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copperbadge · 1 year ago

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Routing the El

@mbta-unofficial recently "routed" the T in Boston, riding through every T stop in the city in a single day. I love public transit and random fuckery so this appealed to me instantly, but even @mbta-unofficial admitted they didn't know how they'd route the El here in Chicago. I know nothing about routing and very little about certain parts of the El even after living here as long as I have, but I'm willing to take a swing.

The first question is one of simple logistics: are we riding every stop, or every train that passes through a stop?

In other words, there are many stops that multiple lines pass through, and the question is whether it's enough to pass through each stop on a train, or do I need to ride the entirety of the line, then backtrack and hit the same stations on a different line? This wouldn't be such a big deal if it weren't for the purple line, which is an express from Evanston that covers much of the northern red line branch and a huge whack of the brown line as well. If I'm covering lines, I almost certainly need to start with purple.

Moreover, do I include the yellow line, which is an extension built to serve basically a single suburb? It feels snobbish to ignore it; it is outside of Chicago proper but then so are several stops on the blue and green. But it also feels very Chicagoan not to acknowledge it, and it is going to be a massive pain in the ass to include because there's nothing near it. I would just be riding out to the Dempster-Skokie stop and back, or starting at Dempster-Skokie and then having to backtrack up the purple line.

Which leads to the next question: where to begin? @mbta-unofficial's route began at one of the termini, Braintree, which they traveled to get to, so in theory one could, and probably should, begin at an endpoint, but the T also isn't structured exactly like the El; there is a central exchange, but nothing as cohesive as the Loop, around which almost every line circulates and which every line at least touches except the yellow. But living downtown, I could also begin at a Loop station, or a red or blue line station that touches the Loop.

So let's set some rules for the initial run, and once that's accomplished, we'll see about adding complications.

Every station, not every line. As long as I touch every station while on a train, it counts.

However, if the stations are discrete, I have to hit them twice -- in other words, I have to touch Monroe and Jackson twice, once on the Red and once on the Blue, because the platforms are accessible to each other but separated by a passageway several blocks long. I'll have to touch Lake twice, once on the Red, because it's both elevated and underground.

I'm going to disqualify the Yellow not because it's suburban but because it doesn't touch the Loop. This is the rule I'd most likely revisit if I was going to attempt this several times.

I am also going to disqualify the purple line, not via the "loop exception" but because it will knock almost half the red line off the map for me in about a third of the time it would otherwise take, but even so having to start at Linden kind of fucks me. Given the purple line's extremely limited running time, there's an argument for disqualification, but this is another rule I'd revisit on a second attempt.

Removing the purple line makes routing a lot easier. And I think the starting point then becomes both obvious and poetic: we start at O'Hare, where it costs double to board the train.

O'Hare blue line all the way to Forest Park is an easy first leap, and from there I think it's most rational to bus to the green at Harlem/Lake and ride it all the way to Cottage Grove. From Cottage Grove, backtrack to Garfield to cover the Ashland-63rd leg of the green line, and then again back to Garfield to disembark and walk to the Garfield red line, which I can take south to 95th/Dan Ryan, then north again to Roosevelt (another two-touch stop). I can catch the Orange at Roosevelt south to Midway and back north again unless there's a fast bus to 54th/Cermak; presuming there's not, depending on stop times I can either take the Orange line back to hit any missing loop station or transfer to the Pink and then take that out to 54th/Cermak. Either way I need to get back into the Loop and catch the Brown out to Kimball, then back to Belmont (or Montrose and bus to Wilson), north to Howard, then south to Harrison on the Red line. Convenient to end at my home station -- I didn't plan it around that, but it's a nice touch.

If I really wanted to get ADHD about this I could sit down with timetables and work out ways to catch trains within the loop to shave minutes off, but El timetables are essentially worthless these days.

I think that's a functional plan. Working off my base knowledge of the trains and also with the reminder that I'm pretty time-blind, I'm estimating:

Blue line O'Hare to Forest Park: 2hrs

Bus to Harlem/Lake: The 318 picks up every 15 minutes and takes 8 minutes, so guesstimate 30 minutes to be on the safe side.

Green Line Harlem/Lake to Cottage Grove: 1.5hrs

Cottage Grove back up to Garfield and down to Ashland/63rd: Again no idea, but probably at least 30 minutes

Ashland/63rd to Garfield and transfer to Red Line Garfield: 30 minutes?

Red Line Garfield to 95th/Dan Ryan and back to Roosevelt: 1.5hrs

Orange Line Roosevelt to Midway: 30 minutes

The 54B bus comes every 20 minutes and take 40 minutes to get from Midway to 54th/Cermak, which is still I thiiiink faster than doing Orange back to Washington/Wells and then Pink out and back. Mulling this one still. Either way, Pink line gets me to Clark/Lake

Walk to Washington/Wells, Brown Line around the loop to hit the missing Loop stations, to Kimball: 1hr

Kimball to Belmont: 30mins

Belmont Red Line to Howard: 1hr (Red line to Howard is HIGHLY variable, I've had it take anywhere from 40-90 minutes from Harrison)

Howard to Harrison: 1hr

About 13 hours in total, let's say my time to beat is 15 hours.

