Effie woke up with a groan and a queasy stomach.
She tentatively opened an eyelid, saw that it was already mid-morning, vaguely recalled slamming the off-button on the alarm, and buried her face in her pillow. Tequila was the devil. The very very evil devil.
She buried under her blankets but couldn't really get comfortable. Clumsily, she felt behind her until she could unhook her bra. She had only hazy memories of the previous night. Cinna had dropped her off, had helped her out of her shoes and, at her insistence, her dress and then she had collapsed on her bed in her underwear… He must have tucked her in before taking Portia home.
Everything else…
Had she dreamed the whole thing with the car mishap or…
Eventually, her bladder prompted her to leave her bed. She dragged herself to the bathroom, spent too long wondering if she was going to throw up and then, when it turned out she likely wasn't no matter what her stomach wanted her to think, she turned on the shower and sat under the lukewarm water for a long, long time.
The previous day had been terrible from start to finish.
Well, perhaps the very last part hadn't been that bad, she mused, thinking back to stormy grey eyes…
She emerged from her bathroom wrapped in her fluffiest bathrobe and wandered to the kitchen in search of her clutch. She found it on the kitchen table, along with the big leather jacket that didn't belong to her. She brushed her fingers against the slightly crackled leather with a small smile. She hadn't dreamt the whole thing then…
Which meant she had been drunk enough to key a stranger's car…
A wave of shame and guilt washed over her. She had been lucky the two guys had been nice, really. It could have gone down a lot of different bad ways.
She had one missed call from her mother that she would not be returning any time soon and one text from an unknown number that sent a jolt to her stomach. She told herself to stay calm though. All flirtation aside, the guy – Haymitch, she recalled, his name was Haymitch – probably just wanted her to pay for the repairs. Which she would totally do because, truly, what had she been thinking? It was likely she had imagined the whole attraction thing anyway. She had been so drunk… Or her liquor addled brain had sublimed him because what were the chances of her keying a handsome guy's car, really?
She didn't open the text at once.
She opened the conversation with Portia first. 'Not coming in today.'
There was no way she was going to the shop. It was a work day not a week-end, hopefully it would be slow enough that she wouldn't be missed.
'Me neither. Cinna said he'd manage.' came the immediate reply. 'I feel like an elephant is sitting on my head.' Three dots and… 'Sweetie, that was a WILD night.'
Wild was an understatement.
'Sorry I got you in trouble.' she sent before tapping out of the conversation and letting her thumb hover over the new text from the unknown number. She could only see a few words with it unopened and it was about vandalism.
Another text from Portia came in, stopping her from actually opening it. 'Any news from sexy not-Seneca-car's-owner?'
'I'll let you know.' she typed back, then she bit the bullet and tapped on the unknown number's conversation.
It was a list.
'Vandalism of private property (one car). Larceny (theft of one leather jacket + one wallet with ID, two credits cards and a hundred bucks in cash). Public intoxication (suspicion: tequila). Just a list of your crimes in case you have troubles remembering last night, sweetheart…'
Her stomach plummeted.
That didn't sound very encouraging, did it? Perhaps she had been so drunk she had imagined the whole flirting last night. Or he had been drunk too and that was why he had been flirting back and now he was sober and…
Wait…
What did he mean she had stolen his wallet?
She glanced at the jacket abandoned on her table and hesitantly patted it until she felt something hard. There was an inner pocket and, indeed, inside that pocket was an old nondescript black wallet.
She winced.
She wasn't quite sure what to answer to that. Certainly another apology was in order but… She drummed her fingers on the side of her phone, hesitant.
'I object to the larceny charge, officer. The jacket was given to me WITH the wallet inside. Careless on the victim's part ;)'
She sent it before she could reconsider. There. A playful text that followed along his cop fantasy and she would add a more serious apology once he would answer.
She didn't expect an immediate response given the time of day but her phone chimed before she could even reach for the coffee maker.
'That'd be detective. Not officer.'
Effie frowned. That was taking the role-play a bit far first thing in the morning. She took the time to flick the switch on the coffee maker and to pluck a cup from the cupboard before picking her phone back up, not quite sure how to salvage this.
She had liked the guy the night before, she had felt a real connection, but she had also been very very drunk so her judgment might not be too trustworthy.
'I am really sorry about the car.' she typed after a few seconds. 'I will pay for the repairs.'
Dots appeared on the screen, disappeared, reappeared and disappeared again.
