filthy-gorgeous-library - Tumblr blog

filthy-gorgeous-library · 8 months ago

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It's. Fucking. Awesome!

I can't even muster words right now - cat gif is accurate so will have to serve in place of more eloquent screaming over your work and boundless talent. 😙👌

𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐊𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝

𝐕𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞!𝐁𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐱 𝐅𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞. 𝐎𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬…

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟓𝐊

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: 𝐕𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐮𝐛-𝐜𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬𝐡, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝. 𝐌𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐝 𝐯𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐭𝐜 (𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞). 𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐭. 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐫 (𝐈’𝐦 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲 ☹️). 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐲 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝). 𝐒𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬. 𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 (𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞). 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐌𝐔𝐓. 𝟏𝟖+ 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐅𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔!

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞: 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐯𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐰 @boxofbonesfic 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐦! 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐭! 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐦𝐞, 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬! 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐫��𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐯𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 (𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐲𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞), 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫-𝐞𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬. 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫, 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 :𝐃 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 @navybrat817 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐲, 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭!

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞.

𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠 @ 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.

You shouldn’t be walking down this street at this time of night.

You shouldn’t be walking down this street at all.

This was the part of town that humans stayed away from, unless they wanted to be front and centre on a missing persons poster. Old, seeped in magic and myth, seduction and danger pulsing over its streets in waves that shimmered, like heat rose from tarmac. This part of the city was wreathed in it, like a mirage, like something in a dream. The tourists were warned away from it, but they still came, to the point the creatures within even allowed the city offices permits for tour buses to pass, warnings and enticements blaring from the guides megaphones.

Legend City was the place where cold hard reality went to die, and fairy tales and monsters roamed.

Legend City was where you had come to die.

No one knew what happened in Legend City exactly, just that the Old Ones lived here, and in similar places all over the world. They had been here first, the cave paintings and archeological digs told that story, but still no one knew exactly what they were or why they didn’t involve themselves in the day to day existence of the planet they lived on. No one even knew exactly what they were. Everything from vampires to mermaids, shifters, angels, hell, maybe even BigFoot, they were all rumoured to dwell within the planet, and hold their own corners where humans were not allowed to enter.

The rain plastered your coat to your skin, shivers wracked your body, cold so deep in your bones that you feared you would never feel warm again, but that thought only made you laugh. That was the whole point of walking into the city, wasn’t it? To feel the frozen embrace of death, so that you could not feel, ever again? It was a madness in you, but a calculated one. You had this one opportunity to escape, and this one opportunity only. Your life was a series of mistakes, from moving away from home over a decade ago, to falling for the first man who was nice to you, to now. To every bruise and ache and nightmare. The therapists and friends you didn’t have would say none of this was your fault, but you knew better.

You didn’t care anymore. Even if the punishment for trespass was death, then you would take it.

The streets of the city within a city were eerily muffled, even over the old style cobblestones, and in your heels. Everything felt strange around you, both still and electric with promise. The rain poured down, you could hear every single rain drop against the surfaces, but the absolute silence of the street pounded over everything else.

Women were known to come into this city and never come back. The mayor said they died, a way to make everyone stay away, but the rumours were that they were kept by the creatures within. That wasn’t why you were here of course, you would never again allow anyone, or anything, to hold you to them by force. You just wanted out. Whatever came at you from this dark place, it would find you with your final fight in your heart, and you would make it kill you rather than risk trying to drag you away.

You felt like you walked for hours, legs leaden, dread heavy in your gut, past cold and into a burning that froze, the world tilting at weird angles, your watch stopped on your wrist. You call out for someone, something, to come to you, but your voice is muffled. Like when you cry for help in one of your recurring dreams, your bellow snatched before it can leave your throat. No one hears you, nothing comes.

You’re lost in the maze of tightly winding cobbled streets. You pass the same bronze statue of some kind of terrifying beast for the third time when you finally collapse on the floor with a grunt of pain. All you hear is the rain, the silence, and your quiet sobs. You couldn’t even die right.

You feel the growl before you hear it. Low. Menacing. There’s a thrill of something when you feel it ring through your blood, and you look up into the shadows pooled at the entrance of the alley opposite you, and see burning blue eyes staring out at you from the black depths.

You feel fear. Of course you do. But that charge flows through you again, and you stare back,

“Come out, come out, whatever you are…”

It’s barely a whisper, the taunt almost afraid to leave your lips, but this is why you’re here. To look death in the eye and smile before it bites.

The eyes narrow, and then you see the face of the thing that stalks you. Pale white fur, teeth stained dark red, a massive body that speaks of extreme power. The wolf is larger than you would’ve expected, and its growl grows louder. You weren’t expecting a wolf, it’s almost… normal. The confusion paralyses you for the length of time it takes for the creature to prowl out and towards you, the rain still pounding, but you no longer hear it, your eyes locked on the beasts,

“Go on… do it… do it!” Your hiss is drowned out by the rain, but the creature hears you, it’s head tilting to one side, another growl reverberating through your bones, “I know you want to, whatever the hell you are,” you look at the blood dripping from its teeth, “I interrupted your meal, didn’t I? Well? Come and get dessert!”

The wolf huffs out what you almost imagine is a laugh at your nerve, but then a reckless kind of fury overtakes you, and you lash out and smack the creature on the nose,

“Don’t laugh at me! I’m not a joke! I’m not here for your entertainment! Just do it!”

The wolf doesn’t snarl, or yelp, or even move. Instead it stares, and you feel the look down to your soul,

I would run now, little mortal.

It’s the shock more than anything that makes you move. A hungry wolf is what you had been faced with, and you’d almost allowed yourself to forget where you were and what you could be facing. That was no standard hungry predator.

It talked to you in your head.

Your bones creaked where the minute fractures were, old bruises and new flaring in sudden sharp pain, but you hauled yourself to your feet and ran as instructed, your breath painful in your lungs almost immediately. You were too cold, too tired, too hurt to run for long. The pounding of the wolf's paws was soon replaced by something worse, horror in your gut.

Wings.

A shifter.

Or worse.

The rumours of shifters abounded, but the myths said that it wasn’t just the animals that lived here. There were others who could be whatever they wanted, and they feasted on blood. Vampires.

One alley morphed into another, then another, then you ran past the same bronze statue for a third time again, and realised the thing behind you was playing with you. The unfairness of it choked you and you came to a complete stop, the ruffle of wings brushed past your ear making you flinch on a shriek,

“Stop playing, and do it!”

It’s not the powerful bellow you wanted it to be, it’s soft, weak, pathetic. Your ribs screamed in pain, stealing the anger in your body until you’re almost bent double, ready for the blows you’ve come to expect when you speak out. It wasn’t fair. You’d been brave for once in your life, taken matters into your own hands, and not even the Legends would help you.

The wing beats stop suddenly. Footsteps come unhurriedly at your back. That odd muffling came over everything again, the rain distant even as it continued to drench you, all you heard was those slow and measured steps as they closed in at your back. Long fingers close around your shoulders, cool and firm, it’s like being held by marble,

“I don't take orders from mortals,” the presence stepped closer to you, bringing his largest body flush to yours. The voice was deep, intrinsically male, it reverberated through you, soothing the tension in your shoulders until you almost relaxed against him, “why are you here, human?”

Do as you’re told, and answer me.

“I want you to kill me,” the words came out easily, almost eagerly, you wanted to make this large male presence happy, you wanted to tell him everything, “I…”

He tilts your head to the side, the expanse of your neck bared to him, one finger gliding smoothly over the skin, goosebumps following in its wake,

“Why should I kill you? Your blood sings to me…” the finger leaves your skin, an ache of loss fills you, until the man turns you to face him and the impact of his presence hits you almost enough to wake you from his thrall.

He’s tall, powerful, you can tell he’s built like a warrior, even under the expensive suit he’s wearing. Inhumanly beautiful, and those eyes… such a shade of blue…

“Open your mouth, sweet human… stick your tongue out for me…”

You do it blindly, hypnotised by those eyes, that voice… he raises his index finger to his lips, grazes the flesh over one incredibly sharp incisor. A thrill of fear goes through you when you see his teeth sharpen and extend, but he hushes you, bringing you closer to him and tilting your head back. A droplet of his blood sits on his finger, ruby red, glistening, and there’s no fight in you as he brings it to your tongue and drags the viscous fluid along the surface,

“Now swallow it, sweet human. You shan’t feel the cold any longer… I like my food warm,”

Sure enough, the shivers you didn’t realise were wracking your body disappeared, leaving you lax with an insidious warmth. A hum of pleasure emanated from you as the male scooped you up easily and walked you to a shadowed corner, where he placed you on your feet. He put himself behind you again, bringing one arm around your front to hold you to him. You didn’t fight, exactly, not as he slowly peeled off your coat from your shoulders, or tugged at the fabric of your top to bare your shoulders, but you did move a little.

He was strong. His arms are like metal. You couldn’t escape, even if you wanted to. Which, of course, you didn’t. You wanted this. You wanted him.

His nose trailed up your neck, his tongue traced idly over your pulse before his lips pressed against your ear,

“I will not be killing you this night, no… your blood is potent, sweet mortal…”

“No…” your eyes closed as his hands went to your waist, so easily keeping you still as he pressed a kiss to your neck, “… please,”

“Tell me why. Most mortals desire the complete abandon of being in my dungeon,” he raised his hands higher to your rib cage, “it is not just the blood kiss your body craves, I can sense the arousal in you-”

His hands had raised a little further, fingers tightening just under your breasts, and you’d flinched in pain without thought, breaking the spell this man had on you and stumbling forward out of his grip. The rain still fell over you but you couldn’t feel it anymore, that pervasive warmth still inside you. Your breath fogged the air in front of you, rapid bursts that almost obscured the creature - the vampire - in front of you.

Almost.

His eyes shone dangerous blue from the shadows, a dark presence that watched you like a hungry wolf on the prowl. His voice reverberated through the air, you felt it in your bones, in your soul,

“Who hurt you, darling?”

The term of endearment threatened to choke you. He was a predator, he shouldn’t care enough to give you a nice name. You shook your head, but his question pierced the night once more, this time an order you were compelled to obey,

“Who put those bruises and broken bones on you?”

“M- my bo-boyfriend, I…”

John had done worse, of course. You were no longer something to be cherished in his eyes, just a nuisance that he knocked around and used when it suited him. So many years together, a lifetime really, and it had come to this. The sunshine of your early life ended in the dark, rain slicked streets, at the hands of a vampire legend. The creature stared at you as he closed the distance you created, his head tilted as you babbled,

“John, he- I heard him say to his friend, that he wanted to- he’s found someone else, and we’re not married, not yet, but he wants the house, he said that he would leave me here, for- for you, the L-Legends… if I go missing, if I’m pronounced dead, then he can- oh…” your back met the wall on the opposite side of the alley, the vampire leading you there as he stalked you. You didn’t know, magic or just his presence, but he towered over you, blocking out everything until you looked into his eyes again.

It wasn’t a thrall. At least you didn’t think it was. You spoke without hesitation this time, as you looked up at the thing that would kill you,

“I decided to take matters into my own hands. John left for some trip, I set the scene, and came here. Please do one thing for me?” The vampire didn’t answer, he just tilted his head, placing his hands on your shoulders, “leave my body where it will be found. He will get blamed for my death. I want John to suffer.”

A flash of fangs, and you closed your eyes, ready to die and leave behind a corpse that would destroy that man that was truly responsible for your death, but instead of pain, you felt the press of lips to your ear again,

“And what if I offered something more, darling? Your fear has blinded you to the true reason why you sought me out. It’s not to be a beautiful corpse, no…” he tilts your head back, he’s hands covering your throat, “you want to be the one to destroy John -” a sneer on his face like saying his name brought disgust to the vampire, “- you want to be the one to bring about his demise, not the other way around,”

You stare up at him, your heart thumping, the rain pounding around you both. It was like a nightmare. Like a dream.

“I couldn’t… I’ve tried fighting back. It doesn’t end well for me,” your voice drops down to a whisper, your eyes drop to the floor in shame, you can almost see your reflection in the shiny tops of his well polished shoes,

“It will this time, darling. It will this time.” His wrist appears in front of your mouth, a bite mark oozing blood from it, dark red, like wine, “Drink, my darling, and you will be powerful enough to quickly end John's life on a whim, or make it last, over decades of it pleases you,”

“And if I don’t?” You look up to meet those eerie blue eyes, but you don’t feel it this time, no sinking into his influence, just a clear headed obsession, “If I say no?”

“Then,” he smiles, flashing pearly white fangs, “there is still my dungeon, darling. I don’t think you realise… you will never again leave my sight now I have you, and John will be dead before sunrise,”

You lick your lips, this monster's blood calls to you, its scent a heady mix of chocolate, flowers, wine, everything decadent and sensual…

“Will I become like you?”

“No… not yet. I will be joined with you when I turn you. This taste will just heal you, give you strength to end your torment,”

“I don't even know your name,” your heart jumping at his terminology. ‘Joined’ sounded so…

“I’ve been known by many names, darling. Call me James.”

With that, he pulled your head back and pressed his cold wrist to your mouth, the blood pulsed between your open lips and you took a sip, then another, then you swallowed greedily…

You fall to your knees when James’s wrist is wrenched away from your mouth, blue fire flashes at you from above, his smile so wide it’s all you can see,

“Now… let’s go see your ex.”

The blood James had given you was like nothing you could describe. You could see the dust motes floating in the air, even in the pitch black of the hotel hallway, rats scurrying around in the rain and filth outside was clear to your ears, and the scents of all the tenants permeated the air. You could feel everything, it was all so clear to you now, and for the first time in a long time, you could move without any level of pain.

It was exhilarating.

The blood in your veins pumped hotly through your body, you could feel the sensation for the first time in your life, the presence of James at your back made your skin sing in awareness… one taste of his blood and you were his.

First though, you had to end the life you’d had, and that started with John.

The sounds of pain were clear, even from the other end of the long hallway, it was a sound you recognised clearly. John had always liked his sex mixed with just a touch of agony, it was what made him hard, hurting you would get him off like nothing else. Unsurprisingly, your boyfriend was cheating on you, with a woman he knew, or a prostitute, it didn’t matter, it never would, not again. The grunts of ecstasy grew louder the closer you glided to the room, all the others were silent or wilfully ignorant. This was the type of establishment that rented rooms by the hour, after all, the clientele knew what type of people rented these dingy rooms. James took a deep breath at your back,

“I smell her blood in the air. Do not hold back, darling,”

You didn’t intend to.

The door frame cracked wide open as James hit it, wood splintering everywhere, almost drowning out the sounds of the screams coming from the bed directly opposite the door. You met the eyes of the terrified woman for one long second, before turning your gaze on John. Naked, brutal, powerful. The creature from your waking nightmares, holding another woman by the throat as he brutalised her as he constantly had done to you. There was shock in his eyes, certainly, but no fear. He just stared at you, blue eyes wide and lips peeled back in a snarl, still in the throes of sexual violence that he loved.

The wind howled, the world outside hushed, expecting, waiting…

“I heard you wanted to kill me?”

The words were barely whispered, an almost muscle memory keeping you from raising your voice to the man who hurt you as easily as most would swat a fly. John stared back at you, his grip loosening on the woman, but he didn’t let her go completely. His lips shone as he licked them, pearly white teeth flashing in the gloom,

“How did you know where I was, Y/N?”

It should’ve hurt, that he didn’t answer your question, that instead his response was asinine and unhelpful. The man who hated you enough to sacrifice you to the Legends was never going to be someone who would take any accountability. You didn’t answer the question, you just stared at him, even as he let the woman go. She grabbed her clothing and ran from the room, muffled sobs coming from her mouth. You spared her one glance over your shoulder, and that’s when you noticed the space behind you was empty.

James had gone. You were alone with-

John came at your back, what felt like his fist connecting painfully with the back of your head and sending you into the wall in front of you. The carpet was ugly as it raised up to meet your face, your fall bringing you to the ground on a grunt. The empty air mocks you as you search desperately for your saviour, but he’s gone, and all that’s left is John’s hands as he flips you to your back, his hands wrapping firmly over your throat and squeezing,

“I should’ve done this, it should be me, all those years with you, it should be me that takes you out,” black spots fill your vision as his grip tightens, you can feel John hard at your hip, and your nails scrabble pointlessly at his wrists, “it’s okay, I can finish the job now, and leave you where I planned. Thanks for the house and the memories, bitch,”

Your fingers aren’t drawing blood anymore, there’s almost no strength left in you… but that’s when you see it, under the small stand the tiny tv set sits on. A knife. It’s probably old, discarded by a previous tenant after eating, this place doesn’t give the impression that the cleaning is thorough. It doesn’t matter.

Your last strength is spent reaching… clawing… grabbing…

And stabbing.

Repeatedly.

Your breath comes in pants, your throat raw to the point of agony, your right arm aches like you’ve been lifting weights, and the room gleams a glistening red.

You’re painted scarlet and John no longer looks like a man. He’s a broken doll full of holes, oozing its crimson stuffing, glass eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. Your fingers tighten on the knife before you drop it to the ground carelessly. It’s strange how small he looks now he’s still, his chest no longer heaving with anger, with violence, with a putrid desire that leaves you bleeding. You hear the chuckle leaving your mouth as you see his erection - tiny in death - slowly shrivel further as his blood leaves him in thick pools, staining the already stained carpet.

You hear them, the other people in the hotel, opening their doors a crack, staring through the peep holes, like all the others… they listen, they hear, they do not help. Your palm itches for the knife you just discarded, so you could kick in the doors to each and every one of these rooms and kill them too, make them know what it is to be scared as everyone around them does nothing to help-

“I knew it, my blood kissed Queen…” You spin to the doorway, the empty space filled once more. James takes all the oxygen in the room, the darkness gathering around him like he can call shadows to him. His blue eyes glow red as he takes in the carnage, the purest smile creasing his face, “you’re perfect, my darling, so deadly… so beautiful…”

It’s not dread that fills you as you back away, James stalking you towards the window, it’s not close enough to the depth of whatever emotion you feel inside. It’s a turbulent storm inside you, anger, fury, lust, despair, nausea, all of it chokes you. All of it heats your blood to a boiling point, all that blood calling to the creature that left you to be killed, his fangs pushing against his lower lip,

“You left me,”

“I never left you. I knew what you were capable of,” the voice of his, it dulled out every other sound around you, you didn’t even feel the coolness of the window at your back, “if he’d hurt you then I would’ve snapped his neck and taken you then and there,”

“But now?” Your voice is breathy, small, but it’s just you two in this shadowed corner, he listens with rapt attention,

“Now… you’re the one I waited for. You’re magnificent, and you’re mine,”

He descends on you then, his tongue tracing over your neck, lapping at the blood that covers you and licking into your mouth. Johns blood hits your tongue, its iron taste filling your mouth, lighting an inexplicable fire inside you. It could be the blood hunger that’s been growing since you tasted the Legends own fluid, you can’t think on it, not when James is kissing you like he would devour you, and not when the rain is suddenly pounding over you in a shock of cold sensation that snaps you out of your thoughts. You look up and notice you’re outside the hotel, in an alley not unlike the one he’d almost taken you in earlier. James’s chuckle fills your head,

“I’ll teach you every trick I know, my queen, but first-“ James holds the back of your neck firmly, looking into your eyes, and you still completely, “- ask me to take you, my darling,”

“Take me,”

There’s no fear, not when he calmly opens the buttons on your shirt and parts it. The rain doesn’t affect you, even when your skin is bared to the elements, James’s flesh cool against your own as he caresses your breasts, nipples pearled by the water, by his teasing touches,

“You’re beautiful, and this blood…” John’s blood is running down your neck, between your breasts, James’s grip tightens as he bends you back, dips his head and traces the blood and water from your neck down to the slick skin aching for something, “I need to taste you, darling,”

His bite at your chest is a pleasure laced agony, your cry fills the air, but you couldn’t tell if you wanted him to bite harder or stop all together. Your fingers weave through his hair, holding him, pulling and tugging… minutes or hours later, you didn’t know, he lifted his head, your own blood staining his lips and a beatific smile on his face,

“Your blood, it’s the purest tasting ecstasy I have ever known,”

“You don’t even know me…” your head is lax on your shoulders, your voice barely above a whisper, barely enough energy to even consider fighting as he lifts your skirt to your hips, lays you out across a bench like a meal.

Which, you suppose, you were.

“I knew what you were when I first laid eyes on you, darling,” your panties are sliced easily away, your legs spread and folds parted by cool fingers that caressed and soothed, “you’re beauty and passion and death. You’ll be the most perfect blood soaked Queen at my side,” you stare into the rain filled dark sky as his head dips, his tongue laps softly over your wet skin.

Then he bites your thigh, one long finger sliding it’s way inside you at the same time, and your orgasm punches through you, the scream swallowed by the thunder that cracks. James stays at your femoral artery for longer than he did at your breast, you no longer feel the rain by the time he lifts his head, blood a wet smear across his chin,

“Come, my queen, one last step, and you’ll be mine for eternity,”

He pulls you across his lap, parting your legs easily and making you straddle him. You’re like a rag doll, bones and muscles like rubber, but you take him inside you easily, body still eager for whatever blood magic he bestows on you.

You know you’re about to die, to be changed, but you’re not afraid. Not anymore.

He holds onto the cheeks of your ass as he makes you ride him, your hips doing what was needed from muscle memory alone. You feel another orgasm build up, and it’s you that tilts your head and gives him access to your jugular this time,

“Take me, James. Please.”

Blood red is the shade of his eyes, his fangs pearly white, his was an inhuman beauty and it was everything you ever wanted. This monster made you feel the safest and most cherished you had felt in years, even as he bit into you and took your life.

Hours… seconds…

James could kill you now, the realisation a distant thought, and not turn you. This could all be some game to him, just to get you half naked and on his cock whilst he took his fill. You’ll just be another dead girl for the cops to find in a compromising position, and no way to pin it on a Legend. The marks would be obvious but it would be like John all over again, nothing concrete, the human world leaving you to be just another victim again. The darkness grows around you, everything even more quiet than before, your heartbeat slowing down to almost nothing-

Blood hit your tongue in a wild burst, like ambrosia, like electricity. It was like a deep breath of air after holding it for too long, or a big gulp of water on a hot day. It was everything beautiful, sexual, full of life and beauty and energy, and you gulped it down eagerly. You weren’t weak and pliant in James’s arms anymore, you were strong, powerful, riding him at a gallop with a body that felt. When you open your eyes it was to a midnight that looked like noon. Every tiny speck of light lit the world around you, turning shadows into silver gold pools. Nothing could hide from you.

You throw your head back and away from James’s neck on a growl of pleasure, your final orgasm melding with his. His pleasure was yours, yours was his, and when you look into his red tinged blue eyes, it was to see the dark soul that matched yours. James grinned, his fangs still tinged pink with your blood,

“There you are…” he stood, taking you easily in his arms, the transition from carnal lust to a blood soaked desire quick, you felt it too, let him adjust both your clothing and kiss you deeply, before spinning you to face the hotel again, “the change needs to be maintained quickly, darling… shall we head out for dinner?”

You looked at him, your vampire king, the male who’d done as he promised and made you more. You felt the shift of the earth, the pull of the moon, the blaze of the sun. You could hear the planet around you from the worms to the creak of the glass skyscrapers. You weren’t weak anymore, would never be a victim again.

The people in the hotel would’ve let you die, however.

You take James’s hand, lick his blood from your lips, and grin a feral smile,

“Yes. I’m hungry.”

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filthy-gorgeous-library · 8 months ago

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This Is Love

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x female reader

Word Count: 918

Summary: You have a late day at work and Bucky wants to walk you home.

Author's Note: This is just some softness because why not! Thank you so much for reading! Much love always! ❤️❤️❤️Divider by the lovely @firefly-graphics thank you Daisy! 🥰

Warnings: soft sweetness and fluff, maybe our reader feeling a little jealous and possessive hehe

The evening breeze ruffles the bottom of your dress, and the fabric tickles the back of your thighs as the scent of hot dogs and car exhaust drifts from the street.

You glance at the curb. “Where’s your bike?”

“Home,” Bucky answers simply as he takes your hand in his. “Thought I could walk you back to the apartment. You know…the old-fashioned way.”

He doesn’t say this to earn any reaction from you, so he misses the way your eyes soften.

You’ve both had late days. You were finishing things up at the office and he was working with Sam at the VA. Now, however, it’s time to go home and he insisted on meeting you so you could make the trip together.

The busiest part of the day has come and gone but you’re still lucky to find seats together on the crowded train. You watch your reflection in the window opposite you and even in the grimy glass and beneath the harsh, often flickering fluorescent lights, it’s impossible to miss how beautiful he is.

He’s loosened his tie, unbuttoning the top of his dress shirt to offer up a triangle of smooth, tan skin. The open shirt frames his long neck, the tempting hint of collarbone peeking out just enough to make you wonder why you aren’t kissing it right now.

As if sensing your gaze, his eyes shift from the passing blur of the city and meet yours in the glass. Your reflections rock with the movement of the train, and he watches you too, a small, knowing smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth.

More passengers board at the next stop and he moves, giving his seat to an elderly lady with a heavy bag in each hand. She showers him with sweet praise before sitting and smiling at you.

Bucky takes the spot in front of you, his right arm raised to grip the handrail suspended from the ceiling.

You now have an exceptional view of his torso and the front of his dress pants.

Yummy.

The sound of laughter draws your attention, and you see a group of girls seated only a few rows away. They sit with their heads pressed together and if their hushed giggles and wide-eyed stares are any indication, you know exactly what they’re looking at. Or rather, whom.

You look up to find Bucky looking down at the older woman, listening and oblivious to the leering glances being cast in his direction.

You can’t blame the girls. If you saw Bucky on the train you’d do whatever you could to get a better look. It makes you think back to the first time you met and how you were immediately drawn to him.

He laughs at something the older woman says, and you watch his blue eyes crinkle at the corners and the dark strands of his hair fall in front of his forehead. He looks boyish and gorgeous and you immediately glance over like the jealous wife you are and sure enough, every head in that group of girls is turned, eyes wide, mouths wider, swooning.

And even though you haven’t spoken a word, you begin to wonder if every thought you have is somehow projected onto a screen above your head. Because it’s this moment he chooses to glance down at you, eyes soft and warm as he reaches to brush his metal thumb along your bottom lip.

You turn into his hand and press your mouth to his palm.

He’s beaming when the train comes to a stop and takes your hand as you stand and pulls you out the door, sliding his arm around your waist as soon as you’re on the platform.

“I like this,” he says quietly, tucking you into his side.

You laugh. “Like what?”

“Walking you home.”

He kisses you sweetly in the middle of the street, causing several people to part and move around you, their muttered grumbles going completely unnoticed. The kiss is so soft, so earnest that your chest swells painfully and you wrap your arms around his neck to hold him to you.

The group of girls walk by and in the background you hear their wistful sighs and comments.

“She’s so lucky,” one of the girls says.

You pull away from Bucky and look their way, grabbing hold of his suit jacket possessively.

“Did you hear that?” you mutter.

“Hear what doll?” he asks, his eyes on you, having never left.

“Those girls have been swooning over you since we were on the train.”

“What girls?” Bucky asks, his full attention still on you.

You finally drag your eyes away from the retreating group to meet his.

“I wasn’t done kissing you doll face,” he says with the corner of his mouth turned up and his eyes sparkling.

His palm frames your cheek, and he pulls you closer, uncaring that you’re still standing in the middle of the busy city street.

You grab his wrist and lean into his touch.

“Bucky.”

The admonishment is totally empty, and he knows it, bumping your nose with his before the soft press of his lips is all you feel.

“You can’t tell me you didn’t notice them,” you whisper, eyes closed, and face pressed to his.

“Look at me,” he murmurs.

Your eyes open.

“I wish you could feel what I feel when I look at you doll,” he whispers against your lips. “Then maybe, just maybe you’d understand why I can’t look at anyone else.”

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filthy-gorgeous-library · 8 months ago

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For weeks, I was considering taking a break from Dumblr and going on hiatus.

It's no secret that I've been super disheartened by the way the community has changed and how engagement is pretty terrible these days. Like a lot of you, I'm here sharing my work because I want to have fun with other fans and spiral about the babes. I crave the sense of community to go along with my fun escape.

So when it feels like Tumblr has turned into a meaningless void of serial likes and, more often than not, new work is met with a lukewarm reception, crickets, or demands for more, it can be a challenge to stay positive and grateful, let alone inspired to keep writing and sharing new work.

Months ago, I even tried to crack down on serial liking and started to block offenders. There would be that momentary hit of petty vengeance when I did so, but...it doesn't actually feel good, and it's not me. I don't want to be a gatekeeper to something that could bring joy to others.

I listened to this really good podcast on my morning walk, and it was a much needed reminder that I am responsible for how I show up and react to others. It was also a good reminder to always try to meet others from a heart-centered place, with compassion and love, because you never know when you may be the only person showing someone even a lick of kindness or joy.

And that is who I want to be.

I feel like that was the vibe of my blog for a long time - the fun, silly, happy place y'all could come to to escape real life, read some PWP, play some games, and spiral about the babes.

I really want to get back to that energy, so I'm going to try my best to release my stabby pessimism at the shit engagement around here, and instead pour my energy and love into the stories and characters I adore, and those of you who have become such a fun, vital, and very much appreciated part of my Dumblr experience.

I'm sure there will be moments when I'll be tempted to block a serial liker (like oh my goddddd, I know I will be met with that temptation lolll), but I'll just remind myself that that person is finding joy, escape, and entertainment in my stories, and that's pretty cool.

That being said: I want to once again encourage those of you who serial like and don't engage to please reconsider your actions or lack thereof. You know that happiness you feel when you read a story you enjoy? When you feel seen and a work resonates with you? Please consider reciprocating in a small way to the writers who gift you those moments and experiences. Just a simple comment, reblog, or ask can truly, TRULY make a writer's whole day and inspire them to do more of what they love - write, and share it with you! If you're a shy bean who struggles with what to say when commenting/engaging, check out this post for resources to help you.

Hoe'kay, let's get back to hoeing and having fun. Thank you for being here, for putting up with my cranky moods, and for encouraging me to be shameless about my obsession for the babes. I love you ❤️

P.S. To those of you who do block serial likers, please know this post isn't meant to throw shade or make you feel badly or anything. I totally, TOTALLY get it. You should do whatever feels good for you in curating your experience and setting the boundaries of your blog. I just wanted to share how I am trying really hard to shift my mindset and get back to my blog feeling GOOD for me. Love you! ❤️

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filthy-gorgeous-library · 9 months ago

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Can't even put into words - Andy and Curtis, I hope they feel that sting of letting her/her dad down, at least for a little bit. And Mike... Nah, fuck you, clean or not you've done enough so do Pip a favour and just fade out her life.

Wow, Ari really said nothing else matters but Pip - fuck the job, fuck turning a blind eye to Mike, fuck being anywhere else but right by her side at the funeral and supportive of her leaving even if he loses her it means the best for her. And then the fucking porch swing? 🥺

For all this dragging through the emotional gravel, clinging like a koala to that happy ending.

The Ties That Bind 4

Pairing: Ari Levinson x Fem!Reader; past brief Fem!Reader Mike Weiss Word Count: 7,204 Summary: After some difficult goodbyes, it’s time for you to discover what comes next. Warnings: Biker AU. Explicit language. Explicit sexual content. Undercover detective!Ari. Mike is a bad friend (all the DAs kind of are). Reader is on the periphery of the DAs and kind of just…forgotten 🥺 Reference to a funeral. Dealing with grief & loss. Mentions of drug addiction & rehab. Reader is very forgiving (sorry not sorry). Unprotected sex. Cockwarming. Feels. Angst with a happy ending (I think lol).

A/N: Here we are, the end of The Ties That Bind. I had an absolute blast writing this story. It’s been on my heart for so long, and it was such a special experience to bring it to life. I hope you enjoy the ending ❤️

Devil’s Advocates Masterlist

When you stepped outside of the funeral home, having just finished your father’s private viewing, it was to find all of the Devil’s Advocates, and some of their partners, too, lined up in the parking lot, waiting to accompany the hearse to the cemetery where your father would be laid to rest.

Your breath caught in your chest at the unexpected sight, and you heard Amelia’s quiet murmur of surprise from your left, as Ari gave your hand that was enveloped in his a gentle squeeze from your right.

As you stood on the steps, just staring in surprise, your vision blurred by tears, Andy and Curtis broke away from the group and moved toward you.

Like the others, they were wearing their DA jackets over their black attire, each of them sporting a black band on their upper right arm, emblazoned with the notorious devil face that the crew was known for, as well as a white dove that signified the passing of a fellow DA.

Batting away a tear as they reached you, you sniffled as Andy gave you a soft, sad smile.

“We’d like to ride along with you, if that’s okay? To pay our respects, and to say goodbye?”

“But only if you’re comfortable with it,” Curtis murmured, ducking his head to meet your gaze. “Today is about you and your father, and we can give you space if that’s what you want.”

“No,” you shook your head, blinking back more tears. “I…” you couldn’t help but gaze past them at the group of DAs, some of whom had long since retired and were now closer to your father’s age. “I think he’d really love that.”

Your smile lasted but a second before your face crumpled, and you were overcome by the reality of the situation, but also the fact that they were actually here, for once.

Curtis didn’t hesitate to reach for you, wrapping you in a gentle hug as Andy stepped close and tentatively touched your shoulder before giving your back a rub.

“I’m sorry,” you sniffled as you pulled away, your gaze darting between theirs and finding only sadness and understanding aimed your way. “Thank you so much for doing this.”

“We should have done a lot more much sooner,” Andy said seriously. He gave your shoulder a squeeze, looking like he wanted to say so much more but knowing it wasn’t the right time.

A throat clearing sounded behind you, and you turned to find the funeral director giving you a soft smile. “We’re ready to bring out your father.” His eyes flickered to Andy and Curtis, then the others. “Will your guests act as pallbearers to help with transport?”

You blinked, glancing over at Andy and Curtis, both of whom nodded and smiled. So you nodded too, stepping back and watching as the activity picked up around you.

Curtis waved over a few more of the guys, and they all joined Ari and one of the funeral home attendants to load your father’s coffin into the back of the hearse.

“We’ll wait for you to pull out behind the hearse and then follow,” Curtis told you before giving your shoulder a squeeze, nodding at Ari and Amelia, and then jogging over to Peaches who was waiting by his motorcycle.

You got a glimpse of your father’s nurse waiting by Andy’s bike, and she gave you a small wave before Ari’s hand was once more gripping yours and leading you to the waiting town car.

You let out a shaky breath, grateful for his strength and the way his simple touch seemed to keep you grounded as you settled into the back of the car with him and Amelia, and waited for the drive to the cemetery to begin.

The journey didn’t take long, and the entire way there, the only thing your tired, grieving brain could focus on was the sound of the motorcycles revving and following along on your father’s final ride.

You knew how much it would mean to him to have the Devil’s Advocates–his crew, his family–there to send him off. And even if you couldn’t say the same about them for yourself, you were grateful that they were there for him at least, especially today of all days.

It felt like a kind of closure that you didn’t even know you needed, and as you laid your head against Ari’s shoulder, your heart felt surprisingly light given your current destination.

A couple of hours later, the town car delivered you, Ari, and Amelia back to your home.

The day had felt like a surreal blur, and you were sure it would take your exhausted, grief-stricken brain days, if not weeks, to fully process everything that had happened.

It had been a day of goodbyes, some more heartbreaking than others.

It seemed impossible to move forward without your father.

And yet, it seemed freeing to move forward without the DAs.

Part of you still couldn’t believe that you were actually leaving Newton, and you thought that maybe it wouldn’t feel real until you were long gone.

It had been really hard to leave the cemetery knowing that you wouldn’t be back there anytime soon, but you knew your father wanted to stay in Newton, even now. It had always been his home and he had loved it.

So you did right by him, as best as you could, and you tried to find comfort in knowing that you would take his DA jacket and a few other items with you when you left, and, more importantly, he would always live in your heart, no matter the distance between you and Newton.

“I’m gonna miss you, sweetie.”

You turned your gaze from your father’s house to Amelia, giving her a small, genuine smile as she stepped close. She watched you with such a soft, warm gaze–a motherly gaze–that you didn’t realize you would miss so much until that very moment.

Swallowing hard and blinking back tears, you told her, "Thank you for everything. I truly don't know how I would have gotten through the past few years without you. Thank you for taking such good care of my father."

"Oh, honey, it was a privilege to be a part of your family for a little while,” Amelia gushed. She reached for you, pulling you into a tight hug. “You're such a sweet soul. I'm rooting for you,” she murmured against your ear before pulling away. “You stay in touch, okay?”

You laughed at her stern look, nodding as you replied, "I will, I promise."

With a final squeeze and trembling smile, Amelia turned, nodding at Ari before she moved toward the curb where her car was parked, and started her drive home.

Like he’d done all day, Ari loomed just behind you as you watched Amelia drive away. You could feel his presence even though he wasn’t touching you, and you couldn’t help but recall–and feel grateful for–the way he had held your hand all day long, and hadn’t seemed to mind how quiet you had been.

He had just stayed close, checked on you often, and remained your quiet, protective shadow–offering you silent comfort and strength–on what was probably the hardest day of your life.

And now?

Now it was time to say goodbye to him, too.

When you slowly turned to Ari, he was solemnly staring at the “sold” sign that protruded from the front lawn.

“I guess this is it then, huh? You’ll be heading off soon?” he murmured, finally turning his sad eyes your way.

You nodded, struggling to meet his gaze, to face all of the emotions you saw flickering in his beautiful eyes head on.

Sadness. Warmth. Regret. Pride. Want.

Trying to ignore the way the lump swelled in your throat, you glanced up at your father’s house. “Honestly, I think the thing I’ll miss most is the porch swing.” Your lips curved as your gaze landed on it, the oak wood faded from years and years of use. “It reminds me of my dad, but the buyers asked if it could be included with some of the other furniture, and it makes it easier on me, leaving it behind, with moving across the country and all.”

When your eyes returned to Ari, it was to find his sorrowful gaze already fixed on you. He mustered a smile as he shifted closer.

“It was a nice service,” he said.

“It was.”

Your eyes flickered between his, your body involuntarily swaying closer to him–like you were two magnets being drawn together–until you could feel the warmth he radiated, and the faint, familiar scent of his cologne filled your nose.

The way his scent instantly soothed you had you blinking back more tears. You tried your best to give him a genuine, heart-felt smile despite the way you felt like falling apart all over again, and for an entirely different reason this time.

“Thank you for being there for me through the worst of it, so I wasn’t–” your voice wobbled but you pressed on, “So I wasn’t all alone.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” Ari murmured, shifting closer. His front brushed yours and his eyes were so earnest as he whispered, “I wish we would have met under different circumstances.”

“Me too,” you whispered back, your lower lip quavering as your vision blurred with tears.

The air between the two of you felt charged, like electricity was crackling all around you, and it was the way that Ari so carefully reached out and caressed your cheek with his knuckle and murmured a low, “C’mere,” that had you reaching for him before your brain even processed his invitation.

You pressed your palms against his firm chest, desperate to feel him beneath your fingers one last time. Breath shuddering through you, you sank against him fully, shivering as he tipped your head back with a finger beneath your chin before ducking close to kiss you.

Ari’s lips moved against yours slowly, like he was savoring the feel of your mouth against his, memorizing the flavor of you, cataloging the soft sound of your breath hitching and the way you burrowed impossibly close as you kissed him back just as ardently.

When at last your lips separated, you lingered against him, pressing your forehead to Ari’s as your eyes fluttered open. There was one more thing you needed to tell him before you said goodbye for good…

“I know that you came here to do a job, but they’re not bad people, the DAs,” you started. “It’s just…the hand they were dealt and they’ve made the best of it, you know? And sometimes…”

You touched your hand to his cheek, smiling softly as Ari leaned into your palm and pressed his hand atop yours, reinforcing your touch.

“Sometimes good people do bad things,” you breathed, your look imploring as you gazed into Ari’s eyes. “But there’s more to them than that. They’ve always protected this town, and I truly believe that if they had anything to do with the deaths of those two men, it was done for a good reason, likely to keep others safe.”

Ari’s smile was wry, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he huffed a quiet laugh. “You’re still loyal to them, after everything?”

You shrugged, your gaze falling away shyly. “It’s not being loyal to them, it’s being honest to you.”

"You know, I don't think you have it in you to wish ill will on anyone, huh?” Ari murmured. “Not with that golden heart of yours. You even saw some good in me, after everything."

Your gaze lifted to his, your hands touching his shoulders and squeezing. “I just saw what's already there. I don’t think you’re bad either, Ari. I just think you wanted so much to do something good for someone you love that it got a little muddy for you.”

Ari’s breath left him in a shudder as he gently took your hands in his, his thumbs caressing your knuckles as he struggled to find the right words to say. “I’m so sorry,” he started, his voice shaking with emotion as he met your gaze.

