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#Hire a real estate agent
lazarzlynch · 2 years
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10 Things You Need to Know Before You Hire an Agent
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Not all real estate agents are the same. If you decide to seek the help of an agent when selling  or  buying  your  home,  you  need  some  good  information before  you  make  any  moves.
An agent can cost or save you thousands of dollars
Picking an agent is one of those critical issues that can cost or save you thousands of dollars. There are very specific questions you should be asking to ensure that you get the  best  representation  for  your  needs.  Some  agents  may  prefer  that  you  don’t  ask  these questions, because the knowledge you’ll gain from their honest answers will give you a very good idea about what outcome you can expect from using this agent. And let’s face it - in real estate, as in life not all things are created equal. Hiring a real estate agent is just like any hiring process with you on the boss’s side of the desk. It’s critical that you make the right decision about who will handle what is probably the single largest financial investment you will ever make.
1. What makes you different? Why should I list my home with you?
It’s a much tougher real estate market than it was a decade ago. What unique marketing plans and programs does  this  agent  have  in  place  to  make  sure  that  your  home  stands  out  favorably  versus  other  competing  homes? What things does this agent offer you that others don’t to help you sell your home in the least amount of time with the least amount of hassle and for the most amount of money?
2. What is your company’s track record and reputation in the market place?
It  may  seem  like  everywhere  you  look,  real  estate  agents  are  boasting  about  being  #1  for  this  or  that,  or  quoting you the number of homes they’ve sold. If you’re like  many  homeowners,  you’ve  probably  become  immune to much of this information. Afterall, you ask, “Why should  I  care  about  how many  homes  one  agent  sold  over another. The only thing I care about is whether they can sell my home quickly for the most amount of money. ”Well, because  you  want  your  home  sold  fast  and  for  top dollar, you should be asking the agents you inter-view  how  many  homes  they  have  sold.  I’m  sure you  will agree that success in real estate is selling homes. If one agent is selling a lot of homes where another is selling only a handful, ask yourself why this might be? What things are these two agents doing differently? You  may  be surprised  to  know  that  many  agents  sell  fewer than 10 homes a year. This volume makes it difficult for them to do full impact marketing on your home, because they can’t raise the money it takes to afford the advertising  and special programs  to  give  your  home  a  high  profile.  Also,  at  this  low  level,  they probably  can’t  afford to hire an assistant, which means that they’re running around trying to do all the components of the job themselves, which means service may suffer.
3. What are your marketing plans for my home?
How much money does this agent spend in advertising the  homes  s/he  lists versus  the  other  agents  you  are  interviewing? In what media (newspaper, magazine, TV etc.) does this agent advertise? What does s/he know about the effectiveness of one medium over the other?
4. What has your company sold in my area?
Agents  should  bring  you  a  complete  listing  of  both  their own, and other comparable sales in your area.
5. Does your Broker control your advertising or do you?
If  your  agent  is  not  in  control  of  their  own  advertising, then your home will be competing for advertising space not only with this agent’s other listings, but also with the listings of every other agent in the brokerage.
6. On average, when your listings sell, how close is the selling price to the asking price?
This information is available from the Real Estate Board. Is  this  agent’s performance  higher  or  lower  than  the  board  average?  Their  performance on  this  measurement will help you predict how high a price you will get for the sale of your home.
7. On average, how long does it take for your listings to sell?
This information is also available from the Real Estate Board.  Does  this  agent tend  to  sell  faster  or  slower  than  the  board  average?  Their  performance on  this  measurement  will  help  you  predict  how  long  your  home will be on the market before it sells.
8. How many Buyers are you currently working with?
Obviously,  the  more  buyers  your  agent  is  working  with, the better your chances are of selling your home quickly. It will also impact price because an agent with many  buyers  can  set  up  an  auction like  atmosphere  where many buyers  bid  on  your  home  at  the  same  time.  Ask  them  to  describe  the system  they  have  for  attracting buyers.
9. Do you have a reference list of clients I could contact?
Ask  to  see  this  list,  and  then  proceed  to  spot  check  some of the names.
10. What happens if I’m not happy with the job you are doing to get my home sold? Can I cancel my listing contract?
Be  wary  of  agents  that  lock  you  into  a  lengthy  listing  contract  which  they can  get  out  of  (by  ceasing  to  effectively  market  your  home)  but  you can’t. There  are  usually  penalties  and  broker  protection  periods  which safeguard the agent’s interests, but not yours. How confident is your agent in the service s/he will provide you? Will s/he allow you to cancel your contract without penalty if you’re not satisfied with the service provided? Evaluate each agent’s responses to these 10 questions carefully and objectively. Who will do the best job for you? These questions will help you decide.
Courtesy of: Dimitrios Lynch
You Home Sold Guaranteed or I’ll Buy It! P.S. If you are in the market for a new home or are thinking of selling your current home, we have a lot more knowledge to assist you.  
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luliaka · 7 months
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Some highlights from Batman: Streets of Gotham #12. This whole series is fantastic, A+++, highly recommended.
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kim-dokja-hate-blog · 2 years
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epilogue au where kdj doesn’t wake up when yjh comes back but instead when kimcom all move into a house together, complete with a room for him
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brianwilder · 1 month
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Your Guide to Picking the Right Local Real Estate Agent
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Choosing the right real estate agent is crucial when buying or selling a home. But with so many options, how do you find the perfect fit? Here are some tips to guide you in selecting the best agent to partner with throughout the process.
Research Their Reputation
Begin by researching agents in your area. Narrow down your list by asking trusted friends, family, or colleagues for recommendations. Look for an agent with a strong online presence, numerous positive reviews, and a reputation that stands out. As Freddie Mac suggests, a great agent is one whose reputation precedes them, ensuring you’re in capable hands.
“. . . you may want to look for a real estate agent who specializes in the type of home you’re searching for. For example, if you are looking for an energy-efficient home, look for an agent who has experience with finding and negotiating offers for those homes. If you are looking for new construction, you’ll want to find an agent who has experience with new construction and isn’t affiliated with the builder . . .”
Seek Local Market Expertise
A top-notch real estate agent should possess a deep understanding of both national and local market trends. This expertise allows them to clarify any misconceptions you might have from news reports and provide accurate insights specific to your area. Additionally, their familiarity with the neighborhoods and local amenities you’re interested in is invaluable. As a recent read more
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interohoustoncareers · 6 months
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Why Hiring Experienced Real Estate Agents Makes a Difference
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In the dynamic realm of real estate, where decisions carry substantial weight and repercussions endure over time, the choice of a real estate agent holds immense sway over the outcome of a transaction. While some might be enticed by newer agents or consider managing the process independently, there are compelling arguments for opting for a seasoned real estate professional. In this discourse, we'll explore the manifold benefits of enlisting the expertise of a proficient real estate agent.
The advantages of enlisting adept real estate brokers are manifold and wide-ranging. Seasoned agents bring considerable value to each transaction they oversee, showcasing expertise in risk management, astute market insights, tailored strategies, and a commitment to continual learning and professionalism. Through the utilization of their knowledge, skills, and networks, they assist clients in navigating the intricacies of the real estate landscape with assurance, facilitating successful attainment of their objectives.
Clik Here for visit more
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forhadrealty · 10 months
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Why You Need a Buyer's Agent
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reddyg · 11 months
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Selling your property is a major financial decision, and maximizing your return is almost certainly a primary objective. Moreover, if you want you can Sell your home in Manorlakes although you just have to search Sell my home in Manorlakes. The real estate market provides several options for selling a home, each with advantages and disadvantages. To identify the most lucrative strategy to sell your house, you must examine your goals, the condition of the property, market circumstances, and the degree of participation you are ready to do.
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protopva · 1 year
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A job of a virtual assistant diverse tasks crucial to boost your business at ProtopVA
The job of a virtual assistant at ProtopVA encompasses diverse tasks crucial for business efficiency. They assist in administrative duties, manage schedules, handle emails, and provide research support. Beyond these, they adapt to specialized client needs, ensuring seamless operations. ProtopVA's commitment to excellence empowers clients to thrive in the global marketplace by maximizing productivity through expert virtual assistance.
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crystal-crys09 · 1 year
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jamesjennrealestate · 2 years
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Are you on the hunt for a real estate agent? Read here to learn some of the benefits of hiring low-commission real estate agents.
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multifandomgirl08 · 4 months
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Time to Move? [Mini Verstappen Series]
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Dad!Max Verstappen x Fiancée!Reader (Established Relationship)
Summary: When Max had brought up moving, it was because the lease on his apartment was going to be up at the end of the year. Maybe it was time to find a new place for all of you.
Warning(s): Implied Sexual Content in the first half
Words: 2.6k
Previous Part → Next Part Mini Verstappen Masterlist
Nico was already in bed for the night after refusing to go to sleep without Max reading him a story. He had protested until you offered to read Nico two stories if he let Papa finish his race. Nico perked up and then dragged his feet to bed. He made it through the first story, and by the time you were getting through the second one, he was falling asleep.
You joined Max in the living room after Nico had fallen asleep, where he was sitting on his racing sim talking to someone before he logged off for the night. Max and the guys from Team Redline had been streaming tonight.
“Yeah, I’ll be back on tomorrow.” He said before clicking something on the steering wheel.
“Sure, bye guys.” Max turned the sim off before pulling off his headphones and stepped out of his seat.
Your laptop was open looking at houses. You and Max had been talking about moving from his apartment to a house. You had been looking at houses online for the last few days and you couldn’t find anything in Monaco that looked like it was a good house for Nico to grow up in. You wanted things like a few bedrooms for you and Max to have your own spaces in the house, a pool, and a yard for Nico.
“How’s looking at houses?” He asked taking the empty can of Red Bull before throwing it in the recycling bin in the kitchen.
“It’s like there is nothing for sale. Maybe we should hire someone to find something for us.” You shut your laptop and put it on the coffee table.
“We don’t have to stay in Monaco, we can move further out.”
“We could, maybe moving out a little further would help.”
“I’m sure we’ll find something, there’s no rush.”
He was right there wasn’t, there was just so much going on for all of you right now. You were sitting down with the wedding planner while working, and you had recently just started to figure out how Nico’s karting schedule would end up working with Max’s schedule for the rest of the season. You didn’t even want to think about what was going on at work right now.
“I know.”
When Max had brought up moving, it was because the lease on his apartment was going to be up at the end of the year, so you suggested looking at buying a house instead of renting. You would be able to have your own office, instead of just having your desk set up in the living room, Max could have his racing sim in one of the guest rooms, and Nico would have more room for his toys since he was slowly growing out of his bedroom. Max’s two-bedroom apartment made sense when you had moved in but now there wasn’t as much room for the three of you to grow into. It just made sense for you to find somewhere with more space.
Max had pulled you from the couch guiding you towards the master bedroom to take your mind off of the events of the day. Max leaned down, your lips meeting, feeling his eyelashes flutter closed against your cheekbones.
Your hands went to his back, letting your fingernails slightly dig into the fabric of his shirt. You slid your hands under the hem feeling his warm soft skin under your fingers. He pulled back only to start to pull at the tight fabric of his shirt, letting it fall to the floor hitting your bare feet.
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It had taken another month looking at houses before you and Max even bothered talking to a real estate agent. Eventually, on a Sunday, both you and Max woke up early, dropping Nico off at Daniel’s for the day before going to meet the realtor. The Aussie had taken Nico from your arms, almost shooing both you and Max out of his apartment, wanting to spend every moment that he could with his godson.
“Uncle Daniel has it all handled,” He said, taking the bag out of Max’s hands. Nico was already situated on the couch asking Daniel if he had any fun games that they could play.
After that you and Max walked down to the garage to get into his car. He pulled open your door for you before you slid into the seat.
Max had gotten in and then started the car, you were making a small list of all of the things the house would need, “Pool, gym, 4 or 5 bedrooms.”
“And a big garage, I’m going to need a workspace to keep working on Nico’s kart.” Max’s focus was on the road but it seemed like the list for what you wanted was never ending.
You were meeting the realtor just outside of Monaco in a gated community. At least you wouldn’t have to worry about privacy. Max had pulled the car up to the house, and it could only be described as a big, modern, white box.
“I bet the moment we step into the house, we’ll be able to smell that the paint isn’t all the way dry.” You gave a small nod agreeing with Max. The house was new, too new for your liking.
You met the agent inside, he spoke with a thick French accent and told you the basic information of the house. It was on almost a full acre of land, had a pool, 4 bedrooms, a kitchen, a 2-car garage, and it was under 14 million euros. However, as you looked around the house there was no grass for Nico to run around on, and the closets in the house were small with the master bedroom sharing a single small closet.
This wasn’t the house for you and Max.
The next house you and Max drove to wasn’t on the market yet, it would be going up in about a week, and it didn’t even have an estimated price from the seller. It was close to Monaco, but a little higher up in the hills. You were concerned that since it was just outside of the city, it may not be considered as a part of Monaco, but rather in the next part over.
As Max pulled up to the gate, the guard had let you through. It looked like a cream one-story house, and you could see that there was a small water feature that led to the front door. The agent had walked in front of you with the key that had been in the lockbox before opening the door leading to a long entryway. It looked like going left would lead to the living room, and going right would lead to the dining room and the kitchen. But your eyes went front and center, looking out on the big backyard and pool, you felt like asking if all of the outdoor furniture came with the house.
You could feel Max’s hand on your hip, leading you down the hall to the kitchen. You could tell from the kitchen that it was a little dated but not too bad. It had a free-standing coffee maker instead of one that was built in, and an induction top stove, instead of a gas top like at the apartment. If you and Max got the house it was something that would need to be re-done before you moved in.
You and Max walked around the house for a while longer, the house turned out to be two stories, not one. It had two bedrooms upstairs both with en-suite bathrooms. When you had taken the stairs from the kitchen, it led down a long hallway that was photoless aside from the doorways that led to other rooms.
Max had stopped in front of a set of double doors, before pushing one open to reveal what could only be the master bedroom. There were doors that seemed to lead outside, the bed was up against the wall on the opposite side of the room, and it seemed like two doorways were hugging each side behind the bed. You and Max walked through one each, you ended up in a closet with white built-in shelves and a center island before seeing what was another doorway. You walked through it, and ended up meeting Max in the middle of the bathroom, which was settled between the two large closets; his and hers.
You gave the bathroom a quick look over, a big walk in shower with a bench, freestanding tub, makeup counter, and two sinks. From there you walked the rest of the second floor, there were another three bedrooms, a gym, and a wine cellar tucked away in the corner. The house had more than enough room for you, Max, Nico, and the cats.
From there you made your way back upstairs, finally walking outside to see the pool. The upstairs terrace had stairs leading down to the pool.
Max took your hand and led you down the stairs before you both stopped in front of the pool to see the birdseye view of Monaco and the Mediterranean sea from the backyard, even this far up in the mountains the sea still gave off a bright blue shine almost as if it was mirroring the sky.
You could hear Max’s shoes against the grass as he moved to lie down in one of the lounge chairs, his head already laid back closing his eyes. You pulled your heels off, moving to sit next to him on the lounge before he pulled you flush against his chest to lay down next to him.
“You like it?” He muttered into your hair.
“Yes.” You answered simply.
“I’ll ask him when it’s going to be put on the market.” Max didn’t even move from his spot, he just wrapped his arm around your waist, forcing your legs apart so that you were straddling one of his thighs.
“We don’t even know how much it is,” You started. “And the kitchen needs to be re-done.”
Max ran his hands over your arms, silently telling you to calm down, “We’ll figure it out. Besides, the last house is all the way on the other side of Monaco.”
You laid your head against Max’s chest, nuzzling your nose into his white t-shirt.
“Now you're just being lazy.” Max let out a loud laugh at your words.
