A/N : So it just occurred to me that I didn't continue posting this story here and, while I appreciate that it's not as well received on this site as on others, I have a bit of a soft spot for it and I kinda figured if y'all responded well to any chapter, it would be this one...
As always, thank you to anyone who's clicked on, read or even wondered about one of my stories. I really hope you all enjoy but I do accept any and all feedback so please let me know what you think!
The cameras flashed, bright and blinding, as Ric Flair scaled the courthouse steps, the reporters jostling for a photo of his client. Dressed in an expensive suit and with his shoulder length hair freshly washed and trimmed, Hunter Helmsley could have passed for a celebrity, were it not for the silver handcuffs he wore. With his head held high, he'd looked defiant before the cameras, and Ric hoped he carried himself with that same, cool demeanour.
For three days, they had waited with baited breath, listening along with the jury as Hunter's misdeeds were recounted. Many of them, as were expected when the charges were as extensive as Hunter's, were wildly untrue and most of his more 'creative' adventures had been completely omitted from the list, much to Ric's relief. As he stood at the top of the stairs, he turned back towards the cameras, searching among the flashing lights for that one face he hoped he wouldn't see. Each morning in the run up to the trial, he'd devoured the witness lists, the evidence and partial statements he had access to, desperate to see if any of them could point to her involvement. As it was, he was yet to see a sign that she was involved in the trial. In fact, had he not met her, he would swear he was yet to a see a sign that she had ever existed.
As he stepped through security, his bag being searched while he moved through the metal detector, Ric almost yawned. Today would be easy enough - the scraps and morsels that the witnesses knew were easily discredited given their history, their own accusations only serving to paint themselves as liars, addicts, cheats and criminals - but he could have done without it. He'd wanted to hold off on the trial, even just a few more days, but Hunter wasn't built for prison. He was built to rule.
For years, now, Ric had credited him as being the most intelligent man he knew. Every plan he put into action came with multiple layers, decoys, red herrings and collateral damage, to the point where Ric wondered if even he and Dave knew the finer details to some of the larger events. He had been untouchable, and still would be were it not for her. She had disappeared in a puff of smoke, just hours before Hunter's arrest and she'd taken his common sense with her. While Ric and Dave and everyone else involved in the business knew she had been the one to betray Hunter, he swore blind that she wouldn't do this, that she'd been taken captive… Even now, he had Dave and Seth leading teams up and down the country, desperate to find the mysterious heiress with the piercing blue eyes.
Each morning, as Ric scanned the witness lists, he prayed he wouldn't be the one to find Demi Bennett. She knew too much, and there was only one way to deal with people who knew too much…
"And you're sure Sonya won't mind us using the cafe?" Liv asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. The familiar tinkle of the bell rang as they stepped into the empty cafe, shrouded completely in darkness. As Rhea closed the door behind them and began punching in the alarm code, Liv peered back through the glass panel, wondering where Raquel had stationed herself. She knew she was out there, somewhere - she had warned them of it - but even Liv couldn't find her…
"I said she didn't know, not that she didn't mind." Turning on her heel to admonish the younger woman, Liv opened her mouth to speak and was quickly silenced as the lights flickered on. The cafe, usually bright under the overhead lights and mismatched lamps, was lit entirely by fairy lights, twinkling across the walls and wrapped in the plants, save for a few candles which took up residence on a small two person table in the centre of the room. The rest of the tables and chairs had been pushed, haphazardly out of the way. "Mandy outdid herself…" Rhea muttered, snapping Liv from her wonder.
"I should be pissed at you for not getting permission to do this but…"
"But you're completely blown away that I managed to convince Raquel to let us have some alone time and that I traded four morning shifts to get Mandy to set this up…?" She could see the smirk on Rhea's face as she spoke, clearly very impressed with herself. Pulling out one of the chairs, Rhea motioned for her to sit before disappearing behind the counter and through to the kitchen, where Liv lost her to the rattling of cupboards. It was so silly but all Liv could do was nod. She had known they wouldn't be able to go on a 'normal' date - couldn't risk the Vice President's daughter being outed - and had told Rhea this profusely after their first dinner together. But Rhea had been adamant, telling her that she wanted to take her out, treat her like a princess… And as the Australian appeared from behind the counter once more, a fancy looking cocktail in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other,Liv was fairly certain she'd already succeeded. "I already told you I don't cook but I thought, since we cant go to a real bar…" Rhea placed the glass in front of her, allowing Liv to watch as the pale pink, glittery concoction swirled.
