Robbery of the Heart (MrBurke x Risi)

[Risi]

His decent on her lips felt like eons. It was as if he was moving in slow motion as her eyes fluttered closed. His move to hold her to him gave her goosebumps as he cradled her within his strong grasp. Tara's lips parted with a little gasp of air as his lips danced along hers. The sensation of his lips on hers made her stomach leap into her chest, her skin feeling as if on pins and needles. The addition of his hand at her collar, sweeping softly along it, made her warm more to him. Her dainty hand moved to the back if his neck and entangled into his hair, fingers encircled in his locks. 

Tongues swirled together, lips melding, molding, closer. Their bodies pressed closer, attempting at a somehow closer grasp. A fleeting thought wondered where this would all go but it was pushed to the back of her mind with the pull of her body from the cushion. Another soft gasp and she moved back closer to him once again. The movie continued on in the background as they finally made contact with each other. It had only been a device anyways, never actually holding either of their attention. Tara then realized she didn't even know the main character's name. The thought made her giggle momentarily in her head but once again Robert w as pushed to the front of her attention as he caressed her caringly and passionately. 

 

[MrBurke]

As her little mouth warmed to his attentions and tentatively greeted him, brought him in, coaxed and begged attention, his skin grew hot. His hands felt increasingly firm on her tiny body, and he held her jaw and throat all at once in the same hand, reaching out to wrap around and cradle her head. Robert checked himself, did not jam his tongue down her throat, did not squeeze her breast or force his hand between her legs. This one was different, more than meat, more than a comfort zone. His hot breath curled over her cheeks and chin when he withdrew to take a deep breath, the chill running up his spine given life in his exhale, a small, important sound before closing over her again.

He lifted her up, swept his arm up under her thighs and drew Tara into his lap just as he had the day of the robbery, just as he had the first time he'd been in this apartment. He didn't think anything of it - more accurately, he wasn't thinking anything - and pinned her to his chest in threading fingers through her hair and caressing her soft skin, stroking the nerve endings with his fingertips and manipulating her body freely. Somehow able to retain himself in the heat, she sat largely unmolested, his long fingers admittedly shaking when playing around the edges of her top.

"I want to know," he said, with labor; "I want to know that you don't feel pressured." Likely the first time he'd ever said those words to a woman, his sparkling eyes found hers, seizing on instinct a small handful of her hair, tilting her head back, forcing eye contact. "I can't have this on my conscience." He reiterated, thick chest swelling and shrinking with deep, passionate breaths. He was trembling with want. Muscles twitched and flexed, his knees shifting under her in anticipation. "Can't know I didn't give you an out." He blinked, and wet his lips. "Tell me." He said, face all business and want. There was no doubt what his intentions were, what would happen if she gave him the green light. He couldn't help but steal another kiss, and again another, his tongue sliding from one end of her pouting bottom lip to the other. "Say you want this."

 

[Risi]

"I want this," there was a pause though, an unsaid yet audible 'but' coming. Her eyes shifted for a moment back to his soft lips, craving their touch upon hers. "But," there it was, "I don't want to do this tonight. I'm not that sort of girl." Her lips pursed momentarily as she looked back at him, "Okay, that's a lie. I am that kind of girl, but I want this to be more than that." Her heart felt heavy, her breath caught in her throat slightly, but she didn't remove the statement from the air. She slowly brought her hand from his hair and slowly stroked the back of his neck, then to move it to do the same movements he had done to her earlier. Tara ran her fingers through a side section of her hair, watching her fingers move though it. She was afraid that was what he was going to do now; slip through her fingers.

A long blink later she moved her eyes back to his, "I don't want an out. I want you to stay." Cautiously she moved to kiss him, but it was treacherous, she felt as she was in uncharted waters once again. Would he take to her the way he had before? She didn't let her eyes leave his until the last second before her lips met his again. "I'm sorry," she mumbled into them as she pulled away from the kiss. Tara didn't know what to say besides that, was there anything she could really say? Her lips moved to a line and she began to detach from him slowly. Her defensive walls were going up quickly, moving to protect the soft organ held within her chest from more hurt. I should have known better... she thought to herself as she disembarked from his lap.

 

[MrBurke]

His hands gripped her, ceasing her removal for a long second, body lurching to catch Tara's small body and bring her back to him. The man inside wanted to steal her away - clunk her over the head and drag her into his cave, but cooler heads prevailed, and in defeat, let her slip away.

His blood was pumping, full force. His body had made all the preparations necessary for hours of hard work, strain and pleasure. Everything he'd been convincing himself wasn't present in his human, social mind had rushed to his surface to play; he sat before her a very different person than the Robert who'd walked through her door what seemed like eons ago.

His hands trembled. His dick ached. His face was red. Big eyes bulged with searing intensity and all his limbs were flush with blood. Those wide eyes closed, tight, and he focused on breathing.