“It’s okay–” you tried to assure him, but he cut you off with a shake of his head.

“It’s not, it’s not okay,” he shook his head again, his eyes growing wet as he went on, “None of it is okay, how I used you, the things I said to you. You didn’t deserve any of it, and how I treated you, the motel room with Mike…” he grimaced, looking angry at himself–on your behalf–as he released a shaky breath, met your gaze, and said, “It’s the biggest regret of my life. My job, the case, trying to get justice for my cousin, none of it excuses how I behaved and how I dragged you into the middle of everything. I’m so sorry for hurting you and taking advantage of you. You didn’t deserve it. You deserve to be appreciated, to be cherished, and don’t you ever settle for less, do you hear me?”

Overcome with emotion, you could only nod, a few of your own tears spilling over as Ari raised your hands and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of each one of them.

He stared at your hands for a moment, then his tear-filled eyes lifted to yours. “You take care of yourself, sweetheart.” His smile was small, and pained, but it was genuine.

You did your best to return it before nodding, “I’ll try.”

As if he couldn’t resist, Ari leaned in and pressed a final kiss to your lips, his thumb swiping away the tears on your cheek as he hovered close for a beat. His own eyes fluttered when you lifted your hands to frame his face.

Your greedy eyes drank in his handsome features for a final time as you pet along the edges of his beard, and you desperately hoped that you would always remember the way he felt beneath your fingers, the way his desire for you tasted on your tongue, the sound of his voice as he said your name with that soft, warm look in his eyes.

Stuffing down another swell of debilitating emotion, you finally stepped away from him, whispering, “Goodbye, Ari.”

He watched as you hugged yourself tightly, his throat jumping on a hard swallow, and then he was echoing your words with a quiet, “Goodbye, sweetheart.”

You turned and made your way toward your father’s house, pausing on the porch to glance back at Ari, who was right where you had left him, sadly watching your retreat.

And the entire time you dug your keys from your purse and unlocked the front door to step inside, you not only had to resist the urge to turn back and glance at Ari one last time, you also felt the weight of his heavy gaze on you, knowing that he would stay right there–your protective shadow–until you made it safely inside.

The silence in Sergeant Landry’s office was deafening once Ari stopped speaking.

“Do you mean to tell me,” Landry started, the vein in his forehead throbbing just beneath the sheen of his silver hair, “That after months of being undercover for this case, you have nothing to show for it?”

“Yes, sir,” Ari replied, keeping his tone respectful of his superior despite his short and unsatisfying answer.

“Levinson,” Landry growled, his face cherry red now as he leaned across his desk. “I let you work this case as a favor to your former captain, who fucking vouched for you. He said you’re one of the best damn detectives he’s ever worked with. So you wanna tell me how the hell it’s possible that you have nothing for us to go on here?”

“As I already explained, beyond Weiss being a relapsed addict, the Devil’s Advocates appear to be clean.”

“That’s horse shit and we both know it,” Landry seethed, slamming his hand on his desk as he launched himself from his seat and began to pace. “We need to put away some of them. Give me the leaders, Barber and Everett at least or it’ll be both our asses,” he rounded on Ari, circling his desk to loom over him. “We’ve poured a lot of resources into this, Levinson, and I let you lead this against my better judgment considering your personal stake in this case. You’re gonna let down a lot of people if you don’t pull through on this.”

Ari didn’t flinch away from Landry’s steely, disappointed gaze. He hadn’t often been on the receiving end of that kind of look, or this kind of scenario, in his 20+ year career. He was reliable, he always got the job done.

Until you.

Ari thought of you then, your sweet features and kind eyes. Your glowing heart of gold that was so tender now after the last few months.

He thought of all the pain and turmoil he had caused you.

“There’s only one person I care about letting down, sir, and it isn’t you,” Ari said, rising from his seat.

“You’re fucking fired!” Landry hissed.

“Yeah, I figured,” Ari shrugged. He turned on his heel, stalking toward the office door. As he reached it, he paused, glancing back at Landry.

Ari did feel badly for letting him down in this way, especially after his former captain had vouched for him. He also had an idea that would maybe divert attention away from the Devil’s Advocates, even though he highly doubted they actually deserved the assist.

But you did.

You deserved everything.

Especially some peace of mind.

“Word on the street is it was an inside job,” Ari said. “There was a lot of discontent brewing between Loguidice and some of his underlings. I was gonna look into the East Street Gang next, so, maybe start there. Good luck, sir.”

Ari didn’t wait for Landry to reply before slipping from his office. He had one more stop to make before leaving the Newton Police Department for good.

He took the elevator down a floor, arriving at the Narcotics department. Weaving through the arrangement of desks, he reached the far corner of the room, looming over the one person in this precinct who owed him a favor.

“Hey, Diskant,” Ari greeted with a grin, perching on the corner of his old friend’s desk.

Paul Diskant just rolled his eyes. “Whatever it is, no.”

“Come on, just a small favor, an easy one, I promise,” Ari murmured. “You’ll be doing something good, helping some people out, I know you live for that hero shit.”

Huffing, Paul sank back in his seat, eyes narrowed as they fixed on Ari. “What do you need?”

Grinning, Ari leaned close, speaking quietly so only Paul could hear his request.

Mike had just leaned over the small mirror, a rolled up dollar bill aimed over the white line of powder, when a loud banging jarred the door of his motel room.

“Goddamnit,” he hissed, rising to his feet and rushing over to answer the door. His furrowed brow smoothed at the sight of Ari standing on the other side, his eyes going wide in question. “Uh, hey, what are you–”

Ari shoved past him, tossing a large brown envelope on the closest unmade bed. “Pack a bag, Weiss.”

Still frowning in confusion, Mike swung the door shut before moving toward the bed. He scooped up the envelope and pulled free its contents.

His face paled at the number of surveillance photos of himself as well as a number of everyone else in the inner circle of the Devil’s Advocates.

Just because Ari wasn’t able to gather more than circumstantial evidence on the DAs didn’t mean that there wasn’t dirt to uncover. And if the way Mike was suddenly sweating and fidgeting was anything to go by, he was scared as fuck that Ari had done just that.

Because of him.

"Y-you're a cop,” Mike breathed.

"I am,” Ari moved closer, shoving a finger into Mike’s bare chest. “And you let me into the fold, vouched for me without vetting me at all. Because all you cared about was getting your fixes whenever you needed them.”

Mike swallowed hard, his frightened gaze meeting Ari’s. "What do you want?"

"I want you to get clean, for good, for her."

"What?" Mike blinked at him, clearly not following, because Ari’s response was probably the last thing he expected.

Ari said your name. "She cares about you, has her entire life, even though you don't deserve it. I know she'd be devastated if anything happened to you, and she's been through enough pain and loss. So, you're going on a little trip."

Ari reached in his back pocket and pulled out a pamphlet for the drug rehabilitation facility a few states away that Diskant had lined up for him. He none too gently shoved it at Mike’s chest.

"You're gonna get clean, for good. And I swear to god, Mike,” Ari gritted. “If I hear that you've fucked up again, that you’re using again, I will put you behind bars for life, and I'll make sure the rest of your crew goes with you."

Mike stared down at the pamphlet in his hand, looking dazed as his eyes lifted to meet Ari’s. "You wouldn't."

"I fucking would,” Ari sneered. “So for once in your miserable life, do the right thing and think about someone else other than yourself. Pack a fucking bag, we leave in ten."

He didn’t give Mike a chance to respond before he stormed from the motel room and left Mike to stare after him, completely and utterly shellshocked.

Six Months Later

You finished rinsing your mug, setting it on the draining board as your eyes raised. Your gaze caught on movement outside of your kitchen window, and you smiled as you spied a hummingbird eating from the feeder in your backyard.

It was a small yard, but lush, and you had spent a lot of time in it over the past six months, making it your own. You’d had new pavers put in, and there was a cozy outdoor seating area arranged around a fire pit.

Once you had bought your sweet little bungalow in the Pacific Northwest–instantly in love the first time you had seen its colorful, burnt orange exterior–you had poured yourself into making it the home you had always wanted.

Your home, a place where you felt like you were meant to be, where you were beginning to thrive.

It was as if in creating your new home, you were recreating yourself, letting all of those old pieces of you that no longer felt good fall away.

Although the pain of losing your father certainly hadn’t gone away–and some days were much harder than others–having your new peaceful haven helped so much.

The little Oregon town you now found yourself in was somehow both sleepy and bustling. You were tucked away from the big, busy cities, but still the ocean and other pockets of nature you felt yourself craving were only a drive away.

It felt good to be part of a community, too, to be seen and acknowledged. A few of your neighbors had even introduced themselves and brought you some meals and treats as welcome gifts. Some of the small business owners in town knew you by name now, and when you stopped in the diner for a meal, they knew which booth was your favorite.

You yourself were a small business owner now, too.

Your remote executive assistant business was just getting off of the ground, but you already had a handful of clients, and it felt good to have something of your own, and the freedom and flexibility that went along with it.

Just as you were right now, you found yourself smiling to yourself more often, always in awe or grateful of something, and sometimes you were even in awe of yourself - that you had done something big and scary in moving away, in starting over, in putting yourself first for you.

While everything that had happened in Newton before you left had been awful and painful–and you were still working through a lot of it in therapy–it had been the wake up call you needed to stop being an unhappy spectator in your own life.

Still, there was one thing you found yourself missing from Newton, well, one person, more like.

As your fingers strayed to your lips and lingered, your mind conjured up memories of shaggy brown hair and a thick brown beard. Of being kissed breathless, of your body being worshiped until your brain couldn’t function, of feeling so good that it was like a soul-shaking awakening each and every time your back arched as you reached the pinnacle of your pleasure…

Sighing, you shook those thoughts away, trying to distract yourself from the all too familiar yearning stirring within you by trying to decide how you wanted to spend your Saturday.

You hadn’t been to the farmer’s market in a few weeks, so that could be fun. You remembered the flier you had seen on the diner bulletin board for a new book club starting at the library soon, and you were tempted to stop by to sign up for that, too.

You were suddenly jarred from any further musings by a knock at your front door.

Smoothing a hand down your oversized sweater and leggings combo, you hurried from the kitchen, through the living room, and to the front door. Your lips were already tilted into a smile when you pulled it open, and then you instantly froze.

Because Ari was standing on your doorstep.

He looked even better–and bigger–than you remembered, a duffle bag thrown over his shoulder and his hands tucked into the front pockets of his worn jeans. His wide chest stretched the front of his flannel shirt, and your eyes strayed to where the top few buttons were undone and put some of his dark, coarse chest hair on display.

Your shocked mind was still processing his sudden appearance, but your body was already celebrating Ari’s proximity, a pleasant warmth slowly consuming you as your belly fluttered with excitement and something deep inside of you flickered to life for the first time in months.

“Ari,” you wisped his name, sounding as shocked as you probably looked, if Ari’s fond smile was anything to go by. “What are you doing here?”

For the first time since you had known him, Ari looked nervous, shifting his weight as he cleared his throat before speaking. “I uh left the force a while ago, got fired actually, right after you left.”

“Fired?” you echoed, brows furrowing in concern.

“Yeah, they weren’t too happy with my work on the case and the way I didn’t have anything to show for it.”

Your tummy fluttered even more, part thrill and part anxiety as you asked, “But what about my recording?”

It was something you had thought about a lot in the months since you had left Newton, your one and only small act of betrayal against the Devil’s Advocates that sat heavy in your gut like lead each time you let your brain spiral about it.

Because as much as you knew by now that you didn’t owe them anything, you still never wanted to hurt them or cause them any trouble.

“I deleted the recording the night you made it, when you were sleeping,” Ari confessed.

The wave of relief that came along with his admission was so unexpectedly strong, that your body actually sank with it, and you gripped the door frame as you blinked back the sudden sting of tears. “But…why? Why would you do that?”

Ari ducked his head so his gaze could align with yours, and the earnestness shining in his eyes had your heart skipping a beat as he replied, “Because I didn’t want to hurt you anymore than I already had, and I knew that taking down the DAs, especially on your intel, would do just that.”

“Oh.”

You blinked at Ari in shock, at a complete and total loss for words. You couldn’t believe that after everything he had done, how stubbornly dedicated he had been to the case–to seeking justice for his cousin–that he had destroyed such a key piece of evidence.

And he had done so for you.

"Mike's clean now, for real. Did you hear?" Ari asked.

"I did,” you nodded. “He texted me a couple of times over the past few months, to make amends." You watched Ari for a beat before concluding, "That was you. You got him to actually go to rehab and really sober up?"

Ari shrugged, keeping quiet, like he didn’t want to take credit for something so huge, so life-changing, so good.

His eyes flickered around your well-maintained but fairly empty front porch. His smile was genuine when his gaze landed on you again. “Your new home, it fits you, there’s something warm and welcoming about it.”

Your cheeks heated at his praise and you couldn’t suppress your smile as your gaze shyly dropped to the ground. “Thanks.”

“You look really good,” he murmured, earning your shy gaze once more as you peeked up at him from beneath your lashes, feeling his admiration from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. His smile was soft as he added, “You look happy.”

“I am,” you smiled.

“I hope I didn’t put a damper on that, just showing up like this?” Ari hedged, looking nervous again as a slight furrow formed between his brows.

“You didn’t.”

“Good,” his smile was relieved as his big body loosened up just a fraction. “I kept waffling on whether or not to come out here. I’m still not sure what I want to do next work wise, but the only thing I was sure of was that I really wanted to see you, as selfish as that makes me.”

When you remained quiet, squirming on the receiving end of Ari’s fixed stare and the way his words had your insides trilling as you tried to process that he came out all this way just to see you, he shifted closer, his voice infused with a new wash of warmth as he spoke again.

“So, you gonna invite me inside?”

His playful tone, and the sparkle in his eyes, had you responding with your own teasing tone, “I suppose my home wouldn’t be very warm and welcoming if I didn’t.”

Ari cracked a grin, huffing a quiet laugh that had the corners of his eyes crinkling. “I really missed you,” he murmured as he hedged closer.

“You did?” you asked, your body rejoicing at his confession, at his proximity, too.

Ari’s grin grew at the surprise in your voice, the way it colored your features. A final step nearer had him looming over you, his body heat warming your personal bubble now as he hummed, “I did.”

“I don’t think anyone’s ever missed me before,” you whispered, tipping your head back so you could meet his avid gaze.

“Well,” Ari rumbled, “I’m not just anyone, I’m yours, if you’ll have me.”

Your breath caught as what felt like a kaleidoscope of butterflies swarmed in your belly. That pleasant warmth that you only ever felt around Ari blanketed you now, like your very own cocoon of comfort as you felt something else too…

A spark of hope that lit the dark corners of the yearning you had suffered for months and months now.

“You know, I moved out here for a fresh start, but I thought about you a lot,” you murmured shyly. You made sure to meet Ari’s gaze as you continued, “The last time we saw each other, when we said goodbye, you said you wished that we would have met under different circumstances…” You hesitated before speaking the desire of your heart aloud. “Maybe…maybe this could be that. A fresh start for us, too.”

Something about the way Ari was watching you–how intently–had nerves rising up within you, and you started babbling a little as you went on.

“I mean, not that there is an us or you even want there to be an us—“ you started to backtrack and then squeaked when Ari surged forward and kissed away the rest of your words as his big, rough hands gently framed your face.

The onslaught of his lips was passion incarnate, his kisses somehow frantic and lingering all at once. When his tongue broached the seam of your lips to deepen the kiss–to really taste you–he swallowed down your quiet mewl as your hands found purchase on Ari’s hips and you sank against him, as close as humanly possible.

Your body pressed flushed to his felt like a different kind of home, and you reveled in it, your hands smoothing up Ari’s firm back and feeling his strength beneath your fingertips as you eagerly touched your tongue to his.

Ari’s thumb gently caressed your warm cheek as he pressed a final kiss to your swollen lips before he retreated just enough that he could look you in the eye as he breathed, “I do want that.” At your dazed, owlish look, Ari laughed, his smile fond and hopeful as he gave your face another soft caress. “I would love that, sweetheart.”

The familiar term of endearment had your belly swooping with joy, and you nuzzled Ari’s nose with yours, smiling as you pulled away and whispered, “So would I.”

Stepping back, you held out your hand to Ari, a silent invitation that he readily accepted with the softest smile you had ever received, before he carefully enveloped your hand in his, gave it a gentle squeeze, and followed you inside.

Epilogue: A Few Months Later

The bedroom was lit with the warm morning glow of the sun as your head fell back on a throaty moan.

Blindly, you reached for Ari beneath you, feeling the warmth of his palms slide against your own as he laced your fingers together and urged you along the path to your pleasure with a rut of his hips.

You keened in response, riding him harder, your hips rocking and your cunt fluttering as he filled you up perfectly–like he was meant for you–the other half to your whole.

So swept away by the bliss that was mounting within you, you had no idea that Ari was watching you so avidly.

His intent gaze was fixed on you, and he couldn’t help but feel mesmerized at the very sight of you.

It wasn’t just the fact that you were beautiful as you used him to chase your pleasure, that you were damn right ethereal as the sunlight caught along your skin. It was how confident you were now, how you seemed to bloom more and more each day since leaving Newton.

Since starting this new chapter with Ari.

It had only been a few months since you accepted Ari into your home–and into your heart–but he swore each day felt like a gift, and he tried his damndest to appreciate you the way you deserved, even if–like now–you had no conscious idea of his admiration for you.

Ari couldn’t help but gather you close to him, his lips desperately seeking your own in a needy kiss.

You could feel his cock twitch inside of you when you moaned into his mouth, your fingers finding their way to his hair and raking through the soft, brown strands as you bounced on his cock just a little bit faster, just a little bit harder, so very very close to sweet release.

“You’re close,” Ari husked against your lips, giving your lower one a nip as his hand slid down your bare belly.

When his thumb touched your clit, your breath caught, and he groaned as you clenched around him hard, your rhythm faltering.

“Don’t stop, sweetheart, you’re almost there,” he rumbled, kissing your cheek as his thumb began to rub circles on your little bundle of nerves. “I am too.”

You whined against his mouth, not quite kissing but staying close, wanting to feel him pant against your lips, wanting to taste his flavor on your tongue.

All it took to tip you over the edge of bliss was for Ari to plant his feet on the mattress and drive up into you hard.

You came with a delighted shout of his name, you pussy fluttering wildly as pleasure streaked up your spine then spilled through the rest of you. It felt like little sparks of electricity lighting up each and every one of your nerve endings, and the only thing that felt better was when Ari came a moment later.

He groaned your name as his hands found your hips and held you in place over him. He thrust up into you a few more times, grunting as his cock throbbed and spilled deep within you.

You swore you could feel each and every spurt of his cum warming your insides–marking you as his–and you actually purred like a content little kitten as you collapsed against Ari’s bare chest, your lips curling in satisfaction as you slowly came down from your high.

Dozing as you laid atop him, listening to the strong, steady beat of his heart, you sighed happily as Ari’s fingers drew up and down your back.

“I could spend the entire day like this,” you murmured, your hand reaching for his free one and twining your fingers together.

“You’re never gonna hear me complain about you warming my cock all day, honey,” Ari teased.

Giggling, you glanced up at him, your belly fluttering at that warm, wanting look in his eyes, that special gaze he always reserved just for you.

Even after months of being together, he still made your insides flutter, your heart beat faster, your cheeks warm, and your gaze shy.

Ari made you happy, too.

Once upon a time, you had started to wonder if you would ever feel this way, if you’d ever find someone who not only saw you but looked at you the way Ari did, who made you feel the way Ari did.

And now here you were, with everything you had always wanted, and the reality was so much better than the fantasies your brain used to cook up.

Reaching up with your free hand, you gently pet along Ari’s beard, your tone playful as you said, “It may be difficult to get anything done if we’re literally stuck together all day though.”

Eyes dancing at you, Ari smoothed a hand over your head. “Always happy to keep my schedule clear for you, sweetheart.” He leaned down, kissing the tip of your nose. “But I do have a surprise for you, so maybe we can make an exception for just one to do for the day?”

Your eyes lit up. “A surprise?! For me?” Grinning like a dope, you scrambled off of Ari, then out of bed.

Laughing as you grabbed his hand to try to yank him along with you, Ari tossed the covers back and rose to his feet. He swept you up against him, framing your face between his hands. His gaze was soft as he drank in your excited smile, and he ducked close to kiss you slowly, smiling into it as you sighed and sank against him.

After a moment of enjoying your taste, Ari pulled away, shooting you a wink before turning you on your heels, plastering his front to your back, and herding you into the bathroom to get cleaned up.

A little while later, once you were both washed up and dressed, Ari led you toward the front door.

“Alright, turn around, cover your eyes, and no peeking,” he gave you a faux stern look that had you laughing as you turned toward the door, closed your eyes, and then covered them with your hands for good measure.

“Good girl,” Ari murmured against your ear, chuckling as you shivered at his husky praise.

“If you want to give me this surprise anytime soon, you better stop that right now,” you huffed.

Laughing, Ari opened the front door, his hands settling on your shoulders as he guided you outside onto the porch. He turned you to the right, pressing a kiss to your crown before stepping around you until he was facing you, but just off to the side, so he didn’t block your view.

“Okay, sweetheart, open your eyes,” Ari instructed.

Letting your hands fall away from your face, you opened your eyes, glancing at Ari and his warm smile before your gaze shifted to the side and you gasped loudly at your surprise.

It was a porch swing, and it was nearly identical to the one you had had in Newton at your father’s house, the only difference being it was clearly brand new.

“Oh my gosh,” you breathed, touching a hand to your heart as you slowly moved closer to the swing. “Where did you get it? It looks just like my father’s.”

Ari’s gaze was soft as he watched the way you gingerly ran your fingers along the arm of the swing, the way you still clutched a hand to your chest, clearly touched.

“I made it,” he answered.

You turned to gape at him, happy tears gathering in your eyes as a lump of emotion swelled in your throat and you launched yourself at Ari.

He laughed quietly at your enthusiastic hug, embracing you back and smoothing a hand along your spine as you sniffled against his chest.

“Thank you,” you trembled as you pulled away to look up at him. Your smile was genuine, if not a little wobbly, and your eyes flitted back to the porch swing. “I can’t believe you did this for me.”

“I would do anything for you,” Ari murmured, chuckling as you caught his hand and tugged him over to the swing.

Your smile grew bigger as you sat on it, your hands running along the smooth, perfectly stained wood. Grinning up at Ari, you told him, “It’s the most beautiful gift I’ve ever received.”

He sat beside you, arm lifting to welcome you close as you promptly snuggled against him. “And you’re the most beautiful gift I’ve ever received.” He kissed your temple, pressing his feet against the porch floor to set the swing into motion.

You were both quiet for a few minutes, enjoying the cozy moment together, the way the sun was shining bright and the birds were happily chattering around you.

Hand rubbing up your arm, Ari’s low voice washed over you, “I love you, sweetheart, you know that, right?”

Cheeks warming and heart glowing at his declaration, you nodded. Your lips curled into a soft smile and you tipped your face up so you could meet his tender, loving gaze. “I know.”

And you did know it, you felt it, his love for you—how he appreciated you and cherished you—every minute of every day.

And right now, in this moment, you basked in it.

Nuzzling Ari’s chest as he gently rubbed your back, you gave a joyful little laugh. Hugging him tighter, you sighed your content, enjoying the slow, soothing rocking motion of the porch swing that he had made, with his own two hands, just for you.

The End

🥹😭 Please take a moment to screech at me, I would love to hear your thoughts about how this turned out. Thank you again for reading! ❤️

Devil’s Advocates Masterlist

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I no longer do tag lists, but if you'd like to be notified when I post new writing, follow my side blog @‌sirisshamelesshoelibrary and turn on notifications to get pinged when I drop some new hoe fuel 😘

Please note that I do not give permission for my work to be translated, reposted, or published anywhere other than my Tumblr. I also do not give permission for my work to be fed into AI platforms. Reblogs are most welcome and encouraged though! ❤️

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filthy-gorgeous-library · 9 months ago

Text

Deep breath, okay, phew - compose self before typing.

You know I'm not shy about wishing pain and comic misfortune on Ari, but dammit he came through for Pip and I've got to give him props for that. I may even go so far as to say he could be forgiven far down the line if he continues to acknowledge how much of a cockwomble he was/commits to rightfully worshipping Pip going forward.

Still hope Mike gets some more karma from Curtis/Andy/Hell let's throw in everyone dingding it's fight night and Peaches is here to emotionally fucking destroy him. The lesson is skimming him but he's not quite learning.

The tears, the actual gross hiccup-y sobs while reading the majority of this. I dunno how you do it so masterfully, but can feel poor Pip's grief like it's bearhugging my chest. Then I remembered there's probably a fair few here who have gone through similar having to say goodbye to a beloved relative, which naturally meant more sobbing and wanting to find/hug them through the internet.

So glad she's making a choice and change for herself, and that there's this blossoming "real" between her and Ari at last - just, raw scary honesty ❤️‍🩹 Plus, she's finally being convinced of reality - she's worthy of love, she's not alone, she matters.

Bravo, another spectacular piece from your talented talented brain. 😙👌

The Ties That Bind 3

Pairing: Ari Levinson x Fem!Reader; past brief Fem!Reader Mike Weiss Word Count: 9,209 Summary: As you navigate an unexpected tragedy, you thankfully don’t need to do so alone. Warnings: Biker AU. Explicit language. Explicit sexual content. Undercover detective!Ari. Mike is a bad friend (all the DAs kind of are). Reader is on the periphery of the DAs and kind of just…forgotten 🥺 Mentions of post stroke medical complications, being on life support, and end of life decision making. Death of a minor character. Dealing with grief & loss. Mentions of drug addiction. Oral sex (f receiving). Unprotected sex. Mentions of a size difference. Praise kink. Mild violence (punching). Angst (with a happy ending, I think lol).

A/N: My sweet friends!! I am very excited to share the next part of The Ties That Bind with you! If you haven’t done so already, be sure to read Part 1 and Part 2 first, or you’ll be lost. After this, we have one more part left! Thank you so much for joining me on this journey! ❤️

“Hey.”

You pulled your exhausted gaze from where you’d been gently cradling your father’s hand between your own. You winced as you sat up straight, your body screaming in protest from the way you’d been hunched over in the uncomfortable hospital chair all night, your head resting on the edge of your father’s bed as sleep evaded you and the multitude of medical devices beeped and whirred, keeping the peace of silence at bay.

Blinking the dryness from your gritty eyes, you glanced across the bed to see a nurse checking your father’s vitals. She looked familiar, but your tired brain couldn’t immediately place her.

She met your gaze, sympathy shining in her eyes as she rounded the foot of your father’s bed to stand beside you. You could see her hesitate for a moment before she asked, “Do you want me to let Andy know?"

Ah, that’s why she looked familiar, she was dating Andy. You had met her that night at Jo’s. She’d been kind to you then, too, before she’d been swept away by the group to play pool and have a few drinks, leaving you behind.

“Andy?” you echoed, your voice raspy and colored with confusion.

She glanced from your father’s sickly, unmoving form, to the ventilator that was keeping him alive.

Despite the desperate prayers you had chanted over and over again all night, he hadn’t woken up.

They said he wouldn’t, that the stroke had been too severe, and they were right.

“Yeah,” she moved closer, again hesitating before her hand touched your shoulder, giving a squeeze of comfort. “I know you have a difficult decision to make, but you don’t have to do it alone.”

It was instant, the swell of tears that blurred your vision, because she was so wrong.

You did everything alone, even this.

You stuffed that thought down deep, taking a shaky breath as you shook your head and sniffed back your tears. “No, thank you. I've already texted Mike.” You glanced over at your phone that was resting on the small side table, tapping the screen to reveal no notifications awaiting you. Swallowing around the lump in your throat, you mustered a brittle smile as you glanced up at her, “I…I'm sure he'll let everyone know."

"Okay,” she murmured, sounding unsure. She gave your shoulder another squeeze before stepping back. “Let me know if you need anything, okay? I'm working a double, so I'll be running around but I'll be sure to come back and check on you whenever I can."

"Thank you, you're so nice."

She gave you a sad smile, her eyes flickering to your father once more before returning to you. You could tell how genuine she was being as she told you, “I’m so sorry.”

You nodded at her, resuming your gentle hold on your father’s hand. Avoiding her gaze as you blinked back another wave of tears, you instead leaned into that familiar numbness–your constant and only companion as of late–and just a moment later, you were once again alone with the unresponsive shell of your father.

The hours stretched on, blurring together, the small hospital room becoming more and more suffocating the longer you were there.

But you refused to leave.

Even when Andy’s girlfriend promised she would sit with your dad while you went home to shower and get some rest, you just shook your head, holding your father’s hand tighter as you avoided her gaze.

You weren’t even sure how long you’d been there at this point. Two days at least? All you knew for sure was that you had signed off on the end of life paperwork a little bit ago, and the decision had been made.

They’d take your father off of life support soon, and then…

Then it would be over.

He’d be gone.

You tugged the scratchy blanket Andy’s girlfriend had brought you higher, resting your head on the edge of your father’s bed. You were so tired, your body was heavy with it, weighed down by your exhaustion, by your grief.

Still, you couldn’t fall asleep.

You wouldn’t.

You had to spend every second that you could with your father before he was gone. Even if he didn’t know you were there, your time with him was limited now–so very precious–because once it was all said and done, you wouldn’t get any more.

Sniffling, you reached for your phone, noting the battery only had about 13% left. You double checked that you had a signal, and you did, a strong one, and you couldn’t help the devastation that rose up within you when you clicked into your text thread with Mike. He had seen the text you had sent hours and hours ago–yesterday–about your father, about being at the hospital and probably missing work, and he hadn’t responded.

He hadn’t called, he hadn’t texted you back, he hadn’t stopped by, and neither had anyone else.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true - Amelia had called you to check in, but she had already done so much for you and your dad, you couldn’t accept her offer to come sit with you for a while. You knew her agency would be assigning her a new client to fill your father’s place soon. That’s just how this stuff worked. You weren’t her priority anymore, and you shouldn’t be.

But it really hurt that Mike couldn’t even spare a minute to check in on you. To simply text you back. And after what had happened between the two of you at the office? Your stomach flipped at the memory, and you shuddered, trying your best to shake it off.

There was no denying the truth now, the hard reality that you had spent your whole life trying to ignore, trying to overcome.

You were nothing to Mike, to the Devil’s Advocates.

You had always done everything for Mike, anything he had ever requested, at the drop of a dime, no questions asked, and the one time you needed him, really needed him, needed anyone, he couldn’t even be bothered.

Your entire life, you had struggled with loneliness, with always being on the outside looking in, always being the tagalong, the afterthought, forgotten entirely.

In that moment, muddling through an unthinkable tragedy and impending loss all by yourself–truly alone–it was a kind of desolation you had never felt before. It was like your insides had been carved out until hollow, and all you had to fill the emptiness was the agony of your solitary, unloved existence.

You took a shaky breath to try to quell all the feelings roiling within you, and just as you went to take another, the door to your father’s hospital room opened, and Ari stepped inside.

Dread shoved its way to the forefront of your emotional turmoil, and you jolted up in your seat, alarmed as you watched Ari’s concerned gaze land on your father.

“Please, not here, not now. I told you, I’m not one of them–” you started but he shook his head.

“That’s not why I’m here.”

“Then…what are you doing here?” you asked warily, your fingers twisting in the blanket as he moved closer.

“I came as soon as I heard,” Ari murmured, edging around the foot of your father’s bed as he hesitantly closed the distance between you.

You blinked, more affected by his confession than you cared to admit as he crouched before your chair. His blue eyes were warm and so sad as they met yours. Sad for your father, sad for you.

As much as you had tried to tell yourself–over and over again–that he didn’t care about you, that he was a liar, that he had been using you…

He was here.

Ari was here, and you weren’t alone anymore.

Something about that realization–along with the gravity of the situation–hit you like a ton of bricks, and it was like everything inside of you crumpled in on itself. The weak, shoddy defenses you had built up to try to get through this, the tiny scraps of strength you had mustered so you wouldn’t fall apart entirely, it all crumbled away in an instant.

The sound that spilled from your lips wasn’t a sob, it didn’t even sound human, the pained wail of despair that escaped you. It was quickly followed by another, and then another, until you were crying uncontrollably, so hard that it hurt, that you couldn’t breathe, as you finally let yourself fall apart, and right into Ari’s arms.

He welcomed you without hesitation, pulling you as close as possible as he held you tight. He smoothed a big hand over your crown, cradling the back of your head as you wept against his shoulder, his words like a soothing balm to your soul as he murmured over and over again, “Shhh, I’ve got you, sweetheart, I’ve got you, and I’m not going anywhere.”

It didn’t feel real when you stepped inside your childhood home–your father’s home–knowing that he would never dwell within these walls again.

The living room TV would never blair with his favorite shows again.

His old, trusty recliner would never again squeak with his weight.

The rickety dining table in the kitchen would never again host your quiet, two-person meals.

Your father had been the heartbeat of this home–even when his mind and memories began to falter–and now that he was gone, it was as lifeless as his body had been the last time you saw him.

You hadn’t realized you’d been frozen in the entryway, tearful gaze fixed on your father’s recliner in the living room, until Ari’s hand landed on your shoulder.

He closed the front door behind you both, setting your purse and car keys on the nearby side table.

“Why don’t you go shower and change into fresh clothes?” he suggested.

You nodded, suddenly hyper aware of the fact that you hadn’t been home or showered or changed in nearly three days. You felt so grimy, so gross, your skin crawling with it.

You were on autopilot as you made your way to your room, then through to the connected ensuite. You didn’t even see yourself in the mirror as you brushed your teeth. You didn’t feel the soapy loofah against your skin as you washed yourself.

You didn’t have any recollection of drying off and picking out the oversized t-shirt and sweatpants you now wore as you once again found yourself standing in the entryway of your father’s home, staring at his empty recliner.

Ari appeared in the kitchen doorway, his brow furrowed in worry as he watched you. “I can cook you something to eat, or order out, whatever you want.”

You shook your head quickly, your stomach churning at the mere mention of food. “Not hungry.”

You didn’t think you’d ever be hungry again. You couldn’t imagine ever feeling anything other than the heavy weight of grief sitting in the pit of your stomach, the sharp knot of dread that blocked your throat and made it hard to swallow or breathe, and the jarring hollowness that rang through the rest of you.

Ari moved closer, until he loomed before you. His big hands gently cupped your upper arms, his head ducking so his gaze could meet yours as he asked, “What do you need?”

You blinked at him, your foggy brain turning over his words.

What did you need right now?

To not feel like this, the answer came quickly and without hesitation or much thought at all.

You didn’t want to feel this way anymore.

The loss, the grief, the devastation, the uncertainty. Just a few of the layers to the blanket of emotions and pain that consumed you.

Suffocated you.

You just wanted to feel good, even if it was short-lived. Anything to escape the current waking nightmare you found yourself trapped in.

For some reason, Mike popped into your mind. You thought of him that day in the motel room, how he’d been vibrating with excitement, high out of his mind but he had felt good in that moment.

He had been the embodiment of euphoria, and that’s what you needed right now.

“Pills or..or that white powder, if that’s all you have, I don’t care! Just a little of what you gave Mike,” you babbled, your lashes fluttering as you focused your gaze on Ari.

His eyebrows shot up, his head already shaking his descent, but he didn’t even get a chance to respond before you were grabbing the front of his shirt.

“Please,” you trembled, squeezing your eyes shut so no more tears could escape. Your fingers curled into the front of Ari’s button up as you pressed close to him, resting your forehead against his chest as you begged, “I won’t tell, I promise. Just…I just want to feel good, please. I just want to forget. I just want to forget about,” your voice broke and you swallowed. “I just want to forget about my dad, and about Mike, and how none of them care, they didn’t even care that he was dying, that I was all alone, please.”

“Honey, that’s not what you need right now,” Ari said gently, his hand rubbing your back as you whined at his resistance to your one request.

Maybe that’s why your brain so stubbornly fixated on this idea, this one request, because you never asked anyone for anything, ever. And this one time–just this once–you needed to be taken care of!

Why wouldn’t he help you?

How come no one ever helped you?

“Just this once, please!” you were crying again as you tipped your face back so Ari could see the look of pleading in your eyes.

When he started to shake his head again, looking dead set on his answer, your brain grew desperate, going into barter mode.

“I’ll tell you about the DAs, the only real thing I know!”

Intrigue flashed in Ari’s gaze, but he still shook his head, his jaw set as he said, “I’m not giving you anything like that, that’s not what you need.”

“It is! Come on! This is why you’re here, this is the whole reason why you’re here!” Your voice was high-pitched now, tinged with a hysterical kind of frustration as you snatched Ari’s phone from his shirt pocket and held it out to him. “Unlock it, record me, I want to tell you! I’ll tell you this and then you can just give me a couple of pills, and it will be good. Everything will be good! I’ll be good!”

When Ari didn’t move, just stared down at you sadly, you huffed, tapping on his phone screen and aiming it at his face until it unlocked. You scrolled through his apps until you found the voice recording one and tapped into it, starting a new recording as you quickly began to babble.

“All I know is a few days before they found the bodies of those two gangsters you keep asking me about, Mike got a call at the end of the work day. It was from Andy, and he was talking so loud that I could hear the entire conversation. He told Mike to meet him somewhere just outside of city limits, and to come packing, and that he needed to come now! And then a few days later the remains were discovered, and and Andy’s girl, it had something to do with her, they tried to hurt her, I think, and she didn’t come around for a while, but she seems okay now. She was at the hospital when my father…” your voice faltered, tears streaking down your cheeks as you began to lose steam. “And she’s so nice, so…so she needed their help, okay? And, and that’s all I know.”

Your finger trembled as you clicked off the audio recording and shoved Ari’s phone back into his pocket.

“So, please, now it’s your turn! Just a little, and I promise I won’t tell, I won’t get you in trouble, I wouldn’t–”

“I’m not giving you any of that poison!” Ari snapped. “You’re too good for that.”

“Please!” you quavered, shaking him, or at least trying to, but he was so much bigger than you that he didn’t move an inch. “I…I hurt. I just need to not feel like this, please! I don’t have anything left. I don’t have anyone. I don’t have anyone.”

“You have me,” Ari whispered, gently cradling your face between his hands.

“You don’t want me,” you wailed, trying to recoil from his soft touch. “No one wants me. No one ever wants me, and the only person who ever truly loved me is gone! “

“I want you,” Ari said vehemently. He tugged you closer, pressing his forehead against yours, his eyes burning into your own as he said, “I’ve wanted you since that first night at Jo’s. I shouldn’t. I know I shouldn’t, because of who I am and why I’m here and how we met. Because of everything I’ve done to you, the way I’ve treated you, the way I’ve hurt you. I don’t deserve you, but fuck, sweetheart, I want you. I want you.”

Your breath caught in your chest at Ari’s words, at the way he was watching you, with such an intent desire and yearning that it had something warm and welcomed blooming to life in your chest.

A spark of what could be your own euphoria.

“Show me,” you whispered, leaning into him, clutching him tighter. “Please, Ari. Please, make it go away. I don’t want to feel this way. I just want to feel good. Please make me feel good?”

You saw the internal battle wage in Ari’s eyes. They really were the windows to his soul, and they always had been. When you tipped your face up and just barely touched your lips to his, begging him with another soft, trembling, “Please, Ari, I need you,” you saw the surrender flash in his gaze just a beat before he was kissing you.

You gasped as he kissed you with the kind of frenzied passion that had your body coming to life one nerve ending at a time. A second later, Ari had you backed into the nearest wall, his tongue sweeping past your lips to touch your own, as you pawed at him just as desperately, his addictive flavor bursting all along your tastebuds.

When your hands fell to fumble with the front of his jeans, Ari tore his mouth from yours, his forehead resting against your own as he panted, “Wait.”

You whined at the thought of him changing his mind, at being left unsatisfied and feeling unwanted–yet again–but then Ari gently caressed your warm cheek and pressed a much more innocent kiss against your pouting lips.

“Where’s your bedroom?” he husked. “I really wanna take my time with you, sweetheart, make you feel as good as you deserve.”

Your vision blurred with relieved tears as you leaned into him, your hands holding onto Ari’s back for dear life. You just took a moment to breathe him in and drown in his presence, his proximity, his care.

Then you murmured an answer to his question, and soon you were tucked away in your bedroom together.

You were delightfully dizzy as Ari pressed you back against your closed bedroom door, his big hands so careful as he cradled your face and kissed you like you were the only thing that mattered to him in the world.

There was a franticness to his passion for you, which belied the gentleness of his touch, and you wanted to get lost in this feeling forever, being so swept up by someone else’s desire, for you.