Without thinking, the blonde grabbed for her phone, setting up her camera to video the sparkles as she mixed it with her straw. "What is this?" she asked, discarding her phone and taking a sip of the fruity mixture. It tasted fruity and fizzy all at once and she smacked her lips as let go of the straw.
"Uh, it's called a Pink Panty Dropper," Rhea laughed, taking a seat across from her. "With added glitter since uh…" She waved a hand in Liv's general direction, causing the blonde to smile. She had, perhaps, gone a little OTT with the glitter, but she'd wanted to make a good impression, and she hadn't missed the fact that Rhea clearly had too. The tight long sleeve top she wore looked new and her lips looked glossy, her hair meticulously styled. Liv had been near breathless when she'd seen the sliver of skin between her top and pants, or when she'd absent mindedly taken her hand on the walk to the cafe, the jingling of the heavy silver bracelets on Rhea's wrist jingling with every step.
"Well it tastes great," she replied, once she'd dragged her eyes away from the woman in front of her. "Did Mandy make this too?"
Rhea's face contorted as she placed a hand to her chest in mock horror. "What kind of woman do you take me for, Liv?" Taking a sip of her beer, Rhea laughed. "I've worked in a few bars over the last couple of years. One of them was, uh, a pretty colourful strip club, if you get my drift… The ladies loved the panty dropper."
"And what about the drinks?" Liv's response caught the other woman off guard, it seemed, and she snorted, choking on her beer. Gazing at her over the glittery drink, Liv continued, "I can't imagine you working in a strip club."
Rhea shrugged, chewing at the ragged skin around her thumb nail. "It was a while ago, now. Back in Atlanta, actually. And I only ever did bar work, really. But it was a good gig, while it lasted. One of the few jobs I actually enjoyed until I moved here," Liv listened as Rhea spoke about her time at Peaches, about the people she worked with and some of the more questionable mishaps she had managed to get herself into while she was there. Liv soaked in every word - Rhea normally did the listening, asking all the right questions and letting Liv talk one-hundred-miles-an-hour about whatever took her fancy, and it was nice to actually learn something about her.
"Why did you leave?" she asked, noting the wistful tone in Rhea's voice, the silly smile that tugged at her lips as she spoke about Luis the doorman getting attacked by a four foot eleven masc. "If you loved it so much, I mean. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you did but…"
"It was…complicated," came the reply, and Liv knew better than to push it. She could already see the metaphorical wall being built back up right before her eyes. "Give me your glass, i'll make you another. Bald Pussy or a Lick and a Promise?" Liv rolled her eyes at the silly titles before deciding, Rhea leaning in for the quickest of pecks to her lips before she went back through to the kitchen. While Rhea worked on the next suggestively titled cocktail, Liv opened the Instagram app on her phone and uploaded the video of her drink to her story. It was a private account, only followed by her close friends, and she had barely used it since she'd moved across the country. She hadn't had much to post, afterall, but as she added the text 'date night' and a heart eyes emoji, she had a feeling that all of that would change now Rhea was around.
Most of the night seemed to follow a similar pattern, with Rhea's cocktail making getting slightly sloppier and far more suggestive as the night went on. "Where the fuck is the whipped cream?" she muttered, throwing open the same cupboard she had just been looking in. Liv sat atop the work station, legs crossed at the ankles as she bit into the cherry Rhea had left out for the shot. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt like this, felt the warm, fuzzy feeling that always came from drinking this much alcohol, but she was more than happy to allow embrace it.
"What do you need whipped cream for?" she asked, once the cherry was discarded.