“You wore me out with your late night activities.” His hand moved down to grip the inside of your thigh.
“You weren’t complaining then.” You gave him a small pout. Max gave you a crooked smile and then reached for your hand, kissing the band of your engagement ring.
You and Max laid there for a few more moments before making your way back up the stairs and into the living room to see the agent on the phone.
He looked up at the sound of your heels clicking on the white stone outside of the pocket doors.
“So, what do you think?” He asked.
“It’s nice,” Max started.
“That’s good. A little more what you were expecting… And it’s still within the Monaco postal code, so you don’t have to worry about not being considered a resident while you’re living here, even though you're technically in Saint-Jean Cap Ferret.” As the agent talked, you knew that it meant that the price would go down a bit since you weren’t actually in Monaco still.
“What’s the price?” The agent widened his eyes. He wasn’t expecting Max to just outright ask about the price.
“Well… Umm… I think the owner was looking at 17.5 million euros.”
“17.5,” You stated, the agent nodded. “What about 16.5? Given that I want to re-due the kitchen, and I would want to negotiate for the furniture to come with the house.”
“The kitchen is brand new,” The agent stated, but you knew he was lying. “And all of the furniture is from a staging company.”
“No, the kitchen isn’t, it has a free standing coffee maker, and the fronts of the cabinets need to be replaced. I’m sure the seller can pay out the staging company. Let’s also talk about the fact that it also isn’t on the market yet. I bet that the seller will want to list it at 17.5 and it’ll sit because the price is too high.”
You didn’t work in real estate but after all of your years in banking, private asset management was something you were knowledgeable in. Homes like this one were important assets in a portfolio. Since the house wasn’t new construction, and the seller wasn’t the original builder, they couldn’t price it at 17.5 million given the other homes in the area.
“He won’t go for that.”
“Why don’t you ask him?” You weren’t really suggesting it. But the agent was making it hard for you, you had clients at work who were more decisive in their choices then this guy.
It took a few seconds, but it was almost like the agent had scurried off to the other side of the house with his hand tightly gripping his phone.
“So this is what I’m missing while you’re working all day.” Max said softly, as he laid one of his hands on your hip.
“Max,” You said. He had pulled you into his chest and quickly dropped a kiss to your bare shoulder.
“I’m sitting in on one of your meetings next time.” You couldn’t tell if Max was joking or not. You knew that he was only trying to make you relax a bit.
“And what are you going to do while I’m busy?”
“I’ll find something to entertain myself with.” You saw Max’s eyes drop to your neck, before they quicked moved up again to meet your eyes.
“Want to play my assistant for the day?” You asked him. You could see the excitement fill Max’s eyes, and knew that if Max was going to watch you “work” you weren’t going to get anything done that day. He gave you a wordless nod before you heard footsteps again.
“16.5 million, all cash, outdoor furniture included.” The Agent was quick to say with his phone pressed into his white shirt.
Max just looked at you, and you read it as he was letting you take care of this. You gave the agent a half nod, “With a 14 day inspection contingency.”
The agent just stared at you, and you could hear sound coming from his phone. He gave you a curt nod, and placed his phone back up to his ear reiterating your additional stipulation.
It took a few moments before the agent got off the phone. “The seller is willing to take the additional stipulation.”
“Great.” You said.
“I’ll start the paperwork and we should have everything ready in the next few days.” The agent placed his hand out towards you. You shook his hand, and then he shook Max’s. “Congratulations on your new home.”
The agent left both of you in the house, instructing you to place the key back in the lock box. Technically you weren’t allowed to have the keys until the paperwork went through and everything was signed and notarized.
“Welcome home.” Max said with his hand on your hip.
“Tell me that again when we get the keys and the kitchen is re-done.”
Max laughed, “I’ll make sure, mijn leeuwin.”
You leaned into Max and up to kiss him. It would take a little bit but you couldn’t wait to make this house into yours and Max’s home.
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Mini Verstappen taglist: @karmabyfernando, @barcagirly, @sachaa-ff, @iamahallucinationnn, @musingsbyshreya, @glow-ish, @nonsensical-nonsence, @fanboyluvr, @champomiel, @gothicwidowsworld, @lighttsoutlewis, @itsalwaysgay, @minkyungseokie, @mynameisangeloflife, @ursforever129, @aundercover, @bborra, @mindless-rock, @cixrosie, @barcelonaloverf1life, @taylorslovesswifties13, @konsti081, @mellowarcadefun, @smnthnclj, @brekkers-whore, @lpab, @thedecalcomania-blog, @xoscar03, @em-gvf01, @haikyuen, @shelbyteller , @geniusalpaca
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dreamwritesimagines · 6 months
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The Eye of the Hurricane [12] - Chase
A.N: Here’s the new chapter my loves! ❤️ Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback, you made my day! ❤️I hope you’ll like this chapter as well and please don’t forget to tell me what you think! ❤️
Summary: Some car rides aren’t relaxing.
Word Count: 3200
Pairing: MobBoss!Bucky Barnes x Reader
Warnings: Violence, death, guns, crime, blood, explicit language. This is an AU, friendly reminder that I don’t condone any of the actions depicted on this story and please read with care.
Series Masterlist
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You hummed a song as you walked through the luxurious duplex penthouse, following the real estate agent who looked thrilled to be there.
“The skyline is absolutely gorgeous as you can see,” she said. “And just letting you know, I already have three very interested buyers—”
“They’ll wait,” you stated calmly and she paused for a moment, then smiled at you.
“Of course!” she said. “Just—you know, just a fun fact! Anyway, this floor has an open kitchen and two guest bedrooms, a bathroom…”
“Two guest rooms?”
“One of which could be turned into a nursery,” she said and winked at you. “Or you could hire me when it’s time for a family home.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” you said with a weary smile, “but let’s just take that off the table for the moment.”
She held up her hands.
“And the upstairs has the primary bedroom suite with its own breathtaking terrace of course, the master bathroom and two walk in closets. Perfect for a newlywed couple if you ask me!”
You nodded your head. “Are the windows bulletproof?”
She blinked a couple of times.
“…I doubt it?” she said. “But we’re on the 50th floor.”
“And surrounded by other 50 floor skyscrapers,” you said and heaved a sigh. “That’s fine, we’ll get it fixed if we decide on this one.”
 “Would you like to see the terrace?” she motioned and before you could say anything, you heard footsteps coming closer and you looked over your shoulder to see Bucky stepping into the apartment.
“Hi gorgeous,” he said and approached you to press a kiss on top of your head, then turned to the real estate agent. “Viola. It's a pleasure to see you again.”
“Oh the pleasure is all mine Mr. Barnes,” she said with a giggle, a smile lighting up her face and you looked between them, raising your brows.
“Would you give us a moment while we check the terrace please, Viola?” you asked as you pulled Bucky by his vibranium arm to the huge sliding glass doors, then stepped outside.
Dear God, the skyline was absolutely gorgeous.
“So,” Bucky said. “What do you think?”
You clicked your tongue. “Before I answer that, I have a quick question.”
“Hm?”
“Did you fuck our real estate agent?”
He tilted his head, furrowing his brows together. “What?”
You shrugged your shoulders. “Well because she got all flustered and smiley, and if you did it’s totally fine but it’s gonna be a little awkward honestly—”
“I didn’t!” he said. “She helped with Becca’s apartment, that’s how we know each other.”
“You own multiple skyscrapers in this part of the town and you needed a real estate agent?”
“Do I look like I am personally handling any of the buildings I own?” he asked and you rolled your eyes.
“Fine, fine…” you said. “So why were you late again? You were supposed to be here half an hour ago.”
“My mom dropped by the office,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders and you frowned.
“Why?”
“She wants us to reconsider the guest list.”
“You mean she wants us to invite more people?” you asked and he nodded his head.
“Yup. Good for business, apparently.”
“The guest list and the seating chart are already finished,” you said and he sat down on the nearest sofa which looked so comfortable from where you were standing.
“I mean, would inviting more people hurt?”  
“Yeah Bucky, it would hurt my head,” you said as you glanced at the fireplace in the corner of the terrace, then flung yourself on the armchair across from the sofa. “Winnifred is such a boy mom.”
“Oh come on,” he said with a small laugh. “She loves you.”
“Uh huh, until our divorce.”
He paused for a moment, then cleared his throat.
“I’m kind of convinced your father might actually shoot me when we announce our divorce, so...”
“He won’t shoot you,” you told him, waving a hand in the air. “That being said, we’re not inviting more people.”
“I told her the same thing, that’s why it took me half an hour to convince her,” he said, leaning back to shoot you a mischievous grin. “But I think she’ll get over it if we promise to name our firstborn daughter after her.”
You hummed. “You can get a fish.”
“A fish?”
“A tankful of them, you can name all of them after your family members,” you said and sat up straighter. “So, the apartment?”
“I’m good with it if you are,” he said and stole a look at the windows. “I don’t know shit about this building though, are the windows bulletproof?”  
“I asked the same thing, she said probably not.”
“It’s fine, we can get that fixed,” he said and you felt a smile curling your lips, then kicked at his shoe with yours.
“Come on,” you said as you got up from the armchair. “We should take a look at upstairs, apparently the terrace there is breathtaking as well.”
                                                 *
Apart from the fact that it only had two guest rooms, the penthouse was absolutely perfect. You figured since you were going to get a divorce, you didn’t really need multiple guest rooms at this point, and you were pretty sure you were going to use one of them as an armory anyway.
Before you would meet Becca and Leila for dinner, your father had asked you for lunch together so after you were done at the penthouse -your new home, you reminded yourself- you made your way to the familiar skyscraper of your father’s company, but then checked your wristwatch and pursed your lips together.
You were half an hour early, and you really didn’t feel like seeing Ian any more than necessary.
You took a look at the café across from the skyscraper and lingered there for a moment, then approached there and sat down at a table. The waitress came to you to take your order and you ordered a latte before pulling out your phone to text Becca about the penthouse, but before you could send all the photos, someone pulled the chair across from yours to sit down, making your head snap up.
“Romanoff?” you squeaked out, staring at the beautiful redhead and she gave you a calm smile.
“Natasha is fine,” she said. “Do you mind?”
“Not—not at all!” you managed to say, sitting up straighter. Even though Natasha was one of the major player in the city, you two hadn’t really spent any time together just like you and Stark. You knew she was good friends with Steve and sort of friends with Bucky, but other than that, she was mostly a mystery to you.
“I had a meeting with your father,” she said, pointing at the building with her thumb. “Was just leaving when I saw you and I figured I could give you my congratulations about the wedding.”
“Ah,” you said, nodding fervently. “Thanks. I um—I really appreciate it.”
“Quite the fast wedding though,” she pointed out, making you gulp.
“Yeah we figured, you know, we’ve known each other for all our lives.”
“Right,” she said. “Of course. So are you going to take over right after the wedding then?”
Your eyes widened and you gawked at her while the waitress brought your coffee, and turned to her.
“Could I get you anything?”
“No thank you, I won’t stay for long,” Natasha said and the waitress walked away as you cleared your throat.
“Um, I—” you stammered. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Her gaze was almost reprimanding as if you were trying to make her believe the table in front of her didn’t exist. You knew she was smart, no one who wasn’t smart would be able to survive at the top in this business for so long, but you had been hoping that you weren’t that obvious at the very least.
“I’m asking because if you’re going to do it at the wedding, I’m going to eat something beforehand,” she pointed out. “Considering your idiot cousin is not going to just let that happen, if bullets start flying…”
“What makes you think I want to take over?”
She let out a small laugh.
“Oh come on,” she said. “I never took you as naïve, the least you could do is return the favor. Not to mention, if you want me on your side when the time comes, you’re going to have to cut the bullshit.”
“And if that were true,” you said after a beat. “If I wanted to take over, what would be your opinion?”
She hummed.
“Well,” she trailed off. “For starters, you would make a better business partner than Ian, so you have that going for you.”  
“But…?”
“But you have no field experience,” she pointed out. “And practically zero support in the family.”
“I don’t necessarily need family support to take over,” you said. “It’s happened before. Most people follow power, no matter who holds it.”
“And the experience?”
“I have the training,” you said. “I’ll prove myself, I know very well that I have to.”
She arched a brow, then let a small smile curl her lips.
“Not to mention I’d keep the truce after taking over,” you said. “You can’t say the same thing for Ian.”
“Not very subtle, that one,” she murmured and you licked your lips.
“How did you know though?” you asked. “That I wanted it?”
She rolled her eyes.
“Your father has two starving dogs and only one steak,” she said. “Doesn’t take a genius, really. I told Clint about it way before you and Bucky got engaged.”
You huffed out a laugh and she pushed her chair back, then stood up.
“I mean you do have the training so you know how it ends, don’t you?” she asked. “One of you will have to tear the other’s throat out.”
That made you swallow thickly and you nodded your head, your teeth clenched together. She kept your gaze in hers for a couple of seconds, then shrugged her shoulders.
“Good luck,” she said calmly and walked away from you to get into her car, and you slid a little in your chair, your heart pounding in your chest.
“Thanks,” you muttered. “Good talk.”
                                             *
You had sent your bodyguards away for the night considering Becca already had hers who would accompany you to the nightclub. She had insisted on driving her car on the way there and you had a strong feeling that it was her way of showing Leila there was nothing to be intimidated about the business or her place in it, and that she could adapt to the civilian life just fine.
Love made people do all sorts of things, apparently.
Becca’s bodyguards’ car was following you as you leaned your head on the window, making yourself comfortable in the backseat and you took a look at your phone, then cleared your throat.
“Do you guys think I should text Ethan?”
Becca frowned at you from the rearview mirror before turning her attention on the road and Leila turned sideways in the passenger seat so that she could see you better.
“Do you want to?”
“I mean I feel like I should,” you said. “Technically, the guy took a bullet for me.”
Becca let out a noise of disagreement. “The guy took a bullet while you were there, it’s not the same thing.”
“He wouldn’t have got shot if I weren’t there though,” you pointed out and Leila hummed.
“I mean he’s gonna have to get over the fact that you’re in love with someone else and getting married,” she said. “If you’re friends…”
“We are.”
“You were only friends because he was hoping it would turn into a relationship,” Becca sang in a teasing manner and you rolled your eyes at her.
“I actually like spending time with him though,” you said. “I don’t know, I can’t help feel a bit guilty because—”
You were interrupted when a police car turned the corner to get in between you and Becca’s bodyguards’ car and flashed its headlights, signaling at you to pull over. Becca’s eyes snapped up to yours in the rearview mirror as your stomach dropped and you sat up straighter while Leila looked over her shoulder.
“Babe, they’re telling us to pull over.”
Becca’s jaw clenched before she cleared her throat while you unbuckled your seatbelt.
“Do you mind changing seats with Y/N, my love?”
“Why?”
“Because that’s not the police,” you told her. “No police in this city ever stops us.”
“What do you—” she started but let out a scream when another car hit Becca’s bodyguards car from the side, making it stop as the bullets started flying. Becca reached out to make her duck and you looked back, letting out a curse.
“Leila, the car is bulletproof,” Becca said, her voice calm as if there weren’t bullets hitting the car. “It’s all going to be fine, I just need you to change seats with Y/N.”
“O—okay…” Leila stammered and pushed herself through the small gap between her and Becca’s seat to reach the backseat, and you squeezed at her arm.
“Nothing will happen to you, just keep your head down,” you assured her and pulled your gun from your purse, then got on the passenger seat, adrenaline running through your veins.
“HYDRA?”
“Has to be,” Becca said as she sped up the car, swirling the car left and right so that some of the bullets wouldn’t hit it. “What are you thinking?”
You checked the GPS on the screen. “Sam’s territory.”
