Warnings-
Graphic Depictions Of Violence. Explicit. Alternate Universe - Modern Setting. mafia. Drama & Romance. lies-so many lies. Angst and Fluff and Smut. Shameless Smut. Internal Conflict. Angst. Blood and Violence. have I mentioned smut?- because smut. Regular Mafia stuff- Violence and Drugs and Crime and Murder and such and such. Just trust me and enjoy. Tsunderes. hidden identity. Riches to Rags. Secrets. soul mates. Trauma.
My mind is a trash heap- enjoy one of my treasures. *wink wink. (Let me know what you think. Also, this will exclusively be on FFN soon.)
The cool air soothed my constricting lungs. It tasted exceptional, like steam off Earl Grey tea. With this being such a big city who knew what type of pollution I was taking in but when you need air your body loved it. My heart was pumping, my feet pounding and I kept my arms up tight to my chest.
My thighs burned, the last stage of discomfort before it all fell away. I powered through the last weak protest of my moving muscles, sweat dripped, and my ponytail bobbed before the feelings slipped away. There it was, the motion possessing my entire being, zen. I basked in the empty, nothing of myself for the next mile. I have it timed where we reach our destination moments after the burn faded.
Well, it used to be we. Merlin hadn't shown up for a running session in a week, and before that sole appearance, it was almost two. I slowed as I found the stone I was looking for among the grass, weaving between benches and stone angels before coming to a stop before the simple, gray block indented into the earth mere feet from the biggest male statue of the lot.
My fingers gripped around the front of my shoes as I bent over to stretch. I peeked at my watch from this angle, as my wrist was right there by my ankle. Plenty of time to cool down, and for me to get my time in with Mael before my shift.
I plop my ass on Mael's name, turning to the stone statue as if it were him. The long hair and size are the only true similarities. "I had a dream about you the other night." I flushed, it was hazy now but it had been a wet, hot dream... only it ended with blood. I think anyways, I never remembered as much about a dream as the day goes on. I traced my finger over the edge of the smooth stone. It's been almost two years and the dreams weren't helping my raging libido, but the guilt of moving on to someone else absolutely did.
Next opportunity, I would rip the band-aid off and get it over with. One and done. Without the emotion, sex wouldn't be a betrayal to the man six feet below.
"I miss Merlin. I don't know why but... she's slowly phasing me out." I complained softly to the lines of the M in his stone as I looked down. I hoped I hadn't done anything to offend her. She moved out so suddenly. Her time used to be split fifty-fifty between her two boutique locations but now I was lucky to see her once a week at work. "I'm not being egocentric. It's everything involving me that's being cut and it happened all at once."
I kissed the tips of my fingers and put them on the tombstone's face seconds before a throat cleared. Adrenaline spiked, and I stood to run, spinning until I spotted who was there. A young homeless lad on the bench facing me a row up. I hadn't noticed him. I had come up the back way, following the trail from the gate on the other end of the cemetery. He had a dingy red plaid coat, reminding me of something my dad would wear on a hunting trip. His brown hair is messy and his round baby face had dirt on his nose.
"Whoever that is, they aren't there." He explained, "they ain't in your heart either- I'm not about to spout that bullshit on you." I smiled, my cheeks feeling foreign from the muscle's insufficient use. When had I smiled last? I shook the thought away as his hand patted beside him, an invitation to sit on his bench. I didn't hesitate. He smelled musty but not in a bad way, more like how my grandmother's sewing chest had smelled. "All that's left of them is what you remember."
The truth stung and I sucked back burning tears. "Is this your new space?"
"Had an Alley, turf war. You know how it is." His low, clogged voice rumbled beside me. Mead had lived between my apartment building and the one next to mine for almost a year, under my fire escape. But when they cleared it out for a bike path we lost touch. I hadn't seen him in almost three months. "I heard what you said just there, about your roommate."
"She isn't my roommate anymore." I griped. Merlin hadn't connected with Mead the way I had when she lived with me. She had a bit of a chip about 'status'. I suppose growing up well off did that to folks sometimes. Merlin had been a baby when she had been adopted so she didn't remember when she had nothing and didn't know what it was like to be lost. In my experience, those that did remember give more than those that didn't. There was nothing left to say about it and I didn't want to talk about it. I confessed to Mael because it's not truly talking. Mead here was a different story.
"If it gets too cold, you come find me," I commanded him. Pulling a fiver from my pocket. I had it for my morning coffee but Mead needed it more. I wished I had more to give him, I always tried when we crossed paths. He refused it, pushing at my hand with his own. He felt soft and warm. I marveled at the contact, looking at where we touched.
