#cmhh

When you woke up the next day, you tried your hardest to keep your mind clear of what happened the night before and dressed quickly to run and meet your friend for brunch. 

The walk to the brunch spot was sunny, and the weather was perfect, as it usually was. Even the sweet, cool breeze that blew between the buildings was welcome and helped you wake up.

You’d been so far into your own head, that it honestly shocked you to see your friend’s excited face as she waved to you when she spotted you across the street. A smile stretched across your face as she bounced on her toes in front of the fancy host podium outside the dining patio. 

This is why I’m home, you thought to yourself, this is what home is.

You’d thought so much about how you wanted to go home, you hadn’t bothered to think about the people that made home, home. Your best friend was definitely one of the biggest things that encompassed your home, and a sour twist tumbled your stomach as you realized how whiny and miserable you’d been before. She’d put up with all that.

“Good morning!” She squealed as she hugged you. 

You smiled and held her for a second longer than you had to before letting her go so she could turn towards the hostess and motion for her to bring you both to your table. 

The patio was crowded, but not overly so since the tables were nicely spread out. There were white painted light posts wrapped with flowers and white picnic furniture around. It looked like a tea party almost. 

The waiters were quick to come with mimosas and set down daintily painted china ware around your table. You thanked them as they scurried away. You sat in your seat as your friend happily chirped about numerous things she wanted to do and see, before gasping about her birthday.

“You planned your own birthday party?” You asked.

“Well, yeah,” she shrugged, “you weren’t here, so I did it myself.”

You frowned as guilt settled into you. She was right. Your whole lives, you planned each other’s birthdays, been there. This was almost the year you missed, and the reminder of your move to Germany made that ugly feeling you’d lived with there slink under your skin again. 

“Hey, no, it’s okay.” your friend reassured you, “If anything, it just shows I’m a brat and absolutely need a party all about me and will plan it myself to get it.”

You chuckled as you leaned your elbows on the table, “I’m just happy that I’m here now.”

She reached for your hand across the table, “M’happy you’re happy.” she squeezed your hand.

“Really, really-” you struggled with your words for a second, “you’ve done so much for me and wanting me home after the way I’ve been-”

“Oh stop, I-”

“No, really, please listen.” you made sure she was really listening before you continued, “I really feel like I need to tell you, you need to hear how thankful I am to have a friend like you. We’ve known each other forever, and you’ve never done anything less than support me and put up with me.” You brushed your hair back, “And well, after how shitty I’ve been lately, I just really need you to know how much I appreciate you and how much I really just want to be as good a friend to you as you are to me.”

Your friend’s lips parted, your words leaving her speechless until she exploded all at once.

“Awww, okay, I’m coming-” She pushed her chair back, and walked around the table with her arms open, “around the table because I need to hug you.”

You squeezed her tightly to you.

“You’re still my best friend.” She whispered into your ear before speaking up, “But you know, I’ll let you know if I get any other offers-”

You pinched her sides, making her squeal and retract her arms from around you, “Bitch.” you teased.

“You love me,” she told you as she backed back down into her own seat and you your own, “you appreciate me.” She shook her shoulders dramatically as she emphasized the word.

“I don’t know why.” You jokingly quipped as you raised your glass to your lips. 

-

He’d been forced to sleep on it. The knowledge that you were home made him want to call you, to take to the streets and go to all the places he knew you’d frequented. He’d even dealt with the crushing disappointment that you hadn’t told him you were coming home with the honest truth that he didn’t deserve to know.

But by morning, he’d barely slept, and he decided he needed help. So naturally, he took off from work and headed off to Daniel’s racing service. 

Michael pulled open the obnoxious bright baby blue gate just enough for his big body to get through before he pulled it shut behind him. He’d been yelled at enough by Daniel in the past to know that the ‘gate must be closed’ rule was sacred to him. 

It was probably the only rule he’d ever heard Daniel have.

He nodded at some of the workers that shuffled around, holding different parts, iPads and the such as they walked around a number of motorcycles and cars that were parked here and there. The lot was a bit of a confusing one, but Daniel had pinned the location of his ‘office’ (he hated the word), on Michael’s google maps app, making it a lot easier for Michael to visit his friend.

The lot was made up of multiple garages, all painted different pastel shades. Every little building was either a garage or work space, the only difference was if there were people or a motor vehicle in it. It was a cool and new age-y work place, something much more innovative than Michael would’ve ever thought up for his own work spaces.

Coming down the concrete row, he could see Daniel and Blake’s garage at the far end, the garage door opening open as usual. Blake sat in his usual seat at a table, typing away at his laptop as Daniel climbed on to a motorbike that was between them. 

“Hey, thought you were scared of those things.” Michael called into the space as he walked into the shade of their office. 

“He is.” Blake responded without looking up.

“Am not-” Daniel recoiled at the shared expression Blake and him gave, “M’afraid of street motorcycles, not dirt bikes.”

“The difference is?”

“One is out in the world, the other is where other ones aren’t.” Daniel said matter of factly. 

Michael shook his head.

“So, why are you visiting?” Blake interrupted, breaking the playful tension between Michael and Daniel.

Michael’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at Blake, who quickly looked away from the standing Australian. He shrugged before casually answering, “She’s here.”

Michael looked at Daniel, who shared a look with Blake before he looked back at Michael. 

Daniel scratched his beard, “Like, here, here?”

“Back in Monaco.” Blake supplied, still typing away and not looking up at all. 

“Like, forever?” Daniel chuckled.

Michael squeezed his eyes shut as he took in his strange friends. He didn’t understand why today had to be so fucking weird. 

“I don’t know,” Michael groaned, “I don’t know anything other than she’s here.”

Blake hummed as Daniel fiddled with the handlebars of his dirt bike. Michael looked back and forth between the two confusedly.

“Did you two know?”

They both shook their heads, neither one saying anything further. Neither one of them even looked at him. 

“I’ll figure it out at home.” He huffed as he turned on his heel.

“Hey!” Daniel called after him as Michael quickly walked out of the garage, “Wait, wait, wait.”

Michael stopped as Daniel clapped him on the shoulder, “Sorry, mate, we just didn’t know what to say I guess. Blake is having a day, and I just-” Michael narrowed his eyes at the way Daniel rambled, but before he could ask about it, Daniel went on, “What do you wanna do? What can we do?”

“Nothing,” he initially answered before following it with, “I don’t know.” 

“What do you want to do?” 

Michael had felt guilty enough about coming here crying over you again, so now he was really shut down to the idea to discussing you at all, “I don’t know.”

Daniel sighed, “Okay, well, regardless of whether she is here or not-”

“She is.” Michael growled, his impatience getting the best of him.

“Regardless! I don’t want you moping in your new fancy apartment.” Michael made a face at Daniel’s sly smile, “No, no, listen. One of my friends is having a party tonight. I was planning on going with Blake, but you know how he is,” Daniel waved his hand at Blake as he gave Daniel the finger, “I think you should come with.”

“Daniel,” he sighed and took a step toward him, “I can’t.” he said lowly. 

“No, no, this isn’t me trying to set you up with some girl or making you party. It’s supposed to be low key, chill- you know that outdoor place that all the tourists hit during the summer? That place, the one with the glow-y balcony?” Michael nodded as he chuckled at Daniel’s descriptive skills, “That’s the one. Come with us.” 

Michael looked at Daniel, who quickly held his hand one in the other clasped in front of his chest as he pouted his lower lip. 

“Are you seriously giving me a puppy face?”

“Is it working?”

“It’s scary.”

“So its working.”

“How is a scary puppy face working?” 

“It’ll intimidate you into coming.”

Michael scoffed as he nodded, “Fuck it,” Daniel jumped and high fived himself, “I’ll come.” 

“Great!” Daniel yelled before turning back towards his garage, “You can fuck off now.”

Michael threw his arms in the air before he continued walking off, this time smiling. 

“And don’t forget to close the gate!”

-

You skipped alongside your friend as excitement filled your body. 

“My birthday girl!” you yelled as you threw your arms around her shoulder.

“Oh god,” she scoffed dramatically, “we haven’t even begun drinking yet.” 

You giggled as you released her so you could hold her hand down the street, “I’m not drinking.” When she gave you a look, you persisted, “I’m really not! I want to be able to carry your drunk ass home.” 

She laughed and swore up and down the block that she wasn’t going to get sloppy, that this birthday was different, that she was another year older and another year wiser. 

You giggled as you didn’t fight a word she said, even though you knew it was all bullshit. She’d always been the wild one amongst the two of you. The fun one, if you will, the one that was always down for some chaos. You had definitely taken up the older sister role in your dynamic, even though there was no age difference between the two of you. 

“Oh! We’re here.” you shook her shoulders as you pushed her ahead of you inside excitedly.

She had picked a really, really nice place. It was a bar with a soft club atmosphere. The front of it was all painted and oldish looking, but the inside was two different bars that lined each wall and the center was all standing tables, with high chairs pushed underneath them for people to use or not. It had always been a cool spot, but now, rented out and decorated for her birthday with a ceiling full of balloons, it was perfect. 

“Oh my god.” She gasped as everyone cheered when she walked in. 

You grinned as she looked over her shoulder at you. You had meddled. It had really hurt you when she explained how she felt she had to plan her own birthday party without you in Monaco, and you’d promised yourself that regardless of where you lived, you’d always come home for her birthday. 

So naturally, you’d called the venue and had a shit ton of balloons delivered, the rose colored balloons (her favorite color) lining the walls and crowding the ceiling. Jars filled with fairy lights and shining, marble like rocks reflected more light on the bar and the tables. 

She hugged a few people, coming across them as she inspected the room and saw all your work. By the time she’d gotten to the balcony, she’d been almost in tears. 

“Thank you so much!” 

“You’re never gonna plan another one of your birthdays alone ever again.” You told her in her ear. 

She squeezed you tightly before letting you go, laughing at herself as she wiped her glassy eyes. 

“Go on, don’t look at me, have fun!”

You shoved her into the masses of people, some of them you didn’t even know who they were, and let bask in her birthday attention. 

Feeling quite proud of yourself, you hopped on to a bar chair and order a soda as you watched her get swallowed up into the arms and shared happiness of the party guests. You crossed your legs, pulling the gauzy white material of your sundress closer to your knee as you leaned back against the bar to watch the room. 

A decent amount of time had passed when someone finally stumbled up to you. 

“Hey!” one of her friends, who’s name you couldn’t remember, grabbed your arm and pulled you into a hug. “You did a great job!” She motioned to the whole bustling room. 

“Thank you.” you smiled.

“She’s missed you.” She yelled a bit too close to your ear, her words slurring a bit, “We’re all happy you’re back.”

“M’just visiting.” you told her.

She looked at you confusedly before she laughed, “Come on, you have to have fun before you go back then!” 

You laughed as she pulled you off your seat, much stronger than she looked and much firmer with the pull than you thought she’d be capable of. She pulled you a little from the bar so she could grab your hands and dance with you. You laughed as she spun you with the music and held your arms over your head. 

You spun around jokingly with the woman, your bare feet felt good on the cool wooden floors now that they were free from the dumb heels that you thought were a good idea. Your white dress flowed around you, and you couldn’t help but giggle. 

You were really enjoying yourself. 

You’d grabbed your mutual friend’s arm, the two of you clutched each other as you rode your shared dizziness out, and you calmed down. Just as you began to straighten up, your best friend came and grabbed you. 

“Hey!” she squeezed your shoulders and pushed your hair back, “I want you to meet my friend.”

You nodded, “Alright,” you looked behind her, “where are they?”

“Oh, they’re out back, come on.” She took your hand in hers and led you out the door as you waved to her friends over your shoulder.

The balcony really was beautiful. The venue had gone all out and hung fairy lights across the pergolas to make it glow. It was the most whimsical looking thing you’d seen and the soft glow made everything look dreamy. You were still admiring the lights as your friend came to a stop.

You looked away from the twinkling lights that lined the balcony railing and came face to face with Michael’s best friend. Your jaw dropped as he nervously waved to you.

“So this is Daniel.” Your friend nodded as Daniel continued to awkwardly wave at you.

“You-“ You pointed at your friend, so many questions going through your head as you tried understand how they knew each other.

“M’not really sorry.” Daniel shrugged at you.

You turned back towards Daniel, “What?”

And then Daniel moved aside and you saw another man, shorter with glasses,  grab another man’s shoulders to turn away from the water and face you. It all happened so fast.

Your breathing stopped.

Michael stood in front of you, looking just as shocked as you felt. Up close you decided yes, he did get bigger, and yes, he did look exhausted, but he was here and he was in front of you and this was real, real, real.

You felt the usual drag of arousal that always connected you. But it also felt like your chest was about to cave in. In your peripheral vision, you could see Daniel, Blake and your friend backing off and taking steps away from you both. The air was thick, the tension tangible as all the noise left your ear and all that was left for your senses was him. 

“Hi.” You spoke barely above a whisper.

Everything melted away, the feeling of the concrete under your feet, the slight breeze from the ocean, the bass that shook the ground. It was all gone. It was just the two of you.

“Hey.” He replied.

You kept eye contact with him for another moment before you panicked, “I have to go.”

In what might have been one of your worst and most cowardly moments, you took off. While you didn’t run, your fast stride wasn’t any less embarrassing. You somehow heard your friend yell your name over the rush of blood in your ears, but you had tunnel vision, and shot straight through the venue out to the street. When the cobblestone sidewalk touched your feet, you cursed yourself for not grabbing your shoes on your way out. 

In the fresh air, you exhaled heavily and pulled your hair back, exhausted and embarrassed.

“Hey!” 

Your eyes widened as you heard his voice behind you, and you took off again, quickly walking (barefoot) down the street. 

This is not how you saw this going, not how you wanted to talk to him. You hadn’t wanted to talk to him at all. You’d wanted to talk to him with a plan if you did. It was all too much. The way you felt, what he did to you, you couldn’t take it. You couldn’t dive into it. You just had to get back to your hotel. 

“Are we really doing this again?” 

You could hear the laughter in his voice and a wicked smile pulled at your mouth as your eyes got glossy. You didn’t slow your stride until his hand closed around your wrist, and it felt like you’d been struck by lightning.

You both stood there, a few buildings down from the venue, still two blocks from your hotel. Just frozen in time. He didn’t pull you, he didn’t say anything, he just held you in place, his grip loose. 

Michael was putting the decision in your hands. 

God, I hate this man. You closed your eyes and swallowed thickly.  

You turned on your heels, awkwardly lifting your feet to make the motion to walk around to face him since your feet were still bare. 

Michael looked down at your feet and chuckled. He still loosely held your wrist, and even though he wasn’t looking at you, you felt he was still giving you the lead. 

“Hi.” you breathed out.

“Start over?” He asked. 

“Yeah.”

He nodded down at the ground, “You know, if you’re gonna run from me, you should make sure you’re wearing shoes before.”

You cracked a smile, which he returned when he finally glanced at your face. You both looked away and tried to speak at the same time. 

“I didn’t-”

“I thou-”

“Sorry,” he blushed, “go ahead.”

You looked down at his hand that was still closed around your wrist, “I didn’t know you were going to be here.”

“I didn’t know either.”

“Our friends are sneaky.” You peeked back up at him, where you could see him nod in agreement.