Ari finally dragged his mouth from yours, humming in carnal satisfaction when you turned your face away to catch your breath. His lips touched the curve of your jaw, traversing a slow, careful path down your skin. When his mouth reached the side of your throat, he lingered, his lips pressing soft kisses wherever he could reach, his tongue sneaking out to taste the flavor of you, and his beard prickling your skin in a way that had your cunt throbbing and your thighs pressing together.

When he sucked a bruise against your throat, you moaned, your fingers curling into the worn denim of his button up as you yanked him closer. Tipping your head back to give him more room to work, your eyes fluttered shut on the airy sigh of his name, and you could feel Ari’s groan against your neck in response.

“Can I take this off?” he husked, tugging on the hem of your oversized t-shirt.

You nodded so quickly your vision swam, and Ari grinned at you, his look so boyish and pleased–so playful and wanting–that it had your stomach swooping and tears burning at the back of your eyes.

Because this was what you had always craved when it came to intimacy and sex.

No ulterior motives, no emotional blocks, no feeling used then discarded.

Just another person captivated by you, lost to you, wanting you just as badly as you wanted them.

A new wave of desperate desire washed over you as Ari lifted your t-shirt. You raised your arms to help him draw it from your body, your insides clenching at the way his eyes were so dark with lust, so hungry, as he eyed your bare breasts. You didn’t even have a chance to feel shy or vulnerable or get into your own head before he descended on you.

You gasped as Ari’s mouth zeroed in on your breasts, his lips tugging one of your sensitive nipples into his mouth to lave with his tongue as his big hand gently palmed the other side of your chest. You whined soft and sweet for him, your hand flying to his head, fingers gripping his hair as your back arched as you offered more of yourself for him to worship, begged for it wordlessly as you writhed against him, never wanting this feeling to end.

Ari took a moment to pay some attention to your other breast before he sank to his knees before you so his mouth could continue its descent down your trembling body. You watched through half-lidded eyes as he pressed gentle kisses along your belly, his fingers curling into the waistband of your sweats.

His smoldering gaze lifted then, realigning with yours, and he didn’t even need to speak before you were answering the question shining in his smokey gaze with an eager nod of your head.

A beat later, both your pants and panties were tossed aside, and you were completely naked now as Ari guided your leg over his shoulder, spreading you open with a throaty groan of admiration as he gazed at the warm, wanting place between your thighs.

“Sweetheart,” he was as breathless as you felt as his hands smoothed up your inner thighs. “You’re so pretty, so soft…” Ari’s hands mirrored the reverence in his voice as he framed your cunt before tugging your folds apart with his thumbs and leaning in. “Fuck, you smell so good.”

Moaning, your hips tilted, your face burning like the sun as you dropped your head back against your bedroom door and waited with bated breath for that first touch of Ari’s mouth to your pussy.

He didn’t make you wait long, the humid warmth of his breath fanning over your core a split second before his tongue dragged up the cut of you and tore a wordless keen of delight from the back of your throat.

You could feel him groan against your cunt as his tongue did another lap, his voice all grit and gravel as he told you, “You taste so good, honey, I’ve been dying to have your flavor on my tongue again.”

It felt like something inside of you was soaring to new heights of bliss as Ari dove in, worshiping your pussy with his mouth, taking his time to tease you with slow, heavy drags of his tongue before he was circling your throbbing clit with his lips and sucking until you were rutting against his face, egging him on.

You didn’t even realize that you were chanting his name until your words were interrupted by a throaty moan when Ari’s tongue focused on your drippy, clenching hole. Your breath caught in your chest as he worked his tongue inside of you, teasing–sin incarnate–as his chest rumbled with his own delight as a litany of breathy, high pitched keens fell from your lips without relent.

“Let go for me,” Ari husked once he pulled away.

He kissed your cunt just as tenderly as he would kiss your mouth before he sank two thick fingers into your pussy, curled them, and started to work that spongy spot inside of you that had sparks of ecstasy crackling all along your body as your thighs began to shake.

“That’s it, honey, lose yourself to it, let it feel good,” Ari encouraged, his tongue lapping at your clit for a beat, kitten licks that had you crying out, mindless and just on the edge. “You deserve it sweetheart, you deserve to feel good.”

You sobbed as your orgasm finally broke over you, the utter carnal delight of it igniting deep in your core before rushing through the rest of you like a raging wildfire far beyond your control.

Everything else around you melted away, your mind going blissfully silent and hazy as your body trembled and tensed with each new wave of pleasure that washed over you. As the last dregs of your ecstasy faded away, your knees buckled, your body loose and pliant as Ari caught you against him easily and arranged you in his lap as he sat back on your floor and held you against him.

Still trying to catch your breath, you laid your cheek on his shoulder, loosely hugging him as his big hands gently stroked your back, his nose snuffling along the side of your throat and earning a giggle for his silliness.

You could feel the curl of Ari’s lips against your neck as he pressed a kiss there, before you straightened so you could see his handsome face.

He just watched you for a long, quiet moment, his eyes so warm that your belly was fluttering all over again. Your innate shyness finally creeped up on you as you remembered you were naked as you sat in his lap, and he was still fully dressed, much to your chagrin.

“You’re so beautiful,” Ari said, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “So sweet.” Another kiss on the tip of your nose. His lips found your warm cheek next, kissing there, too, his voice pitched low as his next words washed over you, “You drive me so crazy, the way you’ve taken me over.”

You were pleasantly overwhelmed by his words, his praise and compliments, your hopeful mind latching on to one thing in particular. “You think I’m beautiful?”

He smiled at you, smoothing a hand over your head. “I think you’re gorgeous, sweetheart, inside and out.”

Shy gaze falling away, you leaned in close, hands finding purchase on Ari’s broad shoulders as you whispered, “I think you’re beautiful too. I thought so since the first time I saw you.”

“Ditto.” He tipped your face up with a lone finger beneath your chin, his lips finding yours for another sweet kiss.

Something about the way he kept his eyes open for this kiss had you doing the same, and it just struck you again in that moment, for what had to be the millionth time since you met Ari, that he was so painfully handsome.

And now you got to bask in it up close.

You touched your hands to his face, carefully framing his beardy cheeks as you allowed your gaze to flicker all over his perfect features. His warm eyes, his perfectly straight nose, the light dusting of freckles on his cheeks that you only now noticed, so close to him for the very first time. Your thumbs caressed along the edges of his beard, and you felt your pussy flutter at the rough scrape of it against your skin, at the memory of how it had felt against your cunt.

“I remember now, that first night at Jo’s,” you said suddenly as the recollection came to you. “As soon as you walked into the bar, you looked right at me, caught me staring at you, and winked. You saw me before anyone else.”

A lump of emotion swelled in your throat, and you stubbornly blinked back your tears, wanting to continue to get lost in this moment, in Ari.

So you did.

This time, you initiated a kiss, leaning in as your hands maintained their station on his bearded cheeks, tilting your face and touching your lips to his. It was the hitch of his breath in response that had your tongue boldly pushing past the seam of his mouth to touch his own.

You were rewarded by a deep purr rumbling in Ari’s chest, and your cunt throbbed in response. Squirming closer to him, you twined your arms around Ari’s neck, kissing him more desperately now as you felt his hard cock bulging at the front of his jeans and nudging at your center.

By the time you were more gasping against each other’s lips than kissing, Ari was rutting up against you, moaning as his hands fell to grip your hips and guide the rock of your body over his.

When your hand dropped to cup his erection through his jeans, Ari grunted, his nostrils flaring as he met your dazed gaze and rocked up into your touch.

“Fuck, sweetheart, I need to be inside you so bad.”

As he worked on undoing his jeans and digging his cock free, you made quick work of his shirt, unbuttoning it and then pushing it off of his shoulders and flinging it aside as your hands returned to his warm, smooth skin.

“God,” you breathed, your eyes eagerly drinking in the expanse of his bronze skin, the flex of his muscles, the dark, coarse hair littering his chest and stomach.

When your gazes next met, you saw your own frantic need mirrored in Ari’s dark eyes, so the two of you worked together seamlessly–wordlessly–lips parted and panting against each other’s as you gripped his cock and guided it to your entrance as his hands held your hips and tilted your body just right.

The sound you made as you slowly sank down on Ari’s hard cock was the love child of a moan and a keen. Your forehead touched his and your lashes fluttered as your body greedily gripped every rock hard inch of him that it could. Ari gave a rut that had you both gasping as he bottomed out, and he moaned as your pussy fluttered and clenched around him hard in welcome.

“You feel so good, honey, so fucking perfect,” Ari breathed.

He kissed you hard, with enthusiasm, a thorough tasting of you that had his tongue tanging with your mewl of pleasure as his hands slid up your back, cupped your shoulders, and held you in place as he started to drive up into you slow and deep.

“Oh my god,” you gasped, clinging to him as you grinded in his lap, circling your hips and whining your delight each and every time your clit got even just a lick of friction. “Ari!”

“I’m right here, honey,” he groaned, thrusting up into you faster now. “Just for you. All for you.”

One of his hands fell between your bodies, and when his thumb found your clit and began to rub, you keened. Your head fell back, your eyes squeezing shut as pleasure ricocheted all throughout your body. That coil inside of you twined tighter and tighter with every drive of Ari’s cock, every swipe of his thumb against your swollen clit.

When his lips found the pulse point in your neck and sucked, you were gone. You came with a cry of pure bliss, your hips rocking hard and fast as you rode Ari through your orgasm, your clit throbbing every time he grunted against the crook of your neck.

Your pussy fluttered with another small orgasm when Ari reached his own peak, your brain going floaty as he groaned your name against your neck and pumped you full of his hot, sticky cum.

You clung to each other for a long moment, both of you panting and shuddering with the aftermath of your ecstasy.

You were already well on your way to total exhaustion, your body so thoroughly wrung out in the most amazing way, that you couldn’t help but be impressed when Ari managed to stand with you still clinging to him, full of him, and moved you both toward your bed.

He set you down gently, stealing another kiss before he stepped away to finish undressing. Once he was as naked as you, Ari grinned at the way your eyes widened to find his cock still hard and standing tall and proud against his stomach.

“You didn’t think I was done with you yet, did you?” he winked, joining you in bed and stretching out over your boneless body.

He rained more kisses down on you, the embodiment of patient passion as he took his time to drink from your mouth until you were gasping for breath and squirming all over again.

“My insatiable little sweetheart,” he teased, eyes sparkling at you. He huffed a laugh when you whined and buried your face against his chest to hide.

Pressing a kiss to your crown, he eased away from you. You didn’t resist as his big hands guided you over onto your belly, shooting him another wide-eyed look over your shoulder that had him aiming another boyish grin and wink your way.

Tension from the unknown slowly melted away as Ari took a moment to kiss a path down your spine. Starting to learn what you liked now, what made you desperate, Ari’s mouth found its way back up to your shoulder, his lips teasing the soft curve for a moment before he was kissing and sucking along the side of your neck, making you gasp and mewl as you writhed against the blankets.

When Ari’s big, heavy body blanketed your own, his front pressing flush to your back–his full weight settled against you–it was like a switch flipped in your brain, and you just went absolutely pliant for him.

“Yeah, there you go, sweetheart, just relax for me. Let me take care of you,” Ari cooed against your ear, pressing a soft kiss to your cheek.

Your fingers curled into the blankets at either side of you as Ari rutted against your ass. When you spread your thighs for him, he hummed, kissing your temple as he breathed, “Good girl,” against your skin.

You shuddered, your pussy fluttering at his praise, and a second later, the mushroom tip of his cock was catching on your entrance, and then he was slowly sliding into you.

Moaning as he split you open, your lips parted, your mouth hanging open at the exquisite stretch and burn, especially in this position. Ari’s cock felt even bigger than before, and you swore it hit every sensitive spot inside of you before he was finally settled to the hilt.

“Christ,” Ari hissed. His forehead dipped to the back of your head, his weight rested on his forearms at either side of you. “You’re so fucking tight, I don’t think I’m gonna last long this way, honey.”

“I don’t care,” you wisped, whining as you fisted the blankets beneath you and squirmed. “Please, just make me cum again.”

Ari wasted no time in doing just that. He kept his nose tucked against your neck as he fucked you with hard, deep strokes. Your bed creaked with each one of his thrusts, adding to the symphony or ruin that filled your room, the slap of flesh against flesh, Ari’s guttural groans and grunts, your own throaty keens and gasps.

When he dug one of his hands beneath you, pressing against your low belly, the tips of his fingers just teasing your clit, you made such a sweet, startled sound of visceral delight that you could feel Ari’s cock twitch and throb inside of you in response.

“God, honey, you keep making all those sweet, sexy sounds, I’m gonna lose it.”

“Please don’t stop,” you begged, rocking beneath him, desperate for more friction and on the edge of another orgasm. “Feels so good.”

Groaning at the way you slurred your words, how blissed out you sounded, Ari doubled down, his fingers swirling against your clit as he rutted into you over and over again.

Before you knew it, you were keening another glorious orgasm, your muscles tensing and releasing, tensing and releasing as bliss danced all along your body, fully invaded your mind.

“Fuck, sweetheart,” Ari panted, his voice tinged with desperation now as he drove into you with enthusiasm, his hips pounding against your ass over and over again until you were crying out for him one final time as your body shook with one last wave of delightful pleasure.

Shouting his own release, Ari drove into you hard and lingered. Distantly, you felt his cock swell and twitch inside of you, felt the hot flood of his spend–of his pleasure, from you–as he groaned in ecstasy and pumped into you a final few times.

You were so beyond floaty as his big body sagged against you, your lashes fluttering as your eyes closed and stayed that way. You didn’t think you could move even if you tried, feeling like an actual puddle of post orgasmic bliss as you sank heavily against the mattress and felt the call of sleep more than you ever had before.

So out of it, you weren’t fully aware of the way Ari rained soft kisses along your shoulders before finally moving away from you. The way he lingered at your side for a moment, petting your head and watching you with the softest gaze imaginable. How he so gently cleaned you up and disappeared only long enough to get you a glass of water before returning.

You were half asleep when he sat you up and made you drink a few mouthfuls, smiling at how you couldn’t even keep your eyes open as you snuggled into his side after.

“Please, don’t leave me,” you mumbled as your fingers curled in his chest hair and you went lax against him. “I don’t want to be alone.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Ari promised, smoothing a hand over your head.

By the time he leaned over to return the glass of water to your nightstand, then turned back to you, you were completely passed out against his chest, your breathing slow and deep.

Carefully, Ari settled back in bed, arranging you against his chest before tugging the blankets up around you both.

He stared down at you for a good, long while, his eyes drinking in your features. Zeroing in on the furrow between your brow, Ari couldn’t help it as he drew his knuckles up your cheek before his thumb was smoothing the furrow away, and you looked truly peaceful for the first time since he had met you.

Even in sleep, you radiated sweetness, a type of kindness and goodness that was so rare, especially in his world.

It both snuck up on him and didn’t, the moment of clarity. The firm knowing that he couldn’t do it, what he had set out to do. He couldn’t use you to solve this case, he wouldn’t.

You didn’t deserve it, any of it - what Ari had already done to you and what he had planned to do up until now.

You were an innocent. You were the kind of person that Ari should actually be protecting, not sacrificing in a bid for vengeance for violent offenders like Neal Logiudice and Robert Pronge and to take down the Devil’s Advocates to boot.

Ari’s stomach churned violently when he thought of what he had done to you, what he had put you through.

It was that burn of self-loathing deep in his gut that sparked his fierce determination to protect you at all costs moving forward.

He would never be able to undo what had already been done, but maybe, just maybe he could make it just a little bit right. He could be there for you now, no strings attached, when you needed him most.

Ari would find another way to help his cousin, to support her in her time of grief, but it wouldn’t come at the expense of you, your well-being, or your safety.

Mind made up, Ari carefully reached for his phone that he had set on the bedside table earlier after cleaning you up. Keeping one hand pressed to your back, feeling your warmth and softness beneath his touch, he used the other to scroll through his phone apps until he found the voice recorder.

Clicking into it, he didn’t hesitate to swipe at the recording you had made just a few hours ago, his one real piece of evidence that could take down the DAs. Tapping on the red “delete” option that popped up, Ari watched as the recording of your confession disappeared for good.

He felt a sense of peace wash over him as some of the tightness in his chest that had been residing there for months finally started to ease up. Setting his phone down, Ari tucked his nose to your crown, breathing in your soft, soothing scent as he closed his eyes and finally welcomed sleep.

The living room was dark and still–quiet–save for your muffled sobs.

You were curled up in your father’s recliner, wearing his leather Devil’s Advocates jacket over your nightgown, drowning in his faded scent and lost to your grief as the first peeks of the sun’s rays began to slowly fill the room.

It was a new day, and your father would never see it.

The simple thought had you crying even harder.

That’s how Ari found you when he emerged from your bedroom, his chest bare and his jeans hastily pulled on once he realized you weren’t beside him in bed.

He paused in the doorway, frowning as he watched you, and it wasn’t until he was crouched just before the recliner and touching a hand to your shoulder as he murmured your name that you realized he was there at all.

“I’m a terrible person, an a-awful daughter,” you hiccuped as Ari gently smoothed a hand over your head.

“Sweetheart, I can assure you, you’re anything but.”

“No!” you recoiled from Ari’s gentle touch, feeling undeserving of it as you curled in on yourself. “You don’t understand - I wasn’t with him when it happened! I didn’t get to say goodbye! I was being horrible and stupid and pathetic with Mike, because he said he wanted me, and I…I was so stupid. I ignored Amelia’s calls, and…” your voice quavered, sounding incredibly small as you finished, “I didn’t get to tell him how much I love him.”

Your own devastation was mirrored in Ari’s eyes as he watched you. His hand touched your knee, giving it a squeeze as he said, “I promise you - he knew. Anyone who spends five minutes with you can tell how much you love your father. He knew and he loved you so much in return, I know he did. You’re the kind of person who’s made to be loved.”

Your face crumpled at Ari’s words and you cried into your hands, feeling both hollow inside and somehow still overflowing with hurt as he reached for you.

This time you didn’t resist Ari’s touch, inching closer and resting your tear-stained cheek on the recliner arm, mourning your father and everything you’d never get to tell him as Ari gently rubbed your back and dutifully stayed with you until this wave of tears ran dry.

Ari was literally buzzing with fury as he stepped into Jo’s bar.

He couldn’t get the image of you curled up on the recliner, weeping for your loss and the guilt that went along with it, out of his head.

He couldn’t shake how small and fragile you had looked as you got ready to go to the funeral home to make arrangements—all by yourself—insisting it was what you wanted despite Ari’s offer to go with you.

Ari had done you wrong, he knew that, but these people, the Devil’s Advocates, who touted family and taking care of one another but didn’t show a lick of care for you or what you were going through, they made him fucking sick.

Which is why as soon as Ari’s angry gaze landed on Mike, Curtis, and Andy at the back of the bar, playing a game of pool and laughing and joking like they didn’t have a care in the world, he stalked over without a second thought.

Mike was the first to see him, eyes lighting up and grin tugging up the corner of his lips as he greeted, “Hey, man–” but he didn’t get much further than that before Ari was cocking his fist back and punching Mike square in the face.

As Mike fell to the floor, Andy and Curtis converged on him as one, and Ari just went on instinct, kicking Curtis away with a harsh boot to the stomach before he turned and threw a punch so hard to Andy’s face, it had the DA leader on his hands and knees on the floor, spitting out a wad of blood a moment later.

“You should be protecting the most vulnerable in your circle,” Ari snarled at him, itching to yank him up by his collar and hit him all over again. “Not fucking leaving them to fend for themselves. Some fucking leader you are.”

“Hold on,” Curtis’ words had a wheeze to them as he grabbed Andy, who had scrambled to his feet and tried to launch himself at Ari. His concerned yet wary gaze met Ari’s as he asked, “What are you talking about?”

Ari snapped your name, sneering at Andy who was shooting him a death glare as he wiped blood from his split lip.

Curtis shook his head, confused. “What about her? Is she okay?”

“No, she’s not fucking okay,” Ari snapped. “Her father had a stroke and then died yesterday, and none of you assholes could be bothered to even check on her.”

Curtis and Andy whirled on Mike as one, since he was the one who spent the most time with you, and Mike visibly cringed, his face paling and his shoulders hiking up to his ears as he shook his head, "I didn't know it was that serious! She just texted to say he was in the hospital, and we, yanno, fucked a few days ago, and I didn't want to deal with her being weird or clingy or whatever and–"

Ari actually growled as he took a step toward Mike, but Andy beat him to the other man, fists curling in the front of Mike’s shirt as he gave him a rough shake then a hard shove away. "You fucking prick! This isn't how we roll, Mike. And ghosting her, when she needed us? That's fucking cold."

"I-I'm sorry,” Mike stuttered. “I didn’t realize how serious it was.”

“You should have told us,” Curtis spat at him, shaking his head in disgust. “Even if you didn’t want to be around her, I would have checked on her. Jesus, Mike.”

“I’m sorry,” Mike whispered again. He sniffed hard, his fingers twitching at his sides before he shoved them in his pants pockets. “I can go check on her now–”

“Don’t you fucking go near her!” Ari pointed a finger in his face. “You’ve done enough damage.”

Glaring, Mike swatted Ari’s hand away. “Like you’re one to talk?” he scoffed. “You may wanna get off of your high horse, man, because from where I’m standing, you haven’t treated her much better than me.”

Jaw clenching, Ari stared at Mike for a long moment, hating the truth to his words and how they made his stomach churn. Hands curled into fists at his sides, he took a deep breath before shaking his head, because Mike wasn’t worth it.

He wasn’t worth more drama.

He wasn’t worth blowing Ari’s cover.

And he certainly wasn’t worth your sweet admiration.

Mike Weiss wasn’t worth shit.

Ari turned on his heel and took a step forward before pausing and glancing back. His eyes found Andy then Curtis as he spoke, "All she ever wanted was to be a part of your little clique, but the truth is, you don't deserve her, not a single fucking one of you…”

Turning away from them, Ari murmured to himself, “And neither do I,” as he stalked across the bar, shoved through the exit, and stepped out of sight.

When Mike arrived at the office a few days later, it was to find you standing at your desk, packing up your personal belongings.

You didn’t perk up at his arrival, or greet him with a smile of welcome. You didn’t even look at him as he set down his bag and coffee in the small waiting area. You just continued to methodically place your things into the box atop your desk as he hesitantly moved closer.

“What’s all this?” he asked, sounding so unsure that your gaze finally lifted to meet his.

The first thing you noticed was Mike’s black eye, and if you had to guess who gave it to him, the list was fairly short, just one person really.

The thought of Ari laying into Mike on your behalf made your tummy flutter, not because you condoned violence, or because Mike deserved it–which he did–but because you weren’t used to having others stick up for you.

And it felt good.

There was something else that felt good, too - the decision you had made.

Perhaps it was a knee-jerk reaction to your father’s death, to everything that had happened over the past few weeks, but the thought wouldn’t leave your mind as you had laid awake in bed each of the past few nights, unable to sleep.

And honestly? You had never felt so confident and sure of anything as you did in that moment, when you plucked up your resignation letter from the corner of your desk and held it out to Mike.

Brows furrowing, he gently took it from your grip, his eyes widening and his lips turning down into a frown as he read through your letter to the end.

For your part, you had it memorized, not because it was an exceptionally well written piece, or because it was short and sweet with zero fluff–because Mike didn’t deserve any kind words or copious amounts of gratitude–but because of what it symbolized.

You were finally done with being the Devil’s Advocates’ tagalong.

The loss of your father hadn’t just turned your world upside down, it had infused you with a sense of unshakeable clarity. It made you realize that life was so short, so very precious, and you had to stop wasting it on people and places that didn’t even acknowledge your existence.

“I know two weeks' notice is usually the standard,” you told Mike as you placed another item in your box. “But I was hoping you could be flexible with me since I have so much on my plate with arranging my dad’s funeral and everything.”

"Yeah, of course!” Mike murmured, swallowing hard as he placed your letter on the edge of the desk. “Don’t even worry about it.” He shifted his weight, the air between you heavy with awkward tension as the silence drew on for a long beat, and then he spoke again, “Look, pip, I'm sorry about…everything," he started.

"Just, don't, Mike,” you cut him off with a shake of your head, placing the last of your things in the box before looking at him.

He looked stunned that you were being so short with him, so used to your sweet, eager-to-please nature by now, the way you had always hung off of his every word.

Just another thing about you that he had always taken for granted.

That reminder had your spine straightening as you said, “It just, it is what it is. I don't fit in here, and I never have.” Your voice quavered then, emotion rising up, but you stubbornly swallowed it down. Instead, you mustered a brittle smile as you shrugged, "So now I need to find where I do fit in, and I don't think it's here in Newton."

"You're leaving?" Mike asked, his mouth gaping as he stared at you, stunned yet again.

"Yeah,” you nodded. “I just need a fresh start after everything. I'm going to put my dad’s house on the market, and he had a really good life insurance policy that I didn’t even know about until now. So, he’s still taking care of me in a way and…yeah. I’ll be heading out soon after his funeral.”

Mike rounded your desk, his face as serious as you had ever seen it as he said, "You don't need to go, pip."

"Yes I do,” you replied firmly. “For me.”

This was the first decision you had ever made that was truly for yourself, for your best interests.

It wasn’t based on who you thought you should be, for others, but who you wanted to be, for yourself.

And the person that Newton made you–that Mike and the Devil’s Advocates made you–that wasn’t the person you wanted to be.

You met Mike’s gaze for a long moment, surprised by the upset straining his features, but strangely satisfied by it too.

“Thank you,” you murmured earnestly. “For the job and…everything, I guess, even the painful, messy stuff."

“Pip,” Mike trailed off, unsure of what to say, but he moved closer, reaching for you.

You recoiled instantly, shaking your head as you held out a hand to ward him off. “Don’t touch me, please.”

Mike pulled up short, his cheeks going pink as he shoved his hands down at his sides and whispered, “Sorry.”

Consumed by a feeling you had never felt before, but you had an inkling that it was pride, you turned away from him and picked up your things, rounding the other side of your desk as you strode toward the door.

When you got to it, you paused, glancing back to find Mike staring at you, his face forlorn.

“You know, the one good thing that came out of all of this?” you asked. “You helped me realize that I deserve better, to be seen, to be happy.”

Your lips curled at the corners, more of that unfamiliar pride welling up throughout you as you spoke that truth aloud, and then you were turning away, pulling the door open, and leaving the office for the very last time.

Completely unaware of the way Mike stared after you, looking confused and strangely gutted as he spoke a reply that you would never hear, “You do.”

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! WELLLL, WHAT ARE WE THINKING, FEELING, AND HOE SPIRALING ABOUT? DROP YER GIRL A REBLOG/COMMENT/ASK TO SCREECH PUH-LEASE!!!! 🥺🙏🏻

Devil’s Advocates Masterlist

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357 notes · View notes

filthy-gorgeous-library · 9 months ago

Text

Yes, please.

Excuse me, your writing needs a health warning. It's gonna be at least a few hours before my brain comes back online thanks to this. What a treat!

Luck Be a Lady

Pairing: soft!dark Curtis Everett x female reader

Word Count: ~10.1k

Summary: Desperate for money, you accept a job as a cocktail waitress at an underground casino. You think you know what you're doing, but when you meet Curtis, will you realize you're in over your head?

Warnings: Mob AU, violence, allusions to murder, explicit language, dubcon touching, noncon touching (not Curtis), willfully oblivious reader, SMUT - facefucking, dirty talk, light d/s dynamics, praise kink, other explicit sexual content. This is definitely on the darker end of the soft!dark spectrum, so proceed with caution! All of my work is 18+ - Minors DNI

Dividers by @thecutestgrotto

Masterlist

A/N: And here it finally is! This is my first real attempt at soft!dark. I hope I did it right! 😂

This was inspired by two things: 1) me going to a rep screening of Goodfellas and spending the entire time wondering why I hadn't done a mob au yet and 2) @bigtreefest saying "enforcer!Curtis Everett and mob boss!Andy Barber" in my general direction. Thanks for the inspo, friend!!

And big thanks as always to @paperweight91 who not only came up with Curtis's name for reader but also offered heaps of encouragement and was a great sounding board.

Any comment, reblog, or ask to let me know what you think will be greatly appreciated. Please come scream at me about this! 😄 As always, thank you so much for reading! 💜

You fruitlessly tug down your very short skirt as Holly talks at you. You’re both standing in the corner of the bar’s basement waiting for the night to start in earnest—your first night.

“Lloyd’s not so bad,” she says of your boss, the man who runs this little underground gambling ring. “You’ll have to split your tips with him at the end of the night, but he doesn’t take that much, and you’ll make enough that you won’t really notice. As long as you do that, he’ll mostly keep his hands to himself.”

You nod along, glancing at the mustachioed man conferring with the bouncer at the door. The interview process for this job had boiled down to a thorough once-over that’d made you feel naked in your jeans and t-shirt and a “You’re not too stupid to take a drink order, are you?” and then you had the job.

Holly had vouched for you. Neighbors for almost half a year, she’d come home early one morning last week and witnessed you trying to convince the landlord that you were good for your past-due rent. She’d taken you for coffee and told you she might be able to help if you were good at keeping your head down and mouth shut. And now you were here.

“The customers, on the other hand,” she continues, smacking her gum, “you’ll have to let them touch, at least a little bit. Within reason, you know? But if anything gets out of hand, you can just tell Jake at the door and he’ll take care of it.”

“Within reason?” you ask, voice shaking, just the littlest bit, as the pit that started forming in your stomach when you agreed to this grows a little more.

The look she gives you verges on exasperated. “Well, you want to make money, don’t you?”

Yes, you do. Very much so. It’s a need, not a want. So you nod and try to listen as she keeps giving you the rundown.

Before you’re ready, the first patrons start trickling in and then you’re off to the races. It’s not too bad. No one’s orders are too complicated, mostly just bottles of beer and glasses of straight whiskey. The bartender, Colin, is friendly enough, although you learn that he’s another person you’ll need to split your tips with.

As for the touching, there are hands on your hips, pats to your ass. But you’re rewarded with folded-up bills held up between fingers or tucked into the strap of your top. Or, twice, slid behind the waistband of your skirt. Once you realize that the majority of these bills aren’t ones or fives, but twenties, you care about the touching that comes with them much less. Plus, you’re too busy to really think about it that hard.

You can’t believe how busy it is for a random Tuesday night, multiple games of poker, craps, and who knows what else all going at once. But when you mention that to Holly, she just laughs and shakes her head. “This is nothing,” she says. “On the weekends there’ll be three more of us and another one of Jake. Things get wild.”

You don’t have time to decide whether that makes you nervous or excited before someone is signaling for your attention again. You manage to suppress your grimace when he slides his arm around your waist to tell you what he needs from the bar. You’re rewarded for your troubles by a wad of twenties. You aren’t sure who these men are to tip so freely, but you know better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.

It’s an hour or two later that Lloyd calls you over to where he’s speaking to a large, impossibly broad man, dressed in a soft-looking henley under a leather jacket with dark jeans. There’s dark ink all over his hands that disappears up his sleeves and reappears on his neck in intricate lines. He’s got close-cropped hair and a full beard that’s neatly trimmed. His deep blue eyes drill into you right away and you do your best not to shiver.

“Got a new girl tonight, Everett. Still learning the ropes, but she’ll take good care of you, won’t you, Cupcake?”

“Yes, of course,” you say, before Lloyd wanders off to check on one of the poker games.

The man, Everett, lets his eyes rove over you. “Cupcake, huh?” His voice is deep, gritty, but there's something there that's much gentler than you expected.

You give him what you hope is a coy smile. “Sure. If you want.” Lloyd was treating him like he's important. You hope important means deep pockets.

He hits you with a penetrative stare, so strong you almost have to take a step back. “No,” he finally says. “I don't think so. I'll find something more fitting.” Then he turns and starts to walk away, before calling over his shoulder. “I'm gonna get dealt in. Bring me a whiskey once I'm settled.”

You watch him go for just a moment, and then head to the bar, asking for a whiskey.

“This for Everett?” the bartender, Colin, asks. When you nod, he grabs a fancy bottle off the top shelf. “This is all he drinks. And he doesn't pay for it, alright? Don't ever think about giving him a bill.”

You look back at the man in question, seriously looking at the cards he’s just been dealt. Who is he???

You collect his whiskey and move back to him. As you set it down, he turns to you. “How about this?” he asks as he holds up a crisply folded hundred-dollar bill between two fingers. Your eyes widen at the money. All you’ve done is bring him one straight pour. “There’s another one of these in it for you if you make sure I never see the bottom of this glass tonight. Sound good?” And then he folds the bill one more time in his thick fingers, before sliding it under the low-cut neckline of your blouse. Your skin tingles where he brushes against it.

“Yeah, you got it,” you just breathe out, a little shocked you’re able to form words. He gives you a smug smile that you can only describe as shark-like before turning back to his cards, and you understand it as the dismissal that it is.

You move around the room, collecting empties, getting refills, trying to goodnaturedly accept unsolicited touches. The whole time you feel eyes on you, but whenever you glance Everett’s way, he’s focused on his poker game.

Eventually, a down moment finds you catching your breath against the wall. The moment Holly sees you standing still, she’s quickly making her way to you. “You need to be more careful around Curtis,” she hisses, lowly.

You look at her, confused. “Curtis?” Jake’s at the door. Colin’s behind the bar. You don’t know a Curtis.

“Curtis Everett!” You glance at the man at the poker table. He’s running a poker chip across his knuckles mindlessly. Then he looks up and you briefly make eye contact before you quickly look away. Holly is staring at you and she looks worried. But the name still doesn’t mean anything to you, so you shake your head and shrug. She groans as quietly as she can. “He’s Barber’s top enforcer!”

This whole conversation feels so out of the blue that it takes you a minute to catch up. Barber. Andrew Barber. The most feared mob boss in the city. Probably the state. Maybe even more. Ruthless and exacting was how the papers described him. He’d been the subject of multiple stings and taskforces and whathaveyou but nothing ever stuck. “He works for Andrew Barber?” you ask, shocked and a little appalled.

Holly stares at you in a way that you can only describe as dumbfounded. It takes her a few moments to find her words, then, “Bitch, you work for Andrew Barber!”

Everything stops. “What?” you gasp.

“Oh my god,” Holly groans. “This was such a mistake. It’s an underground card game in his city! Who did you think was running things?”

“I– I don’t know,” you stutter, stupidly. The god’s honest truth is that you’d never really stopped to think about it. You’d been staring down an eviction, struggling to afford groceries. Unable to make ends meet no matter what you did. When Holly told you about this job, all you saw were dollar signs. You didn't think about anything further. Of course, you’d known these games were illegal, but it seemed so minor in the grand scheme of things. You hadn’t connected it to anything bigger because you just hadn’t wanted to.

But now– Now that you know the truth, what are you going to do? You know what you should do. You should walk out the door right now. You should find some other legitimate way to pay your bills. It’ll be safer. It’ll be better. It’ll be so much harder.

As you bite your lip, trying to process all of this information, Holly continues. “Listen,” she says, “still get him drinks, be friendly, whatever you need to do. But keep your distance however you can. Don't encourage him. He's just– He's really dangerous. They don't call him Barber’s attack dog for nothing, ok?”

“Yeah,” you say. You start to look back in Curtis’s direction but stop yourself. You think about the hundred you already have and the one promised to you at the end of the night. You think of how empty your pantry is. But then you see the genuine fear in Holly's eyes. You let out a shaky breath. “Yeah. I got it. Thanks.”

“He doesn't even come in here that often. I'm surprised to see him tonight, so I'm sure it’ll be fine,” she says, but you can tell she’s nervous.

You nod, absently, finally letting yourself glance over at him. His drink is getting close to the bottom. “Shit,” you mumble. “I gotta get him his refill.”

“Do you want me to do it?” Holly asks.

You should let her do it. You absolutely should. But you just can’t give up on that tip. You shake your head. “No, I’ll be fine. But thanks.”

You head back to the bar and grab Curtis’s top-shelf whiskey of choice from Colin, then make your way to his table. You set it down next to him, hoping to move away without him even noticing, he’s so engrossed in the game. But as you take a step back, his hand shoots out to grab your wrist. He holds it tightly until you meet his eyes. “Good girl,” he murmurs, and you can’t help the sharp intake of breath or the way you feel his words in your knees. He strokes his thumb down the inside of your wrist, then abruptly lets go, pushing his chips to the middle of the table. You step away, gathering yourself as subtly as you can, and get back to work.

The rest of the night goes quickly. The crowd gets a little rowdier as they drink more, but you find that it’s nothing you can’t handle. The reality of who these people are, what they’re connected to, never leaves your mind. But really, they’re not so bad. None of this feels so bad at all. And soon, people start heading out. You’re beginning to clean up, when a recognizable voice rings out, “Bambi!” You turn and lock eyes with Curtis. He crooks two fingers at you and you quickly make your way over to him.

“Bambi?” you ask.

He grins at you and it feels more than a little predatory. You’ll never admit how much you like it. You try to keep Holly’s warning at the forefront of your mind. “Wide eyes and just getting your legs under you,” he says. You instinctively duck your head at that, which earns a dark chuckle. “Here,” he continues, as he pulls a genuine, fat money clip out of his back pocket. You’ve never seen something like it in real life before. He peels off two bills and holds them out to you. “This is what good girls get,” he says, a low rumble in his voice.

You swallow as you take them from him. Two hundred dollars. Twice what you were expecting. “Thank you,” you say quietly.

He shakes his head. “You earned it.” Then, after one last long look at you, he turns around and leaves.

You stand and stare after him. You don’t doubt anything Holly said, but three hundred dollars, just for bringing him drinks. He doesn’t seem that bad, not really. A little intense maybe, but there’s some sort of interest there, and it can’t be that bad to encourage it, just a little if it earns you these sorts of tips, can it??

Any hesitance you have about this entire endeavor completely disappears as you count your money at the end of the night.

Your first week flies by. You're starting to get the hang of the job. You get along with your coworkers. You get to know the regulars. You like it. Even Lloyd isn’t so bad as long as you give him his cut at the end of every night.

And you’re making so much money.

In your downtime, you pay your landlord what you owe him. You go grocery shopping without scouring for coupons first or calculating exactly what you can afford beforehand. You make a Pinterest board of what you want your apartment to look like now that you might actually be able to buy things to fill it. For the very first time, you’re thinking about things you actually want, not just desperately trying to figure out how you’ll pay your bills. You’ve never felt this calm, this relaxed, this free before. It’s an incredible feeling.

And Curtis. Despite Holly’s reassurances that you wouldn’t see him much, he seems to be there whenever you are, trying to capitalize on his winning streak at the poker tables, you assume. His tips are still insanely generous. You don’t think he carries anything less than hundred dollar bills.

And there’s just something about him. The way he looks at you. The way he touches you. It’s not like the other men here. His touch is like fire, warming from the inside. There’ve been times when his hand on your hip has almost made your knees buckle. That doesn’t happen with anyone else here.

But you’re being smart and you’re being safe. You are. You’re going to set a savings goal, you think. And once you hit that number, you’ll be out of here, onto something more legitimate. And until then, you’ll just keep your head down and mouth shut, like Holly said. You haven’t even really seen anything. It’s a good plan. It’ll be fine.

She’s right that the weekends are wilder. Even with three additional girls working the room, you’re kept running. You do your best to keep an eye on Curtis’s drinks, but it’s much harder than on weeknights. And you aren’t really able to pause when you drop them off. It’s one of these times, as you’re pulling away from the table as soon as you’ve set his glass down, that you’re stopped short by his hand on you. He pulls you back in by the wrist and says, “They’re just running you ragged tonight, huh, Bambi?”

You smile and shrug. “It’s busy.”

He holds out a bill and you try not to smile even wider as he slips it into the waistband of your skirt. “For all your hard work.”

You bat your lashes a little. “You spoil me.”

“I like spoiling you,” he says, lowly.

“You’re too sweet,” you say softly. Then, pulling your arm away with a wink, you add, “Gotta run,” and you’re onto the next table.

You’re getting good at this, figuring out what level of harmless flirting is just enough to keep the money flowing. And you’re having fun. You’d never expected that.

Holly and two of the other girls, Jane and Kristi, are congregated at the end of the bar, waiting for drinks, when you join them. They’re all watching you warily. “So, uh,” Jane starts quietly, “you seem to be getting pretty cozy with Curtis.”

Before you can respond, Holly scoffs behind her. “I’ve tried to warn her but she won’t fucking listen.”

You roll your eyes. You’re tired of hearing this. “I seriously don’t get what the big deal is. He’s nice and he tips well. It’s harmless!”

Kristi just gapes at you. “He’s nice?!”

Holly slams the drinks she was waiting for onto her tray. “Whatever,” she grumbles. “It’s her fucking funeral.”

You shake your head as you watch her go. It’s fine. You can take care of yourself.