I can't do it this coming weekend; I have all-day events both days. I can't take a day off next week either, I'm going to be slammed at work ahead of an event. So my best bet is either Saturday or Sunday the 20th/21st, or taking Wednesday the 24th off...

Or this Friday. I could call in sick with few ramifications.

Well, I'll keep prepping for now -- find the bus I need from Forest Park to Harlem/Lake, then maybe run the whole route through Google Maps to see what it thinks the timing estimate would be. It might even have some ways to shave time off -- still looking at that Pink-Orange transfer and wondering.

And I need to find places around transfer points to take bathroom breaks since the El doesn't have public restrooms. I can probably get to a bathroom at Midway and back in the 12-minute delay time between arrival and departure...

#chicago #trains #mbta-unofficial #amtrak-unofficial #would welcome feedback from the Train Twins #or others who have input #the great train routery

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teamchasezwrites · 6 months ago

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Tell Me When You’re Sober

Word Count: 7,634

Characters: Damian Priest/OC

Genre: Pre-Romance

Tags: Dirty Talk, Friends to ??, A Libation or Two, Pre-Relationship, Drunken Confessions, Hurt & Comfort

Summary: The drunken confession wasn’t exactly unwelcome…

Author’s Note: Hoping to write a sober follow up in the near future.

Damian Priest shouldered the arena door open and stepped outside. The crisp fall Boston air slapped him in the face, causing a shiver to motor through him. He tugged the neckline of his black leather jacket further up his neck to fight against the chill the low temps brought. Luckily he’s lived in the north for many years, so he was used to the winter cold. Not that he particularly wanted to be hanging outside in freezing temps.

It wasn’t a long walk to his rental in the private parking lot. Then he’d be inside and on his way to the hotel where he planned to take the hottest shower he could stand in hopes the water would soothe his sore muscles. Then he would crawl into bed, find something mindless on television to watch before he fell asleep. Tomorrow, he’d be heading toward the airport and home to New York City to get ready for the upcoming holidays.

Raw was a double taping that night, recording next week’s episode as well so the talent and crew could spend time with their families leading up to Christmas before the bustle of live shows littered the days between Christmas and New Years. He was actually looking forward to the days off the double taping afforded, especially after his work tonight.

First he had a match with his current nemesis, Finn Balor. Their match happened in the last hour of the show. The match was nearly twenty minutes to make up for a scrapped match between Pete Dunn and R-Truth. He heard Pete was having an issue with a muscle spasm and to play it safe, they decided to just ax it. In order to make up the time, his match got extended.

Which was fine. Both he and Finn worked so well together. They threw everything at each other; challenging each other during the match and they were actually able to pull the crowd back into their feud. He knew the fans were getting tired of him and The Judgement Day constantly being at arms. So was he. They were all ready to move on to other storylines. The New Year was set to do just that and he couldn’t wait.

His match with Finn ended in a disqualification as Dom and JD interrupted. He ended up on the ground with his former friends over him victorious. He was comforted by boos raining down on them. For the taping of next week’s episode, he attacked JD in a backstage spot. The scuffle drew Finn and Dom of course. Multiple security guards and referees pulled them apart. To close out the show, he was in a six-man tag team match. Him and the War Raiders versus Finn, JD, and Dom.

This time, he ended the night with his hand raised in victory, but damn was his body feeling it. A hot shower and Ibuprofen was on the agenda tonight.

Damian turned the corner as he pulled keys from the pocket of his black jeans. He was almost to his car when he heard a sound. His steps faltered and slowed, tuning his ear to the sound. The parking lot was well lighted unlike some arenas he performed in. Some everyone made sure to never leave alone. Just in case.

The sound came again and he realized someone was crying. His brows furrowed and he followed the sound. She was standing with her back to him and the parking lot, leaning against the concrete barrier separating them from the access road. He wasn’t sure who it was, until the bowed head came up revealing the brown mass of wavy curls.

Cassie.

The ‘Queen of Hearts’ wrestler spent the majority of her career on the Smackdown roster. It wasn’t until this past year where she was traded to Raw during the draft. One of the few wrestlers who actually changed shows. She was shy and a little naïve and a lot introverted which was a little funny considering their profession. Rhea’s extraverted self eventually wore her down. Cassie hadn’t stood a chance.

That’s how he became enraptured by her.

Shy at first with everyone but Rhea, Cassie eventually warmed up to him, Finn, and Dom. Rhea would make Cassie sit with them when they were in catering. She would squish into their rental to go back to the hotel. She’d hang out in the locker room with them. She’d hang with them while they checked out the various cities.

During this time, Damian slowly found himself catching feelings.

“Cassie? Are you okay?” Damian asked softly as he walked up behind her.

Cassie froze at the voice. A quick tinge of fear rushed through her initially, not expecting to hear a voice. Recognizing Damian’s voice, her body relaxed. She stuffed her phone in the pocket of her hoodie and swiped her fingers beneath her eyes, erasing the evidence of her tears. She took a deep shuttering breath as she fought to settle her emotions. When she felt she was okay, she turned around to face Damian.

“Hey,” Damian took a step closer. He gave a quick perusal of the area, but didn’t see anyone or anything to warrant suspicions. They were alone. He could just make out the tear stains on her cheeks. The wet eye lashes. A rush of protectiveness swarmed him. “Did something happen? Are you okay?”

