Eric POV
"Tris!"
Max's shout for someone whose name I never heard before garners my attention immediately.
"Hi," I hear a cheerful voice call out from right outside my office door.
"Sorry, I literally just stepped out for a few minutes. You are early," Max says, obviously moving closer.
"I don't like wasting people's time by being late," she replies.
"You sound like your mom," Max retorts, and even through the closed office door I can hear her snort. "Where is she anyway? I thought she would be glued to your side from the moment you stepped into the compound."
Interesting… she doesn't spend much time in the compound?
I am officially intrigued and when Max takes her into his office I do something I have never ever done before; I open the air vent in between our offices.
Max probably has no idea that the air vents let people listen in on conversations in the offices but I found that out as soon as I moved into my office, hence my vents staying closed when I am inside.
"Sit down, do you want a drink? I got a bottle of the apple cider you like," Max offers.
"Really? I thought you didn't like it," she … Tris exclaims.
"I know you like it and I knew you were coming over today so I got it. What happened to your mom," Max repeats his earlier question.
"She bumped into Hana so I just left them to catch up and gossip," she quips.
"Are you staying for dinner? Louise was hoping to see you and I know Hannah wanted to grill you about where your brother might be heading," Max trails off.
"Max, I can't tell her that," Tris complains. "Do you really want her to think about transferring just because she has a crush?"
"Infatuation and no, she won't defect unless she feels it is the right choice. She has another year to go anyway," Max deflects.
"As if you don't want to know as early as possible whether she stays or goes," Tris teases.
"I might want to know but I promise you I will support her every choice," Max promises.
"Good, now, why did you ask me to come in?"
"I needed to talk to you about your future," Max starts and Tris chuckles darkly.
The sound, while more than common in Dauntless, does something to me I never experienced before… I get hard within seconds.
"Max, I already made my choice and I will stick with it," Tris promises.
"How do you feel about leadership," Max blurts out.
"Uh," Tris starts but Max interrupts her.
"Hear me out! Jonathan wants to retire, he is giving me a few weeks to look for his replacement but as soon as he thinks I found someone that HE approves of, he will be out the door in the blink of an eye. I want someone young, Tris. Someone who will be on the leadership team for decades. You come with all the right qualifications…" Tris huffs loudly. "… and connections," Max adds while Tris snorts.
"I wouldn't consider myself qualified," she gripes.
"You will be trained," Max promises.
"Uh, that should be a given," Tris interrupts him.
"You are resilient, you are smart, you have a backbone of steel and let's not forget your genetic make up, Tris."
"Fuck no, Max! Just because I am divergent doesn't mean I am supposed to be better than anyone else. That's just wrong. It is discriminatory to everyone else to just think I am a shoe in for leadership because of what is inside my body. I was born this way, I did not have to work on becoming divergent, I just am. What are you going to tell everyone else as to why you chose me? Nepotism doesn't sound so good either!"
Who the fuck is she?!
"There is no fucking nepotism in asking you to consider a leadership role? I didn't outright offer it to you…"
"Yet," Tris interrupts Max.
"At the moment it is either you or Four," Max exclaims.
"I highly doubt he changed his mind," Tris tells Max to my utter surprise.
"You never know," Max hedges. "With the right incentive he just might take it."
"Are you insinuating that he will sacrifice himself and take it to spare me? That is low, Max, really low." Tris takes a deep breath. "I am honestly disappointed in you!"
"It was just a thought and you are right, okay? You are number one on my list and I would love to have you on the team. Do you want to keep working with the Factionless?"
"No," Tris admits.
"Will you consider it?"
"You don't even know what kind of people initiation will bring into the faction. It's just six weeks to go, Max," Tris reminds him.
"I doubt I will find anyone better than you,Tris!"
"So you think Uriah wouldn't be a good choice," she teases and I shudder while Max screams "Fuck no!"
"What about Lynn," Tris asks more seriously.
"Lynn is more special forces or head of the guard than leadership material," Max muses.
"Yeah, I can totally see that," Tris agrees.
Who is she? Why did I never come across her before? I am certain I would remember meeting someone like her.
"So you will consider it," Max asks.
"Ask me again when initiation is over," Tris requests.
"I will ask the moment the ranking is clear," Max promises.
"Fine," Tris grumbles.
"I love you and I only want what is best for you and Dauntless," Max swears.
"Am I what's best for Dauntless," she asks.
Her voice sounds honestly doubtful and just by that I know she should be considered. We need people who don't think they are God's gift to mankind.
A loud knock has me jump up and rush over to close the vent but I stop in my tracks when it is Max who calls for whoever knocked to enter.