“Alright,” she muttered as she found and touched his name on the screen while you counted the bullets that seemed to be endless with the way they were raining on the car.
“Sooner or later that motherfucker is gonna have to change the magazine—”
“Hi Becca,” Sam’s voice reached the car. “Um, why am I hearing gunshots?”
Becca swirled the car on the road again. “HYDRA is following us, I’m in the car with Y/N and Leila.”
“What?!”
“It’s fine, Bucky made sure the car was bulletproof the day I bought it,” Becca added. “Listen, Sam I’m sharing my location with you, we’re like two minutes away from your territory and HYDRA’s men are right behind us so we can’t turn back—”
“I’m sending the cars and calling Buck,” Sam said and Becca hung up the phone as you opened the car window, then leaned out of the window and fired the shot at the man’s hand when he slid the next magazine into the gun, making him let out a yell. You quickly got back in and huffed out a breath.
“They have a bulletproof car as well but that should slow them down for a couple of seconds,” you muttered and turned to look at Leila who was still covering her head, curled up on the backseat.
“Leila?” Becca said. “Talk to me.”
“I—I think I’m fine?” Leila replied, her voice shaking. “Jesus Christ…”
“I’m really sorry about this,” Becca said and Leila shook her head.
“It’s not your fault Becca.”
The bullets started hitting the car again and you gritted your teeth, then checked the GPS again while Becca stepped on the accelerator.
“Babe, remember how you asked why the truce was so important in this city?” she asked Leila. “This is why.”
The moment your car entered Sam’s territory, two cars coming from the opposite direction turned their headlights on and wheezed past you, surrounding the car behind you. Becca pulled over and let out a breath, closing her eyes for a moment before she reached out to hold your hand to squeeze it.
“You okay?”
“Mm hm,” you said, your heart still beating in your ears as your phone started vibrating on the backseat. “You?”
“Peachy,” she said as she unbuckled her seatbelt, and touched Leila’s back. “Leila?”
Even you could tell that Leila was shaken up but she raised her head and wiped at her eyes, sniffling.
“I’m okay,” she rasped out. “Is it safe now?”
“Yeah,” Becca said. “I—Leila, I’m incredibly sorry for this…”
“Not your fault,” Leila said, her voice still trembling even if she tried to smile. “And I’m fine. We’re all fine.”
“I’ll give you guys a minute,” you managed to say and grabbed your phone before you stepped out of the car. Bucky’s name was flashing on the screen and you took a deep breath, then answered it and took it to your ear.
“Becca is fine,” you said. “Leila too. Sam’s people are here.”
There was a second of silence on the other side of the line before you heard Bucky letting out a relieved breath.
“Sweetheart?” he said, his voice gentle. “Are you alright?”
You bit inside your cheek, still trying to get rid of the fear churning your insides.
“Mm hm.”
“Did you get hurt?”
“No, I shot one of them in the hand,” you said, your eyes falling on the three HYDRA men Sam’s people had dragged out of the car. The sight of one of them still holding onto his bleeding hand made the anger rush through your system so fast that it made your head spin, your vision going red.
Attacking you was one thing but attacking your friends and putting them in danger was another.
And you were not going to let that happen.
“Good job,” Bucky said softly as if trying to calm you down. “I’m on my way, alright?”
“Uh huh,” you said and hung up as you gripped your gun tighter, then pushed the phone into your pocket to make your way to the crowd. Sam’s people all turned to you before one of them stepped closer and you tried to focus through the blinding anger, dragging your gaze from the captives to her.
“Ma’am,” she said, stretching out her hand so that you could shake it with your free hand. “My name is Aubrey. Mr. Wilson let us know about what happened, he is on his way here. Is everyone in the car alright?”
“Yeah,” you said through frozen lips. “Thank you Aubrey. I really appreciate it.”
“Of course,” she said and you walked past her to get closer to HYDRA’s men. The one who was cradling his bloody hand glared at you, then spat at the ground.
“Doesn’t matter where you take us, I’ll die before I speak,” he growled and you arched a brow, then shrugged your shoulders calmly as if fury wasn't pounding in your head.
“Happy to follow your schedule buddy.”
You raised your gun and fired it right between his eyes, his lifeless body hitting the ground as the loud shot echoed through the road. Aubrey raised her brows and exchanged glances with one of her men while you lowered the gun and wiped the blood off your face.
“I’ll be over there until my fiancé gets here,” you said, motioning at the direction of Becca’s car. “Thanks again.”
 With that, you made your way to the car and jumped to sit on the trunk so that you wouldn’t interrupt Becca and Leila’s conversation. You put the gun beside you with a sigh, then crossed your legs and leaned back on your palms, adrenaline still roaring through you.
“Great,” you murmured, turning your gaze up to the sky. “Here goes my night I guess.”
Chapter 13
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bruhnze · 1 month
Text
Personal records - Lucy Bronze x Ona Batlle
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This is for the pookie that asked. Thank you @okaybronze i had fun writing this, this one is dedicated to you!
Thank you to this, this, this, this and thisssss anon. (you guys sure know how to inspire me)
Summary: This is in an alternative universe where Ona and Lucy are not footballers. Lucy is a personal trainer, Ona is a buisnesswoman.
Wordcount: a bigggggg one 12k+, so i advise to get comfy
Warnings: Minors DNI, smut. It has a lottt of plot bcs i got carried away, but what's new :)
I hope you like it, and i hope i didn't make any mistakes while copy-pasting this thing to here, as this was quite the big one and i proofread in Word so.. if something doesn't make sense, you can ask me, i think i did it right tho :)
Personal Records.
The Batlle family was one of the richest families on the whole planet of earth. In the last years of his working life, Ona's grandfather had completely invested in the internet and technology. His eldest son, Ona's father, had taken over the business and helped it to even greater success. They dominated the tech industry, from hospital equipment to mobile phones and coffee machines.
With so much money and only two children, Ona and her brother Joan were doing anything but bad.
Yet, especially since she had that head start, Ona wanted to create a legacy of her own. Unlike Joan, who filled his time with vacations and his DJ career.
But Ona’s passion wasn’t tech, she liked using her iPhone, yes, but she had no special talent or interest in the subject.
No. Her passion was architecture. She had studied it in college and with her dad paying her tuition,  it gave her all the time in the world to go networking at business events. One thing led to another, and by the age of 20 she already owned 15 buildings.
Now, just after her 25th birthday, she had a portfolio of hundreds of buildings and apartments, and was a very well-known high-class real estate agent all over Europe.
She didn’t like the way her life was filled to the brim with meeting after meeting and the fact that she sometimes felt like she was living in airplanes more than in buildings, the thing she loved most in the world, but it was worth it if she could once again sell a characteristic old building to the right owner.
That was the most perfect thing about her profession in Ona’s opinion, sometimes a house was perfect for a certain type of person, she couldn't explain it, it was just a feeling, but when she closed such a deal, it was one of the few moments that Ona could feel a little bit of satisfaction and happiness flowing through her body.
This had been a problem for a long time, she had been through some difficult years, feeling lonely at times and working far too hard without having an outlet.
After talking to some professionals and trying a few things, Ona discovered what worked perfectly for her: so she hired a personal assistant and got on weekly exercise sessions.
Sophia was a perfect PA, she was a 33 year old woman who was dedicated to work just as much as Ona was and most of all she could speak English perfectly, as she was from the United Kingdom. That was exactly what Ona needed as she got most tired from answering all the endless calls that she received.
The exercising also worked out perfectly. Her PA always found a personal trainer for her, no matter what city they were staying in. The first few months Ona really had to get in shape, but now she always came back with a wonderfully empty head after sweating for those two hours and of course, the six-pack she ended up with was also a great bonus.
This summer she had to spend in London, it was not really her preferred place to be for the next month or two, as English summers were not really something to write home about, but with the deals she had waiting for her, she happily went.
What also helped was the beautiful apartment she had in the center of London, overlooking the bridge, it was one of her favorite houses.
But besides the deals she had to close, she also wanted to relax and exercise a bit. Maybe she would even have time to go shopping.
Wednesday – Ona’s penthouse, London
A week before the big deal, Sophia and Ona arrived in London.
"Miss Batlle," the doorman said, as they walked into the building where Ona ‘lived’, or at least she did for 1 or 2 months a year. She was surprised they guy remembered and greeted him happily.
‘’You sure you don’t want an hotel room?’’ Ona asked as they were standing in the elevator.
Sophia shook her head, ‘’for me it’s easier to be close to you, safes me travel time’’ she sincerely confirmed, ‘’oh gosh, do you want some privacy, I’m sorry I didn’t-
‘’No, no, está bien’’ Ona smiled, ‘’I admire your work ethic, I was just wondering if you didn’t miss privacy’’.
‘’Well your penthouse is very big’’ Sophia smiled, ‘’and it’s not like I have a husband to call or something’’.
‘’Yeah’’ Ona grinned, ‘’our love lives are doomed’’.
A careful smile tugged on Sophia’s mouth, ‘’well, it has been a while since I had to leave space for a date in your schedule’’.
Ona smiled internally at the way Sophia got more and more comfortable with her, she was usually very professional, something Ona admired, but sometimes she felt Sophia and her could be friends a bit more, as she suspected her PA was actually a pretty funny person.
‘’It has’’ Ona confirmed, ‘’i'm basically celibate at this point’’, she added chuckling.
‘’Ona!’’.
At the same time the elevator stopped at the top floor with a ding.
‘’It is true though’’, Ona said as she stepped out the elevator to open the door ‘’maybe I should add searching dating sites to your to do’s’’.
Sophia groaned as she followed her, ‘’I’ll do it if you would really want that, but I do want to show you my current to do list before’’.
‘’I’m joking Soph’’ Ona said as she took of her heels and dropped her handbag, ‘’I trust you a lot, but, I do think love is something that just needs to happen, I don’t believe in dating apps’’.
‘’Well I do think you need to go out to make that happen’’ Sophia chuckled, ‘’or are you hoping to have a really hot woman buying a house off of you?’’.
‘’Hmm’’, Ona said as she walked into the big living area and stared outside of the windows, ‘’that would be the best thing ever, and I’d know she got taste’’.
Laughing Sophia walked in behind her, pulling her suitcase along ‘’do I got the same room as last time?’’.
‘’Mhm’’.
Sophia laughed to herself as she walked to the familiar room she had slept in before, recognizing that Ona had entered her thoughtful mode, something that often happened in places with a good view, and when Ona was thinking it was best not to disturb her.
..
They had ordered dinner, a bit tired from the travel they had decided to eat in and discussing the details of their work trip and calling it an early night.
Sophia had already set up meetings with various clients in a rented meeting room, made a list with properties they needed to visit and when the viewings would be and had booked a personal trainer.
‘’Sadly she is only available once a week’’ Sophia had said, knowing Ona liked to exercise two times a week for two hours, ‘’but she was the only one available in this period, apparently most trainers have this thing called -summer break-‘’ she joked, ‘’but she is really good, I read a dozen of reviews and she also trains athletes when they’re in between seasons’’.
‘’She?’’ Ona asked after the PA was done talking.
Sophia stilled, ‘’oh is that not-
‘’It’s okay, just surprised’’.
‘’I read she can be quite the pusher, helping people break their personal records’’.
Ona laughed, ‘’well I hope she doesn’t expect such a level of me’’.
Sophia frowned, ‘’you’re well fit, I’ve seen you in the pool, you have a killer body’’.
‘’Aesthetics is different to performance’’ Ona decided, ‘’anyways, thanks for arranging that, you’re the best’’.
..
Friday morning – Ona’s penthouse
‘’Okay I’m heading out to the gym then’’ Ona called through the living space.
‘’Have fun’’ Sophia called back, ‘’don’t break too many personal records!’’.
..
Friday morning - Bronze Fitness Forge
It was a nice building, Ona was pleased as she walked inside to search for the gym owned by one ‘Lucy Bronze’.
Ona thought it was a perfect name for a business owner and she liked the way the nameplates that showed the way were also done in Bronze, it was chic.
The Catalan businesswoman got to the front desk and told the lady behind it her name.
"Ah for Bronze herself" the lady smiled, "you may use dressing room 2, you will recognize it by the number on the door, when you've changed you just go through the other door in the changing room and then you're in the gym".
"Great. Thank you." Ona said in her business voice. It just happened whenever she spoke to people that were working.
"You can leave your bag inside the changing room but we've also got lockers".
"It's okay" Ona said, "only have some clothes with me".
The changing room looked very nice, Ona appreciated the way that this whole place was set up, it was not clinical or characterless, but it was very neat.
After changing, Ona went into the gym.
A dark-haired woman, just a little taller than her stood with her back to the door, the silhouette was muscular built, broad shoulders protruding from the tank top she wore.
Ona cleared her throat, ´´hello´´.
 The woman turned around from what she was doing and met her with a smile, ´´oh hey´´ she said, ´´uhm´´, she strutted over to Ona and offered her hand, ´´Lucy´´.
´´Ona´´, Ona replied as she mirrored the smile Lucy was wearing. Ona was delighted to notice the woman infront of was rather hot, but she didn´t want to be objectifying and most of all, she was here to clear her head, not to drool over a woman. So she shook the thought from her head and focused back on what she was here for.
´´So´´ Lucy said as she retracted her hand.
Only then Ona realized she was shaking it for a little too long.
´´Oh yes, I´m here for a two hour training session´´.
´´Yes´´ Lucy chuckled, Ona thought it made her look cute, ´´so what are we working with, you didn´t attach a schedule or any of your records or something, did you bring them?´´.
‘’What?’’ Ona said confused, ‘’records?’’.
‘’Yeah what field are you in?’’ Lucy tried, ‘’What do you need working on this summer?’’.
‘’Ohhh’’ Ona breathed out with a laugh, realizing what Lucy was thinking, ‘’I am not an athlete’’.
Lucy scrunched her nose and her head turned slightly in confusion, ‘’not?’’.
‘’No I’m town for business and I always train with a personal trainer, my PA booked you’’.
‘’Oh’’.
‘’Do you not train, uh, regular people?’’.
‘’Oh uh, yes’’, Lucy blushed.
‘’But?’’.
‘’Okay no offense’’ Lucy said carefully, ‘’but they’re usually.. a bit.. older’’.
Now it was Ona’s turn to be confused, ‘’why?’’.
‘’it’s expensive’’ Lucy said, hating herself for being so awkward.
‘’ohhh’’ Ona chuckled, ‘’well we better spend those expensive minutes good, shall we?’’.
‘’Yeah I’m sorry, I’m trying to work on that whole -not judging people by their cover- thing’’.
‘’It’s okay’’ Ona said cheerfully ‘’I come to clear my head before I have some important meetings next week’’.
‘’Great’’, Lucy said as she had called herself back to her senses ‘’and how can I help you with that’’.
‘’Well, I always go to a personal trainer because I don’t know anything about training, so I just - listen, do it and enjoy the muscle ache the day after’’.
‘’Hey’’ Lucy laughed, ‘’people always call me crazy when I say - I enjoy that’’.
Ona shrugged, ‘’one of the few things that make me feel alive’’.
“Okay, so you want to get completely worn out” Lucy chuckled, “we’ll make that happen”.
Ona gulped as Lucy took off, damn, this woman was cute.
They had been working out for almost 2 hours without much talking, Ona enjoyed it, Lucy respected the fact that she was doing this for relaxation, not for dumb chit chat, she hated when trainers were like that.
‘’Do you have a neck issue?’’ Lucy asked out of the blue.
Ona looked up, surprised but not in a negative sense ‘’yeah, how did you notice?’’.
‘’It’s stiff’’ Lucy stated, ‘’ I graduated as a sports physiotherapist’’ she offered as an explanation.
‘’Really?’’.