Cassie nodded. “I’m okay,” she said softly, sending him a small smile that wobbled as more tears threatened. “Just family stuff.”

Damian nodded, relaxing the vigilant stance he held. “I understand that. Holidays don’t make it any easier either.”

She snorted. “I figured not being back home would leave me out of things but…” she huffed as tears spilled down her cheeks. “I’m pulled in the middle anyway. I just…” her voice broke and she lifted a hand to pinch at the corner of her eyes in an effort to stop the new tears.

Damian’s heart lurched at her tears and the way she hid her face from him. “Ah Princesa,” he dropped his bag to the ground and stepped forward drawing her into a hug. With their height difference, her head tucked under his chin perfectly. She didn’t wrap her arms around his waist like he hoped, but kept her face buried in her hands. Her shoulders shook with quiet tears, like she was ashamed to be crying in front of him.

He wanted to tell her to let go. He would shoulder her pain. She could lean on him as much as she needed. He would protect her. Everything would be okay; he would make sure of it.

But he couldn’t.

She didn’t know his feelings. He did a good job keeping them under wraps.

“Come on,” Damian said in a low voice when her tears quieted. Her breaths still hitched, causing her shoulders to jolt in his arms. “Let me give you a ride to the hotel.”

Cassie nodded and lifted her head as she stepped out of his arms. The cold penetrated her once again and she shivered. Her coat was back home in Philadelphia, not wanting to travel with it. Instead she relied on a hoodie if she went out, but with the double taping, the majority of her time was spent at the arena.

“Do you have your bag?” Damian felt the loss immediately. He forced himself to reach for the strap of his bag and not for her. He hooked the strap on his shoulder and reached for hers laying near the concrete wall. Once he had both bags, he nodded in the direction of his rental.

The ride was mostly silent, broken only by the low volume of the radio and her occasional sniffles. She never spoke and he never offered conversation. She sat in the passenger seat with her head turned to stare out the window. He wanted to offer a comforting hand, but her hands were both stuffed beneath the thigh of the leg she had crossed over the other. Her posture was definitely reading, ‘don’t.’

Damian just settled in the driver’s seat and tried to be content with the bonus time he received in her presence.

At the hotel, he pulled into a parking spot and grabbed their bags from the backseat. She walked next to him, their shoulders brushing. In the glow of the outside lights, he saw her eyes were dry and he was thankful she stopped crying. He wasn’t naïve enough to believe her tears were over for the night. Probably waiting until she was back in her room alone.

Once they were inside the lobby, they made their way to the elevators. The car was waiting and the doors opened immediately. Inside he pressed the button to the sixth floor and looked at her expectantly. “What floor are you on?”

“Four,” Cassie answered. Her face burned in embarrassment at falling apart on him. “Listen Damian…”

“Hold the door!”

Cassie’s words were cut off and she quickly reached a hand out to stop the doors from closing. Then was pushed out of the way as Sonya, Shayna, Zoey, and Zelina filed in along with their wheeled suitcases. She was herded to the back next to Damian as the four women situated themselves on the elevator.

“Hey!” Zelina greeted her with a smile. “Great match tonight!”

“Thanks,” Cassie smiled as the door closed and the elevator began its assent. She was part of the tournament to crown the first ever Women’s Intercontinental Champion. The opening round was a bunch of triple threat matches. She wrestled tonight with Iyo Sky and Natalya to air during next week’s episode. It was supposed to be Kairi, but she was taken out with an injury after the other three women in the elevator attacked her to set up a feud between the Pure Fusion Collective and Kairi’s Damage CTRL. Iyo eventually won.

It was a bitter pill to swallow since she was supposed to win, but swerves happened all the time. She just hoped Creative had something for her in the New Year.

The elevator dinged before she could comment on Zelina’s own triple threat match. As the other ladies started to clear the elevator, she glanced at Damian, who was silent the whole ride. She sent him a smile, still embarrassed to have cried on him and reached for the bag he still carried. “Thanks for the ride.”

“Anytime.”

Damian’s low voice wrapped around her. Their fingers brushed as he handed her bag to her.

Damian wanted to keep her near him longer, but he had no idea what to say. He wished Rhea was with them. She could draw them both to her room for whatever and takeout. With a small wave of her hand, he watched her follow the rest of the wrestlers off the elevator leaving him alone. As the door closed he caught their conversation.

“Hey, we’re going out in about thirty. There is this really great bar Zoey wants to check out. Wanna come?”

“Well I don’t…” He could hear the hesitation in her voice and held his breath when Zelina practically begged Cassie.

The doors close and the elevator rose, but Damian could still hear Cassie giving in.

*~*

Almost one am and Damian was still wide awake. All he could think about was Cassie’s tear filled gaze. He hadn’t wanted to leave her alone, but couldn’t think of an excuse. Plus he didn’t want to do it in front of an audience. He didn’t have the kind of friendship with Cassie as he did with Rhea. If he caught Rhea crying in the parking lot, he would have gathered her in his arms, herding her back to the hotel, and take her back to his room. He would have ordered take out and put a movie on.