"You made it," Max exclaims with delight.
"Someone has to keep an eye on you so you don't corrupt Tris," a female announces.
"Too late for that. Maybe next time you won't miss it while gossiping with Hana," Max teases.
"It is important to stay informed. You might call it gossip but I call it valuable information that helps make better choices."
Well, she might have a point.
"It's good to see you, Nat. Don't have much time to visit as I used to but hopefully I will have more time when we have a younger leadership team that can pull its weight…"
"You didn't," the new woman exclaims in real horror.
"Mom, it's okay," Tris soothes the angry woman.
"He shouldn't spring this on you, Tris. It will reflect badly on your performance and evaluation," Tris' mom exclaims. "Why don't you wait outside for a few minutes, I need to talk to Max."
"Mom, Max didn't…"
"I would like to have some alone time with Max," Tris' mother says in a steely voice that doesn't allow for any defiance.
"Yes ma'am," Tris replies, and my dick salutes her.
I hear quiet footsteps and then the door closing before Tris' mom speaks up again.
"What the fuck, Max! I leave her alone with you for like five minutes and you spring a fucking leadership position on her? She is too young to be burdened with that? She wants to have a family, Max. The more kids, the better, and she can't have that if her life is the faction," Tris' mom rants.
"Natalie, Tris is a Pure! She beat Jeanine in the intelligence department and if she wants to have children we can give her maternity leave and adjust her tasks. I want her for leadership," Max repeats.
While everything he says registers with me, I am still stuck on the part where he called Tris a 'Pure' and miss some of the reply from her mom.
"… once she meets the right man she will want to have those kids the very next day, Max…"
She doesn't have a man yet … I want her!
I realise that is nothing but the truth. I haven't seen Tris yet but her voice and … attributes have me ready to go down on my knees and beg her to consider me. She is outside in the hallway… I could just step outside and introduce myself!
My body takes over and while one hand closes the vent, the other adjusts my straining dick so I don't leave the wrong first impression. Well, she should know who I am but that still doesn't mean I should give her the wrong impression when I leave my office.
With purpose, I stride over to the door and yank it open ne suddenly my arms are full of soft breasts belonging to a struggling female.
"Shit," I exclaim and immediately step back. Wrong move, because I was still holding onto her just as she was holding onto me.
Now I am standing in the middle of my office with the woman I wanted to wow with a great first impression on her knees right in front of me.
Her hands are on my hips while mine moved to grip her shoulders.
We both jerk our heads when the door closes with a soft click.
While I stare at the door, Tris turns her head back to me and gasps loudly.
This brings my world back into focus and I stare down at her while she looks at me wide eyed.
"Fuck me," I exclaim when I realise just how this looks.
Tris is on her knees, her hands on my hips and her chin rubbing the tip of my dick through the fabric of my pants while she stares at me with doe eyes.
I lift one arm and run my fingers through my hair while trying to clear my head. Her eyes follow my movements and when I stop at the back of my head, she licks her lips.
I groan and my dick twitches. Her chin bops and her eyes close halfway as she stares at my waistband without moving an inch.
Her momentary distraction gives me time to fully register what I am seeing.
Tris has ash blonde hair and her eyes looked blue.
She is tall and slender with muscles in just the right places, from what I can tell.
While her arms are covered in a long sleeved top that moulds to her almost like a second skin, there is a bunch of fabric around her legs that makes me think she is wearing a rather wide skirt.
Tris' chin wriggling over the head of my cock brings me out of my mental cataloguing and back to the present in seconds.
"Ungh," I groan immediately and her hands squeeze my hips harshly.
"Fuck," Tris exclaims but doesn't move.
Her fingers slipped, pushing the fabric of my shirt up and now she is touching bare skin. The pads of her fingers rub almost absentmindedly over my flesh and I can feel goosebumps cover my body while I shiver.
"Oh god," she mumbles.
"Eric," I correct her and grunt when her head jerks up and her chin bumps into my dick. She sees me wince in pain and before I know what is happening she has the buttons undone and is rubbing me through the cotton of my boxers.
I grunt in a mix of pain and pleasure.
"I didn't mean to hurt you," she grumbles and continues to rub me gently. "Does it still hurt," she asks me wide eyed when my face contorts.
It fucking hurts but not the way she probably thinks.
I am too slow to answer and she must have taken it as a sign that I indeed still hurt.
Her next action has me stare at her while moaning carnally.
Tris pulls my boxers down and kisses my dick.
"Oh god," I moan again when I feel the precum ooze out the top.
Tris' thumb brushes the first few drops away before she kisses the next ones. Her tongue pokes out and she licks up the almost steady flow.