The rest of the night goes by in a blur. You don’t get much of a chance to talk to Curtis, but you feel his eyes on you before he disappears a little before closing.

At the end of the night, once you’ve helped clean up, you cash out with Colin and Jake and then go to find Lloyd in his office. You think it’s kind of ridiculous that you’re basically paying him to work there, but it is what it is. And Holly was right, you’re making so much that you barely even notice.

Lloyd is sitting at his desk, looking a little more disheveled than you’re used to. He startles at your approach, which is also new.

“Oh, hey,” he says, with slightly rounded eyes. “What can I do for you?”

You look at him, a little confused. “Just here with your cut,” you say as you hold out his money.

His hands immediately fly up to his chest, palms out. “No, no,” he says. “You made that fair and square. You just– you keep what you make from now on, Cupcake. Sound good?”

You swallow and nod, preparing yourself for whatever other price you’ll have to pay for keeping your job, mentally calculating what you’re willing to do. But Lloyd doesn’t do anything, doesn’t make any move to get closer to you. Just stays there at his desk, turning back to his work. “You have a good night,” he says, clearly dismissing you.

You leave confused, but richer, telling yourself not to question it too hard.

Things go so smoothly for a few weeks that you’re a little shocked when the bubble bursts.

It’s a relatively quiet weeknight. There are a few games going, but nothing compared to the weekend. The pace of the night feels leisurely. It’s nice.

It’s maybe the first night you haven’t seen Curtis there. It feels weird. He’s become such a part of this place for you. A fixture, like the bar or the carpet. Just one of the elements that make it what it is. But it’s fine. Of course, he doesn’t come every night. He probably has a whole life outside of this. He must’ve gotten bored of playing cards. Oh well. It was nice while it lasted.

You’re passing the time talking to one of the regulars at the bar, Vinny. He’s in his fifties, you think, with gray hair and laugh lines. He’d gone bust at the poker table (or maybe it was craps tonight) earlier and then had moved to the bar to drink away his sorrows and bad luck. That was how his nights tended to go.

He’s sitting on a barstool, his arm around your waist where you stand next to him. He’s a little close for comfort, but he’s always just been a friendly guy, so you’re alright. Which is why you’re so surprised when, in the middle of a story about the good old days of the Copa Cabana, his other hand suddenly finds its way between your thighs. You freeze. For just a second. Then you force out a laugh and try to push his hand away. “Bad boy,” you try to tease, your voice shaking. His hand will not move. What is happening? “Come on, let’s keep our hands to ourselves.”

Instead of doing what you’ve asked, his thumb briefly brushes the inside of your leg and then his whole hand begins moving higher. You stop breathing. You push again but he won’t budge.

“You’re such a pretty doll, aren’tcha?” he says.

Tears start to gather in your eyes. You look around wildly to see if anyone’s noticing what’s happening. Colin’s busy making drinks. Jake and Lloyd are talking by the door. Everyone else is engrossed in their own business. “Vinnie, stop, please,” you whisper. You don’t know why you can’t get your voice to work, can’t get your body to move.

“Come on,” he cajoles, “I’m being nice, aren’t I?”

Then his thumb brushes against your panties and your entire body jolts into action. You wrench your leg out of his grasp and take several steps away from him. Your whole body is shaking now. “I gotta–” you start, trying to keep your tone casual and failing miserably. “I gotta get back to work, Vinny.” Then you grab your tray off the bartop and walk away as fast as you can.

You don’t really have a destination in mind. You pick up a few empties as you wander between tables. You can feel his eyes on you, following you. You try to take a deep breath, calm yourself down. It isn’t very helpful. You look up to see Jake by himself now. You make your way over to him, Holly’s words on your first night in your ears. That was out of hand, wasn’t it?

He looks up as you approach. His big golden retriever smile on his face. “Hey, what’s up?” Then he actually takes you in and his smile drops. “What happened?”

“Um, Vinny, he, uh–” You feel a few tears fall down your cheeks and you just shake your head.

Jake’s face darkens. “Did he hurt you?”

“No, uh, he– he just–” You shake your head again. “No, he didn’t hurt me.”

Jake doesn’t say anything for a moment, just looks at you. There’s something about the way he does it that makes you think he understands everything you just can’t say. He nods once. “Alright. I’ll take care of it. You go take your time in the back. Do what you need to do. He’ll be gone by the time you’re done.”

You let out a shaky breath. “Okay, thank you,” you say so quietly. Then you get yourself to the back room as quickly as you can.

It’s really more of a hallway than a room, small and narrow. All of the storage space for the building is in the legitimate bar upstairs. But there’s enough room for you to crouch down, your knees pulled up tight to your chin. You bury your face in your thighs and let the tears you’ve been holding in finally fall. You’re okay. You’re okay. You’re safe. You’re fine.

You don’t know how long you’ve spent trying to calm yourself down when a large shadow suddenly looms over you. It takes you a moment to gather your strength to find out who it is. You hope it’s Jake telling you Vinny’s gone. You’re afraid it might be Lloyd, here to tell you to get back to work. There’s a slowly building terror that it might be Vinny himself.

After a deep breath, you look up to find Curtis staring down at you, concern on his face and fiery anger in his eyes. “What happened?” he growls.

You shake your head and turn away. He crouches down in front of you. “Are you alright?”

A humorless, uncontrolled laugh escapes you. Once you finally stop, you ignore his question and ask your own, “Why are you here?”

It takes him a very long time to answer. He just looks at you seriously for several moments. Then, finally, “Jake called me.” While you try to figure out why on earth Jake would do that, he continues, “I'm sorry I wasn’t already here.”

“Why?” you blurt out without thinking.

He looks away without saying anything. You both just sit in the silence for a few moments. Then, you try to change tactics. “Where were you?” you ask out of morbid curiosity. You can't imagine what his life is like outside of here.

“Working,” he says curtly. He plays with a ring on his middle finger and the movement draws your eyes to his hands, specifically his knuckles. They're scraped and caked with dried blood.

You swallow and you catch how his eyes track the movement. His eyes are always on you. He catches everything.

“Someone touched you?”

“Lots of people touch me,” you say, flatly. “It's part of the job. You touch me.”

His eyes narrow at that. “But this was different.” It isn’t a question.

You look down at your hands in your lap and don't say anything.

“Tell me who it was.”

“No,” you say instinctively, something about the moment feeling incredibly dangerous.

He huffs in frustration. “Are you trying to protect him?”

“No!” you say, sharply. “I’m protecting myself.”

“You don’t have to do that. Not from me. Not ever.”

You don’t know how to tell him that every atom in you knows that that isn’t true. You can’t explain it, and it wasn’t until the moment he joined you in this little closet, but you’d swear that he’s a danger to you. You just can't articulate how, but you feel it in your bones. And still, here you stay.

At your silence, he grits out, “If you don’t tell me who it was, Jake will.”

Jake probably already has, that’s what you’ve figured. “Great,” you say. “Then you don’t need me to say it.”

“Bambi,” he lets out in an exasperated growl. “I'm trying to help you.”

You just look at him and then figure you may as well ask the main question that's on your mind. “Why did Jake call you?”

He ignores you and stands up. “Come on,” he says and extends his hand, “I'm taking you home.”

You just blink up at him. “My shift isn't over.”

He shakes his hand at you impatiently. “It is now. Come on.”

You shake your head. “Curtis, this is my job. I can't just– Lloyd will–”

“I'll take care of Lloyd. Let’s go.”

You think about going home. About sitting alone in your small apartment. At least here you'll have something to do, things to focus on, to keep you busy. At home, there'll be nothing to think about other than that hand between your legs and– “No,” you say as firmly as you can manage. “I'm staying here. I'm finishing the night.”

His jaw ticks but he doesn’t say anything, just tries to stare you down. You stare right back. You will not concede this.

Finally, he exhales through his nostrils, then growls out an unhappy “Fine. But I'll–” He's interrupted by his phone ringing in his pocket. He takes it out and glances at the caller ID and sighs. “I have to take this.” He steps away as much as he can in the tiny area and answers with a curt “Everett.” There's a slight pause. “Yeah, I took care of it.” Another pause that has him glancing at you. “No, something else came up.”

You don't wait to hear the rest of the conversation. You take the opportunity to go back to the main room and get back to work.

You don't see Curtis again that night. You don't spare much thought to where he might've gone. You're too focused on getting through the remainder of your shift. When it's done, Jake insists on seeing you home. You don't ask why. You already know who's behind it.

The next few days are fine. You try to put what happened behind you, doing your best to ignore it. But that becomes impossible when three days after the incident you watch Vinny walk in. You can’t help the little burst of panic you feel as you warily watch him sit down at his usual table and get dealt in.

As subtly as you can, you make your way over to Jake. You don’t even say anything before he’s looking at you, chagrined. “I know,” he says. “I’m sorry, but I had to let him in. I promise it’s all going to be taken care of. It’s just– You can ignore him tonight, ok? Just trust me. You don’t need to worry about him. I promise.”

“Ok,” you say reluctantly, trying to resist looking back at Vinny. “I just– I didn’t think I’d have to see him again.”

“I really think that after tonight you won’t,” he says sincerely.

You don’t really understand what that means, but you nod anyway. “Ok,” you say. “I, uh, I should get back to work then.”

He just nods after you, looking a little concerned and a little sad. But the room is filling up, so you don’t have time to delve into it.

Sometime later, as you’re taking a brief moment to idle by the bar, a strange hush descends over the room. You’re facing away from the door, away from the rest of the room, but you see Colin take in whatever it is that’s caused this. His face pales and he lets out a quiet, urgent, “Shit.”

You turn around to see what on earth could be going on and you immediately freeze. Curtis is here. But that’s not what’s garnering all of this attention. Well, not all. Because he’s not alone, there’s a man with him. A little shorter, not quite as broad. But you’d be able to feel the power radiating off of him, even if you didn’t recognize him. Soft dark hair, thick beard, an immaculately tailored suit. You’ve seen him in the papers, on the news, but in real life, he’s even more intimidating. Andrew Barber.

Barber leans in close to say something to Curtis, who nods, eyes scanning the room until they land on you. Your breath catches, but luckily Colin calls your name behind you and you have an excuse to turn around. He places two glasses of dark liquor on the bar. “Everett,” he says, gesturing to one, then “Barber,” while waving his hand over the other. “Got it?” You nod and place them on your tray. They’re identical to your eyes except for the fact that Barber's has a muddled black cherry at the bottom of the glass.

You carefully bring them over, trying to force yourself to breathe. Curtis intercepts you and grabs the drinks when you're a few steps away. “Thank you, Bambi,” he says, lowly.

Barber perks up. “This is Bambi? Really?” He extends a hand and you have no choice but to take it. “Andy Barber,” he says with a disarming smile. “It's a pleasure to meet you finally.”

His handshake is firm, demanding. He is terrifying in his friendliness. And he knows who you are. Has known, for who knows how long. You glance at Curtis, but he's just calmly drinking his whiskey. You don't know what to say, what are you supposed to say?? So after too long a pause, you practically whisper, “Thank you, Mr. Barber.”

He chuckles lightly as he takes back his hand. To Curtis, he says, “You're right, Bambi does suit her.” Then he turns back to you and adds, “Andy, please.”

“O– Okay, Andy,” you say, with what you desperately hope is a benign smile. You look over at Curtis, you’re not entirely sure why, but out of these two dangerous options, he, at least, is familiar. “I should get back to work.”

Curtis is staring at you, but it’s Andy who answers. “Mmm, and we have a game to join, don’t we?” Curtis nods but still doesn’t break his gaze. Andy smirks, “No rest for the wicked.”

You have no idea what to do with that sentiment, so you take the opportunity and get out of there. You walk through the tables, checking to see if anyone needs anything, but the mob boss’s physical presence seems to have ground all action to a halt. The room is collectively holding its breath.

You go back to the bar for want of anything else to do. Colin is standing ramrod straight, coiled in case he needs to spring into action. Lloyd is sitting down at the end of the bar, drumming his fingers, eyes moving all around the room. You settle next to Holly, who looks just as scared as she did that first night when she was trying to warn you off of Curtis. “Is this,” you start to ask, your voice shaking. “Is this normal? Does he come here a lot?”

“No, never” she shakes her head. “Why would he come here? He has real clubs and restaurants. He doesn’t need to hang out in a shit hole like this.” She shakes her head again. “He’d only come here for a reason.”

You turn your head back to the room and find that Andy and Curtis have settled at Vinny’s table, joining his game across from him. Your heart lands in your throat. That can’t– No. You’re just some cocktail waitress. Even with Curtis’s obvious interest in you, you aren’t important enough to bring the most powerful man in the city here. You’re nothing. He must have other reasons.

The room is quiet enough to hear a pin drop as everyone waits for something to happen, which is why when Andy does start speaking, you don’t have to strain your ears to pick up every word.

He looks at his cards carefully, then over at Vinny. “You know, Vinny, you’re a hard man to track down.” His voice is so calm, it sends a chill up your spine. “You don’t go home, we can’t find you at work. I was starting to get worried.” He runs a few chips through his fingers before tossing them into the center of the felt. “That’s why, when I heard you were showing up here, I sent my best man to investigate,” he nods towards Curtis, ��just to make sure you were ok.”

You don’t have a great view of Vinny from where you’re standing, but you can see how stiff he is, how silent. But he still calls when it’s his turn.

“You can imagine my relief when I found out you were alright. Except,” he raises again, a few more chips into the pot, “you’re losing a lot of money, aren’t you? Now, this upsets me. Not because you’re losing your own money. But because it’s mine, isn’t it?”

Vinny finally tries to pipe up. “Andy, hold on. I can ex–”

“You owe me $150,000, Vinny. With interest, that total’s climbing every day. And yet, you sit here and you just keep losing, don’t you? At my own game. What would you do if you won, huh? Would you really try paying me back with my own money? I thought maybe you’d at least have the smarts to cross the border and try this at one of Roger’s casinos. Huh? Paying me back with my enemy’s money, at least that I could respect. But no, it’s only me you think is stupid enough to fall for your bullshit. So now I’m here to give you the chance to fucking do it to my face.” With that, he violently pushes all of his chips into the center of the table.

Everyone else has folded. It’s just Barber and Vinny now. You’re not sure Curtis even actually played. He’s just staring Vinny down, although occasionally his eyes will flick up and meet yours. You hate feeling like you’re a part of this, but you don’t know what else to do besides watch it play out.

Vinny is just spluttering, while Andy calmly looks on. It’s all the expected, cliche stuff you’ve seen in gangster movies. He’s got the money, he swears. He just needs a little more time. Andy has to know he’s good for it! You want to roll your eyes right along with Andy.

“Call, Vinny,” Andy cuts him off, sternly. “That’s $150,000 I just put in the pot. Call. And if you win, we’re even. Your debt’s erased. But if you lose, well then that’s $300,000 you’ll owe me. And you know I won’t be able to tolerate that. So call. And let’s find out where we stand.”

You can’t see what Vinny’s doing, but you can imagine the way his fingers must be hovering over his chips, his eyes moving down to his cards to check, one more time, if they’re as good or bad as he remembers. You know there’s no way out for him either way. He’ll have to call. He’s just delaying the inevitable.

You feel like you can't breathe as you wait for him to just finally do it, but Andy cuts in again. “The thing I can't understand, Vinny, is why you kept coming here after Curtis showed up. Either you're very stupid or really fucking greedy.” He looks at Vinny carefully. “Maybe a little of both. I hear you've been touching something that doesn't belong to you.”

You gasp. No one notices, but you do. He can't be talking about you. He can't. He can't.

Vinny seems even more confused than you. “What are you talking about? I haven't touched anything!”

Andy continues to ignore him. “So you're stupid and greedy. That's why you aren't afraid of him like you should be. They call him my attack dog, did you know? Have you heard that? Maybe that’s the problem. Maybe you think he’s some puppy that follows me around. You’d be stupid to underestimate him, underestimate me. But maybe you only do that because you've never seen my dog off his leash.”

Curtis springs into action, lunging across the table to grab Vinny by the collar, and then slams his head into the felt. Before there’s even time to react, he’s stood and he's picking Vinny back up and hurling him onto the floor. Curtis comes around the table to stalk after him and the look on his face has you gasping for breath. You've never seen Curtis like this. There's a glint in his eye that might be the scariest thing you've ever seen. Who is this man? What is he capable of?

Vinny is dazedly trying to crawl away, but Curtis catches him easily. He grabs Vinny’s collar and hauls him back up, delivering two punches to his face in quick succession. The sound it makes. There's no other sound in the whole room. No one's saying anything, no one's doing anything. Everyone's just watching, hypnotized. You turn away, your stomach churning. Your eyes catch on Andy, sitting back in his chair, placidly drinking the whiskey you brought him, completely relaxed, like he's watching anything else. You can't look at him either.

The room is completely silent except for the crunching of bones, Vinny’s whimpers, and Curtis’s grunts. You look up again to be startled by eye contact with Curtis. His eyes are wild, unhinged. Feral. But there's something else in it, like all of this is for you. That all of you are there, everything is happening, because Vinny dared to touch you. It takes your breath away. It’s mesmerizing.

Andy finally stands and strides over to where Curtis is holding Vinny up in the middle of the room. He looks down at Vinny, then spits in his face. “I'm tired of trying to draw blood from a stone,” he says. Then he turns to Curtis and finishes, “Get rid of him.”

Curtis gives you one last long look, his face unreadable. You feel it in your knees. Then he drags Vinny out, leaving a bloody trail behind him.

The moment they're gone, it's like the entire room can breathe again. “Lloyd,” Andy calls out. “How ‘bout a round for everyone? On me.”

Lloyd nods to Colin who hurriedly starts pouring drinks. And you, so grateful for something to do, instead of just standing there, shaking, start loading the glasses on your tray.

As you begin to pass them out, Andy of all people, pulls you aside. “Bambi,” he says quietly, “I hope you know now, we take care of our own.”

You gaze at him, shocked. It feels like a comfort and a threat. But why? It's not so much the implication that this all had something to do with you, but you can't for the life of you imagine what you've done to get yourself to a place where Andy Barber might consider you his, however distantly. It can't just be that you work here. You can't picture him doing something similar for Holly or Colin. Once again, this all feels so incredibly dangerous.

While you're struggling to come up with anything to say to that, he grabs a drink off your tray and downs it quickly. Then, with a wink, he turns and leaves. You’re left staring after him until someone calls after you and you're scrambling to pass out drinks again.

The night ends quickly. No one seems eager to stay and drink and play after everything that's happened. Not when there's still blood on the floor.

You do what you can to help clean up, but when you stare at the stain helplessly, Lloyd tells you not to worry about it. He's got a guy.

Colin walks out with you so you aren’t in the parking lot alone. You're grateful. You're still so shaken. As you approach your car, your beater that you still don’t quite have the money to replace, you see someone leaning against it. You stop short, looking to Colin for help, but he just keeps walking to his own car, his head down. That’s when you know it’s Curtis.

You take a deep breath and then force yourself to keep walking towards him. You can't begin to parse how you feel to see him now. Your keys are ready in your hand like you might just get in and drive off without speaking to him. You know you won’t.

When you reach him, his voice is rough as he asks, “Are you ok?” He’s cleaned up. There’s no more blood on his hands, his clothes have been straightened.

You open your mouth to answer, even though you have no idea, so instead what comes out is “Did you kill him?”

“Did you want me to?” is his immediate reply.

It stops you in your tracks as all sorts of feelings come bubbling up, ones you can not, will not examine. This is about his propensity for violence, how terrifying he became, not– No. “Did you?” you insist.

He looks at you carefully then shakes his head. “I don't think you actually want me to answer that.”

“But you've killed before?” You can't stop yourself from pressing, from pushing. You don’t know why.

He just sort of smiles, gently almost, in a way that is deeply unsettling. “You need to stop asking questions you aren’t ready for me to answer, Bambi.” And it’s the way he says the nickname, like you really are that babe in the woods, just born with no knowledge of the world around you, that has your hackles rising.

“Andy called you his dog,” you say, like he should be offended.

To your surprise, he laughs, his head thrown back. Then he takes a step closer to you, and you take the opportunity to sneak in behind him, get to your car. You realize your mistake immediately when he turns back around and cages you in, your back pressed against the driver’s side door. “Everyone calls me his dog. Because he’s the civilized man in the designer suit, and I’m the animal just begging for a reason to slip my leash.”

Your heart pounds wildly in your chest. You should get into your car. You should drive away as fast as you can. You should never come back. But you don’t. “You did it for him,” you say, mustering all the strength into your voice that you can. “You didn’t do it for me.”

He leans over you, the space between you shrinking rapidly. “Yeah, he asked me to do it,” he nods. “But if he hadn’t, I still would have done it. For you.”

You try to shake your head, to tell him that that can’t be true, even as a wild, loud part of you starts to rise up and claw out of your chest. You try to tamp it down, deny it, but before you can, Curtis is leaning in further, his whole body pressing against you, and then he covers your lips with his.

There’s a heat that comes up out of him that fills you, the instant his skin touches yours. His hands are on you, your neck, your hip. You can’t keep track, can only say that his hands are there, everywhere, that his body touches all of yours, that his lips and his tongue are demanding, unrelenting. You are burning up from the inside.

Too soon, but ages later, he pulls away. His eyes are on fire as he looks at you. Then he tears his gaze away, and hits the roof of your decrepit car twice, looking at it disdainfully. “You get home safe,” he says, then steps back to allow you the space you need to get into your car.

You do what he wants you to do. You get in your car, sit in the driver’s seat, and then stare blankly out the windshield. You’ve never felt so out of control in your life. How did this happen? You were flirting for tips, that was all! You encouraged it for money, that was it, and now– You press your thighs together, trying not to pant. You will not be unmoored.

A slight movement in your periphery makes you notice that Curtis is still standing just to the side of your car, watching you. You turn your keys in the ignition and shift into drive.

It doesn’t mean anything it doesn’t mean anything it doesn’t mean anything, you chant to yourself all the way home.

It’s your next shift back, and everything seems to have changed. You don’t understand it. You keep doing laps of the room, keep sidling up to regulars you were so friendly with just a few nights ago, but now, they won’t even look at you, let alone touch you. No one’s ordering anything.

Or at least, they aren’t ordering from you.

Holly has been running around nonstop all night, basically having to take care of the entire room by herself. You watch man after man after man slip her little bundles of money.

You want to scream. What the fuck happened? What did you do? What are you going to do?

You go to stand by the bar to wait for something you can do. Colin gives you a brief nod of acknowledgment but that’s it. He’s been cold, too. No. Not cold, distant. You don’t understand what’s changed.

You take a deep breath. It’s one weird night. Things will be better tomorrow.

Things don’t get better. The next night is the same. You’re starting to panic. This job was supposed to be your lifeline. Without it, without the money you were making, you’re not sure how you’ll survive.

Curtis comes in after a couple of hours of nothing. You could cry you’re so happy to see him. But terrified too. If he gives you the cold shoulder, this job really is over. But you have no idea how he’s going to act, not after what happened last time. You’re not sure how you’re going to act either. You can still feel his lips on yours.

You bring him his whiskey immediately and he greets you with an arm around your waist, pulling you in. “Hey Bambi,” he says quietly. Then he gets a good look at you. “What’s wrong?”

You look at him carefully, not sure what to confide. You aren’t even sure what the problem is. You shake your head. “Not my best night,” you say with a tired smile. “But I’m fine.”

He stares at you for a moment, then stands up. “Come on,” he says, grabbing your hand and leading you to the little back room. You feel eyes on the two of you the whole way there.

Once he’s closed the door behind you both, he asks again, “What’s wrong?”

You sigh. “The last two nights have been weird here. I don’t– I don’t know. I’m just worried. I don’t know what happened but I’m not making any tips. No one’s treating me like they used to.”

“Mmm,” Curtis hums thoughtfully. “I think,” he says as he takes two steps closer to you, which in this small space is significant, “everyone else here has figured it out.”

It’s suddenly a little hard to breathe with him standing over you like this. His presence, his attention is always so much. “Figured what out?” you ask, confused.

“That I have lost my patience for watching other men touch you.”

It hits you like a freight train. “What?” It comes out in a whisper.

“I’ve let this go on for too long,” he says, his voice is calm, casual. “I don’t want you working here anymore. This is done.”

“I– What? Curtis. What?! I have to work! I have to pay my bills! I don’t understand. I don’t–”

He takes one last step forward. You feel the heat coming off of him. “Shh,” he soothes, cradling your cheek in his hand. “It’ll be alright. I’ll take care of you. I take care of what’s mine.”

You pull your face away, even as the urge to nuzzle into him is so strong. You feel like you’ve missed something, a thousand things. You feel too many steps behind. “Curtis, I’m not– I’m not yours.”

Something comes into his eyes and you’re reminded of him standing over Vinny, covered in blood. His hand travels down from your cheek. He strokes your throat once, and then his hand closes around it. “Look me in the eye,” he growls, “and say that again.”

His hand is firm, snug, but it doesn’t tighten. But you can imagine so easily how it might. You look him in the eye. You open your mouth, ready to say it again. But then– then you see it. In the way he looks at you, the way he’s always looked at you. You feel it in his grip on you, now. You can’t deny it anymore.

Curtis shoves you into his bedroom. You’re panting already. You need his hands on you, right now. You don’t have to ask for it. He gets you to the center of the room and yanks down your skirt, tearing it in the process. You step out of it and take your blouse off, throwing it on top of your skirt. Curtis’s eyes are cataloging your body, the swell of your breasts spilling out of your bra, your soft tummy, thick thighs. His gaze, as always, takes your breath away.

You reach out for Curtis’s shirt, but he grabs your hands. “I want you on your knees,” he growls and you immediately kneel for him. He throws off his shirt, revealing the expanse of his chest, the muted blacks and grays of his tattoos. You’re desperate to run your hands over them, trace the art, but instead, they just twitch at your side. He'll tell you what you're allowed to do.

He begins unbuttoning his jeans and your mouth drops open. He chuckles darkly. “Perfect little slut.” He takes his phone out of his back pocket and aims it at you, taking a picture as you gaze up at him under your lashes, your mouth wide open. “I've been dreaming of getting you on your knees for me.” He puts his phone on his dresser, then continues taking off his pants. “You ready to choke on my cock, baby?”

“Please,” you whine. You're practically salivating now. His bare thighs are as thick as tree trunks, the muscles corded. His abs ripple as he moves. His shoulders, his back. You want.

He frees his cock and rolls his black boxer briefs down his legs, stepping out of them. It's long and thick, just like the rest of him. Your breath catches. You don't think you've ever taken something that big before.

He takes a few steps so he's completely in your space, his cock bobbing right in front of your face. He takes it in one hand, the other firmly on the back of your head and slowly feeds the tip into your mouth. You taste his musk on your tongue. As he rocks into your mouth, going a little further each time, your hands come up to grasp his thighs. On his next thrust in, you run your tongue along the underside of his dick. His movements stutter just a little and then he looks down at you, a smirk overtaking his face. It's just a touch mean, in a way that has you soaking your panties. “You ready?” he asks, his voice rough. And then without waiting for the answer, he thrusts in all the way, making you take him deep in your throat.

You flail, slapping his thigh as you try to swallow around him, breathing frantically through your nose. After holding you there for a moment, he sets a brutal but steady pace. It takes you a moment, but you find your rhythm, your panic subsiding. Once you feel steady, you lift one hand from his thighs and bring it up to cradle his balls. “Fuck, Bambi,” he grinds out. “You're gonna– I– fuck!” His hand moves from the back of your head down to the back of your neck, which he grips firmly, pulling you off his cock. As you cough and splutter on the floor, he growls, “The first time you make me come is gonna be inside that perfect cunt.”

He helps you stand on wobbly legs, then shoves his hand between your legs, cupping your pussy over your panties. “Shit, fucking soaked just from deepthroating me?”

You let out a needy little whine, trying to push further into his hand, but he withdraws it, instead settling on your hip. “Well,” he grins, “if they’re ruined anyway…” then uses that hand to rip the black lace down the side, letting them fall to the floor. He makes quick work of your bra as well, then takes a step back and sighs, “Shit, Bambi, look at you.” It’s the reverence in his voice and on his face that has you launching yourself at him, unable to keep from kissing him any longer. He lets you, quickly taking control, letting you feel all his hunger, the want he’s kept barely bottled up since he first laid eyes on you. You understand it all now. His erection brushes against you, and now it’s his turn to whine, just a little.

He pulls away, brushing a hand down your cheek, then says “Get on the bed, on your stomach.” You quickly comply, laying in the center of the bed with your knees pulled up and spread beneath you. He brings his hand down on one asscheek harshly and you can’t help the lewd moan that escapes you. He chuckles, “Oh, I will definitely remember that for later.” He grabs your hips and cants them up, then whistles at your exposed cunt. “I knew it. Absolutely beautiful.” Then he unceremoniously shoves two fingers into your hole and you choke on nothing. “Shh,” he coos. “You can take it. My cock’s gonna be a lot thicker.”

As he starts scissoring his fingers inside you, you can’t hold it in any longer and start babbling. Mostly a combination of “please,” and “Curtis,” and “I need,” over and over.

“I know, baby,” he says as he pulls his fingers out of you. “I’ve got what you need right here.” You have a brief moment to feel the tip of his cock on your pussy lips before he’s thrusting it into you, as far as he can go without making it hurt.

“Oh my god,” you cry, pressing your forehead into the mattress and balling his dark blue sheets in your hands. You feel so full. It’s so good. He’s working himself into you as quickly as he can, desperate now. You both are. Once he bottoms out, fully seated in you, he pauses. Then with one hand on your stomach and the other around your neck, he pulls you up onto your knees, your back flush to his chest. You cry out at the new angle; he’s somehow even deeper now. He starts thrusting up into you at a punishing pace. You’re bouncing up and down in his firm grasp. The hand on your neck turns your head to face him, his lips brushing against yours. He holds eye contact with you as the hand on your stomach snakes down your pelvis so his thick fingers can begin circling your clit. “Fuck! Curtis, please!” you shout.

“Yeah, come on,” he breathes, “you can let go. You can do it. Come for me like a good girl.” It’s those words that send you careening over the edge, your cunt pulsing around his cock, squeezing him until he’s coming too with a grunt, filling you up until both your cum is leaking out around him.

He holds you there, on your knees, as you both come down, your twin pants all you can hear.

You wake up slowly, the sun shining on you through the soft drapes. You start to shift then groan at how stiff you are. The night before comes back to you. Curtis took you two more times before you both collapsed in satisfied exhaustion. He’s still out like a light beneath you.

You take a moment to look at him. It’s odd to see him so peaceful, so still. There’s nothing of the feral predator he projects to the world. It makes you feel oddly close to him, seeing him like this.

You carefully get up without disturbing him and begin collecting your clothes. You put on your bra, but there’s no saving your panties. Same for your skirt; it’s ripped along the seam. So instead you pick up Curtis’s t-shirt from last night and put it on. It smells like him. You breathe it in shamelessly knowing there’s no one to witness it.

You savor the soreness as you move out of the bedroom. It’s like you can still feel him inside you, how much he wanted you, needed you. It makes you feel a little powerful, having that effect on a man like him.

You make your way into his living room. You didn’t really have a chance to look at his house last night, as determined as he was to get you into the bedroom. If you’d ever thought to picture it, this wouldn’t be far off. It’s all rich blues and greens and grays, leather and dark wood. Masculine. It suits him.

As you’re admiring the room, you hear footsteps behind you and then two big arms are encircling your waist, pulling you into him. “Good morning,” he rasps.

You turn your head to him. “Good morning,” you say with a smile.

“Fuck, Bambi, you’re even hotter in my shirt than you were last night.”

You smirk at him even as your face heats. “Mmm,” you hum. “It’s comfy. You might not get it back.” He nuzzles into your neck as you continue. “I was hoping you might have something I could wear for bottoms, too. You destroyed my skirt.”

His beard roughly drags against your skin as he asks, “Why the hell would I let you wear bottoms?”

You laugh. “Because I have to leave the house, Curtis.”

“No, you don’t,” he says as his hand begins to move between your thighs.

You playfully swat him away, even as you feel yourself getting wet again from his attention. “I have to go home.”

“Why? You’re staying here.” It’s how certain he sounds that has you turning around in his arms.

“What?”

“I don’t like your building. It isn’t safe enough. Now that I finally have you, of course, I’m going to keep you here with me.”

Once again, you feel too many steps behind. You just blink at him, confused. How does he even know where you live??

He takes your chin in his hand, his fingers gentle. “I told you, Bambi, I take care of what’s mine.”

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filthy-gorgeous-library · 10 months ago

Text

Oh, Pip, lemme hug you sweetheart. 🥺 Coupled with some gnashing like an angry dog at Mike in particular cause fuck you. Ari too kinda, but Mike is a special kind of asshole in this.

The pain! The betrayal, the moral conflict, the horrible news of her dad as the absolute icing on the world's worst cake... Am exhausted from reading this, you really know how to tug the heart strings with your writing.

Spectacular, as always! 💖💖💖

The Ties That Bind 2

Pairing: Ari Levinson x Fem!Reader x Mike Weiss (the Mike stuff will be brief) Word Count: 10,065 Summary: Ari’s determined to show you why Mike and the Devil’s Advocates don’t deserve your love or loyalty; and you begin to realize that maybe being seen–and being wanted–isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be. Warnings: Biker AU. Explicit language. Explicit sexual content. Soft!dark Ari. Mike is a bad friend (all the DAs kind of are). Reader is on the periphery of the DAs and kind of just…forgotten 🥺Reader is sweet, shy, & socially awkward; she’s also sensitive & struggles w/anxiety. Caring for a parent with Alzheimer’s. Mentions of a size difference. Drug use & addiction. Manipulation & attempted blackmail. Sex as drug payment. Dub con exhibitionism, voyeurism, and sex. Oral sex (f receiving). Boss/employee relations. Disappointing, painful sex. Mentions of having a stroke. Angst. Sooo many feels.

A/N: Alrighty, here’s the next part for DA!Ari & Mike! Things really start to pick up here, especially the smut and soft!darkness. If you haven’t read their first part, start there or you’ll definitely be confused. Enjoy! ❤️

It was far too warm, in these final days of summer, to be curled up against your father’s side, loosely hugging his arm as your head rested on his shoulder. But as you sat on the porch swing with him, after being blessed with a good day, all you wanted was some comfort, to feel safe.

To feel loved.

“The days are getting hotter,” he muttered in that gravelly voice of his, using his slippered feet to push the swing back and forth.

“They are,” you agreed. “But it’ll be fall soon.” You glanced up at him, smiling. “Your favorite.”

Your father hummed in affirmation, nodding a little, his distant gaze suddenly snapping into focus as heavy foot falls sounded on the porch steps.

You went rigid as Ari appeared, an easy smile curling his lips as he approached.

“Andy Barber, well I’ll be damned,” your father grinned.

You frowned, glancing between your father and Ari, realizing that Ari did kind of look a little similar to Andy if you squinted, and to your father, who’s memory and mind diminished more and more each day, it was an easy mistake to make.

“No, dad,” you started to correct him, but Ari spoke over you.

“Good to see you, sir,” he grinned, accepting your father’s enthusiastic handshake.

“You’re growing your hair out, huh?” your father asked, his eyebrows hovering just beneath his hair line as he gazed at Ari in contemplation. “Reminds me of your old man. Back in the day, he had a mane of hair that had the women flocking.”

Laughing, Ari eased back against the old, wooden railing of the porch, his warm gaze flickering to you. When he sent you a wink, you winced, feeling more on edge than ever as you perched on the edge of the porch swing and nervously wrung your hands together.

“How’s the crew?” your father asked, easing back into his seat, a small smile curling his lips to be talking about a topic he loved so much.

Because once upon a time, the Devil’s Advocates had been his whole life.

“Ah, you know how they are, always up to something,” Ari lied easily.

Your father chuckled. “Ain’t that the truth.” He sighed, his gaze going distant again, his words more of a murmur as he continued, “You’re good for them. They need a good man like you to lead them straight, to keep things above board. We always wanted that for the club, to build a future, a legacy. We wanted the Advocates to be more than just the patch.”

Ari’s smile faltered, his brow furrowing ever so slightly.

There was a long moment of awkward silence, and you were nearly vibrating in your seat with anxiety before your father suddenly perked up, his lips spreading into a big smile as he looked up at Ari.

“Andy Barber, well I’ll be damned!”

And just like that, a knot of grief tightened your chest, making it hard to breathe or swallow as you blinked back your tears, so very sad that this was your father’s existence now.

Ari’s face fell, his gaze flickering to you and lingering–softening and looking genuinely sad–before he gently accepted your father’s enthusiastic handshake and greeted him all over again, as if he hadn’t just done so a few moments ago.

The pleasantries didn’t get much further than that before the front door was creaking open and Amelia appeared in the doorway.

“Lunch time!” she chimed, pausing as she caught sight of Ari. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize we have company. Hi, there!”

Her gaze strayed to you, twinkling, and you hopped from your seat, twisting your fingers together as you murmured, “Amelia, this is Ari, he’s…”

When you trailed off, not sure what to call him, Ari easily completed the introduction for you.

“A friend,” he smiled, all charm and charisma as he shook Amelia’s hand as you stuttered out that she was your father’s caretaker.

“Well, it’s always nice to make new friends,” Amelia shot you a wink. “Lord knows this one deserves it.” She gave your shoulder a rub before turning her attention to your father and helping him up to lead him inside.

Your face was flaming as you watched their retreat, catching Amelia’s thumbs up and eyebrow waggle and quickly looking away. When the front door creaked shut, your nerves kicked into high gear now that you found yourself alone with Ari.

For the first time since that night in the park a couple of days ago.

Unbidden, memories from those secret, stolen moments in Ari’s car flickered through your mind. The way he had so passionately kissed you. How good his big, rough hand had felt between your thighs. How your body had never felt more alive, or wanted so ardently.

In the here and now, your body–the desperate traitor–warmed at the recollection alone, but you stubbornly tried to stamp down all of those feelings, all of that desire.

Because Ari was a liar, and he was just using you.

He didn’t want you.

And you couldn’t let yourself want him either.

“They seem nice,” Ari observed, breaking you from your thoughts. He was quiet for a long beat before saying, “I’m really sorry about your father.”

“Please, don’t pretend to care,” you whispered, blinking back tears. You hugged yourself tightly, avoiding Ari’s penetrating gaze as you asked, “What do you want? I told you, I don’t know anything.”

“Give me your phone.”

Your brows furrowed in confusion. “What?”

Ari held out his hand. “Your phone, now.”

The hint of steel in his tone had you hopping to, and you dug your cell phone from your back pocket, hesitating briefly before unlocking it and handing it over. You watched as Ari took out his own phone before sharing your location with his device, and then handing your phone back to you.

“You turn this off, and we’re gonna have a problem, understand?”

“I understand,” you nodded, your hand shaking as you tucked your phone into your back pocket.

Your stomach wilted at the invasion of privacy, at the way Ari would now know where you always were, and how, more often than not, you were either right here, or at work, with nothing–and no one–in between.

He’d get a front row seat to just how pathetic you and your life were.

It was quiet as he just watched you for another long moment, and then your anxiety got the better of you, and you swayed on your feet before glancing up at him. “Look, um, I need to get back inside.”

When you tried to scurry past him, Ari’s hand shot out, gripping your upper arm and instantly foiling your retreat. He tugged you back toward him, then against him, his lips twitching when you squeaked and stumbled into his chest.

“We never got to finish our conversation from the other night, bunny,” Ari murmured so softly that you could barely hear him. “I want to know how the DAs were involved in the murders of Loguidice and Pronge.”

“I don’t know anything about that,” you quavered.

You flinched when Ari gently gripped your chin and tilted your frightened gaze up to his. His eyes flickered back and forth between yours, reading the truth in your gaze, and clenching his jaw in frustration as a result of it.

“What about their illegal business dealings? Drugs? Weapons? Sex Trafficking? What are they involved in?”

You shook your head, frowning, and at a loss. “I don’t know! I told you, I’m not close to the club. I don’t have any of the information you’re looking for, I swear!”

Huffing, Ari’s grip on your arm tightened, and you whined in pain, trying to recoil from him and his harsh touch. Immediately, his grip eased, but he still didn’t let you go.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, some of the tension easing from his big body, from his handsome face, as he gently tugged you closer, gripping both of your arms now.

His eyes were fixed on you, and you couldn’t look away from the intensity shining back at you, from the way you actually saw an idea spark to life in his calculating gaze.

Shifting tactics, Ari’s touch on your arms went from gripping to caressing. Feather-light strokes of his fingertips along your skin that made you shiver as your body trembled its awareness.

“Come on, sweetheart, give me something,” he cajoled, his head dipping close and making your breath catch. “Help me, and I’ll help you. I’ll take care of you, I promise,” he rumbled, his hand drifting to the small of your back and tucking you flush against his body.

