A/N: Hey everyone! It's been entirely too long since I last updated this and I wouldn't be surprised if you guys thought I'd abandoned it, but I haven't! I've just been so busy writing all my other stuff and had motivation issues with this particular story as a result, but trust me, this is definitely not getting abandoned. I've got too much good stuff planned to let that happen *rubs hands together and cackles villainously*. And I've gotta give big giant thanks to midnightwings96 for helping me with this story and plotting it and fleshing it out and gently reminding me from time to time that I really needed to snap to it and get working on it again :D This chapter continues to split the focus between our two couples, this one being a bit more Loki/Aemilia-centric, but Bucky and Summer get some time in the spotlight too. I hope you guys enjoy this, and I'll try to get the next update done in a much shorter amount of time than this one took me. Also, if there's anything anyone's curious to see in terms of flashbacks or anything else, let me know! The flashback here in this chapter was inspired by something one of you lovely reviewers asked for awhile back, so yeah... just let me know, guys :D I'll see you all soon, and I hope you enjoy! :D

Four months later

When Summer had first imagined what dating an escort would be like, she never quite considered the possibility that it might actually be more normal than anything else. She wasn't even sure what she imagined, but reality turned out to be far sweeter than her imagination had been. The same was true for Aemilia, and after four months of dating the new men in their lives, both girls were very happy and slowly falling in love with them.

Bucky was the perfect gentleman in every sense, taking Summer out on the kind of dates that she had always wanted to go on but never got to. He took her to expensive dinners and then would take her dancing after, teaching her how to move despite her two left feet and having a blast with her. She'd never had more fun on dates before in her life, whether it was dancing or a walk in the park or a movie at his place followed by a long night of very little sleep. He made her laugh until her sides hurt and treated her so well that it boggled her mind at first - she didn't know that men like that even existed in the real world.

Aemilia, meanwhile, found what she she thought just might be her perfect partner in Loki. Not only did he treat her like a queen - perhaps even better than one - but he was her intellectual and spiritual equal in so many ways that she could hardly believe it. They could talk for hours and never run out of things to say, both feeling as if they had known the other for ages rather than a simple few months. They were both incredibly busy thoughout the week, always in demand in their very different professions, but they still managed to find time for one another and make the very most out of it. There was no pressure and no stress when it came to each other, and that was what made their relationship an unrivaled comfort for the both of them.

But even the best and most surprisingly happy relationships weren't perfect. This was especially true in Summer's case, though she was exceptionally gifted at ignoring the occasional things that prickled at the back of her mind and made her uneasy. She had always been good at sweeping things under the rug that she didn't want to see, and Aemilia was the first to notice her doing this one day while lending Summer a hand in the kitchen.

Summer was planning an elaborate dinner surprise for Bucky, having not actually cooked for him yet thanks to their busy schedules. He thought that he was coming over that night for pizza and a movie, but in reality, Summer had cooked one of her specialities and was now working on dessert with Aemilia's help.

Carefully arranging the two-layer chocolate cake on her glass cake stand, Summer glanced over at Aemilia and said, "Oh, keep stirring. You can't stop until it's all melted."

"Oh dear," Aemilia chuckled, going back to whisking the chocolate and heavy cream mixture over the makeshift double-boiler on the stove. "Do forgive me. I don't think I've actually used a stovetop for anything but tea in a year."

"Which sucks, because you're actually an awesome cook," Summer said, leaning on the counter and watching Aemilia work on the ganache. "What about Loki? Does he cook?"

"Yes, actually," Aemilia smiled, eyes lighting up a little at the mention of him. "He likes to make me breakfast when one of us stays the night. And I mean a full, proper English breakfast. I can hardly eat half of it most of the time. And he cooked dinner for us once. Apparently he's taken some classes in his spare time and has all of these fancy cooking techniques that he learned from a French chef."

Summer's eyes widened. "Holy crap. Is there anything he can't do?"

"Yes," Aemilia chuckled after thinking for a moment. "He can't whistle."

Summer gasped. "I can't either!"

"I don't understand, it's so easy! I've tried to show him and he gets incredibly frustrated. He doesn't like being unable to do something, even if it's as silly as whistling," Aemilia smiled to herself, ceasing her efforts with the whisk. "Is this good?"

Summer grabbed the whisk and checked the consistency of the chocolate sauce. "Yep! Perfect. Turn off the burner and I'll pour it on the cake."

"I take it Bucky's a chocolate fan?" Aemilia asked, doing as Summer said and then watching her drizzle the stuff on the cake in lieu of traditional frosting, while Aemilia took the liberty of licking the whisk.

"He loves it," Summer replied. "And I'm gonna make a raspberry sauce to go with it. He may end up in a coma by the time he's done."

"And he still has no idea you're doing all this?"

"Nope!" she smiled. "He had class today and then an interview after. He said he'd be here in about..." She checked the clock on the stove. "Half an hour."

"Oh, an interview? That's good."

"Yeah, he's been trying really hard lately to find a decent job," Summer said, setting down the now-empty bowl of ganache and grabbing a spatula to smooth the cake over. "But it's hard. Most jobs want experience, and... he doesn't have the kind they want."

Aemilia nodded, frowning. "It's a shame. But I'm sure someone will eventually give him a chance."

"I hope so," Summer replied quietly.

Aemilia studied her for a moment before asking, "Are you handling it well? Dealing with what he does?"

"I..." Summer faltered and then tossed the spatula in the sink with a small sigh. "Yeah. Mostly. I mean, sometimes it freaks me out, but... it is what it is, you know? And last week we had just finished a movie and were in the middle of... stuff... on the couch, and then his phone rang."

Aemilia frowned and nodded understandingly. "It's not easy, I know."

Summer shrugged, staring sightlessly at the cake. "He's been trying to save up his money, too, in case he takes a job that pays a less, so he can still pay his rent. So he's been taking as many new clients as he can, and... yeah. I act like it doesn't bother me 'cause I don't want to freak him out and I told him I could handle it."

"Can you?"

"If I don't think about it," Summer smiled a bit sadly, "yeah. But then if I let myself picture what it is he's doing to all these other women... yeah, I can't let myself do that. It'll make me crazy."

"It's all right," Aemilia replied softly. "It's a difficult situation. But hopefully he will find a good job soon."

Summer nodded. "And I don't ever want to make him feel worse than he already does about it. I mean, that would be pretty awful of me, since I knew what he was getting into and I know he can't just quit for me."

Aemilia nodded. "Just... try not to think about it too much. It's only a job for him."

"Yeah, I know," Summer sighed, nodding absently. Then she headed to her fridge, where a bottle of white wine was chilled and ready to be opened. "What about you? Everything going good with you and Loki?"

"Yes," she answered honestly, grabbing two wine glasses from a cabinet as Summer brought the bottle of wine over along with a corkscrew. "It's going very well, actually. I certainly can't complain."

Summer grinned and started working on the cork. "Paradise is still trouble-free, then?"

Aemilia grinned back but then let her smile falter, becoming a bit of a cringe as she watched Summer twist the cork up. "We're fine, but actually... I did get some truly horrible news earlier today."

"Oh God, what is it?" Summer asked, pausing and looking up at Aemilia with dread.

"It's your fault, by the way. You jinxed me."

Summer's eyes widened to the size of novelty saucers. "What? What did I do? What's happening?"

"I hardly want to say it out loud," Aemilia groaned. Then she took a breath and finally forced the words out. "My mother is flying in for a visit."