"Shhh, it's okay, Eric. I will make it better," she promises me.
"Oh god," I grunt out from in between clenched teeth when it feels like I will erupt any second.
"Tris," she corrects me and takes the tip into her mouth, sucking gently like she is trying to get a feel for it first.
My hands grab ahold of her shoulders and I squeeze.
"Please stop," I beg and she does with my dick still in between her lips.
I pull her up to stand right in front of me and crush my lips to hers. Tris' mouth opens in surprise and I sneak my tongue in as soon as the opportunity arises.
Tris' hands land on my shoulders with some force but she is not pushing me away. When I stumble backwards, she clings to me, and when I almost fall into one of my visitor chairs, she follows.
When my ass is firmly planted in the seat she sits astride and I fucking love this position.
My hands move straight to her ass and I pull her into me while never ceasing our kiss. Tris' hips undulate and she groans while she rubs a bunch of fabric against my dick.
I am delighted when it is one of her hands that trails down the side of my body and pulls the fabric up so I can rub against the cotton of her own underwear.
"Ungh… So good," I moan, and she nods in agreement.
I grab her hips and lift her up before bringing her back down against my crotch. She rubs me in just the right way and if I did everything correctly her clit should get plenty of stimulation.
"Eric," she whimpers and the needy sound lets me know she needs more to fall over the edge.
"Here," I groan and push the fabric of her panties aside so I can massage her clit.
"Wedgie," she groans into my mouth while her own hand pulls the fabric out of her ass crack and further aside.
I whimper unmanly when I end up rubbing my dick against her sopping wet pussy lips.
She squeals when I slip inside and then grunts harshly while digging her fingernails into my skin, drawing blood. She is hot and wet, but the most amazing part is how tight she feels around me.
My finger presses against her clit while she sinks down onto my dick almost violently. I erupt when her channel basically suffocates me and squeeze her ass cheek in a near death grip.
Her grunt turns from pain to pleasure and, while I empty all I've got into her, my ministrations coax her own orgasm out of her.
I am breathing harshly and can't stop staring at the woman that literally fell into my arms. She seems absolutely perfect for me and I want to keep her.
"Marry me," I blurt out and her eyes widen comically.
"What," she stammers, and I love the sound of her voice. It is not nasally or equally annoying like most females. She has a husky quality to it that makes me think of depraved things I want to do to her.
"Marry me," I repeat firmly, my mind made up.
"You don't know me," she blurts out.
"I know enough," I assure.
"I don't know you," she adds.
"Then go out with me and change that," I demand.
"Eric, I can't," she whispers. "Not until initiation is over," she adds when she sees my face.
"I want to see you before then," I complain.
"But I won't be around for the next six or so weeks," Tris cautions.
"I can wait," I assure her. "Just … promise me you will keep me in mind and not accept any other advances," I request.
"Eric, you really don't know what you are asking," Tris complains.
"I most certainly do," I protest.
"So you mean to insinuate that you have no issue waiting weeks for me and that you consider yourself taken," she queries.
"Indeed, I do," I boast.
"You are nuts," she exclaims and bites her lip when she sees that my demeanor doesn't change.
"You really mean it? This is not just because we suddenly found ourselves having a quickie seconds after meeting for the first time?"
"If you'd let me, I would fuck you every second of your life, right after I am done making love to you, that is," I swear.
"Oh my god, where did you read that cheesy line?!" Tris asks."You sound like you jumped right out of one of Hana's books," Tris adds, not helping matters at all.
"When you know, you know," I boast.
"You know what," Tris asks cautiously.
"That I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I feel like I knew you belonged to me the moment I heard you greet Max outside my door," I admit the impossible.
"Impossible," Tris retorts expectedly.
"Love at first sight? Soulmates finding each other? Knowing when the wait for your other half is over," I ask quietly.
"Eric, you don't know what you are talking about. This is just the pheromones and adrenaline speaking," Tris concludes. Nodding to herself, she continues down the same path. "You don't know a thing about me and I don't know any more about you either. This is ridiculous, Eric. Honestly, you will wonder what the heck you were thinking of in ten minutes' time," she states with conviction.
While she is listing all of the things going through her mind she is absently rubbing my chest with one hand and the hair at the nape of my neck with the other. I want to moan in bliss but hold back, lest she stops. Oh, and her pelvis, I think to myself. Tris keeps grinding her clit into me and rotates her pelvis slowly, unconsciously keeping me hard and inside of her. Pure bliss…
"September twentieth, Tris. Mark that day in your calendar for that is the day I will make you mine. We have the rest of our lives to get to know each other but that day I will put my mark on you," I promise and she stops halfway through her next point.
