The Blue Dress
Chapter Twenty Four: The Darkness of Hellfire

"I'm glad you found some time to see me, Raven." Garfield fidgeted with the martini glass in front of him, something sickeningly sweet and bright green. He chewed on his lower lip before lifting his eyes to meet her own. "I didn't know how to really get to talk to you after… last week. I mean, you just canceled our date outta nowhere and I wasn't even sure if you still wanted to go on dates? I mean, this doesn't have to be anything serious or whatever… I just…" He sighed and lifted his eyes to her face. "Sorry, I'm being stupid."

"No, you're not being stupid at all, Gar… we had a date and I canceled very suddenly. It's expected that you would feel a little put out." She paused and looked down into her two fingers of scotch and swirled it around in her glass. "I am sorry."

Raven felt an apologetic smile tug at the corners of her lips, and looking up into his eyes, she saw light shining from behind his stare. Innocence and happiness looked back at her, as if he was silently offering everything she should have wanted - kindness and compassion and-

"…all the lights off in the missionary. Always the missionary."

Raven squeezed her eyes shut and shook Jason's words out of her head, that was the last this she needed to think about. But… it was the truth, there wasn't a thing about his sweet, caring stare that made her burn. It wasn't like when Jason looked at her, his eyes dark, his lips pulling up into that sinful smirk and Raven could practically see the lascivious thoughts racing through his head. Garfield was sweet and kind… but did Raven really want that? Did she really want sunshine and sweet words? Or did she want whips and chains… and hellfire?

"You're as dark and twisty as me."

She was.

And god, she loved it.

Raven tore her eyes away from his own and looked back down into her scotch. "So, I apologize for canceling the date… I just had something come up and I wasn't expecting it."

Garfield smiled and stared into his own drink again. "You know… I really like you, Raven."

Raven felt her smile falter.

"I think you're really great and I liked this… whatever between us." He chewed on his lower lip and brought his stare back up to look into her eyes. That bright innocence and sweetness shone there like a little light reflecting in his eyes. "I really hope that maybe this can be more… I hope that maybe this turns into something else."

Raven opened her mouth to try and respond, but before she could get a single sound out of her throat, a low, heady buzz started from between her legs. Fire licked at her veins and her body seemed to suddenly light up with the same glorious sensations she had felt earlier that day. A soft, desperate murmur escaped as she fidgeted in her seat, trying to find anyway to alleviate the new onslaught of something resembling pleasure, but was far more akin to torture.

Raven's stare flicked to Garfield's concerned expression, and she had to bite on her lip to keep a moan from escaping. How could she have been so stupid? She had completely forgotten to take off the panties before leaving the office, and now she was under his control… again.

Her nostrils flared and she searched through the dim lights and patrons to see him sitting at the far end of the bar, a glass of scotch dangling from his fingers. Jason met her eyes and smiled before looking back at his phone, as if he didn't have a care in the world. Another second ticked by and the vibrations between her legs increased in speed. That bastard. Eyes growing wide, she cursed under her breath and turned back to look at her date. Her fingers wrapped tightly around her glass and she breathed heavily through her nose, feeling the beginnings of an orgasm already start to tickle the edges of her senses.

"Raven are you… okay? You look kinda flushed."

Garfield reached out to touch her, but Raven pulled her hand back, and she was unsure if it was out of a need for space, or if the sensory overload would send her over the edge. Her eyes shot back to his own and she forced a slow, broken smile.

"I… I'm fine, Gar."

He blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "It wasn't about what I said?"

"N-no…" Oh, god… she couldn't hold on anymore.

"Because… I really, really like you."

She screwed her jaw shut and looked across the table at him. He just smiled and looked into her eyes, and Raven didn't think he could look anymore like a small puppy if he tried. Her stomach started to clench and she felt strangely weightless and breathy. Just a few seconds more, and-

"A lot, Raven."

The world around her shattered. Raven gasped for the last dregs of her sanity, and reached across the table, grabbing Garfield's tie and pulling him over the table to close the space between them. Growling in the back of her throat, her lips sealed to his own in a stupid and desperate attempt to keep from screaming. He tasted saccharine and just a little bit tart, like the drink he had been having. It was just too much sugar and too much sweetness all at once.

The buzzing between her legs stopped instantly, and Raven let go of a sigh of relief she didn't know she had been holding onto. A second ticked by as little aftershocks jolted through her body, and her lips softened on Garfield's.

Garfield pulled back and looked into her eyes, a smile pulling on his lips. "Is that a-"

"I need a moment," she cut him off and started for the back of the restaurant, her eyes not meeting his. "I'll… I'll be right back, Garfield. I just… I need a second."

"Oh." His smile fell and he stared at her. "Um, sure. I'll be here when you get back."