Summer gasped and half-accidentally popped the cork out of the bottle, jumping at the noise as if she hadn't anticipated it. "No!"

Aemilia nodded and grabbed the bottle, pouring them both generous amounts. "I tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn't budge. She'll be here next Friday."

"But... why?" Summer asked, utterly aghast. "She never comes to see you! Like... ever. Why all of a sudden now?"

"She claims she wants to see me at the opera," Aemilia rolled her eyes. "But I'm sure there's something else afoot. Probably involves some new man she's trying to sink her claws into."

"Well... maybe it won't be so bad? I mean, I know you and her have a... complicated relationship, but maybe she'll be nice since she hasn't seen you in like four years?"

"Unlikely," Aemilia said, taking a healthy drink of her wine. "She'll look at me with her overly Botoxed blank stare and give me that horrible fake smile of hers before asking me why on earth would a woman with my shape wear this dress, suggest I have my hair professionally straightened so that I don't look so 'wild' and 'unkempt', then ask me why I won't take her advice for once because after all, Aemilia, dear, don't you want to be married before it's too late and you're all dried up?"

Summer stared at her friend with a mixture of horror and great sympathy, at a loss for words for a good long moment. "I am so sorry," she finally managed. "Maybe I could help you fake having the flu while she's here?"

Aemilia sighed and shook her head. "I don't think there's any getting out of this one."

"Well... on the bright side, at least you have a hot boyfriend to show off, right? I mean, how can she pull the crap about your hair and how you dress when you've got Loki?"

"I suppose, but the idea of them meeting is also ridiculously stressful," Aemilia shrugged. "I'm not worried for Loki, because he can handle anyone, but I just hate that he has to be subjected to her and her... nauseatingly fake charm."

"Well, just look at it this way - it'll be over before you know it, and then you won't have to see her again for probably another five years. Or at least deal with her coming here."

"God, I hope so," Aemilia groaned, nearly draining her glass the rest of the way already.

Summer then reached out and plucked at one of Aemilia's auburn curls. "And by the way, your curls aren't unkempt. They're ridiculously smooth. I love your hair."

Aemilia smiled and looked down to examine the ends of her hair, taking a few locks between her fingers. "I work so hard on my hair! But she's always been a witch about it. Probably because the color and texture comes from my father's side."

"Well, she's just... horrible," Summer said, pouring Aemilia more wine. "Here. Drink more wine. Get nice and buzzed, then take a cab over to Loki's apartment and go crazy."

Aemilia grinned and picked up her newly refilled glass. "That does sound like a good way to forget about my impending doom."

"Exactly," Summer grinned back, clinking her glass against Aemilia's and working on her own pleasant little buzz.

The girls chatted some more and finished setting the kitchen table before Bucky's arrival time approached and Aemilia bade her best friend farewell. Summer saw her out to the cab waiting for her, and then she got back up to her apartment and finished getting dinner laid out on the table just in time for Bucky's knock on the door.

A stubborn little smile plastered to her face, Summer hurried to the door and unlocked it, opening it up and then smiling twice as wide once she laid eyes on the man who was stealing her heart more and more every day.

"Hi," she chirped happily, only to let her mouth fall open when he then held up a small but vibrant and beautiful bouquet of flowers in front of her.

"Hey," he grinned back, the smile reaching the crinkling corners of his eyes as he watched her light up like a Christmas tree as she took the little gift from him.

"Thank you," she blushed, clutching the flowers in one hand and opening her arms to him when he reached out to embrace her. He held her tight and kissed her sweetly, and she was putty in his hands already by the time he pulled back and she said, "I wasn't expecting flowers."

"Well, I like surprising you," he smiled before catching a whiff of the appetizing aromas drifting out of her open door. "Something smells good. And it doesn't smell like pizza, either."

"That would be your surprise," Summer smiled excitedly, pulling him inside and closing the door. As soon as Bucky's eyes swept over the table and the spread laid out on it, not to mention the homemade chocolate cake sitting on her kitchen counter, it was his turn to let his jaw drop.

"Holy shit. You did all this?" Bucky asked, clearly impressed and a little dumbstruck. Summer could tell without having to ask that a woman had never cooked him a good meal before, aside from his mother.

"Yep," she said with a little hint of pride. "I thought it would be nice. And as much as I like pizza, I can only take so much of it, you know?"

"Not really," he chuckled, "but I yeah, I get it. And thank you, this is - wow. Did you make that cake, too?"

"I did," Summer grinned, flitting off to the kitchen to get a vase for her flowers. "And i made raspberry sauce to go with it, 'cause it's delicious and I know you love raspberries."

"... Is it my birthday?" Bucky asked with a laugh. "The hell did I do to get all this?"

Sticking the flowers in the only vase she owned, Summer placed them in the sole window in the kitchen before heading back to Bucky and replying, "Who says I need a reason to cook for you?" She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, adding, "I'm kinda old fashioned, you know. It's a thing we do, feeding our men."

"Hey, you're not gonna hear any complaints from me," he grinned, stealing a kiss from her lips. "I haven't had food like this in years."

"Then I'll have to do it at least once a week," she said, closing her eyes and smiling when he kissed her again, and then again. Then she gently pushed him away and steered them back to the table. "Come on, it's gonna get cold if we start all that."

"I could live with that," he replied cheekily before taking the seat that Summer led him to.

She sat next to him, shaking her head at him with a smile and then pouring them both glasses of the wine that she and Aemilia had worked on earlier. "Oh! How did your interview go?" she asked him, suddenly remembering about it in the first place.

"Good," he said with a nod, though he hesitated slightly before saying so. "It went well, I think. They told me they'd call me by Monday, so... hopefully it's good news."

"Okay," Summer smiled. "Awesome! Well, don't stress about it. If it happens, it happens. If not, there's still tons of other jobs in the city, right?"

"Right," he replied with a bit of a tight smile.

"Anyway," she said, reaching for a bowl of mashed potatoes on the table, "let's hurry up and eat so we can attack the cake sooner."

Bucky laughed and wholeheartedly agreed with that notion, and then together they enjoyed a rare home cooked meal and equally pleasant conversation over it. They found it so easy to get wrapped up in conversation over the most frivolous and silly of things, so much so that the time simply flew by and before they knew it, they had devoured everything in sight. Summer was giggly from both the wine and from Bucky's penchant for deliciously vulgar jokes, her sides aching a bit from laughter when she got up to clear the table and bring dessert.

Bearing one large slice of the cake for them to share between the two of them, Summer returned and plunked the plate on the table in front of him before causally sliding on to his lap. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and smirked at him before grabbing the fork off the plate, at which point Bucky asked, "Is this how you serve dessert to all your guests?"

"Only the super hot ones," she giggled softly, presenting him with a forkful of the cake.

He raised an eyebrow before letting her feed him. "So you sit on Aemilia's lap and feed her, too?"

"You wish," Summer remarked dryly. She then watched as the amusement on his face was replaced with utter amazement, and he let out the sort of sound that she usually only heard when they were both naked.

"On my God," he sad after taking his first taste of the cake. "What the hell... how is that so good? What did you put in there?"

"Well, the cake itself is a very simple recipe," she replied, taking a bite for herself. It really was damn good. "But the raspberry sauce has a secret ingredient."

"... Crack?" Bucky guessed.

"No," Summer laughed. "Just some raspberry liqueur. Because alcohol makes everything better."

He groaned faintly as she fed him another bite. "This is so fucking good, Summer. I mean it. Shit. You're gonna spoil me."

"Good," she giggled. "That's the point. I had to find some way of returning the favor."

