She liked the apartment, in general. A small but cozy room connected to the kitchen and a short, curving island; a small hallway to the bathroom with a modern shower stall, a set of fresh towels, and a king-size bed in the far corner of the hall. The only window that faced the alley was draped with a very heavy drape.
"No, I'm not running away yet! Well, certainly not now!" - Beckett grinned sarcastically at the wrong course of her thoughts. She took one more meticulous look at herself in the little mirror by the front door and returned to her room. The call to the right place had already been made, all that was left was to cover her face, and barely had the black knit mask softly covered her forehead and cheekbones when the doorbell rang playfully. Kate, still pondering for a while, slightly "mocked" her own fingernail, then slowly wandered into the hallway.
- Hi, I'm Alex! Isn't this where lonely hearts accidentally collide, but do not break? - On the threshold stood a broad-shouldered man in a brown suit, gray shirt and tie to match everything: there was a sense of taste. And Alex wasn't empty-handed: he had a bunch of tea roses in one hand and a paper bag from the supermarket the size of half his torso in the other. The upper part of the guest's face was also covered by a mask, which visually reminded her own, and if you turn on your imagination, the guest looked obviously more sympathetic than a monkey. And he didn't go out of his way to talk.
- Who knows, sir, who knows..." Kate smiled tautly, and then felt a stubborn dryness in her throat. Her palms, on the other hand, were sweating profusely. - And... Hi! I'm... I'm Evelyn!
- Oh, that's great! - He smiled charmingly and took a deep bow, hilariously holding the bag so it wouldn't spill its contents. Beckett would even say that Alex acted very artistically, expertly, and with undisguised pleasure. - Is it all right if I break in without disturbing the integrity? Rummage around the desk, open the cabinets? Not following the canons of dating, of course, but purely for good purposes!
- All the great-power purposes were declared to be exceptionally good, but all right, come in," Beckett raised an eyebrow neutrally, and moved aside to let her in.
- I see the refrigerator's in there! - Alex summed up cheerfully as he made himself at home. He pushed his elegant boots neatly into a corner and staggered off, rocking slightly and crunching the bag mercilessly.
Kate, not sure why, but she was a little behind: she must have been a little embarrassed by her guest's cavalier attitude. None of the suitors had ever intruded into her personal space so impudently and amiably, but Beckett tried to convince herself that the game was the game, and, despite the possible surprises, she would be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. And a promise, even an unspoken one, she would keep, but in the meantime... Let's see what kind of fruit had fallen into her basket.
Beckett stood in the doorway, leaning her left shoulder against the jamb. Keeping her hands on her chest, she tensely watched Alex, noting his every move, but the arrogant dude didn't seem to care. His jacket was neatly spread out on the back of his chair, and his strong, knotty muscles were poking out beneath the tight torso of his expensive shirt. Similarly strained veins braided his arms, stripped down to the sleeves. A grocery bag, with a container of fresh strawberries peeking out at one corner, was propped against the refrigerator, and the guest himself was engaged in a strange sort of decorating. Pedantic and purposeful, he spread roses across the table, buds toward Kate, but under a stare that drilled into his back, he instantly turned around.
- Hey, lady! You can't stare at me so determinedly, not even while the petals are being plucked! They're so wonderfully delicate they're worth throwing at somebody! And since we're not in physical contact yet, of course, it's going to start with a lot of interest in me. And it's not a joke, and it's not bluster at all! And... Is it okay that I'm telling you all this? As long as it's just the two of us, we don't have to make a lot of secrets.
- You love secrets and all that unbelievable stuff, don't you? What about the sobering prose of life? - Beckett rolled her eyes dismissively. - Don't you have other plans?
- We have plans in common! - Alex squinted his eyes with an unparalleled slyness. - And when you realize the mutual benefit, you'll be sure to say thank you to me!
- In your dreams, sweetheart! - She snorted grudgingly. - Not a man has yet been born who would hear me say thank you!
- Uh-oh! You can't see him, and he's there! Well, just pure X-files!