“Look-”

“Mich-”

“Fuck!” You groaned, “We are so bad at this, I’m so bad at this,” your rambling unleashed itself as you giggled, “I didn’t think I was going to run into you and I didn’t bother thinking through what I would do if I did, and I thought of it alot, like what if I run into you, and I just kept telling myself ‘oh, it’ll never ever happen, like there’s no way Monaco is that small’, even though, obviously, we know it’s small as fuck-”

Michael’s hand slipped into yours and silenced your rambling. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked timidly before looking you right in the face, “If you don’t, I won’t bother you, I’ll leave here right now, and let it be.” 

You looked at him for a moment, following how his face began to fall and realized how long you were taking to answer, “Yes!” you blurted out, “Yes, I want to talk about... it. We should.” 

“Come back to my place?” You went to answer him, but he quickly corrected himself, “Just to talk, sorry, somewhere private, I didn’t mean for it-”

“It’s fine.” you squeezed his hand and scrunched your face when you saw how his own smile brightened, “Let’s go talk.”

Michael and you stood there looking at each other, smiling, for a moment, until he seemed to remember you had to get to his place. He laced his fingers in between your own and tightened his hold as he pulled you alongside him. He leaned into the road to hail a taxi, holding your hand firmly in his.

You were quiet for the short ride, the both of you were. It was kind of funny, and you both nervously giggled here and there. You realized pretty quickly that he was just as nervous as you, and you both seemed to find comfort in your joined hands on the seat between you. 

“This is-” you peered out the window at the building the cab had pulled up to.

“Got a new place,” he told you softly as he reached over you to push open the door so he could follow you out, “This one is all mine.” 

You looked down at the ground as you climbed out of the car, mindful not to lose Michael’s hand, but still smug that your hunch that you’d inspired him to stick it to his father. 

The silence dragged in the elevator, and you took the time to try to figure out a game plan in your head.

I need to tell him I’m sorry, that I want to figure this out, that I want it to stop hurting all the fucking time. That I never meant to hurt him too, if I even did, I never meant to.

Your mind raced as you followed Michael’s feet, the only thing you looked at of his once you’d arrived at his floor, right to his door. He unlocked it and let you in first, finally releasing your hand. On your own, you rung your hands together in front of you as you padded into the apartment. The light colored floors were shiny under your feet, and you cringed as you were reminded again that you’d left the party without your heels. 

Focus, apologize, you reminded yourself. You took a deep breath and turned towards him and lifted your head, ready to just let it all spill out. But before you could get a single thought out, he reached for you and pulled you into his arms. 

“I’m sorry.” He spoke into your hair as his arms squeezed your waist, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Your fingertips had instinctually pressed into his biceps when he’d grabbed you, but once his apologies met your ears, your hands crept up his shoulders and wrapped around his shoulders. You held him close to you, only loosening for a second so he could push his face into the crook of your neck.

Michael stood straight up, making you gasp into his ear as he lifted you off your feet. Neither one of you loosened your hold on the other as he walked across the room. He turned his head and pressed a kiss to your cheek. Before you could contain it, tears dripped down your face as your shoulders relaxed and you melted into his hold. 

In the safety and privacy of his home, you fell right into the comfort bubble you used to cast around each other back when things were good, when you hadn’t ruined it.

“I got you.” He cooed as he smoothed your hair with one hand, the other arm held you up as he moved through the apartment. 

Your legs dangled until he hooked his beefy forearm under them and scooped you up against him to sit you delicately on the couch. He placed you next to him carefully, but when you pushed yourself so your legs were crossed across his lap and your face was pressed to his chest, he didn’t say a word, just held you close as you cried. 

His arm wrapped around the back of you, his hand firmly on your waist while his other hand kept itself busy petting your hair or rubbing your leg. He leaned his head on top of yours, making you feel safe and surrounded by him. 

“I’m sorry too.” you croaked. 

He shushed you and raised the hand that was on your waist to the back of your head, his fingers pressed into your hair and massaged your scalp. You giggled and wiped your eyes.

“M’not a cat.”

Michael snorted, “Oh, the things I could say...”

You pinched his chest with your nails through his shirt, making him swat your hand away before you grabbed it so you could hold it again. In your lap, you traced his fingers as he continued to be patient in your silence. 

“I’m the worst.” you sighed, “I- I didn’t know what to do.” 

“About what?” 

“You.” You nodded your head as you closed your eyes and listened to his heartbeat, “I mean, I think back to who I thought you were and it’s like I had this totally different person in mind when I met you.”

“An asshole?” He chuckled as you agreed.

“But then, that night happened, and all the days and nights that followed. And I tried so hard to just keep it all separate, and I thought I was doing great.” He hummed as you went on, “I thought I could have it all. A situation, an arrangement that worked, and a job that was my dream.”

“But?”

“But then everything went to shit.” you sniffled, “And I realized how I felt, how I felt about you.”

Michael lifted your hand to his lips where he pressed soft kisses to your knuckles as he looked at you, “So, I’m not an asshole.”

“No, Michael, you never were.”

He smiled at you before he dropped your hand and flicked your temple, “Told you so.”

You laughed, the weight on your chest alleviated with every smile he gave you. 

“I was so stupid.” You sighed, “I should’ve told you. I should’ve listened to myself sooner, but I didn’t.”

“Well, it wasn’t all you.”Michael leaned his cheek back on the top of your head, “I never thought we’d end up like this.”

“Crying on your couch cuddled up together?” You joked.

He laughed softly, “Yeah,” before he sobered, “all of it. I never thought it would go this way. It’s hard to know where to start, it’s hard to figure out where we started... and ended.” 

You pushed your hands against his chest, separating your cozy position so you could look at him. You pulled your legs in, your knees bent over one of his to dangle between his legs as your leaned forward against his thigh. He squeezed your knee as you finally faced him full on for the first time that night. 

“Have we ended?” you asked carefully.

Michael’s mouth twitched, like it didn’t know whether to frown or smile, but then he nodded sharply.

“No,” he rasped, “no, I don’t think so.” 

You sharply inhaled and bit your lip as you searched his face for any regret, anything that told you not to do this. But there was nothing, nothing but a persistent hope, a tug on the magnetic connection between you two. The feeling told you that no, there had not been an end. 

Carefully, like you touched glass, you rested your finger tips against his cheek while your other arm wound around his shoulders. A small smile was on his face, and when he leaned forward and nudged your nose with his own, you turned your head and finally kissed him for the second time. 

You went to work the next morning in a daze. You hadn’t expected to get any sleep, but it still didn’t suck any less.

After Michael had called you, your brain had spent hours deciphering the confusing occurrence. You weren’t sure why he’d called, if he had even meant to and why he’d hung up without a word.

The most maddening part was the not knowing, was the too many unanswered questions that plagued you. You had left Monaco with them and now this call just added to them.

And your own cowardice made your own stomach roll.

You hadn’t called back or texted him. You were too half convinced that he hadn’t meant to call you, that a call or text back wouldn’t be answered, wouldn’t be wanted.

And then what would you have done?

-

Michael stared at the blueprint in front of him and blinked twice.

He’d been trying to figure out how to reconfigure the building so they could obtain the permits the city was holding on them for the past two hours. But every-time he looked at the lines and his own notes and the layering of plans, he blanked.

Instead, he thought of his conversation with Daniel from the night before. After he’d finally told him all of it.

Daniels reaction at first, the way he blamed you, had made an ugly rage rear in his chest. And while he initially fought Daniel on it, he began to understand his side. You had both left each other hanging, and now you were both feeling the effects of your emotional carelessness.

The whole night had been pretty emotional, and Michael hadn’t known Daniel had that kind of emotional depth. I mean, he’d known Daniel as a sensitive kid his whole life, but to see him be able to unpack emotions that Michael had been battling for months had been a lot.

So they ended up shelving the conversation.

“Look, I can tell you’re not ready to objectively talk about this.” Daniel patted Michael’s shoulder, “So when we’re sober and you’re up for it, let me know when you want to get your shit together.”

And then he’d announced he was getting an early shipment of cars tomorrow and had to leave to sleep off their drinking. Michael had felt the weight of Daniel’s hand on his shoulder for hours after. He was so used to just barreling his way through shit, wasn’t it time for him to take some help?

He’d taken control of so many aspects of his life since you, you were his last hurdle.

Looking through his messages for his thread with Daniel, Michael felt his timidness, the shallow pride inside of him shrivel up. Daniel was his friend, there was no place for pride.

He’d almost started typing, if not for the dreadful sound he’d picked up on through the walls.

Michael could hear his father coming down the hallway, could hear the chorus of welcomes and hellos and friendly chuckles and all the warmth of the office just seeped through the walls as all the warmth in his office went to ice.

Why now. Some weeks it was hard to not feel picked on by the universe, this was one of those weeks.

“Hey son,” his father walked into his office as if it was his own, “remember me?”

“Unfortunately.” Michael responded dryly without looking away from his computer screen.

“Honestly, what? You just move out and never see me again?”

I see he’s chosen to block out the fight, Michael thought as he fought the urge to wince at the blow out argument they’d had when Michael had announced he was moving out.

His father realized he wasn’t going to answer him, so he continued, “You left abruptly, you don’t call or text, I could be dead for all you knew.”

“Don’t say that.” Michael sneered, he wouldn’t listen to his father make light of such a thing.

His father held up his hands and nodded, “Yeah, yeah, sorry, soft subject.”

Michael rolled his eyes and dropped his head in his hands, rubbing his palms down his face before facing him.

“You look good!” His father told him, “Looking strong.”

Michael just stared at him.

“Okay, what?” His fathers mood took a 180, “What did I do this time?”

“Nothing,” Michael told him, “you’re just you.”

He scoffed, “You know, I remember a time when you used to respect me-“

“I’m not a kid anymore.”

“You’re still my kid, and as long as we’re both here, I’m still your father.”

“Yeah,” Michael nodded and laughed, “great job you’ve done at that.”

“You know what, I did my best,” his father went over to the door and closed it, “And you never met me halfway.”

“I was a child.”

“You’re an adult now.”

“Which is why I’ve established boundaries.”

“You know what, I get it, I’ve been thinking on it for weeks, ever since that little bitch left you you’ve been-“

“Shut up!” Michael yelled, “Just shut up and get out. This has nothing to do with anyone but me and you, you want to see me and be my father, start acting like it. Don’t come around here belittling me because you can.”

Michael’s father recoiled as if Michael had slapped him, and while he looked at his father and felt instant guilt, he pushed down the urge to apologize, the urge to make himself smaller. He had spent most of his life shrinking to his larger than life father, and had never been better off for it. 

Until you came along.

A weird thing like pride came over him as he recalled how you talked about his father, freely and without any expectation of fighting Michael over it. It was as if you were stating the weather, and while it was something you shrugged off the night of the gala, it was a scene that replayed over and over for Michael. No one had ever spoken about his father like that before, at least not to him.

You validated his resentment and gave it teeth. 

When the door slammed shut behind Mr. Italiano, Michael sighed and sunk back in his seat. It was scary, standing up to his parent, but it was also exhilarating. To figure out that he could talk back, that he could set boundaries and nothing would happen. His father was just a man, like himself. 

He clenched his hand into a fist when he saw the way it shook on his desk. His nerves were fried, his mind was jumbled, and he knew he was of no use to anyone here. He pushed himself from his desk and picked his phone up as he stood to his feet. 

Clicking on his thread with Daniel, he texted him.

come over this afternoon, my place

Danny: what for?

im ready to figure all this shit out

-

“Hey, are you alright?”

The sound of your supervisor’s voice over your shoulder made you jump. You glanced down at your iPad, the misshapen yellow squiggles of a first draft design looked as pitiful as you felt. 

“Yeah, yeah.” You nodded as you cleared your throat, “Just a bit stuck today.” 

Your supervisor was nice, but sometimes her kindness felt inauthentic, fake, and a little demeaning. And watching her carefully sit across from you at the high table you were at and reach forward with one hand to put it lightly on your wrist made it almost impossible for you to not cringe. 

“Are you doing alright?” She asked delicately, your cheeks burned as you looked at the concern on her face, “When you came here, I know we discussed a transition, a settling in period, and you really shocked us by coming in and running the moment you hit the ground here.” She tilted her head and you looked down and quickly locked the iPad, before regretting it because it let you see your reflection, “I’m thinking you might be a little burnt out...”

Fuck.

“No! No, really, I’m fine. I have a bit of a headache today, it’s quite persistent.” You rambled on, “I’m sure I can finish this today.” 

She leaned in and smiled, “We both know that we have no used due until next week.” 

“Yes, but-”

She held her hand up to halt your talking, “No, please, I insist. Go home, take the rest of the week to get yourself re-centered and I’ll see you Monday.” 

The dread slipped down your shoulders and hung heavy on your body. You managed to nod as you stood wordlessly. Turning your back on your boss without a word felt rude at best, but after the scolding you’d just received (because you refused to recognize it as anything less than a scolding, no matter how gentle) you didn’t have anything to add. You didn’t have it in you to defend yourself. 

Your work spoke for itself. If you had no work, if you didn’t produce designs, that wasn’t something you could bullshit. 

Carefully, you followed the walls so to not run into anyone, and ducked into a bathroom to splash your face. When you leaned your hands on the counter, you lifted your head to face yourself. The bags under your eyes weren’t just your imagination. They were heavy, and cushioned bloodshot eyes. This image of yourself wasn’t just what you saw in the mirror, it was what they saw. 

They could see your exhaustion, your emotional, clouded mind with your glazed over eyes. 

Your mouth twisted as the sudden urge to cry almost overtook you. You shook your head at yourself in the mirror.

You will not fall apart.

Not until you’re at the apartment. 

-

Michael had to wait a few hours for Daniel to arrive, and he’d hoped that he’d show up soon because his own pacing was starting to make him dizzy.

The footsteps he could hear approaching his door sprung him into action. It was almost funny how wrong the pivot towards the entrance to his place felt after pacing a trail into his floor.

Michael gripped the door handle and pulled it open, elated at seeing Daniel, and then utterly confused by Daniel’s shadow.

“You brought Blake with you?” 

“Yeah,” Daniel responded as if bringing Blake along to a conversation about his crumbled life were the completely expected thing to do, “whenever I’m making adult decisions I have him around.”

“Usually against my will.” Blake added. 

Michael nodded, knowing that while Blake was technically Daniel’s friend and personal assistant, they’d been forced around each other for years. When Blake clapped him on the shoulder as he walked into Michael’s home, the shocking realization that Blake might consider himself to be both Daniel and Michael’s friend struck him.

“Oh boy, you look like you have a plan, do you have a plan?” Daniel was bouncing on his toes, already having kicked off his shoes.

“I don’t have a plan, mate, that’s why you two are here.”

Michael climbed on to one of the high chairs in his kitchen, leaning forward to rest his head on his fist. He wore a grey muscle shirt and black shorts, he’d felt too stuffy in his everyday suit.

Blake and Daniel stood in front of him in casual clothes too, but they were able to dress like that everyday. Fast car designing had perks like that.

“Well, why don’t you start with what made you call us here.”

Michael rubbed his hands down his face and didn’t speak until he could see Daniel and Blake again, “I need to figure this out. Figure her out. It’s like the last part of this, like, I don’t know-“

“Metamorphosis?”

Blake rolled his eyes at Daniel, “Daniel, c’mon-“

“What! He’s like a butterfly, don’t you see? This is like him coming into his own, being free of his dad, becoming his own man-“

“Oh my god.” Michael grumbled.