"You can't make an Angel's Tit without it." Rhea replied, looking at her as though she'd asked a dumb question. It took a second or two, but when the Australian's eyes finally focused, realising that Liv had eaten the cherry, she froze, eyebrow raised. "Where's the nipple?" Liv hoped the response she gave was suggestive as she dragged her bottom lip between her teeth but the alcohol had long since started clouding her judgement and, rather than try to speak, she gave a little shimmy before collapsing into hysterics.
In no time at all, Rhea was standing in front of her, still taller despite Liv's elevated seat, and Liv unconsciously parted her legs, allowing the other woman to settle between them. Liv's heart beat heavy against her ribs as her laughter trailed off, very aware of Rhea's gaze trained on her face. Those piercing blue eyes looked almost stormy under the heavy makeup, and Liv struggled to look away, utterly intoxicated by more than just the cocktails. The whole night she'd been unable to take her eyes away from Rhea, staring unashamedly as she'd spoken and wishing she was brave enough to close the distance between them. "Rhea…" she said, her voice low and throaty, her eyes trained on the soft swell of Rhea's lips. If she looked away, she knew she might rethink the plan that was slowly forming. "Can we get out of here?"
The near animalistic smirk that took over Rhea's face was infectious and Liv found herself grinning as her question was answered with a simple, "I thought you'd never ask."
The back door of Cosmic Cafe opened out into a dank, dark alleyway, cluttered with large dumpsters and filled with the sounds of a stray cat tucking into the remnants of someone's meal. It was possibly the least romantic place Liv had ever been, but she couldn't bring herself to mind. Once Rhea was sure that the coast was clear and Raquel was still somewhere out front, she ushered the blonde to follow her, winding up the back streets until they reached a tall apartment block, stealing chaste kisses as they went.
As they exited the loud, rickety elevator that spat them out onto the twelfth floor of the building with a metal-sounding clang, Liv found herself casting nervous glances at the woman holding her hand. Rhea led her along the corridor until they stopped at a dark red door, apologising for a mess Liv was yet to see. Her accent was thicker when she drank, Liv noted, and the way she said Liv's name seemed to roll off her tongue like a prayer, a hymn, something she wanted to hear over and over. "Welcome to Casa del Ripley," Rhea said, stepping into the apartment and gently tugging Liv in with her.
She wasn't sure what she expected in terms of decor, perhaps something dark and gothic, with skulls and candelabras, but the hallway was an off-white, the wood flooring and side board unexpectedly light for what she had thought to be Rhea's tastes and she wondered if the rest of the apartment was decorated similarly. The tour, however, never came, and Rhea's warm hand snaked around her waist, pulling her closer and claiming her lips in one smooth movement. In no time at all, Liv had kicked off her heels, one hand finding purchase in Rhea's short hair as the other toyed at the hem of her shirt, clinging on for dear life as she lost herself in Rhea's kiss. "Bedroom's this way," Rhea said against her lips, breaking the kiss momentarily to direct the blonde.
It took all of Liv's power not to run then, to throw herself into the bedroom and get Rhea's lips back on her's, but she could feel an urgency from the other woman too, her large hand tugging at Liv's own as she pulled her into the darkened room. The colour of the walls and the pattern on the plush duvet were lost on Liv, who pushed onto her tiptoes to continue their kiss almost the second they entered the bedroom. It was a decidedly ungraceful stumble across the room, and the back of Liv's legs hit the bed much sooner than she expected, tumbling backwards and pulling Rhea down on top of her. Her skin burned as Rhea kissed her, one hand slipping under the dress Liv had specifically picked out to show off her legs. The short nails cut delicate crescents into Liv's creamy thigh and she hummed appreciatively against Rhea's lips, causing the other woman to chuckle throatily. "You like that?" she asked, giving another gentle squeeze as she pulled back slightly.
The light from the hallway cast a soft glow against Rhea's body as she repositioned herself between Liv's legs and her knees sunk into the mattress when she looked down at the blonde. She was striking like this, sharp angles contrasting with the soft curves, her wolfish grin almost hidden and her hair falling forward into her eyes. Liv raised a hand, her fingers dancing along the soft skin she'd been thinking about all evening before tugging at the hem of Rhea's shirt, which was removed and discarded in one quick movement, exposing a surprisingly lacy black bra. She wanted to make some sort of smart-ass comment, to attempt some sort of banter, but it was impossible to speak, her breath hitching slightly as Rhea leaned back down to kiss her and Liv's hand slid upwards, over the lace, any thoughts of anything other than Rhea's breasts long forgotten.