- Paranormal fan, huh? - Kate pulled back her belt buckle slightly with her thumbs, curling her lips contemptuously. - And what an unyielding conceit! I think I've heard something about that somewhere before!
Her sarcastic tone would have hurt anyone, but Alex was clearly not the touchy type; he just went back to the flowers. Aligning the buds in the most perfect way, he smiled charmingly and good-naturedly as if nothing had happened.
- And you're a thorn... Juicy and sharp... Like this thorn... Or this one... Ah, shit! God, it hurts! - Alex shook his hand so desperately that Kate could barely contain her laughter.
- Are you always this sloppy when you're worried? - She bit her lip, as usual.
- What makes you think I'm worried? It's just a preparatory stage! That's how it's going to start between us.
- Oh, really?" Beckett squinted suspiciously as the situation shifted in the wrong direction, but Alex hastened to reassure her.
With all his mass, he turned swiftly, thumbing his thumbs back sharply.
- Hey, hey! It's not really like that! It's not what it looks like!
- It seems? No, honey, it's not, and you know why? You're just messing with my head! If we both know what we're here for, then why are you chewing the fat, huh? Come on, man, work off your bet!
The hurt, the anger, and the frustration were about to explode out of her, but Alex was once again on guard. With a speed and agility indescribable to his size, he rose right in front of Kate and gently intercepted her hand, which had just undone the button on her blouse. He must have been driven solely by good motives, but who was he to touch Detective Beckett with impunity?
A moment more and a sharp knee to the groin would have made his eyes pop out, but the gentle strength of the man's hands and the clear, piercing, unblinking gaze seemed to beg his owner's forgiveness. After a brief hesitation, Beckett calmed her ardor.
- Relax, dear lady, relax! Calm, only calm! - Alex hurried to calm her down, listening to the frequent, agitated breathing, and the intonation of his voice sounded like a soft lecture of senior rank, but who knows what's on the girl's mind? And with his arms out to his sides, Alex prudently retreated a few steps. - And don't do anything stupid, so you won't regret it! And do not look in me the enemy or a paid pervert! After all, it was only a cup of coffee! Do you like coffee, Evelyn?
- Coffee? - Her fervor has faded by about another quarter. - You want to buy a girl coffee?
- Yes, yes," Alex nodded hilariously and bowed comically. - And I'll even hazard a guess at your taste!
- And if you don't?
- Well, there's no third way - you either join in or you don't. Okay?
- All right! - Beckett summed up suspiciously, and Alex dashed across the island with incredible agility. He crunched the bag, pulled something out, switched on the grinder, and fiddled with the stove for a while before an enchanting, coffee aroma wafted through the apartment.
"Damn, this is good! Well, I'm not likely to get a nonfat latte here, but the dude certainly deserves praise! I just hope Mr. Alex's grotesque ego doesn't find its way outside these walls, or there'll be trouble."
His hands on his chest, his lip bitten indefinitely, his hair pulled back from his face: the peak of his negative emotions had faded into oblivion. With gentle, cautious steps, Beckett approached the island from the other side, taking an impregnable, waiting position. But she noted to herself that her guest was no stranger to kitchen skills.
- Oh, you're here already? - He was rattling the dishes as if nothing had happened. - Well, are you joining me?
Beckett merely grinned reservedly, and Alex imposingly presented her with a park-smoking bowl.
- Drink your coffee! - He smiled affectionately. - Next to a beautiful lady, I do not want to be an ungrateful bastard!
- Let's put it down for now for clarity! - Beckett rolled her eyes. Mleaming with literally every sip, she was experiencing an incomparable high, and Alex watched the lady in silence until the cup was empty.
- Is something wrong? - Kate looked suspiciously at Alex over the porcelain rim. - Why aren't you drinking yourself?
- Seizing the moment, enjoying the gorgeous view! And to "unmunch" the delicious stuffing in such a charming wrapper, I have to do a little bit of work! It's the only way I'll be sure of the consequences! In a good way.