“And getting the girl!”

“What?” Michael yelled, breaking up the butterfly metaphor that Daniel and Blake were immersed in, “I’m not ‘getting’ any girl.”

Daniel tilted his head, “Right, sorry, I meant- bringing home the girl.”

“Who says I want her?” Michael crossed his arms.

Blake and Daniel looked at each other and laughed.

-

You’d made it all of five streets before you began to cry. 

It was the middle of the morning, too late to be headed to work and too early to be headed to lunch, so you were spared the embarrassment of crying in public.

Tiny miracles, you thought with a wet laugh.

You sniffled your whole way home and wiped your tears as you strode towards your apartment. Unsurprisingly to you, the view of your apartment was no comfort, and the thud of your footfalls on the carpet-less wooden stairs banged in your head.

Images of cream colored carpeted stairs filled your mind, and for once you didn’t stop it. If you were truly going to get this homesickness, or whatever it was, out of you, you knew you were going to have to let yourself feel.

So you sobbed for hours, alone and loudly, so the pathetic sounds echoed in the vaulted ceiling of your place. Until your couch pillows were disgustingly moist, your switch to paper towels rubbed your nose raw, and all the tissues littered the floor like a bad origami exhibit.

It wasn’t until the late afternoon, when the sound of your stomach rivaled the sound of your cries, that you finally moved from your sad little corner. 

You walked soundlessly to the kitchen, silent tears still flowed the same tracks as you pulled a bottle of whiskey down from the bar overhead. You laughed at yourself as you walked past the cabinet of glasses, and opted to pop open the cap and drink straight from the bottle.

Your stomach twisted and turned, tumbled inside of you as you filled it with what you didn’t need. Begrudgingly, you sunk to your knees under the sink and pulled out some pots. Placing two large ones on the stove beside the sink, you pushed yourself to your feet. 

The world spun as you stood up as straight as you could. 

Something simple , keep it simple.

Getting the rice, eggs and broth down from the cabinets in your state was a challenge but you pushed yourself to make the small meal. You could give yourself enough food so that you wouldn’t end up sick, and you could keep drinking to put this shitty day to rest. 

An absolutely shitty day, you thought as you poured the rice into the water filled pot. 

You stood there for a moment, staring blankly at the wall of your kitchen. Home, your real home, left a well in you, and you hadn’t figured out how to fill it. It kept you open and raw, and every time you woke and returned to the apartment, the well got deeper and deeper. You wondered if there would be a day that this, being here, now, would actually become home.

You took a staggered breath before putting your phone against the box of rice to prop it up before you quickly swiped through your contacts. You could find this contact with your eyes shut. Before you could remember how many rings it took before, when you were home, for her to answer, your friend’s face was on your screen looking back at you. 

“Hello-“ your friend’s cheery tone cut short as she saw your face, “what’s wrong?”

“Do you think I deserve happiness?”

“Oh okay, what are we drinking tonight? Whisk-“ You held up the bottle as she confirmed it, “Yup, of course it is.”

You looked down at the table top as your finger tips traced the thick glass of the bottle, “Do you?”

“Yes, I do.” Your friend sighed, “You know this is the fifth time you’ve asked me that since you moved over there.”

“I just, I-“ you stumbled over your words as you felt the annoyance in your friend’s words.

“You’re feeling sorry for yourself again!” Your friend yelled, “Babe, I love you, but you did this! You chose this. You broke your own heart just to see if you could and now you’re there and we’re all here and none of it made any sense to begin with.”

“I wanted to see if I could-“

“Make it on your own?” She scoffed, “who are you fooling? Only yourself with that one.”

“You don’t-“

“I’ve known you almost our whole lives, you’ve always gotten so close to happiness, only to shoot yourself in the foot cause it didn’t fit your ‘plans’. Maybe it’s time to stop thinking you have the answers for everything and let it go.”

“But, if I don’t-“ you struggled to get your mind to articulate what you were feeling, “I can’t- I, I-“

“Babe, breathe.” Your friend breathed loudly and heavily, so you could hear and see it to mimic it, “Good, keep going, it’s okay.”

“Oh my god.” You choked out, “This is all my fault.”

“Well, there was two of you so you weren’t alone.”

“No, I pushed him away. I saw the way he looked at me and I let him, we- fuck, fuck.”

“What happened?” Your friend asked softly, “You wouldn’t talk about him for months, and now you are. Did something happen? Did he reach out?”

“He called.”

“He called?” She asked, “Did you guys talk?”

“No. He hung up when I answered.”

There was a bit of silence before you could hear the soft tinkling of your friends high pitched giggles.

“What?”

“Oh sweetheart, you two- oh wow, maybe you two are meant to be.”

“What do you mean?”

“It sounds like you’ve both fucked this up.”

You froze in place, the simmer of the oven behind you filling your head with white noise as your last night with Michael played through your head like a movie. But your mind didn’t stop there, no, it went in reverse from that morning all the way to when you met.

“Michael had feelings for me.” Your tone was monotone, too shocked by the realization.

“Please tell me you didn’t just realize that.”

“Oh my god.”

“You just realized that, okay.” She sighed, “Can you please just call-“

“That bastard!” You yelled, your raised fists shaking in front of you as saw red, “That bastard never said a word! He did, we- fuck him! Fuck Michael, that asshole, that fucking prick, I can’t believe him- absolutely spineless, couldn’t stand up for his own fucking self- that coward!”

“I feel like you’ve made a realization,” your friend started, “but you’re attaching the wrong emotion to it.”

“What am I supposed to be?” You hiccuped, “Happy? Happy he didn’t think to tell me not to leave? Happy he snuck out that morning? Happy that he fucking lied and never told the truth!”

“Oh for fucks sake.” She grumbled, “You did this!”

You finally turned your attention back to the screen, “I did this?”

“Yes, you did.”

“Why not him? You just said-“

“I take it back, he might’ve gone along with it but you definitely were the ringleader in this epic nonbreakup.”

“What!”

“You didn’t have to leave Monaco for a job, you know that. Granted, you probably didn’t have feelings when you first applied to Germany BUT- You didn’t have to move or you could’ve asked him to come with you, you could’ve told him how you felt.”

“He could’ve spoken up!”

“Stop pointing the finger!” She yelled back, “You cant control other people, other people don’t follow your rules, they don’t have your intentions in mind, you can only take responsibility for your part in it.”

You fell silent as the rage liquified in your eyes, and trailed down your cheeks.

“Oh, babe, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to yell.”

“No, you’re right. This is my fault.” Your friend didn’t bother to correct you, there was no need for correction, “I’m just,” you sucked in a breath as you wiped your eyes, “I’m so mad at him. All the time. Sometimes it feels like everything we shared just sits on my chest until I wake up feeling like I can’t breathe.”

“I know.” Your friend leaned forward, “but what can we do to make it better? To make it not hurt so much?”

“Move through it,” you shrugged, “one day his name won’t make me angry, and I just have to wait until that day. I can’t change him. Only he can change himself.”

“You’ll get through this. I know you will, it might feel like the sky is falling, but I’ve seen you through worse and I know you’ll be okay.” You nodded at your friend’s words.

There was a beat of silence between you and your phone screen. In the background, you could hear your water beginning to boil. The light bubbling sound made you and your friend both look at each other and share a mood lightening giggle.

“So, I was thinking maybe I could come visit, see your new place?” Your friend smiled big at you, making your heart flutter, “We could-oh. Go ahead.” Your friend told you, hearing your phone vibrate with a message.

Picking it up without a second thought, you swiped away the FaceTime screen. Your lips parted as you read the name, and then the message.

Michael Italiano: you lied. 

-

“What the fuck is wrong with you!” Daniel screamed as he jumped, trying to grab Michael’s phone from his hand where he held it above Daniel’s head, “I thought we were fixing things?”

“Fucks sake.” Blake grumbled as he lowered his forehead to the cool kitchen countertop.

“I am.” Michael shrugged as he showed Daniel the text message had sent.

“But, wait, you- why would you say that? You’re supposed to be fixing things, not picking a fight!” Michael laughed at Daniel’s distressed face, “Don’t laugh at me! You’re supposed to be-“

“Facing my past, yes, Daniel, that’s what I’m doing. Blake said the only way is through-“

Daniel rounded on Blake, “This is your fault.” He hissed as Blake sighed heavily.

“So through we go. If you’re right,” Michael pointed at Daniel, recapturing his attention, “if your idea about our last night together is right, about how she felt, then she did lie. And if she lied, then I have a right to be mad and a right to tell her what she’s done.”

Daniel froze, his lips slightly parted and his eyes glazed over as he processed Michael’s very loud reasoning. A moment of silence passed, so out of the ordinary for the Aussie that Blake lifted his head to stare at Daniel with Michael too.

But just as quickly as his pause came, it was gone.

“Come on in.” You sigh, moving to the side as you hold your door open for Michael. 

It had taken hours, and you were less than pleased when you had to wait around the whole day for him to finally tell you he was coming over to explain what happened that morning. 

“Don’t touch me.” You rolled your eyes, stepping around Michael as he tried to reach for you, “You’re here to talk, not fuck. Hands to yourself.” 

You plopped on to your couch, crossing your arms and legs to show him exactly how serious you were. There had been this lingering feeling in the pit of your stomach about this conversation, the image of the way his father looked at you bothering you all day.

His dad hadn’t been creepy, he’d been the exact opposite: he’d been welcoming, warm, and he looked genuinely happy to meet you when he shouldn’t have even known you existed. 

Mr. Italiano greeted you like a parent would their child’s partner. 

And that was just the biggest fucking no you could have ever imagined. You would die, or kill Michael if that was the case. And this horrible feeling in your stomach and nagging in the forefront of your brain told you that that’s exactly where this conversation was going.

“Hey, are you listening?” Michael waved his hand, pulling you from your annoyed thoughts.

“Yeah, yeah, go on.”

“Well,” Michael grinned, and while it was probably a nervous smile, it still annoyed you, “you met my dad today.” 

“Uh huh.”

“And, um, you know, he was happy to make your acquaintance. To see you in person, and just I guess-”

“Did you know,” you cut him off, “that your accent gets very heavy when you’re nervous?” you tilted your head as his cheeks colored. 

“Yeah, nah, I know.” He replied.

You felt your shoulders tense.

“I’m just gonna say it plainly.” Michael clapped his hands together. “My father keeps in touch with some gossip columnists, so that he gets the heads up if anyone gets pictures of me out and about.” You nodded, staring at your coffee table as you listened to the most ridiculous thing you’d ever heard, “And it’s to like, basically, it’s so he can pay them off, you know, if it’s something bad.”

“Wow.” 

“Yeah.” He replied, rubbing his hands together before his words rushed out so quickly you almost didn’t catch them, “So they saw us on the yacht together andhethinksyou’remygirlfriend.”

You closed your eyes, exhaling as your hunch was proven true. Of course, Michael would get you into a mess with someone you didn’t even know. In any other world, or with any other person, this wouldn’t have been a problem, but with Michael Italiano, everything had a catch and you knew yours would come.

“And lemme guess,” you finally looked at him, “you never corrected him?”

“I couldn’t!” Michael’s outburst made you jump, and he quickly started mumbling, struggling to explain himself while looking down at his hands, “He just, me and him, we don’t always- its hard, it’s been hard, and I guess- I am the problem, and every other time, but this time- he was all happy for me, so, yeah... I didn’t correct him.”

You stared at Michael for a moment, taking in the way he didn’t meet your eyes and the way he was fidgeting with his hands. His words made no sense, but the meaning was clear as day. 

Michael had made his father happy and wasn’t about to ruin that. 

From the way things sounded, and honestly looked before you met him, Michael was a handful, and you imagined a majority of these ‘pictures’ that got paid off were pictures that parents should never see of their children.

You sighed, your tender heart strings being pulled at as you realized there was a heart inside of your fuck buddy machine. He had his own soft spot, and that soft spot was for his parent. He wanted to make his father proud, even if it meant lying to him. It was endearing, still annoying to you, but endearing.

“So,” you scooted towards him, landing next to him and poking his thick bicep, “do I have to pretend? Do we have to pretend?” You waved your finger between the two of you.

“No, no.” He answered quickly. 

“Okay.” 

A silence fell over the two of you as you both stared off into space, both processing what happened that morning and the conversation you’d just had. 

“Are you mad?” His voice was low, and he still sounded nervous.

“I mean, yeah.” You answered truthfully, fiddling with the ends of your denim dress where it lay on your thighs, “You could’ve warned me. So that I would’ve been ready for before. I mean this city isn’t that big, I was bound to run into him, and I would’ve been really confused.” 

Michael was nodding as you talked, a far away look on his face.

“Hey,” you leaned forward to catch his eye, “I’m not really mad.” You sighed. “I just would’ve liked to know.”

Michael nodded again, and the guilt inside you festered. 

“Michael,” you grabbed his chin and turned him towards you, “I’m not mad. I just don’t want to be the one to ruin this for you and your dad.” 

He groaned and pushed himself to his feet. You watched as he paced and rubbed his face, his head tilted towards the ceiling. 

“I’m sorry, I really am.” He began, “I didn’t know how to tell him that it was another one night stand, I didn’t know what to do, he thought we looked good together, and I just spoke before I could think.” 

“I understand.”

“You do?”

“I do.”

“And you’re not mad?”

“I’m touched that you feel so strongly about my approval too,” you laughed as Michael flipped you off, “but no- I’m not mad. But you owe me!”

All the uncertainty and doubt on Michael’s face evaporated as a naughty smirk pulled at one side of his face. “How ever could I make it up to you?” 

“Come over here and I’ll tell you.” 

Michael’s fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt and yanked it over his head, standing in front of you bare chested. You were getting better at not visibly drooling, even if the mental lag still plagued you at the sight of his bare skin.

He was just so pretty, and the way his muscles rippled and moved with each step- it was so erotic. You could see the way the muscles moved, the movement under his skin as pronounced as the definition.

“Hi.” Michael said to you, the smirk turning smug as you realized he was on his knees in front of you, his hands cupping your knees. 

You’d never been so happy to have worn a dress at home. 

You shivered as Michael’s thumbs rubbed over the sides of your knees. He grinned at you as your legs slowly spread, your lips parting as you panted from practically nothing at all. The room was so hot suddenly, and the idea of what he could do to make things up to you hit you like a lightning bolt. 

“I like this dress on you,” He pretended to reach for the dress ends, but instead he pushed them up your legs, bunching up the skirt higher and higher as you sat there, “but I think it’d look better on the floor.”

You burst out laughing, making Michael roll his eyes, “What?” you asked, “I know you can dirty talk better than that.” 

“You like when I talk dirty to you?”

“I like it even more when you talk dirty to me while you’re doing as I say.”

You could see Michael’s eyes dilating from where you sat. He leaned his cheek against your thigh, his tongue coming out to swipe at the smooth skin of your thigh. 

“What do you want me to do?” He asked gruffly.

You pushed your back against the couch, lifting your hips before pulling your dress up, before sitting back and pulling it over your head. You threw it to the floor. While Michael’s head was turned to look at the discarded dress as it landed on the other side of the room, you unclipped and threw your bra in the same direction. Once he saw that article of clothing, his head practically snapped back to you, taking you in as you sat there in just a pair of panties. 

“I want,” you lifted your legs as you spoke, throwing a leg over each shoulder, “you to kiss me.”

