Chapter 7

It was Brogan's birthday party, Loki didn't find any enjoyment in the pop and rock music, the various drinks being passed around or Raven's friends hovering around him like flies and bees. They were loud, celebrant, too much like the caverns after Thor's triumph. Were all birthdays this irritating? He had forgotten. He could only imagine what Raven's was like. She was fond of nightclubs, though she never pushed him to come with her unless he wanted to. Which he never had the urge to. From what he knew, she was quite the dancer. Lucky for him Raven spent her twenty-third birthday with friends the day he met her. Then she was called away for a weekend to California and spent it having dinner with her family. He spied on the affair taking notes.

They all had aged. But that wasn't what the study was for. He wanted see how close the Starks were, if he could use anything between them against them. It was too early to mention him but she remained composed when teased about her blind dates, and how she enjoyed Paris. Her father fawned over her, but she didn't seem to like it. The attention made her uncomfortable, all the constant questions made her bite harder into her food. Her brother, a mere boy trying so hard to be his father's mirror, berating her career. Stark's wife lightly scolding the boy and admonishing Raven for striking back with words. She was exhausted by the whole ordeal. And she went to a nightclub directly afterward to a concert of artists who made whatever type of unholy music it was. She was tame with her family, once she heard music, she let loose like some possessed gypsy.

Brogan's party was a simple get together with her cousin and friends. Naturally they were invited and Raven was considerate enough to attach his name to a gift she bought previously. He was grateful. He was in no mood to give her a proper gift. The dilemma concerning Raven was making him restless, he should kill her. Keeping her alive and playing this charade was getting tiresome. Bedding her was pleasurable but he could bed any woman and force her to submit to his will, never mind it was less work when a woman wanted such things.

The drink he made was nothing to the mead or ale on Asgard, or in any of the Realms, it made no dent in his sobriety yet its bitterness soothed his brood somehow. The party was at Brogan's lover's house, Mark, he heard his barking laugh repeatedly throughout the house and in the backyard. Where in the Nine was Raven? She was quite sociable flocking about making sure everything was in order. Loki observed the scene, Raven had many friends all somewhat unscrupulous and, unconventional much like herself.

He retreated indoors, she wasn't outside in the yard, where she had made him hang streamers and paper lanterns. Once they got over the shock of his "clean-cut" apparel they left him be, his hair length held no concern for them. Which suited him fine, they all bore and vexed him. He searched the house drink in hand, weaving effortlessly through the crowd trying to find somewhere away from the party, and maybe find Raven.

A man brushed past him brusquely from a distant room across the hall, cursing under his breath as he stomped away. No one noticed him but Loki did, he saw the ajar room and slipped inside. Outside leaning on the windowsill was Raven, a cigarette in between her fingers staring out into the on going party like an uninvited passerby. Mark's house was in a neighborhood where the house's were close together, the space between his and his neighbor's was the perfect hideaway for a smoke. He had never seen her smoke before. The smell was repulsive to Loki, though not intolerable. He closed the door behind him and she jumped.

He knew about Midgardians and their addictions. Being around them for some time shined light on many of their darker habits. They were such a futile race, feeble and fickle dragging themselves down further with their dull vices. Tobacco was a legal drug, but it was quite lethal, causing cancer, strokes and many other complications. He never pegged Raven to be prey to such a vice.

"Jesus, you scared me!" She then realized what she was holding. "Oh shite, listen don't tell Brogan, she'll kill me, I've been trying to quit since I was twenty but I fell off the wagon."

"Those are bad for you." Honestly he didn't care. He easily slipped out the window to the dark corner Raven cornered herself into.

"I know," she rubbed her temple, "I'll get cancer, it's ruining my heart, but it relaxes me. Nate just gave me an ear full, as always."

He had met the man before, a friend of Raven's from college. He was a sour faced fellow with a devilish grin, unkempt hair, and a meek woman who followed him around like a shadow. He was the first and only to say, you aren't what I expected as Raven's boyfriend. He somewhat appreciated the gesture but the way he spoke to Raven, and judging by his exit, hinted to a different kind of relationship.

"Nate was upset when I saw him," he agreed.

She groaned in frustration, "He's my self-appointed keeper, next to Brogan. Everyone wants to have a say with how I live my life." She exhaled through her nose. Like a glum bull in a stable. "Are you having any fun?"

"Not particularly," he admitted, again opposite of what he expected she laughed, smoke puffing from her teeth.

"I didn't think so, but Brogan wanted you to come, she likes you." She took on long drag blowing smoke rings into the air. "Can I have some? Just a sip."

"It's strong," he warned handing her the cup.

