#once collecting all the bucks he returns back to the rich up floors just to figure out the numbers went even higher

[sassycompanions]

Wait so Adam failed to buy the tree? I thought he owned it and fed it blood

'Knock, knock!'

Who could it be, Adam wondered as he opened his eyes. I'm not expecting anyone. Someone knocked at the door again, much louder this time. "I am coming, gimme a second!" the guy grumbled, getting up. Reluctantly, he walked to the door. "Who is it?" No one answered. He opened the door ...just to see a Bonsai Tree placed in the way. Taken aback by Its beauty, Adam just stared at It for a few moments. Who could it have been? And what's this Bonsai Tree is doing here? He kneeled down to give It a closer look and found a letter.

[putas-in-suffering]

Business Transaction

Pairing: Miguel Galindo x Escort!Female Reader/You

Rating: Explicit, NSFW 18+ older

Warnings: Language, unprotected vaginal sex, mentions of bodily fluids, Miguel being a dick (we love to see it)

Word Count: 1.8K

Summary: Part 1. Supply and demand. You supply. Miguel demands.

A/N: Cartel Daddy is up next! He’s his best asshole, rich, daddy self in this one so proceed with caution. Enjoy and share with your fellow sucias! Feedback is the preferred drug for our addiction and greatly appreciated 💖💖

**We added a Part 2! Read it here.

“Fuck…”

The front door banged open, slamming harshly against the wall as you crashed through. Neither one of you showed concern for the possible damage. You were too wrapped up in each other to take notice of anything else. That’s how it had been all evening. And now that tension was finally breaking free and spilling over.

Your curse fell on deaf ears as Miguel’s hands lifted you easily off the ground, prompting you to wrap your legs around his waist. His mouth attacked your neck with a ferocity, his lips and teeth clashing. You threaded your fingers through his thick hair and tugged at the roots, enjoying the immediate growl that reverberated against your flesh. You jerked when you felt the cool marble of the kitchen counter suddenly beneath you. You’d been so lost in the sensations that you hadn’t realized that he’d walked you both into the kitchen, his intent clear.

Your mouths united once again as you settled onto the counter, the smooth surface cooling your overheated skin. Your dress was hiked up, the scrap of lace at the juncture of your thighs visible. You used your legs to pull Miguel’s body closer to you, seeking out the friction your lower body so desperately needed.

“Miguel…” You moaned, arching into him when his hand engulfed your breast. He moved with purpose, bypassing any formalities. You both were more than ready to use the other, needing to satiate that primal hunger that had held you captive all night.

“Panties off.” He ordered gruffly, stepping away from you. His hands went to the belt of his black slacks, his fingers undoing the claps and buttons quickly. You followed his demand, shifting your dress up higher on your hips and lifting your ass off the counter to remove your underwear. You barely had time to get them fully down your legs, the fabric getting caught on your heel before Miguel was on you once again.

Your bodies crashed together, your movements frenzied and impatient. Frantic breaths filled the air as you both readied to accept the other. You widened your legs while he grasped his length and aligned himself with your opening. Your nails dug into the fabric of his suit jacket, but he could still feel the sting of pain. He bit at your neck in retaliation.

He didn’t check to ensure you were prepared for him. He didn’t ask for permission or if you were ready. He said nothing. He only thrust…hard and deep. You whimpered at the brutality of it. Your body had been begging for it, yet you could feel the instinctual need to back away from the primal intensity. It was almost too much. It was like this every time. A raging storm of pleasure and pain that held you captive.

He was fully sheathed inside of you in an instant, the lubrication of your walls easing the intrusion only somewhat. He was generously sized and your body should’ve been prepped, but neither of you cared to do so. There was no care or concern involved in this coupling. It was raw; both of you damn near feral with desire.

“Oh god…shit…” You moaned as he pulled his hips back and then led his cock into you once again. His pace was slow, but measured, his grip on your ass the only thing keeping you from falling off the counter. His mouth roamed the expanse of your cleavage, his facial hair leaving a burn of irritation in its wake. You threaded your hands through his hair, pulling at the roots with a force that should’ve hurt but you knew only added to the carnal fire that raged around you.

Miguel grunted with every thrust, his movements now aided by the copious amounts of moisture that collected between the two of you. You forced your eyes open when you felt his intense gaze on you. He was watching you intently, his face almost contorted into a snarl as he fucked up into you. You winced at the force behind his hips and you swore you saw a corner of his mouth lift in satisfaction. The coil in your stomach began to unwind, but it refused to fully release. You were stuck between prolonging the push and pull of two twisted souls or succumbing to the addicting sensation of falling headlong into euphoria.

The latter won out.

You moved your hand to where your bodies were joined, aiming for you clit, but a rough hand stopped you. Miguel shoved your hand away, almost insulted by your decision. Instead, he stopped thrusting and placed a hand on your lower stomach, easing you back. You watched in rapt fascination as he spit, his saliva landing exactly on the place you’d been seeking. Yours eyes rolled, your entire body ready to catapult itself into space just on that action alone.

“Fuuuuck…” You whimpered when his finger assaulted the appendage, his hips picking up their brutal rhythm. Your arms were failing to support you so you laid back, spine unwilling to straighten as you were fucked into oblivion.

Your hands sought out your breasts, pulling the neckline of your dress down so that you could pay them proper attention. Your tugged at your nipples and yelped when a slap to your swollen pussy landed on your oversensitive flesh, your entire body jerking in response.

“Shit…do that again.” Miguel grunted between clenched teeth.

You knew what he meant. You’d felt it too. Your walls had clamped down on him, forcing his cock to twitch while buried to the hilt inside you. Your toes curled as you obeyed his request and felt him jerk again, the end for you both near. His hips worked fast this time, his cock barely leaving you before it was returning. The sound of flesh slapping off each other echoed throughout the massive space, your moans getting louder as your orgasm built.

“Yes, yes…right there…” You urged as the familiar wisps of climax started to pull you under. You bucked in response to his punishing pace, your limbs starting to tense as that coil finally snapped. You could only gasp, no other sounds formulating in your throat. You squeezed your eyes shut until lights danced behind them, the feel of Miguel’s throbbing cock prolonging your pleasure.

“Fuck, yeah…like that.” He encouraged, his pelvis plastering to yours as he released inside of your quaking channel. His fingers dug into your hips, his cum filling you to capacity. You tremored with aftershocks as he continued to pump, his speed significantly slower.

He only took a moment to catch his breath before he was entangling himself from you. You could feel him slip from your clutches, albeit sluggishly. You were both drained of energy, your heaving chests trying to fill your lungs back up with air. Your skin stuck to the still cold counter beneath you, the feeling now making you shiver. The jingling of a belt buckle prompted you to sit up, careful of the mess between your thighs. You adjusted your dress, a contented smile on your made-up lips. Miguel glanced back at you as he resituated his slacks, his appearance no longer giving away to what he’d been up to seconds before.

“A hand?” You asked, holding yours out to him. He wordlessly stepped forward and helped you down, the mask of indifference back on his features.

Once you were steadied on your heels, he bent down to retrieve your panties, handing them over. You bit your lip and took them, silently following him as he led you to the front door. He grabbed the clutch that’d been carelessly tossed to the floor when you’d arrived and gave it back to you.

“Felt like slumming it tonight?” You teased. You always enjoyed teasing Miguel. He was a serious man, often formal with those he met. But you’d known him awhile, had the pleasure of doing business with him on a semi-regular basis. It’d become a game of yours, to see if you could get him to break his façade. And he usually did, especially when you were fucking each other.

But tonight was different. Something was weighing heavy on his mind. He’d been more quiet than usual, even rougher, if at all possible. You hadn’t minded because you weren’t a delicate daisy. You were there to be what he needed, even if that was just a place to take out his aggression.

“I’d hardly call a four-thousand dollar escort “slumming””. He retorted flatly, finally meeting your gaze.

“Well, luxury has a price. You know that.” You stepped closer to him, adjusting the collar of his shirt. He eyed you tensely, his lips pursed with tension of another kind. “You alright?” You asked sincerely, knowing he would dodge the question. Miguel wasn’t one for long talks or venting sessions, especially because the source of his stress was running a multi-million dollar drug cartel.

He immediately nodded, predictably not bothering to give your question any thought. “Fine. Jorge will take you home.” He said with a clipped tone, gesturing to the awaiting Escalade out front.

You nodded, allowing him to avoid the topic. He was the boss after all. “Okay. Night.”

You took a step towards the door, but stopped when his hand reached for you.

“I’ll need you Monday night. A gala.” He informed you stiffly, his fingers caressing the flesh of your arm tenderly, eclipsing the harshness he’d shown earlier.

“Sure.”

“Buy a new gown. Have Hector charge it to my account. And make it-,”

“Classy, I know.” You interrupted, rolling your eyes to emphasize your point. “I always am, baby. Its why I’m the best.” You winked, successfully pulling a smile from him.

He chuckled and nodded, not bothering to dispute your claim. He knew it was true. It was why you were his only girl and he was your only client. Miguel only ever indulged in the best and he dropped major cash to get it. He had an image to uphold and you were there as the cherry on top of his opulent life. The sex was just an added bonus…one you got compensated for.

“Goodnight.” He kissed your cheek, lips barely grazing the corner of your mouth.

You basked in the affection and sent him a flirty smile, adjusting your breasts against the fabric of your dress. He opened the door and watched as you climbed into the SUV, the flash of thigh and leg as you got in capturing both Miguel’s and the driver’s attention. You pulled your compact from your purse and touched up your smeared make-up, relishing in the residual buzz of your powerful orgasm. The man didn’t need to find pleasure in the arms of a paid escort. He was blindingly attractive and sickeningly wealthy. He could find a willing pussy within a two mile radius. But his life wasn’t cut out for just anyone. Women came and went but none could hold it down.

Enter you.

You were anything and everything he needed you to be. It was your job and you did it well. Your cum-filled pussy cemented that fact. And Miguel Galindo may be a murdering, cheating, conniving cartel boss, but he also knew how to fuck. The money may keep your bills paid, but the sex? That’s what kept you coming back.

[songtoyou]

Chapter 6: Earned It

Tolerate It

Paring: Modern!Tommy Shelby x Original Female Character

Story Rating: R (No minors should read this fic).

Word Count: 2,187

Warnings: This chapter is very smutty. Male receiving. Female receiving. Bondage. Flogging. 

Description: Tommy Shelby is the owner and CEO of Shelby Company Limited. Starting out as a Bookmaker, Tommy had big ideas to expand his riches. In the past ten years, the company has grown rapidly to expand its business ventures from bars to producing alcohol, manufacturing motor vehicle parts, and exporting. One of the richest men in Great Britain, Tommy Shelby, has it all. Unfortunately, the death of his wife, Grace, left the multi-millionaire mogul alone and depressed. He needed someone to fulfill his needs and deepest darkest desires.

Chapter Summary: Tommy takes Rose back to his place after the gala for some fun and much-needed stress relief. He continues to pry more into Rose's personal life. 

A/N: I am still getting used to writing smut. I hope I did this chapter justice.

I do not permit my work to be posted on any other site without my permission.

Tag list: @owenniasstars​

The drive to Tommy's home was quiet. Rose looked out the window as they entered the upscale London neighborhood. The homes were beautiful. Before Tommy pulled the car into his underground garage, Rose could make out the spacious townhouse. With the car in park, Rose stepped out and saw a full view of the other vehicles in the garage.

"Wow," she said, noting the different set of cars, which ranged from Audis to BMWs, to a Lexus. "You actually drive all of these cars?"

"The Audi is new. Haven't tested it out properly yet," Tommy shrugged and grabbed Rose's hand to lead her to the elevator that would take them up to the townhouse.

The main part of the home was exquisite. Tommy's tastes were immaculate. Everything was so elegant and fancy, from the furniture to the art on the wall.  However, Rose could tell that this wasn't a home that was "lived in" but rather that it was more for a show of Tommy's status and wealth. Everything was white and too clean. Nothing was out of place. It was all too designed. Nothing homey about Tommy's home, which didn't quite surprise Rose.

"Fancy something to drink before we start?" Tommy asked, lighting a cigarette. Rose turned to him and asked for a whisky, no ice. "Take a seat. I will be right back," he instructed Rose.

She sat on the couch and continued to look around the home. No family pictures insight, which was weird to Rose. With all its elegance and pageantry, this home was empty of any happiness or warmth.

When Tommy returned with their drinks, he sat down next to Rose on the couch. While Tommy practically downed his drink, Rose took small sips.

"Let's talk," spoke Tommy. It definitely was not a question but more of an order. He leaned back on the couch, and Rose repeated his actions.

"What do you want to talk about?" Rose asked, continuing to take small sips of her whiskey, which was really good. Unquestionably high-quality whiskey in Tommy's collection.

"You. If that is okay?"

Rose quirked an eyebrow. "What do you want to know about that you haven't looked into yourself?"

"Why did you leave Blackpool?"

"There was nothing there for me," Rose responded rather quickly, Tommy noted.

"Your parents still live in Blackpool," he noted. "Do you have any siblings?"

"No. Only child. I'm sure my parents wish they had more since I turned out to be such a disappointment. Not only did the Turners' only child have to get pregnant at sixteen, but she's a whore to boot. Yeah, they won that jackpot."

"Don't get down on yourself. You made a nice life for yourself and your son. Not many people can say that," Tommy reassured Rose.

"I guess so. This isn't exactly the career I had in mind, you know. I got…I needed a way to make a living without relying on my parents or Louis's father. The job I have at New City College never paid enough."

Tommy took a drag of his cigarette and exhaled the smoke. "What does your son think you do to bring in money? There is no way a part-time job as a program assistant at New City College provides enough."

"It doesn't. He thinks I work as a full-time Program Manager at the College. He will never find out what I actually do. Never. It would destroy him."

"What about your son's father? Is he still around?" Tommy inquired.

"He's around. Not much, but he stops by unannounced every so often. Louis's dad, Nick, keeps asking me to marry him. He's been asking since I got pregnant all those years ago," she revealed.

"Sounds noble of him. Why do you keep turning him down?"

"Because I don't love Nick, and he isn't exactly a good person. He has gotten into trouble. Petty crime. Some jail time. He says he has cleaned up his act, but I can't risk it, you know. Louis is still so attached to him. My son is the one I worry about getting his heart broken in all of this if his dad and I didn't work out. Which I already know we won't," Rose shared with Tommy. "You knew about Nick, didn't you? I mean, you looked into my life and my son's life. There is no reason why you wouldn't do the same to the man who got me pregnant at sixteen years old. You have too many assets to protect. You have this inquisitive need to know about everything and everyone to protect yourself. The last thing Tommy Shelby would ever want is to be blindsided. Am I right?"

Tommy downed the rest of his whiskey and loudly placed it on the coffee table with a smirk plastered on his face.

"Get undress," he ordered Rose cheekily and sat deep on the couch.

"Did I hit a nerve, Mr. Shelby?" Rose teased while starting with her shoes. "The questioning stops when I turn the tables on you, huh."

When Rose got her shoes off, she asked Tommy to help unzip the back of the dress. He did so but made sure to graze his hand against her back. 

With the dress off, Rose was standing in her fancy bra and underwear that Tommy purchased. He reached for Rose and guided her on his lap. Cupping Rose's breasts, Tommy gave them a hard squeeze and ran his hands down to her ass. Rose leaned in to capture Tommy's lips while running her own hands up his chest. She pulled off his suspenders and untucked his shirt.

"Just rip it off," Tommy ordered, "I can get a new one."

Ripping his shirt open, Rose tossed it off to the side. Tommy lifted his arms for Rose to take off his undershirt. Now completely shirtless, Rose began placing kisses all over Tommy's chest and grinding against his hard cock.

She got off his lap and got down on her knees. Rose unzipped his pants and reached inside for his cock. She began stroking it up and down and licked the precum off the tip. Tommy let out a moan that echoed throughout the room.

Soon, Rose engulfed his length into her mouth and began to bob her head up and down his shaft. It wasn't long before Tommy blew his load in her mouth, which she happily swallowed.

Before Rose could bring her mouth around him again, Tommy held her off.

"Wait," blurted Tommy while tucking himself back in his pants. For a moment, Rose was confused until Tommy mentioned taking it upstairs. She got off of the floor to him quickly and followed him. He led Rose into one of the several guest bedrooms. She saw her overnight bag in the corner. Tommy proceeded to lock the door, then close the blinds.

Reaching for Rose, Tommy wrapped his arms around her waist and placed his forehead against her own. "Tell me the words before we start?"

"Green for go. Yellow to slow down. Red for stop," Rose recited to Tommy.

"Don't ever hesitate to say Red or Yellow if anything becomes too much for you, yeah," Tommy uttered and unclipped Rose's bra and pulled down her underwear. "It has been a long day, love. I need to release all my pent-up stress and frustrations. Let me take it out on your beautiful body. Would you grant that wish, love?" Tommy asked. He wanted Rose's consent. He wanted to make sure she was okay with what he hand in store for her.

"Yes, Tommy. I consent," she replied and began to unbuckle his belt. However, Tommy stopped Rose and ordered her to the bed. She did just that and saw Tommy retreat to the closet.

When Tommy returned, he had a black duffle bag placed on the floor next to the bed. She saw he pulled out leather cuffs, a ball gag, and a Hitachi vibrator. He took cuffs and attached them to her wrists and ankles. He then got out some rope and tied each wrist to the headboard and the ankles to the end of the bed.

"You feel okay," Tommy asked, checking the ropes to make sure they were secure. "Use your words," he added when Rose only nodded her reply.

"I feel good," she answered while flexing her wrist and ankles in the cuffs to test them out.

Before Tommy got to the ball gag or Hitachi, he placed himself between Rose's legs and began rubbing his thumb along her clit. "It doesn't take much to get you wet, does it," he teased as Rose continued to grind against his thumb. He then leaned forward to trace his tongue along her folds.

The feeling of Tommy's tongue made Rose buck her hips off the bed. Tommy chuckled and used his free hand to place on her stomach to keep her in place.

When Rose was about to reach her peak, Tommy pulled away and wiped her residue from his face. She saw Tommy grab the Hitachi and bring it closer to her pussy. He spread her folds once again, placed the vibrator against her clit, and turned it on.

Starting in a low setting, Rose began moving along the vibrator to offset the sensation she felt. Whenever she was about the reach that sweet feeling of release, Tommy would pull the vibrator away. Rose would only groan in frustration. She knew Tommy was going to prolong her suffering for a while.