With so few people in my life, skin-to-skin felt important. My fist clenched the bill for a fraction of a second before I scoffed at him. "I didn't know you'd be here or it would be a box of leftovers. Give a girl a warning next time, yeah?" I tucked the money into his front pocket, kissed his cheek, and stood.
We were the same in many ways, and if I wasn't careful, I would be joining the ranks of the homeless someday. They all had a catalyst and mine was still lurking, searching, and when he found me... I shuddered as a slew of possibilities rattled in my echoing mind.
"Don't be a stranger, Ms. Elizabeth." He called after me when I was off and I waved behind me.
"You know where I'm at!" I yelled back, looping my way home, smiling. I still had a friend, even if Merlin didn't want me anymore. I ran home with a wry twist to my lips.
The buzzer was broken in the entrance, the aftermath of a botched break-in attempt two months ago. I pushed open the thick metal door, trying to be subtle about the motion in case someone was watching. I lived on the second floor, apartment 11. I was facing the street and even had a fire escape from my bedroom to the wide alley on the left. It was prime real estate as far as I was concerned, and the best part- it was cheap!
I liked the fresh air, and I liked being above everyone on the top floor. It felt like nothing could touch me up this high. There were break-ins. At least two since I moved in, but I was safe up here and always had my windows locked in case someone figured out how to pull the fire escapes stairs down from the alley. Without Mead as a guard I didn't feel as safe, but with the bikes breezing through there was more traffic, which meant more watchful eyes.
The old guy that lived below me, Barzard, was walking down the stairs as I went up. He played chess in the park with an old war buddy. Last Christmas he bought me a set and he had been teaching me. That slowed to a stop now that my classes have started up again, my evenings weren't as free anymore. His wife died a few months after I moved in so I brought him dinner sometimes. "Morning Elizabeth, how is it out there?" I half-grinned.
"Perfect. Breezy and overcast like it could rain at any second." He smiled back with a quick hard breath through his nose like I was ridiculous - he was the one wearing mismatched plaid socks pulled to the knee. We meet in the middle of our walking trajectories and split to the sides of the stairwell in unison.
"I'm glad to see that smile. I was worried about you." I sighed, nodding while trying to keep the sliver of happiness I found today on my face. He leaned in close, smelling like peppermint patties, and gave my shoulder a pat. "If you need anything, let me know. Especially if it involves our asshole of a landlord." My mouth popped open at his cursing. Barzard did not curse. Ever. He even used 'oh gosh' and 'pumpernickel' if something took him by surprise.
I snorted my amusement as he continued down and heard him laugh as the heavy metal front door closed behind him. You could hear that door close and open throughout the stairwell and hall, it shook the foundation. If it's slammed, you could hear it anywhere in the building.
Four apartments were on each level. The ground floor, the first floor, and my second floor. It was a bitch for groceries to be brought up but I loved the stairs. The carpet in the hallway was matted down and gray in the center. Years of dirt on top of the shit vacuum kept in the laundry room, that didn't get used anyway and it failed to pull anything up. In the corners, you could see the original light blue design.
I kept to myself so didn't know many of my neighbors. Just the landlord and Barzard. I had heard things about them though during my chess lessons. That old man gossiped worse than a teenage girl trying to make it into the popular clique. In the halls, you could hear what people said pretty well and Barzard put many things together as he was usually home. For an old man, he had excellent hearing.
The lady beside Barzard on the first floor, her daughter was always giving her problems. I pass her door in the hall going to the entrance of the stairwell there. Maggie is sixteen and Polly didn't want her daughter to turn out like her father, who is apparently a drug pusher. I'm sure Barzard had added his speculations to enhance the drama. The couple on the ground floor below Polly were nice. Just moved in and were starting a family.
Beside them, down on the main floor, is the resident crazy tenant - Janice. She is on government assistance for whatever her disability is. Last summer she introduced herself to me since I was new, but she did it completely naked and in the laundry room. "How else can I clean all my clothes?" she shrugged and scared the bejesus out of me. That's how I befriended Barzard and why I always locked the laundry room door when I was in there. Barzard had brought her back to her apartment while his wife Sue explained what was wrong with her.
I missed Sue. She used to make the best pies.
Our older building had other quirks besides Janice, like the stairs in the hall creaking all hours, and when it rained it sounded like a herd of deer prancing around above me. The most annoying quirk was our landlord. Daily, I had to pass the creep's door and I duck in an attempt to be stealthy in case he was at his peephole watching. I came up to my door. This place looked bad on the outside, but it was the inside that sold me. Open, airy and I even had dome lights because I was on the top floor. It wasn't large by any stretch, but I loved it.