Michael’s eyebrows raised as he leaned forward between your legs, his lips brushing against the inside of your knee, “Here?” 

You shook your head.

“Here?” He asked again, this time his lips pressed firmly to your inner thigh.

You shook your head again.

His lips dragged, a little wet but very soft against your thigh, almost to your pussy but stopping just short of it, kissing the soft inner most of your thighs. His close proximity forced your legs to spread wide, and you just knew he could see the wet patch between your legs. 

“What about here?” He whispered. 

“Michael, for fucks sake.” 

He laughed, his laughing getting caught off as you grabbed his hair and spread your legs, lifting your knees until just your feet were laying on his shoulders. You gasped as you unexpectedly latched on to your panties, sucking on what you knew was the wet spot, the proof of your leaking arousal while moaning.

“Always taste so good.” He mumbled as he pulled away.

“Ohhhh,” you moaned, “take them off,” you whined, “please.”

“Beg so pretty for me, baby.”

You lifted your hips as Michael’s fingers hooked into the sides of your panties, pulling them down your legs before tossing it to the other side of the room to be forgotten with the rest of your clothes. 

When his hands pressed to the underside of your knees, pushing them as far to the side as your body would allow, you felt your pussy lips part. You bit your lip as the cool air in the room brushed against your moist clit. 

But, as usual, Michael had to ruin your moment, “These the only lips on you I wanna kiss.” 

Your eyes stay shut as you cracked a smile towards the ceiling, “only lips of mine you’re allowed to kiss.”

“You wish I’d kiss you.” He sneered.

“Right now? Yeah.” You sassed, “you said you’d do as I say.” 

Michael hummed, his eyes transfixed on your glistening pussy. You clenched your hole, watching as Michael’s tongue flicked out to lick at his lips as he watched your depths wink at him.

“You know,” You purred, “for some pussy licking god, you’re not doing much down there.” You gasp loud as he latches on to your clit, the harsh suck of it making your thighs shake. “Oh, there you go, good boy.”

The possibility of Michael liking his woman in charge was getting higher and higher everytime you fucked. You weren’t blind to the way he loved to do as you said, the way he loved to eat you out at any opportunity. The man loved to please, even if that was broken up sometimes by his own domination of you. 

In this moment, you were glad to boss him around. He really was some kind of pussy licking god. 

“Oh god,” you groaned, choking on air for a moment before crying out louder, “oh god, already?” You questioned out loud, feeling your excitement peak so fast and so hard that you were quickly losing your breath.

Michael just ate pussy too good. His tongue suckled at your clit while his fingers slid into your core, filling you as he slowly rocked his fingers in and out of you. He knew just how to give it to you, curling his fingers before stirring up all the juices inside of you. When his fingers got creamy, he pulled them out and slapped your inner thigh with them before sinking his digits back inside you. 

The two fingers stretched you just right, and he always pushed them in to the second knuckle, that way his warm palm would be pressed to your sex, and his forefinger, the odd one out, could rub at your asshole while he ate your pussy. 

You gasped, your chest heaving as your thighs shook. Your core pulled at his fingers as he shook them inside of you, stirring up all of your wetness until a lewd squelching of juices was as loud as your cries of pleasure as you fell over the edge. Triggered by his teeth sucking on your clit, the pleasurable pain that shocked you punted you into a sea of bliss, and you found yourself leaned back. 

You sucked in air as he pulled his fingers from your pussy, leaving you horribly empty, but giving you a moment to catch tour breath. 

When your eyes opened, you caught sight of him unbuttoning his pants and pulling down his zipper. The hair and skin you could see, along with the swollen base of his meat made you lick your lips. You wanted to just kiss all the skin you could see. The realization that Michael hadn’t worn shorts under his denim made your pussy clench. 

“Someone came hopeful.” You smiled and kept your eyes hooked on the bit of him you could see. 

“I know what you want.” He told you.

You giggled and decided to play along, another great idea coming to mind as you pushed yourself to your feet. Sticking your tongue out at Michael, you stepped around him, crooking your finger at him to follow you as you shamelessly walked bare from your living room to your bedroom. 

“Oh, the bedroom.” Michael teased. 

“Come on,” you beckoned, “I’m not done getting what I want.”

Michael’s eyes darkened as he followed after you.

“You’re gonna make it up to me as many times as I want?” You asked, crawling on to your bed, looking over your shoulder at him. 

“As many times as I want.” He clarified.

You giggled as you rolled over on to your back, opening your legs, “Better get to work then.”

Michael was still fixated on your pussy as he got on his knees on the floor, grabbing your ankles to drag you to him until your ass hung off the bed and your legs were open. When his hot breath hit your wetness, you shivered and your leg twitched, earning a pinch on your hip from Michael. 

“Relax.” He told you, kissing your thigh. 

He eased you into it, kissing your thighs over and over on each side as he made his way back between your legs. You found yourself actually relaxing, your body going limp as you bit your lip, waiting for him to stop teasing you. 

When his tongue finally pressed to your folds, you pressed your thighs into his shoulders, lifting your hips as he forced his tongue between your lips. He moaned as the tip of his tongue circled your entrance before poking at it, penetrating you just that little bit with his tongue made you moan very loud. 

You could feel Michael smiling against your lips as he ate you. You couldn’t help you responded, and you kept pressing your thighs into his shoulders until he lifted your hips, turning you as he climbed on so he was at the end of the bed and you were on the side.

You moaned, squirming as Michael kept eating your pussy. It was getting to be too much and you felt like you could barely take it. You kept squirming until you slipped right off the bed, but you were lucky cause your bed was low to the ground.

You yelled as you fell on to your shoulders, your knees to your chest. Caught completely off guard, Michael leaned off the bed and grabbed your feet to spread your legs wide. He sucked on your pussy, his big paws pushing your knees to the sides of your head while you were still trapped on your shoulders.

“Oh I wanna fuck you like this.” Michael growled.

You cried out as he hooked his arms under your legs and hauled you on to the bed in the sexiest show of strength. He hauled you on to the bed and attached his mouth to your pussy, bending you in half on the mattress.

“Michael!” You yelled, pushing against his forehead as you felt the almost unbearable pressure in your tummy get to a breaking point.

Wrapping his arms around your waist and hooking his elbows around your thighs, he held you open as he pulled his mouth from you with a hard suck. You gasped as his fingers began circling your clit harder and faster.

“Come on baby, cum for me again. So fucking pretty when you cum.”

Your back arched and you threw your head back as you let out a screech, your hips bucking as you came hard and tried to squirm away from him.

You cried out again when he slapped your inner thigh, “Good girl.”

Michael pushed your legs open, watching as your opening quivered and convulsed and your core dripped with your juices and his saliva. He palmed at himself over his jeans as he looked at his good work. 

“You got another in you?” He asked you, smiling as your thigh twitched from the light line he traced into it. 

You giggled and nodded, twisting on to your side as you pulled open the bedside table. When you looked at Michael over your shoulder, your hand still deep in the drawer, you stuck your tongue out at him. 

He really thinks I’m gonna take his dick already? Not yet.

You pulled on your desired item, tossing it to Michael to catch, one after the other. When you turned back on to your back you watched him inspect the toys you gave him. 

“You sure you don’t want another toy?” His hips leaned forward, the obvious bulge in his pants giving away exactly what he meant.

You nodded, biting your lip, “I’m sure.” Your voice was shaky like your hands. 

He shook his head as he looked at the metallic vibrator you gave him, looking at the angled shaft as he pressed at the end, bringing it to life. He didn’t even hesitate, and you gasped as he pressed the angle head against your clit, rubbing it so the angled head would almost hook under your hood, ensuring that the cool end was pressing to your clit flat and entirely. 

You were moaning, your whole body trembling but you kept your eyes open to see what he would do with the other. He held up the pink toy, the long wand was your favorite. It was baby pink, with a thin shaft and a large vibrator on the head. The base of it looked like it had a golden key on it, and turning it changed the force of the vibrations. Michael figured it out quick enough. 

He looked at it before looking at you, and you waited for him to realize that the vibrating head was just as thick as his own length was. You weren’t sure if he realized how close to his own cock your toys were, because he pressed the large pink vibrating end to your lips. 

You cried out at the sensation. Michael rubbed the bulbous head of the pink wand against your entrance as you tried to focus on your breathing.

“Can your pussy take this?” Michael wondered out loud, putting more and more pressure on your sopping entrance with the end of the wand. “Pussy takes me...” he trailed off thoughtfully.

“Michael, Michael, Michael.” You began to chant, the blunt shape of the circular head vibrating the rim of your pussy.

“That’s it, baby, say my name.”

His wrist lifted and with a downward scooping motion of his wrist, your cunt gave and swallowed up the thick vibrating end of the toy. A scream ripped from your throat as the sensation overwhelmed you. With a toy on your clit and the other in your snatch, your whole cunt felt like it was being played with inside and out.

“Fuck, I can’t, oh god- Michael.”

“Go on baby, soak yourself, let’s see how waterproof this shit is.” There was a dark chuckle in this voice as he watched your body convulse as you were brought to the edge of tears.

You gasped for air as he pressed his palm to the vibrator on your clit, sealing it on your nub as he started working the vibrator inside of you. He never pulled it out, just rocked it deeper and deeper inside you, spreading your inner walls wider and wider as the toy vibrated them.

Your hips began lifting as you fucked yourself on the toys Michael kept against all the juicy parts of you. You cried out, high pitched and needy as your whole body ached from how badly you needed to go over the edge this one last time. Your whole body was still trembling, and your clit had a heartbeat and was going numb from all the overstimulation. 

When Michael leaned over your body and latched on to one of your breasts, wrapping his tongue around your nipple and tugging on it with his teeth, your mouth opened as you silently screamed. A choked humming came out of you as you moaned with your mouth sealed shut, your whole body shaking as you barely could comprehend Michael praising you. 

“That’s it baby, come on back.” He spoke as he rubbed at your hip, the toy gone from your clit, and while the pink toy was turned off, he was still rocking it in and out of you, trying to slowly pull it from your clenching depths. 

You hadn’t cum so hard in a long time, and never with toys before. 

“Fuck,” you groaned, your shaky hands reaching down.

“Here we go, baby.” Michael cooed, pulling the thick head of your toy from your cunt with a wet squelching sound.

You could hear him panting as he watched your cunt try to recover from the orgasm, still riding out the bliss of the mind blowing orgasms you had back to back. 

“Come here.” you said with your eyes closed, reaching for him where you knew he was between your legs.

You wanted that dick now. 

“No, no, darling, come on, give it a few minutes.” He laughed, the mattress shifting as he rolled next to you, resting on his back. 

“Okay.” You both laughed as you gave in and laid sprawled next to each other. 

You were still breathing heavy, trying to calm your racing heart, your hand on your chest above your breasts to feel for it. It was still pattering away under your hand, and you tried to relax your body, finally realizing just how tightly wound your legs were. They ached as you straightened them, having been so used to being open for Michael.

Fuck me. 

“You know, I’m gonna ask you now, while you’re all like this.” You didn’t say anything, so Michael continued, “There’s this thing a few nights from now, for our firm-”

“Oh for fucks sake, Michael.” You mumbled under your breath. 

“We’re kind of expected now that, you know.”

You sighed, your eyes shut as your heart slowed under your hand, “I don’t know,” you teased, “seems like you get a whole lot of this than I do.”

“You can’t even open your eyes, I think I do a whole lot for you.”

“Oh, shut up.” You groaned, listening to him chuckle beside you.

There was a moment of silence before he spoke again, “You know, I could give you a little incentive, like a reward for being so good.” 

He was using his bedroom voice on you, and you already felt yourself giving in, even if you couldn’t move your legs. Your brain was foggy until an urgent thought shook you from your stupor.

You opened your eyes and looked at him, turning your head, “I need a Macbook.” 

“A macbook?” He asked.

You hummed, “I have a video interview and the camera in my laptop is broken so you can just get me a new one.” You grinned, “Thanks.”

Michael nodded, “Done.” 

“Wow, that was easy.”

“Well, I’m trying to make it easy for you.” He replied honestly, “You have an interview?”

“Yeah.” You answered, not intending on sharing anymore.

“What’s it for?”

“For a job I want.” You said, watching as he rolled his eyes. 

“Wow, you don’t say.” He deadpanned. 

You weren’t interested in talking to him about the job interview or any of the details, and you knew just how to distract him.

“Am I gonna have to start calling you Daddy? With you buying me stuff now...”

You’re looking at the ceiling so all you feel is Michael’s hand slide down your belly. You slap Michael’s hand away and grin to yourself. You turn to look at him and feel your smile fall, his face instantly sharing the mood with you.

“Only if you want to.” Michael says lowly, his eyes dark and wanting.

Don’t do it, you thought, please don’t look desperate, you pleaded with your own mind, But it’s already 7pm and you’re sitting here alone, and there’s no reason to sit alone if he could be here.

You couldn’t believe you were arguing with yourself. Is this what the dick had reduced you to? Fuck it, you finally thought. You grabbed your phone, swiping it off your coffee table as you opened it. You looked down at yourself. 

You were clearly dressed for the occasion: you had just shaved and showered, your hair was almost dry and you were only wearing a robe. You and Michael always spent more time without clothes on than on. 

Just text him, you pushed yourself. 

hey

Michael Italiano: ?

wow not even a hi?

Michael Italiano: ?

are you coming over?

Michael Italiano: can’t

You roll your eyes and throw your phone on to the cushion beside you. It was childish, but you had been in a great mood the past few days and had been a little spoiled by your fuck buddy. 

While you didn’t manage to lure him into your bedroom the night of the party (he rightfully refused and you knew it), you did manage to get him over under the guise of coffee delivery after your interview. The interview had gone awesome and you really just wanted sex, and Michael had delivered every single day you called. It had been the most relaxing week of your life, working here and there at your little odd jobs, coming home and basically just waiting for Michael to drop by with dinner (or not) and fuck you senseless for a few hours. 

So, yeah. You felt like it was okay to throw a bit of a tantrum. After all, it was his fault for treating you for so many days straight. 

Even if it was a little pretentious to just assume he was going to show up at your doorstep at the same time every night.

He had spoiled you rotten.

-

Michael stared at the empty space under his last message to you and couldn’t help but smirk. He could picture you rolling your eyes, could hear the way you probably dramatically sighed. He bet you had that sour little pinched look on your face, maybe even your arms crossed. 

Michael couldn’t take you seriously with your arms crossed. All he could think of when he saw you in the defensive position is how your tits felt in his hands or against his chest when you were pressed to him the way you pressed your arms to yourself. 

Brat, he thought, refocusing, give it to the girl good for a few days and she just starts expecting it. 

He really couldn’t come over tonight. It was a Thursday night, and he had off tomorrow- so naturally he had to throw one of his yacht parties that night. 

Why hadn’t I invited her? He couldn’t think of a reason why he hadn’t mentioned it, and assumed that it was all thanks to the fact that his mind had been preoccupied with being inside you all the times he was with you. 

There were a few warnings going off in his head, like how would he introduce you, what would he tell people, but those were easily dismissed with a strongly thought ‘fuck it’. He wouldn’t tell people shit, and people probably wouldn’t ask, assuming she was just the flavor of the week. If he was lucky, maybe some photos would end up being seen by his father, and he’d be able to go another weekend without any shit from him. 

Yeah, let’s invite her. 