 ‘’Yes and right now I’m working on some injury research, stretching and massages are a great interventions for stiffness’’.
‘’So next time we start with neck stretches?’’ Ona joked.
Lucy nodded, ‘’best recipe is stretching – exercise – tissue massage’’.
''Well then, guess I'll do that next time, sometimes my neck really hurts, so I hope it will help''.
‘’Your neck hurts?’’.
‘’Yes, I always just assume it’s my stress traveling to my weak spot’’.
‘’Do you want me to massage that right now really quick? We’ve got-‘’ she looked at her watch, ‘’-10 minutes left’’.
‘’You?’’ Ona let out before she could stop herself.
Lucy crooked her head ‘’yeah?’’ she laughed, ‘’who else?’’.
‘’Ahh’’ Ona chuckled as she spotted the physio bench in the corner of the gym, ''that's where that thing is for''.
‘’Yup’’ Lucy said as she swayed on her feet, ‘’So cooling down? Or quick rub down of the neck?��’.
‘’Well if you’re offering..’’ Ona said as she looked at the big hands Lucy fiddled with, ‘’I do have to warn you that I’m a bit sweaty’’.
Lucy chuckled, ‘’if you weren’t I wouldn’t be good at my job’’.
...
Friday - Ona's penthouse
‘’Hello’’, Ona called out as she stepped back into her apartment. She felt amazing, Lucy was great with her hands and after the hot shower she took, she felt totally relaxed.
‘’How was it?’’, Sophia asked from behind her computer.
‘’fucking amazing’’ Ona said dreamily, before she stepped into the living room and snapped back to reality, ‘’uh yeah, it was good’’.
Sophia chuckled, ‘’whattt happeneddddd?’’.
‘’She’s hot’’ Ona said as she went through the fridge, ‘’and great with her hands’’.
‘’WHAT?’’ Sophia yelped, ‘’did you hook up with her?’’.
‘’Oh dios mío Soph! no, who do you think I am!’’ Ona shook her head amused, ‘’she gave me a sports massage’’.  
‘’Ohhh, hot and handy’’ Sophia chuckled.
‘’You sure you couldn’t book her for more than once a week?’’.
‘’I’ll try again for you’’ Sophia said with a grin, ‘’maybe I can book her for some nightly exercises’’.
‘’Soph!’’ Ona said sternly, ‘’no objectification!’’.
‘’Sorry miss Batlle’’ Sophia answered timidly, ‘’I’ll call them later’’.
‘’It’s okay’’ Ona smiled, ‘’thanks for getting groceries’’ she said as she took eggs from the fridge.
...
Tuesday evening - Bronze Fitness Forge, London
It was a couple of days later, Sophia had bribed Lucy Bronze’s secretary if she could at least ask the woman herself if she could do a couple of more lessons, ‘’Hello, yes, Miss Batlle’s PA, uhm, my boss, she wants to exercise two times a week and I was wondering if you had some more spaces available, she doesn’t mind if it’s outside of office hours, or if it costs extra’’.
Eventually she had persuaded the woman, one and a half times the rate for two hours in the evening, when Lucy actually exercised herself.
Sophia didn't mind making a little effort, she was just happy that Ona was okay with the trainer, that couldn’t always be said.
So this night, at a quarter to eight, Ona walked towards the building with the ‘Bronze Fitness Forge’ logo and headed in.
‘’Hey, miss Batlle’’ Lucy called out from a few meters behind and started jogging towards the door.
Ona held it open for her, ‘’you can call me Ona’’ she said as she let the woman pass.
‘’Oh right, hi Ona’’ Lucy smiled awkwardly, ‘’uhm, to the gym?’’.
‘’Mhmm’’.
Lucy unlocked the door and let Ona in, out of habit Ona walked to dressing room 2, the one she’d used earlier this week too.
Lucy hesitated about what to do, she cringed at herself, she wished she was a bit smoother, ''hey uhm, my stuff is also in 2'' she said as she stopped the door from closing.
''Oh'', Ona looked up, ''i can go to the other-
'''No i'll just take my bag'' Lucy rushed to say.
''Oh no'' Ona said, ''it doesn't bother me, you can change in here as far as I'm concerned''.
‘’O-Okay’’ Lucy said as she looked at the smaller woman, ‘’sure you don’t mind?’’.
Ona looked up with a smile, ‘’should I?’’.
Lucy looked startled ‘’No no, I was just --’’ she mumbled and swallowed the rest of the sentence.
Ona zipped her bag open and got her gym shoes out, she now stood with her back to Lucy, ‘’anyways, had a good dinner?’’ she asked, trying to start some conversation.
‘’Uh yeah’’ Lucy said, now also starting to get her things ‘’I cooked some chicken and vegetables’’.
‘’Nice’’ Ona said as she shimmied down her pants.
Lucy gaze fell on the Spaniards behind, she shook her head, she couldn’t be looking at a client like this, ‘’d-did you have a good dinner?’’ she asked, taking of her shirt.
Ona turned around and sat down on the bench to put her shorts on ‘’yeah I had-‘’  she lagged as she saw the shirtless woman infront of her, who was currently standing with her arms up, struggling to find her arm holes it seemed, she cleared her throat ‘’uhm, I had a business dinner, it was nice but sometimes I get a bit tired of it’’.
Lucy’s head popped up and they looked at eachother. Lucy smiled, ‘’is that why you needed more exercise?’’.
Ona didn’t feel the need to explain anything, frankly, there was not really anything to explain. She had settled for one time a week as she hadn’t known the woman was hot an amazing personal trainer, now that she knew, her assistant had booked her some more time, so she settled on just saying ‘’yes’’.
‘’What branch are you in anyways?’’ Lucy asked as she switched her pants.
‘’Uhm’’ Ona said as she took of her top, ‘’I am a real estate agent’’.
‘’Really’’ Lucy stared at her, partly because she was surprised, partly because the woman looked mesmerizing.
Ona sat up and digged through her bag, it was awkward that she still had to put on her sports bra ‘’yes, I have real estate in a few cities throughout Europe’’ she said and finally found the sports bra. She figured she just had to put no attention to it and quickly get it over with.
Bronze sat down to put her shoes on, ‘’oh.. real estate in a few cities throughout Europe’’ she repeated, ‘’impressive’’.
‘’Thanks’’ Ona said as she took her bra of, ‘’your business is too’’ she turned her head to Lucy ‘’how old are you anyways?’’.
Lucy looked up and blushed when she saw Ona’s bare back, ‘’uhm, I’m 32, and you?’’.
Ona smiled at her, ‘’25’’.
‘’Ah shit, we aren't past your bedtime, are we?’’ Lucy mocked and grinned.
Ona clutched her sports bra infront of her chest and turned around with narrowed eyes, ‘’don’t mock me’’ she said sternly, like how she’d put her workers in place. She had dealt with enough age discrimination, it annoyed her that Lucy did this.
Lucy apologized ‘’oh I’m sorry.. uhm.. I didn’t mean it like that’’. Ona turned around and quickly pulled the sports bra on,.
‘’Uhm, I will start to set up some things, see you in a bit’’ Lucy said before she quickly rushed out of the locker room.
Ona finished dressing up by putting her shoes on and followed her.
‘’Hey I’m sorry, it’s just-  Ona stopped as she saw Lucy carrying a weight plate to the matts.
Lucy smiled ‘’I’m sorry too, I am a bit stupid sometimes, you should take everything I say with a pinch of salt.. i suck at talking to people that’s why I chose sports’’.
‘’-sometimes people do not take me serious because of my age’’ Ona confessed, ‘’it’s a bit of a sensitive topic for me’’.
‘’I am sorry’’, Lucy said sincerely.
Ona shook her head, ‘’you’re aloud to make jokes, I should be able to deal with them’’.
‘’Noted, see if I can help you improve on that front too’’ Lucy grinned.
‘’too?’’.
‘’Oh yeah-‘’ Lucy said with renewed energy, ‘’I mean, I was going to ask you about it - but by the way you move, I think your neck feels better’’.
Ona smiled, ‘’oh soo much, I have had the best days honestly, how could I forget - I wanted to thank you for it, I feel so… loose, uh, supple’’.
Lucy held her hands up, ‘’magic hands’’ she said with a wink. Immediately cringing at herself.
Ona laughed, ‘’they seem to be’’.
‘’So’’ Lucy cleared her throat, ‘’stretching, than exercising, which I will leave you to do a bit more on your own than last time because I need to do mine as well, and then last 20 minutes another tissue massage’’.
‘’Sounds good’’.
The stretching went well, Ona learned a few exercises she had never done before, 'good for the back and neck' Lucy had said, and had followed them all before the real work started.
Lucy finished her warm up a bit earlier than she did, which made sense, as she had been warming up all day and she went to set up some weights for herself.
When Bronze started squatting weights with her back to Ona, she couldn´t help but have peek every once in a while.
After her lunges were done Ona asked what she was doing next.
Lucy proposed for Ona to do a bit of cardio on the stair-master, a machine she hated, but Ona agreed and went on it.
Lucy kept squatting, Ona saw her adding small, little plates to the bar each time she got it.
After a few minutes, the Spaniards thoughts got interrupted, the low grunts were swapped with a yelp, she was startled and almost fell of the stair-master, luckily enough she could jump of in one piece and put the machine off.
‘’What happened?’’ Ona said as she walked towards the English trainer.
Lucy looked up as she undid her waistbelt and wrist wraps, ‘’hm?’’.
Ona came closer, ‘’it sounded like you were in pain’’.
‘’Oh’’ Lucy said as she looked better at Ona, ‘’no I just broke my squatting record’’.
 Ona chuckled.
‘’Wait did it sound like was in pain?’’ Lucy laughed now too, ‘’I don’t know what to think of that’’.
‘’Well I’m glad you’re alive’’.
‘’and broke my PR’’.
Ona rolled her eyes, ‘’how much was it?’’.
‘’139,5 kg’’ (307.5 lbs) Lucy stated as she took out her phone, ‘’let me put it in my notes real quick and then I’m all yours again, I’m sorry for just directing you to the cardio machine, I had this on my agenda for tonight’’.
‘’You have a schedule for when you’re gonna break which record?’’ Ona laughed.
After Lucy had typed it in her phone she looked up, ‘’is that weird?’’.
‘’No’’ Ona shrugged, ‘’I like when people are driven’’.
‘’How much is your squatting PR’’.
Ona laughed, ‘’not even half of what you do, I think 50 kg, and that includes the bar’’.
Lucy chuckled, ‘’want to do 55?’’.
´´Let´s see if I can do 50 first maybe?’’.
Lucy first had her squat the bar alone and with 5kg increments she guided Ona to a 50kg squat.
At 50kg Ona had trouble getting up, her legs shaking as she did a rep for the 3rd time. She felt Lucy stepping a bit closer, ''you can do it'' Lucy said, ''and if not, I got you''.
Instead of feeling more at ease, Ona became more nervous. She felt Lucy's hands hovering just above her skin.
When she remained in her squatting position, with wobbly legs, Lucy held her sides, ''together then''.
With a little help, Ona stood up again, and immediately she racked the weight and stepped forward, shaking her legs.
‘’Legs tired from the stair machine?’’ Lucy asked.
Ona nodded ‘’think so, maybe next time we can try again’’.
‘’Oh we are’’ Lucy smiled, ‘’and now you’re doing 45, 3 sets of 4 reps’’ she said as she started changing weights.
‘’I don’t know if i-‘’
‘’-I believe in you’’ Lucy cut her off, ‘’and I’m spotting you so if you can’t I’ll help’’.
Ona looked at her with dark eyes, ‘’let’s just do something else’’.
Lucy’s head tilted, ‘’no, why?’’.
‘’I’m tired of squats’’ Ona said, mostly because she was and partly because she didn’t want to fail and have Lucy saving her, as she got way to distracted by the way she felt under their skin contact.
‘’Do your other trainers just accept that?’’ Lucy asked as she finished preparing the bar of weights, she stood infront of Ona now, ‘’in 5 sessions I’ll have you squat 55’’.
 Ona rolled her eyes, ‘’I don’t care about how much I can squat’’.
The English woman grinned, ‘’no but you did ask me to help you get sore muscles, If you just listen to me I can guarantee you will not be able to walk the stairs tomorrow, how does that sound?”.
Again Ona rolled her eyes, this time with a little smile ‘’fine’’ she said before quietly adding ‘’molest’’. (annoying person).
They took positions again, but Lucy stood a bit closer then last time. Ona was almost going to make a comment about needing room to breath when Lucy whispered something, ‘’think of your most annoying rival’’.
Ona took the weights on her shoulder, she figured to just ignore Lucy and started squatting, the first 4 went easy.
She racked the bar and stepped forward to shake her legs again.
‘’See, that helped’’, Lucy said ‘’come, another set’’.
‘’Your comment did nothing’’ Ona said, getting slightly annoyed at the woman.
‘’Oh’’ Lucy studied her face, ‘’sorry’’.
Ona took place under the weights again, ‘’okay, let’s get this over with’’.
With two squats her legs started quivering again.
Lucy let her figure it out by herself, she kept close, but didn’t say anything or touch her.
Ona took a deep breath and forced herself up with a deep breath out.
"Good job" Lucy said, but when Ona tried to hang the weight on the rack she was less pleased, "uh-huh, one more rep".
Ona groaned and kept standing there, doubtful about her abilities.
‘’Ona, one more’’ Lucy said sternly.
Ona was allergic to getting ordered around and almost wanted to stop but a fire lit inside her with Lucy’s next comment, ‘’what is it with youth and giving up’’.
She bit back a grumble and did one more squat easily before racking the bar again.
She shook her legs out while still being under the bar and after a few seconds she took it on her shoulders again, squatting with pure annoyance and anger, only at the last squat she had to do she struggled again.
‘’Is your anger already used up?’’ Lucy teased, ‘’I expected more spirit at such a young age’’.
With that she groaned and came up for a last time, angrily racking the weight.
‘’Good, shake it off and we’ll head to leg presses’’.
Ona turned around and looked at her instructor, ‘’more leg exercises’’ she grumbled.
Lucy grinned, ‘’I’ll talk to you on Friday, you’ll thank me’’.
Ona rolled her eyes and followed the English woman to the leg press.
After a long session it was finally time for the massage.
‘’You can take your shoes off, I’ll massage your lower body, back and neck’’ Lucy said.
Ona didn’t respond, ‘’sounds good?’’ Lucy tried.
‘’Oh yeah’’ Ona said tiredly, ‘’perfect’’ she said as she took off her shoes.
‘’Was I too harsh?’’.
Ona looked up at Lucy, ‘’hm, no’’.
‘’Sure?’’.
‘’Yeah I am, I’ll tell you if you go too far, I’m not shy about speaking my mind’’.
‘’Okay, good’’.
Lucy started massaging Ona’s leg and Ona couldn’t help but closer her eyes at how good it felt.
‘’Okay that was that, how do you feel?’’ Lucy said as she was done.
Ona smiled, ‘’great, thank you, I’m sorry if I came across as a bitch at one point’’.
Lucy grinned, ‘’at one point? Hmm..’’.
Ona slapped Lucy’s shoulder playfully, ‘’oh come on’’.
Lucy chuckled, ‘’I’m kidding, you don’t come across as a bitch’’ she looked at Ona with a mischievous grin, ‘’just a bit spoiled’’.
The Catalans mouth dropped open, ‘’I’m not spoiled!’’.
‘’I’m joking’’ Lucy said as she rested her hand on Ona’s forearm, ‘’I’m proud you finished those sets, that proves character’’.
‘’Oh’’ Ona furrowed her eyebrows, ‘’because I had a choice’’.
