"Yo, dad." Punk called as he walked into his fathers house the next morning, knowing that he had arrived back home as his car was parked outside.
"Don't 'yo' me, boy. I'm not one of your friends." Jack looked to Punk who rolled his eyes, "What is it?" He asked.
"I got us a deal yesterday. Some guy by the name of the Stuart." Punk said.
"Oh, yes." Jack announced happily, "Did you settle reasonably?" Jack asked.
"Yeah. He came with a huge amount of cash. Paid it upfront." Punk said, "I'll have it done by the end of the week." He told his father who nodded.
"Good." Jack smiled, "You've been working hard, son. I'm lucky to have you." He said as Punk just nodded.
He had been working hard these past few weeks. Incredibly hard. He'd been taking a lot on. It wasn't just a physical job, but it was mentally challenging, "More jobs, more money." Punk shrugged. That was how he saw it.
"That's my boy." Jack grinned, "Maybe you could even find yourself a better place to live in a few months instead of that shack you live in right now." He said.
"My apartment isn't that bad." Punk shrugged.
"I know. But you could do so much better." Jack said, "So much better." He implied as Punk just rolled his eyes, "And plus, what else are you going to spunk your money on? Put it to good use."
"Not about what you make, father. It's what you save." He told his father who just shook his head.
"You sound just like your mother." Jack muttered, turning away and sitting down on the couch, leaning over and writing on a piece of paper on the coffee table, "I don't need you today, Phil. I might need you at Invictus later on."
"I'll be there with Dean and Sami anyway." Punk told his father who nodded.
Later that night, AJ had got home from work and completely crashed out on her couch. She'd had such a busy week, not just from dealing with Elise and her family, but because she had been in the studio every day from early in the morning to late on at night. She was completely done in, and it didn't help that she hadn't been sleeping well at night. Her body had clearly just caved in at this point.
She kept thinking of Punk. She couldn't get him out of her head. But not for obvious reasons. She just kept thinking about him, feeling him put that blood over her face, his hand wrapping around her neck tightly. His violence and hissing. She felt sorry for him in a way. After Elise had told her more about him, and how his father had pretty much not given him a choice to live this way, she felt sorry for him. She didn't want to. Considering he'd done so much evil things, but she couldn't help it.
She was in such a deep sleep, she couldn't even feel herself go into a light dream, from which felt so real, as if it was really happening.
She couldn't make out what was happening until she stirred around on the couch. She could see his tattoos. It was the first thing that she seen. The colours, the snake on one side of his muscular chest sticking out at her. She sensed lying down and looking up, feeling him heavy on top of her. She was expecting to dream about him hurting her. Feeling him grasp her tightly and conflict pain, but it was very different…
Her name was being whispered in her ear, low and rough. He was touching her, places that he wouldn't let a man like him near, but somehow in the dream, she was allowing it and she was enjoying it. He was quick and he was charming, his smirk was forever imprinted in her brain. She felt his skin underneath her nails as she raked it over those colourful arms and down his back.
It was all rather intense, but it was good. The best part of it, was how real it actually felt. She could really feel him touching her. She could really see him. But the horrifying part of it was, she was enjoying it not only in the dream, but she was enjoying the dream itself, stirring around on the couch whilst smiling to herself. She felt like a sinner for even so much thinking of him.
She suddenly woke up, opening her eyes as she lay on her stomach, looking around the dark room. When she had fell asleep, it was still daylight…
She sat up, placing her hand on her head and sighing to herself, running her hands through her hair. She had to get him out of her mind. Especially in that way. What was she thinking? She wasn't. That was the problem. This was destroying her insides. She could feel it. Knowing of such horror. Knowing what he had done. It was killing her, and fucking with her. It was interfering with her every day life, and that wasn't fair that he had done that to her.
She stood up and headed for a shower, figuring she'd go for a shower to waken herself up after such a disturbing yet enjoyable dream.
Once showering, which she stood arguing with herself, she got out, clutching a towel around her as she sat on the edge of her soft double bed, playing with her phone in her hand, shaking her head in a 'fuck it' sort of way and calling Elise who answered straight away.
"Hey, you ok?" Elise answered as AJ sat on the bed, swinging her legs back and forth as her wet hair clung to her back.
"Yeah." AJ spoke, "Can you give me a number I can contact your brother with?" AJ asked curiously.
"Why?" Elise laughed lightly.
"I just want to ask him a question." AJ said, "Trust me, nothing bad. Just… you know, about what happened. What he done. I just want to ask him something." She said.
"Ok." Elise spoke through the phone, "As long as you promise me you aren't up to anything. He isn't someone you want to mess around with. I mean it." Elise said.
"Don't you think I know that?" AJ shrieked, "Just send me the number through, please."
"Ok. I trust you." Elise said.
Punk was in Invictus, sitting with his father in his office as they casually spoke. Nothing about business. Just about the real life, aka hockey and baseball, arguing against which team was better and so forth. They had yet to open the club, and were just prepping for the night ahead when Punk got a text through. He assumed it would just Sami or Dean, but instead he got a huge fright.