-

Michael inviting you to his party tonight had you feeling mixed feelings. You kinda didn’t want to go out, you felt drained, a little lazy and very unwilling to socialize. But you did want dick, so you pushed yourself to make yourself presentable. If you were lucky, maybe you’d be able to drag him home from his own party early. 

But first, you wanted to have your fun.

You played with the ends of your dress as you walked around the boat. The dress was a simple, short, soft pink. It was like a sundress and the thin material hugged the upper half of your body. You remembered how much Michael liked dresses, the easy access, so this dress was more than purposeful tonight. 

Catching Michael’s eye, you bit your lip as you walked right passed the part of the boat he was lounging on, his interested gaze following you, oblivious to the little band of people around him. A guy, you assumed a friend, sat next to him with one hand on Michael’s shoulder, speaking to him even as Michael looked in the opposite direction. 

You smiled and turned your back to Michael. 

You hadn’t agreed to come to this party so you could get on the yacht, and you hadn’t agreed so you could play girlfriend for some photos or whatever. You had gone strictly to get what you wanted: Michael underneath, or on top, of you. 

But you didn’t want him to know that.

So, you did what you did best: reeled him in. You walked in aimlessly, but not in a lost way, feeling his eyes on you with every step you took. Sometimes you got close to him, sometimes you walked like you were coming for him only to turn. It was fun. 

Especially since you were both too stubborn to just give in and be the one to approach the other. 

But that part of your attraction. Who would give in first? Who would swallow their pride and come crawling to the other? You both knew why you were both were on that boat. The party was just the setting for your usual foreplay. 

You finished your drink and pushed yourself out of the cushioned seat you were lounging on, not even looking in Michael’s direction as you walked over to the bar. Requesting another Jack&Coke, you turned back towards the lounge area where Michael sat. You were enjoying the little game you were playing, avoiding him while drawing him in closer and closer. 

-

Michael could see what you were doing, and to be honest, he fucking loved it. You somehow always found ways to keep him wanting. No matter how many times he had you, it was always fun. You challenged and demanded him to keep up with your antics, and somehow never got annoying. 

He couldn’t remember the last time he had patience for a woman. He wondered absentmindedly if he had patience cause he knew the reward. 

Watching you prance around on his yacht like you owned the place, even when you didn’t know a soul on board, giving him that look that he knew so well... He was more than ready for his reward. 

And 45 minutes of this? Not that he was keeping track of the minutes, but he was very ready for his reward. 

“Mate, you look fucking creepy, why don’t you go up to her?” Daniel sighed, smacking Michael’s shoulder. 

“Not yet.” 

“Why the fuck not?” He asked, “You’re making me uncomfortable, how long do you think it’s goin’ take till she feels it too?” 

“Shut up.” Michael laughed, pulling his eyes from you to look at his friend, “She’s my fuck buddy.”

Realization sparked across his face, “That’s her?” He asked, “Wow, mate. Yeah, I still don’t get why you’re still here?”

Michael laughed as his friend shook his head, unable to stop himself from looking at you. Michael didn’t feel in the least jealous or alarmed, he knew you were gorgeous, he kinda liked the fact that Daniel was drooling over you, and he was certain that you weren’t going to be fucking anyone else but him anytime soon. 

“She likes to play.” He said into the rim of his glass. 

“And you’re still sitting here cause?” Daniel laughed as Michael grinned.

He turned towards his friend, “Biding my time, mate. She’s not going anywhere.” He tilted his head back and threw back his drink, closing his eyes and leaning back as he sighed contently. 

“Doesn’t mean a bloke won’t try it.” 

Michael scoffed.

“Mike, I mean it. Look.” 

Michael’s eyes snapped open and he leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as he looked back at the bar where you’d just been. You were facing the bar tender, getting your drink, completely oblivious to the man next to you, looking right at you and waiting for you to turn his way. At first, Michael smirked and even felt a bit eager. He really was going to enjoy you sending the idiot away.

When you apparently took too long, the guy reached forward, his hand hesitant in the air between you two. 

“Don’t do it.” Daniel muttered as Michael thought the same. 

You were still oblivious somehow, sipping at your drink through the mini straw, taking a step back while still somehow not noticing the guy practically on top of you.

“Just walk away.” Daniel sighed, a groaning leaving his lips as both Aussie watched the man do the exact opposite. 

The guy’s hand lifted in the space between you again, but this time when he reached forward, he evidently let go of his reservations and touched you.

“Oh, he did it.” Daniel sighed. 

“Be right back.” Michael said gruffly, pushing himself to his feet.

“Cheers, cunt.” 

Michael nodded over his shoulder as Daniel held up his drink to Michael’s back. 

-

You froze the second you felt the unfamiliar touch on your arm. The hand was too small, too sweaty to be the hands that you enjoyed all over you. You could’ve just not responded, and turned the other way, but your reflex was to turn towards the man. 

You tried not to grimace as you came face to face with the exact opposite of your type. And from the smile he had on his face, this guy did not read as the type to just walk away to another person. No, he was going to be a pain in the ass you could tell.

“Hello, beautiful.” His voice was slightly slurred, which made every alarm bell go off in your head.

Should’ve just gone straight to Michael, your mind chastised you. 

“Look, buddy, I appreciate-”

“What’s you name?” 

Your eyes widened as the guy just didn’t get the clue, cutting you off when you’d been trying to tell him to go away nicely didn’t sit very nicely with you. You took a breath, opened your mouth to tell him nicely that you were here with someone (not a complete lie!), and got cut off again. 

“You have a pretty mouth.” 

You felt yourself sneer as his eyes got all glassy, and he leaned down towards you, invading your space and staring for way too long at the mouth that he was never going to experience. 

“You lost, mate?” 

A thrill ran over you as Michael’s voice commanded attention, it’s deep cadence easily heard over the bass of the music playing. Your fuck buddy stepped partially in front of you, His back not very far from you. You leaned forward and against the back of Michael’s bicep, smirk on your face as you looked around the thick arm at the clueless idiot who was about to receive the message Michael was trying to send. 

You full on grinned when Michael leaned back, not fully or with any of his weight, but enough to acknowledge you against him. You took a step forward and pressed your body to his back, your hand coming up around his waist as you stayed partially hidden by his big body. 

“Nah, man, are you?” 

Your body shook with giggles against Michael.

“No, my party, my boat and I have no fucking idea who the fuck you are or what the fuck you’re doing here.” 

Wow, that’s a lot of ‘F’ words.

“I don’t care if this is your boat,” the guy was bordering belligerent and you were actually starting to feel a bit bad, “is that your bitch?” 

All bad feelings flew out your body as you flew around Michael’s body, dropping your drink on the bar as you pushed the guy back. 

“Who are you calling a bitch?” You growled. 

Michael’s hand wrapped around your elbow, keeping you still as he stepped back in front of you. “Fuck off, asshole, or I’ll let my girl kick your ass.” 

The guy scoffed, and his mouth opened, no doubt to dig his own grave, when someone else involved themselves. 

You recognized him by the obnoxious shirt he had on, and the curly hair on the top of his head. You’d come on to the boat with no eyes for anyone but Michael, but it had been hard to miss the man next to him all night long. He was just, kinda hard to miss. 

“Okay, wow, this is getting tense, hey man,” another Aussie, you thought, “take a walk with me, yeah? Come on, let’s get you not killed.” 

You cracked a smile as the Aussie shot Michael a look, complete with a finger point as he pushed the asshole stranger in front of him, leading him off the boat in a friendly way. Seemed like Michael’s friend was used to this sorta thing. 

“What an asshole.” You sighed, pressing your forehead against Michael’s arm.

Michael abruptly moved, almost making you fall forward, “What the fuck were you thinking?” He spoke tensely, but not with a nasty tone, “You shouldn’t have pushed that guy, I was in front of you for a reason.”

“Why? So you could have all the fun.” You teased.

Michael’s face didn’t lose its intensity, “You shouldn’t have done that, I was handling it.” 

Your head tilted as you looked up at him, “Oh,” you laughed, “aw, Michael, baby,” you purred, still a little giggly as you leaned forward and pressed your palm to his chest, “were you worried for me?” 

Michael rolled his eyes, “I was handling it.”

“I saw, and I was gonna let you, but...” you trailed off, not wanting to repeat what the bastard had said.

Michael huffed, a smile pulling at his lips as he looked over your head, shaking his head until he looked back down at you, “You’re crazy.”

“You like me crazy.” Your hand wandered down his chest till you could hook one of your fingers into the waist of his pants. 

Your fuck buddy looked down at you, his smile turning devious as he abruptly turned on his heel, pulling you along behind him. You had more than enough pep in your slightly sloppy step since you knew you were about to get exactly what you wanted. 

Michael moved through the crowd, zig zagging on to the lower deck where the cabins were. You eagerly followed behind him, feeling your excitement mount as the sound of the music and the people got further and further away. You kept walking, knowing that there was bedrooms further down the hallway, when Michael came to an abrupt stop.

He slid open the door and pulled you in, sliding it shut behind him. You looked around for a minute, taking in the random bags thrown about and the shoes that were here. Realization dawned on you just as a hand wrapped around you from behind. 

His hand felt like pure fire as he pressed it to the center of your chest, pulling you back against him. A glance down made you whimper as you saw how his open palm hold on you covered almost all of the skin that was exposed by the sweetheart neckline of your dress.  

“I think about you on your knees in here all the time.” Michael mumbled, his fingers pressing to your neck as he tilted your head back, “Even that night, I knew you’d look pretty with my cock in your mouth.”

“You just knew, huh?” 

Michael didn’t say anything else. Your heart skipped a beat as he leaned in quickly before tilting his head, just missing your mouth as his lips pressed to the smooth skin on your jaw, his scruff brushing against you. You moaned as the coarse hairs rubbed against your cheek. You’d never tell him, but getting beard burn from his mouth devouring any part of you made you clench your thighs. 

When you tried to turn and sink to your knees, Michael grabbed your arms pulling you straight quickly before slightly squatting just to scoop you up in his arms. 

“Come here.”

You shivered when the cold of the room brushed under your skirt as you wrapped your legs around his waist. Michael hummed as he lifted your skirt and palmed your ass. You held his face in your hands, and for a moment time stood still as you both looked at each other. Michael was moving his hands under your skirt but not touching you, so you knew he must be getting himself out of his pants. You looked down at his slightly parted lips, licking your own. You could see how horny drunk he was with the way his own eyes were staring at your mouth too.

Leaning in just a smidge, you played with the idea of breaking his rule, before deciding against it. Your hands slid down from his face and planted on his shoulder as he turned you towards the wall, pushing you against it. His fingers just skimmed your pussy, and Michael chuckled as he rubbed his face against your collarbone. 

You’d come here tonight with a clear agenda. 

“Michael,” your mind is thrown right back to the present as you hissed, his member pressing just shy of your entrance, “Ohhh,” you moaned as the blunt press of his thick tip teased you, “someone might come in-”

“As if you’d care.” He groans, shifting you further up the wall before burying himself to the hilt inside of you, making your legs shake around his waist, “Do you want to get fucked or not?”

You can barely catch your breath, and you’re still squirming from being so abruptly penetrated, but you can still feel how wet you’re getting, and the heartbeat in your pussy and your chest reminds you how badly you wanted this.

Yeah, really wouldn’t care.

You nod, matching the way he grinned at you before you bent your legs from their straightened, petrified position. Bracing your hands on his shoulder, you leaned forward, moving your hips forward and knocking Michael back. He staggered a few steps but kept you lifted against him. His lips look so shiny, parted from his own breathing as your entrance pulsed around his length. You couldn’t help but give into temptation just a bit, and licked his lip with the tip of your tongue before using the slight angle to begin bouncing on his lap while he holds you up.

Michael let out a loud groan and his hands grabbed your ankles, bending your legs so your ankles touched the back of your thighs. You were spread so wide, opening yourself for him to get deeper in. You watched dreamily as the definition in his arm muscles were exaggerated as he supported your weight. He was holding both your weight and the force of you riding him while standing. 

Michael was made to fuck. 

And the sounds he was making were downright sinful. You whimpered as a steady chorus of moans left his beautiful mouth. You gasped when he started rocking himself into you, adding to the depth and strength in the thrusts you were fucking yourself with. 

“I’m starting to think you wanna get caught.” You teased, “If you wanna put on a show, just say that.” he was hitting so deep in you, you were bordering delirious, “I wouldn’t mind an audience watching you fuck me like this.”

Michael groaned, “Cockslut.” 

“Only for Daddy,” you moaned breathlessly into his ear.

-

That is not my ceiling, Michael thought to himself, before grabbing the sheets that covered him and noticed the lavender color that covered him. What the fuck. 

His head turned to the side and he had to force his mouth shut so he wouldn’t curse out loud. 

There you were, angelically sleeping next to him, curled on your side facing him. Michael barely took a breath, trying to stay silent as the memories from last night came back. 

The little pink dress you’d shown up in, the asshole at the bar, the amazing sex in the spare room you’d first met in, and then everything that followed. The way last night’s you had so teasingly enticed him back to your place, the way you’d let him take you on the staircase, then against the wall, the floor of your room... 

Michael squeezed his eyes shut before focusing on the you that was in front of him. 

You were breathing evenly, your hair tousled on your pillow, but not a strand fell across your face, giving him a clear view of your relaxed face. You looked so peaceful, your face void of any smiles, pouts or annoyance. Your lips were slightly parted, and they were swollen, the shape of them more pronounced. His eyes trailed down, taking in a bloom of colors across your chest.

He felt himself start to harden as he recognized his good work. 

Michael was halfway to convincing himself that you deserved to wake up next to him, feeling the pleasure of his mouth on you again when your phone started vibrating off the bedside table. And just like that, his decision to either escape or wake you up the way he wanted was taken. 

You exhaled heavily in your sleep, still not quite stirring even as the phone vibrated obnoxiously. Whoever it was wasn’t giving up either, and Michael was beginning to feel a bit anxious from it, both from the loud incessant vibrations, and that whoever was calling was just going to keep listening to the rings on the line. He sighed as he carefully reached over you, grabbing your phone and looking at the caller ID. He figured if it was an unknown number or something, he could at least ignore or silence the phone, and against his better judgement, he figured that if the screen said someone important, he’d wake you. 

He cringed when the caller ID was a saved number that read ‘PICK UP PICK UP’. 

He just hoped that you were a morning person. 

Michael reached for you, his hand wrapped around your upper arm before he stroked your collarbone. He couldn’t help but lean in and kiss at the curve of the bone, his tongue sticking out to grab a taste of your skin. His lips pressed to your skin over and over as he hummed and lowered his voice.

“Wake up, someone’s calling.” 

“Hmmmmm?” He smiled at the way your face scrunched up and your hand came up to rub your eyes. 

You kept your eyes shut but turned your head towards him, blindly pressing your forehead to his. Michael’s breath caught as he realized what your sleepy brain was doing, how you were reacting. Would he let it happen? It would technically be her fault if it did. 

But before he could lean in and close the distance between you, his decisions were taken away from him again. This time, it was like you had been shocked, your eyes flying open as you both leaned away from him and reached out for your phone, like you’d been burned. 

Michael leaned back, collapsing on the mattress on his back before holding out your still vibrating phone to you. You didn’t say anything to him, which he decided not to dwell on. You knew he was in your bed, that he’d slept over, and however you reacted to that after this phone call, you reacted. 

All his decisions were out of his hands this morning. 