This continued until Rose started feeling tears sting her eyes. Tommy clicked off the vibrator once again and grabbed the extra rope that was nearby. He kept the vibrator on Rose's pussy but proceeded to tie it in place with the rope. He gave the sex toy a nice tug to make sure it stayed in place, then got off the bed. Tommy took the ball gag in his hands.

"Open," he directed Rose and placed the gag in her mouth. He secured it tightly around her head and ran his hand alongside her cheek, neck, and down to her breasts. He continued to roam her body until he reached the Hitachi and clicked it on. This time to a high setting.

"I need you to suffer for me, Rose. I need it. I crave it," Tommy began to say, "I'm going to allow you to have all the orgasms you want. I want to watch the tears stream down your face when it begins to hurt. I want to hear your muffled screams begging for me to turn the vibrator off. I want it all. So, I'm going to sit back and watch you suffer for me."

There was nothing Rose could do but endure all the pain and pleasure Tommy gave her. So, she lay there on the bed, restrained, gagged, and made to cum over and over while Tommy merely sat back and watched.

When the vibrator was switched back to its low setting, Rose opened her eyes to see Tommy standing by the bed. She could barely make out what was in his hand. It wasn't until Rose felt a stinging sensation on her stomach that she realized it was a flogger. A leather flogger from the looks of it. Tommy kept bringing it down across her breasts, stomach, thighs, and legs. He did this repeatedly, and all Rose could do was endure it.

Tommy loved the way Rose's body squirmed under the vibrator and now the flogger.

"So pretty," he said while tracing the deep red marks along her body. "Like beautiful ribbons all along your body."

After a few more hits with the flogger, Tommy put it away and upped the speed on the vibrator once again.

Rose couldn't tell how much time had passed, but by her fifth or was it sixth orgasm, everything hurt.

"That's it, love. You're almost done. I need one more out of you," Tommy encouraged as he caressed Rose's cheek while wiping away the tears. "You're doing so good," he added.

By the final orgasm, Rose let out a loud, muffled scream. Tommy turned off the vibrator, and she passed out on the bed. He took out the ball gag from Rose's mouth and wiped the excess drool from her chin. Tommy untied the vibrator from Rose's leg and unhooked the cuffs from her ankles and wrists. He began to rub back the circulation in her joints slowly. He then gently rubbed an herbal balm cream on the areas he flogged to help the irritated skin. The feeling of the cream being rubbed into her skin was soothing for Rose as she continued to lie on the bed and get her breathing under control. The session was intense but pleasurable for her. She hadn't felt that good in a long time. Yeah, it hurt, but it was a good hurt.

"How are you feeling?" Tommy asked, lying down next to Rose and wrapped his arms around her. She slowly turned more towards him to tuck herself closer to his chest.

"Good. Tired," Rose managed to say.

"Rest now, love. You've earned it."

[statticscribbles]

Quest Card

Summary: Kurtz/Reader Request: Reader is part of the Gargoyles and has been chosen to be part of a quest that Kurtz has to complete TW: smut, hints of threatening actions (if you squint)

Kurtz doesn’t look up from where he kneels at the Gargoyle Kings feet. The woman in red is next to him smirking. “Game Master, while you have served me well there is a quest that needs your attention-“ she pauses raising her hand to silence how his mouth twitches. “You must deal with this new party member. She has a special quest; that only you two are involved in.” She gestures to the rest of the masked Gargoyles; they step aside and you scramble forward not looking at her or the King next to her. “Meet our Thief.” She smiles to you and you nod. The woman departs and the King hisses as he leaves. Kurtz stands and the rest of the Gargoyles depart. “Hello Game Master.” You smile softly and he smirks back. You pull out the card.

“Your Quest Thief?” You don’t respond, re-reading the quest and turning the card over twice before reading it once more. “Well Thief?” You swallow looking him in the eyes nervously. “Thief?” He sounds concerned and you shove the card towards him. “It’s Y/N.” “Satisfy the Game Master. Well how are you to do that Y/N?” He smirks again and you run your fingers around the edges of the card shivering as he says your name. “However you want me to.”

“Good answer. Follow me.” He leads you away from the camp area, and you’re expecting to go towards the bus that you know he spends time at, instead he brings you slightly further into the forest, and nudges you forward towards what looks to be a manhole in the middle of the clearing. “It’s a bunker, much better than the bus, and much better than the forest floor; unless you’re into that.” “A bunker?” “It belongs to a; friend. He won’t mind, I assure you.” You nod stepping towards the cover and moving to tug it off; confused when he watches you for a moment. “Yes?” You question and he shakes his head. “Nothing, let me help.” He moves forward; you step out of the way and he nods to the now open bunker door. “There’s a ladder.”

“Well I’m relieved we don’t have to jump.” You talk as you climb down. You make it to the floor of the bunker and walk up and down the length of it surprised how well fitted out it is. “This is nice looking.” “Yes, you are.” “Oh so it’s that kind of a satisfying then?” You arch an eyebrow and watch as he scoffs. “Did you think I brought you down here to play house with me?” “Well I thought there’d be a few more pleasantries before that began Kurtz.” “Oh you do know my name, good. You’ll need to use it in a few.” He sits on the cot and smirks again. “Strip.” He hums and you glare at him. “I don’t-“ “Satisfy your Game Master.”You sigh nodding.

“You don’t seem to actually fight back; you know I won’t hurt you right? That this is really fucked up even by my standards.” “I know; this is helped greatly that I have a crush on you.” “You have a crush on me?” Kurtz laughs and you scowl. “I’m starting to rethink it if this is how the infamous Game Master behaves.” Kurtz sighs shaking his head. “Come sit.” He nods to the cot scooting over. You drape yourself across his lap smirking. “To be honest all this Gryphons and Gargoyle’s stuff is starting to bore me. You’re the only interesting thing about it little Thief.” You tilt your head as he pulls you in for a kiss.

“What’s the most valuable thing you’ve stolen then? Who’s riches did you take?” You laugh shaking your head before you pull back taking your top off. “That’s the mistake everyone makes. I’m not a thief of the physical. I steal secrets.” He pulls you back after taking his own shirt off, you grind your hips against him and he returns the action unhooking your bra. You sit making out for a moment, moving your bodies as one before he moves his head slightly lower to leave hickeys and bite marks on your neck and chest. “And what will you take from me then Thief?” He grins as you shift, moving back to step out of your skirt and underwear.

“What will you give me?” Your hands drift around him, settling one against his back and the other on his hip steadying yourself.  You stay like this for a moment, you’re completely naked but you don’t feel exposed as his hand snakes against your back pulling you closer to him for a second before he shifts, flipping you so you land on the cot, the quilt barely doing anything to soften the roughness of the cot’s mattress. He hovers at the edge of the cot pulling down his pants and boxers watching you.

“Do you want this?” He hesitates and you roll your eyes. “You really think I would’ve come all the way down here with you if I didn’t want it?” Kurtz tilts his head laughing slightly. “Do you really think you had a choice?” He crawls on top of you. “That the other gargoyles would let you leave? That the king would let you get away? Maybe the lady in red would have, she has a soft spot for girls; but the rest of them; they would have made sure your quest was fulfilled or killed you otherwise.” “And you?” You stare him down and he laughs more. “What I do, as the Game Master is none of your business Thief.” You can’t help the panic that fills your eyes and he pulls back.

“Like I said earlier the Gryphons and Gargoyles is boring me, but you, you’re interesting. I like interesting. Shall we?” He smirks nodding towards you. He doesn’t give you anymore warning than that before his hand pulls against your hips, fingers rubbing against your core and clit smirking. “Are you sure about this?” He repeats again and you nod. He nods back, fingers entering you and moving in and out for a few moments. You whine as he tugs them away and he rolls his eyes. “This isn’t about you right now. Don’t be greedy.”

“Right now, so what about later?” You question and he doesn’t respond simply moving his dick to line up against you, using both his pre-come and your wetness to ease himself into you. He leans his head down to kiss you, fully moving inside you, as he pulls back from the kiss he pull himself out before re-entering you starting to move his hips faster setting a pattern for himself. You moan softly confused when he puts a hand over your mouth, before leaning down to speaking your ear. “I want to see how long you can be quiet for. Can you do that?” You nod and he smiles. “Good; it’s nice to see a player so eager to follow the rules.” You flush embarrassed and he laughs. You sigh through your nose, biting on your lip as he moves faster.

“Barely done anything and it already seems like you’re losing. What if we raise the stakes, hm? You like that idea Thief?” You tilt your head arching an eyebrow and he smirks. “You can stay quiet for the next minute; I’ll tell you anything you want to know, anything at all. Sound good?” You nod and he wiggles his eyebrows. “Count in your head then. Just sixty seconds is all.” You nod, starting a count down from sixty, you figure that’ll be harder to break your concentration on. You’re down to 50 when Kurtz’s thumb brushes against your clit, you buck your hips slightly and he smirks. You gasp slightly when he moves his thumb faster, slightly harsher against it, still moving himself in and out of you at the pace he’s set. You can taste blood from where you bite your lip trying not to make a sound.

“Are you close?” He hums and you nod, squeezing your eyes shut unsure if he means to the time restraint he’s put over you or your own orgasm. “Like I said earlier, this isn’t about you.” He laughs, his thumb pulling away and his now free hand pulling your head up slightly to kiss you. You can feel him speeding up, your kissing swallow a faint groan from him.

“Time’s up.” You mumble and he smiles as he kisses you again. While he’s not moving any faster you watch the way his face changes slightly, you nudge his head back down kissing him. One of his hands tangles in your hair tugging slightly do he can move his mouth down giving you a very obvious hickey on your neck. You whine, each time he’s thrusting into you he’s barely touching off of your clit and you pout as you can tell he’s getting closer to coming. You squirm under him trying to gain more friction other that the minimal amount he seems to be teasing with you. You can’t help shiver when you feel him finish. You frown when he moves out of you, laying down on the cot, smirk on his face. You glare looking him in the eye as you straddle him.

“What? Oh do you want to ask whatever it is you want to know? Or is this annoyance for something different?” “Different.” He nods  looking unimpressed. “You barely did anything to me, it was disappointing.” “The quest was for you to satisfy me, nothing about you beyond that.” You narrow your eyes  crawling off of him. “Where are you going?” “Home, if you’re not going to offer me anything, I’ll collect my payment later.” “Whoa wait, no, stay.” He glares standing up and pulling you back towards the cot. You smile a little when he awkwardly ends up hugging you. “You know I used to be in the Ghoulies, before I was a Gargoyle right?” You nod arching an eyebrow.

“What does that have to do with you actually fucking me.” Kurtz smirks. “Well you know the rumours about  the Ghoulies right?” He nudges you to the cot; you sit on it and he kneels in front of you. “I haven’t. Wasn’t much into the whole gang thing before G&G.” Kurtz smirks nudging your legs open more, head resting on your knee. “We were cannibals; do you want me to show you?” “Really, cannibals, sounds horrifying.” You laugh a little and Kurtz smirks kissing up your thigh. “So is that a yes?” “I’d love for you to show me what kind of cannibal you are.”

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[immortalbarnes]

The Auction

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: You attend one of Tony Stark’s infamous fundraisers and meet a mysterious Avenger

Warnings: Swearing, SMUT (unprotected sex, female receiving oral)

A/N: this is my submission for @ugh-supersoldiers​‘ 5k writing challenge! i’m still pretty new at writing smut, so feedback is greatly appreciated!

Fuck parties. You’ve hated parties since highschool. You’ve always been more into intimate get togethers, or just alone time. That’s probably how you climbed your way to riches, now being the CEO and founder of a multi-million dollar technology startup you began senior year. You were too busy creating the next best selling product online to attend parties, but now that you’re somebody in America’s capitalistic society, you need to give yourself a good image to keep your business afloat.

That’s why you’re sucking it up and attending Tony Stark’s fundraiser tonight.

Honestly? You’ve never been the biggest fan of the billionaire, but he was a fun guy nevertheless, and his parties weren’t unbearable, so you decided to stick it out for a few hours, bid at the auction to save the pandas or whatever this was for, and sneak your way onto some tech blogs to help your reputation flourish.

Of course, you have to look good, so you slip on a black chiffon mini dress from Prada. It’s sheer at the top, and drops down to your midthigh, for long gowns were never your thing. You add some red bottom pumps to match. Your stylist gives you loose curls to wear down, and a minimal eye look, but adds red lipstick for drama.

“Thanks, Kayla,” You say as you pay her for her services, “it’s rare I ever go to these things.”

Arriving at the event at the Avengers Compound, you instantly swerve through the crowd, making it to the balcony as soon as possible. You’ve never been a drinker, and the bar and dance floor were always too crowded, so you decide to reside outside until the charity auction begins. Leaning over the ledge, you overhear the infamous Mr. Stark. Looking to your left, you see him persuading another brooding character that looks like they have the same thought process as you.

“C’mon, Barnes! It’s one night, and maybe you can find a special someone!” Stark entices.

“No thanks, it’s one thing to convince me to participate in this stupid auction, so don’t keep pushing it.” The man replies, eventually the light catches on his left hand, the metal revealing that it’s none other than The Winter Soldier.

“Whatever, if you want Sam and Steve, they’ll be at the bar.” Tony begins to walk away before you catch his eye, you try to avert your eyes, but he’s too quick, “Y/N! So glad you could make it!” He strides over to you, so you force a smile and turn to lean your back against the glass wall protecting you from the edge of the flooring.

“Pleasure to see you tonight, Stark, why are you out here?”

“Just trying to get grandpa over there to cheer up, but I should be asking you the same question, Y/L/N, there’s a whole bar and dance floor in there!”

“Never been a drinker, so I’m just waiting for the auction, so we can save some pandas.”

“Turtles, actually, but may I interest you in my pal, Mr. Barnes over there? You both seem like the loner type, and I wouldn’t dream of leaving either of you alone on a night like this!”

You begin to protest, but he already has you by the wrist, dragging you across the balcony to Bucky, you stumbling over your too-tall heels until you’re face to face with the Soldier. He’s wearing a black suit with a black dress shirt and no tie. Your eyes meet his crystal blue ones, his hair that reaches his shoulders is slicked back perfectly,  he has a bit of a stubble on his strong jawline, and right now you’re realizing how gorgeous this deadly man truly is.

“Bucky, I’d like you to meet a very special friend of mine, this is Y/N Y/L/N, founder of Y/L/N Corp.” Tony introduces.

“Oh yea, your company is like Starks, except better!” The brunet chuckles. You notice that his eyes crinkle a little bit, making your heart flutter, “Nice to meet you, doll.” He seems a lot happier than he was earlier when conversing with Tony alone, but who could blame him.

“Pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Barnes.” You finally manage to get out.

“Wow, you just met, and are already in better moods. Thanks to me! Keep staring in each other’s eyes, I’ll see you at the auction.” Tony says before returning back inside.

“So what brings you to the balcony?” Bucky asks.

“Never been a huge party person, just here for the charity shit.”

“Me too pretty much. My friends are inside, probably at the bar, but alcohol has no effect on me, so there’s no point in wasting the booze.”

“Oh, you’re bidding?”

“No, I’m part of the auction. Stark convinced all of the Avengers to be part of the prizes to bid on. Sam’s doing flying lessons, Natasha’s doing a yoga session, I think Wanda’s doing a cooking class, and so on.”

“What are you doing? I might just have to bid…” He laughs, and once again you’re paying attention to the crinkles near his eyes when he smiles.

“A date, sadly. I wanted to do a training session or gun range lessons, but Steve already called the training and Tony said that guns are too controversial,” He sighs, “plus apparently I need to put myself out there more. Believe it or not, I used to have game… in the forties.”

“I’ll bid on you, so you won’t have to deal with some rich cuck’s wife drooling over you for two hours.” You reassure him.

“Hey, if you win, I wouldn’t complain about going on a date with you.”

“Really?”

“Of course, darling, in fact, you don’t even have to-”

Before he could finish his statement, you hear someone call for him,

“Buck! We gotta go backstage, the auction is about to start!” You turn and see Steve Rogers poking his head out the glass double doors.

“Well, see you after the bidding, doll.” He winks and walks off with Captain America.

Maybe this party isn’t so bad afterall.

…

Not long after Bucky leaves, Tony on a mic calls all to the auction room. A sea of chair being filled by America’s richest lay before a small stage holding Tony Stark with his microphone. You pick up a paddle by the door and choose a seat somewhere in the middle of the crowd.

First up to bid on are small gadgets and technology Stark invented, you don’t bid on any because you could make something better in a heartbeat. After they’re all gone, Tony speaks,

“Tonight, we have a special collection of auction prizes. A plethora of classes and experiences with none other than Earth’s mightiest heroes… The Avengers!”

The crowd erupts in applause and excitement of the news. You shift in your seat, nervous for the bidding on Bucky to begin.

First is archery lessons with Clint, then yoga with Natasha, cooking with Wanda, then finally Tony leads out Bucky,

“Now ladies and, well, ladies, your chance at a date with the Avenger’s most eligible bachelor; Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes!” He earns himself an elbow from Bucky at that comment, “Okay! Let’s start the bidding at $500!”

You sit and wait for the early bids, knowing you can easily outdo any of them. Once the bidding reaches $3,000, you lift your paddle.

“$3,500 for Ms. Y/L/N over there, can we get $3,750?” Another paddle raises, and another bringing it to $4,000.

“$5,000!” You shout and raise your paddle.

“$5,000 from Ms. Y/L/N!”

“$7,000!” All heads turn to the other side of the room, where a girl with dirty blonde hair in a bun is raising her paddle. Her name is Sarah Palmer, and if there’s anyone you fucking hate, it’s Sarah Palmer. She hasn’t done as much as lift her finger her entire life, for all her money comes from her daddy. Your eyes meet Bucky’s panicked ones as he silently pleads for you to outbid that spoiled brat.

“$7,500!” You call out.

“$10,000!” Sarah calls back, you meet her glare from across the room.

“This bitch wants to play dirty…” You mutter, “$15,000!” You rarely spend unnecessary money, but this wasn’t just for you, it was to save Bucky… and also the turtles.

“$20,000!” She calls out after you. You gulp and almost accept defeat, until you remember you’re a goddamn millionaire, so what’s a few thousand to help out a new friend?

“$30,000!”

“$30,000 from Ms. Y/L/N! Going once… going twice… going-”

“$35,000!” Sarah screeches, she must have had to ask daddy if that was too much.

“For fucks sake, $40,000!” You yell, hoping that pushes her out of the running. You look over to her asking her father if she can go any higher, but he shakes his head no. Meaning you won.

