This short story is set in the present. I've been thinking for a while about how different D&M would be if it was based now and whether it would work when everything about them is the same - except for the decade. Their story is basically a tale as old as time so I don't think it makes too much difference, just provides a few different reference points. See what you think! Thanks for all the lovely comments on my previous story, I didn't think I'd be able to write anything else after that one so I'm a bit surprised to find myself posting this, thank you for the encouragement.
...
Feeling the wind blow through her hair as her Mini Convertible flew down the M4 always gave her a thrill, the speed, the adrenalin, the promise of a weekend of debauchery with Dempsey in a country hotel, all should be well in her world.
Should be, wasn't. Even worse, it was mostly her fault and she needed to resolve things quickly or their Valentine's weekend would be a total washout.
Of all the things they could have argued about - where to go on holiday, what to watch on Netflix and chill night, whose turn it was to hang up the washing he had instead decided to go stratospheric about work. Bloody work, where she always behaved the same towards him regardless of their privately revised status of 'in a relationship'. Apparently he didn't like it when she chastised him for being too aggressive, didn't like her telling Spikings he was pushing boundaries, mostly the crux of it seemed to be that he didn't like them still being a secret and going through the motions of pretending there was nothing between them.
Well, tough shit. That was the way it was. It was hard enough being the only woman in their division, the prospect of being the cliche who was sleeping with her partner filled her with a cold dread. She was certain that it would diminish her position and that her colleagues would think less of her, despite the raft of equality in the workplace measures they were all reminded of at regular intervals. It was so bloody unfair, there was no way Dempsey would have to put up with that crap. He'd be slapped on the back and congratulated for melting the ice maiden. The thought of it made her feel nauseous.
All the same, things had changed and maybe she should have toned down the Harry-bot which she could turn on as easily as flicking a switch. Press 1 for condescending, press 2 for patronising, it was automatic now - he launched into 'bad cop' and depending on her mood she either went with it or sailed into ice cold mode criticising his methods and looking down at him from her high horse. It was getting a bit old to be fair and a lot of the time it was undeserved as he had changed a lot since first arriving from the US. She hadn't though, it was a lingering bad habit to occasionally treat him like a lesser being. She still had a default facade of 'snooty blonde' and was masterful in the art of separating work and home. Until he had turned up and blown her safety net apart.
Pulling up outside the country manor house she glanced across at him, noted the wounded expression was still entrenched on his face and got out of the car.
'I'll see you in there' he growled.
'Fine, I'll text you the room number' she said and taking her overnight bag sauntered into reception knowing full well that he'd be watching her sashay across the car park and reluctantly admiring her.
Once she had disappeared from view, Dempsey got out of the car, collected his bag and headed round to the back of the building where the bar was. They had been here before, it was one of their go-to places when they wanted an escape from work for the weekend and this time they needed it more than ever. He was going to make her work to get back in his good books, it was always him who ended up apologising and trying to smooth things over but this time she was wrong, he was right and he was more than comfortable with playing the injured party for a change.
'Large scotch on the rocks please', he said to the barman 'and could I get some fries too, lots of ketchup?'
Settling into a comfortable nook in the bar, Dempsey took out his phone and put it on the table in front of him waiting for the text. They didn't often argue - not outside of work. It never ceased to amaze him how easy Harry was to get on with when she wasn't trying to prove anything in the office. She had been incredibly tolerant of him bringing his chaos into her home when they decided to move in together. She had said that the positives far out-weighed the negatives and given him a cheeky grin. For his part he didn't want to take her for granted and worked hard to be the kind of guy who tidied up after himself, took out the rubbish and did his share of the cooking.
Everything had been idyllic - from the moment he had first tentatively kissed her as she lay underneath him in the aftermath of an explosion.
'Truth, Harry ...' he had said, 'Did the earth move?' they were millimetres from each other and his senses had been full of her, his body pressed tightly into hers, she was smiling up at him and he couldn't resist dropping a light kiss on to her willing lips. They had been building up to it for so long, the flirting was spiralling out of control and it suddenly seemed like the most natural thing in the world. Initially he had pulled away as he realised what he had done, but she brought him straight back for more, pulling his head to hers and kissing him right back. The sweet realisation had dawned that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. They had kissed as the room collapsed around them and they had barely even noticed the devastation. That had been the start and although they hadn't subsequently let their feelings take over at work, they had more than made up for it behind closed doors and it had been the best time of his life.
