The Roadtrip (Cylian997 & LeatrixSage)

[Cylian997]

"So, TJArmy, TJ here with a very short but important message. It is with slightly somber new that I have to disappear for a week. I know, it is quite a shame. But my super cute baby sister is getting married and as you know, the big bro has to be there to lay the smackdown if some jack ass wants to run in" TJ was currently doing a little bit of overacting in front of a camera as he recorded himself. TJ looked to be no older than twenty five, he sported a coolly shaved head and an incredibly smooth goatee. He has sun-kissed skin and his body is strong. His arms and chest are broad for his general size. While he was recording himself he wore a tank top that allowed him to show off a stunning pair of tattoo sleeves. It was a pair of dragons; the right arm was red and the left arm was blue. He even wore a pair of sunglasses to cover his face a little bit. But one thing that wasn't covered was his winning smile.

"I mean what will all of do without your guru? Don't worry, you can still find me on the gram. I have over two years of videos for you to watch if you really need a fix so don't worry you are covered." The young man moved back and forth with over acted, hammed up hand gestures. He picked up the camera and brought it very close to his face and tried to look sincere. There were shit-eating grins all over the world but this one was almost excessively funny.

"And I know what you are saying, why not take a plane its so much faster! Well my sister's maid of honor is a friend who wants to accept as little kindness as possible because she makes the average stick in the mud look like the life of the party. So a cross country trip for me with someone who I can't stand and can't stand me! I love having to bring my baby sister's "maid of honor" and her "best friend" I just Love" being so nice." And yes, this young man did do the air quotes to add emphasis to his statement. "I know my sister is getting married and I have to be happy for her but you know what I say about marriage, right? If they are going to be your player two they better have a kick ass k/d ratio. And my sister is such a good player 2 she can be a player 3 and 4." TJ's face curls into a wide grin as he begins laughing uproariously.

"Let me stop lying, this is going to be a total disaster. This is a marriage of convenience because of kids or money or whatever have you. You either get married when you truly find someone worth your time, who works to improve for you as you improve for her, who stands up for you, who pulls your hair back for you while you vomit from taking to many shots of tequila. This is a favor because my sister and this "friend" are like tighter than a pair of polyester pants. But let me remind you of something important; if you want this smooth shave, check my sponsor today," TJ emphatically pointed at the recorder "But even more importantly, do not forget my 3 main rules of life: 1: Be your number one advocate because no one else will be. 2: F society. Society wants you weak, complacent and meek. DO not be some quiet puppy. Be the baddest bitch. And 3: when life wants to kick you in the groin, tell life thank you and then kick that MFER back! Life is your bitch! You are not life's bitch! Live life to the maximum! TJ out!"

The recording soon ended and TJ put away his camera. Tyler James, or how he was known as TJ, is a social influencer on various social media platforms. He made a decent living and he was posting his final video before he had to go pick up someone. Someone he was not looking forward to seeing. The only reason he was honestly going to the wedding was for the easy tail. Women in weddings normally get emotional, a little nice word and four glasses of wine later and there will be more than one person being blessed that night. Though TJ had many doubts that he would be able to pull off such a task, his arch nemesis would ensure his failure with her holier-than-thou, her shit never stinks attitude. This was going to be one fabulous disaster.

TJ drove up to her apartment. He got out of his car and almost began to rehearse how he would interact with her.

"Hey what's up bitch?" No that was a little too on the nose. "Sup?" That was too nonchalant. "Yo?" That was just terrible. "My lady, your chariot is here?" The heck is this some Disney Rerun? "Que lo que?" Even TJ knew he didn't have that much swagger. "Konnichiwa, watashitachi wa watashi no ane no kekkonshiki ni ikimasu ka?" She doesn't even speak Japanese. Well guess bitch it is. He walked into her building and knocked on her door.

"Sup bitch, lets go." This was why he needed to improv more. It almost always worked out better.

 

[LeatrixSage]

Her laptop shut with a sharp thwak of sound.

Of course, he’d put it all out there on his freaking YouTube channel. Not that anyone she knew was a subscriber, but they might be after this fiasco. He was nice enough to keep her name out of it, but she doubted that had anything to do with kindness and everything to do with the legal ramifications. The very least he could do was keep his mouth shut about his sister’s wedding. Sure, he could play it off as nothing but hype for the camera, part of the act, but she damn well knew better. Tyler James Scott was an unmitigated ass with a God complex that was as obvious as misogynistic bullshit. Not that any of those painfully obvious facts seemed to slow him down an ounce. If anything, they seemed to be his claim to fame.

