them home. No use for Jean, Nat supposed, when the easiest and fastest way to get around in traffic was a bright yellow car. Though they'd both slept on the way back, Nat was sure she could get away with pulling a Rip Van Winkle and sleep for a hundred more years. Loki had dark bags under his eyes, which meant she was sure he felt the same. She was dropped off first, and though she insisted he couldn't drop her off at the door (just on the offhand chance that someone she knew saw and told Thor) he didn't let her get away without kissing her goodbye, taking his time with it.
The cabbie at the front cleared his throat, pointedly not looking at the rear view mirror but not able to sit there in silence as Jean had. Nat flushed as she pulled away, stammering a thank you, before getting out to collect her things. They'd have to work on the whole privacy thing. Though they'd been together before in the States it felt different this time, like a shift had gone through their lives, unsettling everything that had been there before, and she hadn't even noticed until then.
Maybe France hadn't been such a good idea after all.
That thought wouldn't let her go back to bed, but it was six in the morning. Not exactly the most opportune time to have company over, or make any calls. To keep busy she ran a few loads through the laundry, made herself a pot of coffee that just didn't have the same zing to it its French counterpart. Still, she wasn't in France anymore, she was back home.
By seven she left a message on Emma's voice mail at the office, telling her that she'd made it back safely, and she could transfer the rest of the money owed to Nat to her bank account upon completion of the job, as they'd discussed. By eight, she rang Thor, not sure if he'd be awake but at least she could try.
To her amazement his: "Good morning Tash," sounded . . . chipper. Awake. That wasn't normal to say the least.
"I didn't wake you up?" she asked, sounding surprised.
"Nah. Early morning errands had me up a couple hours ago. You home now?"
"Yeah. Was wondering if you wanted to get a drink somewhere, or come over. We can talk, if you're not busy."
He had a smile in his voice when he answered: "Not busy at all. Starbucks down the street ok?"
She agreed to it, and in a half an hour found herself seated outside the cafe, a macchiato in hand, sunglasses on as she basked in the heat of the sunlight. Autumn was quickly approaching, and while she loved any and every excuse to start wearing warmer clothes everything just felt a little, well, off.
Until Thor sat down opposite her, of course. His smile made her feel as though the sun was a couple feet away from her, not hundreds of thousands of miles. "You look chipper," she said with a laugh as his hand found hers and squeezed it gently.
"I am, I'm glad to see you back in once piece," he said as he released her hand and leaned back in his chair. "How was the trip?"
"Really interesting, valuable," she said with a nod, sipping at her coffee in between sentences, going for nonchalant. "Met a couple of interesting people. Networked."
Thor laughed. "Oh, is that what we're calling it now? What was his name?"
"Which one?" she smirked.
His laugh echoed between them again and when she joined in she felt her heart lightening. Not that it lasted long, of course. Aside from the quick catch up there was a reason that they'd met for coffee further away from his home than strictly necessary. As they got to the near end of their coffee Nat reached out to ask him about it.
"So, what's wrong with you and Sif? What happened?"
He didn't look at her, his gaze lingering instead on his cup of coffee as his fingers tapped against the edges in a slow, unsteady cadence. He had that look on his face that meant he was struggling with figuring out how to word something, and she didn't press it, letting him take his time to come clean to her. She looked away, thinking that at least turning her full attention away from him might help him regain some sense of privacy, though not being able to read everything that played across his face was frustrating.
"Well, it's not really a secret that she doesn't get along with Loki," he started off, clearing his throat and taking another sip of coffee, as though he could sap the heat from it and turn it to courage. Maybe she ought to have bought him a beer. "And it's been wearing at us lately. Me, because I want her to understand that Loki has changed. He's a better man than he has ever been. He's happy now, he's working and in a good place. He's stable. She won't let bygones be bygones, I'm convinced." He bit his bottom lip. "And Loki's part of the family. He's my family. If she wants to be part of it, too, then she should accept him, shouldn't she?"
Well, Nat had a good idea as to why he was happier than he had been in a long while. A good fucking on the regular would do that. "Well, I can't say. I'd think that accepting him would come with the territory, but if she's known him for as long as she's known you, and they've never seen eye to eye, then there might not be anything to be done about it." She ran a finger along the rim of her coffee cup. "Some people just aren't meant to get along, you know? That might call for some compromising on your end, too."
One of her hands reached out to take him by the wrist, her thin fingers wrapping around his enormous wrist. His eyes found hers and she felt bare before him. Nat's breath caught in her chest, feeling her ribs tighten around her lungs, as she tried not to let herself get unnerved. "I'm just saying that you might want to think about what you're willing to concede. If she means alot to you then that means for every concession you expect her to make, you better be prepared to do the same. But that's something you two will need to work out, you know? I can't tell you what to expect from her the same way I can't say what you should be prepared to give up or compromise on. But that's what relationships are all about, isn't it? Compromising?"
It would make sense why she'd never been very good at them, at least. He bobbed his head, his lips pressed in a thin line, before he twisted his hand to squeeze her own. "You're an amazing friend, Natasha. I'm lucky to have you."
"Damn right," she winked. As simply as that the tension between them broke, and he was back to his usual grinning self. He had the day off and they agreed to go out to do a little shopping, Nat admitting that she had little in her apartment left to eat, but when she looked at her bank account the amount deposited was not near what it ought to have been. She frowned, cycling through the deposits as though she could easily find the discrepancy, or could figure out if the payment was pending and hadn't gone through yet.
"Everything okay?" Thor asked when she didn't get into his truck, having driven rather than take a taxi.
"I just didn't get reimbursed for everything I was supposed to yet," she muttered, her mind working quickly as she exited out of the bank ap and made a mental note to talk it over with Emma. That wasn't going to fly.
Thor laughed. "You only just got back. You okay to buy groceries? Need me to cover you?"
She shook her head. No, she had more than enough, but that didn't change the principle of the matter, did it?