Well… At least she wasn't the only one who wasn't sure how to handle this, she mused. She downed two pills for her headache and then sat down at the table to sip her cup of coffee, wondering what to do with the rest of her day. Feeling miserable for herself seemed a given. One brief foray on instagram told her Seneca and his boyfriend had gone public, to better advertise her humiliation no doubt.
He could have, at least, been a gentleman and let people think she was the one who had broken things up…
'Don't worry about the car.' came the sudden text. 'I need the wallet back though. Badge's inside. Need it 4 work.'
His badge?
Either he was living this fantasy of his too far or…
She wasn't one for snooping but necessity must, she decided, and grabbed the wallet she had placed back in the jacket's inner pocket. No wonder it was so bulky. There was indeed a badge inside. A detective badge.
Oh shit.
She mentally berated herself for the curse but still. Shit.
He actually was a detective? Detective Haymitch Abernathy. It all checked out. The badge, the ID card, even his library card…
She had keyed a detective's car.
In a panic, she switched back to the conversation with Portia. 'He's a detective.'
It was almost a whole minute before her friend texted back. 'Yes. Chaff told us last night. Well, me. I thought you had gotten it.'
She hadn't gotten that part of the conversation at all.
Then again, once she had decided she was interested in sleeping with Haymitch, she hadn't been aware of much.
He could have arrested her.
The idea should have been terrifying – because her parents would have disowned her – but then her mind wandered to handcuffs and…
Her dirty fantasy was interrupted by another text from Haymitch.
'We could meet somewhere public if you want.' She was about to answer when two more texts came in. Fast. As if he didn't dare pause to think. 'Or I can come pick it up. Bring food.'
Oh, that was much better. Much less serious than the previous text. Perhaps he was just very bad at flirting through texts.
'Breakfast?' she replied, barely flicking her eyes up to check the time. They were well past breakfast time but she didn't think she had the stomach for anything else.
'Sure.' came the immediate answer.
She could leave it at that, she figured, see what would come out of it once he would be there but…
'In bed?' she teased.
He answered so fast it brought a pleased smile to her lips.
'I'm sure I can find something to eat in there…'
The implied offer sent a thrill down her spine. She shot him her address and then almost ran to the bedroom to find an appropriate outfit. She didn't want to look too eager so she bypassed her most risqué lingerie but she also wanted to look appealing enough that he wouldn't regret coming over – and letting her go free after she vandalized his car.
She settled on a red lacy nightgown slightly see-through on the chest – sexy but not vulgar – and hurried to apply some light make-up on her face. She was just finishing brushing her hair when her doorbell rang.
That was quick.
She opened the door without checking and there he was, a bit flushed as if he had been in as much of a hurry as she had been.
Their eyes met and, one thing was for sure, she hadn't imagined the connection the previous night. She felt it again. A startling jolt. A thrill.
His grey eyes slowly left her face to take her in, heaving breasts and endless legs before coming back up just as slowly.
"You shouldn't answer the door looking like this…" he said. He had a good poker face, the roughness in his voice was the only hint that he was hot and bothered.
She grinned and stepped back, tacitly inviting him in. "Why? Is it a crime?"
He licked his lips as he walked over the threshold, nudging the door shut behind him. "Should be."
"Will you arrest me for it?" she purred, walking back until she felt the wall behind her.
"Can't. Someone stole my badge." He snorted, stepping right into her space. "Might have to detain you though."
She brushed her fingers against his shirt and, when he didn't move, grabbed it a bit more confidently, tugging him forward. He propped both arms against the wall, over her head, caging her in.
"You're sober yet?" he asked.
She held his gaze as long as she could while she leaned forward to brush her mouth against his throat. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down. "Very."
"Good." he commented.
It was the only warning she got before she was lifted up by two strong arms under her thighs. She wrapped her legs around his waist instinctively though. Then he was kissing her and…
Wow.
His kisses were rough and demanding. She tried to battle him for control and ended up pinned harder against the wall for her troubles.
She loved it.
His big hand pushed the strap of her nightgown off her shoulder, freed a breast from the lacy fabric… His mouth wandered down her throat in wet kisses before closing on her nipple…
"Gorgeous…" he muttered against her skin. "Been thinking about doing that since last night…"
She tugged his shirt off, forcing it over his head when he was too reluctant to take his mouth off her breasts…
She wasn't entirely sure how they made it to her bed because, suddenly, it was all about getting naked and hands exploring newfound flesh… There was some giggling on her part and some chuckling on his but eventually he pushed her flat on her bed and he was spreading her legs…
She only belatedly remembered his promise for breakfast when he quickly kissed down the inside of her thighs and went straight for the prize.