He smiled and shook his head, letting her continue to spoil him and feed them both the best dessert he'd had in ages. It was sweet and decadent, not unlike the woman who had made it, and by the time the slice that they had shared was gone, they were both incredibly full and satisfied.

But Bucky's satisfaction was a bit more short-lived than Summer's. When she moved to get up and take the plate to the sink, he stopped her and held her close, sliding a hand into her hair to pull her closer. "You're not going anywhere," he murmured lowly, and she grinned and forgot all about the plate as their lips collided in a soft but passionate kiss.

They both all but melted into the other, so fully and entirely smitten that they both still felt butterflies every time they did this. Summer could hardly get used to it, having a man like Bucky who adored her and made her feel things she had never felt before, and Bucky was even less used to having a woman who wanted him for him.

Summer had shifted to straddle his lap and Bucky's hands were up her skirt by the time she felt a faint but distinct buzzing sensation just above the inner side of her knee. She broke the kiss when she felt it, their lust glazed eyes meeting as they both realized that his phone was ringing in his pocket.

Bucky apparently decided to ignore it, pulling her back for another kiss and pulling her hips closer to grind her into his lap. She whimpered at the sensation and kissed him back with equal fervor, only to pull away once more when she felt his phone buzzing again.

This time Bucky growled slightly and yanked out his phone from his pocket, and Summer watched his expression fall as he read the number. He looked back to Summer, and she knew immediately what the call was for. And judging by the look in his eye, it wasn't a call that he could ignore.

"Go on," she nodded, pretending that her own heart hadn't just sunk in her chest and left her feeling utterly deflated. "It's okay."

"I just... it's not a client I can turn down," he said, watching Summer carefully ease off of his lap, accepting her fate.

"It's okay," she repeated, forcing a smile to try to convince him. "Answer it."

Bucky stared at her for a few seconds longer, something in his expression a little pleading and full of things she couldn't fully decipher, and then he clenched his jaw and stood up as he put the phone to his ear. He walked away as he answered the call, and Summer looked over the mess on the table as she waited to hear for sure what was happening and if someone else had unknowingly stolen her special night away from her.

Bucky returned to her a few moments later, his phone back in his pocket and a clear glint of frustration in his eye. "I have to go," he muttered, and he couldn't hide the shame in his voice as he spoke those words. He also couldn't seem to look Summer fully in the eye.

"Okay. I figured. It's... it's all right," she replied, pretending that it didn't bother her.

"I'm so sorry," he told her sincerely, stepping closer to her and smoothing his hands over her arms. "I feel horrible. You put so much work into all of this, and -"

She shook her head and gave him a tight smile. "It's fine. Really, Bucky, I mean it. I understand. Please don't feel bad."

He let out a heavy sigh and then gently kisses her lips. "Thank you so much for tonight. It means a lot to me. And I'm sorry that I'm fucking it up now."

"It's okay," she said again, hoping that maybe if she said it enough, she might actually believe it. "Don't beat yourself up. We'll make up for it later."

"Okay," he said softly, kissing her again. "I will make it up to you, I promise."

She nodded. "Okay. Go before you're late."

His expression became a bit pained, but he nodded and kissed her one more time before finally turning to leave. She watched him go, giving him a reassuring and fake smile when he looked back at her before disappearing through her front door.

As soon as he was gone, she let out a deep breath and let her fake smile go up in smoke. Surrounded by dirty dishes and an unpleasantly quiet, empty apartment, she sighed and started scooping up the plates and silverware on the table to take it to the kitchen sink.

Somewhere in the city, some other woman with a lot more money than her would be enjoying her boyfriend instead of her. Whoever she was, she would have him all to herself for the night and get to take advantage of all of his skills. She'd get to taste his lips and have him cater to her every wish, his mouth and fingers probably pleasuring her before he gave her what she really wanted and pushed inside of her -

Accidentally dropping a plate into the sink so harshly that it broke, Summer jumped a little and then sighed before backing away, leaving the dishes for later. She quietly put the leftovers away and covered the cake, glancing at Bucky's now empty chair and then glaring at it for a moment before trudging off to bed alone.

She told herself to get over it and stop sulking, since this was, after all, what she had signed up for when she persuaded Bucky to give them a chance at a real relationship. She crawled in bed and pushed the unpleasant feelings away, telling herself that it was all fine and that she wasn't really upset when in reality, she wanted to hunt down whatever lady had taken Bucky for the night and stab her eyes out with a fork.

But this was her life now, and she told herself that it was only temporary. All Bucky had to do was get a job, and everything would be better. She wouldn't have to feel like this anymore, and he wouldn't have to deal with the guilt and shame of leaving her during a romantic night she had planned for him to go and have sex with somebody else for cash.

She could hold on until then. He was worth it, she knew that. She just hoped it happened soon, before she lost it and actually turned a fork into a murder weapon.

"You are... entirely too good to me, Loki," Aemilia sighed with a content, happy smile, reclining on the comfy little blanket that Loki had laid out on top of the beautifully green grass beneath them.

It was Friday afternoon, mere hours before Aemilia's mother Ayre's plane was scheduled to touch down at JFK, and Loki had decided to distract Aemilia from her growing anxiety by treating her to a surprise picnic in the park. It was one of the very last things that Aemilia had expected, and it was also utterly perfect. It was a gorgeous day, and the fresh air along with Loki's company - and the delicious bottle of white wine that had been among the treats he'd brought - was working wonders to calm her frayed nerves.

Loki simply scoffed and topped off the nearly empty glass in her hand. "As if any man could treat a creature as stunning as yourself too well."

She raised an eyebrow but smiled at the remark anyway. "Laying it on a bit thick, are we?"

"Merely stating the truth," he smirked back.

"Well... I suppose I'll take your word for it," she said, reaching between them and grabbing a perfectly ripe strawberry from a stray they had both been grazing off of for awhile now.

"Please do. It's a very good habit to get into," he replied, and Aemilia rolled her eyes before he leaned forward and stole a small but sweet kiss from her lips. She giggled softly, and he drew away with a slight frown as he pulled his phone from his pocket. Then he eyed the number from which the new text had been sent from, and he rolled his eyes and shoved the phone back into his pocket.

"Who is it?" Aemilia asked curiously.

"My client from last night," he replied. "He's rather needy, and not in the enjoyable way."

"Oh, it's a he?" Aemilia chuckled.

"Yes, and apparently I caused - in his own words - his 'gay awakening'," Loki groaned. "Don't get me wrong, I am more than happy to help others come to terms with who they are, but this is the tenth message he's sent me since this morning."

"What is he saying?" Aemilia asked, more amused than anything.

"Well, let's see," Loki said, fishing his phone back out and scrolling up to the very first text. "I can't stop thinking about last night. You changed my life." He scrolled to the next one. "I want you inside me again." He scrolled more. "And again. I want you to fuck me hard until I scream and -"

"Okay," Aemilia suddenly interrupted, giggling quietly. "There are children not especially far away. I think I understand now."

Loki chuckled and put his phone away. "You asked, darling."

"That I did. Is it strange that I asked?" Aemilia wondered aloud. "I feel as if I should be more put off by what you just told me, but I sort of... find it funny."

She chuckled then and Loki laughed with her, and it was almost bizarre how very easy and comfortable their relationship truly was. They didn't often discuss the details of his encounters with clients, but when they did, it was clear to Aemilia how detached Loki was from his work. He considered it an art form and took care of his ladies - and men - with the utmost respect and care, but it was truly only a job. He maintained carefully constructed walls between his work life and his personal life, and when she saw those walls first hand, Aemilia had to wonder why she of all of those clients had been the one to scale them and become something more to him.