When you gasped at the sudden proximity–the intimacy of it–and the way Ari’s hand was warming the curve of your ass now, he smirked, tilting his head until his nose brushed yours and his lips were but a hair’s breadth away from your own, teasing.

It hit you quite suddenly, that Ari was so much bigger than you, and you had never fully realized it—or felt it—until now. He simply towered over you, easily holding your much smaller frame captive against him. He felt like a warm wall of muscle pressed along your body, the faint scent of his cologne filling your nose until you were dizzy from it.

Instinctively, you leaned into him, your body simply lighting up at how close he was, how strong he felt beneath the palms of your hands, how tempting.

You blinked owlishly as you stared up at him, slightly dazed as your fear simmered just beneath the surface, overruled for now by your attraction to him, but adding to the heady cocktail that had you feeling suddenly drunk from Ari’s proximity.

“Give me something, anything,” he urged.

It took you a moment to process his words, your brain so foggy from him and his soft touch, the intimate husk of his voice. When you finally did absorb what he said, you leaned away from him, the urge to cry—and the feeling of being used—stronger than ever.

“I really liked you,” you trembled, your lower lip wobbling as Ari stilled, a small furrow creasing his forehead. “I was so stupid to think that you actually liked me, that someone like you would want someone like me. But you’re just like everyone else. You only see me when you want something from me. Otherwise I’m invisible. It’s like I don’t exist at all.”

Regret–and a hint of shame–flickered in Ari’s eyes so quickly that you couldn’t be sure you ever saw it to begin with.

He straightened, sighing as he shook his head. “I have a job to do.”

“And I told you I can’t help you with it,” you tried to push away from him, but he held you in place.

“You know Mike’s an addict, right? That he’s relapsed?” he challenged.

You froze, your breath catching as you nodded slowly. “Yes, that I know.”

“So you do know some things,” Ari pointed out. “What about all that cash you had on you that night at the bar? Who gave it to you? What was it for? Do they do a lot of cash dealings? So things are untraceable, right? What kind of things?”

“The money was a gift to me from Curtis and the others,” you explained. “To help with my father and all of the expenses to take care of him and try to keep the house afloat.”

When you tried to shove away from Ari again, he let you, a tic popping in his jaw as he watched you in displeasure.

“I think you know more than you’re sharing, perhaps more than you even realize.”

“I don’t,” you said stubbornly.

“We’ll see,” he scoffed, kicking away from the railing. He went to step past you, but paused, looming close as he ducked his head, his voice filled with gravel and grit as he told you, “Just remember, I tried to be nice. Whatever comes next is on you.”

You shuddered at his veiled threat, hugging yourself tightly to try to ward off the dread lapping at you as you watched Ari jog down the steps of your porch and stalk down the driveway before rounding the street corner and disappearing from sight.

Days later, even though you hadn’t seen nor heard a peep from Ari, his words still lingered in your mind, like a dark storm cloud, a harbinger of awful things to come.

“Just remember, I tried to be nice. Whatever comes next is on you.”

Anxiety prickled all along your skin as you recalled that moment, his threat, for what had to be the millionth time, your stomach all twisted up in knots as your knee bounced and you tapped your pen against the surface of your desk.

“Are you finished entering the new clients in the database?”

You chirped in fright at the sound of Mike’s voice, jumping in your seat as your wide eyes flew to him.

He stood in his office doorway, looking amused as he watched you press a hand to your chest to try to settle your racing heart.

Your wide gaze flickered from him to your computer screen, which was now displaying its screensaver. Flustered, you moved your mouse to wake up your computer, realizing you hadn’t even finished entering the second new client into the accounting system.

“Um, no, I’ve barely started to be honest,” you admitted, giving Mike a sheepish smile as your shoulders hunched up to your ears.

Rather than be annoyed at you, he grinned, leaning his shoulder against the doorframe as he tucked his hands into his pants pockets. “Pip slacking off at work? Color me shocked.”

“No!” You hurried to assure him, but Mike just laughed, waving away your frantic reply.

“I’m just teasing you, calm down. Just let me know once you’re done.”

He turned to go back in his office, but you were blurting out the question that had been on your mind most of the day before you could stop yourself.

“Do you know Ari well?”

Mike froze, pivoting on his heel, his eyebrows raised as he blinked at you. “Why?”

“Oh, uh, I was just…wondering,” you mumbled, dropping your gaze to the surface of your desk as you squirmed in your seat.

Mike didn’t brush you or this thread of conversation off the way you expected. Instead, he sauntered closer, sitting on the corner of your desk.

“He’s cool,” he shrugged. “I think I told you that we met in court ordered NA?” He rolled his eyes. He was quiet for a beat as you peeked up at him, your eyes burning with more questions before you quickly looked away again. “Why? You interested in him?”

“What?!” you squeaked, straightening in your seat. “No, I mean–”

Mike snickered. “You’re such a shit liar, pip. I saw the way you two were getting cozy at Jo’s the other night.” As he watched you, something in his eyes shifted, his smile dimming as he muttered, “Which is kind of surprising to be honest. I wouldn’t really peg you as his type.”

His gaze drifted over you for maybe the first time ever, and you felt your belly swoop as you glanced away, your cheeks flooding with warmth and your heart skipping a beat.

“Maybe he has a corruption kink or something,” Mike laughed, rising to his feet. “Either way, your secret’s safe with me.” He winked at you, turning back toward his office.

“I don’t have a secret,” you said, desperation coloring your words as you stared after him.

Before Mike could reply, his phone was shaking in his pocket, and he answered it, you and your conversation with him already forgotten as his, ”Yeah, man, tomorrow works,” drifted back to your ears as you sat in your seat, buzzing with anxiety.

You grimaced as you read the text from Mike:

Just pop over to the motel so I can sign the papers and then you can send them by priority mail.

The papers were the business filings that you had been trying to get him to review and sign for over a week, and of course now you were up against the deadline to submit them for renewal when Mike decided he was “working from home” today.

You sighed, already feeling your anxiety start to stir because you hated the part of town where the motel was located. It was scary and you didn’t feel safe going there by yourself. You didn’t understand why Mike was staying there while his house was being renovated, when there was a perfectly nice and affordable motel just down the road from the office.

Sighing again, you sent Mike a quick text letting him know you were on your way before gathering your things.

Maybe you would stop at the diner on your way back to the office to treat yourself to a yummy lunch as a reward for the unexpected and unpleasant task.

Smiling to yourself, you hurried from the office, making sure to flip the Closed sign in the window and lock up before you hurried off to Mike with the business papers in tow.

The motel was even seedier than you remembered, and you were quick to double check that your car was locked before you scurried up the outside steps to the second floor.

Mike’s room was located at the very end of the floor, and before you even finished knocking on the door to room 219, it swung open to reveal a half-dressed Mike.

You blinked, your mouth dropping open at the state of him.

He was dressed in only a pair of rumpled work pants, his bare chest framed by his suspenders, and his eyes were bloodshot and gleaming, his face flushed and his hair a mess as he grinned at you.

“There she is, my trusty admin!” Mike grinned, sniffing hard and wiping at his nose as he ushered you inside.

So concerned by Mike’s unkempt state, and the way he was practically vibrating with energy beside you, it took you a moment to realize that it wasn’t just the two of you in the standard motel room.

Lounging on the second twin sized bed on the far side of the room was Ari, who was smirking at you and your surprised look as your eyes met his.

“Do you have the papers?” Mike asked, swinging the door shut behind him as he zipped around you and started pacing the small length of the room.

“Um, yeah, they’re right here,” you replied, digging the folder from your bag as your gaze flickered around the space.

You froze as your eyes landed on the drug paraphernalia that was sitting out in the open on the nightstand between the two beds. The small mirror only had one line of white powder left on it, and you felt your stomach roil at the sight of it, realizing why Mike was acting the way he was. Why he was “working from home” today.

Because he was high.

“Great!” Mike grinned, swiping the folder from your grip and grabbing a pen from the side table next to the door. He began messily scrawling his signature where the little arrow stickers pointed.

“Wait, aren’t you going to read through everything to make sure it’s correct?” you asked nervously.

“Nah, I trust you,” Mike shrugged, signing the last page with a flourish before closing the folder and shoving it back at you.

You stared at him, watching as he shot you a wink before he turned and moved toward the nightstand. He scooped up a small baggie and dumped a couple of white pills into his hand before knocking them back.

You watched in horror as he swallowed before cracking his neck, clapping his hands together hard a few times before he grabbed his phone and muttered to himself, “We should go out! Have some fun!”

“Well first you better pay me for all the product you just took,” Ari’s voice was firm and had your alarmed gaze flying to him.

Mike pulled up short, too, an abashed smile curling his lips as he chuckled. “Ohhh yeah, sure, man.” He dug through his pockets, pulling free a crumpled twenty dollar bill before tossing it on the nightstand near Ari.

Ari scooped up the bill, looking unimpressed as his eyes–harder now–fixed back on Mike. “You’re kidding me, right?”

Smile faltering, Mike raked a hand through his messy hair. “I mean, I know I’m a little short but I can pay you back next week or so—”

Slowly, Ari rose to his feet, tossing the rumpled money aside as he shifted closer. “That’s not how this works, Weiss. Just because we’re buddies doesn’t mean you get everything for free.”

“Oh, I know, man, for sure.” Mike smiled, trying to turn on the charm, but you could tell by the way he took a subtle step back from Ari, that you weren’t the only one who felt the tension rising.

“I-I can pay and you can just pay me back,” you offered, digging through your bag for your wallet as you swayed on your feet, feeling light-headed and overwhelmed by what you had unknowingly walked into.

That despite being an undercover cop, Ari had real drugs, and Mike was using them and high out of his mind, and…you didn’t know what to do.

“Yeah!” Mike’s smile turned mega-watt as he waved his hand at you.

Ari turned his full attention to you as you retrieved your wallet, watching as you opened it and pulled free all the cash you had, just under eighty bucks, and held it out to him with a hand that was visibly shaking.

“You know what? That’s a great idea,” Ari purred, moving closer.

You swallowed nervously at the wicked twinkle in his eye, taking a step back as he loomed over you, his body heat encroaching on your own and making your body tighten in awareness.

“But I don’t want your money, bunny,” Ari hummed, gently accepting your cash before tucking it back into your wallet. He took your wallet and dropped it into your purse, which was hanging at the crook of your elbow before murmuring, “I want you.”

Before you could reply, could even process the way your tummy swooped and your heart started pounding hard in your chest, Mike giggled at Ari’s proposition.

“I…I should go,” you whispered, trying to take a step back.

Ari caught your wrist, yanking you against his chest as he used his free hand to wrench your purse down your arm and toss it aside. “I don’t think so.” He moved backward, tugging you with him toward the bed, uncaring of your struggles. “You’re not leaving until I’m done with you.”

“Y-you can’t be serious,” you quavered, your eyes flickering between his. “You can’t.”

The unspoken, ‘because you’re a cop,’ hung heavy in the air between the two of you, but Ari just shrugged, his jaw set stubbornly and his eyes shuttering in a way that made you think he was focusing solely on what he needed to to get what he wanted.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to prove my point,” he shrugged, confirming your suspicions as he tugged you closer.

At a loss, your frightened gaze shot to Mike, your friend, your boss. “Mike! Please, I just want to leave.”

Instead of helping you, Mike just grinned. It was the kind of grin you had never seen on his face before, lazy and wicked–shark like–as his dark eyes sparkled at you and roved over your body with a man’s interest.

"Come on, pip,” he cooed as he shifted closer, until he was pressed flush to your back and urging your chest flush to Ari’s. “I'm so good to you, aren't I? Gave you a well-paying job, I'm a good boss, I look after you. You can do this one small thing for me, can't you?"

You were speechless as his hands touched your hips, giving you a squeeze that had him humming as he nosed along the side of your neck.

“You smell good,” he breathed, inhaling deeply. “Never really noticed before.”

“Mike,” you squeaked, a fiery heat washing over you as you found yourself pressed between both men, trapped in Ari’s dark gaze as Mike, Mike nosed along the soft plane of skin behind your ear. “P-please.”

Everything felt so muddled, your mind frazzled and spiking with fear, but your body trilling with awareness–with excitement–at suddenly being caught in this kind of snare.

You had never been paid this kind of attention before, and certainly not by two men at once, and never ever by Mike. No matter how many times in the past you had imagined him wanting you in this way.

“Oh come on,” he huffed. “You were blathering on about Ari all day yesterday, this is what you want, I know it is.”

Displeasure flickered in Ari’s gaze and you quickly shook your head. “No! That’s not—“

Your words died in your throat as Ari’s big hand gripped it hard, tilting your pleading gaze up to his as he ducked close and murmured, “Were you running this pretty little mouth about me, bunny? After I told you not to?”

“No, it wasn’t like that, I swear!” Fear lanced up your spine, adding to the weight of overwhelm already consuming you, and you couldn’t hold your tears at bay as they flooded your eyes and spilled over. “Please, I’m scared.”

Ari’s grip on your throat instantly eased, his knuckles gently stroking down your skin, almost soothing, as he said, “Just be good and you won’t have any reason to be scared.”

"Yeah, pip," Mike hummed, trading his grip on your waist to tug your cardigan down your arms and off before tossing it aside. "You're such a good girl, I know you can be good for him, for me."

“I just wanna make you feel good, honey,” Ari cooed as he started to undo the buttons along the front of your dress. “There’s nothing wrong with that. We’re just gonna have some fun. You deserve a little fun, to feel good, don’t you?”

Your lashes fluttered as your brain tried to process what was happening. The way Ari was taking his time undressing you as his lips pressed against your forehead. The way Mike was groping your ass with a surprised hum and a quiet groan.

You knew this was wrong, logically, it was so messed up. You knew Ari wanted much more than to make you feel good, although you weren’t quite sure what the point of all this was. But your body simply overruled your frantic mind, blooming–deliciously, sinfully overwhelmed in the best kind of way–by so much thorough, seductive attention.

So when Ari’s lips finally traversed their way down to your mouth, all you could do was gasp as he kissed you. His tongue wasted no time in broaching the seam of your lips as his hands pushed your dress down your shoulders, only for Mike to catch the garment and ease it all the way off with a quiet wolf whistle of appreciation at your nearly naked body.

With every eager, talented press of Ari’s mouth against yours, the desire to flee, and the terror that went along with it, dissipated. Soon, all you felt was need and a carnal kind of excitement–pure thrill, too–that was flooding your body for the first time in your whole life.

It was an addictive feeling, and you were helpless against it. So you sank against Ari’s warm, solid form, mewling into his mouth as his kiss turned more feral, his big hands finding the curve of your hips and giving you a firm squeeze before his touch was trailing higher to map the terrain of your body.

"There you go," Mike murmured at your back as Ari removed your bra, groping your ass a final time before giving it a harsh slap that had you careening into Ari with a squeal as he stepped away.

You were so lost to Ari’s kisses and trying to match his lips press for press that you didn’t see Mike pick up the small mirror from the nightstand.

"Make sure to compensate him for this, too,” he said before snorting the line of white powder, tossing the mirror aside, and sprawling on the bed behind you with a content sigh.

Once Ari manhandled you to the second bed and tossed you onto it without warning as he stood over you panting, a tiny bit of sense seeped back into your floaty brain.

Nerves rose up in your belly like a swarm of butterflies as you watched Ari quickly unbutton his denim shirt and toss it aside. His eyes were like two dark pools of sinful promise as he finished undressing, and your body wracked with a delighted shiver at the sight of him fully naked now and looking at you like he wanted to devour you whole.

His body was ridiculous, thick with flexing muscles, his skin bronze and speckled with dark hair, and for some reason, Ari’s beauty made you more aware of your own near-nudity. Your own short-comings. You felt a surge of shyness and vulnerability engulf you as you swallowed hard and hugged an arm over your bare breasts to try to hide.

When Ari set a knee on the mattress, you startled, your breath hitching and growing shallow as more tears built behind your eyes and you scooted away from him out of instinct.

The predatory gleam in his dark, feral gaze eased just a fraction, his voice a cooing purr as he shifted closer, his fingers trailing along your bare ankle and making you shiver as he said, "I can be nice, is that what you want, bunny?"

You nodded almost instantly, your body running the show now despite the hesitancy coloring your features. "Please, don't hurt me,” you whispered, gulping as Ari tugged you toward him.

Something in his eyes softened at your plea, and he plucked your arm from across your chest and guided your wrist down to the blanket beside your head, baring your breasts to his hungry gaze.

"I don't want to hurt you, sweetheart. I just want to enjoy you." Ari tugged off your panties and tossed them aside before settling between your legs and sinking his big body over yours. His lips found your ear, his murmured words so quiet that only you could hear them. "And I want to show you the truth about your non-friendship with Mike, and the other DAs."

Your brows furrowed, your stomach flipping as you met Ari’s gaze, but before either of you could say another word, Mike was hooting loudly.

“Goddamn, pip, I had no idea you were hiding a body like that beneath all those boring good girl dresses."

Your face flamed at the reminder that he was there, watching, letting this happen to you, encouraging it, and all so he could get high.

Uncaring that this time, you were the one paying the price for his addiction.

You startled as Ari pressed a finger to your cheek, slowly pulling your teary gaze from Mike’s lascivious stare.

He watched you for a moment, a cocktail of emotions you couldn’t decipher warring in his dark gaze before he was ducking close and kissing you. He seemed unbothered when the salt of your tears reached your mouths, tanging your frantic, breathless kisses with the flavor of your grief and distress.

When Ari’s mouth descended lower, you shuddered, gasping as his lips trailed along your breasts and his beard prickled against your skin. You watched, mesmerized, as he sucked a nipple between his kiss-swollen lips, his smokey gaze meeting yours from beneath his lashes as he laved at your little bud, and then the other, until your cunt was clenching hard and you were quietly keening for him.

Down your trembling body his mouth traveled, doting on the softness of your belly until you were whining and writhing–wordlessly begging for more–before his face finally hovered over your core.

You felt like you couldn’t properly catch your breath, so beyond overwhelmed with pleasure and the desperate need for more. And yet…you had never done this before, so you couldn’t stop squirming as Ari planted himself between your legs and pressed you wide open for him.

He grinned at your wide eyes and parted lips, the way you were trying to press your legs closed again even though it was impossible with him stationed before your cunt. When he finally dropped his head low, his gaze level with your shiny folds, you whined your humiliation, sagging back against the mattress as covering your face with your arm.

“Such a shy sweetheart,” Ari cooed as he dragged his thumb up the cut of you. He laughed when you jerked at his light touch, planting a big palm on each of your inner thighs and spreading you open as wide as possible.

The first slow, firm drag of his tongue up your pussy had you moaning loudly. The pleasure socked the air from your lungs as your back arched and your hips jerked as all of your nerve endings exploded in delight. When his thumbs tugged your folds apart and his tongue went at you again, you keened, your hand shooting out, your fingers burying in Ari’s soft, brown hair so you had something to hold onto as you rutted against his face on instinct.

"How's she taste?" Mike rumbled from his spot sprawled on the other bed a few feet away.

"Like fucking heaven,” Ari groaned before diving back in and eating you out like a man possessed.

Mike moaned, enjoying the show as you gasped and cried out, your body writhing in ecstasy as Ari went at you. Fumbling with his suspenders, he shoved them off, undoing the front of his pants enough to retrieve his hard cock. His gaze on you and Ari was avid as he lazily started to stroke himself.

You were too far gone under Ari’s wicked attention to even notice Mike at this point, keening your first orgasm in ages as Ari’s thick fingers filled your cunt and his tongue lapped at your clit as you rocked against his touch, riding out the wave of pleasure with one blissful cry after another.

"You on birth control, honey?" Ari rumbled as he retreated from your cunt. He sucked your slick from his fingers, his eyes sparkling as you watched him with glossy eyes and a heaving chest.

You could only nod once his question clicked in your brain, words escaping you entirely as Ari slowly stretched out over you, his big body sinking close as his lips hovered over yours.

"Good. Figured you would be, a sweet little rule follower like you,” he smirked. His hand moved between your bodies, gripping his cock and gently dragging it along your messy slit to coat himself in your juices. “You know how long I’ve wanted to bury myself in your sweet pussy? Feel you gripping me, squeezing tight with nothing in between?”

Your breath hitched, your center throbbing at his words as a fresh wave of arousal seeped from your fluttering hole and you squirmed beneath him.

“Since that first night at Jo’s,” Ari husked, nosing along your warm cheek, his hips rutting as his lips found your ear and he breathed, “You’ve never been invisible to me.”

“God, fuck her already, you talk too fucking much,” Mike grumbled impatiently.

Once again, the sound of his voice was like ice water being dumped over your head, and you froze, your body going rigid as you glanced over at your childhood friend–your long-tenured crush–who was slowly beating off to the sight of you and Ari being intimate just a few feet away.

Just as your stomach started to roil, logic trying to claw its way to the surface of your foggy mind, Ari’s free hand was gripping your face and forcefully dragging your gaze from Mike.

“Eyes on me, sweetheart,” he rasped just as the crown of his cock caught along your entrance.

Your eyes, fixed on his now, widened, and you pressed a hand to his chest, that small voice of logic screaming at you to tell him no, to stop this, all of this, that this was all fucking crazy and a mess, but then Ari was slowly pushing into you for the first time, and your mind went instantly quiet–hazy with need–as your hips tilted to encourage his slow, careful invasion, and your body overruled your mind once again.

“Fucccck, that’s it, be good for me,” Ari husked, grunting as his hips finally met yours and he bottomed out, throbbing inside of you at the sound of your sharp, disbelieving gasp.

“Ari,” you whispered, your lashes fluttering as you were overwhelmed by how big he was, how full you felt. You mewled, going pliant beneath him–your body surrendering completely to him–as your fingers curled into his coarse chest hair, your pussy fluttering and clenching and begging for more. “Please.”

“Christ,” he groaned, dropping his forehead to yours as his hips retreated for a beat before plunging back into you. “Fuck. I knew you were gonna be trouble.”

His pace was slow and steady at first, like he was savoring the feel of your cunt wrapped around him, the way you fluttered and whined each time he shoved into you to the hilt so you could really feel him.

And feel him you did. It was like every nerve ending in your body lit up like a firework with each new plunge of Ari’s cock inside of you. You had never felt anything as good, as incredible, as being filled with Ari over and over again, your body rippling with the kind of pleasure you didn’t even know existed until now.

It felt so good, so amazingly addictive, that you were completely lost to him now, your mind as free as it had ever been as your body reveled in the way Ari was making you feel, making you his.

The constraints of your shyness and overthinking were nowhere to be found as Ari fucked you, wringing sinful noises from you, and making you cling to him tighter as you curled your legs around his hips and begged him for more, to go faster, harder, to please make you cum.

Soon, Ari was pounding you into the mattress, his earlier finesse a distant memory as his eager lips swallowed down your high-pitched moans and throaty cries of ruin. When you came around him with a ragged keen of his name, he snarled, fucking you through your orgasm so he could finally chase his own.

Pinning your wrists above your head with his huge hands, his grip bruising and making your pussy flutter all over again, Ari rutted into you relentlessly. His hair wildly hung around his rosy face, sweat shining on his forehead as he fucked you until he was just on the edge, and then blessedly tipping over it into ecstasy.

Shouting his climax, Ari drove into you hard and deep, his cock twitching at the sound of your quiet, wrecked whine as he spilled his seed deep inside you. Groaning, he rocked against you a few more times, broad chest heaving as he pumped you full of him, until your fluttering pussy was flooded with every last drop of his cum.

Ari sagged against you, both of you gasping and panting for breath. As your body came down from it’s high, you didn’t even realize how tightly you were clinging to him, wanting to be close to him, just burrow against his chest forever as you barnacled him and nuzzled against the crook of his neck until he pressed up over you, breaking your grip on him.

You blinked at him owlishly, once again struck by his beauty–especially in that moment–as he stared down at you with a mixture of disbelief, horror, and guilt. But it was the hint of shame that had your stomach souring instantly, and you startled when Ari suddenly shoved away from you with a quiet curse.

You pushed yourself into a sit, curling in on yourself to hide your nudity as Ari quickly gathered his clothes and began tugging them on. Shame sparked in your own belly at the thought of Ari so quickly regretting sleeping with you, and your shame only multiplied tenfold when you remembered Mike’s presence and glanced over to find him passed out cold, his half-hard cock resting in his hand as he snored.

You felt so dirty all of the sudden, tears blurring your vision as you choked down a sob. Because this wasn’t you, and you couldn’t believe you had done this, that Mike had encouraged it, that Ari had prompted it.

Mostly dressed now, his denim shirt unbuttoned and hanging around him, Ari shoved on his boots before launching himself to his feet. He turned on you, his face tight with anger as he waved a hand at Mike’s unconscious form.

“You love him but you don’t even register on his radar. You’re just a hole for me to fuck so he can get his fix. He doesn’t deserve your love…or your loyalty.”

You flinched at his words, at the truth of them, your tearful gaze falling away as you hugged yourself tightly and tried not to fall apart entirely.

“You started all of this,” you whispered.

Ari’s jaw clenched as he stared at you, watching the way you rocked back and forth and avoided his gaze. “I just wanted to show you, I didn’t mean for it to go this far, I can’t help it that I–” he cut himself off abruptly, huffing as he raked a hand through his hair and turned away.

“You can’t help it that you what?”

“That I want you,” he snapped, whirling on you and then visibly deflating as you flinched again at his tone. “Fuck. He was supposed to be my in,” Ari said, gesturing at Mike. “The addict who I could easily get to talk by slipping him some contraband and getting him to run his mouth. But then I saw you. And even though I knew I fucking shouldn’t do it, I pivoted and focused on you instead, because I couldn’t fucking help myself. There’s just something about you…”

You didn’t reply, unable to, your mind whirling with so many competing thoughts and emotions that had you in a state of total overwhelm, frozen with it.

Huffing, Ari moved closer and crouched in front of you. His face was as serious as you had ever seen it when he spoke, “He handed you over without a second thought. He used you for his own gain. He laughed and watched and enjoyed the fucking show. Mike Weiss doesn’t care about you, none of the Devil’s Advocates do.”

Your face crumpled and you turned away from him. “Please stop. Please.”

Ari was only saying the very things you had always thought–had always known–but to hear them aloud, over and over again, from another who could so easily see how worthless you were to everyone around you, it was the kind of devastation that you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy.

At that moment, you just wanted to not be there, to not exist. You wanted the ground to open up and swallow you whole so you didn’t need to feel this way anymore, so you didn’t need to be you.

Why couldn’t you just be someone else, someone better?

Crying harder as shame and self-loathing broke through the surface of your devastation, you begged, “Please, just go away. Just leave me alone. You’re right, I’m nothing and no one, and they don’t care about me, which is why I don’t know anything. I don’t know anything, I’m not anything. I’m nothing, I’m nothing.”

Too lost to your pain–your overwhelming grief–you missed the way Ari’s face fell, the way he swallowed hard as his eyes shimmered and he took a shaky breath.

“Fuck,” he sighed, moving closer, reaching for you. “That’s not what I meant. Sweetheart, please…”

“No! Go away!” You recoiled as he touched your crown, scrambling away from him. Using one of the bed pillows to hide behind, you covered your bare body, turning away, unable to look at him, to see the pity on his face. “Leave me alone. Please. Please.”

Although he didn’t speak, you could feel Ari’s heavy gaze on you for a long moment, wilting even more beneath his observation as your chest hitched with sobs and all you wanted in the world was to disappear, for good.

After a long beat, you heard his quiet, resigned sigh, then the sound of the door opening before it closed with a soft click.

And for some reason, Ari’s absence—and how alone you were in the aftermath of everything that had just happened—only made you cry harder.

He just couldn’t stay away from you.

Ari knew he should. By this point, he knew you weren’t the in he hoped you would be to dig up dirt on the Devil’s Advocates and solve this case.

And he knew that what had happened in the motel room a couple of days ago wasn’t just crossing a line, it was fucking obliterating it beyond all belief.

But it had been so easy to get lost in you. To let his desire for you trump everything else, even the logic he usually always abided by, especially when it came to the job. You had been so responsive to him, too, despite everything. So needy and wanting and like putty in his hands, desperately begging for more, more, more.

Then once it was all said and done, something about how sweetly fucked out you had looked beneath him, the way you had clung to him and stared up at him with glazed, vulnerable eyes, it had been like a slap to the face.

Even worse was how hurt and devastated you had looked once Ari shoved away from you in a panic.

That look, Ari hadn’t been able to forget. It tore him up and made his stomach roil with the acidic burn of bile.

And yet…despite the overwhelming shame and anger he felt at himself for his actions–for using you in that way–something about you just made him lose all fucking sense.

Ari was here to do a job, to seek justice for his cousin; however, all he could focus on was you.

Which was why he was currently lurking at the side of your house, hidden from view as he watched you sit on the porch swing with your father.

You were quiet in general, such a shy sweet thing, but today you seemed distant to boot. Your eyes were vacant, and it was like the light was gone from them and no one was home.

You just stared off into the distance as you and your father sat in silence for a bit, and the first significant movement you made in minutes was when you started to unconsciously rub at your wrist.

Even from a distance, Ari could see the bruises there, from him.

It was a brief flash through his mind, the way he had forcefully pinned your wrists down as he fucked you with abandon, and he tried to shake that thought away, annoyed as his cock twitched in his jeans as he tried to refocus on surveilling you, or so he told himself.

Your father’s gruff voice spoke suddenly, jarring both you and Ari from your thoughts as he asked, “Where’s Marisa? Where is she? I need to talk to her!”

You sighed, your features flickering with despair as you turned to your father and soothingly rubbed his arm. “She’s not here, dad. Mom died a long time ago, remember?”

Ari could tell by the gently worn tone of your voice that this was something you had told your father repeatedly, an awful kind of news that you had to break to someone you love over and over and over again.

Your father jerked his arm away from you, looking angry as he spun on you. “No! You’re lying! Marisa! Where is she?” He rose from the swing, swaying on his feet as his voice began to tinge with panic, with loss. “I need her. I need her, please, she’s my everything! Please!”

You tried to calm your father, nearly knocked aside by his unraveling, and Ari found himself unconsciously taking a step toward you both before the front door swung open and Amelia appeared.

She gave you a sad smile of understanding before she was swooping in and curling an arm around your father’s shoulders.

“I made your favorite for lunch, mister, it’s gonna get cold if you keep me waiting any longer.”

Your father blinked at her chippery tone, looking beyond confused as he echoed her, “...lunch?”

“It’s about that time, come on, maybe we can even find something sweet to indulge in once we’re finished, how’s that sound?”

Your father nodded slowly, looking frail and shaky still as he shuffled alongside Amelia and allowed her to usher him inside the house.

Ari watched as you stared after them for a long beat, hugging yourself tightly, your shoulders hunched before you heavily dropped back to sit on the porch swing.

As your face crumpled and your head fell into your hands, your body shaking with gut-wrenching sobs, Ari swallowed against the lump in his throat. Fighting the urge to go to you, to hold you, to comfort you, he watched you lose yourself to your sorrow, completely unaware that you weren’t as alone in that awful moment as you probably thought.

It was only a couple of days into the new work week, but you were already itching for the weekend.

For a break.

You were so exhausted, far beyond it at this point. It was like your body and mind were too tired and burnt out to even register your exhaustion anymore, so you just felt numb.

Since that day in the motel with Ari and Mike, it was like you had flipped into auto-pilot, cognizant enough to get done what you needed to, but beyond that, you had nothing else to give.

Which is why you had been so out of it most of the day, and completely unaware of the way Mike had been watching you off and on. Lingering in his office doorway, leaning against the frame, ignoring the steady notifications buzzing his phone and just letting his eyes rove over you as he remembered.

“I think we’re both over work for the day,” Mike purred as he sauntered closer to your desk.

You blinked back to awareness, pulling your tired eyes from your computer screen to glance up at Mike. “Huh?”

“Whatever you’re working on can wait ‘til tomorrow.”

“Oh,” you nodded, not bothering to resist and say otherwise. “Okay, thanks.”

Your movements were all muscle memory as you shut down your computer then pulled your purse from the bottom drawer of your desk, dropping your phone inside and setting it on the opposite edge of your desk as you tiredly pushed yourself to your feet.

When you went to step away from your workspace, you startled to find Mike hovering close, your eyes going wide as he backed you up against the edge of your desk. His gaze was dark and twinkling with mischief and something else, something you weren’t used to seeing directed your way.

Desire.

“What are you doing?” you quavered when he reached out and touched you, his hands framing your hips and keeping you in place as he advanced.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Mike teased, moving even closer, pushing his way between your legs and humming his satisfaction as your skirt rucked up around your thighs and put much more skin on display than you usually bared.

Your body finally came back online for the first time in days, buzzing with awareness as Mike’s cologne filled your nose and his body heat began to warm your own skin.

When his hands began to move, slowly caressing higher, learning the dips and curves of your body, you shivered, a gasp catching in your throat as your mind spun with what was happening.

What you had always wanted to happen.

How many times had you had this very fantasy - being pressed against your desk by Mike as he watched you with a carnal kind of need that made your pussy clench?

Only, something about the reality didn’t feel as exciting as the fantasy, and you found yourself tensing and leaning away when Mike tried to kiss you.

He huffed but wasn’t deterred, his lips finding the curve of your jaw just as your cell phone began to ring from the deep depths of your purse.

“Ignore it,” Mike breathed against your skin, his big hands firm on your back–holding you in place–as he trailed a chain of kisses down the column of your neck, grinning against your skin as you shuddered.

“You’re using again,” you blurted, your brain grasping at any straws it could to rein in what was happening, to ground you into reality.

“It’s not a big deal,” Mike murmured, nipping at your skin before straightening. One of his big hands cradled the side of your face, holding you still as he slowly closed the distance between you.

Once again, you swayed away from him, your hands pressing against his chest, actually pressing with some force to keep him at bay.

“You almost died, Mike,” your voice wobbled as you met his gaze. “I thought you did. When I found you like that…” your words cracked with emotion then fell away altogether as you swallowed hard against the lump in your throat. “How could you do this again?”

“I have it under control this time,” Mike’s voice was soft and soothing, his full lips twitching as he husked, “And if you’re that worried about me, then give me a different kind of high, pip.”

Both his hands framed your face this time as he swooped in and kissed you hard. Mike swallowed the sound of your startled squeak, licking his way into your mouth until you were gasping and no longer pushing him away but clutching at his shoulders for dear life.

The sound of your cell phone ringing again had your brain surfacing through the fog just a little, and you panted as you pulled away from Mike’s frantic kisses.

“You don’t want me, Mike.”

“Yes I do, look how much.” Mike took your hand in his and guided it to the front of his pants, pressing your fingers against the hardness waiting there as his erection strained and throbbed for you.

Your belly fluttered with the realization that you had done that.

There was no denying it, that now, in this moment, Mike wanted you–really wanted you–and the proof of his desire for you pressed hard and hot against your hand as he groaned and rocked his hips into your touch.

“I want you,” Mike breathed, purring your name and smirking as you blinked owlishly at him in return because he so rarely used it. “Let me have you, pretty girl.”

Your cheeks warmed with a hot rush of heat at the compliment, the fluttering in your belly invading your chest now, and despite the heaviness that still lingered in your gut, it all felt so much better than the hollow numbness you had been feeling the last few days, so you gave into it.

You gave into Mike.

Because you loved him, and this is what you had always dreamt of.

Ignoring the way your tears spilled over and kept on flowing as Mike kissed you hard, you clung to him, not protesting when he rutted against your center. You didn’t say no when you heard the crinkle of the condom wrapper, and when your stomach flipped instead of swooped when his fingers hooked in the front of your underwear and tugged them aside so he could line himself up, you ignored that too.

Because this was what and who you should really want.

Mike shoved into you with a groan, his hot breath fanning your face as he bottomed out and didn’t bother to give you a moment to adjust before his hips were retreating and he was sinking into you once more.

You winced, because it hurt more than it felt good, your body not properly prepped for this type of quick, frantic coupling. Squeezing your eyes shut, your fingers dug into Mike’s back as you held onto him, pressing your face against his chest to muffle your whines of discomfort as he fucked you.

“Fuck, I knew you’d be tight,” he panted against the top of your head, fingers digging into your hips as he thrusted into you without relent.

When you tried to lean away and then up to kiss him, desperate to feel close to him–to feel good–Mike pulled away. Shooting you a wink, he pulled out of you, grabbing you and turning you around and bending you over your desk.

You oofed with the force of it, your head spinning at the sudden change in position, and then you were whining again as Mike gripped the back of your neck to hold you down before shoving back into you from behind and fucking you with enthusiasm.

You tried to relax into it, to close your eyes and imagine him kissing you some more, saying he wanted you again, but before you could even fully sink into that fantasy, Mike was cumming with a groan and frantically rutting against your ass as he rode out his orgasm.

His weight sagged against you for a beat, his hot breath warming your tear-stained cheek, and all you felt was disappointment–physically and emotionally–before Mike was pulling out of you and moving away.

Distantly, you heard the sound of him disposing of the used condom in the little trash bin beneath your desk, and you shakily pushed yourself up to your feet, feeling that familiar numbness begin to speckle over you once more as you hugged yourself tight.

“If only every work day ended like this, am I right?” Mike said as he moved past you with a self-satisfied grin.

He ducked into his office before emerging with his briefcase and phone, his eyes glued to the little screen as he breezed past you.

“See you tomorrow!” he called over his shoulder without looking back, and you flinched as the office door swung shut loudly behind him.

You felt so dirty–so used–even worse than the day in the motel, because at least Ari had made you feel good, had made you feel genuinely wanted with all of his thorough kisses and lingering touches, had cared about your pleasure and made sure you had cum.

Mike hadn’t done any of that, and the reality of being with him felt nothing like the fantasies you had harbored all these years.

Blinking against the tears blurring your vision and ignoring the way shame burned you up from the inside out, you quickly cleaned yourself up with a few tissues, your fingers trembling the entire time as you tried not to cry, to lose it entirely.

Just as those intrusive thoughts telling you how stupid you were, how pathetic, how useless and unlovable began to stir within you, your phone rang again. It was a welcome distraction as you hurried to your purse and pulled it free, answering the call without looking at the screen as you searched your bag for your car keys.

Amelia’s voice shook as she said your name, and you instantly froze, your stomach plummeting before she even spoke her next words:

“Sweetie, we’re at the hospital, it’s your dad…he had a stroke.”

“What?” you trembled, lashes fluttering as you struggled to process her words, to breathe. “Is he okay?”

Amelia hesitated, and that beat of silence had your insides twisting hard, your world skewing as she replied, “You should get here as soon as possible.”

“I’m on my way,” you wisped, already darting to the office door as you ended the call and hurried outside, Mike and what had just happened between you two now the furthest thing from your mind.

I cried a lot while writing this part, so, yeah.

Please take a moment to share your thoughts, I’d love to screech with you about this! Thank you! ❤️

—

Please note that I do not give permission for my work to be translated, reposted, or published anywhere other than my Tumblr. Reblogs are most welcome and encouraged though! ❤️

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filthy-gorgeous-library · 10 months ago

Text

-incoherent screaming into a pillow and giddy quick leg kicking-

First, it's unfair just how amazingly talented you are, one person should not be entrusted with so much power to be able to make us readers feel the things we do

Second, this was an emotional rollercoaster and I await more like a rabid racoon in the bin of a really good restaurant.

Third, Bryce deserves to be launched into the sea and Mike should be cursed to walk into every door he tries to go through for the way they treat Pip 😠 such cockwombles.

Bonus, extra comment but, THE BUILD. You built the dynamic so well and with so much detail about Pip's relationship with the DAs, her father, Mike, Curtis&Peaches and even with herself. It was just.... So fucking well done, it hooked me right in and I need a dash of your word skills to even hope to put into words how it made me feel. It felt real, with the ugly bits, and the struggling optimism of it all.

The Ties That Bind 1

Pairing: Ari Levinson x Fem!Reader x Mike Weiss (the Mike stuff will be brief) Word Count: 13,510 Summary: Your whole life, all you wanted was to be part of the Devil’s Advocates inner circle, but you were relegated to a tagalong, often forgotten unless someone needed something from you. You were invisible, to everyone, well, everyone except him. Warnings: Biker AU. Explicit language. Explicit sexual content. Soft!dark Ari if you squint. Mike is a bad friend (all the DAs kind of are). Reader is on the periphery of the DAs and kind of just…forgotten 🥺 Reader is sweet, shy, & socially awkward; she’s also sensitive & struggles w/anxiety. Mentions of drug use, addiction, almost dying from an overdose, & Narcotics Anonymous. Caring for a parent with Alzheimer’s. Verbal abuse. Attempted assault. Mentions of a size difference. Panic attack. Gaslighting, manipulation, & attempted blackmail. Angst.