She tangled her fingers in his hair to guide him, which prompted some groaning on his part.
"Bossy." he mocked before doing something with his fingers that was very, very wicked.
He had already accused her of that the previous night, hadn't he?
"You have no idea…" she mumbled, a bit incoherent.
Her orgasm washed over her like a wave and it was so good.
She hadn't come like that in a long time.
Perhaps this was a better revenge than trying to key Seneca's car…
She was a bit dazed but she felt cold when Haymitch moved away from her. He left the bed and she whimpered, not quite understanding why he was leaving before the main course.
"Easy, sweetheart…" He flashed a smirk as he picked up his pants and checked the pockets…
He fished out a condom that he lost no time rolling on. Then he was back between her legs and, perhaps this was all a one-time-thing but she couldn't help but think he belonged there.
He didn't ask for permission but he did pause long enough to give her time to object when he lined up with her. She rocked her hips, eager for more.
It took him three powerful thrusts to bury himself fully in her and when he was finally there, she tossed her head back, teeth digging into her bottom lip…
"I am so glad your car isn't compensating for a small penis…" she whispered. He let out a round of startled chuckles, kissed her neck, her breasts and then her mouth… Which was all well and good but… She whacked his butt with her knee. "Move, Haymitch. Hard."
He proved to be contradictory.
Because she wanted it hard, he took it impossibly slow, sliding out inch by inch to better slam back down…
She was trembling and moaning with building pleasure in no time.
"Shit, sweetheart, you're so responsive…" he mumbled.
When he brushed his fingers down her throat, she opened her eyes to see him watching her with some quiet fascination. She wrinkled her nose, a look of uncertainty flashing on her face. "Am I being too loud? Seneca didn't like it…"
Some people didn't. It threw them off their own fun.
Something hard passed in his eyes. "Yeah, but he's an idiot with a small dick so who cares what that asshole thinks, right? Shout the roof down for all I care. You're too fucking beautiful like this…" He picked up the pace and if she had thought slow would kill her, this was… Oh. "I like the sounds you make… Make some more for me, princess…"
She had never been one for pet names but…
He pinched her clit when she wasn't expecting it and she exploded with a cry. He let her ride it out before lifting her ass a little and pounding into her hard, chasing his own release… He came with a grunt and collapsed on top of her, his hips still rocking against hers…
It was a while before they both got their breathing back under control. Effie was still seeing stars when he propped himself on his elbows, relieving her upper body of his weight. They looked at each other for a long moment and she wondered if he was waiting for the awkwardness to set in too because, for all intend and purpose, they were literal strangers and…
Slowly, a bit hesitant, he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. A question more than a kiss. Her body responded immediately, her legs tightened back around his waist… He was still inside her and she clenched around him, wondering if she could make him hard again, if…
"I only do hook-ups." he muttered against her lips. "One-night-stands. Whatever. I don't… I don't do dating."
She blinked, feeling like she had lost the plot there. "I didn't ask…"
"Yeah, I know." he cut her off, sliding his hand down her side in a caress that left goosebumps in its wake. "Thing is… I want to see you again. If you want."
"Without dating?" she clarified and, really, it would have been easier to think if he hadn't chosen that moment to talk about that sort of things. "You mean, casually?"
He frowned a little like he wasn't entirely sure what that entailed. "That means we still fuck, yeah?"
She rolled her eyes. "We could be doing that right now, you know."
She jutted her hips up to make her point and he pushed right back down with his. His hand left her thigh to brush her hair back, cup her cheek…
"It's just… I don't do dating or girlfriends or all that shit but… I could tell last night… I'm gonna want you a lot more than once or twice." he blurted out. "And I'm gonna want you in a lot of ways."
That last part sent a thrill through her.
She wanted him to have her more than once or twice and she definitely wanted him to have her in a lot of ways too.
"Does one of those ways includes handcuffs?" she asked, faking innocence. "Because I certainly would not mind that…"
"Whoever that Seneca asshole is, he's a fucking idiot." he said again, looking at her as if she was something special. It flustered her.
But, well, she wasn't going to argue with him there…
And she wouldn't be too angry at Seneca anymore anyway, not when she had found so much better thanks to him, however accidentally it had happened…
And that's the last of it! I hope you enjoyed this second part! Please let me know!