"Does that happen often?" she asked. "A client becomes too clingy or overly attached?"

"It is fairly common," Loki admitted. "And see, men always like to pretend that women are the most emotional of the two genders, but in my experience, it's the men who try to cling."

"Really?" Aemilia grinned faintly.

"Oh yes. The worst was this one fellow I took on in college, my first year of doing this," Loki recalled. "He was in his upper twenties, and he was engaged to a beautiful woman. But before he resigned himself to monogamy for the rest of his life, he wanted to... indulge a few fantasies, I suppose. So he hired me, and the first night was mostly me sitting there listening to him panic over hiring me in the first place. Horridly boring, but the easiest cash I've ever made in my life."

Aemilia snickered and shook her head. "You are terrible."

"I know," he winked. "But when we finally got down to business, he of course had an awakening of his own and nearly became catatonic as a result. But he hired me again, and eventually he became my regular Tuesday appointment."

"Did he marry the girl?" Aemilia asked, feeling sorry for the poor fiancée, whoever she was.

"Yes, but not before confessing his undying love to me and begging me to run away with him," Loki rolled his eyes. "I of course ended our arrangement immediately. He married his fiancée the next week."

"... Well, that's a doomed marriage if I've ever heard of one," Aemilia remarked. "What a sad situation all around."

"You see a lot of those in this line of work," Loki shrugged. "James, one time he was hired by this incredibly wealthy woman who insisted on calling him Jackson when he came to her. He said she always acted strangely and would cry each time he had to leave, and eventually he discovered that she had become a widow the year before and that her husband's name had been Jackson and that he bore an uncanny resemblance to the man."

Aemilia's expression became one of quiet horror. "Oh dear God. That is... incredibly unhealthy and strange."

"Yes, he very gently spoke to her after he found out and actually helped get her into therapy," Loki said. "He didn't hear from her again after that, but hopefully she is well."

"Honestly," Aemilia shook her head, smiling a little, "you two are incredibly brave, in my opinion. I think there's something admirable in what you do for people, in an unconventional way."

Loki arched an eyebrow in reply. "Really?"

She nodded, sipping her wine. "You maintain reasonable boundaries and aim to give clients healthy and pleasurable experiences. It's certainly not the seedy underworld of filth that television likes to portray."

"You're right," Loki nodded. "That seedy underworld certainly does exist, but it's never been my world. I'm not selling myself - I'm selling a service and an experience."

And that, Aemilia thought, was precisely why Loki was so easy to be in a relationship with despite his profession. It was a facet of him, but it didn't define him. He was the most complex man she'd ever known, and to think that some people - maybe even most - would consider him nothing more than a common whore was an absolute disgrace.

"You know," she smiled, "you have done an amazing job of distracting me from everything today."

"Clearly not well enough," he grinned back, "because you just thought about it again."

"I can't help it," she sighed, eyeing her nearly empty wine glass forlornly. "I just... I know how tonight is going to go, and I'm already exhausted just thinking about it."

"I understand," he said gently, scooting a bit closer to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She nestled against him and he kissed the top of her hair. "But look on the bright side. Once it's over, it's over."

"Unless she decides to stay in town for awhile," Aemilia muttered. "She still hasn't told me the real reason why she's making the trip. I know it's not only to see me."

"Perhaps her flying monkeys ventured off course and she must come here to collect them?"

Aemilia started laughing, and the sound was contagious. "Yes, I think you're right. Maybe she'll leave as soon as she rounds them up?"

"For your sake, I hope so," Loki chuckled.

She sighed and laid her head more closely on his shoulder, breathing him in and trying to calm her nerves before they acted up again. "I wish you didn't have an appointment tonight."

"Me too," he replied softly. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she shrugged lightly. "I understand. I'm glad you're here now."

"So am I," he smiled, kissing her forehead affectionately. "And I will be there with you through the whole dinner. I won't leave until she does."

Aemilia nodded, leaning up and smiling gently as he pressed a kiss to her lips. While she was incredibly stressed and on edge thanks to her mother's visit, she was incredibly happy to have Loki and his support through the entire ordeal. She could think of a million different ways that the night could end, each as unlikely and horrific as the next, but knowing that Loki would be by her side no matter what provided a balm that she couldn't take for granted.

She just had to soldier through the night ahead and come out on the other side in one piece. For those who didn't know her mother as well as she did, such a thing was far more difficult than it sounded on paper.

"Distract me some more," she asked as she continued to snuggle to him. "Tell me another story."

"Another story?" Loki repeated with a small smirk. "All right. What sort of story?"

"I don't know... something that will capture my attention," she giggled, glancing up at him. "Tell me about..." she drifted through her thoughts, trying to think of something that would hold her attention and keep her anxiety at bay a bit longer. Then her eyes lit up and she grinned. "Tell me about the first time you and Bucky ever... became acquainted."

Loki chuckled. "Considering I've already told you how we met, I can only assume that by acquainted you mean... acquainted."

"Yes," she giggled again. "That kind of acquainted."

"Very well," he grinned, and began the story.

Freshly showered and standing in front of the sole bathroom of the apartment he shared with Loki, Bucky finished buttoning the dark blue shirt he'd thrown on and then turned a critical eye on the reflection of his hair in the mirror above the sink. This was always the longest part of getting ready, and some days he wondered if he wouldn't be better off with a buzzcut.

Yeah right, he rolled his eyes before grabbing Loki's hair dryer and switching it on. His hair might be a royal pain, especially these days now that he had grown it a little longer in the front than he normally cared to, but its benefits outweighed the negatives. Or at least it seemed that way every time a pretty girl pulled it as she rocked her hips on his lap, and that was good enough for him.

No less than twenty five minutes later, Bucky had finally put the finishing touches on his hair when he heard a knock at the door. "I'm almost done," he called, grabbing his toothbrush and flipping on the sink.

"Good, then you won't mind if I come in," Loki replied, opening the unlocked door and casually slipping inside. He instantly noticed Bucky's nicer-than-usual clothes and asked, "Date tonight?"

Bucky shook his head, muttering around the toothbrush in his mouth, "Job."

"Ah," Loki grinned. "Look at you, so in demand. I knew you would be."

Bucky rolled his eyes and spat into the sink, rinsing off the toothbrush and replying, "Well, like you said, it definitely pays the bills."

Loki crossed his arms and leaned against the bathroom wall as he grinned, "Oh please. You love having women pay ridiculous sums for just a night with you. Don't pretend otherwise."

Bucky grinned at Loki through the mirror and shrugged. "Well, it's definitely not a bad thing. By the way, why are you in here?"

"A client," Loki grinned. "A rather important one, actually. I just spoke to our employer, and an acquaintance of hers is celebrating a new promotion in a few days, and she would like both of us to entertain her."

The previously jovial, carefree expression on Bucky's face faded into confusion as he turned around to look directly at Loki rather than through the mirror. "Both of us?"

"Yes, both of us," Loki replied. He then deadpanned, "It's what some commonly refer to as a threesome, where three people instead of two engage in -"

"Fuck you," Bucky groaned, rolling his eyes as Loki chuckled. "Why does she want us?"

"Well, we have some of the best reviews of any of her men," Loki replied. "And for as new as you are, that's rather impressive. Plus we're rather good friends and we know each other quite well, and that makes more a more comfortable experience all around."

Bucky paused before asking, "I'm not really getting a choice here, am I?"