“Hello?” You spoke low and groggily, rubbing your eyes with your hand, “Speaking.” 

Your hand froze its motion, and your body shot up. You sat up in bed, eyes wide, suddenly so awake as the blankets fell down to your waist, exposing your bare chest to the cold morning air. You didn’t even flinch.

“That’s fantastic!”

Michael’s whole body froze. He knew exactly who was calling.

“Yes, yes, absolutely.” You smiled, one of your hands flapping at your side as your body bounced a bit, your teeth biting into your lip as you held in whatever shouts of excitement were trying to escape, “I’m so excited. I’m so looking forward to this. I’ll look out for the email. Thank you!” 

Michael sighed and threw his arm over his eyes, feeling his mood sour as his mind ran a hundred miles an hour. 

“Michael.” you rolled on to your knees, kneeling beside his body. 

He hummed, letting you pull his arm off his eyes.

“Hi.” you said with a smile, holding his forearm in both of your hands before frantically shaking it, “I got the job!” 

“The Germany job?” He asked monotoned. 

You completely missed his lack of excitement, your own excitement making up for more than just his lack of. 

“The Germany job!” You screamed excitedly and shook him. 

He watched the excitement make you glow. 

Michael couldn’t help but smile as you giggled and dove under the covers, the covers being pulled over your head as you crawled towards him under. His hands hovered over the sheets, the decision of whether or not to stop you evaporating as you got closer and closer. He watched you like a shark under the water until the outline of your body under the sheets came above his lap. 

“Oh,” he groaned, “that’s a good girl.” He encouraged, tilting his head back against his pillow as your hot, wet mouth wrapped around his half hard cock. 

And just like that, all the ugly feelings he had felt during your call were gone. 

Michael pushed the sheets back, kicking them off as best he could without jostling you as you tongued at his leaking tip. You licked up the precum while swiping the tip of your tongue on him, tasting him thoroughly while moaning. You looked up at Michael and opened your mouth, letting your tongue hang out as he looked at you before slapping his cock on your tongue.

Michael groaned when you dropped your head back on his lap, swallowing down his member while swirling your tongue around him and letting the blowjob get properly sloppy. You drooled down his dick, your nose touching his pelvis before pulling back with a harsh inhale of air that sounded almost like a gasp. Your mouth stayed open as threads of saliva connected between your tongue and his cock. Wrapping your hand around his shiny, spit slick dick, you began jerking him off. 

“Fuck, baby, come here.” He pulls your hair to haul you away from his swollen dick, feeling way more awake than he was moments ago. 

Michael feels lightheaded watching you roll over in front of him. You’d just about sucked his balls dry and now you were bending over, your face pushed into the mattress as your hands reached behind you and held your asscheeks open so hard, your pussy was spread open. The little glistening hole keeping his cock hard as a rock.

You whimper, a pathetic little desperate sound and Michael can’t help but hiss as his hand flies to his cock, jerking himself off in aggressive strokes as he scrambled to line up behind you.

His chest vibrates with the rumbling he’s letting out just looking at your pussy hole.

“Oh baby,” he groans watching you squirm, so needy and pliant, “tell Daddy you want this.”

The hard, wet slap of his cock hitting your cunt makes him want to stuff you until you have the messiest creampie.

“Please Daddy,” you groan like a wet dream, “please give me Daddy’s cock.”

Michael presses his cock to your entrance, slapping away your hands before he grabbed your hips and shoved himself into you, bottoming out in half a second.

“Oh fuck,” Michael is panting, desperately trying not to cum as your pussy kisses his cock, “you gonna let Daddy creampie this little cunt?”

“Yes!” You cry out, Michael’s voice making you delirious as his thrusts get rough suddenly.

“You gonna let Daddy stretch this little pussy out? Cum deep inside you, you want Daddy dripping out of this slutty little hole?”

“Oh yes, Daddy.” You moan.

“Only Daddy gets this little heaven, don’t I? No one else gets this pussy bare.”

“No one!” Your eyes are watering as his tip bumps your cervix.

“You feel how deep Daddy’s big cock is?”

Michael growls, his hips wild as he shoves your hips down into the mattress so your flat. His big hands are on your lower back, forcing you down with his weight as he rolls his hips into your ass, making you take every inch, every strong thrust. You were made to take it, to lay there and let him dick you down. You can feel your pussy gushing for him.

He holds on to your hips tightly in his hands and squeezes, keeping his pelvis to your skin as he drags you back off the bed. He stands to his feet, still connected deeply with you and kicks your legs together. You squirm and whimper, your toes are barely touching the floor, your hips pressed to the mattress. You’re more than just pinned, you’re completely at the mercy of Michael’s hold on you and the way he fucks you. Your balance, your body, it was all literally in his hands. 

You dropped your head on to the mattress as he grinded against you. “Oh, please.” You whine. 

Michael’s hand circles on one of your cheeks before smacking it hard, making you cry out as your pussy squeezed him inside you. Before your body could relax, he was driving back into you, making you scream. With no time for your body to relax, your core incessantly milked Michael as he pulled himself to and from your body. 

He pressed his hand down on your lower back, and you almost blacked out. With the pressure on your lower back, your back was arched and the pressure you felt in your core doubled. 

Damn him and his hands. 

You knew you’d gotten him close with the way you choked yourself. on him but you hadn’t realized how close until he began fucking you like he meant it. He wanted you to cum, and he wanted you to cum now. 

“Ah,” Michael hissed, “like this.” He used his leverage on your hips to turn you over, rolling you on to your back with his tip still sealed inside you. 

You moaned as he thrusted forward, your ankles held together above you. Michael made a choked sound before he leg go of your ankles and shoved your legs open, falling to each side of your body. Your legs were pushed further apart as Michael crawled over you, leaning over your body just to sink himself back in. You gasped as he forcefully pushed into you. 

As he fucked you, he pushed you further and further on to the bed until the both of you were breathless, moaning messes in the center of the mattress. Michael was curled over you, and you couldn’t see anything but his back and the ceiling as he thrusted into you.

“So good,” Michael moaned, “Cum for Daddy, baby girl, cum.” He spoke into your ear, his tongue dragging a wet line up your cheek. 

You cried out, the sensations too much. Your body felt like it was on fire, Michael’s weight and heat on you as your body went off. Stars, darkness, whatever expression so many girls described when getting the best dick of their life were what you experienced, but all at once. 

You heard yourself brokenly cry out, but didn’t even feel your mouth open. The feel of Michael’s weight was gone, the heat was gone, you could barely even feel the mattress, the sheets underneath you. 

Thighs shaking, Michael drove himself into you one last time, biting down on your collar. The bite was in his usual spot, and while you usually had the fleeting thought that you’d have his teeth permanently indented in the spot, your mind was so blank that the pain catapulted you back to the present.

You were out of breath, panting. You lifted your head, taking in the disarray of your bedroom from the night before for the first time as you let your head drop back on to the mattress and laughed. 

Michael groaned into your neck. You could barely feel his body weight crushing you, you were so high from the endorphins coursing through your body. The two of you gasped together as he rolled over on to your side, his spent cock pulling from your core and slipping out of you, a rush of cum pushing out of your stretched entrance. You pressed your thighs together tightly, whining as you felt him drip out of you. 

“Making a mess?” His voice teased breathlessly.

“You made a mess.” You answered, lifting your knees to your chest, trying your best to slow the drip. 

“If you held it inside you better...” Michael teased, finishing his words with a ‘tsk’.

“Maybe if you could get deeper in me.” 

He laughed at that one, the both of you more than aware just how deep he could get in you. “Baby, you’re so full of me, it’s got no where else to go.” You slapped his hand as it caressed the side of your face, making him laugh harder. 

“I’m gonna go shower.” Michael sighed, pushing himself up.

You rolled on to your stomach as he shamelessly walked to the doorway bare, “Are you leaving?” You asked. 

“I mean, aren’t I?” 

You looked to the side of the room before answering, “You could stay,” you turned back towards him with a naughty smirk, “you could stay and celebrate proper with me.” 

Michael felt himself begin to swell from the way you were looking up at him, your tongue swiping across your lips, reminding him of the way your lips had been so shiny on his cock just before. There was no question, another decision not even needed to be made, taken by you. 

He found his feet moving, his steps concise and heavy as he walked back to the bed as you grinned. When you were in reach, he held his hand out to you. You didn’t have a moment to react cause just as quickly as he was reaching for you, he was reaching behind your head, fisting your hair and dragging you a little roughly closer to the edge of the bed.

You looked up at him while he held your hair in his hand and tapped his cock against the seam of your lips.  

The door intercom was going off. The door intercom was going off and it was waking you before it was dark out, the sunlight still sneaking in on the sides of your blinds and curtains. Groaning, you rolled yourself to the edge of the bed, thankful that you’d accidentally gotten a really tall bed. In times like these, when you were slowly waking up, it was easier to slide out and land standing than have to lift yourself. 

You lifted your finger and stabbed the receiver button.

“Yes?”

“Hello, ma’am, I have a package for you.” 

You leaned your head against the wall above the little metallic box and sighed. 

“Ma’am?”

“Yes, yes. I heard you, sorry, thank you- I’m coming.” 

You took a step back and rubbed at your face aggressively, making your nose twitch. You needed to at least open your eyes for the human who was waiting on the other side of your door. When you opened the door, you found a young man waiting for you with a small box in his hand. 

You exchanged polite pleasantries before waving him off, closing the door behind you as you wandered into your kitchen to get the little box open. Grabbing a scissor, you ran it along the edges, the box easily opening once the tape was taken care of. A familiar white box sits glowing against the dull brown of the cardboard it had been sent in. 

An iPhone... you have to be kidding.

Michael worked fast. 

When you pulled the top off of the box, the iPhone laid inside, all the plastic already peeled off of it, raising your curiosity. 

When you lifted the phone, it’s screen came to life, already turned on and fully charged. When you swiped the screen up, it opened easily, and you confusedly realized that the phone was already programmed. You checked the settings, realizing that the bare minimum had been activated, the iPhone’s location services were disabled, no account logged in, you really didn’t even get how the phone was working without all the usual start up steps left undone. 

You connected to the wifi in your home, the phone instantly coming to life with the wifi, letting you quickly finish the rest of the setup. Taking such a gift usually would’ve been a no, but not today. After all, you did need a new phone and you weren’t about to turn down a free one. 

When you swiped the settings screen away, you noticed the little red notification hovering over the messages app. You rolled your eyes when you opened it, the sole message sitting in the inbox was labeled ‘Michael Italiano’.

Not a complete asshole, the message read.

You leaned back against your counter and thought for a second before typing, maybe not an asshole, but definitely a creep.

???

you looked up where i live?

no. you dropped your ID on the boat. 

A photo of your ID pinched between two of Michael’s fingers popped up in the thread, proving that you did leave your ID behind. 

you’re welcome for the phone.

i didn’t say thank you.

The banter continued from there, and while you gave him a hard time, you weren’t brutal. He did get you a new phone, and he did give you the best sex ever. In fact, it made you wonder whether it was another ploy to get into an actual bed this time, or proof that he had a conscious. 

so is this just so you can reach me for booty calls ?

if you want it to be,

Your foot bounced against the tile floor, your thoughts running pros and cons as you reread the conversation. 

idk

you don’t know? 

You bit your lip and put the phone down, a nervous laughter leaving your lips. It was supposed to be a one night stand, and now Michael Italiano was asking for multiple repeats. 

You were in need of some attention, and the stress relief would be amazing for you. But it would also be with him, and aside from the obvious pros (see: big dick), there were also a shit ton of cons to regularly rolling around with such a man. 

Your new phone buzzed, letting you know that he’d double texted you. 

if you change your mind, or come to your senses, stop by

Underneath his message was a shortcut to Google maps app, a pin in a building a few blocks from your own, an apartment number and access code to the building included in the notes of the address. You swiped back to the messages screen and typed quickly. 

how very forward of you

let me know whether im mailing or dropping this ID off personally

we’ll see 

-

You had ended up texting him for the majority of the day, both of you bantering more than getting to know each other, with him playfully suggesting you come over while you tease him with ambiguous answers. 

You could tell, even over text, that he wasn’t used to not getting his way with little to no effort. 

In a moment of weakness, you’d told him he could drop off your ID. You didn’t mention a day, and told him you’d figure it out at some point in the week, just to keep him on his toes. 

A little bit of doubt began growing in you as you watched your message remain unanswered. 

Stop it. You roll your eyes at yourself as you leave your phone in the kitchen and lay down on the couch, turning on the tv and mindlessly skipping channels. You wondered how many more channels you would skip through before you gave up and just pulled up Netflix or Hulu. 

Why lay here when I can lay in bed?

You swung your legs over the couch and turned off the tv in your living room, looking forward to cuddling back into your nest of pillows and blankets with some show you’ll fall asleep to on. 

Humming to yourself as you strolled down the hallway, you fell to the ground yelling as the door intercom blared just as you passed it, scaring you half to death. 

“Fuck, twice today?!” 

You stood back up and looked at the menu, the request for your door to be buzzed unlocked glowing. Panic strikes through you as you realize the only visitor you usually had was your friend, who was supposed to be in Spain, with a stranger, and who might’ve had to come home early, and was now at your doorstep and-

Your thoughts all jumbled into one long, run on doom sentence in your head as you speed walked to your door and pulled it open, ready for the worst.

“Michael,” you hiss, looking around him before grabbing his hand and dragging him inside your apartment, “how the fuck did you get in?”

“Told the guy at the gate I was your boyfriend and I was trying to surprise you.”

What the fuck am I paying all that money for a gated building for?

“Wow.” You froze looking at him before you shook your head. “I’m not-“ You sighed, “what the fuck are you doing here?”

“Your ID, you said I could drop it off.”

“Sometime this week, I said.” You told him, grabbing the card from between his fingers where he held it in front of your face. 

“Well, yeah, but that’s not the only reason why I’m here.”

You fidgeted, switching your weight from one foot to another. You had been walking backwards since grabbing your ID and and had put a good distance between the two of you, with you standing in the center of the room. You tossed your ID on to the coffee table before holding out your arms.

“Go on.”

“You,” Michael drew out the word as he slowly began closing the space between you, “you are keeping me waiting and I don’t like to wait.”

“Waiting for what?”

“For you to admit,” his hands landed heavily on your waist, flashes of last night making you dizzy for a moment, “that you want this, just as badly as I do.”

“Oh,” you licked your lips, watching as he mimicked the motion, “never had to wait for pussy before, huh?”

“Never.” He spoke clearly, taking another step so you were pressed together, just as you had started the night before. “When I extend any kind of offer, I expect people to take it.”

“And if I don’t want to?” 

You looked up from your eyelashes at him, your hands coming to settle on his thick forearms, the electricity you felt the night before surging back up your spine at the simple touch. You squeezed the muscles of his forearms, heat pooling in your lower tummy as you realized you couldn’t close your hands around the thick arms. 

“You don’t wanna be screaming my name again?” Michael leaned in before abruptly turning his head from your lips, his own pressing to your jaw as your eyes rolled shut, “you don’t wanna beg me to go slow, to let that little pussy adjust to my big dick?” Your breath hitched as he pressed his lips against the corner of your jaw next to your ear, “you don’t wanna squirt again, just like last night?”

“Promises, promises.” You mumbled, your head tipping back as his hand sunk into your hair from behind, pulling gently to get more of your neck exposed.