‘’Ofcourse’’ Lucy tilted her head, ‘’you just said you would speak your mind if you really didn’t want to do it’’.
Ona rolled her eyes, ‘’okay, maybe I did want to do it’’.
‘’Good’’ Lucy said with a smile as she withdrew her hand, ‘’well, you go shower, I have to clean up this place’’.
‘’I can help?’’.
‘’No’’ Lucy shook her head, ‘’I like to do it myself and I want to do a couple more exercises’’.
‘’You’re crazy’’.
‘’I’ll see you Friday’’ Lucy chuckled, ‘’and then I’ll make you do even more, because you shouldn’t be able to be this much of a smartass if those exercises really were that hard for you’’.
Ona rolled her eyes, ‘’yeah see you Friday’’.
In the dressing room Ona jumped straight under the shower, after quickly washing herself and rinsing her hair out, she walked to her bag wrapped in a towel.
As she dug for clean underwear her phone rang, it was Sophia, she had a couple of questions about a client.
‘’Why are you still working Soph?’’ Ona chuckled but as she looked at the time her smile faded, ‘’no way, 22.45 already?’’.
Now it was Sophia’s time to laugh, ‘’yeah got a bit carried away exercising huh?’’.
‘’So it seems’’ Ona said ‘’anyways, for mister Potter you-
-did you ask her number yet?’’ Sophia interrupted her.
‘’Soph! that would not be professional’’ Ona said.
‘’You think she’s hot, what’s wrong with asking a number’’.
‘’Yeah she attractive’’ Ona confessed, ‘’but I don’t even know if she’s a lesbian, maybe she’s just sporty’’.
‘’So ask’’ Sophia simply said.
‘’No I-
A knock on the door interrupted her.
Ona looked up to see Lucy standing in the doorway, ‘’You forgot your shoes’’ she smiled.
Ona’s face got redder than the 2,5 kg weight plates that Lucy’s gym owned, ‘’oh uh thanks’’.
‘’No worries’’, Lucy said as her eyes lingered on Ona’s body for a second before she redirected herself to face Ona and , ‘’see you Friday’’.
‘’Yeah’’ Ona smiled, ‘’see you Friday’’.
Lucy turned around.
‘’Oh and’’ Ona called out.
Lucy turned back around with a smile.
‘’uh, thanks for my shoes’’ Ona said.
Lucy’s smile faded a little but she nodded, ‘’ofcourse’’.
The dressing room door fell closed behind her.
‘’Aahhhhhhgggg’’ Sophia screamed in her ear, ‘’I felt the sexual tension through the phone’’.
‘’Sophia!’’.
‘’What, you fumbled so hard, you said thanks twice, for a second I thought you were going to ask her number’’.
‘’Yeah’’ Ona sighed as she thought about the fact that she was originally planning too, before remembering she had Sophia on the phone, ‘’and give you a listen in on my rejection, don't think so’’.
Sophia groaned, ‘’she likes you too, why are you so uncertain’’.
‘’Why are you so sure, anyways we’ll talk about that client when I’m home’’.
...
Wednesday morning – Ona’s penthouse
It was the next day, Ona woke up in her big bed as the curtain automatically opened and stretched.
As she was completely stretched out, she suddenly shrank, ‘’merda’’ she groaned as a cramp hit her left leg, she tried to hold the muscle but it took a while before the cramp went away.
After the pain had disappeared she got out of bed, walking to the bathroom, when she wanted to lower herself to take place on the toilet she cringed, she couldn’t just normally take a seat, so she held the wall and let herself plop down.
When she got back to her room after peeing, she grabbed her phone to Google what she could do best in this situation.
A protein-rich breakfast, a warm bath and some stretching exercises later, she felt a little better and started her workday.
...
Friday morning - Bronze Fitness Forge
‘’Good morning Property Princess’’ Lucy said as Ona stepped into the gym.
Ona rolled her eyes, ‘’allright Lucy Lift-a-Lot, what are the plans for today’’.
Lucy grinned, ‘’how were your legs Wednesday?’’.
‘’Terrible’’ Ona smiled, ‘’so perfect’’.
‘’Stairs?’’.
‘’Well, I don’t really take those, but the toilet was a pain’’.
Lucy laughed, ‘’good, I suggest more squatting today’’.
Ona scrunched her face, ‘’not to much please, I have this event tomorrow’’.
‘’Work on Saturday?’’.
‘’Well no, it’s like networking event’’.
‘’Oh, is that one of those thing were you have a stand and promote your business’’.
 Ona chuckled, ‘’yeah, but i’m not there with a stand’’.
Lucy tilted her head.
‘’I got invited to look at peoples stands’’ Ona clarified.
‘’Isn’t that like..’’ Lucy didn’t finish her sentence.
‘’What?’’.
‘’Boring?’’.
‘’Yeah’’ Ona laughed, ‘’but its good for my image to show up, and the event payed me to show up’’.
‘’Really’’ Lucy said with disbelieve, ‘’so you’re actually a big name in the real estate world?’’.
‘’I guess’’ Ona shook her head as she laughed, anyways I’ll be bored out of my mind because Soph is taking this weekend off to see her family’’.
‘’Soph?’’.
‘’’Sophia, my PA’’ Ona clarified.
‘’Oh right’’ Lucy nodded, ‘’she was on the phone bribing me’’.
‘’Bribing?’’.
‘’Yeah, you wanted two sessions a week’’.
‘’Oh that’’ Ona nodded slowly, ‘’yeah, I hope she was sensible about it?’’.
‘’Oh yeah yeah, it was not actually bribing, she asked nicely’’.
‘’Good, but anyways, I will be walking around all day, so I need some power left in these legs’’.
Lucy nodded and explained some stretches they were starting with.
..
After the session, where they went a little less extreme as the last time, Lucy gave Ona a massage again. Whilst working her back she broke the silence, ‘’do you not know anyone else in London?’’.
Ona looked at her confused, ‘’what?’’.
‘’For the event, you said you have to go alone, do you not know someone you could take?’’.
Ona shrugged ‘’everyone is on holiday, it’s very last-minute anyways and I wouldn’t drag someone with, I wasn’t kidding when I said it was boring’’ she said into the table.
‘’I think it would be entertaining to see how you talk to everyone professionally’’ Lucy chuckled and acted out a conversation she imagined Ona would have with another realtor. She mockingly acted out the situation, putting on different voices.
Ona’s shoulders shook from her laughter, ‘’I think you will greatly disappointed’’ she laughed.
‘’Yeah?’’ Lucy sad as she put on a pouty face, ‘’is it not like that?’’.
‘’No not at all’’ Ona chuckled, ‘’way more boring’’.
‘’I don’t believe you’’ Lucy challenged.
‘’Well you’re free to join at your own risk’’.
Lucy’s face twisted up in a weird mischievous way, ‘’are you asking me out Batlle?’’.
Ona grinned, ‘’no, I offer you the position to be my plus one to a very boring event so you can entertain me’’.
‘’Well I am free tomorrow’’ Lucy contemplated, ‘’would you like me as your companion?’’.
‘’As long as you don’t publicly mock me’’ Ona rolled her eyes.
Lucy grinned, ‘’I’ll try to keep that for when were alone then’’.
Ona sat up and narrowed her eyes at the taller woman ‘’or like, not do it at all’’.
‘’I’ll see about that’’ Lucy grinned, ‘’what’s the dress code?’’.
‘’uhm, I think you’re best to wear a suit, a light color’’ Ona said as she studied Lucy, ‘’ if you have that’’.
‘’I don’t know’’ Lucy scrunched up her nose, ‘’I’ll have to dig through my closet’’.
‘’Send me a pic, if it’s not good I’ll send some things you could try on’’.
‘’are you going to judge if I look good enough to join your side’’ Lucy laughed, ‘’wow’’.
Ona shrugged, ‘’it’s a cruel world’’.
‘’fine’’ Lucy smiled, ‘’can I get your number?’’.
Ona looked at her with big eyes.
‘’Or do you want me to send Sophia that mirror pic?’’ Lucy grinned.
‘’Oh right, no we’ll exchange numbers, it’s more convenient for tomorrow too’’.
‘’How late is it anyways?’’.
They spoke about the details until Lucy noted that her new appointment would arrive in two minutes. With that Ona went to the changing room and got under the showers, she couldn’t hide the fact that the thought of spending tomorrow with Lucy made her feel giddy.
..
Friday afternoon – Ona’s penthouse
‘’Okay, I’ll see you Monday morning’’ Sophia said as she embraced Ona, ‘’have fun with your hot date’’.
Ona rolled her eyes but didn’t deny her PA’s words, ‘’you have fun at your parents’ house’’ she wished Soph.
‘’Mhm, I will’’ Sophia said as she walked towards the door with her suitcase, ‘’see you Monday!’’.
‘’Bye Soph’’ Ona called out as she got distracted by her phone buzzing.
An unsaved number had sent her texts, she opened her phone curiously.
@ Bronze Fitness Forge: hey, this is Lucy, hereby my outfit, hope you approve 😅
@ Bronze Fitness Forge: *mirror selfie of Lucy in a mint green suit with a white blouse*
@ Bronze Fitness Forge: ignore my bare feet, sorry, I’ll wear shoes tomorrow I promise
Ona changed the contact name to Lucy and texted back.
@ Ona Batlle: Looks good, what shoes do you plan on wearing?.
@ Lucy: sneakers?
@ Ona Batlle: no.
@ Lucy: i don’t have much else
@ Ona Batlle: what size are you?
@ Lucy: a UK size 7
Ona asked her for her address and ordered her a few shoes and a few white blouses, from a store she had great relations with, making them deliver the products before 10 o’clock tonight.
...
Friday night – Ona’s penthouse
@ Lucy: why did I just receive 4 pairs of shoes and 3 white blouses
@ Ona Batlle: fit them, see which you like best
@ Lucy: I have blouses
@ Ona Batlle: your suit is nice, can’t ruin it with a cheap blouse
@ Lucy: how can you recognize that from a picture
@ Ona Batlle: I got taste
@ Lucy: spoiled
@ Ona Batlle: do you want to come still?
@ Lucy: *3 pictures in the different blouses*
Ona admired the way Lucy’s arms looked in the blouses, the woman was well fit, with one particular blouse she swore she could even recognize the outline of abs.
She chuckled when she noticed the shorts Lucy was wearing, Barcelona football shorts.
@ Ona Batlle: nice shorts 😉
@ Lucy: shut up, which blouse.
@ Ona Batlle: deffo the one with the green buttons
@ Lucy: that one feels a bit tight
@ Ona Batlle: it looks good, but if you feel like it will rip, I’ll go for the one with the collar that’s got leaves on the inside.
@ Lucy: what shoe do you like best, they all fit
@ Ona Batlle: blouse got brown buttons so maybe the brown Loafers
@ Lucy: great, they were the comfiest
@ Ona Batlle: pic of the complete fit?
@ Lucy: tomorrow, I don’t want to put everything on again
@ Ona Batlle: lazy
@ Lucy: demanding
@ Ona Batlle: you know me so well
@ Lucy: you send a pic of your outfit then
@ Ona Batlle: no.
@ Lucy: then you’ll just see tomorrow
@ Ona Batlle: fine
Lucy was disappointed Ona didn’t ask her to send a full outfit picture more, she would’ve done it with a bit more insistence, but she guessed Ona wasn’t someone who lowered herself to such things, she was sure Ona would never beg for anything.
...
Saturday afternoon – London, network event.
The event went great, Lucy had been the perfect acquaintance. Making jokes in quiet, boring moments, but shutting up when Ona was talking to people she needed to talk to.
Lucy had on her part also enjoyed the event, there had been going around servers with appetizers and drinks, although they tasted amazing, Lucy tried to stay modest and allowed herself to accept something once in every three time she got offered something.
It was also fun to be around Ona, the woman was classy, she looked beautiful in the emerald colored dress she wore. She wore white heels and had a white bag with her, Lucy didn’t know if she had seen anyone walk as comfortable and elegant in heels as Ona did.
The event had gone by quite quickly, it was already passed eight o'clock.
‘’Oh fuck’’ Ona whispered, pulling Lucy from her thoughts.
They were standing together after Ona had just finished another conversation with an old guy, Lucy had introduced herself too and Ona had told the man they were working on a project together, it was not true but Lucy didn’t mind, and the guy didn’t ask any questions about it anyways.
‘’What?’’ Lucy asked, turning towards Ona.
‘’Don’t look’’ Ona said discretely, ‘’my ex is there, I didn’t know she’d be here’’.
Lucy suppressed her curiosity and kept looking at Ona, ‘’didn’t end well?’’.
‘’No she cheated’’ Ona grimaced, ‘’she’s the worst, she plays unfair both in business and in her private life’’.
‘’That sucks, how long ago-
-oh my god’’ Ona interrupted her, ‘’she’s coming over’’.
As Lucy stood straight again to prepare for an uncomfortable encounter, Ona leaned in and whispered something to her ‘’It was a year ago, if you like you could act like my girlfriend, that would be funny’’.
Lucy grinned and looked at Ona’s face ‘’ofcourse babe’’.
Ona chuckled at the way Lucy took on the role immediately, ‘’if she questions us we answer one after the other’’ she quickly whispered when the women almost had reached them.
‘’Ona!’’ the woman said as she looked at the pair, ‘’nice to see you again’’.
‘’Evelyn’’ Ona said coldly, ‘’how are you’’ she said as the woman forced a greeting with two kisses on her.
‘’I’m good’’ Evelyn said as she directed her gaze to Lucy and eyed the woman, ‘’you to it seems’’.
Lucy extended her hand to the woman who was also wearing a suit, Lucy giggled a little inside at the fact that it was a dark colored suit, since Ona had asked her to wear a light colored suit, ''Lucy, Lucy Bronze'' she introduced herself.
‘’Evelyn Thomas, Thomas real estate’’ the woman said, ‘’what do you do’’.
Lucy smiled, ‘’I am a sports physio, I help injured athletes with their recovery, I am currently also doing research into knee injuries''.
‘’Charity work?’’ Evelyn rudely asked.
Lucy replied with a smile, ‘’well the research doesn’t really bring in money, but that’s a passion of mine, no, I earn my money with my gym, but I get if you’ve never heard of it, it is an quite expensive membership’’.
Evelyn huffed, ‘’sure’’ she turned to Ona.
Lucy stepped closer to Ona rubbed the small of her back before she let her hand rest there.
‘’How long have you two been together?’’.
Ona smiled ‘’about half a year, right Luce?’’. She asked sweetly as she turned to Lucy, who already had her eyes on her.
‘’Best half year of my life’’ Lucy smiled, ‘’It feels like last week that we met’’.
‘’Right babe?’’ Ona sighed out and reached to pet Lucy’s face and kept looking at her, hoping Evelyn would just take the hint and leave.
‘’Allright’’ the woman said, but the pair didn’t look up.
‘’Well, great saying you again Ona’’, she tried.
Ona let her hand glide from Lucy’s face and turned back to Evelyn ‘’oh yeah, I’ll see you around’’.
Lucy smiled, ‘’nice meeting you Evelyn’’ she said in an overly sweet voice.
Lucy took two glasses of champagne from a server that passed them, ‘’here you go darling’’ she joked as she handed Ona one.
‘’Thank you’’ Ona sight as she looked around, ‘’wow, this bitch is still looking at us’’ she whispered in Lucy’s ear.
‘’Behind us?’’ Lucy asked quietly, getting a bit more into Ona’s personal space.
‘’Yeah, don’t look’’.
‘’No I was curious if I could get your consent’’.
‘’For what’’ Ona chuckled.
‘’Touch your butt, I bet she would eat herself up, she is so hung up on you still’’.
Ona grinned and leaned in to kiss Lucy’s neck softly, ‘’do it’’.