"Of course you are," Loki assured him. "She's not ordering you to do it. She's asking nicely. And so am I."

Bucky eyed him skeptically. "Why?"

Now it was Loki's turn to roll his eyes. "If you're going to incessantly ask all of these inane questions, I'll just ask Clint instead. He requires far less convincing."

"Hey, I didn't say that," Bucky protested, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm not opposed to it, I just... I don't know. I want some details."

"What sort of details?"

Bucky hesitated. "Well... just... what exactly's gonna be expected of me. I've never had a threesome before, so..."

Loki met Bucky's slightly unsure eyes and then cocked his head curiously. "And?"

Bucky clenched his jaw and decided to just blurt it out. "I'm gonna have to touch your dick, ain't I?"

Loki's face immediately lit up with amusement and he grinned as he replied, "Well, only if you want to, darling."

Bucky let out a pained groan and moved to walk past Loki out of the bathroom as he muttered, "Fuck me."

"If you really want me to," Loki replied a bit devilishly, following Bucky out of the bathroom into the living room. "But generally the client prefers most of the attention on themselves, which makes what you just requested nearly impossible."

"Fuck off, would you?" Bucky replied over his shoulder, grabbing his cell phone out of his pocket and checking the time before sinking down on the well-worn couch that took up most of the living room.

"Such a filthy mouth today," Loki noted, taking the other side of the couch. "I suppose I'll just give Clint a call, since you don't seem to be interested..."

"I didn't say that," Bucky replied, dropping his phone down to his leg as he sighed. "I'll do it. It's just... it's gonna be weird."

"Why?" Loki asked, genuinely concerned and willing to help in any way that he could.

"Because... with everything I've done so far," Bucky explained, "it hasn't been anything new. I've done it all before. So this would just be different. I don't know."

Loki nodded. "Well, I can tell you that in my experience, these things go one of two ways. Either the client wants all of the attention on them and then alone, or they want to watch for a bit and play, and then they want all the attention on themselves."

Bucky nodded, brows furrowed and trying to decipher what that meant. "So..."

"More often than not its the latter option," Loki continued. "So yes, if you decide to do it, we will likely kiss and touch each other for a fairly significant portion of the night."

Bucky responded by inhaling deeply and widening his eyes a bit, nodding. "... All right."

Loki paused. "All right?"

Bucky glanced at him and shrugged. "It's gonna be weird as hell, but... it's the job, right?"

"... Yes, but Bucky," Loki said gently, "if you don't want to do it, the client will be able to see that, and that won't be good for any of us." When Bucky had no answer for that, Loki asked, "Have you ever kissed a man before?"

"No," Bucky immediately replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Loki eyed him skeptically. "Not even that friend of yours? The uptight one?"

Bucky blinked. "Steve?"

"Yes," Loki nodded, "him."

"No!" Bucky all but sputtered, eyes squinting in confusion. "Why does everyone always think that we - no, dammit."

"Fine," Loki said, his hands going up in mock surrender. "No need to be so touchy."

"It's just - never mind," Bucky muttered. "No, I've never kissed a guy. Big surprise."

"It's not surprising at all," Loki replied. "But let me ask you this - does the thought of it disgust you?"

Bucky thought for a moment before shaking his head and replying honestly, "No."

"So when I was dating Thomas and you heard us right next to your room in the throes of passion all those nights, you never felt repulsed or put off by it?"

"Well, I wished you guys would shut the hell up so I could get some sleep," Bucky replied, "and I wondered how he always managed to walk out the door the next day considering how the bed was always smacking into the wall, but no."

Loki chuckled and then mused, "Good."

Bucky's confusion returned. "Good?"

"Yes, good," Loki replied. "Maybe you can pull this off after all."

"Well, guess we'll find out in a few days," Bucky shrugged.

Loki maintained eye contact and paused. "Or we can find out now."

Bucky's eyes widened just enough to be absolutely adorable. "... Huh?"

"Well, you study for an exam before just diving into it, yes?" Loki pointed out. "It's called practice."

"Practice," Bucky repeated. "With you?"

"Well, yes. Unless you'd rather we called Steve so you could practice with him."

That pulled a face from Bucky. "Fuck, man, no. Jesus."

Loki chuckled and leaned his head on his hand. "Well, all right then. How long do you have before you meet your client?"

Bucky glanced at his phone. "An hour."

"Ah, plenty of time," Loki said, shifting on the couch and gracefully moving closer to the end that Bucky occupied.

Bucky immediately tensed up and all but plastered himself to the arm of the couch, putting more distance between them as he laughed nervously, "Whoa, whoa, right now?"

"When would you prefer?" Loki asked, confused. "The sooner we do this the better, because if you hate it, then I make the arrangements and get Clint to take your place."

Bucky reluctantly relaxed a bit, though he made another face before repeating, "Clint?"

"What's wrong with Clint?" Loki asked, looking equally confused.

"Nothing, you just... make an odd couple. I don't know," Bucky shrugged, eyeing Loki a bit uneasily. He was still rather close, and Bucky's nerves were more frazzled by his proximity than he cared to admit.

"Well, he's good with his hands," Loki shrugged. "But I would prefer your company over his."

Bucky's jaw dropped a bit, to his own dismay and Loki's endless amusement. "... Why?"

"For one, I can make you blush rather easily," Loki replied, his words instantly proving true when a light flush appeared on Bucky's defined cheekbones. Then he let his eyes trip over Bucky's still-parted lips as he said, "And I've wondered since the day I met you what your lips would feel like."

Bucky furrowed his brows, all of this nothing short of breaking news to him. "You have?"

"Yes, and if I'd ever picked up the slightest clue that you weren't anything but hopelessly straight, I would have satisfied my curiosity a long time ago," Loki replied.

"... I'm pretty straight," Bucky agreed, though he still felt an odd thrill of excitement that seemed to grow stronger the more they spoke.

"That's what Thomas used to think too," Loki noted. "I have a habit of... broadening horizons."

Bucky almost burst out laughing, but he controlled himself. "... Is that a euphemism?"

Loki narrowed his eyes. "Are you 12?"

"Are you gonna kiss me any time soon or am I gonna be late to meet my client?" Bucky shot back, surprising himself as much as Loki with those words. He blinked as soon as he fell silent, and Loki's gaze went from mildly annoyed to surprised to intrigued in what felt like less than a second.

"... Eager," Loki noted with slight glee, a grin spreading across his face. "All you had to do was say so, darling."

Flustered now and blushing a handsome shade of pink, Bucky half-stuttered, "I didn't mean... I just meant that I'm gonna be late if you don't -"

"You are not going to be late," Loki assured him, leaning a bit closer across the small space between them. "Last chance to change your mind."

Bucky thought about it for a minute. What the hell was he doing? He had a blossoming new illegal career as a very high class escort and now he was about to kiss his male roommate as practice for a threesome they were going to get paid for in a few days, and this was apparently normal now. He didn't know what to think or what to do or why he he was going along with this, because he'd never even considered doing anything like this before, but that seemed to go for a lot of what he was doing these days.

Loki's voice roused him from his thoughts. "Well?"

Bucky shook his head, making his decision because, well... why the hell not? "Practice, right?"

Loki grinned. "Practice is always a wise decision."

Bucky shook his head again. "You're such an ass."

"You love me," Loki replied teasingly before leaning in and, swiftly enough that Bucky didn't have a chance to breathe or chicken out, kissing the other man silent. Bucky hadn't expected that, and Loki could tell by the way that he froze for a moment and seemed to stop breathing. He didn't resist, however, and his lips were soft and still against Loki's through that short little experimental first kiss.