"Hey, Elizabeth." A slimy feeling came over me. I wanted to shower and it had nothing to do with my run. He must have been waiting for me. Had he seen me duck below his peephole? My landlord was always trying to hit me up and had hinted every time I dropped off my check that I could 'pay' in another way. I knew the single mom on the main floor took him up on his offer as he conveniently lived beside me and the walls weren't that insulated.
We did this avoiding dance a lot, not daily, but enough for it to be worrisome. He watched for me- or I was just paranoid. My past may have tainted how I saw him. Was it the blonde hair and glinting narrow eyes? Something about him just rubbed my instincts the wrong way. He wasn't mean, he just stared too long.
"Hi, Twigo." I relented, shutting the door I just unlocked so he wouldn't ask to come in.
"You working at DK today?" He inquired, looking at my chest. I would have folded my arms over my chest but I moved them to my hips with another plan in mind.
"It depends. I have to get ready for the day." Twigo left his doorway and took a few steps toward me as I flipped the cap off my pepper spray. It was clipped to my hip and compact enough for running. My father may keep his distance, for both our safety, but he equipped me with this small protection as he worried about my running paths through the city. He stopped in front of me, staring before Twigo picked up a strand of my hair and twirled it. My landlord smelled it and smiled, showing off his blackened gums and missing molar before turning away from me.
"Rent's due in a week, Elizabeth. My offer still stands." If looks could kill he would be pushing up daisies. I scurried in, locking the door behind me. At least he hadn't touched me directly.
I leaned forward against the cold door for a moment, my forehead flattening out against it. Merlin had handled him so well. Twigo had been afraid of coming near when she used to live with me. The second bedroom was still empty, waiting for her. Most of the things left behind were hers. Discarded or replaced by now, as easily as I had been. Even with the room being bigger, I didn't dare rearrange, still hoping she would come back.
With a sigh, I turned. My books were all in the corner stacked on the built-in bookshelf, the couch was pushed against the wall below the long window. The curtains were open, making the light yellow of my walls glow like magic. I had one chair, it was a person and a half-sized, all squishy and suede. It didn't match the couch but I loved it.
To get to the hall where the bedrooms were you had to walk between the TV and the couch. When Merlin lived here, she would get miffed if you stepped in front of it when one of her dramas were on. Now, I could walk past it with no problem. I dumped my keys on the dining room table to my left. It was a six-seater and it had been here when I moved in. It wasn't in perfect shape, but nice enough for me to wonder what Merlin was doing leaving so much behind. Was it for me? Or did having so much money come with finding things replaceable? The kitchen was attached to the dining room and I went straight for the fridge, standing in the cool air before pulling out a bottle of water.
I twisted the cap, looking over the contents of the fridge. The meager selection reminded me I was about five days late for grocery shopping. Maybe I would just have toast, keep it light today. I grabbed the jam and fiddled with the twist tie on the bread bag. My toaster always fought me but on the fourth push, it buzzed to life. Once popped, I spread the jam. Tugging my hair free and dusting crumbs all over the table. A quick wipe over with a wet rag took care of the mess as I munched down my breakfast.
With the air being cooler outside, I didn't sweat as much today. Still, I walked around and down the hall, stripping naked in my orange bathroom. I liked the bright colors. Merlin barely protested when I picked all the new paint colors when I moved in. I turned the water on high, jumping in when it was still cold since I didn't want to wait.
The water slowly getting warmer did something to my muscles. It was relaxing for me. I had my head on straight by the time I made it for my shift at DK.
I surveyed the store. The front display needed straightening. I wrote my time in, put my badge on, and got to it. It was a few hours before the monotony was broken. Some teenager and her orange-tinted mother with obviously dyed blond hair just couldn't find a size seven that would fit. It had to be the designs, not her slightly expanding waistline. Cue eye roll. Some of these rich wives will never be satisfied. For example, the orange hue, obvious tan-gone-wrong scenario, and the disdain for size eight. What was wrong with being bigger? Poor daughter, she didn't have a chance at real self-esteem if that's all her mother ever showed her. 'Look how much better you can be if you just change everything about yourself. Never eat a burger and don't forget to complain, it's the best way to get what you want.'
Of course, complaining to me wasn't going to magically change the number on the bottoms that did fit her.
The woman refused to meet my eye as I rang her up. She had called me stupid for not understanding why she didn't want an eight. She still bought them, seven pairs of shorts sized too small. We still had about two months before summer, that lady was preparing to show off some cheeks if she could drop that extra inch of waistline by then.