"You're wearing way too much right now," Rhea's words are gentle, little more than a whisper against Liv's neck, but they seem to seep under Liv's skin, leaving her hot, tingling, desperate for more, and she arches her back slightly, wriggling her hips to allow Rhea to slide the dress up and over them. The material, or perhaps its Rhea's fingers, drags against her and she's thankful when the dress is off, quickly discarded to some dark corner of the room as the other woman exhales, "Fucking hell."
It took some manoeuvring, with Rhea's hands gripping her ass as she pushed her further up the bed, but Liv finally flopped backwards, blonde hair spread below her and she looked up at the other woman with a lust filled gaze. In nothing but a thong, she smiled, watching and waiting for Rhea's next step and was rewarded when Rhea's hands began to move again, her fingers finding their way between Liv's legs with confidence and a strange familiarity that had Liv straining against her within seconds, begging to be touched without the barrier of her underwear.
"Someone's eager," Rhea laughed, fingers moving languidly against her. Her other hand cupped Liv's cheek as she peppered kisses down her jaw, her neck, her collarbones, leaving pinkened blooms on the pale skin as she did. The needy whine that left Liv when her lips finally made it to a nipple only seemed to spur the Australian on, however, and she continued to tease, slowly and surely, causing Liv's vision to blur as she whispered and begged her to continue. Rhea, clearly not one to take instructions, released her nipple, dragging her tongue obscenely across her breast. "We've got all the time in the world. What's the rush?"
It had been so long since anyone had touched her, had made her skin burn and her head spin the way Rhea did and Liv stammered out a monosyllabic response, unable to form a coherent sentence when she had this beautiful woman between her legs. "Please…" she urged, reaching down to cover Rhea's hand as best she could, pressing the other's fingers against her.
"Please, what?" Liv's fingers trembled as Rhea's own slipped under her thong, the thin, flimsy material soaked as she pushed it aside, and her nails left red scratches on the back of Rhea's hand in an attempt to control her movements in a silent plea to the other woman.
"Fuck me," she groaned, unsure if it was an exclamation or a direction, but Rhea took it as the latter and her hand her hand began to move, her thumb seeking out Liv's clit as her fingers pushed inside her. Liv shuddered at the new feeling, clenching around the Australian, who began her assault on her neck once more. She was overwhelmed, her body ringing with every slow thrust of Rhea's fingers, and she tried to match her pace as best she could though she knew it was a lost cause, her hips rolling and snapping frantically, much to the other's amusement. Her cheeks were tinged pink with shame at how easy she was coming apart, how quickly she'd resorted to begging, and she was glad of the darkened room when Rhea bit down on the soft skin at the crook of her neck, rendering her incoherent as she felt her climax near. Despite being able to feel the drag of Rhea's tongue stud against the sensitive skin which would no doubt carry a mark for days, she couldn't bring herself to care, couldn't focus on anything but the impending climax that Rhea seemed determined to coax out of her.
"God you feel so good," she muttered against Liv's neck, voice low and raspy, little more than a ragged breath and Liv struggled to hold it together, her eyes squeezed tight as Rhea continued to fuck her. "So fucking wet…"
It was the accent that broke her, that caused the dam to break and leave her little more than a desperate mess. One hand clutched at Rhea's bicep, nails digging in enough to draw blood as she rode out her orgasm, a stream of curses and obscenities escaping her lips and she bucked wildly against Rhea's merciless hand. As her orgasm subsided, her cries turning to whimpers, Liv shuddered and her mind clouded as Rhea slowly removed her hand from between her legs. "That was…" Liv's chest heaved as she gasped for breath, unable to find the words she needed. Through hazy, heavy lidded eyes, she watched as Rhea sat back on her knees and raised her glistening, Liv-soaked fingers to her lips, a guttural moan escaping her as she tasted them.
"Only the beginning."