“Fuck the world, do whatever you want, anarchy is the new social order,” Anne spouted off in a childish, sing-song voice while she tucked her laptop into her suitcase a little more vehemently than was really necessary. She was angry because she was embarrassed, even if there wasn’t really anything to be embarrassed about. No one knew who he was talking about but knowing that did nothing to ease the sense of violation that plagued her.

“Stupid, pig-headed, egotistical,” she was ranting. Every time she jammed a new item into her bag she called him the next, most fitting thing she could think of. It was a fantastic way to blow off steam, to get her anger out before she had to face him. Which wasn’t far off.

And then what, she wondered. What was she going to say to him? How was she going to get through seven days of sitting next to him and listening to his bullshit?

“I should grab my head phones,” she was digging around her loft bedroom looking for that very thing when there was a knock at the front door to her little townhome-style apartment. She snatched them off her dresser before trotting down the stairs and darting over to open the door. The purple plastic cut into the meat of her palm and made a horrible crunching noise as his fist clenched reflexively in response to the greeting that dripped off of Tyler’s lips.

“Hello, Asshole,” she rejoined with a pleasant smile, and then turned on her heel to walk back into her apartment. “You’re early.”

Anne left the front door open, which was as much of an invitation as he was going to get. Her living room, kitchen, and dining room where all one space, with the kitchen tucked up under the loft that served as her bedroom. On her couch was a suite case, which she paused to zip closed before she stuffed her headphones into her purse and checked once more to make sure her phone and charger were also safely inside.

“You couldn’t go eat breakfast first or something?” she called out while hopping back up the short set of stairs after her shoes. At the same time, she made one more pass around her room to make sure she had grabbed everything before coming back down. “Anything that kept me from seeing your wonderful face just a little bit longer would have been lovely.”

 

[Cylian997]

"Asshole? No kisses for me?" TJ mocked her supposed rage and just seemed to be relishing in the fact that she was so upset. TJ currently wore a form fitting wifebeater and jeans that left little to they imagination, his jeans were fashionably ripped as he stood by with his arms crossed. "You know, if you weren't such an insufferable pain in the ass and come down from the highest of high hoses that you sit on; where apparently the horses' shit out diamonds, You would almost be worth at least dipping into the crazy. But nope, not worth it at all as it stands. And considering that you are so broke that you are forced to go on a road trip with me, the least I can do is help you eat. Unless some crazy mental gymnastics only you can pull off, eating the meals I am offering you will cause my "evil" ways will caress your untouched skin and turn you into a wanton whore."

Yes, TJ was mocking her and even did his YouTube reactions to prove it. But he couldn't help himself, Anne was far to easy to upset. Look at her! Anne looked as if she was about to have both an aneurysm and a stroke at the same time. But TJ almost took some level of offense to her last statement, which again was most likely some level of YouTube showmanship. Still he looked over as Anne comes into view of a beautiful, silver audi cabriolet convertible from 2018. The car was prestine and like new as he easily jumped over and began to start the car. He waited for her to get inside as he opened the trunk. He turned on the radio as he turned on the classic rock station as he began some terrible lip syncing.

"Besides, I am in Maine right now with you and since we are here, I might as well eat some main lobster, so before we head off to the road, I want a lobster roll. So..." He suddenly stopped and seemed to ponder for a moment as he took out his phone and began to do some online queries. "I totally forgot, you hate living so me asking you anything is kind of a pointless endeavor. You don't do anything besides judge people. Hmm, not bad. It's only about 20 miles up north. And it is pretty unanimous. Nice to have over 200,000 followers." TJ set his GPS their first stop; a lobster shack in Maine.

 

[LeatrixSage]

"I think I'd rather be sitting on the high-horse than wallowing in the shit with the pigs," Anne muttered more to herself than the him. She could ignore the 'dipping into crazy' comment. Men and other women alike had called her all number of horrible things over the years. She was known for being bossy and opinionated, the word Bitch featured heavily, but her already pert features tightened when he called her broke. It was something that made her level a look at him that clearly stated just how low she thought he was. This was an old argument, one she refused to enter into again, even as she recounted the numerous reasons behind the god-awful situation she was sitting in. Emma just had to have her brother at the wedding, and wouldn't you know it, but a damsel in distress the only way to make that happen. Anne's job was to make sure he got to the wedding alive and on time. This was her burden as the maid of honor. This meant she had to wear the mantle of 'broke as a joke,' and she absolutely hated his sense of superiority about the whole damned ordeal. It wasn't like she could tell him that she didn't need saving, that Emma had set up the whole scheme... that would end everything right here.