I handed over the receipt and the bag of shorts to the women. I wished her well as she grinned her way out the door, her daughter's head down as she followed her mom. It made me think of my own mother, and although people said I looked like her, she was much prettier. I sent a mental thanks to her for not instilling in me an emphasis on how I looked.
This is why I will never make it far in Merlin's fashion world. Folding and cashing people out is the extent of my clothing skills. She wasn't here today, adding to the paranoid 'what did I do' feeling. Jillian came in for her shift in the middle of mine and I was writing my time out on my sheet of paper when Vivian made her way back to the employee lockers. I grabbed my bag as she snorted at me.
"Please take some designs home, Elizabeth. Merlin made me a manager and your goodwill-sheik isn't going to cut it anymore." Vivian liked to rub it in my face that she got promoted. Merlin passed me up for the job as she knew I didn't want to be here forever and Vivian did. She was always chasing Merlin's dream, drawing designs, and trying to be involved. She had designed a jean pocket, one approved by the creative team, and hadn't shut up about it for months.
"Sure, I'll give you my sizes," I conceded to her, heading toward the front exit.
"It will be taken from your pay, of course." Her snide tone slid through me, raw anger forced me to stop. I take a deep breath. Vivian has felt threatened by me since day one. Merlin and Vivian had been friends once before I even knew her. I wanted to ask if Merlin had pulled away from her too but I told myself Vivian had a petty streak and I didn't want the word to spread about my failing friendship. The real reason I didn't ask, the one I buried deep was I didn't want to know the answer, because it probably was 'yes, you are my replacement and someone else is yours'.
"That's fine." I look her right in the eye, daring her to say something else. I forced myself to walk away, in case she did. Vivian wasn't worth it, I could afford some outfits. I wasn't as ahead as I wanted to be. If I needed to escape I had enough to restart my life in the Midwest somewhere but I needed to go farther. I felt it in my bones that my time was running out here.
My car was rusting in the same spot I'd left her. She didn't lock but this old piss bucket never got messed with. Last spring all the cars on this block got broken into while I'd been working but they skipped me. The officer on duty said they must have known whoever owned this piece couldn't afford to lose the change on my dash. I didn't care, I loved my old beater.
I fought the evening traffic, the city came alive at night and it took twice as long to get home as it did to get to work. My mind wandered as I successfully made it into my apartment without Twigo coming out. I had my midterms next week but I felt like I knew enough to miss a night of studying. I skipped dinner, going straight for dessert.
I put a dollop of peanut butter on my double chocolate fudge ice cream. With whipped cream, and cherries, of course. This is why I was shapely. I liked my sweets and my carbs. I used to hate running, but that wasn't about waist management, being more fit was just a side effect.
I brushed my teeth after I ate, put my books away for class tomorrow, and went through my 'recently streamed' anime list as a knock sounded on my door. I shot straight, looking out the window to the street to see if I recognized anything. Nothing was out of the ordinary. That's when I heard metal slide into the lock. The knob twisted and I spun in a circle, grabbing the nearest weapon I could find on the end table beside the couch - a decorative cast iron candle holder. The white candle it had been holding thumped to the ground just as the door swung open.
He found me. It's too late. My heart stopped and my eyes stung but at least now I could be brave, I could face my worst nightmare and finally try to get revenge for-
A man I never met before walked in like he owned the place. He surveyed around him, black 1920's-esque hat shaded his eyes from my lamp light, suit trim and dark but open in the front like his version of business casual. He had a black button-up under it but I could tell he was slightly shorter than I was. When he looked me over it took him a half-second to dismiss me, weapon and all. It sparked my anger anew and a secret of mine was weaponized for my own purposes.
"My dad's the Mayor of this city, asshat. You broke into the wrong girls' apartment." I kept my face in his direction to make sure he didn't move as I looked for my phone. I spotted it relatively quickly but, of course, it was on the dining room table behind my unwelcome visitor. Another plan formed. The walls and floor were thin enough to hear through. Barzard was probably home, I could scream and he would make a call.
"Merlin!" The man called out, smooth tones flowed and my heart raced faster because he didn't sound nervous. How did he know my old roommate? He strode past me like he knew where he was going. Sure, strong strides right to Merlin's old bedroom. I stepped forward to watch him down the hall as he flicked the light on and surveyed the emptier room. With his back to me, I went to the table to grab my phone. It's unlocked with the dialer up, 911 typed waiting for me to push send when I heard him curse from the back room. Damn, he had a vocabulary, I flushed from here.
"How long?" I heard him yell. He was furious. His steps were so quiet I hadn't realized he was coming back this way until he was suddenly there, turning from the hallway and facing me. I found him intimidating. I much preferred him being across the room.