Loki pulled away chuckling quietly low in his throat, and Bucky opened his eyes to half-heartedly glare at him and mutter, "Fuck you."

"If you really want to," Loki teased him before leaning back in, and this time Bucky met him halfway and pulled Loki in the rest of the way with a warm and impatient hand on the back of his neck. Loki was all too happy to comply, kissing his friend once more and finally feeling those lips of his moving against his own.

Bucky, meanwhile, hadn't known what he was expecting, but whatever it was, the reality of kissing a man - more specifically, Loki - took him by surprise. It felt different than any kiss he'd ever had before, and he was suddenly hyperaware of everything - Loki's lips pressed firmly to his, his subtle but distinctly masculine scent surrounding him, the way that Loki's hand slowly rose to rest against the side of his jaw as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss.

Then Bucky felt the gentle brush of a tongue along his lower lip, and he instinctively parted his lips to welcome the other man's tongue into his mouth. Loki took the invitation for what it was and took advantage, skillfully moving his tongue against Bucky's and holding back a groan at the taste of him.

... Bucky mentally decided somewhere in that moment that he didn't hate it. He definitely didn't hate it.

Loki slid his fingers into Bucky's short dark hair and Bucky took a handful of Loki's longer, slightly tousled black hair and made a fist around it, kissing Loki back and feeling his unease melt away the more that he experienced Loki's skill firsthand. He had watched Loki work his magic on so many others in the past and now he understood why men and women alike seemed to fall at his feet so easily.

He might have been an obnoxious bastard, but damn did he know what he was doing.

The first time they broke for air, they both pulled away panting and flushed, hands still in each other's hair as they looked at one another. Loki grinned and, flickering his eyes over Bucky's flushed features, he murmured, "Enjoying yourself, darling?"

"Do you ever shut up?" Bucky groaned.

"Only when my mouth is otherwise occupied," Loki murmured back rather suggestively before capturing Bucky's lips again, this time with full confidence that they were both on the same page and that Bucky was truly enjoying himself.

Of course, they could have stopped there and been reasonably confident that their upcoming job together would go quite well. But there wouldn't have been as much fun in that, and Loki wanted to see just how worked up he could get the other man.

Purely for research, of course.

The moments dragged on, and Bucky grew more bold in both his movements and his kisses. He kissed Loki more aggressively, more deeply, and he felt an undeniable spark of desire within when Loki groaned lowly in response. He didn't stop, letting the noise spur him on and getting caught up the moment, strange and unexpected as it was.

Loki truthfully hadn't ever thought that this would happen between them, and now that it was, he wanted to take full advantage of it. Sure, he'd get more of this in a few days, but he was never one to waste a perfectly good opportunity while he had it.

Once he'd kissed Bucky breathless, he broke away from his mouth and trailed kisses down Bucky's jaw and the side of his neck, the kisses growing more hot and open-mouthed with each new inch of skin he touched. Bucky closed his eyes and sunk deeper into the couch, turning his head to accommodate the other man and feeling that spark of desire become more of a pulsing need once Loki found a spot to nip and gently suckle on that made Bucky's entire body jerk. Loki then teased that spot mercilessly, his lips curling up into a satisfied grin when Bucky cursed and gave Loki's hair a tug.

Once Loki brought his lips back up and kissed Bucky again, he decided to let his hands grow a bit more exploratory. He could tell what his actions were doing to Bucky, and if he was being honest, he was more than a little surprised by just how much Bucky was enjoying himself. He was kissing back with an almost sloppy fury and leaning into Loki's every touch, whether it was in his hair or on his chest or on his stomach just underneath his shirt.

Loki honestly hadn't intended for things to go this far, but... well, he might as well be thorough in his "research".

Bucky shuddered and broke their loss at the first brush of Loki's hands between his legs. Loki groaned at the feel of him hard and wanting through his jeans, and he opened his eyes to find Bucky's closed and his cheeks blushing as prettily as any lady's would. Loki teased him a few more times, watching his breath come faster and relishing in his need until he inched his hand up and unfastened the button of Bucky's pants.

That made Bucky open his now-very dilated eyes, staring at Loki with both desire and slight hesitation as Loki pulled his zipper down. Loki could see Bucky starting to perhaps panic slightly, but Loki put him at ease by reminding him, "Practice."

It was just ridiculous enough to make Bucky smile and chuckle darkly under his breath. "You're such a fucking..." Loki grasped him then and Bucky's words died in his throat, the first stroke rendering him breathless and useless as he then eloquently groaned, "Fucking... ah, fuck."

Loki grinned before kissing him again, hand finding a slow and steady rhythm as their lips moved against each other and Bucky lost the ability to care act like he wasn't as needy as he was. Between Loki's touch and his kiss and the mind-numbing skill of both, he simply never had a chance.

Following Bucky's cues and working him gradually faster, Loki utterly reveled in having the other man at his mercy like this. Bucky was clutching at him, kissing him desperately and thrusting into his hand, and to think that fifteen minutes ago Loki doubted that Bucky could genuinely enjoy his touch. He had never in his life been more pleased to be wrong.

Once Loki knew he was close, he broke their kiss and watched Bucky with darkened green eyes as he panted and writhed under Loki's touch. Bucky had an iron-like grip on Loki's hair, nearly painful in its fury, and Loki dropped his mouth to Bucky's ear as all the sensations began to converge and make every nerve in his body sing with anticipation.

Hot breath washing over Bucky's ear and teeth nipping just hard enough to make him shiver, Loki murmured, "Come for me, Bucky." Bucky moaned roughly in response, and Loki kissed him hard one more time before repeating the command, and then Bucky was lost and letting out a long and helpless moan that was sweeter than music to Loki's ears.

Loki leaned his forehead against Bucky's as he came down, stroking him through his end and letting go only when he knew that utterly spent. Bucky was breathing hard, eyes closed and body sunk limp against the couch, his state of bliss entirely thanks to the man sitting at his side and watching with immense satisfaction.

After a few quiet moments spent catching his breath, Bucky opened his eyes and looked at Loki in a slight daze. Loki grinned at him and found the moment of dumbfounded silence beyond amusing, but eventually he did Bucky a favor and broke the ice. "Well, I'd say that counts as a success, wouldn't you?"

Bucky swallowed dryly, blinking and realizing what had just happened and how much he liked it. He suddenly felt about a hundred times more awkward than he had a few moments ago, but he still managed to nod, "Yeah... yeah, that... worked."

Loki chuckled. "Worked rather well. Far better than I expected."

Bucky nodded, blushing in faint embarrassment when he glanced down at his lap. "Yeah, so I'll, uh... I'll be there. For the thing. Whenever it is."

Loki nodded. "Good."

Bucky nodded back. "I'll just... uh..." He scrambled up from the couch, holding his still-undone pants up with his hands. "I'll go... change my clothes now."

"Good luck with your client," Loki called as Bucky hurriedly disappeared into his room. "I hope I didn't wear you out too badly."

"Fuck off," Bucky called back before slamming his door shut.

Loki chuckled to himself and shook his head. This was going to be entirely too much fun.

As good of a job as Loki did at distracting his lady, as the dreaded night crept closer, nothing could keep her truly calm. The hours seemed to pass by in both a flash and a lazy crawl somehow - anxiety was odd like that - and no amount of saucy stories and sweet kisses could allow Aemilia to escape her fate.