A/N: Oh hoe hoe, my dear friends. This is the Devil's Advocates storyline I've personally been waiting for. It's been living rent free in my mind for ages, and I am just so stoked to share it with you. I couldn’t resist submitting this first part for my Birthday Bonenanza 😊 I think this story will likely be a few parts at least, and SHOCKER: there’s only a hint of smut in this first part, so we are starting hard with plot and setup, for once LOL. I hope you enjoy this, and I can't wait to hear what you think. Enjoy! ❤️

Prompts: Biker AU + Shy!Reader + Surprise plot twist!

Your attention was pulled from the spreadsheets filling your computer screen when you heard the rumble of a truck engine outside, then the crunch of gravel beneath tires as a vehicle parked in the lot beside your small office building.

Perking up in your seat, you smoothed down the front of your new blouse. Well, new to you, since it was from the thrift shop, but you still liked it and took a second to make sure it was neatly tucked into your skirt as you straightened your spine and smiled as the front door opened and your boss, Mike Weiss, appeared.

Mike was so much more than your boss though.

He was your life-long friend. He was a Devil's Advocate. And he was your crush.

It was silly, you knew that, to still carry a torch for him after all of these years, but you just couldn't help it.

His father and yours had been close, an older generation of the DAs biker gang, so Mike had been a fixture in your life for as long as you could remember.

You may have grown apart over the years, but staying local to Newton helped, as did applying for the job as his administrative assistant at his small accounting firm.

Over the years, your role had grown to being an admin for all of the Advocates' legal business, not just the accounting firm but also Frank's Auto Repair and Everett Construction. You even helped with the backend for Jo's Pub, since both Andy and Curtis were partners with Jo on that establishment, too.

You couldn't ride a motorcycle, and you weren't an "old lady" to one of the crew (yet!), but you helped and were involved in your own small way.

Even if it was overlooked more often than not.

Shaking that ungrateful thought from your mind, you smiled bigger as you greeted Mike, watching as he juggled his briefcase, a to-go cup of coffee, and his cell phone that was buzzing with an incoming message.

"Morning, pip," he shot you a small smile.

You tried not to grimace at the nickname. Pip, short for pipsqueak, which Mike and some of the others used to call you when you were children because you were younger and smaller than all of them.

It wasn't the most flattering nickname, but it was yours, and from them, so you shrugged it off, quickly rising from your seat to take Mike's briefcase and coffee from his hands.

"Thanks," his smile grew bigger in gratitude as he followed you into his office.

Rounding his desk, you set down his things and lingered to see if he needed anything.

Mike took a moment to type out a quick reply on his phone before setting it aside, unbuttoning his suit blazer, and dropping into his seat with a sigh.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" he asked, reaching for his coffee and taking a drink.

"I'm almost done with the data exports for the monthly P&Ls," you told him. "No meetings though, so it should be fairly quiet."

"My favorite kind of day," Mike grinned. "Maybe we'll both be able to clock out early, but shhh, don't tell the boss."

You giggled at his joke, your eyes soft as you watched him for a moment.

He was looking much better these days, his pallor healthier, the bags beneath his eyes not so dark. Even at his worst, addiction wise, Mike was always a very good looking guy.

You resisted the urge to sigh a little, stuffing down the anxiety that bubbled up in your gut as you looked him over, trying to spot even a hint that he was using again despite his promise that he was attending his daily Narcotics Anonymous meetings and clean for the first time in years.

You had been the one who found him when he overdosed six months ago, right here in this very office, and you didn't want to miss the signs again.

That awful moment would forever be ingrained in your brain, when you walked in and found Mike passed out on the floor, pale as a ghost and barely breathing as he laid in a pool of his own vomit.

You remember thinking he was dead and being more scared and devastated than you had ever been in your life.

"Anything else?" Mike's voice pulled you back to the present moment.

You wrung your hands, trying to shake out the sudden bout of anxious energy as you mustered a smile and shook your head. "No, but let me know if you need anything." You hesitated before asking. "You're…good?"

There was a flash of something in Mike's eyes at your trembling tone, something that let you know that he got your meaning, knew what you were really asking, and his smile faltered for a beat, even as his features softened.

"I'm all good. Really."

"Okay, good," you nodded, swallowing nervously and blinking back the sudden wave of tears burning at the back of your eyes.

You weren't sure why you were feeling so emotional all of the sudden. Maybe because you loved Mike and just truly wanted him to be okay, to be happy and healthy, to thrive.

That's what you wanted for everyone, but especially Mike.

"I mean, I'm always good when I have you by my side, pip. We both know I couldn't function, let alone run this business, without you," Mike teased.

You shot him a shy smile, murmuring a quiet, "I don't know about that," before turning on your heel. You got as far as Mike's open doorway before his voice made you pause.

"How's your dad doing?" he asked.

You slowly turned back to him, touched by his question. Then you tried not to be disappointed when you realized he was only half-paying attention to your answer as he scooped up his buzzing phone to reply to another text message.

But you knew Mike was a very busy man, and yet he still took a moment to ask about your father.

To ask a very loaded question.

Your dad's Alzheimer’s had progressively gotten worse, especially over the past year. You barely even recognized him anymore. His mood swings and the hurtful things he said to you…

It was a lot, and so very difficult. But you knew it wasn't really him saying those things. He was barely him most of the time anymore, and it was heart-breaking to watch–especially as a daddy's girl–the way someone you loved so much was diminishing more and more each day, right before your eyes.

"Uh," you hesitated, deflating when you realized Mike was all but ignoring you at this point anyway. "He's okay, thanks for asking."

"Huh?" Mike blinked up at you, then caught up to the conversation, smiling, "Yeah, of course! You know I'm here if you need anything, pip, anything at all."

You nodded before quickly darting from his office, your face warming as you imagined actually taking Mike up on his offer.

Expressing your need for him.

And maybe not the kind he was expecting, not at all.

Not from you.

Eyes going distant for a moment as you imagined him sweeping you up against him in his office, gently cupping your face with his big hands, staring into your eyes as he slowly inched closer, until his lips were hovering right over yours, until–

You startled as your office phone rang, feeling more warmth rush through you at your ridiculous fantasy.

Shaking your head at yourself, you pressed your cool hands to your hot cheeks before you answered the phone with much more pep in your voice than you actually felt.

"Oh, now I can run some errands before the post work rush," Amelia, your father's home caretaker, smiled at you, clapping in excitement as she rushed to gather her things.

Mike had made good on his promise to let you leave early after a pretty quiet work day, so you had stopped at the grocery store to grab a few things so you could make your father's favorite dinner before returning home.

You smiled as Amelia stopped before you, reaching out with her soft, weathered hand to cup your cheek. She was much older than you, almost as old as your father, but you would never know it because she had such youthful energy.

Over the past few years, she had become so much more than your father's caretaker, she had become a dear friend, and you appreciated her so much. You loved her like family.

"You sweet, beautiful girl," she cooed, tugging you close and pressing a kiss to your forehead. Her voice lowered as she glanced across the living room to where your father was sitting in his recliner, watching TV. "He had a pretty good day today, was more lucid than he's been in ages."

You brightened instantly, your smile growing hopeful as you glanced between Amelia and your dad. "Really?"

"Mmmhmm," she gave you a soft smile, patting your cheek before stepping away. "I'll see you tomorrow, love."

"Thanks, Amelia, have a nice evening."

You walked her to the door, giving her a final wave and smile before closing it behind you and turning toward your dad.

You moved closer, hovering beside his chair for a moment. Your father looked so frail these days. Sometimes it was hard to believe he used to be a big, strong biker, a Devil's Advocate.

Your hero.

Blinking back the moisture in your eyes, you smiled, "I'm gonna make your favorite for dinner, baked ziti, how's that sound?"

Your father blinked, slowly pulling his foggy gaze from the TV, his eyes lighting with warm recognition as he looked up at you. "Sounds good, honey. You take such good care of me."

He reached for you and you offered your hand, feeling a lump swell in your throat as he gently patted your hand between his with a sigh.

"You're such a good girl."

And then his eyes returned to the TV and glazed over once more.

Inhaling a shaky breath, you made your way into the kitchen and got started on dinner.

A few hours later, you were seated at the small dining table in the corner of the kitchen, picking at your dinner when your father suddenly slammed his glass down hard on the table.

"This isn't right!" he growled.

Startled, you glanced up from your plate and gaped at him, confused. "W-what–?"

"Can't even follow a simple recipe, huh? This isn't how your mother made it," your father sneered down at his plate before flipping it off the table and onto the floor.

"Daddy!" you gasped, leaning over in your chair to frown at the mess of pasta, cheese, and broken bits of ceramic now littering the kitchen tile.

"You can't do anything right!" your father gritted, heaving himself to his feet.

He planted his big hands on the table and leaned across it, until you were cowering in your seat and watching him with big, tear-filled eyes.

"I told you to carve your way into the inner fold, keep up my legacy with the club, but you're so damn worthless. You're invisible, to all of them."

It took you a moment to even follow his chaotic train of thought, from dinner to the Devil's Advocates. You processed his hurtful words, some of which were ones you had often thought to yourself, especially in those moments of suffocating loneliness when you had no one to talk to, no one to lean on as you struggled to buckle under the weight that had been thrust upon you.

"I-I'm not," you trembled at last. "They're my friends."

Your father's snort was derisive. "You don't have any friends, and we both know it. Pathetic."

You flinched at the insult–and the truth of it–watching as your father spared you one final sneer before shuffling from the kitchen. You heard the creak of his recliner as he took his preferred seat, and a moment later, the TV was blaring with some evening sports show.

Sniffling to yourself at the sudden, awful turn the night had taken, you slowly rose from your chair. You scraped your dinner into the trash bin before cleaning up the mess your father made.

Your hands trembled as you covered the baked ziti tray with some foil and stowed it in the fridge. You moved to the sink and did the dishes on autopilot for a few moments before you suddenly glanced up to the window over the sink.

You stared at your sad, teary reflection in the glass.

All alone.

Trapped in your childhood home with a warped, broken shadow of your father.

You wondered suddenly what Mike and the others were doing.

They were probably at Jo's, where they spent most nights together. Having dinner and drinks. Playing pool. Together. All of them. Like a family.

Without you.

Feeling your lower lip tremble, you sniffed back more tears, trying your best to focus on the dirty dishes that needed cleaning instead of feeling sorry for yourself.

No matter how much it was warranted.

You were just starting to wrap up your work day when the front door opened and Curtis filled the doorway of the office.

"Hey," he greeted you with a small smile, which grew bigger when his fiancée, Peaches, poked her head around his bicep and waved at you.

"Oh my god, I haven't seen you in a million years!" she grinned, stepping around Curtis to move toward you and sweep you up in a hug. "How are you?"

Overwhelmed by the sudden attention–and their unexpected arrival–you just smiled stupidly for a moment before you processed her question and gave a flustered response.

"Oh, I'm, I'm okay, thanks. Congrats on the engagement," your smile was more genuine now as Peaches flashed you her ring before giving a dreamy sigh.

"He did good, didn't he?"

"He did," you laughed, glancing over at Curtis who looked torn between embarrassed and soft as he watched Peaches with figurative hearts in his eyes.

And god, what you wouldn't give to have someone look at you like that.

A certain someone even…

Shaking yourself quickly, you glanced between the two of them with curiosity.

"So, what brings you by?" you asked, clicking into business mode despite the late hour.

"We just wanted to pass off some tax paperwork and receipts before I lose them," Curtis gave you a wry grin as he passed over a large, brown envelope.

"I'm whipping him and his business into shape," Peaches smiled proudly as she hugged Curtis' arm and shot him a wink.

Laughing, you stored the envelope in your desk drawer. "I'll go through and file everything tomorrow."

"Is Mike still around?" Curtis asked.

"Oh no," you shook his head. "He had an off site meeting and said he likely wouldn't be back before I closed up."

"He'll probably head straight to Jo's," Peaches hummed. Her eyes lit up as she glanced at you. "You should come, too!"

Your mouth actually dropped open at the invitation, even as your tummy swooped with excitement. "Me? Really?"

Peaches' smile softened. "Yeah, of course. You're always welcome, you know that."

Your wide gaze nervously shifted from her to Curtis, but his smile was just as soft as hers, his eyes just as warm.

"You should come," he confirmed. "Dinner will be my treat."

"Oh no, you don't have to," you immediately started to decline his kind offer, but Curtis waved away your words.

"It's a done deal."

"Yay!" Peaches was already bounding toward the door, but Curtis lingered, waiting for you to gather your things before he stepped closer.

Your brows furrowed as he pulled another envelope from his inner jacket pocket, this one smaller, white, and thick.

"Should I put that with your tax paperwork?" you asked.

"No, this is for you." Curtis handed over the envelope.

Confused, you peeked inside, eyes widening as you spied a stack of hundred dollar bills. "What…I–"

"I know things must be difficult with your father and the care he needs, so I…we," he corrected. "Just wanted to help."

"Curtis," your voice quavered with emotion as you kept your watery eyes on the envelope of cash, too embarrassed and overwhelmed to meet his gaze.

You didn't think any of them knew just how hard it was, how you had drained all of your savings for your father's care and to continue to pay his mortgage and living expenses on top of your own.

How the financial aspect of it wasn't even the worst part and how you would sell everything you had–even your soul–to make him better again if you could.

"I can't take this," you finally whispered, the idea of being a burden to anyone, to the DAs especially, making anxiety churn in your gut.

"You can and you will." Curtis' big hand came into your line of vision and he gently took the envelope from your shaking fingers before tucking it securely in your purse. "Hey."

You glanced up at him from beneath your lashes.

"You know you can ask for help when you need it, right?" he ducked his head, hands squeezing your shoulders as he gave you a serious–bordering on stern–look. "We take care of our own, you know that."

And the thought that Curtis, at least, thought of you as one of them–thought of you at all–made something warm and fond bloom in your chest, just for him.

You resisted the urge to hug him as you nodded instead, trembling out a quiet, "Yes, of course. Thank you." Sniffling, you laughed at yourself as you batted away a stray tear. "Thank you, Curtis, really."

He gave you a small smile, squeezing your shoulders one last time before the front door was swinging open again and Peaches gave you both the stink eye.

"Excuse me, but I am starving, and if you both don't get your asses into gear, I am leaving without you and eating both of your dinners in addition to mine."

Huffing a laugh, Curtis grinned at you. "She will, she's a bottomless pit when she's hangry."

"You love that about me," Peaches scoffed before shooting you a wink.

Laughing, you felt a stir of hope and comfort rise within you, especially when Curtis wrapped an arm around your shoulders, tugged you into his side in an almost hug, and led you from the office.

You took another sip of your cocktail, still on your first drink despite the way Peaches had been trying to get you drunk.

Your lips quirked at the corners as you set down your glass on the table and glanced across Jo's to where the rest of the group had gathered around the pool tables at the back.

Peaches and Andy's girl were playing their significant others in a game of pool as Mike and Jensen watched. The banter between them all flowed so effortlessly, even with Andy's girl, who was the newest to the group but seemed much further enmeshed in the inner circle of the Devil's Advocates than you.

You thought of how you had stuttered out responses during dinner as you caught up with the others, overthinking every reply before you gave it and so very flustered under the attention of the group.

But still, you were here, with them, included at last, just like you had always wished for, so you tried your best to focus on gratitude rather than overanalyzing every little thing.

Rather than being sad that they had all wandered away, as if they had forgotten your presence altogether.

The front door opened, and a towering figure stepped inside, breaking you from your train of thought as your eyes were instantly drawn to him from where you were hidden away by yourself in one of the larger booths against the far wall.

He was big, and thick, his shoulders broad and testing the seams of his worn denim button up. His jeans were dark and fit him like a glove, causing your gaze to dip to the prominent curve of his ass without your permission, before darting back up.

The stranger was painfully handsome, giving all of the DAs a run for their money in the looks department. His skin was golden, his hair brown and curling around the collar of his shirt, perfectly matching his thick, neatly kept beard. And his eyes–two deep pools of dark blue–were fixed right on you.

Your own gaze widened at being caught ogling, and just before your eyes dipped to the table top, your cheeks already on fire, you got a glimpse of the beautiful stranger shooting you a wink and a sinful grin before he was sauntering further into the bar.

You only dared to glance up again when you heard Mike whoop his delight, greeting the brunette with a big grin and one of those guy hugs that was more slapping each other on the back than an actual embrace.

"Guys, this is Ari, my buddy from NA that I mentioned…" was all you could decipher before Ari was welcomed into the fold and handed a cue stick as Mike ushered him over to the unoccupied pool table in the back.

You startled as your phone buzzed from within the dark confines of your purse, fishing it out to read Amelia's reply to your earlier text thanking her for staying later than usual with your father so that you could enjoy a night out.

Of course, honey, you enjoy yourself, for once. You deserve it.

Smiling, you tucked your phone away, head shooting up as you heard Mike call your name. Perking up, you quickly slid from the booth before hesitantly making your way over, trying not to appear too eager or pleased with his attention at last.

"Hi," you greeted him softly, your eyes flickering across the pool table to Ari.

He was grinning at you as he leaned over the pool table, lining up his shot. He took a moment to allow his eyes to dip from your face, over the rest of you, blatantly checking you out and chuckling quietly as you immediately began to fidget and your gaze darted away.

Part of you wished you had worn something better than your simple shirt dress and flats today, and you wrung your hands together before you, dazedly returning your attention to Mike as he moved closer to you. He smelled so good and was so warm, you had to resist leaning into his personal space as he began to talk.

"Hey, pip, do me a favor and go get us a fresh round of beers," he requested, fishing some money from his back pocket and shoving it into your hands, not bothering to wait for your response before he was circling the pool table to take his turn.

Your smile dimmed as you realized he had called you over to assist him, just like you did at work all day, instead of engaging you like the others, like you were a real friend.

"Sure," you murmured, swallowing down your disappointment as you turned on your heel and made your way to the bar.

"Hey, sweetie, are you having a good time?" Jo greeted you with a warm smile as she stopped before you on the other side of the perfectly polished wood counter.

You mustered a genuine smile for her, nodding your head before ordering beers for Mike, Ari, and Jensen. You climbed up into one of the empty stools to patiently wait for their drinks, unable to help it as you spun in your seat to glance over at the gang.

You froze as you watched Mike step away from the others for a moment, overly nonchalant as he dug his hand into his pants pocket as he approached his jacket. You saw him fiddle with something and then felt the acidic burn of bile at the back of your throat when you caught sight of the small baggie of white powder in Mike’s hand. He slipped it into his inner jacket pocket, and as he turned back to the others, you quickly looked away, not wanting to be caught staring.

Witnessing.

Sickness washed over you, roiling deep in your gut at the realization that Mike was using again. After everything.

After almost dying.

And just like before, you had no idea. You probably spent more time with him than anyone, shut away together in the office all day, and still, you hadn't realized.

How could you not have realized?

Again.

"You Mike's girl?"

You jerked at the unfamiliar husky voice, straightening in your stool as Ari pulled up beside you and leaned against the bar so close that you could feel his body heat rolling off of him in waves.

It took you a moment to register his words, so startled were you by his sudden appearance and proximity. Once you did, your eyes widened before your gaze dropped down to your lap and you twisted your fingers together.

"Me!? Oh gosh, no, I'm just…he's…we're just…friends," you muttered, peeking up at Ari because it was hard to keep your gaze away from him.

He was so beautiful, especially up close.

His eyes twinkled at you as he gave you another leisurely onceover, grinning as you squirmed in your seat in response. "Well, maybe we can become friends, too, sweetheart."

Your belly swooped at the pet name and the way it was spoken in that deep timbre of his, and you could feel a wave of heat warm your cheeks as you fumbled for something to say.

Because you had never been hit on by someone that looked like him before, and you spent half the night by yourself as the rest of the group had a good time–without you–and it was nice to have someone to talk to, even if you didn't quite know what to say to seem interesting.

"We uh work together, too," you managed at last, meeting Ari's attentive gaze for a quick beat before you were looking away again. "Grew up together, my dad was a DA like his and the others’ so…"

"So I bet you know a lot of insider information, huh?"

Despite the teasing lilt to Ari's voice, there was something that flashed in his gaze, something intense that you couldn't quite place, but it had you squirming in your seat again as you frowned and shrugged, unsure of how to respond.

Because the truth was, you really weren't an insider at all, despite how much you longed to be, but that wasn't exactly something you wanted to admit, let alone chat about to a complete stranger.

Especially one who was showing what seemed to be genuine interest in you.

You glanced down the bar to where Jo was still filling other drink orders, nervously fiddling with the hem of your shirt dress as you glanced back at Ari, then froze, your eyes going big because he was so close now.

You couldn't suppress your squeak of surprise, and Ari's face lit up in delight at the sound as he laughed quietly at how flustered you were.

"You're real sweet, huh?" he hummed, shifting even closer, until he was so close that you could feel the warm wash of his breath against your face as he continued, "I like sweet. I could just eat you all up."

The nervous giggle was falling past your lips before you could stop it, your insides clenching hard–especially once you caught sight of the way Ari's teeth were sinking into his bottom lip as he eye fucked you–and then you were startling again as Jo chimed your name, arriving with the three beers you had ordered.

You immediately slid from your seat and gathered the beer bottles, then you turned and nearly walked right into Ari's chest, chirping in surprise before pulling up short.

"You need some help, sweetheart?" he purred, looming over you and making your core throb with that warm, playful tone of his.

"N-no, I'm good, thank you."

"Well, since one of those are for me," Ari plucked a beer from your hold, giving you a panty-melting grin as you just stared, noticing how much bigger his hands were than yours as he took a deep drink. "Thank you," he winked at you.

"You're welcome." You shot him a nervous smile before carefully stepping around him, getting a whiff of his musky scent before you were scurrying back to the others to deliver their drinks.

It wasn't long before you were back at the group's booth, all by yourself, but not minding too much as you were growing sleepy and eager to get home.

It also gave you the opportunity to watch Mike, and it didn’t take long at all before he was turning away from the others, making like he was drinking his beer, but you saw it, the way he shook two white pills loose from his pocket and knocked them back along with the rest of his drink.

Your stomach flipped, sourness filling the back of your throat as you watched Mike glance back at the others, as if to confirm he hadn’t been caught taking God knows what, before he was smiling and sauntering back over to the pool table.

You just…couldn’t believe him.

After everything, after nearly dying, he was using drugs again.

Tears welled quickly as you recalled that day, finding him in the office, toeing the line of death from his overdose.

Shaking your head as your stomach roiled in protest at this new discovery, you grabbed your purse and shimmied from the booth. Scurrying across the bar, you made your way down the dark, back hallway toward the restrooms. You ducked into the tiny restroom that was the size of a closet, shutting and locking the door behind you before turning toward the sink and small mirror that hung above it.

You looked as devastated as you felt, your lower lip wobbling as a few tears spilled over. Sniffing hard, you wiped them away, turning on the cold water and splashing some on your face before patting your skin dry with some scratchy paper towels from the dispenser.

You would just confront Mike in private, at work next week when it was just the two of you in the office. Maybe you had just misinterpreted everything. Yeah, perhaps you were just jumping to conclusions and being hyper-vigilant based on his history.

Mind made up, and your stomach feeling a little more settled, you quickly used the restroom and washed your hands before ducking back out into the hallway, intent on calling it a night.

You gasped as you collided with another. “I’m so sorry,” your words faltered as you looked up and met the dark, glittering gaze of Bryce Langley.

Trying not to grimace, you eased away from him, noticing the way his hands lingered on your arms. You didn’t know Bryce well, as he was the youngest of the DAs, even younger than you, but from the few stray occasions you had interacted with him, he made you uncomfortable.

Bryce was not a nice person despite the way he could turn on that charm of his to try to get what he wanted, and his ever-present cheshire smile did little to stop all the internal alarm bells from ringing in your head whenever he was in the vicinity.

Especially now, when you were alone with him and out of sight and earshot of anyone else.

“Um, sorry, Bryce.” You gave him a tentative smile as you tried to skirt around him. “Excuse me.”

Instead of allowing you to pass, Bryce shifted to block your retreat, leaning his shoulder against the wall and cornering you between him and the bathroom door as that slow, lazy smile of his unfurled across his lips.

"Haven't seen you around in a long time, pip,” he drawled. He was shameless in the way he gave you a long onceover, his tongue sneaking out to wet his lips as he purred, “And my oh my, you've certainly grown up, huh?"

All of your hair stood on end as he shifted closer, making you back into the wall as you instinctively recoiled from him, which was a mistake as you suddenly found yourself pinned to the paneled wood behind you as Bryce loomed close enough for his body to brush against yours.

"Oh, uh, yeah, I guess…" you quavered. You tried to hedge sideways, away from him, but Bryce’s hand shot out and planted against the wall, keeping you in place.

That same hand touched your hip next, drifting low enough to pluck at the hem of your shirt dress as Bryce hummed, "You know, I'm not sure why the buttoned up little secretary look is doing it for me, but it really is."

You tried to laugh, like his observation–his come on–was a joke, but the sound was anything but amused, more like you were choking on air as you jerked at the feel of Bryce’s fingers on your bare thigh. “Bryce–”

"Come on,” he cut you off, giving you that megawatt grin that just oozed charisma and wreaked of manipulation. “Let's sneak out back and have a little fun."

The alarm bells in your head rang louder as Bryce gripped your wrist and yanked you against him. His free hand circled your waist, skimming along the curve of your ass as he started to walk backwards toward the back exit across the hall, taking you with him.

"I um…that's not really–" you started, but once again Bryce spoke over you.

"I'm just dying to know what kind of sounds you make when you're stuffed full of cock." There was a mean and hungry tilt to Bryce’s smile now, his eyes so dark they looked black–and evil–as he pulled you toward the exit.

“No, please, I was just about to leave.” Your voice was higher pitched than usual, tinged with alarm–with fear–as you tried to shove Bryce away from you.

“You can leave when I’m done having some fun,” Bryce cooed. “Besides, you should feel honored that you're even getting a scrap of attention in the first place.”

You winced at his barb, and the truth of it, feeling a new wave of tears building behind your eyes. “I said no,” you raised your voice as you renewed your struggles, yelping when Bryce flung you around and slammed you into the metal back door hard enough to hurt.

Your purse fell to the floor, the contents of it scattering around your and Bryce’s feet as he held you to the door with one hand on your throat and used the other to grope your chest hard enough to make you whine.

“Maybe you just need to be warmed up–” he started, but then his words turned into a surprised grunt as he was violently yanked away from you.

You watched with wide eyes as Ari slammed Bryce into the opposite wall, his big hand circling the younger man’s neck and squeezing hard enough to make Bryce’s eyes bulge and his face turn beet red as he clawed at Ari’s hand.

“I catch you touching her again, hell, I catch you so much as looking at her, and I will fucking end you, you piece of shit, do you understand?” Ari snarled close to Bryce’s face.

His hand squeezed harder, giving Bryce a rough shake to drive his point home. Looking almost purple now, Bryce nodded as best as he could, wheezing and coughing for breath when Ari’s hand finally fell away from his throat.

Shaking in your spot a few feet away, you watched as Bryce hunched over and coughed and gasped for breath, Ari standing over him with a look so dark, it had you cowering when he turned your way.

His features immediately softened, his brow furrowing with concern as he murmured, “You okay, sweetheart?”

You nodded, giving Bryce one last glance as he staggered down the hallway and out of sight. Your relief at his departure–and at Ari’s appearance–was a visceral thing, and you sagged against the door, touching a hand to your chest and feeling the way your heart was still hammering away as it processed the last dregs of your fear and the adrenaline that came along with it.

“He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Ari asked, his gaze fretful as it glanced over you.

“No, I’m okay. Thank you.”

You watched as Ari crouched at your feet and began to gather your possessions, carefully putting them back in your purse. You sank to the floor to help, feeling embarrassed for some reason and avoiding looking at him as you reached for your compact and lip gloss.

When you went to return them to your purse, you froze as you caught sight of Ari’s big hand holding the envelope of money Curtis had given you earlier.

“This is a lot of cash to be carrying around,” Ari told you. His eyes were shining with curiosity, and a new wave of worry, as you met his gaze.

“Yeah, I don’t usually, it was…unexpected.” For some reason, you felt like you owed him an explanation, so you babbled, “It was…a gift? From Curtis, and the others I guess.” You gently took the envelope and safely tucked it into the inner pocket of your purse. “My dad, he’s sick, and I’ve been taking care of him, and things are just…a little hard, you know? And expensive, everything’s so expensive, so…”

More tears burned at the back of your eyes, everything finally catching up with you at once and warring with the deep-seated exhaustion you were always so good at ignoring for the sake of everyone who relied on you.

“So every little bit helps,” you tried to chirp, sniffling and mustering a small smile as Ari placed the last item back in your purse.

“I’m real sorry to hear about your father.” He truly looked it as he met your gaze. “It’s a good thing what you’re doing, taking care of him, but I’m sure it can’t be easy.”

“I make do,” you said as you rose to your feet.

Ari did the same, making you feel tiny in comparison as he stood before you. "I…I think it's time for me to go. I’m really tired.”

"Did you drive here?” Ari asked. When you nodded, he offered, “I'll walk you to your car.”

"Oh no, you don't have to,” you were quick to assure him, to avoid being an inconvenience.

"I want to,” he gave you a small smile, gesturing toward the other end of the hallway. “You wanna say goodnight to the others first?"

The others who were busy enjoying the company of each other while ignoring you for most of the night.

The familiar hurt of always being on the outside looking in, always being left out, of being so forgettable, gnawed at you now more than usual after what had just happened, but you tried to stuff it down, down, down.

You were here at least, and that was something.

You should be grateful.

You would be grateful.

"Uh, no,” you smiled, shrugging like it was no big deal. “I don't want to bother them. It's fine."

Ari watched you for a beat, quiet as he observed you, his eyes shining with knowing and making more humiliation rise up as you curled your shoulders and hugged yourself tightly.

Could he tell, just by looking at you, how pathetic you were?

“Alright, let’s get you home then,” he eventually murmured.

You nodded, grateful as Ari motioned you past him but stuck close as you made your way toward the front exit of Jo’s and outside into the cool evening air. Your old-but-miraculously-well-operating car was tucked away at the end of the small dirt parking lot, and you stood beside the driver’s door now as you glanced up at Ari.

Your smile was much more genuine as you told him, "Thank you, for handling Bryce. He can be kind of…"

"A dick?" Ari supplied.

You laughed, a real laugh, your belly fluttering as Ari grinned in delight at the sweet sound, his eyes looking warm as he watched you.

"I was going to say ‘a lot,’ but yes also that,” you said.

The two of you just stood there for a moment, and as shy as you were–as you felt–you couldn’t help but sneak peeks at Ari every couple of seconds because he really was beautiful.

Something about the pure size of him, how big and thick he was, especially compared to you, had butterflies rising in your stomach and invading your chest. Had something warm and wanting sparking to life deep inside of you for the first time in a long time.

Your cheeks burned when your eyes met Ari’s and found an amused kind of knowing there, like he not only knew exactly what you were thinking and feeling but enjoyed your admiration.

It struck you quite suddenly, that as much as you liked Mike, loved him and always would, you hadn’t actually felt it–this way–about him in quite some time.

But here you were now, painfully and instantly attracted to Ari despite having just met him, and you thought–and maybe hoped more than that–that he was attracted to you too, just a little.

At the very least, he seemed to notice you when no one else did–you weren’t invisible to him–and that was something at least, and enough to make excitement bloom within you, hope, too.

"Well, you have a good night, sweetheart,” he husked. His gaze flickered down to your mouth for a beat, making your belly do a wild kind of somersault, but then he was tucking his hands into the pockets of his jeans and taking a step back.

"Yeah, you too,” you wisped, shooting him one final smile before unlocking your car door and slipping inside. Once you started the engine and rolled the window down, you whispered, “Goodnight, Ari,” your greedy gaze lingering on his handsome face before putting your car in reverse.

As you eased out of your parking spot, you heard Ari’s faint, "Goodnight, sweetheart,” and you couldn’t help but steal a few more glances of him in the rearview mirror as you started your drive home.

You were jittery with nerves as you sat at your desk, the work day almost over.

You had spent most of the weekend trying to reaffirm to yourself that it was the right thing to do - confront Mike about what you had seen, make sure he was okay.

He was your friend and you cared about him. You loved him.

And good friends took care of each other.

Nodding to yourself, you quickly closed out of the remaining apps and your work email on your computer. Your belly turned topsy-turvy with another bout of anxiety just as you rose to your feet.

At the same moment, the front door to the office swung open, and there stood Ari, looking just as strikingly handsome as the first time you had seen him a few nights ago.

Today, he wore another pair of faded jeans that fit him like a second skin, emphasizing the thick muscles of his thighs. His plain white t-shirt clung to his broad chest, doing little to hide the firm muscles that lay beneath, let alone his bulging biceps that were testing the white cotton for all it was worth.

“You okay, sweetheart?”

Ari’s concerned voice snapped you back to reality, and your face flamed in mortification as you realized that you had been full on ogling him and got caught doing so, again.

“Huh?” you replied dumbly.

Ari’s dark blue eyes sparkled at you as he sauntered closer, until he was looming on the other side of your desk.

“I asked how you were doing and you were like a sweet little space cadet, total blank stare and everything.”

“I’m sorry,” you breathed, trying to stomp down another wave of embarrassment as your gaze dropped and you started to ramble to try to come up with an excuse for your behavior. “I’m just tired, it was a rough night with my father last night, and I guess it’s caught up to me, so…yeah.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

The sadness in Ari’s voice made you feel even worse, so you tried your best to deliver a bright smile as you waved away your depressing overshare. “It’s okay! Um, are you a new accounting client of Mike’s or–”

“No, he’s here to meet me,” Mike answered your unfinished question as he emerged from his office, looking ready to leave for the day.

“We were gonna head over to Jo’s for some dinner and pool,” Ari explained. “You should come with us.”

“I should?” you replied at the same time Mike asked, “She should?”

Ari shot him a disappointed frown that had Mike clearing his throat and shooting you an abashed grin.

“Yeah, you totally should, pip. You’re always welcome to tag along.”

You flinched at “tag along,” your face warming once again as your eyes dropped to stare at the top of your desk.

“I’d really like you to come with us,” Ari told you.

You blinked in surprise to find him standing right beside you now, throwing off an intense body heat and a faint woodsy scent that had your nipples pebbling beneath your blouse and your thighs pressing together beneath your skirt.

You had never responded so viscerally to someone before, and it was throwing you for a loop so much, making it difficult to think straight, let alone string together an actual sentence, but you managed as much as you could.

“I don’t want to impose,” you whispered.

“You’re not, I invited you,” Ari’s smile was more of a pleading pout. “Come on, sweetheart, you deserve a little fun and to unwind after a long day, too.”

It was so funny, because Amelia, your father’s home caretaker, had told you something similar this morning before you left for work.

“I’m here to lighten your load so you can live life a little, too, honey,” she said. “Let me help you; you don’t need to do this all on your own.”

“Okay,” you answered hesitantly, your eyes flickering to Mike, who was busy texting on his phone and not paying attention to your and Ari’s conversation in the least. Your gaze shifted to Ari’s. “If you’re sure?”

“Very sure,” he winked at you. “Let’s go have some fun.”

Belly fluttering at the way he was watching you–with so much warmth and hope that you’d never had aimed your way before–you could only smile like a dope, quickly gathering your things and trying not to swoon too much when Ari ushered you outside and walked you to your car.

A little while later, your belly was full from a good meal, and maybe a drink or two, and you were bent over one of the pool table’s at the back of Jo’s, your tongue sticking out in concentration and one of your eyes closed to try to improve your aim as you clumsily lined up your shot.

You were never very good at pool, but it was still fun to play. Luckily, Ari seemed to have the patience of a saint and didn’t mind playing you once Mike had wandered off to hang out with Jensen and Andy instead.

Pulling your cue stick back, you let it surge forward, pouting as the tip of it glanced off the cue ball before sending it weakly spinning aside, and nowhere near one of your striped balls.

“I’m so bad at this,” you muttered, your cheeks burning as you took a step back and stumbled into Ari.

His hands caught your flailing self by the arms, steadying you on your feet and grinning down at you as you stared up at him with big eyes and parted lips.

Because you hadn’t realized that he had been standing so close, and right behind you.

“Can I give you a few pointers?” he asked, nodding at the pool table.

“That would be very nice. Probably pointless, because I’m hopeless at this, but still very much appreciated.”

“You’re funny,” Ari hummed, his voice a husky rumble as his eyes danced at you.

“Not often, I guess you just bring it out in me. Also maybe the alcohol helped.”

He laughed. “Well, I’ll be sure to keep that in mind for next time.”

“Next time?” you asked in surprise. “You’d want to hang out with me again?”

Ari’s smile dimmed, a furrow forming between his brows as he ducked lower and told you, “I would. You’re not just a tag along to me.”

It was instant, the way your belly fluttered and bloomed with joy. Your breath hitched as you hugged your pool cue to your chest and blinked back a surge of happy tears at the thought that someone wanted to spend time with you, by choice, and just because.

“Come on, let me show you how to take a shot that actually progresses the game,” Ari teased.

You giggled as he winked at you, all too happy to have him lead you back to the pool table and give you some tips to help improve your game.

And it actually helped! Within a few minutes, you could actually hit the other balls, and you even pocketed a few before accidentally doing the same to the eight ball and instantly losing.

Ari just shot you a grin and a, “Maybe next time,” instead of teasing you mercilessly like the others would have. Then he insisted on getting you another drink before he sauntered over to the bar and you stared after him and enjoyed the view.

You couldn’t stop smiling as you watched him, as he glanced back over at you as he waited for your drinks and shot you another flirtatious wink. Your belly swooped as you turned away, resisting the urge to cup your face between your hands and squee.

So caught up in your exchange with Ari–at happily being under his undivided attention–you nearly walked right into Mike.

“Whoa, watch it, pipsqueak,” he huffed.

“Oh, sorry!” you quickly apologized.

Mike just hmphed, looking irritable as he moved past you and toward his jacket, which was draped over the stool in the corner near the pool table. You watched him without trying to be obvious, your anxiety from earlier beginning to lap at you as Mike dug through his jacket pockets.

You caught a glimpse of a small plastic bag filled with white powder, and then he was pocketing it and hurrying toward the restroom and out of sight.

Stomach instantly sinking, you stared after him, dread and disappointment washing over you, because you knew. You just knew that he was going into the bathroom to snort whatever was in that baggie.

The confirmation of one of your worst fears coming to fruition–Mike using again, potentially overdosing again, maybe dying this time–and the devastation that came along with it–hit you like a freight train.

It was so sudden, the way you couldn’t quite catch your breath, your eyes blurring with tears as you touched your chest, and then clawed at it as your heart rate skyrocketed and felt like it would beat right through your chest.

You just needed a moment to calm down, you kept telling yourself as you dropped your pool cue on the table and staggered down the back hall, hastily pushing through the back door.

You teetered on your feet for a beat, stumbling a few yards away from the exit as the constriction in your chest grew more noticeable–more scary–slowly crawling its way higher like some creeping dangerous thing, until it felt like there was something lodged in your throat and you truly couldn’t breathe.

You whimpered as the tightness in your chest began to overwhelm you. It was like there was no air to breathe as you sagged against the wall, clawing at your chest as you sank down into a crouch, quiet, choked sounds of fear spilling from your lips.

Dizziness swept over you as the sound of your slamming heart thundered loudly–deafeningly–in your ears, drowning out everything else around you.

Just as blackness began to dance on the periphery of your vision and had you squeezing your eyes shut to avoid it, just as you thought that you really were going to pass out, warm hands gripped your shoulders and a deep voice called your name.

You blinked your tear-filled eyes open to find Ari crouched in front of you. His handsome face was twisted in concern as he reached for your hand and pressed it to his chest.

“Breathe with me, sweetheart,” he encouraged. “Deep breath in,” he inhaled deeply, slowly, before exhaling just as slowly.

You focused on the way his chest expanded and contracted beneath your palm. The way a silver chain peeked out from the collar of his shirt. Then, at last, you focused on the warm, hard mass of him, mesmerized as you unconsciously began to mirror Ari’s slow, calm breathing pattern.

After a couple of moments, the real world flooded back into focus, your heart beat returned to normal, and you could fill your lungs with ease once more.

You whimpered, collapsing onto the ground as a few tears slipped down your cheeks. You pulled your knees to your chest, pressing your forehead to them as you curled in on yourself, terrified by what had just happened and mortified that Ari, of all people, had been there to witness it.

“Hey, you’re okay, sweetheart.” Ari smoothed a hand over your head. “You’re okay now.”

“I’m sorry,” you wobbled, sniffling back more tears. “I don’t know what happened.”

“Looks like you had a panic attack.”

You were shaking your head before you even processed Ari’s observation. “But I don’t…have those.”

“Did something happen?” he asked, his eyes flickering between yours. “While I went to get our drinks?”