He was also still wide awake because she went from tears in the parking lot to being drug out to a bar. He wasn’t sure how close she was to those girls. Would they watch her? Make sure she didn’t drink too much? She was obviously hurting…

He didn’t even know if she was still out. For all he knew, she could already be back and fast asleep unaware she was the reason he couldn’t sleep.

Blowing out a breath, he rolled over and reached for his phone. She was a grown woman. He didn’t know why he was so worried. She probably went out a lot of times he didn’t know about. He didn’t know why tonight was any different. Maybe it was because he couldn’t erase the image of her tear stained face looking up at him with tears clinging to her lashes. Couldn’t erase the feel of her body against his even as hers shook with sobs.

Browsing Instagram, Damian saw no new posts from her except the previous shared post promoting her upcoming triple threat match airing next week. Disappointment set in as he watched her match from backstage with Rhea. Rhea yelled at the TV, while he sat quietly keeping his thoughts to himself. He would have laughed at Rhea’s excitement for Iyo’s victory and the anger at Cassie’s loss if he hadn’t been gutted for her loss at the same time.

Another universe he would have been waiting in Gorilla for her to appear.

No postings of the night’s bar trip were from none of the other girls either.

Damian told himself he just wanted to check on her, make sure she was okay. He didn’t know how she reacted to emotional issues. Sometimes he went out and got trashed. Sometimes he picked up an unknown woman for a night of fun. Other times he shut himself up in his apartment or hotel room and brooded ignoring everything and everyone.

Did she do the same? Was she out there getting trashed before stumbling back to her hotel room? Was she picking up some loser who didn’t deserve to even stand in the same vicinity? His hand folded into a tight fist at the thought. Before he could stop himself, he was sending a text to Rhea.

‘U up?’

It took too long for his liking for Rhea to answer him

‘No.’

Damian snorted at Rhea’s answer.

‘Can you find out where Shayna, Zoey, and the rest went tonight?’

The dots appeared and disappeared a few times. Damian understood. While friendly, the newest female faction wasn’t who he normally spent time with.

‘Why?’

Damian wondered what Rhea really wanted to say before she settled on the simple noun. Now he was left with having to explain why he wanted the information. Rhea wouldn’t let him get away with anything less than the truth. She wouldn’t believe he was just curious.

‘Cassie went out with them.’

‘Ahhh…’

Damian waited for the teasing to come. He was sure Rhea didn’t know about his crush, but maybe she did.

‘Why in the world would she go out with them?’

‘She was upset. Family stuff I guess. I caught her crying outside the arena when I left. Brought her back to the hotel with me where they snatched her up.’

‘You let her go???’

‘What was I supposed to do? Tie her up?’

‘A little drastic. That would probably scare her away. You gotta hide your crazy until it’s too late.’

Damian grew antsy but Rhea’s next text was the name of the bar.

Armed with the information, Damian stood up and dressed in the same clothes he’d taken off just a few hours before. Making sure he had his wallet and room key, he snatched the rental key from the table and left his room before he could talk himself out of going.

It didn’t take long before he was parking his car a block away from the bar. The bar was packed given the late night hour and it being a Monday night, but who was he to judge. The holidays tended to have that affect on people. The music was loud. The conversation louder. The sound of balls breaking signified a pool table somewhere in the madness.

Damian’s eyes swept the room; meeting and dismissing many. They weren’t the ones he was looking for. He wasn’t here for a good time. He was here for one reason.

And that reason was tucked on the lap of some clean cut guy with a wide grin. Damian watched as Cassie downed the shot in her hand to the cheers of the table. Two other men egged her on to take another. He could read the looks exchanged between them just as easy as if their words appeared in a bubble above their head as she reached for the shot glass filled by the man whose lap she sat on.

His jaw clenched painfully, his molars grinding together. She wiggled on the man’s lap. His hands gripped her waist holding her steady and he knew he was pressing his cock into her ass. He wanted to send his fist right into the smiling face and break those perfectly straight white teeth.

Maybe he should have sent Rhea to save her.

Then again, Rhea might react worse than him.

The shot in Cassie’s hand lifted and her head titled back. In the same movement, the man’s hand reached up copping a feel of her breast. The fabric nearly pulled down to give a show to the table who were practically drooling over their own liquor glasses.

His feet moved, cutting through the patrons quickly. Satisfaction coursed through him seeing the eyes of the two men who didn’t have their hands in inappropriate places widen. Their laughter died suddenly as he stopped in front of them.

Anger rolled off him.

“Damian!”

Damian’s arms were immediately filled with a warm, wiggling, very drunk female body. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she pressed against him.

“Hi Princesa,” his lightened voice a direct contraction against the menacing look he was sending to the men behind her.

“I didn’t know you were coming!” She grinned as her arms fell from his neck to his chest. The muscles were hard beneath her hands and she curled her fingers into the skin. She licked her lips as she swayed toward him.

Damian couldn’t stop himself from smiling as he stared down at her. She was clearly very drunk. The red of her cheeks. The wide pupils. The slight slur of her words. The weight gone from her shoulders. Her muscles relaxed and languid. Copious amounts of touching. Her hands were all over him. Running up and down his chest, his waist and up his back.

“I just got here Corazòn.”

“Nice,” Cassie grinned, her hands moving to his back and she hugged him again. “I’m glad you came. I was hoping you would.”