“Alright!” Tony says, “$40,000 going once, twice, sold!” He bangs his gavel on his podium, “A date with the handsome Mr. Barnes is all yours, Miss Y/L/N.” Sighing, you sit back down in your seat, meeting eyes with Bucky as he gives you a grateful smile.

…

After the rest of the auction closes out, you go backstage to set up your date with the operations assistants. You see Bucky come up to you in the corner of your eye,

“You’re quite the firecracker aren’t you. I knew you were rich, but not $40,000 on a date with my old ass self rich!” He leans an arm on the wall and smiles.

“It wasn’t just for the date, it was for the turtles! And to save you from two hours with the demon spawn of Mr. Palmer.”

“Is she that bad?”

“She’s one of the rudest, most spoiled people I’ve ever met. She’s probably crying in the bathroom right now because daddy’s money wasn’t enough to win a night with you.”

“Speaking of a night with me, when do I get the pleasure of treating you like a queen?”

“Well, Barnes, the official date is next Saturday, but you can treat me anyway you want any night you’d like.” You wink.

He smiles and bites his lips, “Then why are we still here? My room is two floors up.”

“Lead the way, Sargeant.” Saying that earns a devilish growl from him as he grabs your wrist and drags you out of the backstage area. The trip to the elevator consists of weaving through the crowded dance floor of the main room, and one the way, you catch the puffy eyes of one Sarah Palmer, who glares daggers at you. You throw her a wink before Bucky tugs you into the elevator.

As soon as the doors close, his lips are on yours, soft and plump, he kisses you so hard that you’re taken aback for a moment, but soon return the gesture. His hands grab your hips ferociously and pull you in. Luckily with your heels, you reach him just fine. Only pulling apart once the elevator dings and he grabs you by the wrist once more and pulls you down the hall into his room.

“FRIDAY, lock the door.” He says, then he throws you on the bed like a ragdoll. You kick off your heels and watch Bucky stalk towards you on the bed, lips slightly red from your lipstick. He pulls his jacket and shoes off when he reaches you, and then he pulls your dress over your head, revealing your matching black lacy bra and underwear, “Oh, doll,” he purrs, “You look marvelous.”

You blush a little as he reaches around you a unclasp your bra with the utmost ease, “Wow, Mr. Barnes, and you said you had no game.”

“I might be a little rusty, so bear with me.” He chuckles as he begins to unbutton his shirt, pulling it off you can’t help but gasp as he reveals his god-like build. Golden abs, an impeccable chest leading to brutal scarring connecting his mortality to his black and gold vibranium arm.

“Is… this okay?” He pauses as he catches you staring.

“O-of course! You’re just so gorgeous I wasn’t ready for it.”

At that he smirks and begins to undo his belt and pants, revealing an incredible bulge straining against light gray boxer briefs. Bucky then pushes you against the comforter and attacks your exposed breasts. His hot tongue on your right while his cool metal arm caresses your left. He swirls around your nipple before switching to the other side, every small movement coaxing a moan out of you.

“God, doll, your tits are so fucking perfect,” he says as he nuzzles in your cleavage and plants kisses on the soft skin, his long hair tickling you. He begins to press kisses down your stomach towards where you’re wanting him most. You sit up on your elbows and watch as he bites the top of your panties and pulls them down and kneels on the floor, his eyes not leaving yours. You swear that it’s the hottest thing you’ve ever seen.

Bucky’s mouth comes back up and instantly latches onto your clit, and you scream in pleasure as he flicks his tongue over your sensitive nub. It trails down toward your hole and he begins to fuck you with his talented tongue. Your thighs are trembling and squeeze around his head, his eyes look back up at you and you feel him smirk against your core. His hands go up to hook them under your thighs and pull them apart so he can fuck you deeper with him tongue.

“Oh- oh my God, Bucky!” You whine. Electricity pulses through you as you climb to your first orgasm, legs shaking even harder around his head. At once, everything rushes out when you hit your high, but the soldier helps you ride it out, licking bold stripes up and down your core, cleaning up your juices.

“The sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted.” Bucky says as he stands up to tower over you, his scruff slick with your arousal.

Pulling down his own boxers, he uncages his impressive cock, which has you watering at the mouth, “Like what you see, darling?” He smirks at your slack jaw.

“Oh my god, Bucky, fuck me, please.”

He basically pounces on you, enclosing you between his arms, voice low and gravelly, he purrs, “Beg for me, princess.” Your lips barely brush against each other.

“Bucky, baby, please, I can’t take it! Please fuck me with your fat cock!” You choke out.

“Your wish is my command.” He says as he slowly slides into you, stretching you out so well.

“Holy hell, Barnes.” You moan as his pelvis reaches you, his tip almost hitting your womb. He gives you a moment to adjust to him, but soon enough you're begging for him to move, “Move, please.”

Smirking he slowly begins to slide in and out, the pace painfully slow. You know he’s teasing you from the devilish look on his face, and you’re having none of it, so you begin to grind against him.

“No, no, no, doll.” He growls, “I’m in charge here.” He places his metal hand on your hip to still you.

“Then please move faster!” You plead.

“Well, since you asked so nicely.”

At that, he begins to relentlessly pound into you, shaking you to your core. Grunts and whines come out of both of you with every thrust that makes a harmony that’s music to Bucky’s ears. Keeping eye contact with you the whole time, you fall limp in his gaze and become mush in his hold.

The electricity begins to run through you once more and you feel the knot build in you again as you reach your climax.

“Bucky, baby, I’m so c-close!” You can barely make out.

“Come for me doll. Should I pull out?”

“N-no! I’m on the pill. Want you to fill me up, Barnes.”

“On the count of three, baby, come with me.”

You squeeze your eyes shut as you prepare for your orgasm.

“One”

He strikes into you mercilessly, pulling everything you have out of you.

“Two”

It’s felt like years, as you open your eyes and meet his gaze once more. His pupils are blown as he studies your blissed out face.

“One.”

Everything within you releases, and same with him. His white hot seed erupts within you. It feels like pure magic.

“Oh my god.” You breathe out. He collapses next to you, panting.

“Doll, you’re fucking incredible. You are a firecracker.”

“So worth $40k.” You laugh.

“Oh, Y/N, that wasn’t even the date.” He chuckles, “Just wait until Saturday, when you see what blowing $40,000 on James Barnes gets you.”

“All for the turtles.”

[words-and-seeds]

Black Widow AU 1/?

So, I was watching one of those old noir films, where the wife kills her husband and the unsuspecting private investigator gets pulled into the black widow’s web, and it gave me the idea for a Jacob/April AU. Only instead of a PI, Jacob is the homicide detective on the case.

Anyway, here’s Wonderwall chapter one

word count: 2,535

Tick. 

Tick.

Tick. 

The ticking clock was the only sound in the otherwise silent house, and it was sawing across Jacob’s last nerve. 

It wasn’t just the fact that he had been dragged out of a nice warm bed only two hours after he’d crawled into it. It wasn’t that his partner was looking bright eyed and bushy tailed - even though Jacob knew for a fact that Eli was running on as much sleep as he was - it wasn’t even the watery black coffee that had gone cold in his hand during their walkthrough. 

It was the whole house. 

It was a nice house. Huge. Something he’d never be able to afford on a cop’s salary, even if he saved for the next sixty years. It looked like the kind of house Johnny would be looking to buy the minute he made senior partner. Something that would impress all the other senior partners at the firm. High ceilings, more windows than wall space, and all glass and glossy antiques. It was sparkling clean and obviously well maintained, but there was a vibe that Jacob didn’t like. 

A discordant note in the symphony that the surroundings were trying to suggest. 

That, Jacob thought, might have had something to do with the portrait sitting above the mantel in the living room. It was large, stretching from floor to ceiling, and showed the perfect family. Five people, all perfectly turned out, with nary a flyaway hair, in perfectly pressed clothing, with perfectly straight white teeth on display in big smiles. 

It gave Jacob the willies. 

There was no such thing as the perfect family. If his childhood and formative years hadn’t taught him that, then his years on the force certainly had. 

“It’s like something out of The Stepford Wives,” Eli said, stepping up to stand beside him. “Creepy.”

Jacob only nodded, but he didn’t take his eyes off the portrait. There was something there. Something that set all his instincts on edge, but nothing that he could put his finger on. 

“Why are we here, Eli? So some rich asshole bites it in bed on a weekend. We’re homicide detectives. He probably just had a lousy ticker,” Jacob said, with more than a little bite in his voice. 

His partner of the last twelve years only levelled a look at him. “The M.E. says it’s suspicious. A healthy athletic man in the prime of his life with no history of medical problems pops his clogs in bed on the one weekend - the neighbors say - that the wife and kids are out of town.”

“Coincidence,” Jacob sneered. “Or he was getting it on with his tennis instructor while the wife was away and overexerted himself.”

“It’s pilates instructors with the yuppie types these days, Jake. You’re behind the times.” Eli raised his hand to wave off the objection. “In any case, it’s going down as suspicious until the medical examiner completes the autopsy. That’s why we’re here.”

Jacob sighed, then turned back to the portrait. “Has anyone actually told the wife yet?”

“Yeah, and let me tell you, that lady is cold as ice, man. When we broke the news, there was nothing. No tears, no questions, just a ‘I’ll be home shortly.’” He shrugged and turned a grin on Jacob. “I’ll bet you fifty bucks that she did it. Probably for the money. It’s always the spouse.”

Jacob felt the temperature in the room plummet and his gaze was drawn over Eli’s shoulder to the woman standing in the doorway, watching the two of them. Even as his partner murmured, “oh shit” and hurriedly turned to face her, she continued to stare. 

Those ice blue eyes packed a punch. It didn’t help that they were in a face designed to steal his breath and haunt his dreams. 

When no one spoke, one of those perfectly arched brows winged up, and it was then that Jacob’s eyes were drawn to the bags underneath them, and the creases at the corners of her mouth and eyes. 

“Actually, Detective, the only money brought to this marriage is mine. Henry was much better at spending money than earning it.” 

Eli flushed darkly, but he still fumbled his ID from his pocket and held it out for her inspection. “April Gannon, I presume? I’m Detective Palmer, ma’am. This is Lieutenant Seed. I’m sorry for your loss.” 

“Seed?” she asked, with the barest upturn tilt of her lips, as she held her hand out for his ID. She examined both and handed them back. He could almost read the thoughts bouncing around her head. With his long hair and beard, Eli looked like he would be more comfortable leading a biker gang than busting one. 

On the other hand, Jacob held no illusions about his looks or demeanor. His time in the army had been the perfect training for the police force, and he had discovered an inherent skill for police work. He had a talent for compartmentalizing, and he was terrifyingly patient. He was well aware that his colleagues referred to him as The Soldier -  he knew he was respected by most, and feared by some - but emotion had no place in the job. 

“Why are you in my house? I was led to believe my husband had some kind of cardiac episode.”

Jacob glanced at his partner, content to let Eli take the lead. He was much better at slipping into the good cop role than Jacob was. 

“Why don’t we talk in the dining room,” Eli said quietly. “Where are your children?”

April stiffened, though neither of them had moved to touch her, and she allowed herself to be led into formal dining room and seated. Once there, she rested her elbows on the table and rested her head in her hands. Her shoulders weren’t shaking, she wasn’t crying, but she was rubbing her eyes. “Forgive me, I haven’t slept in over twenty four hours. What was that?”

“I asked where your children are, Mrs. Gannon,” Eli said. 

“My children are at a hotel with a babysitter. I couldn’t bring them back here.” She let one hand drop to her lap, but the other supported her head. “And it’s Hepscott, not Gannon. Dr. Hepscott. I kept my maiden name.”

“How did your husband feel about that?” Jacob asked, finally piping in. 

She leveled those laser blue eyes at him again. She assumed the quick change of subject was an interrogation technique that worked well for them. “Does it matter? You still haven’t told me why, exactly, you’re here if my husband died of natural causes.”

Eli glanced back and forth between them before he cleared his throat. “It’s just routine, ma’am. Your husband was in the prime of his life, he had no reported health problems. We’re just covering all the bases.”

“Are you going to do an autopsy?” she demanded.

The silence stretched on just past the point where it was starting to become uncomfortable.

“Yes, it’s routine in cases where a cause of death isn’t readily apparent.”

April closed her eyes, then pushed to her feet. “Excuse me,” she said, enunciating clearly, and walked across the room to a sideboard laden with bottles. She picked brandy, fumbled inside the cupboard for a tumbler, and poured a generous amount into it. 

Jacob couldn’t help but be impressed by the way she tossed it back, taking her medicine. It didn’t bring any color to her face, but she looked like she needed the shock to her system. 

“Dr. Hepscott, I think it would be better if we spoke about this tomorrow,” Eli said, “we can give you a ride back to your hotel.”

Turning her gaze away from the amber liquid swirling in the cup, April made her way back to her chair. She sipped the brandy again, letting it warm her from the inside out. “Yes, I think that would be best,” she paused, “I imagine that my home is a crime scene?” 

“No.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. They’d had time to collect everything they would need in the five hours it had taken her to return from her vacation spot. “But it’s best that you don’t bring your children back tonight.”

That got a reaction, Jacob noted with interest, as she turned on Eli like a snake. “Don’t presume to tell me what’s best,” she practically spat the word at him, “for my children.”

As quickly as it had come, all that fire and venom retreated back under the ice. That’s some control you have there, doctor, Jacob thought. “Let’s get you back to your hotel. We can talk tomorrow.”

April was silent as they wound their way through the suburbs and back into the city center. Jacob’s instincts were telling him that they were missing some piece of a puzzle that he hadn’t even been aware he was trying to put together, some facts that he didn’t have yet. But facts were his business, and they would be getting to the bottom of this, one way or another. 

His eyes drifted to the rear view mirror. The car was awash with red from the taillights of the cars surrounding them, but the good doctor’s hands were gripped together in her lap, knuckles white. 

Grief, Jacob wondered, or guilt. 

“Where have you been the last few days, Dr. Hepscott?”

“Away.” She laid her head back, closed her eyes. “It’s one of our favorite spots. Our escape.”

She jerked upright again when glaring white light flooded the car, when he turned into the driveway of an exclusive hotel. If the looks the valets were shooting his way were anything to go on, his old and battered Ford was not something their usual clientele would be caught dead in. He halfway wondered if he would be asked to move along because his car was lowering property values. 

April climbed out and, ignoring both Jacob and Eli, hurried toward the front desk, her stride brisk and businesslike. The glass doors slid open and she disappeared into the building. 

Eli whistled. “I’ve heard the phrase cold as ice before, but I’ve never actually seen someone with ice water flowing through their veins.” 

He glanced over at Jacob as they eased back into the flow of traffic. “You’re awfully quiet. What do you think?”

“I think I need eight hours of sleep, a hot shower, and the autopsy report before I could venture an opinion.” 

That got Eli laughing. He clapped a hand on Jacob’s shoulder and gave him a little shake. “Keep dreaming. You’re going to have to settle for maybe six and the sludge they serve in the morgue. The shower is a good idea, though.”

There was silence in the morgue the next morning. The autopsy on the late Henry Gannon had been completed, and the room smelled of powerful antiseptics and industrial strength cleaning solutions, but there was something beneath that. Some smell that couldn’t be washed away no matter how powerfully you scrubbed. It always tickled the back of Jacob’s throat whenever he had to spend too long in there.

The smell of death. He’d been up close to it for too many years to not be used to it by now, but it still brought back the shades of bad memories. 

“It was definitely cardiac arrest-” Dr. Lindsey said, signing off on a file with a flourish that was entirely too dramatic by half. 

“So, natural causes and we get the weekend off, right?” Eli asked. 

Dr. Lindsey glared at the interruption and continued, “but,” he stressed the word, “I found an injection site. Since there are no indications of any medical issues that would need injections, I took blood, urine, and tissue samples. We’ll get the results back in six to eight weeks. It’s possible that he was doping up, I did find signs of cocaine abuse, but nothing he would have injected.”

Eli and Jacob exchanged a glance. “Guess it’s time for that chat with the merry widow.”

Charles frowned. “You’re going to question the widow about drug abuse? That’s a little tactless the day after the death, even for The Soldier.”

If Jacob was offended by the nickname, he certainly didn’t let it show. “That,” he said, “and she’s a doctor. I figure if anyone knows their way around needles, it’s her.”

April was out of place in the interrogation room, and it showed. The institutional grey of the walls blended depressingly into the cheap and cracked linoleum on the floor, giving the entire room a flat, no-nonsense feel. 

Her hair had been pulled back into a braid, and her makeup had been drawn on with the precision of a general making battle plans. The ice shield was back up in full force, with none of the chinks of the night before showing. She had her hands in her lap, and she was perched on the edge of her chair, looking like she wanted as little of her body to make contact with it as possible. 

Given the amount of bodily fluids that had probably made contact with it from past suspects, Jacob didn’t blame her all that much for it.  

“Thank you for coming down, doctor,” Eli said, as he took one of the seats in front of her. “We know this is a difficult time for you. How are your children holding up?”

She gave him a brief, brittle smile. “Their father is dead and, instead of me being with them, I was asked to come to a police station. How do you think that’s affecting them?”

“It’s just routine, ma’am. We have a few follow up questions for you. We’ll get through them as quickly as possible and have you back home in no time.”

“Did you husband have any medical issues you were aware of?” Jacob asked, keeping his voice cool and level. She swung her gaze to his, and maybe it was his imagination, but he could have sworn her eyes tightened. 

“Not that I was aware of,” she replied. She kept her unblinking gaze on his until Eli asked the next question. 

“Any substance abuse issues? Drugs, alcohol?”

April sighed and looked down at her hands, she wasn’t twisted her fingers or rubbing her hands in any nervous gestures, but the white knuckle grip from the night before was back. 

It wasn’t suspicious, people reacted to grief and stress in all kinds of different ways. 

And guilt, Jacob’s mind supplied. 

“He was fond of scotch. And whiskey. But I can’t say he overindulged.”

It felt like she was picking her words carefully. Not rehearsing her answers as such, but giving them bits and pieces, half-truths and evasions, instead of honest answers. It was making Jacob’s palms itch.

“And have you ever given him an injection?”

No reaction. Not even the merest suggestion of a hint of shock.

“Am I being accused of something?” she asked, very softly. 

“Not yet,” Eli replied. 

“In that case, I think I would like my lawyer present.” Now she smiled, though the reason for her amusement wasn’t immediately apparent. Her eyes went to Jacob, and they were dancing. “I don’t think you’ll have any trouble contacting him. His name is John. John Seed.”