“Couch? Or bedroom?” his voice is breathless as he kisses your neck, his beard brushing against your sensitive skin, making you unconsciously lean into his touch and rise on to your toes. 

You open your eyes before responding, “I don’t think you’ve earned my bed yet.”

Michael chuckles before hoisting you up, “Couch it is, then.”

You laugh when you’re weightless for a moment, Michael having thrown you on to the couch, before climbing on top of you. You both pull your own shirts off, before he leans back over you. 

“No kissing, yeah?”

“Yeah.” You answer firmly, if you were going all in with this you were setting your boundaries from the start.

Michael nods his head before ducking below your chin, kissing your bare chest as his lips press a trail down to the shorts you were wearing. Much like the night before, he peels them off of you and throws them across the room before hooking your legs over his shoulders as he moved down the couch to get face to face with your pussy. 

You tensed for a moment, your hips aching as he settled between them, but that tension dissipating the moment he kissed your clit. His tongue gently swept your lips before pushing between them, his mouth gently moving against you. 

Okay, maybe not a complete asshole, you thought as you shook your shoulders, getting yourself comfortable as he ate you out. 

Your hips moved with his movements, following the broad stripes he was licking against you. You gasped, feeling yourself clench when you heard and felt him spit on you, his fingers gently pressing to your entrance.

“No, no, no.” You whimpered, reaching down and stroke his head with your nails to get his attention. 

He looked up at you and you were struck by the image of him looking up at you from between your legs.

“What?” 

“I don’t wanna be fingered, get up here and sit back.” 

He shook his head and kissed your mound before sitting up, pushing himself to his feet and pulling a condom from his back pocket before pulling his pants off. At the sight of his dick, you moved forward on your knees, wrapping your fingers around his length, licking your lips as you stroked him. 

“You gonna suck me off, baby?” 

You looked up at him, leaning forward with your lips parted, before leaning back away and giggling.

“Tease.” He growled, pressing the condom to his tip before rolling it down his length. 

You scrambled back to give him room to sit on the center of the couch, trying to make your brain function when all it wanted to focus on was what was hanging in front of your face. The way it moved as he sat, the way it had felt in your hand, the way the condom didn’t quite reach the hilt of his dick. 

You squeezed your thighs together, kneeling next to him. 

“No need for that,” his hand squeezed your clenched leg, “come and get it.” 

You reached for him at the same time he reached for you, and you swung your leg over his lap, ignoring the dull ache of your hips warning you against what you were about to do. Michael, still incredibly aware of how sore you were regardless of the jokes you’d thrown around, held one of your arms in one hand and himself in the other. 

“Go as it feels.” He mumbled, pressing himself against your lips and waiting for you to do the rest. 

You took a deep breath before spreading your thighs further, feeling him push against your entrance, not quite breaching you until you finally put some force into it. Might as well just rip the bandaid off, you thought, your mind going blank as he abruptly slipped past your swollen muscles. 

“Ahh,” you whimpered as you slid Michael inside of you, lowering your hips until your inner thighs were pressed to his pelvis, a majority of his length inside you, “fuck.”

“Fuck,” Michael’s voice was strained, “how are you tighter?”

“Probably from you rearranging my guts last night.”

The second it left your mouth you regretted it, and the shit eating grin Michael was giving you made you regret it even more.

“Well then, let’s see if I can get them back in place tonight.”

You huff, your breathing already shaky from the strain of keeping still, “This is a bad idea.” you tease.

“Maybe,” He agreed with a smile before leaning back with his arms spread out on the back of the couch, “but you’ve got the reins tonight.”

“Yeah, I do.”

You both smirk at each other before you plant your hands on his shoulders, watching as his head lulls back as you lean forward. You bite on his chin, the scruff rough against your lips, an erotic sensation contrasting with the slippery glide of you riding him. His chest vibrates under your hands as his hands come to rest heavily on your legs, stroking them as you rock forward, rolling your back as you take him inside you.

Michael curses under his breath and presses his hands to your stomach, pushing you to sit up straight. You take one last lick of his neck before shifting up, a sharp sound escape your mouth as you’re abruptly reminded of how sore you still are. 

You pant as Michael leans forward, sucking on the top of your breast before licking between them. “Lean back if it’s uncomfortable.”

You follow his words, your hands on his knees and your own knees bent on each side of his lap. You were riding him steadily, your eyes shut. It felt so good, but it wasn’t enough just yet. You felt so full, your swollen pussy so sensitive and definitely not about to take all of him at once. 

Michael’s hands were gripping your hips, but were now sinking lower, his thumbs hooking under your inner thighs, his big hands squeezing your inner thighs where they met your sensitive center. You groaned as he spread you wider.

“Come on, don’t be scared, take all of it.” Michael muttered, sinking down against the couch to force himself another inch deeper into you. 

You gasped and moaned, a growl dragging from your throat as you dipped your hips as you circled them, milking what was inside of you. 

“Ah, fuck you.” A smile on your face, your tone having no real bite, “M’not scared.” 

Your eyes squeezed shut, your face more tense as you dragged your pelvis forward while Michael squeezed what was still in his hands. Dragging your pussy back and forth in his lap while swiveling your hips dragged him against every side of your walls. You finally felt the licks of the inferno building inside of you and you pressed on Michael’s knees harder to arch your back more, lifting yourself higher so you could ride him deeper.

“Then don’t be lazy.” Michael groaned as he shoved his hips upward, his arms winding around your waist to hold you against him as he shoved every delicious inch of himself into your spent cunt. 

“Fuck!” You screamed, your orgasm making every inch of your body shake against his. 

You shook and gasped, your breathing coming out shaking as you rubbed your forehead into his shoulder. His own breathing was heavy as his fingertips rubbed up and down your spine, making you twitch more violently from the touch that set you on fire. 

“Stop that.” You whined. 

“Still think this is a bad idea?” 

Michael whispered into your ear, his voice low and rough. You took a deep breath before you slowly started slipping off his lap, his low grumble as you slid beside him getting further and further from directly in your ear. When you were half on him, your hip bones painfully pressing against each other’s, you both whimpered when his thick head finally pulled from your depths. 

A rush of air left your lungs as you rolled on to your back beside him, pushing your hair out of your face as you lifted your feet on to the coffee table in front of you.  

“Maybe not.” 

His head turns, and the both of you start laughing. He leans forward, a huff coming from his chest as he stands. 

“Where’s the garbage?” He asks, his hand lifting to the base of his dick.

“Kitchen, take it off over the garbage. I really don’t wanna find cum on my floor.”

“Got it.”

“Thank you!” You smile with teeth, closing your eyes just as he scrunches his face at you.

Sex and banter, what more could a girl want?

Getting up was a bit easier this time than last night, and while you’re still sore, it’s not as bad this time around. Probably cause we went with a more vanilla position, you told yourself with a smile. You leaned over and scooped your shirt off the floor, pulling it over your head before walking towards the kitchen. 

You ignore Michael standing in the corner and make a beeline straight for the kettle on the stove, turning it on to start a fresh pot. 

“Want tea?” You offer.

“No, I’m gonna leave.” 

“Okay.” You shrug. 

“I don’t-” Michael pokes your arm so you turn to look at him, “I don’t do sleepovers.” 

“It was an offer for tea, and honestly it was more of a reflex than a genuine offer.” You level with him. 

He looks down for a moment before looking up at you, acting like he wasn’t completely naked in your kitchen. 

“So you wanna keep doing this?” 

You look away from him, pausing a moment and watching from the corner of your eye as he stays focused on the side of your face. You laugh before facing him again, shaking your head.

“Yeah, fuck it.” You watched as a smug smile stretched across Michael’s stupid pretty face, “Anndddddd I’m already regretting it.”

“Too late.” He joked. “Anything I should know?” 

“Like what?” You leaned back against the counter next to the stove top. 

“Any rules besides the kissing thing?” 

“Mmmmm...” you dragged out, your head tilting as you thought, “I’m not sure yet.”

Michael nodded, “What is it with you and kissing?”

You side eyed him, laughing when you heard the confused, insulted sound he made at the face you slyly gave him.

“What?” You turned towards him, “I don’t know where that mouth’s been.”

“Pretty sure you do.”

Your face scrunched and you brattishly turned away from him while he started laughing. You hadn’t counted on him being so fast.

“Aren’t you supposed to leave? I thought you didn’t wanna stay? Why are you still here?”

Michael laughed as you berated him and you could hear his footfalls and laughter as he walked into the living room. 

You shook your head as you walked towards the corner cabinet that had your mugs. When you reached up to grab your favorite mug, the yellow handle purposely hanging out so you could reach it on its perch on the highest shelf, his hand reached over yours and grabbed it. You hadn’t even heard him come up behind you, the sneak. 

You froze, not wanting to brush against Michael and end up keeping him for the night. You really did need to rest. 

When the mug was placed on the counter, Michael moved away wordlessly, not without grabbing your ass playfully before heading towards the door.

Michael was biting his lip, looking up at your building. He hadn’t really spoken to you after the weekend the two of you had spent holed up. He had ended up spending the following week burying himself in work, finding that his free time made him anxious. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see you, cause he did. You would’ve been able to help him work all this anxiety out of his physical body. It was that his free time was spent wondering if he should reach out to you, while also wondering if you weren’t reaching out to him cause you were too busy with your move. 

And that train of thought just led to him wondering if he should offer you help, whether it be packing your shit up, or helping you arrange movers or shipping your packed up shit. 

Which would end up pissing him off, cause you guys were friends (fuck buddies did have the word buddies in it, didn’t it?) but you were most definitely not his responsibility. Adding on to that, this weird sense in his body kept telling him that he could talk you out of leaving. Which was such bullshit, he decided to stay as far away from you as possible. 

Until you finally texted him Saturday morning.

And that was all it took, one text, telling him you’d be home all day if he wanted to stop by. One text time stamped from 45 minutes ago, and he was standing outside your building staring at it like it was a blackhole. 

Which, he guessed, it kinda was. 

He felt like throwing up by the time he got to your floor. Knocking on your door had been a gross experience, and when you answered, in actual clothes, he actually felt mad. You looked cute in your grey t-shirt and light wash jeans, and when he felt a tendril of the familiar reaction he had to seeing you, he ran with it. Michael rushed forward, eager to just get down to how he knew you best, but stopped short when he had to catch you. You’d never been clumsy. But then he noticed that you’d hadn’t tripped over your own feet, you’d stumbled over some boxes. 

It was a mistake coming here.

Cause now he had no choice but to look around the room as you righted yourself on your feet and gently told him you had the kettle on, and you had to turn it off before anything happened. You wandered out of the room while he wandered in a circle. 

A very tight, closed in circle.

Cause there were boxes everywhere. Boxes big and small, some taped shut and stacked, some open with bubble wrap peeking out the open tops. Boxes that were labeled, boxes of different colors, and boxes that were taped shut but no label in sight. 

You were moving.

You were leaving Monaco.

You were going to Germany.

His feet moved faster than his thoughts, and when you turned around, kettle off and eyes dark and glittering- he almost, almost lost his nerve. But a quick glance over his shoulder, seeing your deconstructed, cluttered, completely in disarray living room, his resolve steeled. 

“I just got an email, I gotta head back into the office.” He didn’t even look at you as he said it, “I’ll text you when I’m free.”

-

“Ugh!” You yelled, throwing your phone on to the couch, “Un-fucking-believable!”

Ever since Michael’s weird little escape act the last time he’d come over, he’d been avoiding you like the plague. At first you thought it was an act, foreplay really, another game of cat and mouse. But after the first few days, you accepted that he really was busy. 

But your time in Monaco was closing quick, you would only be here for another two days. 

And he knew that. 

You had texted him your moving date the other day, to no response. 

The part that really pissed you off was how much it bothered you. Cause he had spoiled you, made you get used to him being there at your beck and call, made you used to getting all of him. It pissed you off to realize that you would miss him, and part of your anger was stemmed in that foreign feeling. With your friends, you didn’t worry about missing anyone because you knew that they would visit, there would be FaceTime dates and video chats. 

But Michael wasn’t your friend. Once you left Monaco, you’d most likely never speak to him again. Maybe you’d catch some of his posts online, but the extent of your interaction would be diminished to what it was before you’d met him. 

Strangers again.

The notion made your skin crawl. 

You had been moping about it until you let the anger take over today. He was avoiding you, you were sure of it. And while you admit it would be hard going cold turkey on all the good sex, you would’ve preferred abruptly stopping the sex due to your move, not because he was in his feelings about who knows what. 

Stomping across the room, you picked up your phone and re read his answer.

want to come over tonight?

can’t im working

“That’s such bullshit.” you groaned. 

You knew he hated his job, even if he was exceptionally good at it. He never missed an opportunity to work from home, or take days here and there. This was a man of indulgence.

A man of indulgence that didn’t want to indulge in you.

The distinction stung.

Throwing your phone back on to the couch, softer this time, you turned away and towards your door. Grabbing your denim jacket, your keys already in its pocket, you stepped out of your place and headed out into the night. 

Stepping outside instantly lifted the tightness in your chest. The night air cooled you from the outside in. The air brushed through your hair, inhaled through your lungs. You felt your shoulders sag for the first time in days. The sound of the waves crashing into the docks a few blocks away drew you in, and before you knew it, you were walking alongside the railed harbor. 

The ocean was always beautiful, but at night it was stunning. The way it reflected the night sky, with its sparkling of stars and crescent sliced moon, it was the only time and place where you could watch the sky meet the sky. 

When you were younger, you had been convinced that the ocean turned into a portal, and that if you were to jump off your father’s boat at night, you’d fall through that sky and into another world. Now that was just a memory that you giggled at.

And while Germany didn’t quite have the Mediterranean, you were looking forward to seeing the Baltic sea, and what it’s nighttime waves looked like. Even if you knew it would look exactly the same, you wouldn’t know for sure until you saw it. 

Your feet shuffled along the paved walkway until you heard a muffled bumping sound rising above the sound of crashing waves. The sound unnerved you, and you became increasingly aware of how far you’d walked, and where exactly you were.

You have got to be fucking kidding me.

Rage spread like a wildfire in your veins, heating your skin and putting bounce in your step as you continued down the walkway at a harder pace. You were practically jogging as you hit the marina. 

It was music playing, an obnoxious beat with a heavy bass. And while Monaco was full of partying, you knew exactly where you were and exactly what you’d find. 

Your blood boiled.

Autopilot kicked in and you felt your mind blank out as you strode down the docks, heading for the one furthest. Every step you took you came back to your mind, and you cursed the fact that what you thought was happening was most definitely happening. 

It really sucked to see all the people, all the lights, all of the party on Michael’s docked yacht. 

You sighed, your whole body deflated as your rage simmered to a smoke. You still dragged your feet along, but every step you felt more and more unsure why you were even doing this, why you were even showing up. 

Did you just want it to hurt? Did it have to hurt for you to get closure?

When you finally stepped on deck and walked slowly towards the lounge area, you swallowed hard. For a split second, you childishly wondered if you’d fallen into the sea, if you’d fallen through that portal and ended up in another world, or another timeline. Cause it was like the first night you met Michael all over again.

What the fuck did you expect?

He sat in his usual chair, in his usual corner, with the usual men around him. But there were also women. A lot of them. One sat on each side of his chair, the two girls sneered at each other over his head, in between sickeningly sweet smiles to him. They weren’t wearing much, and you wondered whether Michael had been ignoring them all night, or whether he was taking turns picking which he was leading on. 