"Eric," she starts but her mother's voice calling her name stops her cold.
"Where did she go now," her mother asks Max.
"Maybe she went to the bathroom," Max suggests.
"I'll check," her mother states.
"Let me know if you can't find her. I have some more work to do before lunch," Max grouses.
"Take care, Max," her mom calls out, her steps retreating towards the back end of the hall where the bathrooms for this office block are located.
"Shit, shit, shit," Tris curses and jumps up. "Oh fuck," she exclaims when my dick slides out of her. She stares at it for a few seconds, mesmerised.
"The bathroom is out of order, Tris. Tell her you used the one next to the housing and maintenance department," I encourage.
"I have to go," she whispers, sounding reluctant and opens her mouth to speak again when I interrupt.
"Go or else she will be back and see you come out here. We can always get married right now with her bearing witness," I offer and Tris doesn't hesitate to rush to the door. "September twentieth,Tris," I call after her but she doesn't answer before the door closes behind her.
"Fuck," I curse loudly. "Why did I let her leave?"
I am up and running towards the door but my pants drop down to my ankles and trip me. Barely catching myself on my hands before my dick kisses the floor, I hear raised voices and just know that Tris found her mom.
"We are late," Tris' mom chides and I presume Tris answered too quietly for me to her. "You will see him soon enough if he has his will but we need to get to the train now or else we will miss it," her mother states loudly once more.
"No, don't go," I shout within my mind but of course it doesn't do me any good.
"What the fuck was I thinking," I ask myself out loud.
Why did I let her leave? Why did I help her escape me? Why did I not simply throw the damned door open and tell Max and her mom that we are in her and to get the damned marriage licence ready to be signed?
While I never assumed I would encounter this instantaneous knowledge of having found the woman I would spend the rest of my life with, I didn't really question the possibility of its existence. Growing up Erudite might have provided me with the scientific mind to analyse and dissect but I chose Dauntless for a reason. While I am smart, I also learned to trust my gut feeling. That is something that can not be explained and to believe in another sense over knowledge and logic is just not the way for Erduite. Dauntless, on the other hand, encourages people to listen to their gut. They train us well but you need to have the right instincts to get to the top. We don't want mindless soldiers but we don't want rebels either. Finding the right balance is what makes a good Dauntless.
I don't know why Tris is so adamant to not accept leadership or my advances until this year's initiation is over but I will do everything in my power to speed up her timeline.
…
Two days later I feel like I am at my wits end. It seems like Tris was just a figment of my imagination yet I still have the shirt that smells like her and the pants that got covered with our combined juices. I know I didn't dream things up but short of asking Max outright about Tris and admitting to what transpired I don't know how to find her.
She is not in any database, I checked them all. I scoured the last five years worth of new members for any trace of her. She didn't look older than that to me but looks can be deceiving. Reluctantly, and with a shudder of disgust at myself, I even braved the dependents for this year's Choosing Ceremony. While sex with a dependent is not complete forbidden, it is not encouraged either, and for someone in my position to have that mark against me is more than I am comfortable with.
I am torn in between asking for help and possibly admitting why I am looking for her and accepting the ridiculously long wait time Tris put forward.
A sharp knock on my door brings me out of my musings and I am more than thankful when Max pokes his head in and gives me the perfect task to take my mind off my dilemma.
Six hours later I am cursing my choices. Why the fuck did I think supervising the replacement of part of the fence's integrated steel beams would be great?
The horn of a truck approacheing the gate blares and something tells me to turn around. I get a glimpse of a tall woman with ash blonde hair in the sea of red, black and grey clothed people.
Tris! Oh God, I found her! Thank you for making me accept this chore…
"Watch out!"
I turn too late to avoid the deactivated electric wire rushing towards me but I manage to move enough to feel it clip me only on the chin. Falling backwards with pain radiating from my jaw, I realise too late that I am up on the top level and there is only one way to go now - down.
My vision blurs before everything fades to black.
…
"You have to let go, Tris!"
…
"Tris, we need to bring Eric into the operating room now. You did good, child, but now it is time for the doctors to take care of him."
Tris is here! She is with me? I really saw her! She is not a figment of my imagination and she is here right now!
"You'll be fine," a husky voice whispers into my ear before the warmth I had been feeling suddenly disappears and cold seeps into my every pore while a steady beep starts ringing in my ears.
…
"Finally," Max greets me when I open my eyes and promptly close them thanks to the blinding light.
"Lights are dimmed," Veronica announces after a moment and I try to open my eyes slowly.
It is better but I am still squinting.
"Stay where you are and don't try talking," Veronica orders before walking closer.