The twinkle in her eye caused his heart to skip. “I’m actually your ride home…” Damian let the fib slip. He was certain he had hearts in his eyes as he watched her frown with her eyebrows drawn in confusion as she tried to decipher his words. She drew her bottom lip between her teeth and that move caused his cock to take notice. ‘Down boy,’ he thought.

Cassie lifted her arm to stare at the watch wrapped on her left wrist. She stumbled on her feet and nearly went down until warm hands grabbed her waist. Looking up, her breath caught as she met Damian’s dark brown eyes. Her hand fell on his bicep as she straightened. Her body pressed against his, her eyes never wavering. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Damian grinned. If he wasn’t in love with her before, he was after that look. “You ready to go?”

“Where we goin?” Cassie grinned.

“Back to the hotel.”

“Okay,” Cassie turned back toward the table, frowning seeing it empty. The table was littered with empty shot glasses, beer glasses, high ball glasses, and a pitcher. The chairs pushed back from the table. She reached for the remaining half empty glass containing Bud Light. “I wanted you to meet my friends.”

“Maybe next time.” A single glare over Cassie’s head had them cutting their losses and scattering into the crowd. No doubt searching for someone else to talk into going home with them. He tried to find himself to care about the next unsuspecting girl, but he couldn’t. There was only one woman he cared about and she was currently chugging the rest of the beer in her glass.

“You sure we have to leave?”

Damian nearly gave in when she stared up at him with big doe eyes. Ready to sit in one of the vacated chairs, pull her down in his lap, and order a drink. He nodded his head and gently took her arm to lead her away from table and toward the front of the building.

As they reached the door to leave the bar, the bartender yelled, ‘Last call!’ to the disappointment of the many patrons. He drew her closer when they made it to the sidewalk. When she shivered against the cold, he stopped and slid his jacket off to wrap around her shoulders. She swayed on her feet, but didn’t fall. When her eyes met his, she sent him a smile.

In a different time… in a different dynamic, he would have taken her face in his hands and kissed her smiling lips.

“Come on Corazòn,” Damian wrapped his arm around her waist and led her down the street to his car. Their steps were disjointed with her inability to walk straight. Every stumble caused her to giggle and clutch him tighter with the hand around his back. He found it hard to care about their slow pace with her hand on him.

Reaching his car, he patted the front pocket of his jeans searching for the keys. His pockets were empty. He had a moment of fright before he heard the giggle next to him. Looking up, he saw her holding his keys in the air.

“Looking for these?”

The keys must have been in the pocket of his jacket. He reached up to take them when she pulled them away. The movement nearly sent her to the ground.

“Nuh huh,” Cassie laughed.

“Come on Corazòn, give me the keys so we can get out of here.”

“Where are we going?” Cassie clutched the keys in her hand, swaying toward Damian.

“Back to the hotel…” Damian’s eyes widened when she moved right into his space. Her hands pressed against his stomach. His muscles twitched beneath her touch. Her hands crawled up his chest to entwine around his neck and his breath caught when she pushed up on her tip toes.

“You didn’t even buy me a drink,” Cassie teased, scrapping her nails over the nape of his neck. His close shaved hair rough on her fingertips.

“Next time Corazòn.” Damian reached up to untangle her arms from around his neck before he did something stupid like kiss her. He was unable to stop from pressing a kiss to her knuckles as he slipped the car keys from her grasp.

When he unlocked the door, Damian helped her into the car. It was pure torture being this close to her – so pliant… so ready… but he would never take advantage of her. The seatbelt proved to be too much of an adversary and he took pity on her. He leaned down and pulled the seatbelt across her body. A shivered worked through him when he felt her lips on his cheek. Then nearly lost his balance when she nipped his ear.

“Behave Corazòn.”

“Sorry,” she giggled sitting back in the seat.

“You are trouble,” Damian clicked the belt in place and backed away. He shut the door and quickly rounded the front of the car getting into the driver’s seat. More of the bar patrons spilled onto the sidewalk and he wanted to get away before he was stopped by a fan.

Starting the car, he quickly checked the mirrors before he pulled out onto the street.

“What’s your passcode?”

Damian looked over at the question and saw his phone in her hand. The screen lit up with a number pad waiting for his passcode to be entered before the phone unlocked. “How’d you get my phone?”

“It was in your coat,” Cassie grinned. “Please?”

Just like that, Damian found himself giving her his passcode. ‘The minx,’ he thought as he chuckled. He hoped he wouldn’t have to do too much damage control with any messages she sent or posted to any of his accounts. Switching into the left lane, he put his turn signal on and stopped at the red light.

“Here, hurry up before it turns green!” Cassie held the phone out in front of her with her right hand and leaned toward Damian.

“What are you doing?” Damian asked, glancing at her.

“Taking a selfie! Hurry before the light turns!”

Damian shook his head, but he shifted in the seat to lean toward the center counsel. The camera was up on his phone. He smiled as she leaned even closer to him, her temple resting on his cheek. The light turned green as she was moving back to her seat. He hit the gas making the turn to head back to the hotel.

Cassie grinned as she pulled up his Instagram account and posted the photo.

‘Uber driver. Highly recommend. Five stars.’