"Challenge accepted," she took a tiny sip. "Oh wow, are you a fucking viking?" She coughed. "What did you put in here?"

"Family secret," he emptied it, and Raven whistled impressed.

"And I thought my dad a had drinking problem. And you're still good?"

He nodded, getting a wicked idea to better the the party, for himself. What was it mortals say? Idle hands are the Devil's plaything. "How about we liven up this party, for ourselves at least?" He didn't give her a chance to respond when cornered her against the wall, he took the cigarette out her mouth rubbing the end into the wall she was leaning against.

She caught on quickly. Unfortunately she wasn't as scandalized as he hoped for. He wanted to try convincing her of something she had never tried. "We are out in the open," she pointed out worried of being caught. "Anyone might come by here."

"I know," he slipped his hand under her short shirt, pulling down her panties to her knees. "We should hurry then, should we? You're already wet," he commented boxing her in. "Good thing, because I'm hard."

Keeping his eyes on her he conjured one of those damnable condoms into his pocket. He slipped it on, pushing himself inside. Raven held onto his shoulder as he lifted her legs off the floor to get as deep as he could. He hissed at the mild resistance, the light drag of her walls but she was rather content. He gave a hard thrust and she bit down to swallow her loud moan.

"Why don't you scream for me? Let them all hear," He cooed in her ear. "I like hearing you scream."

His fingers slipped down to flick her clit, "Oh god," she gasped, "oh Henry. Jesus."

"That's it," he encouraged, rubbing and shallowly thrusting, "let me hear you."

Raven had never done something like this before. Sure the space between the houses was small, and the neighbors next door were asleep, but they were feet away from the rest of the party. Never mind the spots of darkness hid them. She heard voices and music, at any minute someone could walk by, or peep into the room. Any one of her friends. Henry was insatiable moving against her, her legs around his waist. It felt too good to stop, she held on moaning in his ear as he grunted into her neck. Her eyes stayed on the distant lights of the yard lanterns, her heart leapt whenever she heard a voice, or saw shadow of a person but Henry kept going and she held on for dear life.

"Henry, I'm..."

"Look at me," he held her shoulders pulling back, pinning her against the wall by her arms. "I want to see your eyes when you come."

He was animal, eyes searching hers, wild and unhinged. It excited her a little, but in the back of her mind she wondered what brought it on. She came abruptly, she bit down on her lip, keeping her head steady as her body screamed to bend with the glorious spikes and ripples traveling along her skin. He pressed her against the wall fucking her as her body fluttered from her high, making sure she saw the elation of his release. The dark satisfaction he got from it.

He finally let her go and Raven slumped against the wall, she was weak like she was about to fall to her knees. That was her first time having sex in a public place. Somewhere without a locked door. It was thrilling, but she never knew Henry was into that sort of thing. She inspected herself to make sure her skirt was clean, luckily it was pushed to a wrinkled roll around her waist. This was very new, with the "clean cut" Henry she thought she had figured out.

"Oi, where are my panties?"

She stared at Henry who was folding them up, pocketing them. How did he get those? She didn't fuss, she rolled down her skirt with her head held high and walked into the yard. He wanted to spook her but Raven knew true horror, and none were something Henry Olsen could concoct.

"Don't take too long to pull yourself together. Don't lose that," she pointed to her underwear, "it's one of my favorites."

"Enjoyed your cancer stick?" Hissed Nate the second she came outside.

She was aching from her spontaneous romp, Henry was nowhere in sight and her face was carved in alabaster. "It was my second one for the year, it's not like I'm not trying to quit."

"You promised me if I went to Germany for work, you would stop. The smoking, the heavy drinking, and the shitty boyfriends."

"Henry's not shitty, and I've cut my drinking in half."

Nate ground his teeth, "The one before him was, or are we going to pretend he didn't happen?"

He loved to poke coals into old wounds, Raven respected him to be that comfortable with her, unafraid of her supposed frailty to call her out on her bullshit. That was a friend, and a thorn up your ass. Nate had been a music major like her, at Dublin Trinity College, though he preferred the business and theory aspect of it, he wasn't that good of a pianist and played mostly for his ailing mother. He was part German, and he was reluctant to go back for an internship, he had this loving girlfriend he was terrified to leave. She pushed him to go back home and told him Ally would wait for him. He was gone for two years, and Ally visited him as often as she could, she did too when she had a job there for a weekend. He thanked her for the push, and now he was pulling her in line.

"That's right. It was only two months of my life, I lost. I'm over it." He seemed to forget one of her bad boyfriends had been one of his friends.

"I hated him," he seethed. "I should have ran him over when I had the chance. Asshole."

"Nate," she patted his arm those Nordic silver eyes glaring at the moon, "come back to the present."