His jade green eyes do a slow sweep over me, from top to bottom, and when his eyes flick back to mine I know he hadn't seen me the first time. He was pretty. The type of pretty that meant he had doors open to him because his face had that appeal, sharp angles, full lips, and smooth clear skin. I may get free stuff from stuttering guys from time to time but his appeal wasn't fair, because even in our tense situation, where he broke in and was now physically intimidating me, I still felt flustered.
It pissed me off.
"How long has she been gone?" He asked harshly, his nose flaring like asking me twice was equivalent to ripping his own nails out.
Had Merlin been hiding from a stalker ex? She could have told me! I instantly shoved my attraction for this criminal down deep and sneered at his pretty face.
"I don't know who the fuck you are but I do know that you don't get to break into my apartment, freak me the fuck out, then demand answers from me. No. No - that is not how this works." I felt like I was shaking but my voice was steady.
"I didn't break-in." His eyebrow arched.
"You weren't invited in!" He had to be insane. That face was hiding the crazy.
"I used a key. My key." He held it up, his long fingers wrapped around it like he was catching it out of the air before he swooped it away and into his pocket. Merlin would have warned me if her crazy ex still had a key to this place... Unless he made a copy? I was reaching and coming up empty.
"Obviously Merlin didn't want you to know she wasn't here - I have to assume that the key is a copy she didn't know about." I stepped back, my thighs hitting my table and it skidded against the linoleum floor with a harsh 'ssshhrrrk' sound. My finger hovered over the 'send' button as I showed him the face of my phone. He barely looked at it before his narrowed eyes bore into me.
"No, this key is the original." He patted his pocket. "This is my apartment. I was subletting it to my sister for cheap. My sister is gone. I have to assume that you are squatting as all these-" he gestured around, "are my sister's things, as they were mine before they were hers."
I froze, blanking out. His fingers waved in front of my face after a moment, trying to snap me out of my daze. Did Merlin have a brother? She never liked to talk about her family. I didn't either, so we bonded over avoiding that topic but the photo... she took the frame when she left. A little boy holding a baby wrapped in a pink blanket with a gap-toothed blonde girl's arm over the boy's shoulder. "Hello?" I hear him say distantly as I try to face match the boy to this man. The photo was at least twenty-five years old as Merlin had been the baby and we had celebrated her birthday a few months back.
"Take your hat off," I demanded. Snapping to but he wasn't standing in front of me anymore. He was filling up the teapot at the sink. When had he moved? He was quiet and fast or I zoned out longer than I realized.
He does what I asked, sweeping the hat off his head in a practiced graceful motion and it was as I feared. The shock of blonde hair, like a golden mop, matched the boy in the picture. I set my phone down, and awkwardly set the cast iron candlestick on the table too. My face burning so hot I could swear I was catching fire.
"She... uh, she's been gone for three months."
"Then why am I paying your rent?" He accused, turning the burner on under the pot. Some stray drops sizzled as the fire found and evaporated them.
"I've been paying Twigo monthly." I didn't know how a sublet worked but Twigo had let Merlin move out, telling me I could just finish out the terms of her contract.
"Have you now?" He's skeptical, opening up the cupboards in search of something. He pulled down an old box of wrapped tea and kept searching. There wasn't much by way of food and I flushed before getting angry all over again. He can't go through my cupboards!
Wait... Has Twigo been taking double rent payments?
"That sleazy sum'bitch." I muttered as I snatched my phone back up, dismissing the screen with 911 dialed, and opened my bank account app, typing my passcode for access. My meager three-digit balance mocked me as I selected bills and opened up the last check image. "I've been paying my rent." I handed him the phone, he was careful to grab it by the end when he took it from my hand.
"The last two are in there as well, if you want me -" I offered partly but he was tapping away on my phone, reviewing my bills on his own. I reached to snatch it back but he easily sidestepped me and I fumed. After a minute of him, again, going where he didn't belong and violating my space he handed it back. I locked it immediately.
"I will have a chat with him about his double rent payments." He pulled a chair out slightly from the table and waved his hand over it. Clearly, he wanted me to sit. With his forearm, he pushed my mail, keys, and the cast iron candle holder/weapon out of his way so he had a clear seat at the table waiting for him.
The pot started to scream and he took it off the fire before the pitch got any higher, pouring two cups. They didn't match, but I thought matching coffee cups were a wasted opportunity for self-expression. He brought them over, tea bags in between his fingers. His cup said 'Running is like Coffee, I'm much nicer after I've had one.' A gift from Merlin. Mine said, 'have a nice day' but the bottom was the real surprise.