The Catalan peeked from Lucy’s neck at the woman a few meters behind them, she saw the woman had her gaze already fixed on Lucy’s hand, the hand that had rested on her lower back until now, smoothly Lucy let her hand travel south and squeezed Ona’s bum. Ona looked back at Lucy’s neck, she didn’t feel the need to watch Evelyn’s face a second longer then necessary.
Ona chuckled as she felt a shiver run down her spine from the way Lucy’s strong hand dug into her clothed flesh.
Lucy rubbed the place she had just squeezed gently and let her hand rest on the small of Ona’s back again, just a bit lower then she had been before.
‘’Thank you’’ Ona quietly said.
Lucy looked at her with a wicked grin, ‘’it was a pleasure’’.
Ona rolled her eyes, ‘’not that, for playing along’’.
‘’I was talking about that’’, Lucy said with raised eyebrows, trying to come across honest, ‘’okay squeezing your butt was fun too I guess’’ she sighed.
Ona’s mouth hang open to act as if she felt offended, ‘’liar’’.
‘’No I feel a bit like a cheap whore’’.
Ona chuckled, ‘’a cheap whore?’’.
‘’You buy me clothes in exchange for physical services’’.
‘’You make it sound like I’ll make you sleep with me’’.
‘’are you not?’’ Lucy said acting disappointed.
‘’Lucy!’’ Ona said in disbelieve, ‘’are you proposing to come home with me’’.
‘’I mean, the house of the best realtor is probably very impressive, maybe you can give me a tour’’.
‘’I thought you joined me to distract me from work, not give me more’’.
Lucy shrugged, ‘’okay, worth a try’’.
Ona grumbled on the inside, she wanted Lucy to come with her, but she wasn’t about to beg, ‘’fine’’ she stated, ‘’let’s go then, this event is dead anyways’’.
..
They were stood in the elevator of Ona’s building, ‘’how are you so bold all of a sudden?’’ Ona asked.
Lucy smirked, ‘’bold, how?’’.
‘’You straight up asked me to sleep with you’’ Ona said as she studied Lucy.
Lucy held her hands up, ‘’I’m confident in my abilities to break personal records with you in several areas, the bedroom being one of them’’.
Ona’s jaw dropped, ‘’does that work on all the girls you hit on’’.
‘’No just the one that are attracted to me’’ she answered with a smug smile.
‘’I’m not- i- how do you-
Lucy grinned, ‘’the dressing rooms are not call-proof, or at least, if it’s a private call, you should probably choose another place from now on’’.
Ona blushed and groaned, ‘’you heard that?’’ she said with a scrunched up nose and palmed her face.
The elevator stopped and with an elegant tone it indicated the arrival to the top floor.
Lucy smiled as the smaller woman walked away with cutely blushed cheeks and opened the door, Lucy followed Ona who stepped in to her appartement.
When she took of her shoes Lucy did the same.
‘’wow’’ Lucy gasped as she walked over to the windows, ‘’this is amazing’’.
‘’Thanks’’ Ona said, ‘’do you want something to drink?’’.
Lucy turned around with a smile, ‘’maybe after the tour? I had some drinks there already’’.
‘’Okay’’ Ona said as she got herself a sparkling water ‘’Okay this is the kitchen, that is the living-
‘’nooo’’ Lucy pouted and walked back to Ona, ‘’the fun way, make me want to buy this place’’ she said as she discarded her jacket on one of the bar stools.
‘’You already would’’.
Lucy rolled her eyes ‘’Like how you-
‘’don’t roll your eyes at me’’ Ona blurted out before she knew it was happening.
Lucy’s mouth fell open, ‘’says you! You roll your eyes every once 10 minutes’’.
Ona walked around the counter and stepped into Lucy’s personal space, ‘’shut up, I can do what I want’’ she said with a grin.
Lucy looked her, quiet from the sudden closeness, ‘’you shut up’’ she said, coming out clumsier than she wanted.
Ona chuckled, ‘’make me shut up then’’ she said as she traced her hand along the row of buttons from Lucy’s blouse.
‘’If you don’t stop me I’ll kiss you’’ Lucy said as she leaned in.
Ona smiled against her lips, ‘’if you don’t kiss me I’ll book you a cab home’’.
Their lips crashed in a hungry, exciting kiss, Lucy was the first to introduce tongue in their facade and Ona cupped the back of her neck as she gladly accepted it in.
Lucy’s hands travelled to the hips she had been eyeing all afternoon, the smaller woman looking delicious at the way the dress hugged her figure just right.
The English pressed herself closer against the Catalan.
Ona broke the kiss.
They both panted as Lucy tilted her head in confusion, ‘’not okay?’’.
‘’How about a quick tour of the bedroom?’’ Ona answered instead.
Lucy gulped, ‘’please’’.
Ona grinned as she took Lucy’s hand and guided her to her bedroom, ‘’wow’’ she gasped for a second time this evening.
‘’Is this enough light for you?’’ Ona asked, ‘’if you want more light we have to close the curtains’’.
Lucy quickly turned to face the woman, ‘’yes, lights on and curtains closed please, I’m not about to be on display for everyone in London to see’’.
‘’that’s why you keep the light off’’ Ona chuckled, ‘’and it can be fun you know, exciting’’.
Lucy shook her head, ‘’nah, as much as I like the view, I bet the view in here will be way better’’.
‘’Oh quite the charmer’’ Ona said as she pushed the button and the curtains started closing, ‘’ let's see if you can live up to all that big talk’’.
Lucy walked over to her and went in for another kiss, much shorter this time, ‘’just give me the green light and I’ll make you experience things you have never before’’.
‘’sure Bronze’’, Ona said as she started to undo to buttons from her blouse, ‘’you have permission do what you want, just stop if I say so’’.
Lucy grinned, ‘’always princess, your wish is my command’’ with that she attached their lips again.
While they were kissing Lucy shook her blouse off, figuring Ona wanted that as she had been tugging on the ting for minutes now. She walked with Ona towards the bed, making her walk backwards. When they were almost there Ona broke the kiss ‘’take my dress off’’ she said breathlessly.
Lucy grinned, ‘’not yet, you look so pretty in it’’ she said before planting her tongue back in Ona’s mouth, a few small sounds escaped the smaller woman as Lucy deepened the kiss and reached to pull up Ona’s dress.
She pushed Ona on the edge of the bed and started kissing her neck, ‘’do you want this’’ she asked between kisses ‘’want me to make you feel so good’’ she asked before licking and sucking the sensitive spots on Ona’s neck.
Ona whimpered, ‘’yes’’.
‘’Allright pretty girl’’ Lucy said she dropped to her knees, she looked up to meet Ona’s eyes as she started to kiss the insides of her thighs, ‘’I bet you taste so good’’ Lucy said as her hands travelled along the skin of Ona’s legs, giving her goose bumps.
‘’Can I taste you?’’ Lucy said as she latched her mouth to Ona’s other leg, she saw the Catalan fighting to keep composure, ‘’y-yes’’ she said with a breathy voice.
‘’Are you so worked up already?’’ Lucy playfully asked as she redirected her gaze to Ona’s thong, a dark-green piece of lace, with an even darker green spot right between the Spaniards legs.
Lucy kissed closer and closer towards the woman’s heat, until she could smell her wetness. Lucy groaned and sat back, ‘’up’’ she ordered as she hooked her fingers in the underwear.
Ona quickly cooperated.
Lucy dropped the thongs on the floor and went back to kissing Ona’s bare legs.
‘’Fuck Lucy, get your mouth on me’’ Ona said jaded.
With a smug face Lucy looked at her, ‘’you still think you’re calling the shots here?’’ she said as she let two fingers glide along Ona’s slick.
‘’Please’’ Ona whimpered.
This was all Lucy needed to hear, the rest of the begging could be done later, now she needed to get a taste.
She spread Ona’s leg wide with her hands as she dove in, letting her tongue glide softly along Ona’s core to make her get used to it.
She reached out for Ona’s hand and placed it in her hair as she kept up the gentle exploration.
When she had found a spot that she felt made Ona quiver, she grinned and kept Ona’s legs apart more strongly before diving in completely.
Ona’s eyes rolled back in their sockets, she head never experienced head like this before.
The skilled tongue rippling against her clit, the strong hands, making her spread out for the English woman on the edge of her bed.
With the hand that was guided to Lucy’s hair she gripped the woman’s dark brown hair, pushing her deeper against her, Ona felt the orgasm building up already. If it didn’t feel this good she would surely have been embarrassed about it.
‘’merda, se sent molt bé’’ (feels so fucking good) Ona moaned before she bit her lips as she struggled to keep herself up, leaning with one hand on the mattress.
Lucy didn’t know what the woman above her was muttering about, but she figured the words were positive. With two fingers of her right hand she teased Ona’s entrance, at this her legs shocked. Lucy looked up.
Ona groaned at the loss of stimulation and looked down at Lucy, ‘’fuck, you can use your fingers’’.
Lucy smirked as she put the fingers inside Ona’s mouth, as Ona sucked at them, covering them in her saliva. Lucy returned to what she was doing, she let her tongue dance along Ona’s clit.
When Ona opened her mouth and moaned, Lucy pulled her hand away and with very little preparation she plunged them inside of the dripping hole between Ona’s legs, deserving a loud guttural moan.
Lucy curled her fingers and searched for Ona’s weak spot, when she’d found it she started thrusting her fingers in a steady but provokingly slow pace.
The difference in paces from Lucy’s tongue and her fingers drove Ona mad, she couldn’t keep her eyes open as her eyes kept rolling back and the arm where she was leaning on was shaking.
After a few second she dropped on her, the leg that Lucy wasn’t keeping open with a hand almost crashed into Lucy but she didn’t budge.
Lucy sat up a bit more and kept working her tongue and hand as she felt Ona’s walls convulsing around her fingers.
She groaned as she felt a new gush of wetness covering her fingers, and dripping on her hand.
With a loud moan and a tight fist in Lucy’s hair, the woman below her orgasmed.
Lucy smiled as she slowly came to a stop and sat back when the hand left her head.
Ona's legs came back together and she stretched with her arms above her, "that was…" she breathed out.
Lucy grinned, ‘’quick?’’ she offered.
Ona sat up and rolled her eyes, ‘’I was going to say good’’.
‘’Both can be true’’ Lucy with a smug face.
..
After a few hours well spent, Lucy and Ona were standing under her rain shower.
‘’Do you want to sleep here?’’ Ona asked as she was lathering herself up with soap.
Lucy grinned ‘’are you asking out of politeness?’’.
‘’Maybe’’ Ona grinned back, ‘’don’t want you to feel like a cheap whore’’.
Lucy laughed, ‘’no I’ll book my own cab home, thanks’’.
‘’I had fun’’ Ona said sincerely, ‘’thanks for coming along’’.
‘’Me too’’ Lucy returned, ‘’and I’m happy for it to be a one time thing’’.
‘’Mhm’’ Ona said, ‘’perfect’’. She was amazed with Lucy’s maturity about the matter, some woman could get very offended.
‘’What do you want me to do with the shoes and shirts?’’ Lucy asked as they were drying off.
Ona smiled, ‘’keep ‘em, give ‘em away, I don’t care, it costs me more to make effort returning them, then what I would get for it’’.
Lucy shook her head in disbelieve but thought it was very kind she had bought her the things, ‘’thank you’’.
Ona nodded, ‘’it was my pleasure’’.
As Lucy walked back to the bedroom to put her suit back on, Ona just put her robe on, she was home alone anyways, she couldn’t help but look at Lucy’s back and ass, looking perfectly toned.
She bended to pick her clothes up and turned around to lay it on the bed, she looked at the clothes before looking at Ona.
Lucy caught the Catalan staring at her abs and grinned, ‘’could I borrow a pair of briefs?’’ she asked, ‘’I can’t put this back on’’, she said as she held her underwear up.
Ona gaze traveled form Lucy’s muscles to the piece of cloth and she smiled, ‘’ofcourse’’ she said before going into her walk-in wardrobe.
She came back and handed Lucy the underwear, ‘’and you can keep this too’’ she winked.
After that, Ona left Lucy to get dressed and went to the kitchen, she downed the glass of sparkling water that was still on the counter and went to her table, opening the laptop that laid there.
In a few minutes she was completely indulged with the things on her screen and hadn’t noticed Lucy been done with getting dressed, now standing infront of her.
‘’Bye Ona’’ Lucy said as she walked closer to the woman.
Ona jumped at the voice breaking the silence, but quickly got her composure back and smiled, ‘’sorry, I was reading something’’ she stood up, ‘’I’ll see you Tuesday Lucy, thanks again’’.
‘’I had fun’’ Lucy smiled, ‘’I’ll see myself out, see you Tuesday’’.
..
Tuesday night –  Bronze Fitness Forge, London
Ona and Lucy had another session. They both thought back at their one nightstand as a perfect encounter, the sex had been good and they were both on the same terms as far as relationships are concerned.
Lucy didn't think Ona was the type of girl she’d ever date, but she could say that she was absolutely perfect in terms of appearance. The fact that she was shorter, the freckles, her slightly defined muscles and most of all her perfect butt. Ona’s ass might be her favorite thing about the woman.
Ona was happy Lucy had been on the same page as her about at sleeping over, she didn’t like waking up next to people, they often looked and smelt bad and Ona didn’t like anyone in the world enough to deal with that. Ona was happy to go to the woman’s gym again this day, she felt like her sexual frustration had been cleared up and was ready to maybe even break that squatting PR.
Lucy was a little bit nervous about seeing the woman again, hoping it wouldn’t be awkward, she had gotten in a bit earlier than last time, to make sure they could at least get dressed separately. Even though she would be lying if she’d say she wasn’t at least a little bit curious if the hickey’s she had left were still there.
She shook her head, she shouldn’t be thinking about this. Ona had been perfectly clear, heck she had wanted it herself, this was a one time thing and in a month they’d maybe never see eachother again.
Ona came walking in to the gym, disrupting Lucy’s string of thoughts.
‘’Hey Ona’’ she cheerfully said, but she couldn’t help but notice the fact Ona was wearing a shirt and shorts now, rather then the sports bra she had worked out in until now.
‘’Lucy’’ Ona smiled, ‘’ready to break some records?’’.
‘’I sure am’’ Lucy said, ‘’do we go squatting straight after warm up?’’.
‘’Yes’’ Ona replied, ‘’I hope I can do more then 50 today’’.
‘’Enthusiastic, i love it’’
‘’Oh you know me’’ Ona joked.
‘’Always enthusiastic to break records’’ Lucy said, after which she cringed at herself.
They warmed up and went to the weight rack, ‘’hey have you already set it up?’’ Ona asked, smiling.
‘’Ofcourse’’ Lucy said smugly, ‘’six sessions left until you’re doing 55’’.
Ona rolled her eyes, ‘’if you weren’t hot I would’ve hired another personal trainer six sessions ago’’.
Lucy chuckled, ‘’well first off all thanks, second off all, what do you think a good personal trainer does then’’.
The Spaniard shrugged, ‘’not being annoying’’.
‘’I am not annoying’’ Lucy said as she quirked her eyebrows.
‘’How would you describe a person using insults as motivation’’ Ona challenged her.
‘’motivational’’
‘’annoying’’
‘’did you do those reps or not’’
‘’yes’’
‘’so, motivational’’ Lucy stated as if it was settled.
Ona shook her head and walked over to take place under the bar, ‘’please keep from your motivations until really really can’t go anymore’’ she stood up and took the bar on her shoulders, ‘’until then, you spot me quietly’’.
‘’yes ma’am’’ Lucy joked as she took position behind Ona, ‘’I kidding, I’ll shut up’’.