"You are in hospital after breaking your jaw and falling a level down the fence," Max explains quickly. "You were lucky, Eric. Just a foot to the side and you would have gone all the way down," Max sighs.
"You have a concussion and your jaw is wired shut for the foreseeable future," Veronica jumps in with the biggest smile on her face.
I can't seem to raise my arm but the middle finger will do just fine and she laughs out loud when she follows my gaze.
"He is gonna be just fine, Max," she quips before throwing herself into one of the visitor chairs.
"You will need to stay in hospital for a few more days before they release you into the care of our infirmary. They'll re-evaluate you and decide if you can go home or stay on for a few additional nights. I need you to take it easy for a while, Eric," Max pleads immediately, seeing my displeasure.
I try to nod but flinch when that small movement hurts like hell.
"I think he gets it," Veronica adds her two cents.
"We will not coddle you, Eric," Max promises. "We'll get you up and running as fast as possible but you need to follow the rules set forth by your doctors. From what I have been told the wired shut jaw is the only issue you will face. Food needs to be blended and your workouts will be at a minimum, at best, but the rest is business as usual."
There is so much I want to ask but I am actually tired and before I can do anything else I feel my eyelids drop and blackness overtakes me once more.
…
Max POV
"That went better than expected," I tell Veronica when Eric falls asleep in front of my eyes.
"Give him a day or two and he will drive everyone up the walls," she quips.
"Yeah, yeah," I groan. "We need to reassign tasks for the next three months, Ronny. Jonathan wants to retire so he is out the door as soon as he sees the list of initiates and Andy is more than busy with all the security and transportation needs this time of the year. Eric couldn't have picked a shittier time to be out of commission," I grouse.
"I doubt he chose to take himself out of commission," Veronica smirks before looking at Eric's prone form in the hospital bed. "Maybe he needs a bit of time for himself. He hasn't stopped since he set foot into Dauntless and I don't remember him taken even one day off. That boy doesn't have an ounce of private life, maybe this accident will change his view and convince him that he shouldn't live for work?"
She sounds very hopeful and I don't want to take that away from her just yet.
"What did you mean by Jon retiring as soon as he sees the list of new initiates," she asks after a few minutes of silent musing on both our sides.
"Oh, it's just that he told me he wants to retire and I happen to know that someone suitable is going to become a member," I admit.
Veronica stares at me for a while, mentally going through everything she knows and I can see it clear as day when she comes to a conclusion.
"Tris will turn sixteen," she exclaims, her voice full of cheer.
"I talked to her and if Natalie doesn't turn her against us she will be a shoe in for leadership," I boast.
"Why would Natalie deny her daughter such an opportunity? Malcolm is dead, his followers gone or hiding very well and the way is clear for Tris and others like her to shine. Natalie would be stupid to encourage Tris to stay. Scratch that, she would be utterly selfish to do that," Veronica declares.
"She is preparing Tris for her initiation, Ronny, but she brought up a valid concern," I admit.
"Pray tell!"
"Nat thinks Tris wants a large family and worries becoming a leader at such a young age will take that away from her. She thinks Tris will be too selfless to choose having a family over her duty as a leader…"
"We will make sure she doesn't think it necessary," Veronica interrupts me.
"She can be stubborn as a mule," I caution.
"And that is opposed to all the other leaders," Veronica challenges with a raised eyebrow.
"Uh… no," I admit.
"When Tris meets someone we will simply make sure to push her into tasks that allow her more free time. She won't feel the pressure of the job fighting against the time she spends with whoever steals her heart," Veronica vows.
"If it were that simple," I sigh.
…
The next few days are spent visiting Eric in hospital and making sure he is not bored out if his mind. Access to a work tablet turns his mood around immediately and he doesn't even complain when we move him into the infirmary and they insist on him staying for a few more days while they evaluate him for life in Dauntless opposed to his need for extensive medical care that the Erudite provided.
When Eric gets released I am spending the first day in his spare room until I let him kick me out. He will do fine, I know it.
Time flies and Eric pulls his share of work with some small adjustments for his jaw still wired shut. He purposely stays away from the members, focusing on paperwork instead, for he knows he can't do much to those stupid enough to talk smack. He could get his revenge afterwards but he is selfaware enough to know that he can't take not being able to give a retort.
All is well until one week before Choosing Day when Natalie suddenly stands in my door with a murderous look on her face.
I am going to post this once a week. I wrote a birthday gift the other day and the birthday girl requested I post once a week, which I did. Long story short, while I love pushing a story out the moment I finish, this worked so well, I am keeping it up for now. So, beginning of each weekend for the next five weeks, you can expect an update.