How do you get over killing people so quickly?
It was all the message read, attached to an unknown number.
"Hey, dad..." Punk said with fear shattering his voice, "You know this number?" He passed the phone to his father who looked at the message.
"No." Jack said, "I sure as hell don't." He looked back to Punk, "What have you done?"
"Nothing." Punk said, "I… I don't know who it is." Punk stood up, "Can't you track it?"
Jack nodded, sitting down at his desk as he connected his sons phone up to his computer, all the while Punk paced up and down with fear. For a man like him to be sent a message like that, that came across as threatening, he was terrified.
"It came from Elise's surroundings." Jack said, "Do you know who it could be?" Jack looked up at his son, disconnecting the phone and passing it back to him.
"No… I..." Punk paused, his hands placed behind his head as he paced, pausing suddenly as it came to him.
"Phil." Jack waited.
"It's ok." Punk nodded, grabbing his phone, "It's ok."
AJ had got changed into pyjamas after her shower (which really consisted of shorts and a tank top), lazing around on her couch, not bothering to dry her hair, just letting it dry naturally, which did normally take forever because of the length and thickness of it. She was comfortable lying up on her couch whilst watching TV. It had been about an hour since she text Punk. She hadn't heard anything back from him. She assumed he'd just ignore it.
She sat up when she heard the doorbell go, looking over at the time, gone past 9pm, confused at who it could be.
Ever since her encounter with Punk down the side alley not far, she'd become more terrified of living in the house herself. She couldn't even walk around outside in the dark anymore. She was terrified. But she wasn't terrified of Punk which was the odd thing. She was just terrified of the sight. The blood. The carnage. Everything.
She stood up, walking out into the hallway and down to the door, looking at the shadow through the glass, unlocking the door and taking the chain off, opening it slowly that turned into it swinging back as he pushed his way into the house. He was angry. Anyone could see that.
"What are you..." She stopped talking once he'd slammed the door shut with his foot.
"Was it you?" Punk asked her as she shook her head with confusion.
"Was it me, what?" She shook her head, feeling him grab her by the shoulders, pushing her against the wall, "Why do you insist on pushing me against something every time you see me?" She asked, genuinely wanting to know, not meaning for that to sound sexual in any way.
"Did you send me a text earlier?" He asked her with anger, almost shaking her.
"Yes… yes, I sent you a text." AJ nodded, "What's the big deal?" She asked him, not understanding why he had drove all the way up here just to ask such a stupid question.
"Maybe put your name at the end of it next time, huh?" He raised his eyebrows as she managed to wriggle out of his grasp.
"Take your hands off of me." She spat, backing away into the living room as he followed her.
He couldn't deny how undeniably gorgeous she looked at this precise moment in time. She'd clearly just came out the shower, where he didn't even want to imagine her in. He'd lose it. Her hair was still damp, her long, dark hair. Her small shorts revealed her tanned legs to him for the first time, which he couldn't help stare at.
"What is wrong with you?" She asked him.
"Do you have any idea how stupid it was, to text someone like me, what you text me." He spat, "That could have been from anyone. You gave me a fucking heart attack" He spat.
"I'm sorry… I didn't think." She shook her head.
"Clearly." Punk said, "Plus, what a stupid question to ask me. How do I get over it so quickly? Because it's my fucking job." He said.
"Is this what you came to do? Shout in my face? Put your hands on me again?" She asked him.
"I came to tell you that you're stupid. Don't ever… don't ever do that again." He shook his head.
"Maybe you'll save my number then." She looked up at him, backing away as she felt him move closer, knocking her body against the wall as she realised she had no where else to escape to.
"And why would I do that?" He asked her with a smirk.
"I don't know. You tell me?" She asked him, suddenly feeling his body press up against hers. It felt just as good as her dream. He was warm and soft, and it was so hard to keep her hands to herself.
Punk wasn't sure what was provoking him to get so close to her. He had convinced himself until now that he hated her, but that appeared to be very untrue.
AJ felt as he lightly tugged her hair where her neck tilted back, looking straight up at him as she winced a little from the tight pull he had on her damp hair, not knowing if she could ever understand what was going through his mind, but right now, she could take a pretty good guess.
Punk pressed his lips against hers, expecting her to push him away, chancing his luck, but to his surprise, she deepened it, seething in against the kiss as she suddenly realised it was the best kiss she'd ever received, and she never wanted it to go away.
She didn't know what she was thinking. She didn't want anything to do with him, and she certainly didn't expect him to show up tonight. The text wasn't a booty call. She genuinely just wanted an answer back. She didn't want him to show up here and… do this. That was never her intention. But now it was happening. She had no control to stop it. He'd taken that from her.
Oh! Will the kiss go further? What will Elise make of all of this? More importantly, what will Jack make of it? Is AJ going to be able to deal with having feelings for Punk? More from Dean and Elise's story… All coming soon! Stay tuned and please, keep reviewing!