“What are you doing?” Damian asked, hearing the giggles. “Corazòn, if you’re posting crazy stuff…”

“I’m not!” Cassie insisted. She drew up his messages and opened a new one. She attached the selfie and typed in her name. Nothing came up. She frowned. Erasing the name, she typed it in again, hoping her contact info would come up.

“What’s wrong?” The drive was quick in the dead of night. The hotel loomed in front of him.

“I wanted to send this to me, but you don’t have my number…”

“I don’t think so. Just put your number in.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?” Damian asked as he was pulled into the hotel parking lot.

“I can’t remember it.”

Damian laughed as he pulled into the empty spot he vacated not that long ago.

“Oh!” Cassie shouted suddenly and typed in Rhea’s name. The text thread came up and she brought the phone closer to her eyes. The letters blurring in front of her.

‘Send this photo to me.’

’Cassie.’

‘I can’t remember my number.’

‘I think I drank too much.’

She giggled as she tucked his phone back in the coat pocket.

“You’re trouble Corazòn.” Damian killed the engine and climbed from the car. He made his way to the passenger side where he opened her door and helped her out. She swayed on her feet and he reached to steady her. “You good?”

Cassie nodded. The movement caused her vision to blur. Her hand clutched his bicep as she waited for the world to right itself. She blew out her breath and smiled up at him as they walked into the hotel. “What does Corazòn mean?”

It was Damian’s turn to stumble. His face heated in embarrassment. The endearment slipped out accidentally earlier and he hadn’t been able to stop using it. Her being impaired felt like a free chance to get away with something so innocent.

“Is it bad?” Cassie leaned against him as they stopped at the elevator.

“Is what bad?” Damian asked, buying time. The elevator doors opened and they stepped inside. He kept her close as he hit the number 4.

“Corazòn? Is it bad?”

He cursed under his breath at her small voice. “No. It’s not bad. It means sweetheart.”

“I like that,” Cassie said as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. “Corazòn,” she repeated softly. A warmness flowed through her.

“What’s your room number?” Damian asked. When she stepped off earlier, he hadn’t noticed the direction she took.

“426.”

Damian turned them to the right and walked halfway down the quiet hallway until they came to her door. He watched as she started patting her pockets. The front of her jeans turned up empty. The left back pocket revealed her phone. A sobering thought went through him. What if she gave her room key to the douche at the bar? If that was the case, there was no way he would let her stay in her room. He’d take her to his… Rhea’s…

That would be safer.

He opened his mouth to suggest staying elsewhere when she finally produced her room key. She held it up triumphantly in her hand along with her driver’s license, and folded up cash.

“Success!” She grinned. She frowned when she noticed the cash in her hand. “I drank a lot for someone who didn’t buy a drink all night.”

Damian laughed. “I bet.”

He watched her struggle to keep her hand still enough for the keypad on the door to read the room key. He wrapped his hand around hers to hold it steady. The light turned green. He tugged the handle down and pushed the door open allowing her to enter first. For a moment he thought about letting it shut with her safely inside and he outside, but then she stumbled and fell into the wall.

Stepping into the room, his mind shouted he was entering a dangerous zone. He should leave her to her own devices. Have Rhea check on her in the morning. Obviously glutton for punishment, he stayed. He told himself he was only going to get her shoes off and get her into bed. Fully clothed. Make sure her phone was plugged in with an alarm set. Then he would leave and go back to his own room.

Maybe get her to take some Advil before she passed out. She would definitely be hating life in the morning.

“Are we having a sleepover?”

She looked so cute dwarfed in his jacket. Smiling, he shook his head. “No sleepover. I’m going to make sure you get in to bed.”

Cassie frowned at his words and Damian watched as she made her way forward to stand in front of him. He looked down in her eyes. Her arms once again entwined around his neck and she went up on her tip toes again. Her lips a whispered away. He knew he should step away but he couldn’t. His feet were glued to the floor. “You can…get in to bed with me…Corazòn…”

It was the whispered Spanish term of endearment. It made him weak. Weak enough to lower his head and brush his lips against hers. She tasted of alcohol and the spicy hint of cinnamon. Her lips were soft and pliant. When he ran his tongue along her bottom lip, her lips parted with a sigh. He chased the taste of cinnamon in her mouth as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to his body. His tongue stroked against hers, exploring the cavern until he knew it as well as his own.

He withdrew his tongue and the noise she made in protest hit deep in his gut. Her hands clutched the front of his hoodie; the material gripped tight in her hands, pulling it hard across his chest. The whispered, wanton ‘more’ from her mouth caused all the blood to rush below his belt to his hardening cock.

“Damian,” she whispered pressing closer. She felt the hard cock against her belly. Desire pooled at her center and she clenched around nothing feeling empty.

“Cassie,” Damian murmured against her lips. His hands traced down her back over his coat to her ass. He cupped the globes, encased in tight jeans, in his hands and pressed her into his cock, manipulating her hips to move against him.

“I need you…”

Damian froze when he felt her hands at the front of his jeans, trying to work the button open and lower the zipper. He brought one of his hands to wrap around hers, stopping the movement. A low moan escaped from his throat as her hand pressed against his cock. Her fingers working in small ministrations unable to fully move her hand because of his hold. His eyes drifted closed. His free hand threaded through her hair, a much safer location than her ass. He pressed her against his chest as he breathed heavily.