I eased into the strange situation, settling before unwrapping my tea bag and dunking it in, letting it seep and cool. It did smell good, although I'm sure this old box was stale. The good tea was above the toaster, I didn't know where he found this box. When I looked back up, his tea bag was already out, sitting on the wrapper it had come out of.
Seriously?
"Obviously Merlin and I have much to catch up on." He held his cup, I didn't realize he was staring at me until I'd looked up myself. That's when the strangest thought crossed my mind... hadn't I told Mael - next opportunity I would rip the band-aid off? Just fuck someone to get the ball rolling? I couldn't be faithful to the dead forever. He was pretty enough, and probably a douche-bag. He wouldn't think anything of a one-night stand, not with that face.
"She's been distant these last few months and I was tired of her avoiding my calls." He continued, was he trying to have a conversation with me? After a pause, and me wondering if he kept condoms on his person because I knew I didn't have any, he tried again. "So, you said you're the Mayor's daughter?"
I flinched. Fuck... I had, hadn't I? I had panicked, thinking he was a burglar. Usually, they ran when they realized someone was home. I pinched my eyes closed. My father had a family, two daughters, and a picture-perfect wife. I'm a product of a mistress, a call girl goddess when he'd been separated. As a child, it was him that wanted to keep our relationship a secret but now I pushed to stay hidden for 'my own safety' but all these lies had to be told.
He hadn't raised me, so it wasn't exactly hard to be 'distant'. He would call from the office from time to time just to check up on me. We met for coffee at the same old diner when the mood struck him. He swears when he retires we will have years to spend together but he didn't know my life wasn't guaranteed for that long. I had a long dark shadow that followed and killed anything and anyone in my path.
He sipped his tea, having never seeped his tea bag again. Wouldn't it taste like hot water? I drank my own, flashing the bottom of my cup in his direction. His eyes lit up and I smiled behind my cup. A middle finger logo was etched there and I made sure it was facing him when I drank.
"Merlin never mentioned a brother," I told him, wondering about her lies instead of dwelling on mine.
"That little cunt." He muttered and even though Merlin was ignoring me, my anger sparked. I stood, grabbing the cup from his hand. Our fingers touched, and my stomach flopped with nerves as warm sparks shot between us. It lasted for a glorious second, the hot shock of new skin before he flinched from me as if I burned him. His face contorted in anger. I meet him with my own, head-on, spinning in my spot before walking away. I dumped both our drinks in the sink, basically full.
"Merlin is a wonderful person," I seethed, a bit too vehemently. She paid me under the table as I didn't have a valid social security number. When she found out I lived in that flea-infested rat hole of a room I had been renting on campus she asked me to move in! "I won't sit and listen to you just-"
I scowled, taking the scouring pad and the dish soap, and scrubbed the cups clean, not daring to finish my thought. He was her brother, who knows what type of relationship they had. The water runs hot in the sink, burning as I rub and rub the rims of the cups. I use another dose of dish soap, embarrassed and angry. I could be reading my novel or watching Die Hard, but noooo, I have to deal with this clown- whom I might sleep with just to get the guilt going. Once I experience it then I can get past it, right?
"I think they're plenty clean." He noted, stiffly sitting in his chair.
"And I think you should leave," I retorted, not meaning it as I did want to fuck him and send him packing. 'Thanks for being the catalyst to heal from Mael, don't ever call or come here again.' Maybe he would go for it? Although... what guy wouldn't agree to no-strings-attached sex? He didn't have a ring, I looked when he was making tea.
"You two were just friends then?" He either knew I didn't want him to go or he always just did what he wanted. Wait, was he asking about my relationship status?
"Of course. I'm not - Not that there's anything wrong with that lifestyle- just personally-" I turn away from his stupid smirk and scrubs even harder at the bottom of his mug.
"I wasn't done with my tea." He complained but I could tell he was relaxed again. I snuck a peek and he was looking down at his hand, the one I'd taken his cup from. Was he surprised I'd been brave enough to take the cup? I didn't think it was that... My fingers still felt the ghost of him too, a dull tingling in spite of the hot water.
"Well, I was done having tea with you." I snark, watching as his lip twitched, his smile fading as quickly as it came. I put the cup down, drying my hands.
He stood, looking me over again with that same slow study. Goose flesh spread wherever he gazed and the urge to fuck him rose again. Could I do that? One and done? I never have before but if I didn't get back on the horse I swear I'd forget how to ride.
Mael had been years ago. This would help. It totally had nothing to do with that warm gooey feeling I've had since I realized he wasn't going to rob or hurt me. Him being my version of a perfect male didn't hurt either.