He was the big brother she never had. The one who could tell horrible things to, the one who didn't have to call to say you were okay. Who had your name plastered on his couch for you, the one who could call you a bitch and it would be fine. She loved Nate to death, and he loved her.

"Henry's nice," he muttered, "a bit stiff though. He's a good guy, isn't he?"

Raven laughed into her chest, "Yes, he is. And quite a stiffy."

Brogan was spending the night with Mark, leaving Raven alone to take Henry back home on her motorbike. She remembered she had to drive with no panties, well that was going to be fun, the brisk breeze was rather nice but she hoped not to flash anyone as she drove. Henry wasn't fond of her motorbike, nor did he accept the helmet happily. But he had no choice, no helmet, no ride.

Her skirt was riding up, she was quite aware of it. She was also aware of Henry's hands, that were originally on her waist, one was slipping lower and lower with the other not too far behind. She didn't fight, and concentrated on the road and the lights.

His hand was on her thigh, damn his long fingers.

She watched the light, red, red like her pulsating blood that was going south.

He was on the inside now, the light was still red. Fuck, stop teasing.

The light went green and Raven kicked off, hoping to jerk his hand closer to her sopping sex. No such luck. And she was over five minutes away from her flat. Jesus, he's gonna muck about until I pin him against the wall, isn't he? He was finally there, and Raven almost cried out in relief, the breeze was already doing half the work, his hand was going to be her undoing. Henry was looking more like a sadist than a wicked deviant in the sack.

He took his sweet time teasing her, making her writhe against his hand, as much as she could. But he wasn't bettering her situation. She was chewing her lip to keep her mind straight, like a horse with blinders. The toying was making her very on edge, she could crash and kill them both. He didn't care and kept teasing. He had no idea she wasn't supposed to be antagonized, she had worse anger issues than the Hulk. Her yoga classes kept it in check but sometimes people just wanted her to lose her cool.

Like Henry.

Bold as brass he said nothing as she parked her car in the area garage, and walked silently beside her to her flat. She knew her neighborhood better than him, he had no idea about the shortcuts through alleys, which ones were filthy and which ones you could have a little rendezvous in. He had no idea what was happen until she pushed him against the wall taking his lips, like she owned them. He groaned into her mouth, darting his tongue inside pulling her close to deepen it.

He thought he was in control, how cute.

She grasped his semi-hard cock through his pants, not so sweet and loving, as she opened his fly and slithered her hand inside. He gasped at the sudden grab, and the sultry glare in her eyes as she silenced him with a demanding kiss. She warned him she liked it rough sometimes, he shouldn't be surprised at this point. She was pumping him hard and callous, but he panted as though it was the tenderest caress. She raked his balls, making him buck into her hand, as she pressed him against the wall with her other.

Then she stopped. Henry opened his mouth to speak up he saw her pull his leaking member out his pants. Taking her lips away from his abused neck and collar she hitched up her skirt a little jumping into his arms. He caught her without guessing pulling her close. Screw the condom at this point, she was on the pill. She was so close to him he felt nothing but heat and moisture.

"You are going to fuck me hard against this wall, do you understand? Answer me Henry," she purred wrapping her arms around his neck, "I want a hard fuck. A good hard fuck."

He impaled her, slamming her into the wall, all in one motion. "With pleasure."

"Oh yes," she gasped, "like that, like that. Fuck me, oh please fuck me hard."

It was rough. Her shoulders were raking against brick, her head was scraping along it, her lower back was burning and she loved it. His kisses were bruising, and she left tiny bites to remind him this was going to rough on both ends. She held his head when she kissed him biting and tugging his bottom lip, she pulled his hair whispering explicit praises in his ear that just made him manhandle her more. Pain didn't alarm her, she was used to it, she grew to love it. There weren't many people who could handle that, Henry could and she was going to take advantage of it. Full advantage.

She came with short yell, swallowed by a passing car. Henry kept going until he finished with one hard thrust, a guttural moan falling out his lips as his body shuddered against hers. Once he pulled his soft dick from her Raven let her shaking feet balance on the ground, she rolled down her skirt as he also tidied himself. Then she yanked him in for sloppy kiss which he melted into.

"That was sweet," she said against his lips. "So did you have fun tonight?"

"A wonderful time," he grinned breathless. "We should go out more."

"See what happens when you try new things?" she grinned with nothing but ill-intent. "You should take my word for things sometimes."

Hello my lovelies! So what do you think about Loki and Raven's relationship so far? I wanna know what you guys are thinking. Please review and tell me what you think! I mean it! I wanna know who's out there.

As usual shout out to my regulars, you know who you are.

And until next time.