Surprisingly, Ona squatted the 50kg the first 8 reps perfectly, without any problem.
‘’I’m impressed’’ Lucy said as Ona was shaking her legs to get ready for the last set, ‘’you finally found your right mindset’’.
Ona smiled but kept quiet, she couldn’t get distracted now.
She took place under the bar again and accidentally walked into Lucy with her butt.
‘’Oh sorry’’ Lucy chuckled as she took a step back, ‘’okay last 4, let’s go’’.
Ona blushed at the way heat traveled to her core from the brief touch.
She took the weight on her shoulders for the third time and for some reason they felt twice as heavy.
Ona didn’t squat but kept standing there with the weights in her neck.
‘’Come on Ona, you can do it’’ she felt Lucy’s hot breath in her neck.
‘’I don’t know if I-
‘’You can do it Ona’’ Lucy pressed up against Ona, and put her hand under her arms, ‘’we’ll do it together’’.
Ona gulped as she felt Lucy front pushed against her.
She squatted and easily came back up with Lucy’s strength supporting her, she wanted to rack the weights as she stood straight again.
‘’3 more Ona’’ Lucy said in her ear.
Ona groaned as she did another.
‘’Good job Ona’’ Lucy said, in a voice close to a whisper. Ona couldn’t help but think the woman was doing this on purpose, she was so close, Ona could feel her abs in her back, and her thighs against her own, no other trainer had ever spotted her like this.
After the four squats Ona racked the bar and turned around, Lucy stepped back.
She studied the woman’s face, Lucy casted her eyes to the ground.
Ona ducked under the bar and stepped into Lucy’s personal space, she noticed a slight blush on the English woman her cheeks, but then again that could be from warming up.
Ona shook her head, thinking it was her mind playing tricks with her, ‘’so what next’’ she asked.
Lucy looked up at her with surprise but quickly put on a neutral face again, ‘’have you ever bench pressed?’’.
‘’Ofcourse’’ Ona chuckled.
Lucy insisted on showing Ona the best technique and did a few quick sets with the weights she had grabbed for Ona.
However, when Ona did the sets with those weights it went a lot less smoothly.
After the set Ona set up and set the weights down on the ground.
Lucy took place on the bench next to her, ‘’have you ever heard about the mind-muscle connection?’’.
‘’no’’ Ona said as she shook her head.
‘’Okay, so during an exercise touching the muscle is a great way to help increase the mind-muscle connection. When you physically touch the muscle, it provides tactile feedback that can be used to better understand which muscles are being targeted and how they should feel during an exercise’’. Lucy explained.
‘’Look’’ she said as she did a bicep curl, ‘’I am working my bicep right now, so then I’ll tap or touch the muscle and that will eventually help with increasing strength in that muscle’’.
Ona sighed, ‘’okay, so you are going to be poking my biceps as I bench press’’.
‘’With a bench press we target arms, shoulders and chest’’ Lucy said, ‘’one of the most useful exercise to work on your mind-muscle connection with, as you automatically start to use the muscles that are touched more then when you just do it, it helps with knowing from where you need to provide strength into the push’’.
‘’Okay lets do it professora’’ Ona chuckled.
While she was benching the weights Lucy poked the concerning muscles, but Ona couldn´t really take it serious, she was getting distracted with the way Lucy´s hands were resting on her chest now, just above her boobs.
´´don´t be so distracted Ona, focus´´ Lucy said, as she noticed Ona slowing her pace.
´´Allright´´ she said, and Lucy retracted her hands at her sudden harsh voice, the effect she hoped it would have, she dropped the weights besides her, ´´you sit here´´ she said as she stood up.
Lucy looked at her confused, ´´what?’’.
‘’Go sit here and do bench presses’’.
Lucy was confused but went to do what Ona ordered, as she had took the weights in her hands she started, ‘’just like this’’ she carefully said.
‘’Yes’’ Ona said as she took place on Lucy’s lap, ‘’go on, keep going’’ she said as she let her hands travel along Lucy’s arms, shoulders, chest and ended at her abs, as Lucy stopped and looked confused at her she repeated what the English woman had told her earlier, ´´don´t be so distracted Lucy, focus´´.
Lucy chuckled, ‘’I wasn’t sitting on your lap’’.
‘’I wasn’t grinding into your ass’’ Ona bit back.
Lucy set the weights besides her, ´´I’m sorry.. I couldn´t..
´´couldn´t what Lucy?’’ Ona sat as she leaned closer towards Lucy’s face, ‘’couldn’t help but wanting to feel my ass?’’.
The English woman swallowed hard, she knew it wasn’t professional of her.
Ona bit her lip as she looked at the woman squirming below her.
She leant to whisper something in Lucy’s ear, ‘’I am going to take a shower’’ she said before softly laying a single kiss in Lucy neck and getting up.
Without turning around she walked towards the changing room, hoping Lucy would follow her.
Lucy scrambled to sit up and wondered what the fuck just happened, she was very confused, a part of screamed that she should follow the woman, another part said to stay in the gym, as she had done more then enough.
-I am going to take a shower-, the words repeated over and over in her head, if Ona really wouldn’t have wanted her to follow her she would’ve surely said something else right, and not give her a kiss.
Without more contemplation Lucy jumped up, she hurried to the changing room and got in, the shower was already running, Lucy spotted Ona’s clothing on the bench.
‘’Uhm’’ Lucy cleared her throat, ‘’sorry’’.
‘’I can’t here you’’ Ona called from under the water, ‘’what did you say?’’.
Lucy  stepped closer to the shower, the shower was just an extension of the dressing room, separated by a tiled wall and a corner, in there were 4 showerheads, which turned out to be the stupidest setup ever, as only one person showered here at a time, but they hadn’t thought about it like that when she helped designing the place.
‘’Sorry’’ she tried again.
Ona chuckled, ‘’Luce come here’’.
Lucy stepped along the wall and was met with a very wet, very naked Ona.
Ona grinned and walked towards Lucy, ‘’it’s okay’’ she said before pressing the taller woman against the wall, ‘’but now you've triggered something in me’’.
‘’w-what’’.
‘’Strip’’ Ona said coldly.
Lucy did as told and stepped out of her shoes before she threw her clothes in to the dressing room, in the same undressed state as the Spaniard she walked back to her.
‘’Good’’ Ona said as she pulled Lucy by her wrist to join her under the weak beam of warm water.
Lucy closed her arms around Ona and pulled her in for a deep kiss.
Ona groaned and broke the kiss, ‘’I don’t know what it is but I feel a weirdly big amount of attraction towards you’’.
Lucy narrowed her eyes, ‘’thanks I guess, I think you’re very hot too’’.
‘’No’’ Ona rolled her eyes, ‘’I mean, I have never not been able to suppress the urge to fuck someone’’.
Lucy smirked, ‘’it’s hard when it’s that good’’.
Ona rolled her eyes again, ‘’shut up, your dumb words turn me off’’ she said before kissing Lucy again.
The English woman grinned against Ona’s lips as her hand roamed Ona’s body until they settled between her legs, ‘’Do you get wet when you’re turned off?’’ she asked with an annoying smirk on her face, ‘’or where you lying’’.
‘’I am not lying’’ Ona said as turned them around, ‘’you’re the hottest when your mouth is closed’’.
Lucy chuckled as Ona dropped to her knees and kissed along her upper thighs. ‘’Or when you are cumming’’ Ona added before tugging one of Lucy’s legs on to her shoulder.
She made sure Lucy’s other leg was planted firmly on the ground before she buried her head in between the woman’s legs. Lucy closed her eyes as the shorter woman hungrily started eating her out. Ona reached around Lucy to grab her ass and guided her to grind down on her face. The muscular woman let out a groan and gripped Ona’s hair. The groans of Lucy and humming of Ona echoed in the tiled room.
 With a hand coming down on the Catalans shoulder, pressing into her, she almost lost balance for a second, but she recovered and gripped tighter into the flesh of Lucy’s ass while she kept fucking with her tongue in and out of her entrance.
The leg that was hanging over her shoulder started jolting as Ona heard the breath of the woman above her get more and more unsteady. Lucy felt she was about to come undone and braced herself on Ona and the shower wall, grabbing the rod where the shower was connected to.
She bit her lips as she looked down at the beautiful woman bobbing her head between her own legs, she grabbed the hair she was holding and pulled at the roots as she pushed the head deeper into her core. Ona moaned at the act, a shiver traveled along Lucy’s spine at the vibration.
‘’Fuck’’ she breathed, ‘’I’m cumming’’.
At that last word her voice went up her voice went up an octave and her eyes rolled back while an electric pulse travelled through her body. Ona kept lapping at Lucy, dirty sounds filling the room, only when Lucy’s hips started jerking from sensitivity, she stopped. Only now she realized how hard she had been holding onto Lucy and she caressed the skin gently before pulling her hands back. She sat back and stood up to look at Lucy.
The English woman wore a dopey grin, with hooded eyes she smiled at Ona, ‘’that was amazing’’ she said as if she was under the influence of drugs.
‘’Good’’ Ona said, ‘’because I need this to be our last time’’.
At those words Lucy seemed to get sobered up immediately, ‘’I’m not done’’ she said.
Ona rolled her eyes but couldn’t ignore the way she felt her core pulsing at Lucy’s hungry gaze. Lucy stepped closer and kissed her. Lucy grinned as she felt the Catalan pushing herself against her, almost searching for some kind of relieve with the way her core searches for one of Lucy’s thighs.
‘’Not here’’ Lucy said as she broke the kiss, ‘’come home with me’’.
PART 2
292 notes · View notes
marshymallo · 2 months
Text
was cooking in my brain while driving today and a u-haul driver pissed me off
so just think about having a bad history of trying to rent a truck with u-haul, so you need to hire a moving company
thank god your real estate agent, kate laswell, who helped you find your new apartment/house/whatever is close friends with the owner of a small moving company!
you’re thinking: there’s no way they’re helping me move for this cheap… this must be some sort of scam, right??
but no, all kate had to do was show john price a pretty picture of you excitedly looking at your new place and he was ready to make his boys move you in for free
you’re caught off guard when two giant moving trucks pull up with sweaty, buff, good looking men climbing out. maybe you should write kate a thank you card….
157 notes · View notes
anglingforlevels · 1 year
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Open House (Yandere House x Reader)
When people say the housing market is a nightmare, is this what they had in mind? (The story goes out to me because I’m trying to get an apartment and it is Suffering. Please pretend this count as yandere.)
CW: not proofread, unconventional captivity, swearing, I accidentally had too much fun writing Abby and forgot the point of the story-
Minors DNI
When you proudly had reached the saving milestone to buy a small house in the countryside, you had opted to spend some of that money on a real estate agent, figuring it was a good investment, hiring a Ms. Abby Bardot – who, over the phone, had insisted heavily on being called Abby rather than Ms. Bardot – who had twenty years of experience in the field.
Quite quickly, you realized that perhaps she wasn’t the most conventional real estate agent.
Ms. Abby, you quickly noticed at your first meeting, was all hand-wringing and nervous sweating, though she seemed sweet enough, having clutched a tin of home-cooked cookies in all shades of black and almost-not-black, and had heartily insisted you’d take as many as you’d like (which was zero).
She had insisted on bringing you to an open house for what she had called a hidden gem of a house, that it would be a private tour. To you, once she mentioned it would be at 1 p.m., it was quite obvious that “private tour” meant, “no one else has or will be showing up”.
Ms. Abby had also enthusiastically shown pictures of the place, pictures she had ready-at-the-go on her phone, presumably she really needed a buyer for the house.
“Ms. Abby.” You had said, interrupted with a small interjection of, Oh please, just Abby. “Ms. Abby, that’s not quite a house and more so a small manor. I went over my budget with you when I hired you.” Ms. Abby had quickly recovered from the rejection and puffed out her chest proudly.
“Why that’s the best part, this is within your budget!”
You had sent her a dubious look at this. “Are the pictures… How do I put this delicately? Are the pictures recent and unedited?”
Ms. Abby deflated so quickly that it almost felt impressive, almost urging you to clap as if it was a circus performance. Of course, it felt mean had you clapped at her dejected look.
“It’s well-kept, I assure you. These pictures are all recent, I’ve updated them every year for almost my entire career!” She said proudly, and you almost felt pity at the fact she didn’t seem to realize her own slip-up but instead paraded it around like a badge of honor.
Though, all-in-all you were charmed, and somewhat endeared, by the honesty. But not very much by the house at all. “I think I’d like to look at other options, it’s awfully big for just one person.”
“Ah, wait!” Ms. Abby said urgently. “Please, before we continue with other options, let’s first try out the open house this Friday.”
“Is this protocol, Ms. Abby?” Ms. Abby’s lips wobbled at this and… “Are you crying?!”
“No, I’m a professional. Real Estate Agents don’t cry, I’m simply sweating, is all.” Ms. Abby sniffled, dubbing her eyes with a handkerchief, presumably you were meant to believe her eyes were suffering heat stroke on this fine autumn day.
“…Alright, I’ll go to the open house. Just give me the address.” You eventually relented, if only to avoid seeing the pitiful sight of a teary-eyed Ms. Abby.
That’s how you ended up before a grand house out in the middle of nowhere, the closest town was an hour-long drive away. Forest and fields were most of the surroundings, which was why the house was in such stark contrast, standing as a sole presence, the forests and fields shying away to make room for it, leaving a vast vacancy around it, stretching on for at least fifty meters.
It really was a pristine house, when comparing it to the pictures, it seemed to match right down to the placement of every rock and plant in sight. As if someone had consciously placed each leaf and pebble.
The plants and trees of the garden donned vibrant colors despite the season. You wondered how often Ms. Abby came by, or if she had hired a crew for maintenance, as you could not spot even the slightest hint of dirt or spiderwebs.
The only thing that looked aged was, unfortunately, the “For Sale” sign.
It felt a little unnatural, but you chalked it up to currently being a display house, and thus not lived-in either. You took notice of the way the trees beyond the reach of the garden were withered and wrinkled, and the grass yellowy, dry patches, barely hiding the dirt beneath.
“Some more forest could really do this place some good.” You mumbled. You hesitated for reasons you didn’t fully understand before stepping beyond dead plants clinging loosely to your feet and entering the garden.
You felt a prickling sensation behind your eyes the further you traveled, the door felt so far when the weight of something cloyingly attentive seemed to drag you down as if to prevent your advances.
“You’re here!” A delighted Ms. Abby yelled out before the sound of pitter-patter was interrupted by a loud thud against the door that rattled the frame. With her energy dampened, a sheepish Ms. Abby appeared behind the front door, simply saying; “It opens the other way.”
Right, something attentive could only have been the attention of the overzealous Ms. Abby.
“Come in, come in!” She invited, all but pulling you stumbling into a most decadently, lavishly decorated foyer. From distasteful stuffed animal heads to the ruby red furniture and mosaic glass tables, it felt quite uncomfortable, all sharp angles and very little homeliness to it, like an ornate display of wealth rather than a welcome into a household.
“Not very welcoming, huh?” You commented, which Ms. Abby elected not to respond to, though the small “eep” suggested she had heard the negative impression.
Looking the room over it was impossible for your eyes not to rest at the centerpiece of the foyer: A huge painting above the staircase. A solemn-looking guy stared out into the air, curly locks framing his face. Old paintings always looked miserable, yet you couldn’t help but feel there was a glint of genuine misery in his eyes. Noticing your attention had wandered, Ms. Abby followed your eyes.
“Oh, that was an owner of the house who had it commissioned back during the Renaissance, they wanted it right here, in the heart of the house.” She explained though you couldn’t say you agreed to a decadent foyer being the heart of a house, and if it was, that wasn’t boding well for Ms. Abby’s already poor sales chances.