"You'll pay me your rent from now on." He put a black card on the kitchen counter. Stepping toward me just to step back. He was being much more polite. Perhaps realizing he was in my space, fucking up my zen, and stepping all over my patience? He continued, "Personal check delivered to me- personally."
He nodded a little in my direction before going for the door. My opportunity slipping through my fingers. Would I die tomorrow and my regret be that I didn't have sex with this beautiful man when I had the chance? I'd been alone in this city for too long, it was only a matter of time before my past caught up with me again.
When he reached the doorknob some invisible hand clenched in my chest, and I started to panic.
"Wait!" I called out, quickly stepping toward him and he shifted to face me. With a few steps forward and a well-timed slight dip - we collided. My mouth was on his and that spark was there, again. I thought it only happened the first time people touched but here it was, warming me all over. He pulled back, alarmed, his own panic on his face as he stood rigid. With another step I reached forward, fingers exploring the soft hair at his neck as I pulled him to me. He lets me and I met his lips again, soft and sweet.
This wasn't how you ask for a one night stand. I had no idea what I was doing but I gave in to the urges of my body.
Tears prickled in my eyes, the feelings were all still there. The flush of need, the hot pokers of nerves, and the thrill of doing something new, naughty. Almost the same as Mael and I. This felt heavier. Was it because it had been years that this feels like... more? Would Mael's memory be tarnished if I found I could move on this easily? My chest clenched with that fist again, my insides quivered with need and I melted. But, this stranger was still tense and stone still. Was I... doing this wrong?
I parted my lips and flicked my tongue against his. His stiff posture eased, he parted his mouth almost reluctantly, like he was seeing what would happen against his better judgment. I explored his mouth, pressing myself against him and our bodies lined up. Mael had been taller so having my core meet a hard man where I wanted it to was a wonder. I ground my hips into his bulge and moaned into his mouth as I flicked my tongue up against the roof of his mouth this time.
Thank god for thin yoga pants.
Then I realized, he wasn't... kissing me back. Maybe I misread the relationship inquiry and the sticking around when he shouldn't have as interest. I pulled away, our lips parting with a soft wet sound. His eyes were pinched closed, his lips still open slightly and his brows furrowed, his hands were at his sides and when I looked his fists were tight. I stepped back, hands falling from his neck.
"I'm sorry," I hushed. Flushing and the burning in my eyes increased, tears pricking and threatening to pool. I shouldn't have put myself out there. I breathed deep, looking at the ceiling to stop the tears from falling. I'm a fool. I pinched my eyes closed and wiped at my eye to stop the tear from getting farther down my cheek.
Fuck... I fucked this up. Of course I did. I breathed in, steadying, and opened my eyes. His were open, surprise in them and something else, I didn't know him well enough to place it. "Please. You should go, I didn't mean-"
He dove into me, his arms around me, his mouth to mine. He kissed me, his tongue taking advantage of my surprise and exploring me while I held still. His one hand found my hair, his other going lower to the curve of my waist, a finger dipping into my shirt to graze my hip flesh. It left a trail of tingles, igniting a torch in me I hadn't known still had fuel to burn.
What was this?
I gave in, my hands going to his face, my thumbs spreading across his cheeks, and going down to his neck. A few of my fingers tucked into his collar and the other hand followed the contour of his shoulder down his arm. I kissed him back, hot and heavy. A rhythm started with our hips. A grind and push.
My back hit the wall. Our kiss grew less explorative and more aggressive. He was a great kisser, even with his false start. I bent my knee up, hooking it over his thigh by using his shoulder for support to get a better angle. In my mouth he moaned, low and deep. My insides pulsed. His hand at my hip moved to my other thigh - the one I was using to hold myself up - and he pulled it over his hip. He held me up, his hard member hitting me right there and I felt the climb quicken, the slow build to the big O in double time. I ground against him, moaning and digging my fingers into his bicep as he pressed against me.
The hand at my side dipped under my shirt, slowly trailing up. Like he was reverently memorizing and thoroughly taking his time to feel me. The blaze of sensation his skin left in its wake uncovered me. I'd been unexplored for so long, that had to be why this was so intense! I met his thrusts wave for wave. He grew frenzied, panting into me and when he tried to pull his kiss away, to escape the tide ripping us away from sanity, I couldn't let him. I followed, sucking his tongue into my mouth like it was a lifeline, my hand moving from his neck to his hair and I pull it in a gentle warning. I could tell he liked that. We left the wall, him carrying me as we found the table. He surrendered to the frenzy and slammed against me, his weight so delicious pressed against me.