Anne had to bite her tongue and keep her mouth shut, and it went against her grain in a way she'd never be able to adequately explain to her friend when next she saw her.

"Oh, no, by all means," Anne laughed as she slung her purse over her shoulder and snatched up her suite case and a backpack. It was a long trip, but she didn't want to carry any more than she had to, so she was traveling light. That was one thing she wouldn't have to hear him bitch about, at least. "I am happy to spend your money. I'd only be a whore if I was fucking you for it and, lets face it, that's never going to happen. Men like you can't keep up when it counts, anyway."

Alright, targeting the man's bedroom ability was dumb. One, she had zero knowledge of whatever he was actually capable of. Two, it was childish and low. However, it damn well made her feel better and he had started it. Still, she bodily pushed her way past him to get out of the apartment before he could pick up that particular gauntlet. The shining, silver Audi parked on the curb brought her up short. Of course he would drive the same make and model as her favorite literary villain, Trent Kalamack of the Hallows series. Glancing back at Tyler, she tried to picture him with blonde hair and pointy ears and almost laughed out loud. It was stupid, but somehow it lightened her mood in a way nothing else had yet been able to. She even managed to shrug off his accusation that she'd have no idea where to find good food because she apparently hated being alive. Sure, the hedonist adrenaline-junky had her all figured out. She was perfectly fine with letting him believe it. The more he hated her, the less she had to worry he'd try something stupid.

He prattled on while he packed her suitcase into the trunk and Anne locked up her apartment. Some little thread of... something pulled through her. She looked forward to seeing Emma, and she was over joyed to be her friend's maid of honor, but she didn't want to go. In that instant, all she wanted to do was unlock the front door and walk right back into her comfortable little piece of heaven. Behind the front door was everything she needed or wanted and a strange sense of panic made her heart stutter when she put her keys in her pocket. Anne didn't have the time, or the ability, to honestly examine what she was feeling. By the time she had sat down in the car, she had carefully tucked it away somewhere in the back of her mind, intent on forgetting it had ever happened.

"Yeah, amazing," she answered blandly, not really paying attention to his comment about his subscriber count. "Twenty miles north, twenty miles not going the direction we need to go to get to where we are going. Yeah, that sounds like a brilliant idea." It's no freaking wonder no one thought you'd make there alive on your own. She kept that last bit to herself, even if she would like to have seen his reaction to it. Wherever they were going, Anne didn't care. She put on her seat belt, out on her head phones, turned on a playlist for System of a Down, and got ready to ignore him until they got there. Twenty miles out of the way wouldn't kill them.

Well, so long as he didn't make a habit out of it anyway.

 

[Cylian997]

TJ couldn't help but chuckle at the entire situation, this girl really believed that she was some sort of princess, that her shit didn't stink. No wonder she was single, miserable and quite honestly, pathetic. She had no idea of any sense of harmony with people, while yes, TJ knew he could be kind of a dick. But he also knew he was a lovable dick, especially in regards to his zest for life. You have one life, why not live it? Nietzsche actually spoke quite profoundly on one taking advantage of their life, one of his favorite quotes, "In heaven, all the interesting people are missing." Still, Anne moved on like a bat out of hell, what the hell was wrong with her? He was doing this pain in the ass a favor and this was how she acted? This was why she was single, who in the hell would ever deal with such a pompous bitch. But his damn sister wanted her friend there. This already became a painful quest, but life was made of trails and this was another one he intended to surpass.

"Spend my money? Ha! what in the hell makes you think I am feeding you? You would most likely take a taste and hold on, I need to put on my best "resting bitch face" impression." TJ took in a deep breath and did his best to imitate her bland, expressionless and bored look. But he soon enough ended up laughing. "Shit! How in the hell do you do it? How do you have permanent resting bitch face? How? That shit is amazing to me. I bet you could have a guy eat you out for about 5 hours and still look utterly bored with life. And by the way, if I were so bad in the bed room, why don't you ask Jenna, Shaye, Holly, Cassandra, Lea and whatever the hell that other friend of your's, whose name isn't worth me remembering, what's up? Because I have to be doing something right to make all of them want me again. Tell me Anna, how long is your line?" TJ looked off into the distance. "Not a soul." There was a decided bite of venom in his insult.