Standing under the powerful shower, Harry had let the stresses of the day wash away. She hadn't yet texted Dempsey, 'let him wait' she thought. 'He can stew for a bit before I launch the grovelling offensive'. Padding across the thick carpet, wrapped in a towel she picked up her phone and flung herself onto the bed.
Idly she flicked through some of their conversations. Who would have thought he would be so romantic, all his sign offs featured kisses, sexy emojis and love you's. She hoped to god nobody at work ever picked up her phone and saw her messages, their secret would be shattered into millions of pieces in a heartbeat.
She giggled inwardly as she remembered them sitting at their desks, both seemingly engrossed in work but actually texting each other.
'You look fit as **** over there' he'd written from behind his computer.
'You too sexy, can't wait to get you home tonight' she had replied.
'Why, what you going to do to me?' he had asked.
'I don't know yet. Gentleman's choice. I'm going to grant you your top three fantasies. Your wish is my command'.
She had watched his incredulity as he read it and momentarily caught his eye with the hint of a smirk before looking back to her desk.
That had been a night and a half, she thought with a wry smile.
Looking at his messages had made her miss him and reminded her how much she wanted him. It was a constant, underlying need. When she wasn't with him she wished they were together. When they were together she couldn't get enough of him. Dempsey's anger had surprised her, she didn't think that he would be so hurt by words, thought he was made of tougher stuff. Guess that was why she loved him, she'd seen the softer side of him, the vulnerability, the man beyond the mouth. When they had first met she didn't even contemplate that he may have layers and normal human emotions he just seemed like a machine. She'd been wrong about that too. It was time to extend the olive branch a little and she started to type.
'Can't stop thinking about you. I'm really, really, really, sorry I upset you' she wrote. 'I love you loads and I promise to be nicer. Can you forgive me?! Maybe if I give you another 3 wishes?' Adding a winky face she pressed send and hoped she hadn't gone too over the top.
'Finally', thought Dempsey as his phone beeped. The whisky was starting to mellow him and he was wondering why he was sitting in a bar alone while his super hot girlfriend was settling into their luxury room. Reading Harry's message he couldn't help but smile. Those three wishes, my god, what a night. All he had wanted to do was give her pleasure and play with her as if she were a new toy. She had questioned who was benefiting most from his top three but he knew it was him. To see her give herself to him so completely had been the biggest turn on of all. He had lit some candles, slowly undressed her, laid her gently face down on the bed and given her a hot oil massage. Sitting astride her completely naked his manhood nudged her every time he moved, teasing her with the promise of what was awaiting her. He poured scented oil into the small of her back and swept his hands up to her hair-line, down to her hips, skimming along her sides and the curve of her breasts until she was moaning his name and begging him to satisfy her. After a subtle shift in his position, he had lain on top of her, covering her body with his, thrusting ever deeper, dropping kisses onto the back of her neck and shoulders, holding her hands and bringing them both to a shattering climax . She was so receptive, so unashamedly desperate for him. She was sexy as hell, god he wanted her.
Lying on the bed, Harry turned on the blue-tooth, turned down the lights and chose some music. Something calming and easy going she thought to herself and selected some Ed Sheeran. She loved his stuff, Dempsey wasn't so sure but hey, he wasn't here was he.
'People fall in love in mysterious ways ...' sang Ed. 'Ain't that the truth' she thought closing her eyes. She had almost given up hope of ever meeting someone she could imagine spending her life with, had even considered online dating as she worried she was becoming too one dimensional - all work and no play makes Harry a very dull girl. Then he'd kissed her and everything had changed.
He still hadn't answered her text, time to crank up the pressure or she'd be spending all weekend in bed alone. Picking the phone up again she started typing. 'I've just got out of the shower and I'm naked on our bed. I'm still thinking about you, about where i want you ...'
'Holy shit' thought Dempsey, picking up his drink and knocking back the last of it. She still hadn't told him which room, but he was a detective, he could probably work it out.
'Usual room, first floor' she texted as if reading his mind. It seemed only a matter of seconds until he was knocking softly on the door.
She opened the door wearing one of the white fluffy robes and wordlessly let him in. As soon as the door shut behind him she turned to him.
'I'm so sorry' she said. 'You're totally right and I was horrible. I absolutely promise I won't be that person anymore. I love you Dempsey, you didn't deserve any of that and I'm sorry, I really am'.