I heard things crash to the floor as my ass slid across the top of my table. One of his palms slapped the top of it and his angle was perfect against my core. If this is how hot it was with clothes I shuddered thinking about this without them! Just when I felt like I could take no more, his slow creep up my back shifted and his hand tucked under my bra.
The suction of his tongue popped free before I twirled mine around his. My eyes opened to see his half-lidded and boring into mine. That look - the astounded satisfaction he wore paired with his fingers finding my breast, his thumb brushing over my sensitive nipple and his bulging cock working my clit through our pants, sent me over the edge.
My whole body arched against him as I tensed and held on for the ride. He took my mouth fiercely grinding and grunting as if trying to wring the last drops of orgasm from my body. I quaked, moaning some rambled prayer to him, worshiping what he could do to me. I didn't know it could be this good and we hadn't even done anything yet!
I sprinkled kisses in sheer gratitude, the side of his mouth, his cheek, under his eye and he drank them in, soft little 'uns' sounding as he continued his pace.
I trailed my kisses down his jaw and to his ear, panting as I tried to find reality again after floating so high. My nose followed the shell of his ear, he groaned when I gave it a quick nibble. "If this is what your cock can do now, I'm wild to find out what it can do inside me," I whispered. That did it, my husky post-orgasm voice begging for his cock shot him off, he grunted lower, his rhythm thrown and I met him where he faltered, grinding against him for his own release... in his pants.
Never, not even in high school when 'pants on' exploration was the thing, did I ever make someone spend in their pants. Or them, me. I basked in the after feeling and sagged against him, my head on his shoulder. "Thank you," I whispered, my voice back to normal but soft as it had gotten so quiet and I didn't want to break the moment.
"You're thanking me?" He sounded like he was lost. Almost a little scared. Seeing him so commandingly sure of himself when he broke in versus now was a complete one-eighty.
His phone chimed. He reluctantly pulled his hand from my bra and I unhooked my legs as he dug in his pocket. The call was ignored, but the moment was over and with our bubble popping reality came rushing back in.
Holy shit- what had I just done?
I guess just kiss but it was one fuck-load of a kiss. His black suit pants had a round wet stain and my own yoga pants were soaked. I hadn't worn any underwear and I wasn't sure if I was glad about that or not. He was looking at me, where I was wet and I groaned. Oh shit, I haven't shaved in a while, we can't go any further! He absolutely must leave because these pants were staying on!
"I have to go." He admitted, his phone dinging a new sound. His text sound? Another followed it and he tucked it in his pocket. "It's been wonderful meeting you... Miss Liones?" He ended it with a question and I flinched, growing hot all over in sheer mortification. I didn't know his name and he had mine completely wrong! I guess Liones was just as accurate as the one I used though.
"Elizabeth Danafor, actually. My father and I never... he kept to himself..." It didn't matter, I flushed too mortified to ask him his name. Hadn't I wanted a complete stranger to break this dry spell? Names complicated things.
"Well, Elizabeth," he tested out my name and his smooth velvet voice made it sound elegant. I snuck a look and he was smirking at me as I slid off the table. I wrapped my arms around myself for some protection. "I'm Meliodas and I'm thrilled I came."
I laughed, looking to my feet.
"Have a nice night." I went to the door, opening it up as a clear signal to leave following my well-wish and after a moment of him not moving I met his eyes in question. The commanding self-assured posture he had was back, a smile flashing to me again as he picked up his hat from the floor. My things that fell from the table were scattered across the tile and I flushed again.
His strides were more relaxed than before and as I caught sight of the dark spot on the front of his pants my face grew unbearably hot. How much of that mark were my juices, and how much were his? The suit looked expensive too. He ducks half in the doorway before stopping. He touched my chin and leaned in but I tucked out of his hand, stepping back. His eyes tighten at the corners but his smirk stayed.
"Lock this door behind me. The buzzer is broken so anyone from the street can just walk in." He took me all in like he wanted to remember and I squirmed under his gaze. Why did he keep doing that? "At least you are on the highest floor. Goodnight Elizabeth."
He stepped into the hall and I closed the door, letting out a long exhale. There wasn't much tension in me after that orgasm but he made me nervous, a ball of anxiety knotting and untwisted in my stomach. I went to clean up the floor of my dining room and kitchen when the door opened behind me, again.
"Seriously, lock this," Meliodas said, scolding me. He shut the door again and I rushed to slip the deadbolt in place.
"Asshole." I fumed. Did he usually have people just falling over themselves to give him what he demanded? With that pretty face, probably. From the other side of the door, I heard him chuckle and I listened to his footfalls as they retreated.