"It's alright." He lied, searching his mind for something soothing to focus on and coming up empty-handed. "You have the right. If it's not what you want..." He nodded solemnly, jaw flexing with intensity as he reappraised her. He knew the moment they made eye contact he was still regarding her wholly as a body instead of a person, and knew it was blatant on his face. He tore his gaze from her and faced the television, straightening out, fixing his shirt and angling the now painfully erect member jammed up between his legs upwards instead of straight into his zipper.

"I can wait." He said again, dropping his hands to cross his arms. This was very unusual, and rarely happened to him. It hurt his pride profoundly, made him wonder what was so appealing in the men he knew she entertained freely that he, her knight in shining armor (for all she knew) lacked. Robert did not see sex as something you withheld from when two single and horny people met and clicked.

Frustration didn't begin to cover it. Crossed arms, he couldn't look at her, swallowing his pride and boiling in his own need, the idea of glimpsing what he felt had just been taken away from him was too painful on its own.

Say something, you idiot.

"It's probably just as well." He said as cooly as he could manage, and shifted in his seat, still uncomfortable. "I mean, yeah. Yeah. I get it. You want it to..." He gestured with his hands, searching desperately for the phrase. "Mean something. More. Yeah, I get that. That's fine." He was flustered, and recrossed his arms tightly. Humiliated might have been the word, if he'd ever allow himself to attribute something so weak to himself. "Of course."

Women are not ingratiated to men who loose their cool at the withdrawal of sex, nor do they react well to the insinuation that they should surrender it when its convenient for the man above their own needs (understandably so). Robert had never been the kind to ask a girl out, get turned down, and then call her a name or storm off like a child. Nothing in him was mad at Tara, but he was deeply physically disappointed, and baffled at how he'd misread the situation. Since the moment he walked in, the big man was positive he had her in the bag. This was going to be his night, he'd decided, and she'd be eating right out of his hands. Women didn't say no to Robert, not when they knew who he was, and he certainly never made this kind of effort.

If she changed her mind, now, offered him a blowjob or got herself wound up again, he couldn't have a thing to do with her. There was no way he'd be able to take a pity offering, nor would it repair the blow to his ego. That huge head swam with testosterone-fueled demands that were now ever-present and could not be satisfied as well as self-deprecation and confusion. He was in no state to comfort her, and didn't especially want to, either.

"Should we, ah..." He cleared his throat. "Should we start over, or... I mean, we could turn it off, I... I don't know." The color was just now starting to drain from his face, and his right knee bounced, tapping his heel to the floor in a nervous gesture. He was nodding to the television, noting that the film had been on for a good twenty minutes and they'd paid virtually no attention to it. Where do you go from here?

 

[Risi]

Her eyes blinked closed for a moment, suddenly realizing he might not have been so understanding as she thought. She retreated though, from his question and from him, as she rose from the couch and moved to find some sort of alcohol that she could take a swig of. Her bare feet padded into the kitchen area as she called from a safe distance away, "Whatever you'd like to do. Can I get you anything while I'm up?" Tara was distant now, she knew she had messed up. Why did he have to be different? Couldn't you've just had your way and realized that if he stayed it was proof he was different? She was more frustrated with herself now, unsure of what to do after giving him the half-way rejection.

Sticking her head in the fridge she teared up slightly, knowing it would be safe to say he wouldn't see her. A sniffle later, she pulled out a small wine cooler and gulped it down in a few sips. Hopefully that will impair my judgement enough her thought was scornful of herself, hating how it had affected him. She had seen the adjustment, the pulled tight lips, his nervousness once she had pulled away. It must have been new to him to be rejected in such a way. Tara shrugged slightly, she could see why.

Her heart bounded around her chest after going from such a high to a self-provoked low. With a girlish gulp she strode back into the living room and sat next to him. Her body longed to curl up into his once again, to feel his body surround her with his so easily. Her eyes turned to find his, her words forming honestly in her mind, "If you want it to be a one-night stand, I can do that. Just let me know now that the last time I will see you is when I fall asleep. I'm tired of that lifestyle, but for you I can make an exception." Her heart felt cold, this wasn't what she wanted, but she didn't want to lose him either. Her hands were tied. "I'm sorry I assumed our connection was different than what it is." Her eyes no longer met his, but rather focused on the nailbeds of her fingers, nervous as well now.

 

[MrBurke]

“Different from what it is.” He repeated, stumped through-and-through. Robert took time in responding, made allowance for the redistribution of hormones and blood density, did not trust his words to ring clear just yet. The jarring adjustment was not completely incomparable with pushing into drive while actively reversing. His breathing deepened and eyes narrowed with an intelligence not necessarily present in the heat of their previous moments, the segments of his sympathetic personality recently purged flaring back to life and working to assess and compensate for these new circumstances.