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War of Attrition: Chapter 19

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier x Reader Summary: Best friends with Steve Rogers, renowned Howling Commando, and married to one James Buchanan Barnes, your life wasn’t perfect, but it was as close as it could possibly be in the middle of World War II. Then you fell from a train in the Alps, and everything changed. You spent nearly 70 years as a tool of Hydra alongside your beloved, though your past with him was more often than not forgotten. You and Bucky take steps to protect yourselves, which leads you back to New York. Warnings: Swearing (always), mentions of: past torture, death, blood, weapons. Allusions to PTSD. Word Count: ~4,557 A/N: Next Chapter will probably start the events of CA:CW. Also, I’ll probably be busy starting to write things for Spooktober. There will likely be a special taglist for Spooktober fics that will tag you in things including but not limited to Monster!Character one shots, A Night to Remember, and A Dance with the Devil. Keep an eye out for it!

Masterlist // Book One // Book Two

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

“Ready to go?” he asked a moment later as he stepped up beside you. His blue-grey eyes searched your face for any flicker of emotion that would set off warning bells, but for the first time in a long time, your head wasn’t a complete mess. Or, at least, you had one burden among hundreds taken from your shoulders.

“Yeah, Buck. Let’s go home.”

“I have the analysis you requested, Misses Barnes.”

You glanced up from the drone you’d been working on. Installing the new targeting algorithm was taking some time, but it would hopefully ensure they’d never fire with deadly force on any human... though the same could not be said for aliens and robots. Factoring in variables for mutants and other enhanced individuals had been especially tricky, but you’d enjoyed tackling the challenge with a single-minded purpose.

The screen in front of you was slowly rolling through information, finally ending on a summary:

Matthew Michael Murdock.

Hell’s Kitchen; New York, New York. United States of America.

Lawyer Daredevil.

You stared at the screen for a second, taking in his face in the professional and candid photos alike. It only took a glance at the first picture to notice he was blind. “That would explain the mask...” you muttered as a couple low-quality shots of Murdock with a scarf tied over the top of his head flicked across the screen. “You sure about this, Al?” you asked the air around you. A frown crinkled your brow. It wasn’t exactly easy to identify the blind lawyer as the nearly superhuman vigilante.

“Quite, madam. I believe Mister Murdock is one of the only people on the planet with the correct disposition, life experience, and skills required to assist you. He is, put plainly, your best option.”

That only made you frown harder at his picture, though. Talking to him- going to New York- it was a huge risk. You were so lost in thoughts you nearly missed Bucky walking into your workspace, but managed to notice his presence before you accidentally fried him to a crisp on reflex.

“Did Alfred get a hit?” he asked, voice hoarse and deep from having just woken up. You glanced at the clock, nearly wincing when it showed the time as 4:38 AM. He walked up behind you, wrapped his arms around your shoulders, and placed his chin on the top of your head.

You hummed an affirmative, though your frown didn’t abate. After a second, you could practically feel Bucky grimace, too. “New York...” he muttered, obviously perceiving the same issues as you.

New York was dangerous. It was where Hydra had recaptured you once before. Tony Stark lived there. The population was huge, which meant it was easier for people to blend in... and that it was all the more likely that you’d be recognized. Undoubtedly anyone looking for you would be keeping a close eye on the city.

“Even with possible dangers taken into consideration, I believe Mister Murdock will be the most likely to assist us,” Alfred insisted. You wondered briefly if he was capable of being upset with your and Bucky’s apparent lack of faith in his assessment. You’d have to check later and possibly apologize.

“If you’re sure, Al,” you said after a long minute. Bucky sighed deeply and squeezed you gently and you didn’t have to look at him to know he was discontent with the idea.

“Quite, ma’am.”

“Then ready travel plans for New York, please,” you said somewhat reluctantly. You reminded yourself that trusting Al was tantamount to trusting only your own best decision making skills, as you were the one that had designed the artificial intelligence in the first place.

You turned in the old rickety computer chair and Bucky loosened his arms enough to move, taking a small step back and straightening a bit. His eyes were stormy, concern obvious even with the dark circles under his eyes. “Did I wake you up?” you asked quietly as you reached up to run your thumb over his cheek. He leaned into the touch, eyes closing briefly at the light contact, then shook his head. “Nightmare?” you guessed with a frown.

A shrug, then, “Dunno.... Can’t remember. Come back to bed?” he murmured, extending a hand out towards you.

You smiled softly, ignoring the fact that you couldn’t come “back” to bed seeing as you hadn’t been there in the first place, and dropped your hand from his face to take his offered hand, standing with only slightly wobbly legs. You’d been sitting for... ten hours? It never felt like long when you got to work, but somehow the time always managed to flash by.

Time passing by in a blur hadn’t changed, even without the icy clutches of cryofreeze to speed the process along.

You expected Bucky to just walk into the other room with you, but he picked you up with ease and practically threw you over his shoulder. You smiled, surprised, and muffled your huff of laughter in your hand. Whatever had woken him up (it might have even been Alfred, telling him to come collect you), it definitely wasn’t a bad night. This was just sleepy, possessive Bucky, not unlike how he was before... everything.

You found yourself on the mattress on the floor not five seconds later, landing gently, as Bucky had been careful to lower you slowly before letting you fall the last few inches.

He was beside you in an instant, reeling you into his chest with one arm while the other grabbed the sleeping bag you used as a blanket and pulled it over both of you. It was just big enough to cover you two like this, though you were pretty sure Bucky’s feet poked out the end and over the bottom of the mattress (not that he ever complained).

“Goodnight, Buck,” you whispered even as you began falling asleep, more tired than you realized now that you weren’t in front of your bright monitors.

“Night, Doll,” came the immediate, nearly-incomprehensible response from your practically asleep husband. You smiled and let yourself relax in his arms. Like this, it was easy to ignore the anxiety of knowing that you’d have to go to New York tomorrow.

You fell asleep to the sound of Bucky’s soft snores.

Curvy cars, posters about the war, dames in modest dresses, and fellas in hats.

You blinked and the past vanished like fog chased away by the sun, revealing the truth- the present- underneath.

“That used to be a butcher shop,” you murmured, nodding your head towards a skeevy-looking pawn shop with bars over the windows.

Bucky paused his subtle scouting long enough to give it a glance before his eyes returned to rooftops and alleys and shadowed doorways. “You went to Manhattan a lot?” he asked quietly.

You pressed even closer to his side as a small group passed. You’d checked them for weapons the moment they’d turned the corner, but that still didn’t stop you from being wary around strangers. People didn’t need guns to be dangerous. As if sensing your distress Bucky’s arm went around your shoulder, leaving his left arm free if he needed it.

“Sometimes,” you admitted as soon as they were out of earshot. “I lived all over New York at some point or another. Most orphanages couldn’t get rid of me soon enough and no one in their right mind was adopting during the depression. It was better to explore the city and pickpocket greenbacks from rich jerks than sit in the orphanage and listen to my stomach rumble.”

Bucky stopped looking at the shadowy corners of Hell’s Kitchen at that, nearly slowing down as he processed what you said. “You... remember that?” His brows were pulled up ever so slightly in the middle and you fought the urge to look away. That was a pitying look if you ever saw one.

As if you had any right to pity anymore.

“More or less. I filled in the gaps the records left,” you admitted. It was almost a relief that the building you needed finally came into view as you and Bucky turned the corner. “Show time, sweetheart,” you said with what you hoped was a bracing smile as you stood on your toes and placed a kiss to Bucky’s cheek.

Judging from the conflicted look he gave you, you weren’t completely successful.

The door was between a residential building’s entrance and an old electronics repair place. The little gold and black placard on the red painted wall could easily be overlooked, but it was exactly what you were looking for.

“Nelson and Murdock,” Bucky murmured, giving it and the building a cursory once over. 

You opened the grating-covered door and led the way inside and neither you nor Bucky relaxed in the slightest until the door clicked shut behind you.

Four flights later you were greeted by gold lettering, “Nelson and Murdock Attorneys at Law.” You knocked on the door and opened it quietly when a voice on the other side called “Please come in, it’s open!”

A pretty, tiny blonde with blue eyes was sitting at the desk, smiling at you and Bucky politely.

“Hi, uh-” She fumbled a bit with the papers on her desk. Her cheeks tinged pink and you could tell she was growing more flustered by the second. “Sorry, I’m still not quite used to us having clients and- Did you have an appointment or are you here to-”

“They’re here for me, Karen. My two o’clock.”

All three of you looked up at the newcomer. Matt Murdock stood in the doorway, tense but projecting a sense of calm and control, likely to ensure the woman- Karen- didn’t catch on to the danger you and Bucky posed.

“Oh!” she smiled nervously and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She glanced at the old clock on the wall and then nodded. “I was so busy I didn’t realize how late it had gotten. Are you ready for them?” She directed the last question at Murdock, who took the entire situation as smoothly as he could.

You could see him work it through in his head: Get the threats away from civilians. Don’t make a move before you ascertain the situation.

“Yes, of course. Please, come in,” he said, stepping aside and sweeping an arm wide and gesturing both of you into the room.

You and Bucky gave Karen polite smiles and stepped quickly inside. The door shut softly behind you, but neither you nor Bucky missed the lock sliding into place.

“Please; the blinds, if you would,” Murdock said, voice only slightly strained as he maneuvered the room as though he had 20/20 vision.

You moved over to the window that looked out into the waiting room and flicked the blinds closed, turning them down until no one could see in or out of the room. Bucky and Murdock were already seated and, for all intents and purposes, staring balefully at each other by the time you took your seat.

Murdock’s jaw worked dangerously for a moment before he finally collected himself to speak. “I don’t know who or what you are but if you try to hurt-”

“We’re not here to hurt anyone. We don’t want to hurt anyone.” You felt a little bad for cutting him off, but he had to believe that before you could get anywhere. Your lips quirked up into a tiny sardonic smile. “I also find it a little hard to believe that you don’t already at least suspect who we are. We know who you are, after all.”

“Is that a threat?” Murdock responded instantly, and you kicked yourself for your poor phrasing and timing.

Bucky frowned and you could tell it was taking all of his attention to appear as anything but an aggressor. “No, but it is why we’re here.” 

You reached into your pocket and froze when Murdock practically teleported out of his chair and lunged toward you. Bucky’s hand shot out and stopped his hand midair and you stared at the two of them, tension coiling your muscles tightly. “Please, it’s not a weapon. It’s a device I created for you to use.”

Murdock didn’t back down and you could tell he was straining against Bucky’s cybernetic arm. Bucky was far stronger, but he’d stayed in his seat and, as such, had to work harder than he otherwise would have had to keep Murdock at bay. “What kind of device?” he spat, just quietly enough that you knew Karen and his associate- Nelson- wouldn’t hear.

“I call it RAR: Responsive Archive Reader. It will allow you to access every file we’ve managed to collect on ourselves. On... our past. On what we’ve done. What was done to us,” you nearly trailed off, but being able to talk about your tech brought you back. “Everything is sorted and tagged by date, organization, place, and just about anything else you could think of. It can either read it out to you or its surface can change to spell it out in braille. You can even ask it to look up certain information,” you said, voice regaining some of its confidence the longer you talked.

At that, Murdock finally stopped trying to get at you and took a half step back. “Your files. So you are...” he trailed off, as though he was unwilling to say those cursed names.

“The Winter Soldiers” hung unspoken in the air.

You weren’t willing to say them, either. Even after sweeping the building for bugs as you came in, it was too dangerous. “Yes,” Bucky confirmed quietly. 

There was a long pause where Murdock didn’t move. If you didn’t watch his chest closely you would have questioned if he was even breathing. “Why come to me?” he asked finally, still not sitting back down.

You gripped the cell phone-sized piece of tech in your hand and frowned, finally unable to look at him.

“Because we’re hoping you’ll help us,” Bucky said after a long pause.

Murdock frowned and canted his head ever so slightly to the side, which immediately piqued your interest, but you kept your mouth shut. “Before I decide what I want to do, you have to answer some questions for me.”

You and Bucky glanced at each other and he nodded imperceptibly. You both looked back and Murdock, but it was you who spoke up. “That’s fair. Go ahead.”

“Are you a danger to my friends and clients?”

Ah, shit. One of the toughest questions right out the gate.

But if your suspicions were correct, lying would get you nowhere. “Yes. We’re a danger to everyone, including ourselves.”

“But we don’t want to be,” Bucky added. You didn’t have to look at him to know he was frowning or that he was reaching for your hand. Your hands met halfway and your fingers laced together. It was Bucky’s left hand and, as you suspected, Murdock seemed able to track the movement more easily than he had any right to.

Murdock’s frown stayed firmly in place. “You know who I am? What I do?”

“Yes,” you responded instantly.

“Do you intend to blackmail me using that information?” he asked just as quickly.

“No,” Bucky rasped.

“Why me?”

“Because of what you do,” you said quietly.

“You mean being an attorney?” he asked, brow creasing just a little more.

You winced, knowing what he was hedging around. “Both.”

“Taking this case will put me in danger.”

It wasn’t a question, but you took it like one. “Almost indefinitely.” 

He took a moment to consider that, then, “Do you regret everything you’ve done the last seventy years?”

“Yes,” Bucky responded instantly, just as you said-

“No.”

Bucky turned to stare at you and Murdock tilted his ear a little more in your direction. “Care to elaborate?” he said just a bit flatly, menace creeping back into his voice.

“I don’t regret fighting against the people who tried to control me whenever I got the chance. I don’t regret trying to escape. I don’t regret forming a bond with Natalia Romanoff, or trying to save Mila Hitzvig and Ran Shen. I don’t regret stopping Hydra’s takeover of SHIELD or saving people in Sokovia. There’s more, but...” you frowned as your brain tried to conjure up more examples and failed. “I can’t... my brain doesn’t always cooperate. I’m sorry.” Bucky’s hand squeezed yours gently.

“I spoke without thinkin’. She’s right. There are things I don’t regret doin’ these last seventy years, though they’re by ‘n’ large the outliers,” Bucky agreed quietly, giving you a fond look before he turned a hard gaze on Murdock, who you knew Bucky still saw as a threat.

He gave you and Bucky a moment before forging onward. “Why not contact Rogers or Romanoff? Surely they’d be willing to help.”

You grimaced and knew Bucky’s face had probably done something similar. “Lotsa reasons,” Bucky began in a wary voice. “Some’a which will be answered if you listen to my girl’s device. The main reason is that contacting them brings in the rest of the Avengers...”

“And we’re poised to ruin everything Steve and Tasha have built for themselves,” you finished.

“Are you protecting them or yourselves?” Murdock asked shrewdly.

You and Bucky both had to fight back a wince. “Honestly? Probably both,” you admitted quietly.

He nodded as though that had answered a very pressing question. “And what are you hoping to gain from hiring me?”

You and Bucky exchanged a look. “We’re hopin’ it won’t come to you havin’ to do anything,” Bucky said quietly.

Murdock stared at him as though waiting for him to continue. When he didn’t, you explained, “This is a doomsday protocol, of sorts. It’s our hope to just... hide. From everyone. Everything. Your services would only be needed if someone finally captures us. That someone being a government.”

“And if I decide I don’t want to help admitted murderers?” Murdock asked after a second. He shifted to his other foot, obviously ready for a fight.

You shrugged. “Then you throw RAR into the Hudson and pretend you never saw us.”

“That’s it?” he asked skeptically.

“That’s it,” Bucky confirmed.

A longer pause this time, then, “And if I try to bring you in? Alert the authorities?”

“We incapacitate you and anyone else who tries to stop us, then escape,” you said stonily. You prayed it wouldn’t come to that.

But Murdock only nodded again, looking a little grim. “I’m going to be honest- I don’t feel comfortable taking this case unless I know more.”

You tried to smile, but you knew it was a grimace. “All yours, Mister Murdock,” you said as you slid RAR across his desk. You took it as a good sign that he picked it up without hesitation. “You can tell it to turn on and off by saying ‘RAR’ and then ‘on’ and ‘off’ and tell it to look for specific tags by saying ‘RAR conduct search’ and then tell it what you want it to search. Switch between reading modes by saying ‘braille’ and ‘voice’. It’s quite intuitive, really.”

He palmed the device carefully as though searching for hidden traps or weapons but seemed to ultimately decide it was safe because he pocketed it a second later, still looking serious. “And how do I contact you if I decide to take the case?”

You blinked dumbly at him and it was Bucky who recovered first. “You can’t contact us, Murdock. It’s too dangerous. For all of us.”

Murdock raised an eyebrow at that. “Then how will you know if I’ll take your case?”

“We won’t,” you answered quietly.

“But we hope that you do,” Bucky added just as quietly but with an earnestness that had you squeezing his hand.

Murdock leaned back in his chair, brow furrowed. You expected him to say something, but he remained quiet for a long time- long enough for both you and Bucky to have to fight the urge to shift in your seats. “Why me?” he asked finally and just a little accusatorially.

Bucky blew out a long breath at that and sank back in his chair, having already thrown in the towel on this particular question. He did, however, give your hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Because you’re our best option.”

Murdock only frowned deeper and leaned forward. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

You sighed and took a moment to collect your thoughts, annoyed at how long it took you to find the right words. Being out and in the open like this was really getting to you. “You’re good. As in, a good person. One of the best. Could give Rogers a run for his money. I looked into your work. Your hobby, too.” Murdock’s face darkened a bit at the allusion to his other identity, but you barreled on. “Our situation isn’t normal. Neither is yours. If your heart is even half as big as I think it is- or if you care about the truth at all- then you’re the only person in the world that will give us a chance... without Steve Rogers backing us up or Natasha Romanoff threatening you.”

It was a weak attempt at a joke and, as expected, Murdock’s lips didn’t so much as twitch. He did, however, seem to find your answer acceptable. “So what? I’m just supposed to build a case? Without talking to either of you? And that’s assuming I take the case to begin with.”

You nodded to his pocket, forgetting he couldn’t see you (though you had a feeling he “saw” more than he let on). “It’s all on that archive. Everything we can remember. Everything we’ve scrapped together from files and data. It’s a more reliable source than we are most days. Things- the memories- they fade in and out.”

“But the things on that drive- they’re things we’ve looked into. Things we both remember. Should be the most complete and accurate file on us anywhere. I’d recommend keepin’ it close,” Bucky said gravely.