“I’ve never understood why someone would want to pay money to look miserable in a painting, like you’re paying for it, at least make yourself smile or something.” Your jab was met with Ms. Abby’s impressive ability to carry on like you had said nothing negative at all.
“You know, the owner claimed it was a Jan van Eyck-original too.” Ms. Abby said as if letting you in on a secret, or town gossip. “Really, we’ve had it appraised.”
“And the appraiser confirmed it was a Jan van-whatever original?”
“…The owner really loved art; you’ll see plenty of paintings throughout the place.”
So that was a no. And speaking of no’s:
“Listen, Ms. Abby, I don’t exactly have the budget for a big house, as I already said. I especially don’t have the kind of budget that the kind of person who’d commission an artist to paint them for their foyer would have.”
Abby laughed nervously. “Well, you see, the value’s dropped as I mentioned. We haven’t been able to sell it for a long time, so the price just kept falling.”
“Right. But even so, it can’t have fallen that much.”
At this, Abby avoided eye contact, wringing her hands before, after a big breath, blurting it out. “The person in the painting was the last person to own the house.”
“Is this place built on top of an oilfield or something?”
Ms. Abby laughed a hearty if a bit shrill, laughter, before sighing and mumbling. “If only.” She clapped. “But! This is a charming house, why, let me show you the many rooms!”
“Ms. Abby, have you ever considered a field outside of sale?” You asked dryly but nonetheless followed along, eager to leave behind the painting, as you felt watched. The house consisted of many sprawling hallways, enough to almost make one dizzy, and you struggled to remember where everything was.
The house had many rooms, none of them particularly inviting, reading more like a historical display room lacking any warmth or heart (and perhaps even worse, any semblance of renovation despite old age), and all absolutely clustered with trinkets, knickknacks, and in the case of the walls, paintings – leaving very little free space.
It really did read like a historical display, as some rooms seemed older than others, suggesting partial renovation must have been done on some of the rooms. You’d like a word with whoever had been in charge of that lackluster, nonsensical effort.
Perhaps the lack of replaced furniture or renovation was why the house periodically seemed to creak and moan in odd ways, at times you almost confused it as Ms. Abby groaning or sighing, only to realize it was the sound of the house itself.
As for Ms. Abby, she remained undeterred regardless of how many snide remarks you made, which you had to commend her for, though the charm you initially had felt from it was quickly wearing off. Ms. Abby actually seemed increasingly happy, humming to herself. She didn’t think the sale was going well, did she?
“How much of the house is there left to see, Ms. Abby?” You asked, increasingly impatient and tired, having been dragged through an unreasonable number of rooms, which inexplicably, almost all were bedrooms (and yet, you had yet to see more than a single bathroom).
“Well, we’re still missing a couple rooms like the kitchen, oh! I know, how about the master bedroom since you’ll be spending every night there.” She said with a beaming smile.
“That’s awfully optimistic, Ms. Abby.” You noted, at this you received a good-hearted chuckle.
“Oh, this place is too lovely to pass up on, I think it likes you – it’s a match made in heaven. If you don’t like some of the features or decorations, it’s easy to change those, so it would be a waste not to live here.”
“I can’t imagine a house as empty as this holding much affection, and I’m not up for a big project.” All you wanted was a small but cozy house, a simple place. You felt exhausted just thinking about the amount of work you’d need to pour into a house like this to make it feel like home.
“Well, it’s perhaps not an easy house,” Ms. Abby admitted, her cheer at this point an unshakeable force, as a sense of confidence seemed to have sprouted in her. “But that’s why when that rare fit comes by one must take the leap and hold onto it.”
You’d feel insulted by the suggestion you were a good fit for this distasteful and unpleasant house, had Ms. Abby not already shown herself as incompetent but well-meaning. You simply sighed, giving up the conversation, figuring you’d find another real estate agent when you came home.
“Well, take me to the master bedroom then.”
Ms. Abby led you through the foyer again, the bedroom apparently at the other end of the house. Your eyes were drawn to the painting once more, its eyes felt more sunken in than before, shadows forming beneath, to which you tiredly sighed. “Me too, buddy. Me too.”
The master bedroom seemed to be at the stopping point to the sprawling hallways on the right. You were just aghast at the fact you had gone through another set of sprawling hallways, you wondered who had come up with the confusing layout of the place.
Ms. Abby tried to imitate a trumpet to build up suspense but trailed off after you shot her an impatient look. After a weak cough, she simply said “Tadaah” and opened the door.
You stopped up, your right foot hanging in the air, about to cross into the room. A sense of foreboding filled you; it was a bit different from the first time, however. The prickling sensation you felt and the cloying attention, it felt smothering, less like a shove away and more like… Being held in place.
Ms. Abby waited patiently inside the room, not commenting on your hesitation, though you had been snarky and displeased the entire tour, so perhaps this just seemed like more of that. You swallowed and ignored the pressure as you put your foot down and entered the room.
The air felt different here. You had hoped the odd sensation would disappear if you just carried on, like when you entered the house, to begin with, instead, it worsened. The air clung to you, terribly heavy and sticky. It took you a moment to actually focus enough to realize Ms. Abby had spoken, so when you finally snapped back to reality, Ms. Abby was standing in the hallway.
“-tively spellbound already. I’ll give you some time to look around and get acquainted together, one-on-one.” And then she closed the door in your face. The room was, oddly empty, compared to every other room. Nothing but a big, red bed, the empty walls that you could’ve sworn were further away when you entered, and that feeling of being watched, lodging into your skin like stitching.
Nothing except an almost empty room that didn’t feel empty enough.
That’s it. Ms. Abby had officially used up all her pity points, you were leaving. You opened the door, a tad more aggressively than what was perhaps called for, but Ms. Abby was nowhere to be seen in the hallway.
For how annoyed you were with her at this point, you found that you missed her company as you walked down the hallway, nothing distracting you from the odd sounds of the house that seemed to have increased. It felt as if the floor beneath your feet moved and rumbled slightly, the velvety carpets uneven and bumpy, as if walking on something breathing, something living.
You wished that Ms. Abby had given you the floor plans, as you struggled to remember how to return to the foyer through the hallways and occasional rooms you had to cross seemed to hold no real rhythm and didn’t feel as if it obeyed any rules about directions.
At one point you could have sworn you turned back, only to be in another room than where you had emerged from originally. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, you found the foyer again. Even in your rush to find the door, your eyes were drawn to the painting, though you continued to rush by it. In your haste, it almost looked as if the painting’s colors were smudged.
You attempted to open the door but found it didn’t budge. It was an odd choice to lock the door, but you were certain that was the reason, it had to be. A locked door was no issue from the inside, but even after hearing the click of the lock, the door didn’t budge when you attempted to open it.
You attempted to kick, pry, tear, and even throw your body weight at the door, but with no luck.
Settling in the foyer after your final attempt at prying the front door open, you huffed, out of breath. You laid on the stairs, trying to settle your heart and pulse, when your eyes landed on the painting again.
…You rubbed your eyes and sat up, thinking what you had seen was owed to your tiredness and the upside-down angle, but no. The painting really did look smudged. Like someone had blurred colors and borders together, the hair’s vibrant color having lost its radiance.
And the mouth, it was oddly smudged between the lips, that it almost gave the impression of a mouth being pried open.
No, that was silly, you were being silly. The painting was smudged out, which was already creepy enough on its own, or rather, the house was already creepy enough on its own – your mind was just working overtime and was making up new things to get scared over.
“Well brain, if you like overtime, I guess I’ll have to put you to use and think of an escape. But you don’t have a union, so it’s unpaid hours for you, I’m afraid.��
If the front door was a bust, then you’d find a window. You struggled to recall any windows on the ground floor, but surely there had to be some. Or… That’s right! The kitchen, it had a glass door. You never got around to seeing the kitchen, having mainly been shown the upstairs so far, but you recalled Ms. Abby mentioning it back when she had given her pitch for why you should show up.
You hadn’t been on the left side of the house, at least not on the ground floor, so you figured that was a good direction to begin, in your search for the kitchen. You opened the door, urgency in your steps, only to find you weren’t in an unfamiliar room.
Instead, you were back in the empty master bedroom, which somehow felt much more crammed than any of the other rooms. But… That didn’t make sense. The master bedroom was upstairs, you had fought through a confusing hallway to find the foyer, so this… this didn’t make sense at all.
The air felt oppressive in the room as if your heart would be forced to a halt from the sheer weight of it, like a physical presence. This time you were sure that the walls were closer than they had been before. A bed table had been added next to the bed, and the part of you still delusional enough to hope thought maybe it meant that Ms. Abby was still around. As if this was an elaborate prank.
You tried to swallow despite how dry your mouth felt, your heart hammering painfully against your chest. This was ridiculous. You slammed the door open again, the door shaking on its hinges. Beyond the door, it revealed a hallway, but even if the hallway was confusing, you had been through it twice by now, you could do this, you could find the kitchen or a ground-floor window.
Hurrying along the hallway, it felt as if the floor and walls shifted and moved. Were you dizzy, or was this actually happening? The restrictive air of the master bedroom followed you, as you dragged yourself through.
“Huh?” you furrowed your eyebrows when you opened one of the doors. You were sure this was the one you had gone through before, but the room behind was unfamiliar. Cold dread filled you as a horrible thought crossed your mind.
No, no, no. You ran to the next door but behind it was another unfamiliar room. Were the layout… Changing? Your hand trembled as you tried to open a third door, and you felt like crying when all it revealed was the master bedroom again.
A lamp now stood on top of the bed table. Were new things going to be added each time you returned to the room? You thought back to the cramped bedrooms Ms. Abby had so cheerfully shown off. You weren’t sure what to make of it but felt sick all the same.
“I don’t have time for this.” You had to snap yourself out of it. You could spiral and panic later, but for now, you needed to get out. So, turning on your heel, you returned to the hallway. You’d go through each door that didn’t lead to the master bedroom, hoping to somehow find your way downstairs.
You almost cheered audibly when you finally saw the staircase, rushing to it. Once again, as you passed it, your eyes were drawn to the painting.
The painting no longer looked the same as before, the person it had been long erased by smudged and changing lines. You couldn’t tell what it was changing into but felt your heart race with familiarity all the same.
The mouth was a gaping hole by now, outstretched awkwardly. You thought it might have been a smile, but it looked much more like a pained grimace to you.
You only took this as further encouragement to get out of there.
When you failed to find anything of use, you realized there was one room that you seemed to always find. So, as counterintuitive as it seemed, you walked upstairs again, and as confusing as the changing layout was, it didn’t take you long to find it.
You saw the familiar bed, the bed table, the lamp, and the newly added clock on the wall (which didn’t seem to be working) and closed your eyes for a moment. You took a deep breath. And then you decisively walked in to grab the lamp, shivering a bit as you brushed against a much-too-warm wall.
If you couldn’t find the kitchen or a window on the ground floor, then fuck it, you’d find one up here. Whatever broken bones or bruises you’d get from the fall, you’d accept. Finding a window upstairs proved much more doable, as one would line the walls every now and then.
You threw the lamp against the window and braced yourself for impact.
But nothing happened.
The lamp fell to the floor with a hollow thud. When you opened your eyes, you found not a single scratch on the window. So, you tried again. And again. You tried punching the window, earning nothing but a stinging fist.
Yet you continued. At some point, it became more of a tantrum, an expression of your desperation colored in violence, than an attempt to escape. Hitting the window, kicking the wall. “Why-“ you hated this house. You hated it. Hated, hated, hated it. You just wanted to leave. Your ears rang, whether it was from your headache, or the way the house’s groans and creaks had grown in severity, you didn’t know, didn’t care, couldn’t care.
Already unsteady on your feet, your final kick caused you to lose balance entirely.
Stumbling and falling onto the floor, without realizing it, you found yourself by the stairs, and face to face with the painting. Your blood ran cold as you stared into your own lifeless eyes staring down at you from above.
 
Quiet had fallen over the house like a blanket, only the slow rumble throughout the house bellied any activity. In the heart of the house rested a painting, donning a toothy smile and a certain glint in their eyes.
A satisfied Ms. Abby removed the “For Sale” sign out front and drove away with a hum.
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carriesthewind · 6 months
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"Although hired as a consultant by Washington County in this case, Baird had a long-standing independent agenda: helping foster parents across Colorado succeed in intervening and permanently claiming the children they care for. Often working hand in hand with Tim Eirich, she has been called as an expert in, by her count, hundreds of child-welfare cases, and she sometimes evaluates visits between birth families and children without having met them. Baird would not say how many foster-parent intervenor cases she has participated in, but she can recall only a single instance in which she concluded that the intervenors should not keep the child. Thinking that particular couple would be weak adoptive parents, she told me, she simply filed no report."
"With the supply of adoptable babies dropping, foster children were becoming a “hot commodity,” he said, and he and his colleagues (among them Tim Eirich’s law partner Seth Grob) realized that attachment experts could be called into court to argue that foster children needed to remain with their foster parents in order to avoid a severed bond."
"The judge ruled in favor of Eirich’s clients, a social worker and a real-estate agent. “Court found [Baird’s] testimony credible. She has significant experience,” the judge said, adding approvingly that Baird’s analysis had “focused on primacy of attachment over cultural considerations.”"
"Was Baird’s method for evaluating these foster and birth families empirically tested? No, Baird answered: Her method is unpublished and unstandardized, and has remained “pretty much unchanged” since the 1980s. It doesn’t have those “standard validity and reliability things,” she admitted. “It’s not a scientific instrument.”
...
Had she considered or was she even aware of the cultural background of the birth family and child whom she was recommending permanently separating? (The case involved a baby girl of multiracial heritage.) Baird answered that babies have “never possessed” a cultural identity, and therefore are “not losing anything,” at their age, by being adopted. Although when such children grow up, she acknowledged, they might say to their now-adoptive parents, “Oh, I didn’t know we were related to the, you know, Pima tribe in northern California, or whatever the circumstances are.”
The Pima tribe is located in the Phoenix metropolitan area."
"We found that — leaving aside the question of whether attachment theory should even be used as an argument in these cases — Baird’s assessments of foster children’s relationships aren’t just unscientific. They barely touch the surface of a child’s life.
“I don’t know these children,” she testified in one 2017 case, adding, “I have not met anybody.” Still, she said, she “strongly” recommended that those children’s birth parents’ rights be permanently terminated and that the kids be adopted."
"She also regularly uses terms like “mirror neurons,” “neurotoxins,” “synapses,” “hormones,” and “encoded trauma in the central nervous system” to justify her conclusions about children’s family relationships. (Baird is not a neuroscientist.)"
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The New Yorker article focuses on possible legislative solutions, but I think these articles point to something more pernicious and more difficult to address. Judges - in all kinds of cases - routinely give credence to professionals and "experts" who are biased, bigoted, and testify far outside their expertise (if they have any expertise at all). These professionals have credentials (like being a police officer or social worker) that are validated by institutional hierarchies. Their frequent systematized interaction with the legal system is mistaken as experience that makes their subjective beliefs more credible, when in truth they lack any objective expertise. They are considered credible and unbiased because they conform to, and validate, systems of hierarchical oppression, while the people they hurt - often poor, marginalized, and most frequently, not white - are viewed with inherent distrust.
The ProPublica article focuses primarily on Baird. I'm more concerned with the judges who believed her, who used her to justify funneling children away from their (safe and loving, but poorer and frequently browner) birth families. She was only able to do so much harm because of the the power given to her by courts, and the judges inside them.
The ProPublic article ends with the line, "This past fall, with Baird’s help, the foster parents were granted full custody of the baby girl through her 18th birthday." It names Baird as a force that led to the theft of this child. The passive voice hides the judge who made the ultimate decision.
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