He had been shot down. No sex tonight. None whatsoever. She does not Want you: recede, simple man. There is nothing you can do or say to fix things. Accept your defeat. All there is for you, Robert, is damage control. You can only stop making things worse, there is no 'better'. We are on rocky ground, here, friend. Tread lightly. You have lost, and lost completely, but that does not mean the stakes aren't high. In handling yourself poorly here, now, in this living room, you stand to nullify your position of potential future sexual candidate for all time. Act poorly and know it as your end.

No pussy.

How could it have happened?

It was asking. That's what it was. He'd asked. In suggesting that they stop, literally ceasing the interaction and demanding she consider the options, Tara had chosen one he hadn't thought possible. He himself put fragility and modest containment within her grasp and she'd reached for it instantly. Impossible to imagine why. She was a human female, after all, and he was a formidable human male, with ambition as well as intelligence and a physical stature that encouraged submission in beta males. What else was there? It was difficult not to think in these terms. He tried.

“I, ahm...” He cleared his throat, and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I don't want to degrade this, Tara, I... I don't see sex as something you do with people you'll never see again. That's not something I can do, where I am. I still see a lot of girls from the neighborhood, you know, from growing up, you don't stop talking to them. It's more like, getting to know somebody.” ... aaaaand you're out. What a moron.

He chuckled in spite of himself, the laughter genuine if uncomfortable. “What can I say? I...” He stood slowly. “I guess... honestly, honestly honestly, I thought I had this in the bag.” He approached her, arms wide. “I have to be frank with you, I don't get... that. Women don't do that with me. This is... I thought that's what this meant.” He motioned to the plates. “That,” then to the TV. “Plus that,” and to the couch. “and that... it means you want me. Like that, tonight. People where I'm from, we just don't question the physical part.” He was standing in front of her now, taking her by the hands, then thinking twice, moving to hold her at the ribs.

His grin was wide, if bashful. “I don't want to force this. I'm not negotiating, here. Honestly, heart to heart – let me trust you, here, with me. I'll say it: I'm embarrassed.” He chuckled, and it sounded like clucking. “I'm a little.. rejected. What do you say? I don't know what the word is. That hurt my pride. My pride is hurt.” He left a little kiss on her lips, giving the most generous and happy expression he could.

“You know what I want?” He said, refusing to allow her to speak before he was done with what he had to say. “I want lunch. Neutral, get-to-know-you, talk-it-out lunch. Public. No pressure. Just... easy. Yeah? Maybe this was a bit much. I didn't think this might be weird, but with what you've gone through, you're... A different kind of girl than I'm used to. Maybe I'm sick of the old stuff too, huh? Lets have lunch. Tomorrow. I mean it. Okay?” Robert, shamed and defeated, wanted out of that apartment. Tonight would be bizarre and awkward no matter what, given his reaction, and everything felt out of place. Was shrinking away worse than staying, and making it worse? To his mind, it was worth trying again the next day. Always leave em wanting more, right? It felt flawed, but there was no good option. To stay and sleep with her was pure betrayal.

 

[Risi]

His attempts of explanation made things in Tara's swimmingly drunk brain go hazy. She knew she had had too much for her own tolerance level, always had been a light weight, and now her mind and reasoning skills were paying the price. She could only focus on certain words and phrases. And those phrases kept repeating over and over in her head. I don't see sex as something you do with people you'll never see again, or worse still I still see a lot of girls from the neighborhood, you know, from growing up, you don't stop talking to them, or the worst, It's more like, getting to know somebody. He thought he had her in the bag? Was that all she was? A thing to conquer? 

Her mouth was parched, she wanted to tell him to leave and get naked all at the same time. Shit, she thought as he continued, beginning to finally pull his rather large foot from his mouth. You know what they say about shoe size... her drunk inner child told her, wickedly focused for being intoxicated. 

She wanted to tell him that where she came from his sexual equation equaled the same result as hers, with tonight as the exception. Tara was ready for a change, as if she hadn't been through enough already. His nature towards her last night made her think about how not all men were complete pigs. But then again, he had proven that wrong tonight. He was a pig, just like the rest of the population. Just like the men in that van.

Perhaps that was the reason for her change. She didn't want to be treated like a piece of meat. Or cattle you fed and watched a quarter of a movie with then fucked, in hopes that she passed out like a rock and wasn't a light sleeper. It was all she could do not to turn away in disgust as he moved towards her, even with attempts at a reconciliation. Wouldn't he just do the same thing, just at a later time?

Her heart hurt, and though she didn't shy away from his touch her body ached from it. The want, the need really, that she felt for him mixed with the feelings of betrayal over being just a conquest. How she had forgotten that knights in shining armor didn't exist? They were just barbarians in tin foil with one thing to fulfill, the lust with in them. 