Murdock nodded at that, hand making an aborted motion to his chest pocket before he returned his hands to his desk and fiddled idly with a pen (that you had no doubt he’d use as a weapon the moment the need arose). “I’ll review the file as soon as I can. Is there... anything else?” he seemed slightly off kilter, not that you could blame him. Two world renowned assassins had just sauntered into his office and asked him to defend them in court, after all.

“No, that’s ever-” you froze when Bucky gave your hand an urgent squeeze. You glanced over at him and he gave you an expectant look that sent you thinking. Then it hit you. “Oh!” you said quietly, lips twitching up at Bucky’s smitten half smile. “You just received a large anonymous donation to your firm. I suggest using it to fix this place up a little bit... or perhaps getting an air conditioning unit. It’s going to get hot soon.”

That, however, made Murdock prickle like a porcupine, but Bucky was already heading him off at the pass. “It’s clean money, Murdock. My girl made it from patenting some crazy energy efficient electric engine or something like that.”

“But I don’t even know if I’ll take your case yet,” he argued stubbornly.

You peered at him, gaze too old for your face. “No, but you and your partner do good work here. I’ve read about your cases. It’s a worthy investment of my money.”

Murdock still looked dubious, but he decided to let the subject drop. “Then our business is concluded?”

You and Bucky stood at the same time, as slowly and non-threateningly as you could, but Murdock still practically jumped to his feet. “Yes, Mister Murdock. We’ll be on our way.” You stared at him, hawk-like, for any sign that he’d try to stop you. He hesitated briefly before walking past both of you to open the door. Bucky tugged you close to his side as you walked out. You paused to give the secretary- who was looking at you and Bucky with a little bit of confusion- a wave which she returned with barely concealed surprise and a tentative smile.

You were almost out of their small office when the door opposite Murdock’s opened and a man with shaggy blond hair and an infectious smile (which almost immediately turned into something more professional upon seeing you and Bucky) walked out.

“Oh! You must be Matt’s two o’clock,” he said brightly, though you could see the small flash of greed in his eyes. “I trust your meeting went well and you’ll be using our services mister and misses...?” he trailed off, looking between you, Murdock, and Karen inquisitively.

Foggy Nelson. Murdock’s business partner. Good heart, but perhaps more practical than Murdock, which often comes off as unsavory priorities... namely, making money.

A quick glance behind you told you Murdock was as tightly wound as a spring. You turned what you hoped was a melancholy smile on Nelson. “I’m afraid Mister Murdock declined our case. We... didn’t see eye to eye on some issues,” you said softly. It was better this way- his coworkers wouldn’t pester him about your case.

But Nelson looked at Murdock with such disbelief and exasperation that you wondered if you’d made a mistake.

“We can’t pay anyway,” Bucky added smoothly.

At that, Nelson’s face turned the kind of fake polite that was usually only mastered by the most obnoxious, self-absorbed people.

“I see. Well then I’m very sorry Nelson and Murdock won’t be able to assist you. Please have a nice day.”

The secretary was looking between the four of you with confusion, but Murdock finally relaxed ever so slightly as Nelson herded you out.

“Have a nice day!” Nelson called. Just before the door shut you looked over your shoulder and saw Murdock facing in your direction, head turned slightly to the side.

You smiled and waited until you were a few steps away before saying softly, “Thank you for your time, Mister Murdock. Take care,” knowing full well he’d hear you.

It wasn’t until you were a few blocks away that Bucky spoke. “Think it’s done yet?” he asked as you turned the corner and ghosted between other New Yorkers going about their busy days.

You frowned as you thought about it. “Probably.” Admitting it made anxiety coil low and deadly in your stomach. As if sensing the shift in your thoughts, Bucky threw his arm around your shoulder and drew you close to his side, taking his eyes off his surroundings only long enough to press a kiss to your temple.

“Better hurry back, then. I’m... eager to know the truth, either way. Y’know?” he murmured.

You smiled up at him and your breath caught in your throat. He looked... good. Two years since you both escaped Hydra. Two years out of cryo. Two years together, healing. Eating actual food. Sleeping on a real mattress.

The change had been so gradual that you hadn’t noticed. It had taken being in New York again for you to really look at him.

Your smile was more genuine than it had been in a long time as you leaned up and pecked a kiss to his cheek. “Yeah, Buck. I do.”

Next Chapter

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Private Tutor. Chapter Eleven; We Didn’t Talk About Such Things.

There’s still some parts of this I’m not entirely happy with - but my brain has now leaked out of my ears ;)

Thanks to @suhailauniverse as always for being my fic-wingman and to @pissedoffsoka13 who gave me the loveliest of messages. Mwah.

Enjoy <3

Encased in heat and passion, Claire and Jamie battled to get closer; as close as they possibly could before his alarm went off and brought the real world down upon them, exposing them to the uncertainty that was to come.

“Harder…” Claire grunted, her hips slamming against his, breathing in the hot, heavy air as her thighs gripped him with extreme force -as much as her flagging body could muster. She could already feel the bruises blooming on her fair skin with the pressure of holding him inside her. “Please don’t stop, Jamie.”

“I canna...canna move, Claire.” He gasped, his legs shaking mercilessly as he tried to shift his arse. “Ye’ve got me trapped but I dinna care.” Words slipped from his lips his control dissipating with each and every breath he took. He wanted to move. He wanted to stay still. He wanted so many different things all at the same time that his brain and his body were at war with one another.

“S-sorry.” Claire managed to pant, her grip easing slightly as she bucked beneath him, the sound of their coupling reverberating through the room with the movement.

In twenty-four hours they hadn’t left Jamie’s bed and although they were both fatigued and sore, they couldn’t stop - drawn to one another as they were they were both struggling to separate, their tangled limbs merging until neither could would out whose legs belonged to who.

As the hours ticked by, the morning dawning behind his closed curtains, Jamie could sense Claire’s increasing desperation. Wanting to calm her, he’d wrapped one arm around her waist, the remaining darkness covering them like a blanket as his fingers skilfully slithered between her thighs, finding the centre of her and causing her to sigh in relief -his touch relaxing her and reigniting the tampered blaze that flickered within her as they’d slept. It wasn’t long before she’d been crying out, her legs clamping down around his wrist as she’d flopped forwards, her chest rising and falling jaggedly.

Now, only a few hours later, with daylight subtly shooing away the dark, they had joined once more, their heightened lust pulling them from slumber as the first of Jamie’s alarms had rung out in the silent apartment. Crushed against one another, Jamie had risen above her, leaning down enough to rest his chest deftly across hers as Claire had rolled her hips upwards until he’d met with her -one fluid motion uniting them instantly.

“I don’t want to leave.” Claire whispered in the aftermath, her heart still beating madly against her chest making her ribs vibrate with the pressure of it, the tops of her thighs damp with a mixture of bodily fluids and her palms shaking lightly as she attempted to bring herself back to earth.

“I ken, lass.” Jamie returned quietly, “I was thinking maybe ye dinna have to go back for long? Collect yer things and come back here if you like, stay wi’ me?”

Huffing, she toyed with the short hairs on his chest before kissing the base of his neck. “I have to talk to my lawyer. It might be wise to get my divorce before I make any more big decisions.”

“Yer worried what Frank will say if ye jump from his place to mine?”

“Wouldn't you be? It isn’t as if he’s just going to sign the divorce papers and wish me luck, of that I’m certain.”

She hadn’t wanted to bring up what was to come, not whilst she was still floating blissfully in her bubble with Jamie but he’d need to get up and out soon and so would she. Although Jamie’s suggestion warmed her, she knew that it would only inflame an already tense situation.

Dressing peacefully, Claire and Jamie ghosted around one another, touching here and there as she retrieved her now dry clothes from his dryer. They ate in a companionable silence, the crunch of the cereal the only sound to fill the small kitchen before Jamie left, a small kiss to her left cheek, as he went to pack his rucksack in preparation for a day filled with lectures and surgical seminars.

“Ye still have yer phone, aye?” He asked as they stood on his doorstep, closing and locking the flat behind them as they walked towards the bus stop. “That way you can be in touch if ye need anything.”

“I do. Charged and ready.” She answered, mock-saluting him as they crossed the road.

“I’ll call my da for you, if you like. We have a family lawyer that I’m sure wouldn’t mind talking to you about what yer entitled to and such. Ned Gowan is a man no’ to be messed with but I dinna have his number - otherwise I’d program it into yer phone now.”

“Thanks.” She returned, zipping her coat up as the wind ripped through her. Clouds hung low overhead, dark grey rolls that felt heavy with rain as Claire tipped her head back to look up at Jamie. “I’d really appreciate that.”

“I canna say this will be easy, Claire. I certainly don't want to let you go. But yer welcome back here any time. Be it tomorrow or in a couple of months. And apply for the damn course, aye? Dr Abernathy is still waiting to hear from ye.”

“You told him?” Claire sighed, her mouth falling open in shock.

“Of course I did and he was so pleased, lass. He might have already coerced the head of department into giving you a late interview.”

“Oh Jamie. I only asked one interesting question, it doesn’t mean they’ll really allow me on the course. It’s such a prestigious medical program and it closed for entrants in October!” She exclaimed, fear gripping her as the first drops of rain began to fall around them. “I did my A Levels ten years ago, too. I’d have to enroll on an enhancement course before they’d even consider me.”

“And ye wouldna be prepared to do that?” He questioned raising a brow at her negativity. “I think you need to talk to Ned, aye? Yer just worrit, lass. But the moment yer free of that sack of shit you call a husband, ye might feel differently about this, ken?”

Nodding, Claire stuck her thumb out to signal the bus as it came up alongside the pavement. “This is me, I guess.” She said, clearly nervous, the fingers of her free hand reaching out to take hold of his as the screech of brakes increasing and then stopping altogether as the automatic bus doors opened, light covering them both where they stood.

“Call me if you need anything, Claire.” Jamie returned as she fumbled in her pockets for her purse and hopped up onto the single decker turning only after paying with a forlorn smile on her face, her arm still partially outstretched as if reluctant to let him go.

Sitting safely on the back of the bus, she rode all the way home with her earbuds in, an 80’s classics playlist blasting out as she tried to lose herself in the music -thanks to Jamie she now had a modern device that she could download and play her favourite tracks. It made the journey feel less lonely. She’d left a part of herself back at Jamie’s place and her chest felt hollow with the prospect of returning back to Frank.

It was different now.

She was different.

Different but not sorry.

Her marriage had been degrading for years now and Frank’s infidelity had only cemented the fact in her mind. But whilst one door closed with an immense crash, another was slowly opening - new opportunities glowing faintly through the tiny gap which caused her to ache for things long since forgotten.

As she twisted in her seat a twinge shot down her thighs, a dull recollection stirring in her throbbing muscles as she recalled how perfectly Jamie had slotted against her, lying between her legs yet not crushing her beneath him. Closing her eyes tightly, she had to fight back the urge to ding the bell, alight the bus and rush back towards his flat and hide there until he came home just to have him hold her again.

When she was sure the moment had passed, she opened her eyes, making sure she hadn’t missed her stop before shuffling her bottom deeper into the bucket seat, brushing off the urge in an instant.

Walking the short drive, the gravel crunching beneath her trainers, she kept looking ahead -her head held high as she watched the curtains twitch and fall. Frank was home, she realised and as she approached the front door she could see the car sat in the corner by the small garage.

“I hope you’ve spoken to a lawyer, Frank.” She said as she closed the heavy door, the slam of it adding some gravitas to her words. The invisible spectre of Jamie seemed to bolster her as the light bruising on her legs pulsed, reminded her of what it was like to be loved properly. Her lips tingled with the memory of his kiss, the taste of him lingering in her mouth as she removed her coat, her back to Frank, and hung it on the rack in the hall.

“I’ve already told you, Claire,” he replied. Cool. Collected. A decidedly cold look appearing on his face as he picked his briefcase up off the floor. “We won’t talk of such things. I’ve told Sandy the same thing, divorce isn’t an option. So, tonight, there’s a benefit taking place at Pollok house. The car will be ready for us at six, can you be ready by then?” He asked whilst not really giving her a choice, his tone nonchalant as he swept the whole sordid affair under the rug and shrugged his fitted suit jacket over his shoulders  -reaching for his fedora and the door handle simultaneously.

“I’m not going to a benefit with you, Frank.” Claire sighed, her voice steady and sure. “Nor anything else you have arranged. Ever. It’s over, whether you want to admit it or not. I want a divorce on grounds of adultery so you can tell Sandy what you want, keep telling her it’s not happening but I’m certain that we’re done. This charade is done.”

“On the grounds of adultery?” Frank scoffed, turning on the balls of his feet so fast that Claire had to take a step back in shock. “That’s rich, Claire.”

“Rich? Fuck you, Frank.” She cursed, her anger spiking and her cheeks heating as rage burst through her veins. “It’s the truth of it. You’ve been cheating on me for months now, maybe even years - who knows!”

“It’s of no consequence, Claire. Swear at me all you like. But if you get a lawyer I’m certain he’ll be able to tell you one thing for sure; you have no proof of my infidelity. None at all. It’ll be my word against yours, so unless you have something to confess I’d say we’re done here. Remember,” he finished, acting as though everything was the same as it ever was, “six o’clock. I’ll be home a little before hand, be ready.”

As the door closed quietly behind her, the click of the lock echoing off the marble floor, Claire’s world shattered. The realisation that Frank was right reverberated around her head as tears welled in her eyes. Trapped and shaken her back hit the wall, all strength leaving her body as she slid to the floor, her chest heaving with sobs as she held her hand tightly over her mouth and screamed as loud as she was able, the ache in heart intensifying as her new potential future crumbled at her feet.

[inkyardpress]

10 YA Reads That Have Us Loving the Skin We’re In

There are so many diverse and empowering new reads out there totally flooding our TBR that we couldn’t pick just one of our current obsessions to share—so here’s a list of ten we can’t stop talking about. From kick-ass queer anthologies to MC’s who totally get what it’s like living with anxiety, from the body-positive heroes we deserve to the everyday teens showing us how to be true to who we are inside, these books have us feeling ourselves and celebrating our individuality.

Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now by Dana L. Davis

For sixteen-year-old Tiffany Sly, life hasn't been safe or normal for a while. Losing her mom to cancer has her a little bit traumatized, and now she has to leave her hometown of Chicago to live with the biological dad she's never known.

Anthony Stone is a rich man with four other daughters—and rules for every second of the day. Tiffany tries to make the best of things, but she doesn't fit into her new luxurious, but super-strict, home—or get along with her standoffish sister London. The only thing that makes her new life even remotely bearable is the strange boy across the street. Marcus McKinney has had his own experiences with death, and the unexpected friendship that blossoms between them is the only thing that makes her feel grounded.

But Tiffany has a secret. Another man claims he's Tiffany's real dad—and she has only seven days before he shows up to demand a paternity test and the truth comes out. With her life about to fall apart all over again, Tiffany finds herself discovering unexpected truths about her father, her mother and herself, and realizing that maybe family is in the bonds you make—and that life means sometimes taking risks.

Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now is out now. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Puddin’ by Julie Murphy

Millie Michalchuk has gone to fat camp every year since she was a little girl. Not this year. This year she has new plans to chase her secret dream of being a newscaster—and to kiss the boy she’s crushing on.

Callie Reyes is the pretty girl who is next in line for dance team captain and has the popular boyfriend. But when it comes to other girls, she’s more frenemy than friend.

When circumstances bring the girls together over the course of a semester, they surprise everyone (especially themselves) by realizing that they might have more in common than they ever imagined.

Puddin’ is out now. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Fat Girl on a Plane by Kelly DeVos

FAT.

High school senior Cookie Vonn’s postgraduation dreams include getting out of Phoenix, attending Parsons and becoming the next great fashion designer. But in the world of fashion, being fat is a cardinal sin. It doesn’t help that she’s constantly compared to her supermodel mother—and named after a dessert. Thanks to her job at a fashion blog, Cookie scores a trip to New York to pitch her portfolio and appeal for a scholarship, but her plans are put on standby when she’s declared too fat to fly. Forced to turn to her BFF for cash, Cookie buys a second seat on the plane. She arrives in the city to find that she’s been replaced by the boss’s daughter, a girl who’s everything she’s not—ultrathin and superrich. Bowing to society’s pressure, she vows to lose weight, get out of the friend zone with her crush and put her life on track.

SKINNY.

Cookie expected sunshine and rainbows, but nothing about her new life is turning out like she planned. When the fashion designer of the moment offers her what she’s always wanted—an opportunity to live and study in New York—she finds herself in a world full of people more interested in putting women down than dressing them up. Her designs make waves, but her real dream of creating great clothes for people of all sizes seems to grow more distant by the day.

Will she realize that she’s always had the power to make her own dreams come true?

Fat Girl on a Plane is out June 5th. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson

Mila Flores and her best friend Riley have always been inseparable. There's not much excitement in their small town of Cross Creek, so Mila and Riley make their own fun, devoting most of their time to Riley's favorite activity: amateur witchcraft.

So when Riley and two Fairmont Academy mean girls die under suspicious circumstances, Mila refuses to believe everyone's explanation that her BFF was involved in a suicide pact. Instead, armed with a tube of lip gloss and an ancient grimoire, Mila does the unthinkable to uncover the truth: she brings the girls back to life.

Unfortunately, Riley, June, and Dayton have no recollection of their murders, but they do have unfinished business to attend to. Now, with only seven days until the spell wears off and the girls return to their graves, Mila must wrangle the distracted group of undead teens and work fast to discover their murderer...before the killer strikes again.

Undead Girl Gang is out now. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages edited by Saundra Mitchell

Take a journey through time and genres and discover a past where queer figures live, love and shape the world around them. Seventeen of the best young adult authors across the queer spectrum have come together to create a collection of beautifully written diverse historical fiction for teens.

From a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood set in war-torn 1870s Mexico featuring a transgender soldier, to two girls falling in love while mourning the death of Kurt Cobain, forbidden love in a sixteenth-century Spanish convent or an asexual girl discovering her identity amid the 1970s roller-disco scene, All Out tells a diverse range of stories across cultures, time periods and identities, shedding light on an area of history often ignored or forgotten.

All Out is out now. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Runebinder by Alex R. Kahler

When magic returned to the world, it could have saved humanity, but greed and thirst for power caused mankind's downfall instead. Now once-human monsters called Howls prowl abandoned streets, their hunger guided by corrupt necromancers and the all-powerful Kin. Only Hunters have the power to fight back in the unending war, using the same magic that ended civilization in the first place.

But they are losing.