You thought of Mike pocketing the white powder then hurrying off to the bathroom, your stomach flipping unpleasantly as you swallowed against the burn in the back of your throat.

You should say something, right? You should tell someone, shouldn’t you?

But Mike had met Ari through Narcotics Anonymous, so that meant Ari was probably a recovering addict himself. What if this triggered Ari or upset him?

So maybe you should tell one of the others then? Curtis or Andy? But wouldn’t that be betraying Mike?

He would hate you forever if you ratted him out. Maybe even fire you.

Because when it came to the DAs, the only thing worse than being invisible was being a rat.

You were in a lose, lose situation, and you didn’t know what to do. You felt so sad and scared and overwhelmed, and it just consumed you entirely as your panicked mind spiraled deeper and deeper.

“Hey, don’t cry, you’re okay now,” Ari soothed as you choked on a sob. He reached for you, gently rubbing your arm and giving your shoulder a squeeze on every ascent.

“I’m sorry,” you whined, covering your face. “I’m sorry.”

“C’mere, honey,” Ari said, gently tugging you against his chest and into a very firm embrace that felt like safety incarnate.

His hands were slow and gentle as they smoothed up and down your back, and he shushed you softly as you wept against his chest, not easing up on his embrace until your crying had faded to sniffles and you finally straightened and pulled away.

“I’m so sorry,” you whispered, wiping a few stray tears from your face. “I’m so embarrassed.”

“Don’t be embarrassed. Hey,” Ari gently gripped your chin and tipped your shy gaze up to his. “You have a lot on your plate, you don’t need to apologize for being overwhelmed or upset. Unfortunately, feelings are a part of being human. That’s what you get for not being a robot.”

Your giggle was watery as it spilled past your lips, and the dread in your belly eased when Ari gave you a big, warm smile.

“Come on, why don’t we call it a night and get you home?

You nodded, not resisting when Ari pulled you to your feet before him. The exhaustion hit you once you were standing on solid ground, your shoulders hunching beneath the weight of it.

“I’ll drive you home.”

“But my car’s here,” you started to object.

“Mike and I can drop it off at your place later tonight so you have it for work tomorrow, okay? We drove here together, so it’s not a problem at all,” Ari told you.

“But–”

“Please,” Ari interrupted you, gripping both of your shoulders and ducking his head so your gazes aligned. “Let me do this for you. Let me take care of you in this small way.”

And that nearly set you off all over again.

Because people didn’t take care of you. You took care of them. It’s what made you useful, of value, worth their time and attention on the rare occasions they gave it to you.

“Why?” you couldn’t help but ask him, your voice breaking on that one, simple word.

Ari’s face softened, more of that sad knowing shadowing his gaze as he watched you. “Because I want to, and you deserve it.”

You glanced away from him as your eyes filled with a fresh wave of tears, biting on your bottom lip to quell its trembling as you tried to rein in all of the big feelings stirring within you.

“Come on,” Ari murmured.

You didn’t object as he curled his arm around you, pulling you into his side as he led you down the alley and across the parking lot. In fact, you sank against Ari more fully, greedily absorbing his warmth, and his comfort, too tired to do more than follow where he wanted you to go as he urged you past your car and to his own instead.

“Hey.”

You startled, your eyes wide and your heart racing as you pulled your gaze away from the spreadsheet you had been so diligently working on to find Ari towering over your workspace.

“Hi,” you managed, feeling an embarrassed kind of heat wash over you.

Because the last time you had seen Ari had been a few nights ago, after your unexpected panic attack.

“I’ve been thinking about you,” he murmured as he circled your desk and sat on the corner of it.

“You have?”

His lips tilted into an amused smile at your obvious surprise. “I have. How are you feeling?”

“Better,” you answered, your gaze falling away shyly as you squirmed in your seat.

What did you say to someone who had seen you in such a vulnerable state?

Someone that you liked so much even if a small part of you thought that you shouldn’t.

Things like drugs and crime had been on the periphery of your life as long as you could remember, but it came with the territory of your dad having been a Devil’s Advocate, and now working for Mike, Andy, and Curtis.

Still, you were pretty far removed from all of that, so the idea that Ari was likely a former addict made you nervous.

You didn’t think any less of him–or Mike, for that matter–but you were definitely outside of your depth when it came to that kind of stuff, and well, you just couldn’t help but wonder if maybe you shouldn’t like him so much?

If maybe he was even bad news, or potentially dangerous?

“You did it again, zoned out on me,” Ari huffed a quiet laugh. “I really gotta up my game if you find me so boring.”

“No!” You squeaked instantly, reaching for him and gently touching his hand without thinking. “You’re not boring at all! I’m so sorry–”

Ari’s big hand turned over beneath yours, his sudden, unexpected grip on you causing your words to taper off into a startled gasp.

“Stop. Apologizing,” he admonished, and there was a grit to his voice that made your insides clench hard, especially with the way his gaze was so focused on you, so intense.

“I’m sor–” you started, and then abruptly snapped your mouth shut.

Ari laughed again, gently playing with your hand, so gently, in fact, that it was kind of mesmerizing and making your body perk up and tremble with a kind of anticipation you had never experienced before.

“Um, were you looking for Mike?” you wisped. “He’s gone for the day, but if you want me to give him a message or something, I can.”

"Actually, I was looking for you."

"Me? Why?"

"Come out with me,” Ari said, his thumbs brushing along your knuckles. His gaze lifted from his touch to your wide eyes, and he smirked.

"Uh, what?"

“Why are you always so shocked that I want to spend time with you?” he asked.

The ever familiar heat of embarrassment was back as you squirmed in your seat, your shoulders hunching up to your ears as you shrugged. “I’m just not used to people seeking me out, recreationally, I guess.”

"Well, get used to it,” Ari replied, giving your hand a soft squeeze before releasing his hold on you and pouring himself to his feet. “Come on, I'll buy you dinner. I heard the diner’s good but I haven’t tried it yet. I'm new in town, and I don't really know anyone besides Mike, so, you’re kind of stuck with me and might as well get a meal out of it.”

You laughed, feeling shy once more under Ari’s attentive gaze.

And the fact that he genuinely wanted to spend time with you.

You.

“Okay,” you breathed, shutting down your computer and reaching for your purse. “Just let me text my father’s caretaker and let her know I’ll be a little later than usual.”

“Sounds good, and I’ll drive,” Ari offered. “So we can spend more time together on the way over. I can drop you back off here to get your car after dinner.”

“Sure,” you agreed easily, still smiling as you grabbed your things and tried not to combust from giddiness as Ari corralled you in front of him and ushered you outside.

“How’s your father doing?” Ari asked as you sat across from him in the diner booth enjoying your meal.

“Oh,” you covered your mouth as you finished chewing, waiting to swallow before continuing. “He’s doing okay, I guess. He has Alzheimer's, and it’s been getting progressively worse as it does. I think he may need to go into a care facility soon, but the thought just…guts me,” you whispered, “So I want to hold off on that as long as possible.”

“It sounds like a very sad situation. Are you and your father close?”

You took a sip of your drink before responding. “Yeah, I’m definitely a daddy’s girl,” you grinned, shrugging bashfully at Ari’s soft smile. “My mom passed away when I was twelve, and it was just us against the world, you know? He always tried so hard to give me a good life, so the least I can do is return the favor now that he’s the one who needs looking out for.”

“You’re such a pleasant surprise,” Ari said.

You blinked at him, unsure if his words were a compliment or not.

He must have been able to easily read your uncertainty, because he chuckled. “In a good way,” he promised. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, Mike and the other DAs seem great, but I’ve never met someone so…pure in this kind of inner circle.”

“I’m not really part of their inner circle,” you confessed.

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Ari countered. “They seem fond of you. You work for them, spend time with them, your dad was an Advocate, I mean, you’re in the fold, sweetheart.”

Feeling suddenly uncomfortable at the topic of conversation, and how far off from the truth Ari was, you stared down at your plate, fiddling with one of your fries before picking it up. “I guess,” you murmured before taking a bite.

Once you were done with dinner and dessert, because Ari had insisted you deserved it, you found yourself back in his car, enjoying his quiet company as you started the drive back to your own car.

You were enjoying the quiet alongside Ari so much that it took you a few moments to realize he was driving in the opposite direction of the office and where your car was parked.

“Oh, I think you got a little turned around,” you said as you perked up in your seat. “You’ll want to go back the other way to get back to the office.”

“I know exactly where we are,” he shot you an easy grin. “Just thought we could enjoy a drive for a bit, spend a little more time together before you head home.”

“Oh,” you sank back against your seat, your belly fluttering as you tried not to smile too big at the fact that Ari wanted to spend even more time with you. “Okay.”

A few minutes later, he pulled into the empty parking lot facing one of Newton’s public parks. It was desolate this time of day, and you couldn’t help it as your nerves kicked up as you sat in the dark car beside Ari, just the dim light from a nearby streetlamp softly illuminating the area.

“You spacing out on me again?” Ari teased.

“No,” your gaze shot over to him, your cheeks warming at the sinful smile he was aiming your way. “I’m just…nervous.”

“Nervous?” Ari tutted, shrugging off his seatbelt and turning his big body toward yours. “Don’t be nervous.”

Your breath caught as he reached over and undid your seatbelt, leaning more in your personal space than was probably necessary as he gently guided the recoiling belt away from you and over your shoulder.

When his hand touched your face, fingers tickling beneath your chin to turn your eyes his way, you swore your heart stopped. And then it was kicking into high gear again and hammering away in your chest as you struggled to meet Ari’s penetrating stare.

“Is this okay?” he asked, trailing his knuckles along your warm cheek.

You nodded, words failing you entirely as Ari’s thumb dragged along your bottom lip and a quiet grunt at the softness of you caught in the back of his throat.

When his hand moved to cradle your cheek and hold you still for his approach, you sucked in one shaky inhale as your wide eyes met his before Ari’s lips were touching yours and your eyes fluttered shut.

He was so gentle as he kissed you. His lips soft and plush and warm as they pressed against your own. He tilted his head, knocking his nose against yours, and when you gasped in response–made a soft mewl of surprise–you could actually feel his grin before he was kissing you with more intensity this time around.

By the time Ari deepened the kiss, and his tongue swept into your mouth, you were pressing as close to him as possible with the center console between you. Your fingers curled into the denim of his button up as you relented to the very enthusiastic onslaught of his mouth and tried your best to keep up with every eager press of his lips, every sinful stroke of his tongue.

When he finally pulled away and allowed you to catch your breath, his big hand descended from your cheek to cup the side of your throat, his thumb brushing over the wild pulse fluttering just beneath the surface of your skin.

Then his hand descended lower still, his touch grazing your breast and making your breath hitch as he stopped to test the weight and feel of you. He groaned when you keened in response, leaning into his touch and not objecting once his hand was back to gently cradling your throat as the other snuck between your thighs.

Your glazed eyes met Ari’s as his fingers teased along the front of your panties, his lips curling into a roguish grin when you squirmed and rocked against his touch, spreading your legs wider for him.

"Ohhh, sweetheart, you're trouble,” he murmured, watching with a sinfully dark gaze that harbored a hint of pleasant surprise as you dropped a hand to his wrist and encouraged the pressure of his touch against your cunt.

“I’m not,” you denied, your free hand clinging to Ari’s shoulder as you subconsciously stared at his kiss-swollen mouth and licked your lips. “Please.”

You wanted to kiss him again, and again, for a good, long while. You wanted to memorize his taste on your tongue, and feel more of his warm, firm body beneath your touch. You wanted his fingers filling your cunt and making you cum until you couldn’t think straight, and then you wanted to bask in the feeling of being wanted, of being desired by another.

By him.

Your foggy mind was spiraling out at the very idea–and your need for more–so it took you a moment to absorb Ari’s next words.

"Yeah, you're a good girl, aren't you?” he cooed, giving the front of your panties a final caress before his hand retreated, and his grip on your throat grew firmer. “Which is why you're gonna tell me everything you know about the Devil’s Advocates, about Andy Barber and Curtis Everett, all of them. You're gonna be good for me and do exactly what I tell you to do."

When his words finally sank in, you recoiled from him as if you’d been slapped.

It actually felt like you had been, you were so jarred by what he said. By the way he was looking at you now with steely determination in his eyes, no warmth and amusement to be found. You felt fear spark inside of you and shuddered as a chill raced up your spine.

"What?” you blinked, your lashes fluttering as you pressed yourself against the passenger side door and stared at Ari, trying to determine if maybe he was joking? Was he just trying to be funny and it fell flat?

You tensed when he leaned closer, but all he did was reach past you, popping open the glove box. You struggled to swallow against the dryness in your throat when you caught sight of the black gun and the shiny, silver police badge beside it.

"You're a cop?" Your voice wobbled, tears blurring your vision and something inside of you wilting at the realization that this was why Ari had been paying you so much attention.

He wasn’t really interested in you, he didn’t care about you, he didn’t want you.

He was just trying to get information out of you, he was just using you, like everyone else.

"A detective, actually,” he said, not sounding apologetic in the least as he closed the glove box, leaned in close, and murmured, “You're willingly involved with a gang of criminals. I can't even count the number of accessory charges we can tack on your pretty little head. So, you’re gonna tell me everything you know, and you’re gonna start with the murders of Neal Loguidice and Robert Pronge from the East Street Gang.”

You shook your head, your mind still reeling and your brain struggling to process the turn your night had taken, how stupid you had been.

“Focus,” Ari gritted, giving you a little shake and aiming your cloudy gaze his way. “Tell me about Loguidice and Pronge. Who killed them? Were all the DAs involved? Was it premeditated? Was it Barber? Everett?”

The names Loguidice and Pronge didn’t ring any bells for you. All you knew about the East Street Gang was they were a rival gang of the DAs and they had taken Andy’s girl months ago and tried to hurt her. And the only reason you knew that was because you had accidentally overheard Mike on a phone call the night it had happened before he rushed out of the office without an explanation. Then Andy’s girl had gone off the grid for a while before only emerging with Andy and the others again a month or two ago.

Ari huffed your name, impatience coming off of him in waves, and it was so unlike how he had treated you up until now that you couldn’t help it as your chest hitched with a muffled sob and a few tears finally broke free.

"I-I don't know anything. I don’t know those names. They don’t tell me that kind of stuff, I just work for them and–"

"Bullshit,” Ari snarled, his grip on your throat tightening as he collared your neck and aimed your gaze at his. “You grew up with them. You see all their books. You're a fly on the wall and invisible to all of them, so you know much more than you think you do and you're gonna be cooperative, my eager-to-help confidential informant, or I'll make sure you rot in prison beside all of them.” He leaned closer, his nose nearly touching yours as he whispered, “And you won’t be able to take care of your father from there, sweetheart, so you better start talking.”

It was painful this time as the sob caught in your chest, more tears streaking down your cheeks as you met Ari’s hard gaze and trembled beneath his harsh touch.

You couldn’t believe what was happening, that he was threatening such horrible things, to take you away from your father, who needed you so desperately.

“Please…why are you doing this?”

“Because Loguidice wasn’t just a rival gang leader. He was my cousin’s fiancé, and she was fucking gutted over his murder and has been a shell of herself ever since. I owe it to her to solve this case and put violent scum like the DAs away for good.”

Distantly, despite your own shock and terror, you felt a pang of sympathy for Ari’s cousin and the loss she was dealing with, but it was shaken away when Ari gave you another rough jostle.

“So, you’re gonna sing like a fucking bird for me, or else.”

He leaned over once more, opening the glove gox and rifling through it, and something about the sight of his phone and watching him click into the voice recorder app–knowing his expectation of you talking and being a rat against the only family you had ever known–finally had your fight or flight instincts kicking in.

Reaching behind you, you yanked on the door handle, falling out of the car and hitting your ass on the ground hard before you scrambled to your feet and took off across the park for the nearby woods.

“Goddamnit,” you heard Ari hiss behind you, then the sound of his car door opening before his heavy footfalls sounded on the pavement, in hot pursuit.

You cleared the last swing set, your flats sliding along the overgrown grass as you gasped for breath and tried to ignore the stitch in your side as you ran. All you could think about was getting past the line of trees and to the entrance of the woods that could possibly give you cover because you knew them better than Ari from growing up in Newton, from playing in this very park, and tagging along with the DAs in these very woods.

A small sense of elation filled you once you cleared the tree line, and leaves and twigs crunched beneath your feet, and then you were tackled from behind and choked on a scream as you went down hard.

You were so discombobulated from the fall, from the adrenaline surging through your system, that you didn’t even fight him as Ari rolled you over onto your back and pinned your hands above your head.

His big body was heavy as it sank against your own, settling between your sprawled legs and trapping you beneath him as you stared up at him with wide, terrified eyes. He didn’t seem furious at your attempt to flee like you expected; he seemed almost…excited.

His handsome face had a pink flush to it, his eyes so dark they looked black, and his broad chest heaving as he stared down at you with a smirk curling his lips.

“Gotta give you credit, I didn’t think you’d actually try to run away from me, just like a sweet, scared little bunny, huh?” There was a husk to his laugh that had your cunt clenching, and shame filled you at your body’s reaction given your current circumstances and what he wanted from you.

"Please, I don't know anything and…” you swallowed, your words more truthful than defiant as you told him, “I wouldn't tell you even if I did. They’re my family.”

"Mmm, you're braver than I gave you credit for, too, bunny,” Ari sighed. “And more stubborn. I dunno why you're so eager to protect them when they could care less about you.”

He watched as you flinched at the truth of his words, taking no joy in saying them or their effect on you as you looked away from him as a few more tears streaked down your cheeks and you quietly sniffled.

“Maybe I went about this the wrong way,” he hummed, watching you thoughtfully as you squirmed beneath him. “Maybe threats and scare tactics aren’t what you need. It’s okay though, I can be persuasive in other ways.”

You gasped when Ari suddenly rutted against you, your stunned gaze shooting to him and drinking in the wolfish glitter in his eyes, the sinful satisfaction. “D-don’t,” you trembled, trying to shove away from him.

“Don’t try to play hard to get now, sweetheart, I know you want me,” Ari purred as he ducked close and nosed along your jaw. “If I didn’t come clean about being a cop back in the car, I would have had you riding me within minutes of showing you some soft attention.”

You shook your head, words to refute his claim failing you because you both knew he was right.

The pit of shame–of devastated disappointment–widened within you, and you couldn’t help it as you started to cry.

“I-I’m not like that, I thought you liked me,” you quavered.

“I do like you,” Ari cooed. He pressed a kiss to your tear-stained cheek. “Everything I said to you so far has been the truth. You are a pleasant surprise, and not who I was expecting to encounter at all when I went undercover for this case, which is why I want what’s best for you, and the DAs aren’t it.” Sighing, he shoved away from you, rising to his feet before bending to grab a hold of you and pull you up as well.

His hands were shameless and lingered as he gently swept the dirt and leaves from your clothes. He framed your face between his hands, holding you and your gaze captive as he watched you for a long moment.

“I think I have an idea of how to make you cooperate–”

“I won’t,” you whispered, trying to recoil from his hold.

“We’ll see,” Ari countered. He tugged you close, pressing a kiss to your forehead, his gentleness belying the looming threat of who he was and what he wanted from you. His lips tilted into an almost smirk when you stilled and didn’t try to push him away. “But we’ll save that for another day. For now, let's get you home, bunny,” he hummed, smoothing a big hand over your head before corralling you close and leading you out of the woods.

“You’re gonna keep this between us,” Ari spoke sternly as you reached his car. Turning you to face him, he pressed you back against the passenger side of the vehicle. “If I find out you made a peep and blew my cover, I’ll have Weiss locked up so quickly, your head will spin, got it?”

All you could do was nod, hugging yourself tightly as you sniffed back more tears, your mind whirling out of control and your body exhausted from everything that had happened tonight.

How quickly, and thoroughly your life had unraveled.

That the DAs were in serious danger.

And the fact that Ari was behind it all.

He snapped your name, and you blinked back to reality, glancing up at him in question from beneath your lashes.

“Say it, that you understand, that you’ll keep your mouth shut.”

“I understand,” you whispered, more tears gathering as you promised, “I won’t tell anyone.”

A glimmer of that familiar soft warmth sparked to life in Ari’s gaze as he watched you surrender to him in this small way.

“Good girl,” he purred, eyes twinkling as you shivered at his words, at his praise.

Then he turned you toward the car, and gave your ass a gentle pat of encouragement, watching in satisfaction as you hopped to and slipped back into his vehicle without any resistance at all.

AHHHHHHHH, YOU GUYS. I AM SO LAIWJEFOIFJWOEIFJ OVER THIS. THIS STORY HAS BEEN LIVING RENT FREE IN MY MIND FOR YEARS AND I AM SO SO HAPPY IT IS FINALLY COMING TO LIFE AND SEEING THE LIGHT OF DAY.

PLEASE OH PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO DROP ME YOUR FEEDBACK, REACTIONS, ETC. I NEED TO SPIRAL ABOUT THIS LIKE YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW LOL. ❤️

—

Please note that I do not give permission for my work to be translated, reposted, or published anywhere other than my Tumblr. Reblogs are most welcome and encouraged though! ❤️

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filthy-gorgeous-library · 11 months ago

Note

Another absolutely delish slice of talent right here - events/games etc like this are like the writing equivalent of those fancy 10+ mini course menus big chefs do. Everyone is guaranteed to be spoiled and wow'd the whole way through, then stuffed by the end 😈

Just the idea of beaches that aren't spikey-crushed shell-hellscapes with cloudy jellyfish riddled water? Oh yeah, bring it on.

okay, firstly, babe lottery amazing idea in this awful muggy heat 😙👌

with a ridiculous dose of luck, I'd be hoping for Ari 🤣

✨✨✨

It was going to be the vacation for you.

Vacation of your life. Except you were determined to treat each vacation as the best one. A little self-motivated step toward making yourself feel better than in the past months.

You started by going on one by yourself and not allowing any resentment to settle. There was nothing wrong in spending vacation on your own. You still got to see the views, enjoy the beach, eat all the food. And on top of that you didn't have to compromise with a group of nosy friends.

Since that big step was already taken, it was easier to be bold and take all the small ones for the pure joy.

Like trying scuba diving.

Though you almost didn't sign in, because the owner of the boat and scuba diving school was so fucking hot you couldn't spit a single word out for a long moment.

Ari probably thought you had a sun stroke, but waited patiently for you to speak. Then proved to be incredibly patient and helpful as you filled out the form.

You didn't feel yet bold enough to consider a summer fling with the hot scuba diving instructor, but you had no shame thinking of his wet body when you got yourself off at night, excited for the lessons.

Seeing Ari's broad body in a tight wetsuit was a sight more sinful than seeing him shirtless, his carefree laugh evoked a fluttering of butterflies in your stomach.

He winked at you from his spot on the boat. A boat some couple was boarding as you stepped onto the pier.

Ari started the boat and sailed away with the couple. Leaving you confused and a little disappointed.

"Well hello there!" A young man approached you, wearing the same wetsuit as Ari's.

Tall and lean, he held himself with a cocky confidence of a frat boy, though he possessed more charm and less repulsive creepiness. His light blonde hair was sticking up at the front where a few strands already dried in the scorching sun.

"Name's Johnny," he introduced himself, smoothly wrapping an arm around your back and steering you towards the other boat.

"No worries, darling, you'll soon turn into a mermaid and I'll have to drag you up to the surface, because you won't want to leave the ocean."

#go follow you won't regret it #filed under “their interactions across the dash have made me snort-laugh regularly”

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filthy-gorgeous-library · 11 months ago

Text

plz reblog for science

#unhinged - i make serious use of ao3 drafts 💀

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filthy-gorgeous-library · 11 months ago

Text

But piping up to second all this. Navy is awesome, anon is lukewarm IQ at best, all hail multifandom chaos!

Not sure why this was necessary to send, nonnie. I see nothing wrong with expanding fandoms and exploring new characters and I hope to connect with more writers and fans within that fandom.

Thanks for stopping by.

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filthy-gorgeous-library · 11 months ago

Note

Thank you for the inspo, Navy 😮‍💨 this is small but I’m glad I wrote it 😈

𝐀 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟'𝐬 𝐏𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤!𝐐𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐫 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐲, 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫.

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 𝟏𝟐𝟖𝟕

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐟𝐭. 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐬𝐞. 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐮𝐬𝐞. 𝟏𝟖+ 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐅𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔!

𝐀/𝐍: 𝐐𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬, 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭! 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 <𝟑

No one was supposed to be there. The old man who had run the apothecary had been seen leaving the planet on a shuttle, no one knew where he’d gone, but you’d taken the opportunity eagerly. Times were hard - like always - and the chance to find something you could sell wasn’t something you could ignore. You waited until dark, the streets were deadly quiet, and that was when you broke in, climbing through a window and landing with a soft grace on the balls of your feet. You stay in that position for thirty seconds, listening to the movement of the air through the small shop… waiting… there’s a moment when you think you hear something, a sigh, a hum, but the shop grows still again. Slowly you rise to standing, and after another moment of pause, you head to the back room.

The rumours about the old man were bountiful, apparently he had been a pirate in his youth, he’d had a cache of all sorts of ill gotten gains that the peacekeepers would love to know about. You didn’t want to involve lawmakers or worse - Jedi - if you could help it. You just wanted to see if anything had been left behind, he had been old, his memory was poor after all. The darkness clings to every corner, male shaped shadows whisper and creak as you tread lightly to the large cabinet at the back of the room and you make short work of the flimsy lock that holds it closed. Once it’s open, you step back, a pout forming on your face,

“There’s nothing here!” you push items across the shelves, looking for anything that might be worth even a few credits, frustration mounts inside as you see nothing, find nothing, “There’s nothing here- oh!”

A box falls as you push everything around, its contents spilling over the floor and your mouth drops open. A mask is on the floor, made from some kind of metal that glimmers dully in the low light, but it’s not the eerie scars or marks on it that make you stare, it’s not even the fact there’s no eye holes, or the teeth that are etched into it. It’s the long, cylindrical object next to it that holds your attention, and your heart races inside your chest.

That’s a lightsaber.

Your hand reaches out almost of its own volition, you’d seen them used once in your youth when the Jedi had come to your planet, they’d even tested you but you hadn’t had the gift-

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,”

You look up, a gasp caught in your throat as you see the man move out of the shadows, a small smile on his face, his arms behind his back. You take a quick step away, your left hand moves under your cloak to the blaster at your hip,

“Don’t move. I’m just taking the saber and then I’ll leave,”

“No, you’re not,” the stranger laughs to himself, “it’s not worth anything to you. Now the helmet… that’s worth something.” You glance at the helmet and shrug,

“It doesn’t look like much.” The stranger just stares at you, and you take the moment to stare back at him. He’s too handsome to feel this threatening, so you take another step away, holding your free hand up,

“Look, I’m sorry, I’ll leave. I heard the old man had diamonds but I guess that was a lie,”

“No, he did. They’re mine now,” he takes a step towards you, and you take another step back, “you’re wondering where they are, if I’m lying, if you could kill me…”

“No I’m not,” you lie unconvincingly, your grip tightens on your blaster, “I just want to leave. Thiefs rights. You got the goods first.”

He smiles, chills erupt over the skin of your arms, “Maybe we could… trade. My goods for yours.”

“I don’t have anything.”

“Now that’s not true, is it?” He takes another step forward, you take another step back, his smile grows, “Someone as desperate as you always has something to trade,” his eyes follow yours as you look to the door, “you could try running, but now you’re wondering if I’m the Jedi, and not the old man here before me,”

You’re breathing to hard, mostly in fear, it’s like your chest is being constricted in a vice, “You’re not a Jedi, they wouldn’t steal,” he laughs openly at that, he shakes his head at you,

“Okay, if you say so… but you are right about me not being a Jedi,”

“Good. So I’m going to go now.” You say it decisively, firmly, surely. And then you can’t move a muscle. Your heart pounds as you stare at your legs that feel like they’re enclosed in traps that you can’t see, “What-”

“Problem?”

“You-” you jerk pointlessly against your invisible bonds, “you can’t- you’re not-!”

“I said I’m not a Jedi, but they’re not the only ones who can wield the Force- hey now!”

You might not have ever been captured by someone with the powers of the Jedi before, but you’d been in your fair share of perilous situations before. You had honed your Scared Female impression to a tee, and your ability to surreptitiously go for your blaster, and throw off your cloak to shoot when they weren’t prepared was flawless, it never let you down. Until now.

The stranger held out his arm, the saber flew to it, and he deflected the blast easily, sending it into a shelf, its contents exploding in a cacophony that you used to your advantage. Your legs were suddenly free, so you all but flew to the door and freedom, except the door was growing further away as you were jerked to the side and your neck flew directly into the palm of the man who promptly gripped you hard enough that you couldn’t breathe. Your nails dragged uselessly against the skin of his forearms, you saw blood rise to the scratches but he didn’t seem to care,

“I offered you a fair trade, this is how you repay me?”

“Please- p-please-” your eyes were on the red lightsaber that was too close to your face, you could feel the heat on your skin, “- I’ll do anything -”

“I know.” He let go of your throat and you fall to your knees on a croak. You feel that power hold you there, your arms at your sides, and your face lifted to his, “You can assist me in some training. I have big plans.” You don’t know what that means, and you’re unable to ask him, your mouth is held open by something you can’t see. It’s insidious, it doesn’t hurt, but it's hold is unbreakable, “Control is crucial, it’s been a while since I’ve had to mask what I am, but once I’m done…”

He’s not touching you, but you can feel him all over you, manipulating his power of the force across your chest, between your legs, under your clothing, and his deep brown eyes stare down at you the whole time,

“Keep yourself open to me, thief, let me use you, and I’ll give you those diamonds, deal?”

He opens the front of his pants, fear makes you whimper past your invisible gag, but he just chuckles, holding out a bag and dropping the contents to the floor. Your eyes follow the sparkling gems, a tear rolls down your face. Your freedom rolls across the dirt covered floor. Your body to be used by this beautiful stranger. Filth for purity. The diamonds are what you wanted after all…

He’s not using any power on you when you hold out your hand to shake his.

#welp bye bye everyone just gonna melt into a puddle on the floor 🫠🫠🥵

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filthy-gorgeous-library · 1 year ago

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Oh, relating to the tits that act like escaping convicts... 😅

Banter, boobs and Bravo - a winning combo!

Dieter Gets It

Dieter Bravo x Female Reader

Rating: M

Word count: 497

Warnings: titty fucking. thats it.

Summary: You didn’t get the appeal of this, but Dieter does.

A/N: Look, when @frannyzooey asks for some titty fucking thots, I endeavor to provide some. The reader has saggy breasts because they deserve appreciation too. All breasts are good breasts.

This is not the same Dieter/Reader from “The Roles We Play.”

Keep reading

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filthy-gorgeous-library · 1 year ago

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Your Soft Doll

Steve Rogers x female reader; cam!boy Steve Rogers x cam!girl reader

summary: A new collaboration increases not only your ratings, but also your heart rate.

warnings: sex work; sex work positive; cam!boy Steve; cam!girl reader; smut; sex recording; p*rn content; oral (m receiving); pussy spanking; safe sex/use of protection; light Dom/sub undertones; aftercare; pet names (Doll);

word count: 5.7k

Author's Note: This is my entry for @stargazingfangirl18 and @labella420's Extravaganza 🔥I used prompts: #CE!babe is a cam!boy and #Soft!dom. I think the vibe of the story is telling, but if anyone has any doubts after reading it, then I confirm that they totally going to be coworkers who fall in love 🥰 Steve is titled Sir as per the final results of the most exciting, head-to-head till last minute poll.

Ever since you found yourself in front of the camera, your confidence has gradually grown. The shyness and uneasiness of the first shows you did has diminished, since you fully acknowledged that you had full control.

You decided on what to do, how to show your body, which toys to use. Even when you allowed your viewers to pick something of their choice, it was curated to whatever you felt comfortable doing.

The power was yours all the time.

It was about to change…

When two weeks ago a private message appeared in your inbox, your heart paused for a long moment, then started into a rush.

Registered viewers could send you DMs, but your web provided e-mail address was hidden, available only to the site managers and other verified performers. Aside from regular updates about rules, porn-related newsletters and fun messages exchanged with a few cam working friends, you never received any significant mails.

Until him.

The name of the user itself has evoked such a strong reaction.

Nomadick.

One of the most popular camboys on the site, whom you knew not only due to his followers count rating him in the top three, but also because he was one of your secret little joys.

Well, considering his actual size, it was a massive joy. Had been even before you set up your own profile.

The term camboy also didn’t fit him.

With his broad frame, impressive shoulders to waist ratio, sculpted muscles, big hands and the most beautiful, thick cock? With sharp jawline softened by neatly trimmed beard and blue eyes sparkling mischievously as he stared into the camera? With his voice so deep and velvety that each of his words felt like a caress of leather on your naked skin?

He was no boy, but a man.

A man of your dreams. Of your wet, needy dreams.

You indulged in his videos and livestreams before you even joined the site yourself. And you still continued. While some of the sex workers strayed away from that source of pleasure once they got to work it from the inside, you still enjoyed it. You had a few of your favorites, but Nomadick triumphed over all.

To have him contact you directly was a somewhat of a fangirling moment for you.

His message was polite and professional, without an ounce of cockiness or lewd undertones. What you appreciated was that he started with an introduction of his real name - something so simple, but which you read as a truly respectful approach.

Steve.

You knew from now on you would be moaning it as you got yourself off watching his videos.

He wrote to you with a proposition of a co-working project. Something that never truly crossed your mind, until he suggested it.

Steve listed the reasons why he was considering a series of shows with a partner (something he hasn’t done yet himself either) and admitted that you’re the first and so far the only camgirl he had messaged about it. Keeping it professional, he suggested meeting for coffee and talking the details over.

You remembered your heart hammering in your chest and your skin tingling with heat as you approached him at the small, but quite busy cafe. It was sort of a business meeting, yet you were trembling and nervous as if it was a date.

Steve’s smile and friendly approach eased your nerves, though something in the way he eyed you a few times suggested he was probably aware of his effect on you. If he figured out that you may have gotten a little wet, Steve didn’t comment on it.

He skilfully led your conversation from comfortable small talk, to sharing some funny misadventures in your workline, to finally talking over the details of your potential cooperation.

You had a nice number of subscribers and your streams have gotten more and more viewers these past months. However, Steve’s statistics were monumentally more impressive.

From the business point of view, having your name associated with his would mean a great gain in terms of new followers and income.

Even if you weren’t itching to feel his hands on you at least once, it was an opportunity you couldn’t pass.

With the way Steve explained why he chose you, he had any remaining doubts and resistance melting away, too.

He made it clear that he watched a few of your shows; complimented the way you made the viewers feel as if they were exploring some things with you for the first time; which was what he aimed in his work, as well.

Steve’s eyes darkened slightly, causing your thighs to clench, when he mentioned how hot you sounded.

You both agreed that doing a livestream first, to gauge the public’s reaction, was the best idea to start with. If the response would be as enthusiastic as Steve predicted, you would plan on recording more videos. Perhaps even decide on a long-term cam partnership.

The following days consisted of exchanged mails: each of you listing your limits, preferences, expectations, as well your latest STD testing results. Over the phone you talked over the recording details, including choosing the place of action.

Steve left that decision to you, flexible to be at your place, if you felt more comfortable and safe in your own home. However, you decided his apartment was the best option. Not only was it considerably bigger than yours, but Steve owned better equipment. Quality was important in your line of work, or at least you liked it more polished and clean.

Preparations had you focused on the practical side, pushing aside anxious thoughts of actual sex. It was the moment you stepped out of your apartment to go to Steve’s place, that realization of what was about to happen unleashed some buzzing emotions.

It was a rush of excitement, underlaid with a softer kind of fear.

Nervousness about the performance veiled the trembling curiosity regarding intimacy with Steve.

You scolded yourself inwardly; reminding yourself of the professional angle of the whole situation, to treat it more clinical than emotional. But then Steve opened the door, wearing only a pair of low-hung sweatpants and an objective approach flew out the window.

Perhaps, if you were co-working with any other camboy, your reactions would be more restrained.

With Nomadick it wasn’t possible.

Not when you experienced so many orgasms induced by his videos, flooding your body with binding oxytocin.

Steve greeted you with a boyish smile and let you in. Being shown around his apartment as if you were simply visiting a new friend, allowed your heart rate to gradually settle down. Though it picked up its rhythm again once you stepped into his spacious bedroom.

You recognized that bed and that background. Steve often streamed from this exact place, sprawled on his bed like a king to be worshiped, basking in the golden hour’s glow.

The other place you liked in his videos was a big, comfy armchair in the corner of what looked like a library, though he hasn’t shown you that nook in his house yet.

“Do you want something to drink?” Steve asked, pointing to a dresser where a whole array of water bottles and fruit juice stood. You also noticed a basket of candy bars.

A camera was set up on a sturdy tripod in front of the bed, along with basic light equipment already put in place in the right setting. The camera was linked to a laptop, which was on a narrow table right next to it. The screen displayed Steve’s cam site.

On the bedside table Steve has prepared a bottle of lube, a box of tissues, some wet wipes and a box of condoms.

You had an implant and a part of you was more than eager to take Steve bare, but since it was your first time together using condoms felt like the right choice.

When you expressed a slight doubt on the matter, wondering if the viewers wouldn’t prefer it the other way, Steve said that they’d be into watching your pussy taking him anyway and that a creampie could be something additionally exciting for your future projects.

Build up the excitement for more.

“Not at the moment, thanks,” you replied with a smile, placing your to-go bag on the floor.

“Thought we might start soon, since we’re reaching the busiest hours on the site’s activity.” Steve said as he pulled closer a small clothes rack with free hangers for you to put your clothes and necessities on. “If you need more time, that’s okay, too.”

You smiled, feeling some of your nervousness float away at Steve’s caring and patient behavior.

“It’s okay,” you assured him. “There’s really nothing that I could do to be more prepared.”

Though remembering now the size of your cock, maybe I should take a week or two of stretching my pussy…

Trying to appear confident, you took off your t-shirt and hung it on the rack. You chose a pink, floral lingerie set to wear. Even if you’d be losing them rather quickly, you enjoyed wearing pretty things.

As you unzipped your jeans, you remembered something you wanted to ask Steve earlier.

“Umm, one thing, though-”

“Yeah?” Steve glanced your way as he moved to prepare the stream to start.

“You go by Nomadick and your real name has never been revealed on the camera. I imagine there will be moments when I feel the urge to address you in some way,” you focused on your clothes, hoping your sudden embarrassment didn’t show. “How would you want me to call you?”

There was a quiet pause and when you looked up Steve was back right in front of you. His lips were curled in a soft, appreciative smile.

“You are right, I’d prefer our names to remain private. Though-” he touched your cheek with a single digit, tracing a gentle line to your lips- “calling you by your name feels the most instinctive.”

“Wha-what do you propose then?” You stood glued to the spot, mustering all your control not to quiver at his touch.

How the hell would your body react to him fucking you, if you were already quite putty in his hands?

“There's a word doll in your username. How about I call you that?”

Hearing Steve roll the pet name on his tongue sent a tingling zap to your nipples.

Your choice of username was dictated by the necessity of the job. You were never truly fond of that particular pet name, but there were already so many kittens and babies on the site that you needed to stand out in some way.

When Steve said it, suddenly it felt good.

“Sure. That’s actually perfect, I think.” Your sweet wonder soured as your brows drew into a scowl. “But I’m not convinced that calling you Nomadick would sound natural. Nor begging, please give me your dick, Dick.”

Steve laughed at that and you reciprocated with a grin of your own. However, when his mirth slowly ceased and he tilted his head down, peeking at you from beneath his ridiculously long, curved eyelashes, you felt the heat burn your lungs again.

“And what would you like to call me, doll?” He didn’t make any move to touch you again, yet somehow you felt a brush of digits right between your thighs, causing your breath to hitch as you replied:

“Sir.”

Tip of a pink tongue darted out as Steve slowly licked over his bottom lip. You felt an urge to swipe your own tongue over it, to coax him into kissing you so good you’d grind against him in need.

“Agreed,” Steve accepted your suggestion.

For a few seconds more you just looked at each other; a charged pull holding you both in a tense bubble that really called for one, delicious kind of burst.

Then Steve straightened and took a small step back, bringing you both back into reality. He returned to his task of setting up the stream, while you put final touches to your appearance.

Once you felt ready, you slowly stepped toward the bed and sat on it. You had a few poses mastered and you knew to curl your legs as you slightly leaned to the side, bracing on one arm, while your other hand gently stroked your own thigh.

Steve winked at you as he approached the bed then sat on the edge of the mattress. He faced the camera and you knew that he gave the viewers this seductive, playful smirk as he greeted everyone.

“As you can see, I have a special surprise for you tonight.” The way he said it made you giddy, as if you were the recipient who was about to get spoiled.