"Mm." Raven stumbled towards the bathroom, her heart pounding in her ears. What had she done? She had just given her coworker the worst impression of her, and now he was going to think that she felt something more than a mild attraction for him. All because Jason wanted to play a game with her? What was he thinking? Jesus, he was heartless and ruthless sometimes and-

"Come with me."

Raven blinked and watched as Jason's hands wrapped around her wrist and tugged her along with him. Still reeling from the last shadows of her orgasm, she followed him through the back hallway and into the women's bathroom. He slammed the door shut and locked it, his eyes bearing down on her with every movement.

His lips twitched and he stared at her. "Take them off."

"Gladly." Cursing under her breath she reached under her skirt and drew her panties down her legs, stepping out of them before dropping them into his open hand.

Jason growled and shoved them in his pocket, eyes never leaving her own. The silence between them was thick and heavy, and neither one of them knew how to start the conversation after what had just happened. Jason's lips twitched again and he pushed closer to her, backing her up against the door. "You shouldn't have kissed him."

"Is that so?" Raven drew herself to her full height and glared at him. "Maybe you shouldn't have been spying on my date."

"Maybe you shouldn't have been out with him in the first place."

Raven snarled and pushed at his shoulders. "Who I date is-"

"My fucking business, Raven." His voice was low and his hands palmed her hips, gripping the flesh tightly in his hands. Heat and electricity flashed between them to create something volatile and explosive, and both of them didn't know how much longer their control would last, or even if they wanted it too. It seemed far easier and much more exciting to just give into the dark, pleading whispers between them anyway.

Jason pushed against her, his voice low and his breath ghosting over her skin. "It is my business. Don't try to tell me it isn't, because we both know damned well what these last few weeks have been about, and don't you dare try to tell me otherwise."

"And what are they about?" Raven wasn't stupid, but she wanted to hear it from his lips. She needed some iota of confirmation that this was real and no longer just a game. "What have these weeks been about?"

"I want you."

He nudged her neck with his nose, taking a deep breath as his hands slid down the thigh to the hem of her skirt, dipping his fingers underneath. There was a long, heavy pause and neither of them knew what to say. Jason licked his lips, and with a pleading noise, he dropped down to his knees and pushed her skirt up, exposing her to him. Raven trembled in shock, but he held her steady and began to kiss up her thighs, lips and tongue teasing her flesh as they trailed upwards from her knees. She felt like she was burning again, her entire body simply falling into the hellfire he offered her.

"I want you," he repeated, his voice vibrating low against her legs, running up her body and into her core. "I want you as more than just a fuck or a game or anything stupid like that, Raven…"

He spread her legs a little and Raven watched as he lapped up the evidence of her previous orgasm from her skin. Jason made a little hum of appreciation and he slid his tongue up the length of her leg again. His tongue was hot and insistent against her skin and it felt sublime. She whimpered as her knees shook and she leaned against the door for support, dropping one hand into his hair. She needed to remember that this was not a fantasy. No, it was wonderfully real.

"I want you sleeping over in my shirts. I want to make you breakfast. I want to watch bad movies on a rainy afternoon with you." He licked at her again, his tongue still whispering spells over her with every little movement. "I want to talk books and drink scotch and take Atticus out to play in the park."

He reached the tender patch of skin at her hip and he licked her clean, another happy hum escaping the back of his throat, as if he was enjoying a very expensive, divine dessert. Raven writhed a little, trying to hold onto a moan that threatened to escape her lungs, but it was all too much. The fire was far too hot, and it would only be a few moments before she caved under this sensation and she begged for him to just take her. The hand in his hair tightened and she cursed in French, her voice low.

Jason smiled. "I want to walk in the light with you."

With those words, he surged forward and licked her core, drinking her essence as he flicked the tip of his tongue over her swollen clit, drinking from her. Each movement made her body jerk and a little cry escape, echoing over the tiled walls. It was torture. Glorious, wonderful, sinful torture. Raven whispered his name between clenched teeth, her eyes sliding close as her breath came in short, fevered gasps and she knocked her head against the door behind her.

"Jason…"

God, she wanted to come so bad.

"That is what these weeks have been about."

Before Raven even knew what was happening, he had stood back up and pulled her skirt down to a respectable length. Her head reeling from yet another denied orgasm, she grabbed the door behind her and swallowed her words, looking up into his shadowed face. He licked his lips, savoring the last bit of her taste with a smile.

"So, who you date is my business, Raven."

Raven swallowed, her mouth feeling suddenly dry. What did she say to that? What could she say to that? Her heart pounded and she searched frantically for something to say, but nothing came to the forefront of her mind. No, she was still reeling from the fire surrounding her, from the fact that she couldn't get enough air, and from the unquenchable desire to have his lips on her body again. There was no way she would be able to respond, because her body would never quite come down from this high.

Jason reached behind her and unlocked the door with a definitive click. "Come on, Raven… you don't want to keep your date waiting."

Date? What date?