Tenn is a Hunter, resigned to fight even though hope is nearly lost. When he is singled out by a seductive Kin named Tomás and the enigmatic Hunter Jarrett, Tenn realizes he’s become a pawn in a bigger game. One that could turn the tides of war. But if his mutinous magic and wayward heart get in the way, his power might not be used in favor of mankind.

If Tenn fails to play his part, it could cost him his friends, his life…and the entire world.

Runebinder is out now. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman

Star-crossed lovers, meddling immortals, feigned identities, battles of wits, and dire warnings. These are the stuff of fairy tale, myth, and folklore that have drawn us in for centuries.

Fifteen bestselling and acclaimed authors reimagine the folklore and mythology of East and South Asia in short stories that are by turns enchanting, heartbreaking, romantic, and passionate.

A mountain loses her heart. Two sisters transform into birds to escape captivity. A young man learns the true meaning of sacrifice. A young woman takes up her mother’s mantle and leads the dead to their final resting place. From fantasy to science fiction to contemporary, from romance to tales of revenge, these stories will beguile readers from start to finish.

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings is out now. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

The Diminished by Kaitlyn Sage Patterson

In the Alskad Empire, nearly all are born with a twin, two halves to form one whole…yet some face the world alone.

A rare few are singleborn in each generation, and therefore given the right to rule by the gods and goddesses. Bo Trousillion is one of these few, born into the royal line and destined to rule. Though he has been chosen to succeed his great-aunt, Queen Runa, as the leader of the Alskad Empire, Bo has never felt equal to the grand future before him.

When one twin dies, the other usually follows, unable to face the world without their other half. Those who survive are considered diminished, doomed to succumb to the violent grief that inevitably destroys everyone whose twin has died. Such is the fate of Vi Abernathy, whose twin sister died in infancy. Raised by the anchorites of the temple after her family cast her off, Vi has spent her whole life scheming for a way to escape and live out what’s left of her life in peace.

As their sixteenth birthdays approach, Bo and Vi face very different futures—one a life of luxury as the heir to the throne, the other years of backbreaking work as a temple servant. But a long-held secret and the fate of the empire are destined to bring them together in a way they never could have imagined.

The Diminished is out now. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Emergency Contact by Mary H. K. Choi

For Penny Lee high school was a total nonevent. Her friends were okay, her grades were fine, and while she somehow managed to land a boyfriend, he doesn’t actually know anything about her. When Penny heads to college in Austin, Texas, to learn how to become a writer, it’s seventy-nine miles and a zillion light years away from everything she can’t wait to leave behind.

Sam’s stuck. Literally, figuratively, emotionally, financially. He works at a café and sleeps there too, on a mattress on the floor of an empty storage room upstairs. He knows that this is the god-awful chapter of his life that will serve as inspiration for when he’s a famous movie director but right this second the seventeen bucks in his checking account and his dying laptop are really testing him.

When Sam and Penny cross paths it’s less meet-cute and more a collision of unbearable awkwardness. Still, they swap numbers and stay in touch—via text—and soon become digitally inseparable, sharing their deepest anxieties and secret dreams without the humiliating weirdness of having to see each other.

Emergency Contact is out now. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Someone to Love by Melissa de la Cruz

Olivia "Liv" Blakely knows how important it is to look good. Her father is running for governor, and Liv will be making public appearances with her family. Liv has an image to uphold—to her maybe boyfriend, to the new friends who suddenly welcome her into their circle and to the public, who love to find fault on social media.

Liv's sunny, charming facade hides a dark inner voice that will settle for nothing less than perfection. No matter who she has to give up to get there. No matter what she has to lose to do it. Liv is working for the day when what she sees in the mirror is worthy…worthy of confidence. Worthy of success. Worthy of love. But as the high price of perfection takes a toll, placing her body and soul at risk, Liv herself has to realize what she has to live for.

Someone to Love is out now. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

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[ohhkkaebsonggg]

Title: Bed, Bath and Blowjobs Pairing: Sub!Jaebum X Dom!Reader (slight switch) Rating:  NC-17 Genre: Smut, Angst, Slight Fluff,  Summary: After being dragged to another gala by you, Jaebum gets jealous when he sees you trying to pick up a guy. So he starts acting out and being rude, so when you both arrived home you chose to punish him but be careful, this little boy always has something up his sleeve. Prompts: ❝Please, please just let me cum.❞ | ❝Don’t make me say it again.❞ | A/N: First Jaebum smut all, hope you like it. I’ve never done a role switch so let me know how I went? Enjoy reading! Word Count: 2.3K  | KPOP Smut Game | TextingStory | Admin Apply | Selca Ships |

“Baby, are you ready yet? We have to be at this dinner before 8 and you know I want a chance to mingle.” You said as you finished fixing your dangle golden earrings before walking down the stairs to see Jaebum still sitting down on the couch with his tie undone and his jacket off.

“Jaebum! Now. We have to go.” You snapped, catching his attention. You stormed over and quickly did his tie up while he stayed quiet, knowing not to speak when you were mad. You shoved him his tux jacket and grabbed your clutch before walking outside and getting into the car.

The sounds of your heels clicking against the hardwood floor told him that you were not in the mood and this must be serious. So he made his way outside and into the driver’s seat, deciding to remain quiet and let you sulk out your anger in the silence and get this night over with.

He didn’t like going to these ‘dinners’ which was just another word for a charity event where you would wonder off and flirt with some rich CEO and get him to pour money into your account in exchange for sex or something else. Who was Jaebum then?

Your toy. You little play mate. You Baby Pink Boy. You were always the dominant one in the bedroom, you met Jaebum at a charity event and you only meant to sleep with him once but soon enough he turned into something more. You both weren’t in a relationship exactly, more of an agreement.

Once you both arrived you walked in together, his hand resting on the curve just above your ass as you two entered. You gave polite smiles to people and introduced yourself to some with Jaebum, but after the first ten minutes you had found your way over to some young CEO and began chatting him up while Jaebum sat at the bar and watched from afar.

“Rough day?” The bartender asked, wiping a glass over with a rag as he turned to Jaebum.

“You have no idea.” He answered after taking a sip from his glass of scotch.

“Let me guess, girlfriend?” He asked with a slight chuckle.

“Something like that.” Jaebum answered. Eyes watching as you laughed and placed your hand on the man’s arm, leaning in close to his body. He had never been the jealous type and always understood your agreement.

But lately as he watched your flirt and seduce men he couldn’t help but feel agitated when you did. Like he wants to be the only one you run your hands all over, the one who wants you pulling at his roots. Not some guy who will give you money for sex.

Another glass was placed in front of Jaebum, he looked at it confused before the bartender gestured over to you.

“This ones on me.” He said as Jaebum thanked him and made his way over to you with the glass.

“Hey baby, I got you a drink. Your favourite.” He said in a sweet tone as the man you were flirting with excused himself and walked off.

You glared at Jaebum, that stupid smirk that was on his face burnt into your head and you will make sure tonight he gets his full punishment.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” You asked in a harsh tone, making sure not to attract attention from those around you.

“What? It’s a nice night, I just want you to make sure you’re hydrated before you go off and sleep with some rich asshole.” Jaebum pushed your glass into your hand and stormed off back to the bar.

You couldn’t believe how dramatic he was being, you’d never seen him act like this when you went man hunting at parties and galas. Why was he suddenly acting like a five-year-old? Was Jaebum jealous?

You tipped your head back and threw the alcohol down your throat before storming over to Jaebum and pulling him away from the bar and out the doors.

“Y/n, what are you doing?” He asked as you both got outside and got into the car. You drove home in silence, him sitting in the passenger seat quiet and playing with his hands. You pulled up at the house and turned the car off.

Still sitting in the dark and silence.

“I want you upstairs, naked and on the bed. Do you understand baby?” You said coldly as he nodded and went inside. You took your time, getting out of the car and making sure it’s locked before going inside and putting your coat and clutch away and getting yourself a glass of water.

In the meantime, Jaebum had gone upstairs, ripped his clothing from his body and gotten onto the bed. His butt coming into contact with his calves as he patiently waiting for you.

He was semi-hard, his tip not entirely pink yet but it was getting there. The sounds of your heels making their way upstairs slowly was building the tension. He was almost shaking he was nervous. As soon as he saw you standing in the door frame to your room he was shaking even more.

Scared of what was to come, he watched as you walked over to your vanity and began taking your make up off with a wipe. He sat there, waiting for you calmly as his neediness grew. After taking your make up off he watched as your slowly took the thin straps of your dress and slid them down your arms. 

Letting the material that once hugged your body pool at your feet, the only thing left on you was your underwear and your heels. No bra was needed for your dress for tonight due to you thinking you might have fucked a rich CEO. But plans change. 

You pushed your panties down so they joined your dress on the floor before running your hands over your exposed breasts, pinching your nipples and throwing your head back. 

You walked over teasingly, taking his wrists in your hands and hovering his palms over your steaming skin. He could see the restraint in his eyes as he tried not to touch you like he wanted to. You smirked, bringing his hands to hover over your dripping cunt. 

Hissing to himself he decided to try and plough two of his fingers into your entrance causing you to yank his hands away from your body. 

“Naughty boy! You know not to touch mommy unless she says so. For your punishment I want you to lay on your back while I get the handcuffs.” A look of horror crossed over Jaebum’s face as you said that. 

He didn’t like it when you cuffed him to the bed cause it meant he couldn’t touch you and you could do anything you wanted to him. To him, it wasn’t fair game. 

You walked back over, holding two pairs in your hands as you cuffed each wrist to the wooden pieces on the headboard. After doing such you began to his down his chest, licking and digging your teeth into his skin. 

He let out whiny moans as you teased him, his member twitching with every pepper, lick and nip you gave him. You was starting to get impatient, you had kissed all over his chest and stomach and his thighs but you hadn’t gone near where he needed to. 

You finally glanced at his hardened member, the tip so red and desperate for a release. His prominent vein pulsating, and you decided to finally give him what he wanted. You continue to tease him though, swirling your tongue around the top, collecting any precum that dared to spill out. 

“Please, please let me cum.” He practically whined, causing you to smirk and give him what he wants. You wrapped your lips around him, taking all of him in until he was hitting the back of his throat. He whined as he tried to keep his hips under control. 

You smirked, bobbing your head up and down at a fast pace that had him being vocal in no time. His body tried moving around but due to the restraints it was no use. You looked up to see his eyes screwed shut, his adams apple bobbing and his lower abdomen twitching. 

You could tell he was on the verge of cumming and so with your permission he did, spilling himself into your mouth as you continued your ministrations before swallowing everything. You sat up, seeing beads of sweat sitting on his forehead and his body limp. 

Long pants leaving his lips as he tried to regain himself, you wrapped your hand around his softened member, watching as his eyes shot open and he gave you a confused look which you returned with a smirk.  

“No, please no. I’m too sensi--” He was cut off with your hand twisting around his member and moving up and down. Slow but hard, applying pressure to everywhere you can. Watching as his body slightly twitched and spasmed with every move. 

“No.” He drew out in a whine as his body arched and his hips bucked, you continued to pump him though, watching him harden once again in your hand and before you knew it dripping what he had down onto your hand and his shaft. You smirked, looking at his face to see it like it was before. 

“Let’s see, can you go one more baby? Do I need to make up for every man I’ve gone home with that wasn’t you.” You circled your index finger around his tip, the sensitivity causing him to practically scream for you to stop. 

“You’ve been very good during your punishment, I love seeing you all sweaty and helpless under my touch.” You reached forward and unlocked the handcuffs, his body relaxing as you got up and put them away before making your way into the bathroom and running a hot bath. 

You climbed in, relaxing under the warmth of the water and closing your eyes and letting your body go limp. After a few minutes you could hear Jaebum’s feet hitting the tiled floor, opening your eyes to see him coming in and gesturing for you to move forward. 

You did so, letting him position himself in the tub behind you. You laid back onto his chest, closing your eyes and continuing to relax and Jaebum did the same. There was just silence, his thumbs rubbing small circles on your hips. To you this was an innocent act, but to him this was his revenge. 

His hands moved between your thighs and pushed them open. 

“Baby boy, don’t test me. I’m sure you’ll be able to cum more than twice if we tried.” You warned but he didn’t listen, the tables have turned. With one hand he pulled your legs apart and with the other he circled your clit. The action making you weak. 

“Say my name baby.” He husked into your ear, but you refused to give up your dominance. 

“Don’t make me say it again.” He growled, finger moving in faster circular motions now causing an unwanted whimper to leave your lips and your legs to try and open wider. 

“Jaebum.” You finally breathed the word he’s being dying to hear, with that his finger sink into you slowly. You shuffled around in the tub causing the water to spill out slightly. Your hands gripped your breasts, playing with the pink buds between your fingertips. 

“Fuck.” You yelped, another finger being added causing the coil in your stomach to grow and the need for a release drive you crazy. 

His fingers quickened and your nails dug into his arms, alerting him you were on the edge as well as your moans going an octave higher each time. 

You were about to release, his fingers were pulled from you and he smirked. Kissing your neck and humming.

“How do you feel?” You were too frustrated for this tonight and turned around so your now straddled him before shoving his cock inside your tight walls. Re-building up your climax. 

You were able to cum finally, screaming his name mixed with hushed profanities as you did. After you got off and decided to get out, slipping on a t-shirt and climbing under the covers of your bed with Jaebum joining you in his boxers. 

Pulling you into his and you both falling asleep. 

It’s done! This request took forever to do but it’s finally done and I’m so happy with the work I’ve accomplished recently. Thank you all for reading and requests are still open along with SELCA SHIPS now. 

- Admin 체리

[captnbarnesrogers]

Better For Me (Part Six)

Pairing/Characters: Bucky x Reader, Steve x Natasha (Reader sometimes calls her Natalia), Sam Wilson, let’s just say everyone in the fuckin compound lmao Warnings: Swearing, cocky!Bucky, sexual tension, eventual smut, it’s a slow buuuurn.  TRIGGER WARNINGS (CHAPTER 6): Attempted sexual assault, talks of past sexual assault/rape, violence, swearing, almost smut, angst Summary: You meet one of New York’s richest Bachelor’s. He’s hot, he’s rich, and he’s an absolute fucking asshole. Luckily for you, you’re an asshole too and you could take a challenge any day. Within the first 24 hours of knowing each other, you’ve already pushed each other over breaking point. But when something comes up, you’re both forced to try and get along. Can it be possible? Word Count: 3K+ Chapter Summary: You and Bucky spend the holidays with your family and he discovers something horrific about you and the only thing on his mind is getting out of there. A/N: Chapter 7A coming soon! If I missed any trigger warnings, please let me know! If you want to be in the taglist, links are below!

<<<PREVIOUSLY ON BETTER FOR ME

Four hours was not long enough. To say you didn’t want to arrive home to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was an understatement. Bucky took a hold of your small hands and pressed it against his warm mouth.

“What’s on your mind?” He whispers,

“I don’t know if I should’ve taken you home.”

“You don’t want me there?” His faced dropped and he sighed,

“What? No, no, of course I want you there, I just, I don’t know what you’ll think of me after.”

“Look,” He turned your head to face him, “look at me, doll,” he kissed you softly, “no matter the outcome of this, I’ll still be here, okay?”

“Buck, you can’t make that promis-”

“Yes, I can, if I have to spend the rest of my life showing you, I will.”

“You’re a silly, man, James Buchanan Barnes.” You smiled,

“I feel something good coming out of this.” He leans in to kiss you and you rest your hands on his face, smiling against his lips.

The plane landed shakily, your hand gripping Bucky’s hand tightly. It wasn’t because you feared the plane. You were afraid to go home. You only go home to see your little sister, to check if she’s okay. To make sure what happened to you, doesn’t happen to her. Your daily phone calls weren’t enough. You wanted to see her, you just couldn’t afford to fly home every weekend or every other week, you also couldn’t afford bringing her to New York to live with you, so Christmas was the only time she could see you. Bucky took your hand and you both headed out of the airport, the breeze making your hands feel like ice. You hauled a taxi and packed your bags in the trunk, entering the cigarette smell filled vehicle.

The car ride was silent, just the sound of the radio playing ‘Jessie’s Girl’ by Rick Springfield which Bucky was tapping his foot to. You arrived at the house after thirty minutes. It was still concealed from the sunlight, almost foreshadowing the evil within it. You let out a big huff as you walked out of the yellow car, paying the cab fare, Bucky grabbing the bags from the back. You walked to the front door of the house and knocked. You heard hurried footsteps, almost instantly knowing who it was. The front door swung open.

“Lily!” You opened your arms as she jumped atop of you, “Hi, sweetheart, I missed you so much!” You gripped her tightly,

“I missed you too, Y/N.”

“I want you to meet someone.” You dropped her on the ground and stepped back so she could take a look at your Bucky, “Lily, this is Bucky, my boyfriend, Bucky this is Lily, she’s my sister.”

“Nice to meet you, Bucky.” She said holding out her hand for him to shake. Bucky let out a chuckle and shook her small hand,

“You too,” she nodded and gave him a smile, “you know, for a-”

“Ten-year-old she has a good grip?” You finished his sentence,

“Yeah, how’d you…”

“She gets it from her big sister, a lady who has a good grip, shows?” You implied for her incoming,

“Shows strength and independence!” She chirped in,

“Good girl.” Bucky saw your eyes light up, the more you looked at your sister, something he’d never really seen before, “It’s a little chilly out here, you gonna let us in, kid?” She nodded and let you both inside, running off through the hallway. Bucky grabbed your arm before going in, crashing you into him for a kiss. He pulled away as the air from your lungs began to cut out, “What was that for?”

“You just… Never cease to amaze me.” You playfully pushed him and laughed, leading him inside.

You were met with a façade of love. Your mother, Jean, and your step-father, Sean, in the kitchen dancing to the slow music coming from the radio near the fridge. You rolled your eyes and cleared your throat. They were caught by surprise and turned to face the figures at the door.

“Y/N, dear! We’re so happy you could be home!” She rushed to you and gave you a hug, which you returned,

“I’m happy to be home too, mom.”

“You’ve grown since last Christmas, Y/N.” A voice behind your mother snuck in,

“Sean.”

“We’ve missed you, darling.” You almost gagged at his pet name, you gave him warning eyes not to come near you in which he refrained from doing so,

“Who’s this dashing young man?” Your mother asked,

“Oh, yeah, um, this is my boyfriend, James Barnes.” Sean made his way over to Bucky with prying eyes, almost as if to attack your boyfriend. He roughly gripped Bucky’s hand for a handshake,

“Nice to meet you, both of you.” He says politely. You look at Sean whose eyes were sneering at your boyfriend,

“Well,” your mother started, “dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes and I assume you’ll both be staying in your old room together, so why don’t you both get up there and get ready for dinner and unpack?”