'I know you are' he said pulling her to him. She flung her arms round his neck and buried her head into his shoulder as she held him close. 'I'm sorry' she whispered again. He believed her. From where he was standing he could see that she got it, she regretted it and things would now be different. It was done. He stroked her hair and almost unconsciously they started to sway in time to the music. It was almost dark, only dimly lit and suddenly very intimate. The song seemed to envelop them as their bodies pressed closely together.
'Take me into your loving arms, kiss me under the light of a thousand stars ...', sang Ed.
Dempsey closed his eyes as they moved and everything felt better. The relief of having Harry back in his arms flooded through him and he tipped her face up to his and kissed her gently on the lips, barely brushing her, the touch promising everything. 'We found love right where we are ...' he hummed to her.
Taking his hand, Harry led him over to the sofa. He kicked off his shoes and jacket as he walked and exhaled deeply as he dropped down next to her. He rested his hand on her leg and looked at her.
'So, now that we're friends again what's our Valentine's plan?' he asked. 'Are we even going to leave the room or shall we just stay in bed for the next 24 hours making up?'
'I think so' she nodded reaching for him, 'I'm going to need a lot of time to make amends and I want to start now' and unzipping his trousers she slid her hands along his hips and then crept lower. He let out an involuntary groan as her fingers teased him.
'You told me you were naked' he said 'but all I can see is this big fluffy robe'.
'I was', she agreed, but then I decided to put on my Valentine's Day present to you' and pushing the shoulder of her robe down she revealed a hint of a red lace bra 'but you're not allowed to undress me yet because first I want to inspect the goods' and dropping to her knees between his legs she leant into his lap and started to taste him, feeling his arousal growing, hearing his increasingly desperate moans as she swirled her tongue around him.
'Fuck, Harry,' he groaned looking down at her blonde head, 'you're going to have to stop that or there's no going back.' He tried to pull her up to him but she held firm, she was in charge now and she wanted him to know how much she loved him. As she increased the tempo he surrendered to her. He could have cried, he was so overwhelmed by how good she was and how amazing he felt as she brought him to a dizzying release.
As his heart thumped in his chest and he tried to regain some control, the room seemed to spin around him as though he'd just got off a fairground waltzer. He wasn't often taken down like that, she'd caught him by surprise. If the weekend carried on like this he'd need a week off to get over it. Opening his eyes he looked at her and noted that her robe had fallen open giving him a preview of his next treat, that bra was giving her an even more mouth-watering cleavage than usual. He was a lucky guy.
'Come here you' he said pulling her to him and kissing her. 'I love you angel, that was unbelievable'. His hands were all over her, stroking her thigh, her hair, down the side of her face, he couldn't leave her alone.
'This Valentine's stuff is working out quite well for me now, how about you join me in a quick bath and then I can put on the genie hat and start granting some of your wishes?' he asked.
'I'm always happy to get in the bath with you Dempsey, but I've only got one wish,' she said looking up at him 'I want you. Just you. For always.'
'You got it' he said giving her a lingering kiss. 'I love you Harry, there's never going to be anyone else so consider that wish granted. Now, I'm going to run the bath, and for my first wish I need you to call room service and order us some dinner, then wish 2 I think it's my turn for the sexy naked massage and then wish 3 I'm going to have you for dessert. How's that for a plan?'
'Sounds perfect' she sighed. Valentine's weekend was getting better all the time and she couldn't be happier.
...
Thinking out loud - Ed Sheeran
When your legs don't work like they used to before
And I can't sweep you off of your feet
Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love?
Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks?
And, darling, I will be loving you till we're 70
And, baby, my heart could still fall as hard at 23
And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways
Maybe just the touch of a hand
Well, me, I fall in love with you every single day
And I just wanna tell you I am
So, honey, now
Take me into your loving arms
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
Place your head on my beating heart
I'm thinking out loud
Maybe we found love right where we are
When my hair's all but gone, and my memory fades
And the crowds don't remember my name
When my hands don't play the strings the same way
I know you will still love me the same
'Cause, honey, your soul could never grow old, it's evergreen
And, baby, your smile's forever in my mind and memory
I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways
And maybe it's all part of a plan
Well, I'll just keep on making the same mistakes
Hoping that you'll understand
That, baby, now
Take me into your loving arms
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
Place your head on my beating heart
I'm thinking out loud
And maybe we found love right where we are
So, baby, now
Take me into your loving arms
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
Oh, darling, place your head on my beating heart
I'm thinking out loud
Then maybe we found love right where we are
Oh, baby, we found love right where we are
And we found love right where we are