Eventually, 8 o'clock came. Aemilia and Loki were already seated in the restaurant that her mother would be meeting them in momentarily. Aemilia had changed into one of her nicest dresses and had spent an ungodly amount of time on her hair and makeup, mostly to reduce the chances of Ayre nitpicking her appearance even though she knew it would happen anyway regardless. But it helped her feel a tiny bit more prepared, and that was the most important thing.

Loki, God bless him, had been the picture of patience and understanding all day, and the situation would have been unbelievably more stressful without him. As they waited quietly at their table, he held her hand and did what he could to soothe her nerves. His voice and his gentle touch were the only comforting things in her world in those moments, and she couldn't have been more grateful that he had happily agreed to come and be by her side that night.

Then, spotting movement near the front of the dining room in her peripheral vision, all of that tentative comfort flew out the window. In walked Ayre, escorted by the host and wearing a face full of makeup and designer clothes and dripping in jewelry, quickly spotting her daughter's auburn head of hair and breaking out into an enormous smile.

Aemilia smiled back and stood up, praying to God that this night wouldn't be nearly as horrific as she thought it would be.

"Oh, darling, there you are!" Ayre gushed, paying no mind to the attention she was garnering as she threw her arms around Aemilia and nearly squeezed the life out of her. "It's been so long!"

Not long enough. "I know," Aemilia smiled, pulling back and putting on a brave face as Ayre looked her over.

"Oh, look at you! Pictures just don't do you justice," Ayre sighed, briefly cupping her face. "You look more and more like me every year." She then plucked a single curl and added, "Well, except for this mane of yours."

Ayre then laughed, and Aemilia forced a laugh of her own. "Well, you know me. I'm quite proud of my mane."

Ayre then suddenly noticed the man who had been standing next to her daughter the whole time, and she gave a little gasp and broke into a big smile. "Oh, and you must be the the new man she's so tight lipped about."

Loki gave a tiny, humble bow and held out his hand to shake hers. "I am Loki. It is a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

"Oh, dear God, just call me Ayre," she laughed frivolously. "Ma'am sounds so old."

"My apologies, Ayre," Loki smiled politely, briefly glancing at Aemilia and sharing the quickest of wordless communication with her. Aemilia fought hard to keep her resulting smile under wraps.

"Good heavens, Aemilia, just how did you find such a proper Englishman here in this city?" Ayre asked, already impressed.

"Oh," Aemilia laughed softly, "that's a rather long story. Here, let's sit down before we make a scene."

Ayre suddenly hurried to do so, as if she'd only just realized they were in the middle of a busy restaurant. The three of them took their seats and their server came by nearly that very minute, taking their drink orders and then leaving them as Ayre took a deep breath and smiled at her daughter and her new companion.

"So, how was the flight?" Aemilia asked, hoping the wine they ordered came quickly.

"Oh, an utter nightmare, as one would expect," she laughed lightly. "One would think that paying double rates for first class would mean no crying babies or mothers exposing themselves as they feed them, and yet the ghastly sight of this random woman's nipple is forever seared into my memory."

... Yep, that was her mother alright. Aemilia shrugged and replied, "Well, a mother has to feed her child. You can hardly fault the woman for that."

"Yes, but cover up!" Ayre said, looking at Loki as if expecting him to agree with her. "It's indecent! Honestly, I don't see how it's even legal. Wouldn't you agree?"

Loki paused at the unexpected question, glancing at Aemilia and then replying smoothly, "I can't say that I do, quite honestly. Feeding a baby is hardly an indecent act."

Ayre then sighed and laughed, gesturing to Loki and saying, "Yes, well, I'm sure no man in his right mind would oppose getting to see a woman's breasts in public, so perhaps I asked the wrong person."

And this was how Ayre made small talk with her daughter and the boyfriend she'd just met. Aemilia fought the urge to smack her palm against her face and just ask for the check already.

"Well, if you're implying that I would get some kind of thrill out of watching a woman breastfeed simply because I'm a man, you are very mistaken," Loki replied. "Society attempts to sexualize everything it possibly can in this day and age, and that is where the true indecency lies."

Ayre's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, Aemilia," she grinned, "you didn't tell me how eloquent and smart he is."

Aemilia smiled at Loki and replied, "Well, I didn't need to. His intelligence speaks for itself."

She and Loki shared a small smile over that, and then Ayre couldn't help but ask, "How did you two meet? I don't think you ever told me, dear."

And this was where Aemilia nearly gave away just how nervous and uneasy she truly was. She had no intention of telling Ayre the full truth, but she had never been particularly good at lying to her. Other people she could get away with deceiving every so often if she absolutely had to, but Ayre always somehow knew when she was lying, as if she could actually sniff the deceit on her words.

But before she could spin a tale and hope for the best, Loki stepped in and saved her the trouble.

"Well, you see, two of our very close friends happen to be dating each other," he began. "They had an extra ticket to the opening night of her opera, so they invited me along. I was lucky enough to not only enjoy her absolutely beautiful performance, but I also got to meet her afterwards. We hit it off and... well, as you can see, we've grown quite smitten with each other."

Aemilia smiled and blushed a little, Loki's eyes meeting hers and his own genuine smile making her feel quite warm inside. Of course, his tale was a half-truth at best, but it was convincing and he told it like it was nothing short of fact.

"Oh, that is lovely," Ayre smiled. "Truly. I'm glad to see my baby happy. I kept telling her she'd been alone too long and needed to put herself out there, but she never would listen." Before Aemilia could object to that particular statement, Ayre turned her glittering eyes back on Loki and asked, "What do you do for a living?"

Aemilia's eyes darted to Loki. They hadn't discussed how they would answer that particular question, but as with everything else, Loki answered smoothly and without hesitation.

"I'm something of an entrepreneur," he grinned. "I believe in investing in people and building lasting, mutually beneficial relationships."

Aemilia bit her lip to keep from grinning.

"Oh! So are you in business?" Ayre asked.

"Customer service," he replied. "Making people happy is my passion."

Aemilia started to giggle and covered it up with a cough. Ayre patted her back before Aemilia waved her off, glancing at Loki and blushing at the wink he sent her. If Ayre only knew.

From there, the trio had a relatively pleasant dinner. Once the wine started flowing and Ayre got to talking about her own life and what she had going on, it was mostly a matter of just listening to her and laughing a the appropriate times. Aemilia could handle that, and by the time they'd emptied their plates, she was starting to think that she just might make it out of the dinner unscathed.

But, naturally, fate had other things in store.

Ayre had just polished off her third glass of wine and had regaled them with tales of the last man she had dated when she glanced over at Aemilia and gave her a tight smile, reaching out and plucking at one of her curls again. "You and these curls. Just like your father."

Aemilia smiled and gave a small shrug. "They suit me."

Ayre seemed to just narrowly avoid frowning at that, though she covered it up by taking a deep breath and flashing another smile. "So! How serious are you two?"

The question took both Loki and Aemilia slightly aback. Aemilia blinked, "I... do you mean if we're -"

"Oh, you know what I mean," Ayre exhaled. "And look, I know I shouldn't ask, but... I just can't help it. You're not getting any younger, dear, and -"

Aemilia turned away from her. "Mother, please. Now is not the time."

Ayre continued on as if she hadn't said a word. "You need to think about your future. Both of you, but especially you, Aemilia. You need security! You need -"

"I have security," Aemilia snapped back, turning now-angered eyes back to her mother. "I'm doing quite well for myself, and you would know that if you bothered to pay attention."