“Thanks mom.”

Exiting the kitchen was like exiting a war zone; something was lifted from you but you knew going back in, all the troubles would start again. You let out a big huff as you took the last step into your room, Bucky following right beside you. As you closed the door, Bucky took you in his arms in an embrace.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He asks, your face pressed up against his chest, you nod even though you weren’t really sure what you were feeling. He pulled you away, shortly after rubbing your back comfortingly. He lifted your head to face him and then leaned down to place a soft kiss on your lips, “I don’t know what’s wrong but you’re gonna be okay, babe, I’ll be right here.”

Dinner was silent except for your mother trying to shut you and Lily up at the dinner table. It wasn’t until Sean asked Bucky what he did for a living did the tension between the two men rise but it barely rose. When the silence came back, Sean didn’t shy away from openly showing his dislike towards Bucky and Bucky felt it. Bucky’s fork made a screeching sound as he played around with his food, not knowing what to do with a situation like this. Jean only smiled at Bucky while trying to quieten you and Lily. Moments after, she began collecting everyone’s plates.

“Hey, mom, I’ve got some laundry and I saw some upstairs, do you want me to do those for you?” You suggested,

“Yes please, if you don’t mind.”

“Is the laundry detergent already out back?” You asked. Your mother nodded and thanked you as you went upstairs to grab the laundry, Bucky following behind you, “I’ll be out in the laundry shed for about thirty minutes, you alright in here, babe?” He nodded and gave you a kiss on the cheek. You collected your laundry and put them in the basket, then went around the rooms to collect the rest of it.

You greeted you mother once again in the kitchen, a chuckle making its way through your lips as she cracked a joke. You stepped out and felt the cool breeze hit your face. You walked around the corner to the side of the house, opened the door to the shed and started unloading the clothes from the basket and into the washing machine. You hummed as you separated the colours of the clothes, not hearing the door creek.

“Your boyfriend is something else, huh?” The sound of his voice made your insides sink, your whole body froze into place, the hamper dropping onto the floor, “Oh, my little darling…” You heard his footsteps draw closer behind you,

“Please- I just- I want to-”

“You’re mine, haven’t you learned?” You felt his breath on your neck, his finger making its way around and feeling the skin which covered your collarbone. You couldn’t help but sob, “You don’t need to cry, I know this is what you want.”

“Sean, I d-don’t-” Your heart was beating so fast when his hand trailed from your back, down to your ass. A single tear escaping your eye, his hands slid from your behind and to your front. Your breathing began to fasten in panic.

Lily couldn’t really spend time without you when you came home. She followed you everywhere, even as far to wait for you outside the bathroom. She loved you. She skipped along the footpath to the laundry room in excitement to tell you about a cute boy at school. Just outside the shed she heard your sobs, she peaked through the cracks and covered her mouth from what she saw. Sean had you bent over the washing machine as you sobbed. You caught a glimpse of Lily and looked at her with pleading eyes, she tip toed away from the shed and ran off when she got the stairs of the house. She ran into the house and up the stairs, passing her mother entering the master bedroom. She rushed into your room, where Bucky was on the phone to Steve, discussing the wedding.

Lily heaved a breath in and out, her eyes welling with tears. Bucky took one look at the panicked little girl and ended the call with Steve, telling him that the wedding could wait for just one moment. He bent down to face her and rubbed her arms to calm her down.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright.” He said comfortingly,

“Y/N.”

“Y/N? What’s wrong with Y/N?” His tone changed but still underlaid with comfort,

“Sean…” Lily huffed, “She’s in the laundry room with Sean.” Bucky’s eyes widened, remembering the only thing that Natasha had told him. He lifted himself up from the floor and rushed down the stairs. He swung the door open and didn’t take a second to look at the scene before him, he roughly pulled Sean away from you, making Sean land across the small shed. Within seconds, you’d dropped to the floor and Bucky was on top of Sean, punching him.

“Don’t... fucking… touch… her again!” He puffed out, lifting his fist from Sean’s face, he turned to face you, caressing your mascara stained cheeks, “Baby, Y/N, look at me, you’re okay… Fuck, Y/N, I’ve got you.” He saw Lily and slid himself towards her, “Lily, I need you to be a big girl and stay her with your sister for two minutes.” Lily nodded and sat beside you. Bucky ran into the house and up into your room. He zipped up your suitcases and rushed downstairs with them in hand. He placed them near the front door and ran back to you, “Lily, I need you to be honest with me, okay?” She nodded, “Has he ever tried to touch you before?” She shook her head ‘no’, “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I promise.”

“I need you to go into your room and lock the door, okay? We’re gonna come back for you, sweetheart, I need to make sure Y/N’s okay first.” She nodded and ran off into the house and into her room, locking the door behind her.

“B-Bucky, I-I’m so sorry.” You cried,

“Don’t you dare apologise for this monster,” He says helping you up, “we’re getting out of here.” He carried you in his arms out the door and dialled a cab before grabbing the bags, placing them in the back when the cab arrived shortly after. The cab took you to the nearest motel, your sobs filling the vehicle the whole ride through. He paid for the motel and carried you inside with your bags. Your sobs had stopped temporarily but once he had set you down on the bed, it started again. He made his way beside you, embracing you tightly, and your hands gripping onto his shirt as you cried into him, “Shhh… It’s okay, Y/N, he will never touch you again, I won’t leave you, Y/N, shh…”

“I was- I was stuck and I couldn’t move, I couldn’t scream, I tried, Bucky.”

“It’s not your fault, you hear me? It wasn’t your fault.”

“We have to get Lily, she’s not safe there, I don’t want her there.”

“We’ll take her back to New York.”

“Buck, she won’t be able to go to school, I can’t pay for her scho-”

“Y/N, my mom knows the principal at Hunter College Elementary, we could send her there.”

“Bucky…” You looked up at him with widened eyes,

“We can’t keep her here, Y/N.” You knew he was right,

“I’ll call my mom in the morning and tell her Lily can spend the last semester with me.”

“You need to rest up, okay?” You nodded, laying into the bed. Bucky got up but you grabbed his arm,

“Don’t leave me.”

“Never.” He laid down next to you and placed a kiss on you head.

Your mother approved Lily’s leave from their home. Lily was excited to go to New York with you, her clothing and valuables already packed when you arrived at their front doorstep to get her. You gave your mother a kiss before leaving and squeezed Lily’s hand on the way to the airport. On the plane, Lily crossed her legs on the chair, Bucky on her left side and you on the right side. Her earphone dug within her ears, drowning out the mechanic sounds of the plane. You gently squeezed her arm to get her attention. She took out her earphones and gave you a smile.

“Lil, you know why we’re taking you to New York, right?” You asked in a whisper,

“Because Sean is a dick.” Bucky couldn’t help but chuckle,

“Bucky!” You exclaimed, giving him a light tap on the knee before turning back to face Lily, “That’s one way to go about it but maybe don’t use that word.”

“You’re gonna take care of me, right?”

“Of course, sweetheart, you know I’ve always got your back.”

“And I’ve got yours, Y/N.” You gave her a kiss on her forehead,

“Thank you for last night, Lily, for telling Bucky, you really had my back.”

“That’s okay,” She took yours and Bucky’s hands and connected them together, “I’m happy that you found someone to love.”

“Lily! You can’t just-”

“Y/N, it’s fine, don’t worry about it.” Bucky says laughing. He lifts your hand up to his lips and gives it a soft kiss, Lily clapping her little hands with a first prize winning smile.

“Y/N, what about school?” Lily asks curiously,

“Bucky’s mom knows the principal at an elementary school in New York, we’ve got you covered.”

“I spoke to my mom this morning and it turns out, this guy owes my mom and massive favour so you’re already enrolled and they’re waiting for you.” Bucky gives her a soft smile and she then wraps her arms around Bucky’s neck and hugs him,

“Thank you.” Bucky rubs her back comfortingly, telling her that it was no trouble. The more you looked at Bucky with your sister, the more you thought that maybe Lily was right, maybe there is a part of you that’s starting to fall for him or already have fallen for him.

Two hours into the flight, Lily had fallen asleep on you. Her soft snore making it obvious that she had not had a goodnight’s sleep. You turn your head away from your book and look at Bucky who was already looking at you with a grin.

“Do I have something on my face? Why are you looking at me like that?” You asked,

“Nothing,” he whispers, “you’re just… Beautiful.”

“What am I to do with you, Bucky Barnes?”

“Love me.”

“In due time.”

“I’ll always wait for you, you know that Y/N? I have never felt this way about anyone.” He took your hand and kissed it, “I’m always gonna be here for you.”

“Thank you, Bucky.”

A week had passed since the Thursday before and everything seemed peaceful. Lily had started school and Bucky hadn’t been called for duty. You’d dropped off Lily at school and you and Bucky had breakfast at a café just thirty minutes from your place. There was something about the way he was looking at you that morning.

When you got home, Bucky’s hands were on your hips, his lips on your back, making their way onto your neck. You leaned head onto him as his hands moved their way up to your breasts, taking your shirt off along with his movements, and your hands making their way into his hair, gripping tightly. You moaned and led him to your bedroom. You laid down as you kissed him, arching your back as you felt his mouth drag down onto your chest.

Suddenly, memories flashed through your head. Your breathing got faster and your eyes opened wide, screaming.

“Y/N! Y/N, what’s wrong?” He asked, trying to embrace you. You flinched away from him and cried, covering yourself from his view,

“I think- I think you should leave, Bucky.”

“Y/N…”

“Please, I think this is for the best.”

“Whatever it is, we can work it out, Y/N, please.” You kept sobbing as he tried to hold you,

“Bucky! Can’t you see what happened!? I’m going to keep remembering him if we do this, I can’t, I don’t want to remember him every time you touch me!”

“I-I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.”

“You’re a guy, Bucky, there’s only one thing on your mind.” You said cold heartedly,

“You seriously think that that’s the only thing on my mind?” You sat their silently as he stood up and you heard him sob, “I understand, Y/N.” He left the room and you heard the door close, not a sense of anger left behind. You cried and sobbed. Natasha found you in your room still in the same position. She grabbed you into her arms as you sobbed and just like your heart and your eyes, the clouds of New York City began to darken and rain fell profusely.

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PART 7A >>>

[papermoonloveslucy]

Lucy and Viv Put in a Shower

S1;E18 ~ January 28, 1963

Synopsis

Lucy decides that her home needs another shower and asks Harry to help her install it. Harry and Eddie get out of helping by paying a local plumber to do the job under the guise of being an old friend. After Lucy drives him away with her meddling, she and Viv finish the job themselves, nearly drowning as a result!

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carmichael), Vivian Vance (Vivian Bagley), Jimmy Garrett (Jerry Carmichael), Ralph Hart (Sherman Bagley), Dick Martin (Harry Connors)

Candy Moore (Chris Carmichael) does not appear in this episode, although the character is mentioned and is the catalyst for Lucy wanting to install a second shower. 

Guest Cast

Donald Briggs (Eddie Collins) makes the fourth of his seven appearances as Viv’s on-again / off-again boyfriend.

Eddie’s pet name for Viv is “Tootsie”. 

Stafford Repp (Joe Melvin, a plumber from Ridgebury) made a career of playing policemen even before he became famous as Chief O'Hara on TV’s “Batman” (1966-68). He played two different officers of the law on “Dennis the Menace” in 1962 and 1963, alongside “The Lucy Show’s" Mr. Mooney, Gale Gordon. Coincidentally, “Dennis the Menace” had their own Mr. Mooney, who was a police officer! Repp returned to “The Lucy Show” for “Lucy Is a Process Server” (S2;E27) and did 1970 episode of “Here’s Lucy” as (what else?) a police detective!  

This episode was filmed on December 13, 1962. It is sometimes referred to as “Lucy the Plumber”. 

This is one of two Season 1 episodes (as well as 30 others) that somehow fell out of copyright and into public domain, which accounts for its appearance in low-cost / low quality DVDs.  

The original broadcast was sponsored by Jell-O, and featured the product in the opening and closing credits. 

There was even a special commercial featuring Vivian Vance, Jimmy Garrett, and Ralph Hart in character extolling the ease and versatility of Jell-O. During season one all actors except Lucille Ball participated in such ‘in-character’ commercials. In her medium shots, Vivian Vance’s eyes are clearly reading from the teleprompter just over Ralph Hart’s head.

The day this episode aired, January 28, 1963, film director John Farrow (inset photo) died. Farrow directed Lucille Ball in the 1939 movie Five Came Back. The film was made at RKO Studios. In January 1963, RKO was known as Desilu Studios and Lucille Ball was its president. Farrow was married to another redhead, Maureen O'Sullivan, and left behind seven children, including daughter Mia Farrow.

Harry’s favorite dish is Eggs Benedict.

When Chris hogs the bathroom, Jerry and Sherman are washing their hands in the kitchen sink before going to the Y to play basketball. Jerry says that at the Y, “They frown on filth!” The Y has been mentioned in several episodes so far, and in “Lucy Digs Up a Date” (S1;E2) we see inside Danfield’s new YMCA.

Reinforcing the YMCA theme, the boys have a pennant for Indian Guides. The  youth nature program started in 1926, although the name later morphed into Y Indian Guides, then simply Y Guides.   

Lucy prices putting in the new shower with Paisley the Plumber. His prices are so high that Lucy says they are in danger of needing “socialized plumbing.”

“The only way to get clean is to be filthy rich.” 

These jokes are clearly about the high cost of health care in America, which was a topical issue, even in the early 1960s. In 1962, President Kennedy appeared at a rally at Madison Square Garden to promote the King-Anderson Bill, an early form of Medicare. In February 1963, just a week after this episode aired, author Ayn Rand gave a talk in Ocean, New Jersey, against socialized medicine.  

When the water in the shower begins rising to shoulder level, Lucy says “Where’s Lloyd Bridges when you need him?”  Lloyd Bridges was the star of “Sea Hunt” (1958-1961), a TV series about a scuba diver which featured extensive underwater filming. He was also mentioned in the same context in “Lucy Buys a Boat” (S1;E30). Bridges played a doctor on the season five opener of “Here’s Lucy” in 1972.

To allow for another camera angle, the wall inside the shower stall opposite the taps was made of glass.  It is not visible when the camera shoots from the front. While it is supposed to be invisible (the ‘fourth wall”) it collects water drops and Lucy puts her hands on it for support. 

At one point Lucy doubts Joe is really a plumber and says “You could fool the panel on ‘What’s My Line’.”  “What’s My Line” was the name of a popular CBS quiz show which had three blindfolded celebrity panelists trying to guess the profession of a mystery guest by asking yes or no questions.  It ran from 1950 to 1967 so it aired during both “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy Show.” Lucille Ball was a celebrity guest six times between 1954 and 1965, one of which was broadcast just a few months after this episode. Desi Arnaz appeared on “What’s My Line” three times, one of which was alongside Lucy.

In this episode, both the Statue of Liberty and Mount Rushmore are used as punchlines. Lucy voiced Lady Liberty in “Swing Out Sweet Land,” a 1971 TV special celebrating American history.  

When the water causes the plaster to fall from the ceiling, the production uses an insert shot of the water-stained kitchen ceiling. Of course, the show’s sets had no ceilings to accommodate lighting, so this shot had to be recreated and inserted into the film. 

VIV: “Lucy, I wanna tell you something. This is absolutely the last time I slip into my coveralls to be an apprentice on one of your dreadful little projects.” LUCY: “Aw, no. These are things we’re gonna look back on and laugh at one day when we’re old and gray.” VIV: “And from the way things are going that may be next week.”  

This sentimental dialogue at the end of the episode pretty much sums up Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance’s comic partnership. Of course, this is far from the last time she slips on those coveralls to help Lucy get out of a predicament. The pair did indeed stay friends off screen until they were old and gray.  

Between takes, the crew kept the set laughing with this funny sign. 

Shower Scenes! 

She’s not exactly Marion Crane from Psycho (1960), but Lucy’s shows had their fair share of shower scenes.

In the “I Love Lucy” pilot Lucy and Ricky Ricardo are standing in their bathroom in front of a shower curtain. 

Ricky RIcardo loved to sing in the shower - which actually moved locations!  In “Bonus Bucks” (1954) it was a shower stall and In “Little Ricky Learns to Play the Drums” (1957) it is a tub shower!  (BTW, both bathrooms are in their second, larger apartment.)

In “Lucy Goes to Sun Valley” (1958), everyone seems to interrupt guest star Fernando Lamas when he is trying to take a shower. She also interrupted the shower of Cornel Wilde in “The Star Upstairs” (1955).

At the end of “Lucy is a Referee” (S1;E3), Lucy Carmichael beds down in the tub and mistakenly turns on the shower.  

Viv took an unscheduled ‘safety’ shower in the chemistry lab when “Lucy and Viv Take Up Chemistry” (S1;E23). 

Lucy Carter barged in on Harry’s shower in “Lucy Stops a Marriage” (HL S3;E16) in 1970. 

Lucy Carter has a realization in the shower, when she visited Danny Williams on “Make Room For Granddaddy” (S1;E16) in 1971. 

Blooper Alerts!

Floor Plan Fiasco! This is the second time we have visited Jerry and Sherman’s bedroom, the first being “Lucy and Her Electric Mattress” (S1;E12). A quick pan to the left side of the room reveals that there is a dresser where the boys’ bunk beds were located. In that episode the Indian Guides pennant was just to the right of the door. It is now just to the right of the shower, which was formerly a closet.  

Talk Show Stories! Lucille Ball later stated that she nearly drowned during the filming of this episode, when she went to the bottom and found herself unable turn herself upright. Vivian Vance realized she was in trouble, and pulled Lucy up by her hair. Vance ad-libbed until Lucy could catch her breath and resume her lines. The near-disastrous moment was edited for broadcast so that we see Lucy go down, Viv react to her distress, and then Lucy surface again. It is clear there was an edit in the film due to water levels in the tank between the takes. This scene was probably rehearsed without water and then done in one take. Later in her career, Lucille Ball also stated that she nearly drowned while doing the grape stomping in “Lucy’s Italian Movie” (ILL S5;E23).  

Shoddy Construction! Grasping at the top of the shower door, Lucy accidentally knocks loose the chrome trim.  

Fast Forward!