In a certain way, you would be, since you got to experience Steve in all of his glory.

“I’m so excited to spend this evening with YourSoftDoll-” Steve turned his face to look at you.

Your eyes met, your breath once again hitching in your lungs as he tucked a curled finger beneath your chin.

“You have good taste,” he winked at the camera, “so I’m sure you’re already familiar with her work. If not, there’s a direct link to her account. You have to check it out, it’s most delicious.”

“It is,” you chimed in, keeping your voice in that softly seductive tone you practiced for your videos. “Just like I am delicious…”

“Mhmm, can’t wait to find that out for myself.” Steve held your gaze as he moved his hand to brush down your neck and over your shoulder. “I’m sure our audience would love a taste, too.”

He eased the pink strap of your bra down your shoulder, then drew his index finger along the trim of your bra cup, tracing a hot line over the swell of your breast.

You let out a tiny sigh - a little practiced, but also elicited by your genuine reaction to Steve’s touch.

You tilted your face toward his, not quite reaching his lips.

“I want a taste of you, too.” You made your plea sound just on the edge of needy.

The way Steve’s eyes darkened suggested he wouldn't mind satisfying that need.

He splayed his fingers over your sternum then swiped them up, curling around the front of your neck as he claimed your lips. It was an intense kiss, even if it was on the more demure side compared to the open licking and messy spitting type of kissing most porn portrayed.

When Steve pulled away, it was with a slight bite to your bottom lip and his hand still wrapped around your throat.

“Let’s show this beautiful body of yours to the viewers first, doll,” he directed softly.

“Yes, Sir.” You licked your lips, nearly giggling mischievously as you saw Steve’s gaze fall back to your kiss-swollen mouth.

Steve made you sit on the edge of the bed, taking his place behind you. With how big he was, your frame in front of him didn’t obscure the sight of him too much.

With your back to Steve’s chest, you leaned your head onto his shoulder and sighed in pleasure as his hands traced over your body. Steve’s touch was feather-like at first. Unexpected gentleness of that intimate introduction to each other’s bodies evoked goosebumps on your skin.

He eased his hands down your sides. Onto your thighs. Gripping your knees, he pulled them wider apart.

You wondered if his camera would catch that wet spot already forming on your pink panties.

How wet he’d get you, before discarding your underwear completely?

Steve peppered soft kisses along your neck and shoulder as he cupped your breasts. He teased your nipples through the fabric, tormenting them into hard points that were visibly straining against the lace.

When he unhooked your bra and took it off of you, you purposely hunched forward and then pushed your chest forward. You kept the slight arch of your back as you comfortably leaned back against Steve’s chest.

Your own hands were gripping and moving against Steve’s thighs. You let out soft humming noises as he caressed your sides and belly. Then a tone louder moan when his hands cupped your tits again.

Soon, the sounds and squirming weren’t heightened for the audience’s pleasure, but because Steve’s fingers were driving you mad.

He played with your breasts, tugged on your nipples, or held them pinched for a long moment - until you needled your fingernails into his thighs and rubbed against his crotch with a truly needy whine.

“So responsive, pretty doll.” Steve kissed a spot behind your ear.

One of his hands smoothed down your soft belly and dipped between your thighs. Two of his long fingers rubbed over the wet fabric of your panties.

With his other hand, he pulled your panties to the side, exposing your wet pussy to the camera. A pause to let everyone get a good view, then his fingers dipped between your slick folds. He brushed them up and down, then circled your swelling clit a few times.

Steve returned his hand which had been holding the panties aside, to your throat. His grip was very light, but you felt it wasn’t about pressure, but the gesture itself which would make some of the viewers extra horny.

Honestly, you didn't expect it affecting you this much, either. But the slight pressure of his fingers had your clit throbbing.

Your own hands moved to your chest, playing with your tits as Steve teased your pussy. You rocked your hips eagerly when he rubbed your pearl in wicked eights, drawing your arousal higher and higher.

Suddenly, he withdrew his hand. Wet fabric of your panties rolled back over your folds and you made a sound of protest.

You watched from your angle as Steve brought his fingers, glistening with your juices, to his lips. He sucked them into his mouth, letting out a loud purr of pleasure.

“Even more delicious than I thought.”

He kept his fingers on your neck as he bent his head to kiss you. The tangy taste of your own juices filled your senses at the sensual push of Steve’s tongue.

“I believe you also demanded a taste,” he said against your lips, but loud enough that the viewers could catch it.

“Yes!” You nodded eagerly, feeling a rush flooding you at the prospect of getting to play with his cock.

“I want you on my tongue, pushing into my throat.” You rolled your ass into his crotch harder, eliciting Steve’s groan. “Want to suck your beautiful, big dick so bad, Sir.”

Though it was your first time together, you somehow knew how to follow Steve’s clues when he got off the bed and took off his sweatpants.

Getting onto your knees, you rolled down your panties, shimmying out of them with a little giggle. Once you flung them away onto the floor, you raked your fingernails up your own thighs, until you reached your mound.

You were about to tease the audience by dipping a single finger between your folds, but Steve tsk-ed at you and your attention immediately snapped back to him.

Pumping his hard dick in his fist, he stood in a wider stance on the side of the bed.

You crawled onto your hands and knees, angling your body for the audience to have a clear view of your swaying breasts and of your profile. Especially of your mouth that was going to stretch around Steve’s girth.

Wetting your lips with a quick swipe of your tongue, you leaned forward to kiss the crown of Steve’s cock. Such a pretty shade of dark pink with a shimmering pre-cum on the tip.

You didn’t take him in your mouth right away, first nuzzling your face into the juncture of Steve’s thigh then tracing open mouthed kisses across his abdomen. The curve of a protruding vein flowing above his hip bone and disappearing into very neatly trimmed curls tempted you to lick its length.

Finally, much to your own pleasure, not only Steve’s, you ghosted your lips along his cock.

You let your hot breath tease his sensitive skin. Then you gave his underside a broad lick, flicking your tongue against his rounded tip.

Steve moaned unabashedly when you closed your lips around him. Only the tip first, then with each bob of your head an inch more. Hollowing your cheeks, you paid attention to suck extra hard each time you were pulling back.

You were unable to swallow him whole. Steve’s length and girth weren’t monstrous, but he surely was more impressive than most of the toys you used; even the ones you sometimes sucked on the camera.

Using your hand, you stroked the rest of him, smearing your drool along. Steve put his hand on the back of your head, but conscious of the viewers he used the one which wouldn’t obscure the sight of your face stuffed full of cock.

A visible, shiny string of saliva hung between your bottom lip and Steve’s dick as you pulled back. You let the audience enjoy the messy glimpse for a second, before you dipped your head down to mouth at Steve’s balls.

You were considering tasting his cock again, quite enjoying all the sounds Steve was making and the pressure of his hand on your head, but he snapped his hips away.

Unexpectedly, he flipped you onto your back.

His chuckle at your little squeak sounded criminally sinful.

Steve helped you arrange into desired position, so that your head was tilted back, almost hanging off the edge of the mattress.

Understanding his intention, you opened your mouth again, sticking your tongue out. You kept one of your legs bent at the knee, but the other - the one closest to the camera - you laid flat down and angled to the side.

The audience wouldn’t be able to see your pussy fully, but with your legs spread they would see clearly anything Steve did to it, while you were choking on his cock.

Holding the base in one hand, Steve slapped the head of his dick against your cheek then guided it into your awaiting mouth.

The push was slow, but deep. Much deeper than you took him previously.

“That’s it, doll.” Steve praised. “Relax your throat for me.”

As predicted, after the first gentle thrusts into your mouth, Steve bent forward. His fingers slipped over your drenched pussy. Three digits rubbed between your puffed folds, matching the same rhythm with which he was rocking his hips into your face. With his thumb, Steve caressed your swollen clit.

Suddenly, the softness of his touch disappeared. Only to be replaced by a sting from a swift slap.

Your body jerked in reaction. Your cry was garbled due to a cock in your throat, but judging by Steve’s sound (a mix of laugh and moan) it gave him extra pleasure.

For a few minutes it continued - slow face fucking with petting and spanking your pussy.

After Steve pulled back, letting you catch gulps of air, he bent at the waist to capture your lips in another kiss. This much messier than the previous ones, but not less seductive.

“Are you good?” He asked softly.

“Yes,” your voice was already a tad raspy and breathless.

Steve kissed you again, tongue gliding against your own more lewdly. In the back of your head you knew this one was for the show and you matched his performance, until he broke away with a growly curse.

You stayed on your back, only wiggling slightly down the mattress so your head rested properly on the soft covers, while Steve moved to the nightstand. He grabbed one of the condoms and rolled it down his length.

He walked around the foot of the bed and climbed onto the mattress. You parted your legs wider, tracing one of your hands down your belly and lower; fingertips barely touching your wet, eager pussy.

You swear your walls clenched at the look Steve gave you. It was leashed hunger for destruction.

He settled on top of you, bracing his weight on one arm. With his other hand, he guided his cock into your opening. No teasing this time, as if he couldn’t wait to feel your pussy.

The first inch stretching you open was enough to have you moan; your hands fisting the sheets. It wasn’t painful at all. It just felt so fucking good.

Steve slowly sank in, still keeping himself braced on one side, so the camera caught the best view of your bodies joining. It wasn’t until he was fully in and you were breathing heavily, your toes curling, that Steve caged you between both his arms and started really moving.

“Your cunt feels so fucking good, doll.” Steve grunted, snapping his hips against yours. “Feels like it was meant to take my cock.”

“Hnghh!” You were more coherent when recording your own videos, but your brain cells scrambled away the moment that dick speared you.

“ T’s so big-” you whimpered. “Feels so good, Sir.”

Despite knowing the preference most viewers displayed toward the female remaining pinned down and just taking the pounding, you couldn’t help your hands from touching Steve.

Your sweaty palms mapped the wide span of his back, clutching onto him on especially harsh thrusts. Fingernails nicked his skin as your arousal started peaking; your head tilting and your back arching.

Never a particularly loud lover when cumming, your cries of release were a string of stretched, high-pitched moans, but the way your body strained and writhed beneath Steve surely gave away the intensity of your orgasm.

Through which Steve fucked you mercilessly.

Eyes widening, you stared up at him as he quickened his pace. He paused for a split of a second, only to change the angle of his thrusts. Which resulted in him hitting a spot that threatened to either make you pee, or lose consciousness.

When you keened, straining your arms out to press your hands against his pelvis and push him away, Steve huffed an amused laugh.

He stopped. Withdrew even.

But you didn't use your safeword, nor safegesture that would indicate your true distress.

So the split of a second pause was your only reprieve, before Steve was rolling you onto your side. With your face facing the camera.

He closed your legs together and bent them at the knees, placing them on the mattress. Your wrists were captured in one of his big hands and held against your thigh. Which made your breasts squeeze between your arms; they’d bounce with each thrust.

Steve was kneeling. He pushed his cock back in between your swollen folds and in this position it felt even more maddening. With his free hand he gripped your hip, his fingers clenching on the soft roll of your skin.

He resumed his previous pace, depriving you of any means to fight the onslaught of pleasure.

The sounds of skin slapping could be heard by your audience, despite not setting up extra microphones. If you weren’t making so many sweetly pitiful noises, maybe they could also hear the obscenely squelching sounds of your pussy.

When Steve made you cum again, the viewers could clearly see your face - the way your lips parted on each cry, your eyes glazing over, your brows furrowing as the pleasure continued into light pain of overstimulation.

Steve’s own sounds gained in volume as he neared his own peak. His hold on you tightened. You didn’t think it was because he wanted to hold you extra hard, but because the tension rolling down his spine and into his muscles was too great.

Though spent yourself, you couldn’t resist tipping your face slightly, so you could watch Steve as he came.

His cheeks were flushed pink, his hair messy, strands slicked with sweat sticking to his forehead. His plush lips were parted as he moaned. His neck strained; a vein protruded in the redness of his skin.

You felt his cock throb inside your cunt and you experienced a pang of disappointment that you couldn’t feel him spilling deep into you.

Steve remained buried in your pussy, rocking into you in shallow moves. His gaze locked with yours, sharing a very intimate connection.

The hand holding your hip eased its grip and the sting of it was an indication of potential bruises forming there in a few hours. Still holding your wrists captive, Steve used his other hand to squeeze your breast. He gave your nipple one last pinch, grinning as your walls contracted around him in response.

A few heartbeats later Steve slowly slipped out of you.

You stretched out your legs in a lazy, cat-like manner, but remained on your side, glancing at the camera and purposely drawing your bottom lip between your teeth.

Steve walked over to the tripod and with a very satisfied grin and a cheeky wink to the viewers, he turned the camera off. Then he ended the stream.

You watched him walk into the bathroom, admiring the way the marks from your nails mixed with the bold ink of tattoos. When Steve returned, still fully naked, the condom was gone.

He walked over to you and crouched down next to the bed. His hand slid across the covers to touch squeeze your fingers.

“I’m quite biased, but that was fucking fantastic,” he flashed you a lopsided grin, which spread into a full one when you snorted.

“What do you need now?” Steve asked next, his tone soft and comforting. “Is there a ritual you go through after a session?”

“Well, it’s a bit different when I do it solo. I’m definitely less worn out then,” you pointed out. “For now I just need a moment to catch my breath and return my brain to my body. And to hold Pinkerton.”

“To what?” Steve arched a single brow at the last part.

He looked quite comical, especially compared to how hot he presented a few minutes ago, and you couldn’t help the small giggle escaping your lips.

“Open my to-go bag, please.” You pointed in the direction of your belongings. “Pinkerton is right on top.”

Pinkerton was a fluffy bunny stuffie. Despite its name, it didn’t have a spot of pink on his creamy coloring. It had a bow tie, though.

Steve was chuckling as he handed you the bunny, but you didn’t sense any judgment nor mockery from him. He rather looked simply amused. For which you couldn’t blame him.

“I’ll take a shower while you and Pinkerton have a moment.” Steve stretched as he said it. Your eyes greedily followed the whole length of him as he did so. “Then we’ll order some food. Is pizza okay?”

“More than okay,” you replied, touched by the provided aftercare which Steve made into something far beyond just cuddling after sex.

A half an hour later you were stepping into Steve’s kitchen - having showered yourself and put on some comfy clothes. He was dressed, too. In clothes he looked as impressive as he did naked.

“Pizza should be here soon.” He told you, setting down plates and glasses on the kitchen counter. “I order from this small Italian place nearby. I have to confess that they converted me from the typical American pizza to theirs. Don’t tell other Americans.”

“To be honest, I’ll probably eat any pizza, as long as it doesn't have fruit or anchovies on it.” You weren’t too picky when it came to pizza. Or burgers. Or soup.

“So-” Steve started a moment later- “I took a quick peek at the statistics. It’s too soon after the livestream to talk about actual numbers, but what we have so far is amazing. I’ve gained twenty one percent more viewers for this stream than my most popular one did in the first week.”

“Shit, that's a really good result!” You expected the numbers to be big, but you didn’t think it would be this good.

And it was only the first hour of streaming. The saved lifestream would be available for weeks to come, calling more new viewers, as well often having the previous ones revisiting.

It tempted you to check your own profile right away, to see how many new viewers browsed through your videos. But you made a resolution earlier that day to look at it only after a full twenty four hours pass.

“I know!” Steve showed the same enthusiasm as you, not playing it down as a honed porn star like him could’ve.

“We agreed to give more thought to future projects together,” he continued, “but I don’t think there are any doubts left to consider. I mean, of course, no pressure.”

You didn’t get to reply right away, because the doorbell ring announced the arrival of pizza, but you returned to the topic after the both of you swallowed down half of your slices.

“Working together would benefit us.” You took a sip of soda. “Making couples videos along with our solo performances gives more variety and heightens the chances of holding the viewers attention.”

“I agree.” Steve nodded. “I wouldn’t want either of us to give up on our brands, but rather expand them.”

“Yeah, exactly. That way people stay excited and curious about what we drop next. Will it be solo? Will it be us fucking? I’m sure we could really come up with some interesting ideas on how to make it creative.”

“Positions and toys aside,” Steve smirked, bringing a glass to his lips, “are there any ideas of what we could do that are already sprouting in that pretty head of yours?”

You felt a wave of heat fill your chest and face, but you hoped not to appear too embarrassed as you admitted the truth.

“Well-” you took a long sip of your drink, before bravely meeting Steve’s gaze.

“Some of my favorite content of yours is in that library nook, which I haven’t noticed anywhere here. I may have had a thought, or two, about being over your knees while you sat in that armchair.”

Steve’s eyes sparked. You weren’t sure if it was mischief, or desire at the image you created. Probably both.

To see a reflection of his eagerness caused your own body to react with a new flush of need for more.

“As it happens, I often am tasked with cat-sitting for my best friend.” Steve explained. “Bucky goes away for longer periods and his kitty isn’t fond of leaving the house for more than an hour or two. So I’m staying over at his place when he’s away.”

“Bucky’s aware of my work and we’ve come to an agreement that I can use the library to do streams and record videos when I’m there. I’m forbidden from his bedroom, though,” he flashed a cheeky grin.

It morphed into a seductive smirk as Steve leaned forward and lowered his voice.

“Quite a pity-” he murmured- “You would look so fucking sexy on Bucky’s dark sheets.”

Your heart jumped up. A tinge of interest fizzed into your nipples and clit, though it was more about Steve’s proximity and the sinful way he was looking at you than just the forbidden fruit of fucking on the mysterious Bucky’s bed.

“I’m not sure if my striking beauty would compensate for defiling his bed,” you rolled your eyes.

“Maybe not.” Steve shrugged, not the least apologetic. “But a session in the library? We’re totally doing that.”

He took another big bite of pizza, before adding: “It would allow for a really good close-up on your cute ass and your holes taking fingers, or toys.”

You almost choked at his words. For which he was unrepentant as well, winking at you as he stuffed his mouth with puffy crust.

Perhaps you should spend some time assessing risks of this co-operation, because you found yourself immensely eager to shoot a hundred videos and more with Steve, of whatever wicked, hot things he wanted to do to you. Just because it would be with him…

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filthy-gorgeous-library · 1 year ago

Text

Welcome Home

Pairing: Curtis Everett x Fem!Reader x Jake Jensen Word Count: 4,665 Summary: Your first night in your new forever home with your alpha and beta is like a dream come true. Warnings: Explicit sexual content. Explicit language. A/B/O. MFM trio. A fucked up verse where omegas are generally treated more like pets than people, but don't worry, our babes will fix that. Pet play elements. Praise kink. Exhibitionism. Voyeurism. Vaginal fingering. Oral sex (f & m receiving). Lots of praise. Unprotected sex. Biting aka a/b/o bonding.

A/N: Lookit!!! I finally have a new installment to the Pound Town verse for you. YAY! 🥳 I hope you enjoy it and I really hope you take a moment to drop me a reblog, comment, or ask once you finish. Reading or cumming, I’m not picky 😏

P.S. If you're new to this verse, be sure to read Curtis, Jake, and Reader's first part here.

VERSE MASTERLIST

As Curtis and Jake ushered you into your new home, you were torn between curiosity–eager to drink in every detail of your forever home–and a deep, desperate ache that was throbbing throughout you and had been since the duo started lavishing you with attention and praise in the playroom back at the pound.

Your eyes glimpsed a large, cozy looking living room with a stone fireplace before Jake was herding you toward the wooden staircase off the entryway.

“Come on, gorgeous, we can save the tour for tomorrow,” he grinned.

“Jake.”

The stern tone of Curtis’ voice had both you and the beta freezing at the foot of the stairs, and you glanced over your shoulder to find your new alpha looming a few feet away, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the two of you.

Despite his serious countenance, there was a sparkle of amusement in his eyes, and it had that ache within you blooming with a new wave of want as you squirmed under Curtis’ intent gaze.

“We had her welcome home planned, beta,” Curtis tsked. “Tour first, then some food, then play time.”

“But I need her,” Jake whined, sticking out his lower lip as he tugged your back against his chest and rested his chin on your shoulder. “And she needs us, too. I know you can smell her, and she smells unsatisfied.”

Your face bloomed with the heat of embarrassment, your gaze dropping to the floor as you realized that your musky omega scent was hanging heavy in the air.

A beat later, Curtis was before you, his body heat mingling with yours and Jake’s as he touched a finger beneath your chin and tipped your shy gaze up to meet his.

“We’ll let her decide,” he murmured, “Since it’s her first day home. What should we prioritize, sweetheart? What do you want to do first?”

The happy chirp was bubbling up and spilling past your lips before you could even formulate a real response, because an alpha–your alpha–was giving you a choice, letting you decide.

Because he cared what you wanted, and no one had ever cared about that before, not ever.

Your jumbled thoughts and surprise must have been easy to read, because Curtis’ face softened as his hand slid along your warm cheek, until you could nuzzle into his touch as you blinked up at him, a little dazed already.

“What do you want, omega?” he asked again.

“I want you,” you answered honestly. “And Jake,” your hand rested over your beta’s hand that was planted on your belly. “I want you to bond me, please, so I can be yours for real and forever.”

“I love her so much,” Jake breathed, his eyes shimmering as he met Curtis’ gaze as he snuffled along your neck.

“Alright then, what our omega wants, she gets,” Curtis hummed. He pressed a kiss to your forehead before doing the same to Jake, and then he was herding the both of you up the stairs amongst some quiet giggles and wandering hands.

Soon the three of you were stumbling into the bedroom, and you had a moment to smile at the once again cozy, inviting decor before Jake was basically propelling you toward the neatly made California king-size bed.

“Patience, beta,” Curtis reminded, but there was a curl to his lips as Jake sent him an abashed look.

“Sorry, ‘mega,” Jake whispered against your ear, pressing a kiss to the plane of skin just behind it as he gave your hips a greedy grope.

As his lips began to touch and taste along the skin of your neck, Curtis drew near, pressing flush to your front–until you were sandwiched between both men–and dipping his head low to catch your lips with his own.

It was instant, the way Curtis’ kiss short circuited your brain. You had never felt so desired and adored–and never at the same time–as his soft, plush lips pressed against your own, his tongue sneaking along the seam of your mouth until you were happily opening up to him as he deepened the kiss.

Curtis swallowed your throaty moan as Jake’s hand snuck into your panties, just a bit of cute, lacy fabric that went along with the fluttery dress they had brought to the pound to dress you in for the drive home. Your cat ears and plug were still tucked away in a bag in the back of their car, but that’s as far as your brain got before Jake’s fingers were circling your clit and making you whine.

“Wait,” you panted once Curtis retreated from your mouth. “Please.”

“What do you need, pretty girl?” he asked, his big hand resting at the base of your throat as you blinked at him, dazed and struggling to think straight.

You felt a new wave of shyness wash over you as you finally zeroed in on what you really wanted in that moment.

“Will you scent me, please? Both of you, together?”

“God, she’s so sweet,” Jake groaned, giving your sopping wet pussy a gentle pat before pulling his hand from your underwear and sucking your arousal from his fingers.

“Come here,” Curtis directed, taking your hand and leading you toward the bed.

He settled you on the edge of it and sat at your side, waiting for Jake to mirror him on your other side before you were glancing between them, something ecstatic bursting to life in your belly and fluttering up through your chest as your eyes bounced from one warm, wanting look to the other.

When your gaze locked on Curtis’, he gave you a look so intent and focused that you whined softly, pressing your thighs together as a gush of arousal seeped from your pussy and made you squirm.

Nostrils flaring, your alpha leaned close, pressing a gentle kiss to your unmarked mating gland and purring at your sharp gasp before he was slowly dragging his nose along your neck as his musky scent rose up around you.

Your eyes fluttered when Jake descended on the other side of your throat, nosing along your warm skin and moaning at your scent as he scented you with a bit more eagerness and less finesse and patience than your alpha.

You swore you could taste the cocktail of their desire on your tongue as Curtis and Jake worked together to cover you in their scents, until you had a death grip on each of their hands in one of yours as you sank between them, already a floaty, pliant mess of carnal delight.

Before you knew what was happening, the duo worked together to undress you and scoot you further up the bed, until you were sinking back against Jake, positioned between his legs as Curtis sank to his knees and tugged you to the very edge of the bed.

Curtis’ eyes were so dark with desire they were nearly black as he tugged your ruined panties off and tossed them aside. His palms were warm and rough as they glided up your calves, spreading your legs wide open as he commanded Jake to, “Hold her open for me, beta.”

The directive alone had you moaning as your pussy clenched, your heart hammering in your chest as Curtis’ gaze fell to your glistening folds.

“You’re so pretty, sweetheart,” he murmured, thumbs tugging the petals of your sex apart until he could see your twitching hole.

Your breath caught as his thumb ghosted over your drippy entrance, but then it was gliding up along the cut of you until he was rubbing barely there circles along your clit. Your hips bucked as need consumed you and you started babbling for you weren’t even sure what.

All you knew was that you wanted, so so much, and Curtis and Jake could give it to you.

They could give you everything.

Mesmerized, you watched with wide eyes as Curtis’ head dipped low, his warm breath washing over your pussy and making you whine as Jake cooed at your pretty noises and caressed along your naked breasts.

The first swipe of your alpha’s tongue along your cunt had you nearly catapulting off the bed, and you squealed as Jake chuckled and gripped your thighs tighter, spreading your legs open just a little bit wider as Curtis shot you a wink and then went to town.

He groaned at the taste of you, lapping along your glistening folds before his tongue was teasing along your clit and driving you wild.

You had never felt such intense pleasure in your entire life. And if this is what pleasure felt like, you were pretty sure you’d never felt it at all.

The overwhelming feeling continued to mount, so many sensations running rampant through your body, the most prevalent being the strange build up that throbbed in the core of you.

With each swipe of Curtis’ tongue, with every tease of his fingers along your weeping, clenching hole, it felt like you were inching along, closer and closer to something you so desperately needed despite not really knowing what your body was seeking to begin with.

And then it hit you out of nowhere.

It felt like your body was erupting, your back bowing as you keened at the warm, tingly rush of ecstasy that flooded through you. Distantly you were aware of the way Jake was still holding you in place, cooing against your ear as Curtis purred from between your trembling thighs and rumbled a litany of praise as your body writhed and bucked.

You were panting when you finally sagged back against the sheets, so beyond dazed as you gasped for breath and shivered as stray aftershocks sparked their way along your body.

“You’re such a good girl,” Curtis husked as he rose up from between your legs and stretched out over you. “Such a good omega.”

The happy chirp sounded as faint and dazed as you still looked, and Jake and Curtis shared a grin as the beta shimmied out from behind you, nearly vibrating in anticipation as Curtis dropped a quick kiss to your lips before moving away.

Before your pout could even fully form at his departure, Jake was taking Curtis’ place atop you, his big, boyish grin softening as he got a good look at your fucked-out-without-even-being-fucked-yet state.

“You’re so pretty,” Jake breathed, his big hand cradling the side of your face as he ducked low and kissed you.

Really kissed you.

Distantly, you hoped you were keeping up with the urgent, sinful press of his lips half as good as he was working his mouth against yours, but when his tongue snuck between your lips as he deepened the kiss, all your thoughts went quiet as you mewled and twined your arms around Jake’s neck and tugged him even closer.

It was the most heady feeling you had ever experienced, having the breath stolen right from your lungs by Jake’s eager lips as you felt the heavy, warm gaze of Curtis just beside you both, enjoying the show.

The longer you and Jake drank from each other’s lips, the stronger his scent got. There was a spicy tang to it now–his arousal–that made your head spin in the best way as you also felt the evidence of his desire for you pressed hard and hot against your belly.

At last, when your little sips of air in between kisses became more and more desperate, Jake finally retreated from your mouth, gasping just as harshly as you were, but that still didn’t stop him or his perfect, pink lips from kissing a trail down the side of your throat.

His mouth tasted and teased along your shoulders before he was finally licking at one of your hard, achy nipples, groaning against your chest as he took a moment to just face plant between your tits as his big hands groped them and pressed them around his face.

“Love boobs so much!” his muffled exclamation made you giggle.

He popped his head up at the sweet sound, giving you an abashed smile before his features went determined and he was once again kissing all along your chest, worshiping every inch of you he could reach as he continued his descent down your body.

You started to squirm when his mouth reached your belly, whining softly as your hand shot out and your fingers gripped Jake’s short, soft hair.

His eyes flickered up to meet yours as he pressed the gentlest kiss against your lower belly before skimming his lips even lower, until he was warming your mound with his hot breath.

“Please,” you begged softly, spreading your legs in offering and so needy for that rush of bliss that Curtis had so masterfully bestowed upon you just a short while ago.

Jake glanced sideways at Curtis, who was starting to shift restlessly now, his alpha scent overtaking the cocktail of yours and Jake’s own scents. Winking at the other man, Jake took a moment to press one final kiss to your swollen clit, giving it a firm lick for good measure before he was moving away and you were pouting in earnest.

“Think what you really need is our alpha’s knot, pretty omega,” Jake winked at you.

Before you could even think of a reply, Curtis was once again settling over you, his big, warm body taking up residence between your sprawled legs and making your eyes go wide with just how intently–how hungrily–he was eyeing you up.

You didn’t think you’d ever been looked at like that before, so all you could do was blink owlishly as Curtis’ handsome face hovered over your own. Then your eyes were fluttering shut as he dipped low to kiss you. Your alpha kissed you just as expertly as he had worked the warm, wet place between your legs, and he didn’t pull away until you were desperately gasping for breath against his lips.

You didn’t resist as Curtis sat back and gently turned you onto your belly. “Present for me, sweetheart,” he directed, and your body was following his instructions despite the way your mind was still foggy and sluggish and playing catch up from all of their attention.

“Yeah, there you go, omega,” Curtis purred, as you perched on all fours, albeit a little wobbly. He took a moment to completely undress, before his big hand circled the back of your neck and guided your head down so your warm cheek pressed against the soft, rumpled blanket.

“Relax for me, pretty girl,” he murmured against your ear, big hand gliding down the length of your spine as he settled behind you. He gripped his hard cock in his hand, giving himself a few, slow pumps as Jake scrambled up beside him and shed his own clothes before resuming his spot and gazing at his alpha’s cock with a hungry look in his eye.

Smirking, Curtis kept his free hand on the curve of your ass, warming your skin and letting you feel he was close as he turned to Jake. He released his cock in lieu of collaring the back of Jake’s neck and reeling him closer. Humming, he kissed his beta breathless, until he was swallowing Jake’s whine and pulling away with a grin.

“Get me wet and ready for her, beta,” Curtis murmured.

Moaning, Jake dipped low, eagerly taking Curtis’ cock in his mouth. His head bobbed a few times, hand gripping the base of Curtis’ cock and squeezing as the obscene sound of Curtis fucking Jake’s throat rose up around you all.

Curtis groaned, tipping his head back and allowing himself a final hard rut into his beta’s throat before gently pulling away from Jake. “So good to me, bub,” he husked, caressing Jake’s ruddy cheek before he was once again settling behind you.

“Ready for me, sweetheart?” Curtis asked you, both hands smoothing over your ass cheeks and tugging them apart to reveal the glistening folds of your cunt.

“Yes, alpha,” you murmured, still sounding floaty as fuck.

And then you were nearly choking on a sharp gasp as you felt the rounded tip of Curtis’ cock line up with your entrance before he slowly started to push inside of you.

You moaned at the pressure, fisting the blankets on either side of you as Curtis patiently worked himself inside of your warm, tight pussy.

“Fuck, omega, this cunt’s so tight,” he grunted as his hips retreated ever so slightly before he was surging back in again, just a little bit further than before.

You whined when it started to feel like too much, but then Jake was curling close to you, his big hand petting over your head as his lips pressed to your temple and he started to whisper an endless string of praise and adoration against your ear.

“You’re so pretty, omega,” he murmured. “So perfect for us. We’ve been waiting for you for so long, and now we finally have you, and you’re all ours. We’re gonna take such good care of you, pretty girl, just like you deserve. We’re gonna cherish you so much, forever.”

Feeling tears well, you reached for Jake’s hand, twining your fingers with his and giving a soft cry when Curtis finally bottomed out inside of you and went still, his big hands smoothing along your back as he purred behind you.

The first full retreat and thrust of his cock inside of you had you moaning, and then your eyes squeezed shut and your mouth hung open as your alpha really started to fuck you.

It felt amazing, feeling him so deep inside of you, where he belonged. This was what you were made for–taking your alpha’s cock, bringing him pleasure–and it was like every new rut of his hard length within the deepest depths of your body was another small act of validation that you were right where you were meant to be.

That familiar, desperate throbbing from before started to pulse in your core, and soon every thrust of Curtis’ had you moaning or whining or keening so pretty for them.

When Jake’s hand worked its way beneath you and his fingers started rubbing your clit, you nearly screamed, distantly aware of the way you clenched so hard around Curtis’ cock that you made him grunt and snarl from the pleasure of it.

And then all the distant thoughts in your mind seemed to evaporate at once as you came. Pleasure rippled through every inch of your body as you tensed and clamped around your alpha’s cock.

Curtis continued to fuck you through it, feeling your cunt flutter around him for a second time before you were nearly boneless before him. He pulled out and turned you over, sharing another amused grin with Jake at how pliant and floaty you were.

Sitting back in the middle of the bed, Curtis pulled you into his lap and back on his hard, aching cock, his strong arms circling you and holding you safe and secure against him as he pounded up into your sweet body from below.

“Fuck, I’m close,” he panted, his dark eyes meeting Jake’s as he nodded.

Jake joined the fray, plastering himself against your back as his hands snuck around your body so he could grope your tits.

“Ready to become ours forever, omega?” Curtis breathed as he gave another hard, deep rut inside you.

You blinked at him, uncomprehending at first, but then it was like your inner omega perked up instantly, and she knew what came next, her giddiness and elation making it click in your brain, too.

“Yes, alpha,” you breathed, your vision blurring with happy tears.

Curtis’ intense look softened ever so slightly, and he took the time to kiss you again, gently despite the frantic, relentless thrusting of his cock inside you. Just as he pulled away, he groaned against your lips, shoving into you hard and lingering.

You felt his cock throb and twitch inside of you, and then his seed warming your insides as your pussy fluttered wildly. A beat later, you gasped as Curtis tucked his face against the crook of your neck and sank his teeth into your mating gland.

Jake did the same on the other side of your neck, and it was like a jolt of electricity sparked in your core and zipped through the rest of you.

You shuddered between your alpha and beta, another orgasm tearing through you as your body writhed and trembled and you felt Curtis’ knot expand and stretch your cunt to capacity.

Whining, you sank against his sweaty chest, chirping softly at the way both men began to coo and rain kisses on every inch of you they could reach.

You were barely functioning but so very, very happy by the time Curtis’ knot went down and he pulled out of you. Your half-lidded gaze followed him as he sank onto his side next to you, and then Jake was stretching out on top of you and earning your full attention.

Your beta’s grin was big and boyish as he pet your head and kissed you thoroughly enough that he stole your breath away.

“You look sleepy, sweet omega, so I’ll make it quick,” he murmured against your lips. “Just wanna feel you and fill you up, okay?”

“Okay,” you whispered, gasping softly as Jake lined himself up and slid into you with ease. “Jake.”

“Ohhhh, fuck,” Jake groaned, squeezing his eyes shut as he sank against you. “Youfeelsogood,” he breathed in a rush, dropping his forehead to yours as his hips started to move.

His cock wasn’t as long as Curtis’ but it was thicker, and you felt your body absolutely light up every time he eagerly shoved into you. Jake was frantic in his fucking of you, cradling you with his big, muscular arms as he rutted into you without pause, groaning and moaning against your lips as his hand snuck down between your bodies.

It just took a bit of pressure from his fingers on your clit and the way Curtis teased, “Just wait until you take both our cocks at once,” to have you cumming again.

Jake hissed as your pussy spasmed around him, his hips going harder and faster until he was following you over the edge and “Hnnnngh”ing against your sweaty cheek as he pumped you full of his cum.

You felt the bed shift as you laid beneath Jake, happy as a clam and half-asleep as he snuffled along your neck. Soon he was moving off of you and flopping beside you on the bed, his grin big and lazy as Curtis emerged from the connected bathroom with a couple of wet washcloths to clean you both up.

“You did so well, omega,” he murmured as he gently cleaned the mess between your legs. “How do you feel, sweetheart?”

“Happy,” you answered before your brain caught up to his question.

Curtis’ smile was warm and tender as he pressed a kiss to your forehead, chuckling at the way Jake rolled closer to you and nuzzled along your temple. He took a moment to gently inspect the bondmarks on your neck before smoothing a hand over your head.

“Tomorrow we’ll have you bond us, but for now, I think we all need a good night’s sleep, how’s that sound?”

You nodded as your eyes grew heavier and heavier, pouting a little when both Curtis and Jake retreated from the bed to put on some pajamas. They worked together to dress you in a clean pair of panties and a thin sleep dress, and then you were thanking them both and watching them longingly as you slipped from the bed and sank to the floor beside it.

“What are you doing?” Jake asked, his eyebrows shooting up to his hairline as Curtis gave you a puzzled look.

You blinked at both of them, just as confused. “Going to sleep?”

“Not on the floor you’re not,” Curtis told you firmly, gently gripping your arm and tugging you back to your feet. “Our bed is your bed now, too, omega.”

You felt a lump form in your throat, overwhelmed with emotion because you’d never had a real bed before, just a thin mattress to sleep on the pound floor where you had lived your whole life until now.

“It is?” you asked, not resisting at all as Curtis urged you back into bed and toward the center of the mattress. You felt shy all of the sudden as your hand smoothed over the rumpled sheets and you asked, “It’s all of ours?”

“Everything we have is yours now, too,” Curtis said. “The bed, this house, everything. All of us.”

Your lower lip wobbled as Jake ducked into the closet before bounding back out again, his arms overflowing with brightly colored gifts for you.

“We have stuff just for you, too!” he told you excitedly as he sat beside you. “Like these! I picked them out, do you like them?”

You hesitantly accepted the pillow and small throw blanket, hugging them to your chest as you breathed in their soft, clean scent that was also mixed with the familiar scents of your alpha and beta. “You got these for me?”

“Yeah,” Jake laughed, his blue eyes shimmering with warmth from behind his thin-rimmed glasses.

“I love them,” you smiled, blinking back more happy tears as Curtis slid into bed on your other side. “Thank you so much!”

You watched as they each arranged their own pillows on the outsides of the bed before watching you carefully place your own pillow between theirs as you hugged your new blanket to your chest.

Curtis turned out the bedside lamp, and they both shifted closer, until you were happily snuggled between them, exhaustion finally winning out as the quiet murmurs of your new alpha and beta lulled you to sleep in no time at all, a small smile curling your lips and your heart so very, very content.

“Not that I’m complaining about how we spent our first night together,” Curtis whispered to Jake as he watched you sleep between them, “but we need to make sure we make her feel loved, not just desired.”

“Why not both?” Jake grinned, waggling his eyebrows.

Curtis shot him a look, but it was more softly amused than anything before he was going serious again. “She has a sweet heart, Jake, like you. I just want to make sure we protect it at all costs. She’s had a hard life, and now she has us.”

“Yeah she does,” a dopey grin curled Jake’s lips as he shifted even closer to you. He watched you for a beat before his gaze lifted to Curtis’. “I’ll make sure to tone down the wanting to jump her bones 24/7.”

Curtis cracked a grin. “I don’t think she’d complain, but I just want to make sure that’s not all we’re communicating. I don’t want her to feel used or like that’s all we want from her.”

Jake’s grin went soft, his eyes warm as he watched Curtis before murmuring, “You’re a good alpha.”

Carefully leaning over you, Curtis pressed a soft kiss to Jake’s lips before fondly ruffling his hair. “Goodnight, bub,” he whispered before settling on your other side.

“Night,” Jake whispered back. Then he placed the gentlest kiss ever to your head, unable to resist shooting Curtis one last ecstatic smile before finally settling down beside you and falling asleep nearly as quickly as you did.

For a few moments, Curtis laid awake, listening to your slow, even breaths, and Jake’s too. Just beneath the surface, he could feel the proud, satisfied content of his inner alpha, so pleased at last now that his pack was complete.

Curtis leaned into his alpha’s content–his content–allowing the soft, peaceful sound of you and Jake breathing beside him to pull him under into the deepest depths of sleep, as a small, happy smile curled his lips.

I’d like to give a big shout out and lots of love to my sweet Bee for sharing that idea of Omega being so 🥺 at the idea of their bed being her bed now + Jake so happily presenting her with her sleepy girl things!! You’re the best, my cherished friend ❤️

If you enjoyed this chapter, please take a moment to drop me a reblog, comment, or ask. It really helps to keep my muse inspired when y’all screech at me!!

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Please note that I do not give permission for my work to be translated, reposted, or published anywhere other than my Tumblr or my personal author website. Reblogs are most welcome and encouraged though! ❤️

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