“Please…”

It took everything he had to take a step back. Their hands fell from the front of his jeans. His cock pressed painfully against his zipper, begging to be released. “Wait…” Damian knew he needed to gather control quickly.

“I don’t wanna wait,” Cassie murmured, lifting her head.

Damian bit back a groan. Her lips were puffy and reddened from his kisses.

“I want you…” Cassie dropped her hands from him to slip her arms from his jacket. The leather jacket fell to the floor with a muffled thud as his phone hit the thin carpet. “I’ve wanted you for awhile…”

Damian’s eyes flared at the piece of information. He wished he knew it before he pulled her drunken self from the bar. He stepped back from her when she stepped forward and found himself with his back against the wall separating the room from the bathroom. She pressed a hand on his chest and let it trail down his body. The internal fight had him grabbing her hand just before it reached his cock.

“Let me suck you,” she whispered swaying toward him. “Please. I’ve dreamed about it. I’ve dreamt about dropping to my knees in front of you. Pressing my face into your crotch. Breathing you in. Mouthing you through your clothes before pulling the zipper down. Reaching in and baring you to me…” she licked her lips as her mouth filled with saliva as it would in hunger… and she was hungry. Could already feel the weight of his cock on her tongue.

Damian moaned, his eyes closing as his head fell back. His cock twitched in his jeans, eagerly wanting Cassie to do just as she begged. He wanted to let her fall to her knees in front of him. He wanted to hold his cock in his hand as he fed it to her. “We can’t…” The hardest words he ever had to speak.

“That’s okay. I got a list of things I want to do to you… with you.”

He was only a man. A weak man apparently. One definitely glutton for more punishment as if the night hadn’t doled out enough already. “What else?”

Cassie reached out and squeezed his bicep; the hard muscle hidden from view because of his hoodie. “I’ve wanted you to pick me up and fuck me against the wall. Hold me above your cock before lowering me until I’m impaled…”

“Jesus Christ,” Damian groaned. His cock championed that position. To rid her of those skin tight jeans and press her to the wall behind him. Lower his jeans just enough to release his weeping cock and send himself home with one thrust.

“I want to strip you naked. Lay you down on the bed and trace every single tattoo with my tongue until I get to your cock…” Cassie reached for his hand with both of hers. She maneuvered his fingers leaving his pointer finger up. She brought their hands to her lips, where she swiped the pad of his finger with her tongue. “Then I’ll suck your cock…” At his swift intake of breath, she drew his finger into her mouth. Sinking down on the digit in a lewd manner. Her tongue teased the underside as she withdrew. The finger fell from her mouth with a pop.

“I wanna climb on top of you and ride your cock… With your hands on my hips in a bruising grip. I don’t have tattoos, but I’d wear those marks proudly. I wanna sink on your hard cock, slamming down on you, taking you deep inside me. I wanna ride you until completion… coming apart on your cock. Then I want you to roll me over and take me from behind. Pounding in me, while pulling my hair. Taking what you need until you explode. Your cum deep inside of me.”

With his free hand, Damian reached down and squeezed his denim clad cock, trying to stave off coming. The bed was right behind her. He could tear off her clothes and toss her down. Mount her from behind; pistoning in and out of her until completion. At this rate, it wouldn’t take long.

“I also want to straddle your face. Press my pussy down on your mouth forcing your tongue to lick me. Feeling your tongue inside of me. You licking and sucking on my clit. Your arms hooked on my thighs not letting me go. You can’t breath, you’re consumed by me… the smell… the taste of my pussy…God you keep licking. My thighs are quaking until I’m screaming out your name coming all over your lips.”

Damian was nearing the end of his rope. He knew if he shoved his hand down her pants he’d find her dripping. A slight musky scent of arousal hung in the air. It made him want to be the one to drop to his knees and press his face against her center. Toss one of her legs over his shoulders, baring her to him. He wanted to lick until those thighs quaked. Lick until she coated his cheeks with her essence.

“I also want you to take me in the locker room or in a dark hallway at the arena… fast and quick and hard… your hand pressed over my mouth to keep me quiet because someone could find us…I want you to tie me to my bed and make me beg… beg you to kiss me. Beg you to touch me. To put your mouth on me. I want you to mark me. Sucking bruising bites on my skin. My neck… my breasts…my thighs. I want you to mark me with your cum. Watch you with your hand on your cock, stroking up and down, until you explode… your cum painting my body…” Cassie hummed, her eyes falling shut. “I want to watch you stroke yourself. Your hand moving on your cock. See the muscles on your arm dancing as you grip your cock. Your thumb swirling on the head through the pre cum. Watch you lick your hand for a better glide…those thick fingers wrapping around your cock.”

Cassie’s eyes opened and trapped his. “I need to feel those fingers inside of me. One… two… three… stuffing me full…” A breathy moan released from between her lips. “Damian…Corazòn… kiss me. Please…”

Damian could no more refuse the plea than he could stop breathing. With a hand cupping her jaw, he titled her head up as he lowered his. Their lips met in a soft kiss – a much softer kiss than he was feeling after listening to her describe what she wanted to do to him or what she wanted him to do to her. He could feel her trying to push it further, but he kept it light. Their lips moving together.