At the end of the episode, Lucy convinces Viv to help her plaster the ceiling after the shower damage. Eleven months later, Lucy and Viv are once again plastering the kitchen ceiling after Sherman accidentally leaves the bathtub water running in “A Loophole in the Lease” (S2;E12).  

Lucy Carmichael again did her own plumbing in “Lucy and the Plumber” (S3;E2) starring Jack Benny and Bob Hope as plumbers!

A scene from this episode was included in “Lucy and Viv Reminisce” (S6;E16), the series’ only clips episode.

On “Here’s Lucy,” Richard Burton disguised himself as Sam the Plumber in “Lucy Meets the Burtons” (HL S3;E1). Burton recited Shakespeare while fixing her bathroom sink but an unimpressed Lucy Carter refused to pay extra for it! 

The episode was playing in the background during the short horror film Room To Breathe (2006). The show’s opening credit sequence was also included. It likely was chosen as it is in public domain and no royalty fee or permission were needed for its use. 

In 2017 “Will & Grace” repeated the shower stall stunt in “Who's Your Daddy?” (S9;E2) with Debra Messing (Grace) and Megan Mullalley (Karen) trying to keep their heads above water. In Spring 2020, the pair transformed into Lucy and Ethel for one of the final episodes of their sitcom's reboot. Lucie Arnaz was also in the cast. 

It seems that several real-life plumbers on Tumblr are Lucy fans!  Or plumbing fans!  Or both!  

“Lucy and Viv Put In a Shower” rates 5 Paper Hearts out of 5

A nominee for Best Picture 2019 in the Desilu Academy Awards!

[little-owly]

can i request Dark making Mark wet himself? 😈💖

pairing: dark/mark

warnings: wetting, violence, death threats, slight balls tourture (???) 

(i carried away with this aaaaa pls forgive me)

Mark looked around he dim room, his eyes adjusting to the darkness.

“Wha-where?” he asked, his voice slurred. Panic filled him as he realized his hands were tied behind him, his legs tied to the chair he sat in. Ropes secured around his lower abdomen kept him tied to the creaky wooden chair. He gasped, the ropes worsening his need to urinate.

Mark began to pant, light filling the cold and empty room all at once. At last, he could make out his surroundings - an old run down basement of some sorts. Boxes and junk surrounded him and the chair. Collected dust and rusted walls upset him more. One detail he couldn’t get over was the tripod and camera in front of him. Wait…was it recording?

“Hello there,” said a mysteriously deep voice, he could almost swear it sounded like…, “I see you’ve finally woken up?”

Mark could feel his heart beating faster and faster as he realized who his attacker was. He gulped, trying to keep his composure - knowing the more he reacted, the longer he would keep this up.

“Why am I here?” Mark asked, cringing as his voice broke in between his words. His memories going back to other encounters with this attacker. His memories reminding him of the pain he brought onto him.

“You don’t remember me? That’s rude,” the other purred into his ear, “I’m you. The real you. The one who you keep hidden under that god awful positivity.”

A shiver of fear ran down Mark’s spine as he finally saw the figure move in front of him. It was him, or at least, he thought it was.

This twin of his was much more, alternative. The tips of his black hair dyed red, a black choker adorning his neck. This twin was clad in dark clothing, a matching red hoodie with the sleeves ripped off, a long sleeved black undershirt underneath. The twin’s wrists hidden away under thick spiked wristbands, fingerless gloves on his hands.

“Just call me Dark. Or if you want to get formal, Darkiplier,” he whispered, producing a small blade from the back pockets of his dark jeans.

“You know with this little thing,” Dark sighed, “and the right spot,” he continued, moving closer to Mark’s neck, “I could watch you gasp on your last bits of air - blood running down your chest?”

Mark began to shake, hyperventilating. He watched Dark laugh at his reaction, fear running through his veins as he questioned if this was it.

His questions were answered as he watched Dark slowly put the knife back to his pocket. His deep, rich, and identical, laugh quieting.

“Calm down, pussy. I’m not gonna do that today. Instead, I have a bit of a plan.”

He began to bite his lip, the adrenaline and fear making his control over his bladder worse. The ropes against his abdomen caused more pressure on his urge with each movement.

“You see, it’s not a secret you’re this huge star. Everyone looks up to you, millions of adorning fans watch your videos and donate to your charities,” Dark paused, turning back around to face Mark, “and I fucking despise it. I hate every little goody two shoes fan of yours and that goody two shoes reputation you have.”

“So here’s my plan, and why I have this little thing here,” he points to the camera, the red light blinking back at Mark, “let’s say, someone were to humiliate this famous ‘markiplier’. Let’s say someone were to record said humiliation and said recording landed in the wrong hands. Would your little fans still stick around when they’ve seen it? Would you still be seen as the good guy, or just become the butt of every joke, an absolute laughing stock?”

“Please,” Mark panted, “I’ll do anything, just don’t kill me. I have friends and family-”

Dark slapped Mark square across the face, his glasses flying off and hitting the cold ground below.

“Like I actually give a shit?! I could end you right fucking now! I could cut your throat open and watch you bleed out. I could slit your mouth ear to ear. I could gut you right now and not feel a fucking thing-”

Dark looked down, noticing movement out the corner of his eye. He could see Mark’s legs squirming, trying to close. He could definitely see Mark’s body quivering as he sobbed.

“It’s already kicking in, hasn’t it?”

Mark continued to sob, “what are you talking about?”

Dark slapped him once more, moving away from him to adjust the camera. He set the tripod much closer, getting Mark’s sitting body in the shot.

“What’s a matter? Are you actually scared, pussy?” Dark smirked, his voice somehow deeper than before.

Mark nodded, anything to keep Dark happy. Or at least content enough to not him him once more. He slowly realized Dark had hit him with the spikes on his wristbands, small droplets of blood trickling down his cheek.

“Stop moving your legs.” Dark commanded.

Mark sobbed as he returned to his normal position, or rather the position Dark tied him up in, legs spread wide and the ropes digging into his bladder.

“Now, I want you to tell me how badly you gotta piss, or else I will put you in a world of pain you would not believe. Understood?”

Mark nodded, watching as Dark got behind the camera. He began to sob once more, large tears spilling from the corners of his eyes.

“C-can I use the ba-bathroom? I need to go,” he cried, “please? I-I won’t tell a-anyone about this. I’ll keep qu-quiet. Just let me go to the bathroom.”

“Why?” Dark asked, encouraging Mark.

“Just let me go! Please, I’m b-begging you!”

Dark produced the knife again, making slow steps towards Mark. Mark yelled as he braced himself, not noticing the leak on his lap, sizable and dark.

“No! Please, no! I-I really need to pee, I can’t hold it in any longer. I can feel my own bladder throbbing. It hurts so bad to keep it all in,” he paused. Dark pointed to the wet spot on Mark’s lap. Mark cried as he swallowed his pride.

Anything to stay alive.

“I c-couldn’t hold it. S-see? I can’t hold it because I’m a scared l-little bitch. I can’t even hold my own p-piss like a normal person. Fuck, please let me go - I’m so close.” he gasped, letting his head drop.

Dark shook his head, a smirk plastered across his face. Mark lifted his head and cried out.

“It’s coming out, I can feel it coming out, oh god I’m going to piss myself here - fuck!”

Mark yelled, his voice hoarse, as his body shook violently. Stopping all at once, he could feel it. The warm wet urine running down his legs, under his ass, into his shoes. The hissing of the pee filling the silence of the quiet basement. Mark whimpered quietly as he continued to pee, the blue fabric of his jeans darkening. The pitter-patter of it hitting the hard floor below, the wooden material of the chair becoming completely soaked.

It took a long 2 minutes for Mark to finally stop, dropping his head in shame once more. Goosebumps running up and down his skin as he noticed the large off yellow puddle below him. He cried, feeling the pee under his ass.

“How fucking pathetic. Couldn’t even hold it in for a few minutes. Look at you did to my floor,” Dark said, stepping up to Mark.

Mark gasped as Dark lifted his leg to press his steel toed boots into his wet crotch. The disgusting sound of his soaked jeans and boxers making him cringe as Dark pressed harder and rougher. Directly into his balls.

“Fuck!” Mark cursed, his voice breaking. He wheezed as Dark continued to press further, the burning pain making him buck back further into the chair. Dark snarled, pressing his boot up further to step on Mark’s wet thighs.

“You’re fucking disgusting. Pissing yourself like some baby. Getting my chair and floor filthy, along with yourself. How fucking pathetic. It’s so laughable how embarrassing you look.”

Mark whimpered loudly. He watched Dark’s eyes widen before drawing his fist back, hitting Mark’s chin. Dark used his other hand, punching him once more in his right temple.

The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was Dark turning off the camera. In those last moments, Mark wondered if he’d wake up again. He wondered what would happen to his friends, his family, even Chica.

Then, there was light. Sudden and harsh light in his eyes. Mark shot up, worriedly looking around.

He gripped the sheets of his bed. Wait, when did he…? And what about Dark?

The sweet and relieving realization hit Mark. It was all a nightmare. A horrible nightmare. The pain, death threats, and utter fear was all an illusion. Even the humiliation and wetting - wait.

Mark pulled back his sheets and sighed. Nope, the wetting was real. His soaked pajama pants and sheets told him so. The still warm urine pooled under his lower half, surrounding him. With care, Mark slowly pulled off the wet sheets and blanket. He grabbed a towel before picking up the wet items and placing them in the wash.

He stepped into the bathroom, ready to turn on the shower when he heard a creak behind him. His blood ran cold as he quickly turned around. His fists clenched, ready to defend himself.

He saw nothing. Nothing but the open hallway and his reflection. He turned back, turning on the warm shower, and tried to ignore the fact he could just barely see a figure out the corner of his eye - one with red hair and black clothing.

[ronaldmrashid]

The Downside Of Financial Independence

One of the things I was counting on when I published, Being A Landlord Questions My Faith In Humanity, was readers coming out of the woodwork questioning why I would be so lenient when my tenants were so thoughtless. Most were empathetic to my situation, but some blamed me for my tenant’s actions. That’s cool.

At the end of the day, I got $216,000 worth of rent over 24 months, a completely redone backyard mostly paid for by them, a professionally cleaned house, and $1,000 of their $17,000 deposit. Things could have been much worse if you read some of the tenant horror stories in the comments section.

My tenants were generally nice guys. They were just clueless. When I sent them the picture of the trash explosion the next day, they immediately called a junk trunk to collect everything a couple hours later. They could have just disappeared into the wind since they had their deposits back. But they didn’t.

Hopefully my post will encourage people to be more thoughtful. At the very least, it provides some insights for current and future landlords. I always try to highlight the good with the bad on my road towards financial utopia (doesn’t exist, sorry).

In this post, I’d like to highlight the downside of being financially independent. I don’t know any other landlord who would not have charged a single late fee after eight times of tardiness. But you know I’ve got a masochistic side, looking for ridiculous situations to share with all of you!

The Downside Of Being FIRE

1) Not optimizing for maximum financial returns. When you are financially independent, you don’t need more money because you already have money. If the counter party isn’t financially independent as well, you start feeling a little slimy for trying to optimize your returns. As a result, you aren’t negotiating the best deals. You aren’t shopping around to find the best bargains. You’re definitely not driving around the block to find a free parking spot. And you’re always booking flights late because you value optionality.

Instead of optimizing for financial returns, you start maximizing for peace and harmony. With each late payment, I had a choice of letting it go or laying down the hammer, which might have led to more property damage and further disregard of the lease. I knew they would eventually pay, so I showed kindness.

By forgiving their tardiness, I wanted to build credits for future instances when I couldn’t come over in a timely manner to fix something or address an issue. And it worked on two occasions: 1) The kitchen faucet lost cold water pressure for some reason. My master tenant volunteered to meet the plumber, make the payment, and oversee the project. 2) Then my microwave stopped working one day. It was a custom size that was built into the cabinetry. He took it upon himself to go to Best Buy, then to a private party when Best Buy didn’t carry such a model to pick one up, pay for it, and install it. His actions saved me at least three hours of time.

My main mantra is to always give as much as possible first. This way, people are more inclined to do right by you in the future. I’m a peacekeeper by nature who believes everything can be worked out through an open discussion.

Related: To Get Rich, Be Willing To Do The Dirty Work

2) People will take advantage of your kindness. It doesn’t matter how rich you are, nobody ever wants to be taken advantage of. Yes, my tenants were taking advantage that I wasn’t penalizing them $250 for each time they were late. But the way I saw it was I had $2,000 worth of credit I could withhold from their $17,000 security deposit if they didn’t comply with what I asked for before moving out.

They knew this, which is why one of the tenants said the day before move out, “We won’t let you down Sam!”

I have a wealthy friend who escaped to Paris for a year with his wife and four kids because he couldn’t stand getting hit up for money all the time. He told me, “Every time I open my inbox, I get some random person whom I don’t even know asking if I could donate $100,000 to some organization I don’t care for. It’s maddening I tell you. How about at least getting to know me first?”

One time I met a friend for drinks. He was talking to this startup female founder who was once an ex-beauty pageant queen. She was attractive and she knew it by the way she talked about her relationships with “high powered VCs.” Both my friend and the founder had to leave, so instead of paying for her own drink, she looked at me and said, “I’ve got to run. It was nice meeting you,” implying that I was to pick up her tab. Since she Usain bolted, of course I had to pay even though we just met. I’ll give her startup a 0.1% chance of surviving with that type of entitlement.

Finally, I get bombarded every day with questions from people who don’t bother to make a connection first. I’ve been asked to give a diagnostic of their entire financial lives. Some have asked whether I can help them with their marriages. Others have asked me to help them with their online business plan. The most common question I get is, “Can I pick your brain?” I’m not sure how anybody thinks that’s enjoyable.

To avoid being taken advantage is one of the key reasons for practicing Stealth Wealth. If people know you are financially independent, they’ll do everything they can to extract as much time and money from you as possible.

3) You start empathizing too much. I saw in my tenants a rowdier version of me when I was their age. I remember what it was like to struggle at work, survive layoffs, begrudgingly pay a portion of my paycheck to rent, all while trying to enjoy all that life has to offer. I started developing a lot of empathy for them because some of them had issues at work. Another had back tax problems because he somehow forgot to pay them. While another just couldn’t get it together given his parents babied him too much as an adult. I thought I could be sort of a big brother who could provide some guidance.

But empathy doesn’t get you anywhere if the other side doesn’t care. There’s a reason why it’s never a good idea to do business with friends or loved ones. For at least the rest of the year, I’m going to work on being a stone cold business assassin. It’s not in my nature because I’m always joking around and having a good time.

To be frank, I fear the lion within. I’ve never backed down from a fist fight or a shouting match when provoked. A part of me longs to snap an oppressor’s bones as I once did as a raging young man who always defended his honor. Thanks to the feedback from the community, I’ve been reminded how overly soft I’ve become. Time to get fierce and care for no one!

Related: Are You Smart Enough To Act Dumb Enough To Get Ahead

4) You start taking money for granted. Do you remember how excited you were as a kid to get a crisp new bill in an envelope for your birthday or Christmas? Those were the best! Unfortunately, I no longer get excited about seeing a $20 bill or even a $100 bill in my wallet. Now, I withdraw thousands of dollars at a time to pay vendors without feeling a thing.

The reason why I’ve begun to tip more aggressively since reaching financial independence is because I enjoy seeing the joy in others that I once had. I remember getting a $5 tip for just a $5 ride when I gave an Uber ride to this woman. My eyes teared up with gratitude! For the rest of the afternoon I had an extra hop in my step. Then I noticed the best tippers are those who work in the service industry because they know how hard it is to make a buck.

I wish I would be excited by money again. But I’m not. Nowadays, all I get excited about is living life on my terms.

* I just realized while writing this post that I forgot to collect $420 for the two pro-rated and discounted nights after April 30 check out. I accommodated two of the guys because their escrow closing was delayed. I wanted them out on April 30 because it would take five days for the floor guy to refinish everything with four coats of polyurethane. If I cared more about money, I would have remembered to have collected the $420 on the May 2 walk through. 

5) You slowly lose motivation to try harder. There was a time when I responded to almost every comment. I felt I had to at least say “thank you” to those who took the time to share their thoughts. But now, I respond to only about a third because I’ve lost the energy to keep up. I feel I’ve provided enough value over the years to give myself a break. Besides, the time formerly spent responding to comments is being used to write meaty new posts.

I used to have this goal of writing five posts a week from the current three posts a week cadence. More posts, higher growth, and more revenue. Now, I’m thinking about just posting a couple times a week because I don’t have this insatiable drive to grow my business anymore. Unless there’s a huge tax cut, I don’t want to build a Financial Samurai app or create a larger publication with 10 different staff writers. I just want to have my own little lifestyle business that never feels like work.

The people who hit it out of the ballpark have this ridiculous drive. Pity the trust fund kids who went to private school, got jobs through connections, and don’t really have to create something of their own. When you have everything taken care of, it’s much harder to be your own person. I blame my loss of motivation partly due to my older age, but mostly due to my passive income and steadily declining debt levels.

Related: Debt Optimization Framework For Financial Independence

The Three Generation Cycle

“From rice paddy field to rice paddy field in three generations.” – Japanese/Chinese variation

“Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations.” – American variation

“The father buys, the son builds, the grandchild sells, and his son begs.” – Scottish variation

The First Generation comes from a life of hardship. This generation takes the most risks, works the hardest, and makes the most sacrifices to break the cycle of poverty.

The Second Generation grows up a witness to their parents’ struggle and understands the importance of hard work. Because of this awareness, they make good financial decisions and build upon the foundation their parents worked so hard to create.

The Third Generation, however, has no recollection of hardship. They only know a life of abundance. Without an awareness of the work needed to build build wealth, the third generation squanders their good fortune their parents and grandparents worked so hard to build.

My great grandparents left China by boat in order to make better lives in Hawaii and Taiwan. They took all kinds of risk, whereas by comparison, I’ve done nothing close. I fear that a life free of financial worries will dishonor their generations of hard work, frugality, and sacrifice. With consternation, I wonder when my child grows up, will he take his good fortune for granted?

Being financially independent is fine, but unless you have a deep hunger to do something great, it is unlikely you will ever maximize your potential. Therefore, a key reminder is to always be mindful of others.

Financial independence can blind you to the world’s suffering. Or financial independence can bless you with the time to help other people. Which will you choose?

Related:

The Dark Side Of Early Retirement

Once You Have F U Money It’s Hard To Tell Others To F Off!

How Does It Feel To Be Financial Independent?

from http://www.financialsamurai.com/the-downside-of-financial-independence/