- Aren't you taking too much on yourself? - Beckett set the cup aside, and her body leaned forward with both hands. Alex did exactly the same, and now they were practically nose-to-nose staring at each other. - I wasn't going to like this one!
And it was a real duel of looks: determined, uncompromising and unyielding - hers, and warm, glowing, mischievous - his. And no one was willing to give in.
- How can you be so sure? - Alex asked curtly, giving her one smile after another. He kept his eyes on her, though. Cheeky little shit.
- Because I know you are! - Beckett smiled, too, but in a stiff and ugly way.
- You know for sure? - Alex stepped impatiently from foot to foot. - But you haven't even tried it!
- I don't have to try it! I've done without it before, and I'll do without it now!
- What if you like it? - His voice sounded tender, soulful, and even a little provocative. - There's a first time for everything! Come on, Evie! Courage!
His blue eyes, through the slits of the mask, flashed with some sly, devilishly defiant fire, and Alex gently pulled the woman toward him. She barely resisted, though she was still hesitant, and Alex's plump lips pressed lightly against her neck, just below her ear.
- Close your eyes," the man was trying to sound calm and reassuring, though his blood was already surging in his veins, "and pretend like we're the only ones here. There are no new or old problems, no responsibilities or obligations. Don't fight it, just swim, and you'll be nailed. To the right shore. I don't mean me, of course.
- I don't like to get attached," Kate grumbled grudgingly, reluctantly submitting to him, "breakups cause permanent pain.
- So I wasn't wrong in my assumptions," Alex concluded confidently.
His gentle kisses lodged so successfully in her subclavian hollow that Beckett was even a little ticklish. And at the same time, it felt good, nice. None of her exes had ever treated her so gently. Almost all of her boyfriends had desired quickness, roughness, and no-holds-barred coitus, and she had mechanically agreed to such a relationship as the only one acceptable to her, but with Alex it had been both easier and more complicated. His swollen cock was probably already jammed into the wall of the island, but it didn't smell like any kind of tension. Is there something wrong with Alex? Or maybe there was something wrong with her?
Wanting to get free, a frowning, bewildered Beckett put her hand on his chest, and Alex, suppressing an undisguised sigh of chagrin, immediately loosened his embrace. He even hid his arms behind his back.
- Hey, is something wrong? - he huffed, his head guiltily downcast. - If my impulse is too rough, or promiscuous, then tell me the way to fix it! Right here, right now! And if I am not forgiven, this old chair will not stand up to a top-down attack on my head! And let the coarse springs rip off my ears!
- Oh, would you even make such a sacrifice for a lady? No, no, there's probably no need to suffer," Kate smiled weakly, in her heart thanking her for the coffee, "because it's really all right. I'm just really thirsty.
- I can let you go to the shower, and I'll stand next to you and pour warm water from the kettle through the curtain. That way we'll accomplish two things at once: keep the beautiful maiden from dying of thirst, and see how merrily the clear streams run down her soft pink, supple skin.
- Only perverts (especially the Japanese!) are so passionate about nudity! And not everyone enjoys such peeping!
- Huh! Actually, I'm originally from New York, and I prefer not to peep, but to participate. It's very simple: open the water hotter, let's get some parka on, and we can make out till we're blue in the face with tile on our backs. So, what do you say we put on a little bathing show?
- You're a fantasist," Kate bit her lip lightly and smiled mischievously as she imagined the frivolous scene, but then crinkled contemptuously. Having sex with a wet rag on her face was not a good idea. She'd either have to open up or refuse intimacy altogether, and right now, being worked up, neither of those was acceptable to her.
Beckett glanced cautiously into Alex's face, and by the sharp bounce of her Adam's apple, she suddenly realized that, involuntarily dazed, he was waiting. Her smile, consent, and perhaps understanding, but she'd already told herself everything.
- I have to - over there! - The offer of a shower would be very tempting, but the simpler the safer for her. And Alex is unlikely to complain about the whims of the ladies, because she does not have to answer to him. Let him take her as she is or get the hell out of here. That's the way it is.