Would she give him another chance now? Yes. How could she refuse, especially in her state, his hands on her sides, his dark eyes looking into hers with a halfhearted smile on his face? She couldn't, never could have in a million years. Tara longed for him to stay and cuddle but it was obvious he didn't want to stay nor did she deserve it, or was she entitled to it. 

"Tomorrow then," her bright blues looked up at him pitifully, but a smile still held on her face. "That sounds good. Where do you want to meet?" As she asked her face turned away from his, catching on the glimmer of silver at the wrist, Courage, something you have nothing of, she scolded herself. "How does one sound?" she tried to not be such a doormat, to have some sort of say, a bit if personality, she wasn't sure it was working. 

What she did know is that when he left she would throw herself on her bed and have a good drunk lonely cry. 

 

[MrBurke]

"I'll surprise you." He smiled, easing fingers throug her hair and dancing his fingertips at her hips and ribs comfortingly. It was hard to let go. But what else was there to say? A night of awkward he couldn't do. Robert walked, it's who he was. When something got hot or awkward or deviated from plan, he cut ties, walked off. It was something beyond what he wanted, by definition something he didn't want, and given this transformation it was time to tie off whatever he had happening and regroup. His friend and he, they'd left sacks of money sitting in open vaults under suspicion that the alarm system might have been triggered. They'd even been wrong, but Robert did not regret a single instance.

Something about this was different.

"Get some sleep." He kissed her again, very softly, tight lipped, no tongue.

"I'll call you tomorrow. We'll do it at one." It occurred to him, before leaving, that she might have asked so she'd know what to wear. "Something casual. We'll do low-key, okay? Someplcae outside. Nice patio for you." He pinched her chin between his thumb and forefinger, a nervous habit, the place he'd reach for to comfort or control, the place his Grandmother used to reach for when she wanted his attention.

"We'll do this right." He opened the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, Tara."

And he was gone.

Robert was seen leaving her apartment. He was seen to cross the street, and withdraw a cellphone, checking over his shoulder once before rounding a corner and dissapearing into a black BMW a block beyond that.

The plainclothes detectives made note of everything they saw, one scribbling madly into his notepad, the other leaning into the window of his brown Buick with a high-powered camera taking night-vision stills. Discarded fast food containers and coffee to-go cups littered their feet. Dried shredded lettuce and gobs of mustard decorated their dress shirts, blazers dormant on the back seat.

Charlie, peering through a compact telescopic lens he bought at an 'information technology' store, the same one the local PD made their purchases, observed the police, curious to see what would surface in their investigation. He knew they hadn't let it go - hostages were a different matter than even armed robbery. He'd been watching these people for two hours.

What was Robert doing?

A million possibilities raced through his mind. Was the whole thing a setup? Was he working with them? Had he just killed her? Were Robert and the girl planning some kind of takover? Had she been a plant? An informant?

The police pulled away.

Charlie, now knwoing positively that he and this woman were well and truly alone, left his car and shined the golden police badge against his shirt. It was authentic, reported stolen by an officer that even looked similar to him.

"Here goes nothing." Sighed Charlie, approaching the building, running his finger over all the buzzers. A few people responded, and with the word "Pizza." the door opened. He made his way to the number he knew she resided at.

Charlie knocked, the nickle plated baretta itching in the small of his back.

He put on his friendly face.

 

[Risi]

"Casual, one tomorrow," she repeated to herself as she began to clean up the very slight mess. It would be a wonder if she was up before one, let alone dressed, at this rate. After picking up her shoes and throwing them into the closet she set her alarm and began to get in a large night shirt. 

Before she could even take off the tight black shirt she was wearing though, she heard a knock on the door. The movie, she thought to herself, thinking it was Robert returning to claim it. "I'll be right there!" she yelled as she took the DVD from the player and stuck it in it's case. 

Her drunken mind didn't question who was at the door, so without a peek to the peephole, she swung the door open with a smile on her face. That smile quickly faded when she saw the badge at the door. "Sorry officer," she muttered, embarrassed, "I thought you were someone else." Tara gave a pause, then wondered why there was a cop at her door at nearly ten at night. "Can I help you, Sir?" she asked kindly, though she had shut the door partially as she leaned on it. Almost like a protective barrier between him and her. 

She didn't wait for a reply though, she continued, obviously slurring her words now. There might have been a few more hard drinks between the time Robert left and currently, "Is this about the robbery? Have you found the guys yet?" It was if her drunken stupor came in waves, ups and downs of idiotic things that came out of her mouth. Right now, it was a crest of the wave, so of course she kept on, "Is this going to take long? I need to get to bed. I have a date tomorrow. Between you and me, this one didn't go too well tonight."