Would he take them both tonight?

Why didn’t he just tell me he wanted out, or that found someone else?

Your breath caught as you finally tore your eyes away from his women and looked at him. He had already spotted you. His gaze felt like fire as he it met yours, and moved your feet into motion. You pivoted and speeded off the boat, jumping down the few steps on to the dock before quickly moving down the pier. 

What the fuck had you expected?

This was Michael Italiano. 

You shook your head as a bitter laugh bubbled up your throat, the taste of the air turning bitter in your mouth as you desperately sucked in the salty air as you tried your best to escape it. You just wanted to go home and block his number. If you’d taken your phone with you, you might’ve already had it blocked. 

“Hey!” 

“Motherfucker, are you kidding?” You mumbled under your breath, not willing to turn around or acknowledge him.

“Hey! Stop!” 

“Just keep going.” You mumbled to yourself.

Michael’s footsteps sounded like they were speeding up, and a childish part of you told you to run. It would be a race in vain, the Aussie would obviously catch up, and you’d look stupid so you scrapped the idea. You kept your pace brisk and straight, moving down each block as fast as you could as Michael’s footsteps got closer and closer. 

“Hey!” 

So close, the light from the lobby is just there. 

You could see the light from the entrance of your building spilling into the dark street. It was literally the light at the end of the tunnel for you. If you got there, at least there’d be a door you could lock between the two of you. At least there’d be a way for you to equally shut him out the way he’d done you.

“Do I have to fucking tackle you?” Michael yelled, his hand wrapping around your arm. He pulled you to turn around, catching your arm again when you defiantly pulled it from his grasp and made a sound of anger. “What the fuck is your issue?” 

You scoffed, but didn’t say anything.

“Okay,” Michael grabbed your arm and swung you around like he meant it, manhandling you until you were facing him. He leaned down a bit to be eye level with you and held your shoulders in each hand, trapping you in front of him with his sure grip, “you gonna tell me what the fuck just happened?” 

“Me?” You yelled, “Me? Am I going to tell you what just happened?” You laughed before you slapped his hands off your shoulder. “You told me you were working, that’s what happened.”

“So? You just show up to the docks to make sure I’m telling you the truth? Keeping tabs on me?” 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Your whole body tensed, annoyed at the lies he was spewing, “I went for a walk, after you told me you were working, and I heard the pier-” your voice raised in volume as the whole night unfolded verbally, “and I knew! I knew it was you! Cause you’re a liar, a fucking liar.” 

Michael leaned back and crossed his arms, “How the fuck am I a liar when I don’t owe you the truth?” 

You blinked at him a few times, not entirely sure how to respond without aiming to hurt him. He was lashing out, and you were not his mother nor his therapist, and the appearance of his nasty, stuck up personality made your stomach roll. You felt cheated, lied to, like the Michael you’d gotten to know had been some sweet delusion. 

“I’m not the one who made up the rule about exclusivity, and being honest with each other.” You finally responded, calmly, “You did.”

His head tilted before he actually laughed out loud, “You think I’m fucking someone? What?” He laughed again, mockingly “You saw those girls hanging off my chair, and you thought I just had to get some pussy.” His face sobered, his eyebrows furrowing as he got just as angry as you did, “I mean what I say and I do what I mean, remember?”

For the first time, you regretted the kind words you’d tried to speak of Michael. 

“So you’re just being celibate and not fucking your fuck buddy?”

“Is that why you’re being such a bitch? Cause you can’t find any dick?”

You rose right to his bait, “Don’t flatter yourself, Italiano, I could find dick and you know it.” You smirked when you saw the way he faltered, “Just like you could find whoever, neither one of us is special.” You hissed at him. 

“But I didn’t do that, did I?” He held his arms out, “Everything was going great, and then you just had to fuck it all up. I mean Germany, really?”

“Oh fuck off, Michael. Don’t act like you wouldn’t find a skirt to chase while I’m boarding the plane.”

Michael huffed and took steps towards you, crowding your space, “I wouldn’t have to go after anyone else if you weren’t leaving.”  

“Yeah, well, I am.” 

“But you don’t have to.” He countered.

Your brain short circuited, one side telling you that he was right, that you could stay and keep fucking him. It wasn’t like your life was bad in Monaco, it was actually quite nice, a better deal than most people in the world. A much better deal. Your logical brain supported the stupid side, and your patience snapped. 

Your convictions turned rock solid as you remembered the way your hiring letter looked on your phone screen. No man would take the future you wanted for yourself away from you. 

“Find someone else! Stop being fucking weird and annoying.” You yelled at him, your voice no doubt waking up your neighbors. 

Won’t be my neighbors for much longer, you thought.

“Is that what you think of me? That I’m just some slut, oh, just let me find someone else, let me just go out and find another you.”

“Another me?” You laughed bitterly, “How many people have you slept with, Michael? Do you even know? There are plenty of other ‘me’s out there, there were ones before me and there will be ones after me, don’t play stupid with me.” 

Michael huffed, laughing up to the sky, “Now I’m the stupid one.” He shook his head. “You’re the one who’s being stupid! You fucked it up with the job of yours.”

You took a deep breath, ready to ream him out before you stopped yourself, trying your best to speak evenly and clearly as you spoke back to him. “I know,” you took a breath to try to stop the shakiness of your voice, “I know, you are very used to things being handed to you, regardless of what it is, I know that you had your career handed to you-” Michael tried to interrupt, but you didn’t let him and stole his favorite line, “shut up-” you held your hand out to stop him, “but not all of us have that. I am going to Germany for the good of my future. And I don’t give a fuck if I’m leaving a fuck buddy behind.”

Michael leaned back and looked away from you as if you’d slapped him. You realized with dread just how nasty you’d sounded, and just how mean your words had been. Michael looked away from you, his eyes distant and his face emotionless as he stared down the street. 

You recognized that look, and your heart clenched. It was the same look he got when his father had talked down to him. Regret welled up in you like the tears in your eyes. 

“Michael,” you sighed, stepping forward, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-”

“You’re right.” Michael said, “You’re absolutely right. I’m just for sex for you, and the both of us will find someone else.” 

“That’s the only part I was right about.” You replied. 

Michael finally met your gaze, and you both looked into each other’s eyes. You weren’t sure what you expected, or what you were looking for, but Michael seemed to know exactly what to do.

His hands came up to hold your face in his large, warm palms. His thumbs rubbed the apples of your cheeks, and in the millisecond he caught your eye, you gave him the most subtle nod. The whole world slowed to a drag, and Michael leaned in and pressed his lips to yours. 

You melted into him, and the both of you leaned into each other. Your lips fit together and molded to each other’s shapes and softness as you familiarized and memorized the feeling to save forever in your mind. 

The kiss was slow and soft, and your lips tingled as he was still kissing you. 

Michael pulled away from a moment and leaned his forehead against yours, still holding your face in his hands. You realized that at some point your own hands had lifted, and your fingers were wrapped around his wrists. 

“Yeah,” Michael spoke softly, “I’ll just find someone else.” 

You squeezed his wrists and bit your lip, “Do you want to come upstairs?” You asked timidly. 

“Yeah.” 

He nodded his head before pulling away from you, lowering his hands just to take one of yours in his. He let you lead him to your door, hand in hand. You held his hand the whole way up, until you stood in your entry way. Michael peered around the room with a dumbfounded look on his face.

“What?” You asked, your voice still low.

You both still spoke so softly, in almost whispers, the both of you just as afraid as the other of breaking the spell during what was no doubt your last night together. 

“Everything’s gone.” 

He was right, everything was gone. You were leaving tomorrow morning, and you had sent your boxes ahead of time, and were living out of two suitcases that laid in your hallway. Every room was empty, save for the couch in front of you both. You had decided that your old couch wouldn’t be able to take the move and opted to leave it behind. 

“Not everything,” You turned towards him, and his hands instantly found your waist as he leaned his forehead against yours again, “not yet.”

You kissed like your lives depended on it, this time your tongues met, rubbing against each other and licking into each other’s mouths. Michael squatted down and wrapped an arm around you, the other sliding up into your hair to cradle the back of your neck as he hoisted you up. Not needing any prompting, you wrapped your arms and legs around him as you kissed. 

Michael gently carried you to the couch, where he hovered over you as he placed you down underneath him. 

His lips pressed to yours softly, his tongue not touching your lips as he pressed his lips to yours over and over. It was as if he was trying to stamp his touch into your own lips, and the feeling had you melting underneath him. It was a strange sense of calm, a complete absence of urgency as your nails lightly scratched the back of his head, feeling the softness of his hair as he kissed you. 

You jumped when his finger tips touched your bare stomach, his hands wandering under your shirt as he pulled it up. He leaned his forehead against yours as you kept your eyes shut, a smile on your face as you basked in the feeling of his hands on your skin.

He kissed the tip of your nose before he sat up between your legs, peeling your shirt over your head. As he let it fall to the floor beside the couch, you arched your back, pushing your shoulders against the cushions so you could sneak your hands under your back to unclip your bra. 

Even with you being more exposed, Michael kept the pace the same. He kissed you again, softly, as his hands dragged up your sides, caressing the bits of skin that had been squeezed by the straps of your bra. You reached up and held his face in your hands while leaning up. Instinctually, Michael kept your lips attached as he leaned up, pulling you up with him. 

When he turned and let you straddle him, you grabbed the bottom hem of his shirt and stripped his top half. When his chest was exposed your hands squeezed his shoulders before you dragged your fingertips, with the bluntness of your nails, down his chest and abs. 

He looked up at you with lidded eyes as his arms wrapped back around your waist, his hands brushing your sides before they crossed behind you and pulled you forward. His eyes were shut by the time his mouth closed around your nipple. He sucked as your breathing left you in choppy spurts, like you were getting too much air at once and then none at all. 

Everything was silent, his touch and his ministrations so gentle and soft that there wasn’t the usual volume to the lewd sounds of your coupling. And somehow that made the fire in you burn hotter. To discover this tender side of worship in Michael, to get what you were certain no one else had before you. 

It was a smug feeling that heightened your arousal and satisfaction as he switched to your other nipple. 

“Michael,” you whispered, “please.” 

He released your nipple and pressed his face between your breasts, his lips meeting the skin of your sternum as he shifted to lay you back down. 

Back in your original position, he hooked his fingers in your leggings and peeled them down your legs, giving you a knowing smirk when your bare core was exposed to him after the first layer of clothing was gone. You winked and returned his smile before spreading your legs and pushing yourself up. Reaching for his pants, you popped open the button and pulled down his zipper.

Michael stood, and you couldn’t help but throw your leg over the back of the couch, opening your legs and showing him exactly where he fit. His body was so beautiful, and you watched how his arms and chest moved, every cord of muscle working with another even through the mundane task of taking off his pants. 

He locked eyes with you, and you found yourself unable to look away or react, just watch as he kneeled back on to the couch. Michael was just as bare as you were now, and while this should’ve felt like familiar territory, it didn’t tonight. He looked just as, well, you didn’t want to think of his expression as unsure. Especially not as he pressed the lips that you now knew against your thigh, taking his usual course straight to your cunt.

Your eyes rolled back as the first lick came. It was soft and curled around your clit. Michael was different this time, and seemed content with teasing you with broad licks and wet sucks. You realized straight away that this was more prep than it was him trying to make you cum. 

He wanted you to cum on his dick, not his mouth tonight.

You couldn’t find it in yourself to care. 

Feeling properly slicked, there was a moment where your heart beat slowed until you were sure it ached. Michael leaned over you, sitting up after having tasted you, and was just looking at you as he gently stroked your lips with his length. 

“You’re so beautiful.” Michael told you. 

You smiled shyly at him and leaned up on one elbow so you could use your other hand to pull him in towards you. 

“No kissing had been a stupid rule” And you meant it, you realized now how deprived you of the utter skill and tenderness Michael had inside him.

Michael chuckled before he leaned his forehead against yours. With the two of you calm and connected, he started the slow slide inside of you. When your hips touched, you were both panting, and when you opened your eyes, you moaned into Michael’s face as his hips rolled against your own. He leaned down further, laying on you until it was a steady sensation of skin pressed to skin, his body joining almost every inch of yours inside and out. 

Your fingers intertwined as Michael lifted them over your head. His hot breath hit your cheek, and you couldn’t help but turn your head to face him. You looked at each other for every moan, shake, tremble, push and pull from his body to yours. 

When you closed your legs around his waist, locking him between them, he moaned and smoothly turned you both on to your side. 

From this angle, your leg intertwined with his two while the one was lifted over the edge of his hip. It must not have been high enough though, because within a minute and a few thrusts, Michael grabbed your knee and pulled it up towards his ribs. You faced each other as you continued to share the moment, your bodies intertwined. 

When broken cries and whimpers left your mouth, you both closed your eyes and pressed your foreheads back together, clutching on to each other as you both fell over the edge together. Michael groaned low in his throat, his chest vibrating against yours as he came inside you. 

Coming down from heaven, your eyes stay shut as you as you stayed pressed front to front while laying side to side. You both gently nudged each other’s noses against the other’s, a calmness brushing over you both. He’s still held you to him, and your leg remained over his hip.

You sighed as you open your eyes and reached up to hold Michael’s face. He responded blindly and instantly, kissing your palm the second he felt your fingertips. His eyes opened, and you realized for the first time just how close you two are.

His big brown eyes had never looked so deep, so warm, so rich. He looked at you with the same calm you felt, but the bit of sadness that pulls at the corners of his eyelids remind you of what must be said, and what must be done.

“I think,” you trace his jaw with your finger, and keep your voice soft, “I think you should sneak out for the last time.” you smiled at him, putting on your best face.

Michael didn’t even try. His brows were furrowed and he leaned in and pressed his lips to yours in a sweet kiss that pulled the edges of your mouth down from the exaggerated, forced smile you had given him. When he pulled back and saw that you were no longer faking what you were felt, his expression visibly relaxed and he hummed. 

“If that’s what you want.” 

“What do you want?” You whispered.

“I want,” Michael looked away from you before he finished his thought, “you to not be awake when I leave, even if you are.”

You closed your eyes, not wanting to catch his gaze as you felt each other’s words. This was not a love story, this would not work, and you would most definitely let him go the way he wanted. 

You stroked his cheek and pulled him to you, inhaling through your nose as you kissed him as gently and deeply as you could. He clutched your bare body to his, every inch of each other molding into the other until you could barely tell where one of you began and the other ended. 

-

You don’t let yourself remember much of that night, but the thing you’ll never forget is waking up alone, in your empty apartment and smiling. Smiling cause you knew that he could keep his promises, just like he’d told you.

It made boarding that plane a whole lot easier. 

So you let yourself look at his name from time to time, the time stamp on the right side of the screen reminded you that it had been weeks since you last talked. The thread itself reminded you that it had been real, it had really happened. Sometimes you even let your thumb hover over the keyboard, but you make sure to never press it.

Sometimes you wonder if he’d answer, or if he’d even be able to answer. A sudden thought ponders the possibility that he had gone and changed his number.

I hope he has, you thought instantly. 

Taking the time, you stretched your arms towards the ceiling and rolled your neck. The tension you held in your upper body dissipated and your body felt much less stiff. You held on to your phone as you rolled out of bed, still looking at the old text thread as you planted your feet on the ground before shaking your legs out.