Mostly because deep down, Anna was actually quite decent, but she had spent to much time retreating from the world that now she is stuck in this never ending quagmire. People tolerated her behavior because they want to be nice and just accept it, but people weren't so simple. People looked for something similar to have in common with people. Who wanted to hang out with a person who judged them at every turn? No one. That essential piece of harmony was most likely his most important lesson from his travels. But it was time for some lobster rolls!

As they drove off, TJ was quite busy as he grooved to the classic rock he enjoyed. At least that was what it sounded like with his terrible lip syncing. In a few moments they reached a lovely little restaurant by the sea named "The Lobster's Claw." He took a moment to take a selfie of himself with the restaurant in the background. He posted it up with the following caption, "Getting my grub on at The Lobster's Claw with my not so special guest "#Permanent Resting Bitch Face." He also sent it to twitter. He honestly hoped he could get "#Permanent Resting Bitch Face" trending. He took the time to send that out as he walked inside, the smell of delicious lobster called his name.

There was a cozy nature to this restaurant; the decor was very old school but it fit the eatery. There were numerous lobster tanks all around with fresh catches and the place was decently filled. There was even a cute sailor motif and the various shades of red added a nice touch. TJ quickly took a seat as he waited for a waiter to come. He was actually quite hungry,

"So if you did plan to eat, what would you eat? or, to add to your overarching level of salt against the world you do not plan to enjoy anything here either?" He asked her. He was far too busy with the menu, no doubt he needed to eat a bit to maintain his musculature.

 

[LeatrixSage]

He just had to bring them up.

Each was a friend, a girl she’d warned to stay away from him. Each one was a notch on his belt that he’d fucked and then left behind as he moved on to the next one. Anne told herself that it was fury that made her cheeks warm with a blush. Resting bitch face she could handle. His offer to pay for her meals being immediately taken back the second she mentioned his money was a hypocritical move she had predicted. But having her failed friendships pushed under her nose as some proof that she was somehow defective was infuriating. The further notion that she was defective because she didn’t jump on every willing cock that pointed in her general direction just added a sense of humiliation to the mix. Right along side a healthy sense of embarrassment that Tyler was speculating on her sex life.

Not having a mile-long list of lovers wasn’t something to feel ashamed of. And yet, under his scrutiny, she vividly felt the sting of the accusation. It poked at an old wound, one she had thought long sense healed. Anne slammed a door on the rush of emotions that threatened to undo her carefully organized life. She blamed it entirely on nerves over the trip and Tyler’s insufferable attitude and resigned herself to not thinking about it again until after the trip was over.

“I prefer Immanuel Kant,” she muttered. There was little else to say. The simple fact was that she couldn’t talk about her sex life, not with him, not even to defend herself from his claims that she was a cold fish that couldn’t enjoy any kind of pleasure.

Loosing herself behind the safety of her headphones didn’t last very long. As soon as they arrived at the little restaurant, he picked up right where he had left off. First the inevitable selfie to update his loyal followers, and then another quick jab at her lack of taste or ability to enjoy anything. Of course, what it really meant was her lack of ability to enjoy him, or what he thought she should enjoy. The gross level of narcissism it required made her skin crawl.

Anne ignored his barbed questions and settled for admiring the menu until their waitress came to take their orders. She made sure to point out that there would be two separate tickets, and then ordered lobster tacos and shrimp skewers and a sweet iced tea. The south western flavors looked interesting, and she’d had dozens of lobster rolls, she did live there after all. Not that she was going to point out that obvious fact to Tyler any time soon.

“So,” she began once she felt safe again, securely in her element once more, “do you hurt people because you get off on it, or are you so oblivious to the fact that other people feel things that you don’t even know what you’re doing?”

 

[Cylian997]

Tyler was certainly energetic about the restaurant in question, he devoured everything as voraciously as he devoured life itself. He did eyeball the waitress, she was certainly cute with those come hither lips and those blue pools for eyes he wished to swim in. But he ended up ordering four different lobster rolls, two orders of fries and sweet tea as well. His mind began to turn about things as the silence got a little awkward, even for him. TJ may have been a little confrontational but he was a firm believer that in doing so, he helped people become better. Trail by fire was real in both life and even in other things. Deep down, the thing that he hated most of all was being stagnant. It was the one thing he had no patience for, a total lack of self-improvement. So when she asked her question, his eyes perked up and he took off his glasses and he seemed oddly, a little different.