When she swayed, he broke the kiss and pulled her head to rest on his chest. He closed his eyes and blew out a breath to try to get a reign on his anatomy. “Let’s get you into bed.”

Surprisingly she gave no resistance. As he removed her black booties and socks from her feet, she never tried to hit on him. She stayed silent as he knelt on the ground, her hands gripping his shoulders for balance. When he stood up, he reached for the black fitted long sleeve turtleneck shirt. Again, she simply lifted her arms over her head and allowed him to pull it off. His eyes gave a quick glance over the black lace bra before he averted his gaze. He didn’t need any more fodder for his late night activities but he would love to press his lips to the soft mounds encased in the lacy fabric. To tease her nipples through the lace drawing them into stiff peaks before he sucked on them.

“My shirt…”

Damian saw the black t-shirt thrown on the end of the bed and grabbed it. Then, like dressing a child, he pulled it down over her head. He stared in shock as the purple print came into view. It was one of his merchandise shirts.

Cassie giggled as she gripped the hem and pulled the shirt away from her body to straighten the fabric. “Rhea gave it to me as a joke. She knows how much I like Damian…”

Damian’s eyes flickered back to Cassie’s in confusion. Her eyes were glazed and he frowned at the far away look in them. The alcohol apparently had taken over her body. He knew from his own experience she was about ready to be gone from the world.

“But you can’t tell him.”

Damian chuckled softly at the secretive whisper in Cassie’s voice. “Why not?” He told himself not to push anymore. He picked his leather jacket up from the floor where Cassie dropped it.

“Because I know he doesn’t like me.”

“Why wouldn’t he like you?” Damian asked, interested to hear the answer.

“I’m dorky. I’m too short. I’m too shy. I like country music. I don’t really like going out. I like to stay home…” Cassie reached for her jeans, her fingers fumbling with the button.

“I have it on good authority that he likes you.” Already pushing the line, Damian reached out and undid the button of her jeans and pulled the zipper down. With both hands, he pushed the jeans down her hips. Stumbling a little when she decided to sit down on the bed. He knelt at her feet and pulled the jeans from her legs. His hands twitched to run up and down those smooth legs. From her small, dainty feet capped with dark purple nail polish, all the way up to her thighs.

“That’s what Rhea said…” Cassie fell back onto the bed on her back. Her eyes drifting shut. She offered no resistance when she felt her body being lifted and moved. Her head came down on a soft, cool pillow. Soon a blanket covered her body and warmth settled her. Her eye lids felt heavy – too heavy to open.

He was gonna buy Rhea breakfast in the morning. Damian grabbed her discarded jeans and dug her phone out of the pocket. The lock screen lit up showing a few notifications – from Amazon, The Weather Channel, SnapChat, and an alarm found, along with a text from Rhea.

‘Why are you texting me from Damian’s phone???? Did you finally tell him?!’

He smirked at the text. Toyed with the thought of texting from Cassie’s phone, but ultimately plugged it on to the charger next to the bed. He placed the other items from her jeans next to her phone before tossing the jeans over the open suitcase. Looking around, he realized it was time to go.

Before he left, he was unable to stop himself from leaning down and placing a kiss on Cassie’s forehead.

“I love you Damian.”

Damian’s breath caught at the whisper. The words warmed him from the inside out, settling something deep in his soul. Tilting his head down, his eyes met hers. Time and alcohol weighing heavily on them. “Cassie…”

“I do. You’re kind and patient. You’re fun to be around. Funny. Accepting. I love how you love your family. How you work hard and keep pushing no matter what Creative or life throws at you. You’re supportive. I love your friendship with Rhea. It makes me jealous at times and I wish I can be that easy with you. I love how you always smile when you see me. How you ask how I’m doing and about my family. I love your arms. I love how I felt safe and protected the few times you hugged me. Like nothing could ever hurt me when I’m in your arms. I love your smile and the way one side tilts up. It makes my heart skip a beat. I love your laugh. How you make me laugh. I love your voice. How deep it is. Your accent…I get butterflies. I love your eyes. They’re so expressive. How they somehow sparkle when you’re happy even though they are so dark. How they crinkle when you smile. They make me melt…”

Damian nearly jumped when he felt the caress on his hand. Looking down he watched Cassie’s fingers brush over the back of his hand.

“Your hands… I love the shape of them. The long fingers… the veins on the back. The amount of roughness on the palm. I stare at them often. Not just imagining how they’d feel on my body, but how they would look holding my hand. How it would feel brushing my hair away from my face. I love your beautiful skin – tanned and tattooed. How tall you are…and how perfectly we’d fit together despite the height differences. How strong you are… not just physically…you could shoulder all my worries and fears…”

Her voice grew softer and softer as she lost the battle with consciousness, but he never heard anyone more clearly. Damian had many relationships over the years dating back to his junior high days. None of them ever compared to what he was feeling right now. He felt complete for the first time in his life; like a missing piece had slid home. His heart felt full.

Leaning down, Damian brushed his lips against hers. He kept it soft and light and was surprised when he felt the small movement of her lips against his. “Tell me when you’re sober, Corazòn and I’ll give you the world.”

Click here to read 'Sober', a continuation of Tell Me When You're Sober

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