"I know you're doing well now, honey, but what about in ten years? Maybe even five? Your career won't hold up when there's younger and prettier girls auditioning for the same roles. That's why you need security. That's why -"

"Perhaps," Loki interjected, making Ayre's eyes fly to him in surprise, "you would have a bit more faith in your daughter's talent if you had witnessed it firsthand as I have. She is a force to be reckoned with, and hardly a mere pretty face."

"I don't doubt that," Ayre replied. "I know how talented she is. She grew up singing for me and her father. She'd put on little shows when she was five years old, singing into a toy microphone and standing on a coffee table she pretended was a stage. And I know how passionate she is, but the world is such a harsh place, especially for women. She can't make it on her own forever, not with the career that she's chosen. I've always told her -"

"He doesn't need to know what you've always told me, Mother," Aemilia interrupted. "And this is not the time nor the place for this conversation."

"I know but Aemilia, I worry about you so much, and -"

"That's enough," Loki suddenly said, his voice taking on an authoritative tone that made both Ayre and Aemilia freeze where they sat. Aemilia had never quite heard him speak like that before, and the look in his eye was just as sharp. "Aemilia is right. This isn't the time or the place, and to be frank, I don't believe there is ever a time or a place to speak to her as you have been since you walked into this restaurant. You've not seen her in years - certainly you could keep your thoughts to yourself for one night. Or do her feelings and well-being mean that little to you?"

Aemilia was in shock. Ayre looked offended, slightly terrified, and absolutely flabbergasted. Nobody had ever spoken to her like that on Aemilia's behalf, certainly none of her previous boyfriends, and if Aemilia hadn't been head over heels in love with Loki already... she definitely was now.

"I... I only meant to say..." Ayre struggled with her words, face red with embarrassment, before she pursed her lips and appeared to give up. She cleared her throat, grabbed her purse and then sat up a little straighter in an attempt to regroup. "I actually... have a friend that I'm meeting very soon - I'm a bit late, actually - so I need to get back to my hotel."

Aemilia nodded, still hardly able to believe what had just happened herself. Ayre quickly pulled herself together, stood up and gave Loki a polite goodbye without looking him in the eye, then gave Aemilia a very brief hug before all but sprinting out of the restaurant as quickly as she could.

Aemilia sank back down into her chair and looked at Loki in disbelief. "I can't believe you said that."

"... That woman is horrid," Loki opined, features scrunching up to show his distaste. "How could a creature as exquisite as you possibly come from... her?"

"... It's a mystery," Aemilia grinned, feeling an enormous weight drop from her shoulders. Ayre would be in town for awhile longer yet, but the first dinner was out of the way and it had gone incredibly differently from how she had imagined it in her mind. And she still could hardly believed how quickly and effortlessly Loki's words had cut through Ayre, as if he had been rehearsing it all along.

"Thank you," Aemilia said softly, taking Loki's hand under the table. "Truly, I... I don't know what to say."

"You're welcome," Loki replied, his small smile full of affection. "And you shouldn't allow anyone to talk to you like that. Not even your mother. And trust me, I know exactly what it's like to have a parent constantly belittle you and treat you like you're nothing more than a foolish child. You deserve much, much better than that, Aemilia."

"I know," Aemilia said quietly, looking down at their hands. "But it's how she's always been. And that's not the worst of it, either. She used to tell me I'd never make it here in New York and that I'd be back in London with her once I realized that I'd only land roles if I slept with the producers."

"She is a fool," Loki told her. "And you've proven her spectacularly wrong. Don't spend a single moment paying her ridiculous ramblings any mind."

Aemilia nodded, giving him a weak smile. "I'll try. But it's hard."

"I know," Loki replied, eyes sympathetic and understanding. He had been there before himself - oh, had he been there before - but those days were over now. He was confident that with time, the same would be true for Aemilia.

After a few more moments spent together, Loki paid the bill for their meal and realized that he was nearly late for that night's appointment. With a regretful sigh, he got them up and out of the restaurant, stepping out into the cool night air and hailing Aemilia a cab. Once he flagged one down, he turned to her and pulled her into a sweet embrace, telling her, "I wish I didn't have to go."

"Me too," she pouted, arms wrapped around his neck. "But it's all right. I understand. Thank you for being wonderful tonight, and today too. I can't possibly thank you enough for everything you've done for me today. You're amazing."

"I truly am, aren't I?" he grinned before leaning down and giving her a sweet kiss on the lips. The taxi driver honked at them impatiently, but that only made them both chuckle and kiss a little longer before breaking apart.

He opened her door for her and said, "Go home and try to get some sleep. You've had a long day."

"Yes I have," she sighed, sliding into the car. "Be careful. And have fun."

"I'll be thinking of you," he winked, sharing one more little smile with her before closing her door and watching the car speed off down the road. He sighed and put his hands in his pockets, checking the time again before hailing his own cab and climbing in, giving the cabbie an address that he read off of a text message from that night's client. He really wasn't in the mood for it that particular night, but he had never - ever - cancelled on a client before. It was his personal policy, and he wasn't about to change it now.

He answered a few text messages on his way, including one from Bucky asking how the dinner had gone. He sent back one word in reply - ghastly - and asked what he was up to that particular night. Unsurprisingly, Bucky answered that he was on his way to a client as well. He'd been working like crazy as of late, trying to save as much money as he possibly could while also paying tuition and rent and all his other bills, and it wasn't easy. Loki felt his pain, and he knew he wasn't seeing much of Summer lately, either.

The life of an escort was never easy. Even Loki, who had an excellent handle on it all and a steel wall built between his personal and professional life, had his moments. This was one of them, because the only place he wanted to be that night was with Aemilia, caring for her and making sure that she was okay. Nobody, man or woman, had captured his heart so easily and quickly as she had in so very long, but he had to leave his heart behind with her and tend to business on that night. But that was just life. He would take her to breakfast in the morning and do his very best to make up for it.

Once he arrived at the correct hotel, he paid the cabbie and gave him a generous tip, leaving the cab and walking the short distance into the hotel. He already knew the room number, so he breezed inside without a word to anyone and made a beeline for the elevator.

New clients tended to take longer than regulars, since there was always a degree of fleshing out to do in order to ensure a satisfying experience, so Loki didn't have much in the way of hope that this would be a quick encounter. Not only that, but the client had paid for him for a full three hours, and typically, his customers never dared to send him away early.

Once the elevator stopped and he was on the right floor, it only took him a moment to locate the room. He approached it and ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it before knocking on the door and waiting. He took a deep breath and told himself to focus, to get his mind off of the woman he cared so deeply for, and snap back into business mode. It normally wasn't so difficult, but considering how much he was growing to adore the woman... it wasn't surprising.

The door unlocked, and he shifted his attention back to the present. The knob wriggled and then the door pulled open, and he put a smile on his face to greet his new client as he opened his mouth to say hello.

But the word never quite made it out. Instead, his mouth hung open slightly and his eyes widened, and pure, unbridled horror washed over him from head to toe.

His new client was none other than Aemilia's mother herself. Ayre stood there, grinning before blinking in confusion and then gasping in horror, grabbing at the open silk robe she wore and pulling it over the fancy lingerie she'd put on to greet her escort at the door with.

... That was a visual he'd never forget for the rest of his life, no matter how hard he may try.

She slapped her hand over her mouth in shock. Loki groaned and let out a long, weary breath and muttered, "Well, shit."

Not only was this without a doubt the single most awkward moment of his entire life, but now the cat was out of the bag in every sense of the term. And Aemilia's life was about to get a hell of a lot more difficult.

Fuck.