The braggadocios swagger disappeared like a wisp. His eyes that only spoke of sheer unending egotism changed as he now looked much more pensive about things. Even his posture changed, he used to go out of his way to push his chest out like some sort of silver back gorilla but he looked oddly composed. He remained deep in thought for a moment as he gathered information, even his shallow breaths became deep and methodical. He finally took a moment to look up at her, directly into her eyes, he seemed to be concentrating on her and her alone.

"There is a Japanese art style known as kintsugi or the proper term kintsukuroi." He took out his pen and he drew down some kanji on a napkin, as if Anne seemingly understood, or maybe he just believed that she could. "It is an art style where one takes a broken vase or pot and then fills in the cracks with something precious like gold or silver to create a totally new art piece." This was a different side to him, there was something brighter about him as he spoke about this. Almost as if he was truly passionate about something. "The beauty that comes from taking something broken and filling it with gold is very human. We, as people, are essentially vases and pots all either made perfectly fine or broken down by time, persons or whatever have you. There is beauty in filling our cracks with "gold". It could be life experiences, it could be the love of another, it could be themselves. It is actually the main principle behind my philosophy. You may not remember but before I became who I am now... never mind. "Was.. was he actually bashful? He then put his glasses back on.

"Or maybe I am a dick and poking fun at people is fun because why the fuck not? And speaking of fucking with, I was fucking with you about the paying for your own lunch thing. I mean, I thought you were going to hold me up for it. But the fact you quit without even trying only proves how little you fight for real. I mean, if you can't argue with the guy you can't stand for a free lunch, that really must mean that you allow life to bend you over backwards. It must be really sad to be the background character in your own life. But hey, all one can do is bring the donkey to drink some water, one can't force it to."

TJ soon let out a laugh as their food came in. He was almost like the modern day Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The way he flip-flopped between both roles were part of who he was? Maybe? This suddenly turned into a bit of a mystery. Was it all a facade? Was it the honest truth? The only truths were that he was hungry and that he hoped to get #permanent-resting-bitch-face trending. But soon enough they were greeted by various dishes.

The cozy, earth warmth paired with the naturally sweet lobster meat was a nice surprise. The shrimp tacos were also nicely spiced with a hint of chilies for a lovely bite and the plump shrimp skewers were deliciously fresh and succulent even as the lemon mojo sauce brought a nice acidity to the richness of the shrimp. Though, by some herculean feat, TJ did manage to eat everything. He knew he was going to do planks for at least twenty minutes when he got to their first hotel. With a quick snap he send up his meal and his thoughts with emojis that all spelled out how delicious it was. He made sure to keep Anne out of the picture. But being the greedy man that he was he decided for some pie. He ordered them each a piece of blue berry pie ala mode and was almost stopped by his first bite.

"This is actually pretty amazing. I might take a pie for the road." The bright explsion of sweet tart flavor paired with the vanilla ice cream which was the perfect vehicle for flavor was simply divine.

 

[LeatrixSage]

The shift was… disturbing. It was stilted, like looking into a carnival mirror. It was as if he wore the reflection of some other man for a moment. Yes, she knew what kintsugi was. She’d seen broken plates, cups, and bowls set back together with gold and displayed as art pieces. She was, after all, student of the arts. It was what she did, what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. It nettled that someone so vapid and materialistic would try to lecture her on the meaning of that art in order to answer what should have been a very simple question. Whether he believed the lines he fed her or not was up in the air and open for debate. Despite having known the man for the majority of his life, she didn’t know which Tyler was the real one. The thoughtful philosopher or the jackass that she wanted to smother in his sleep.

Any consideration toward the possibility that Tyler could be anything other than a complete dick vanished the second he fell back into his usual patterns. Anne sighed inwardly but found herself smiling ruefully while he prattled on about how weak she was. The comments left a familiar sting behind, one she’d learned how to endure by learning she was strong than they all thought she was. He was just another in a long line, and this, too, shall pass. She only had to endure him for seven days, and then she could hop a plain back home and never look at his face again.

“Reverse psychology,” was the only answer she gave him. Of course, she never wanted him paying for her food. The very idea she owed him anything made her feel physically ill. He would make his assumptions on who and what she was based on which way the wind was blowing, he tried to goad her some more, and then that pattern would repeat itself over and over again.

Lobster tacos had been the perfect choice. Their citrusy quality was bright and refreshing, particularly next to the darker flavors of the grilled shrimp skewers that were so well coated with butter they felt thick and fatty on her tongue. It was an early lunch, but the meal was a delight. Then the blue berry pie arrived, and Anne sat back to watch Tyler eat them. Firstly, she didn’t like blueberries. Second, she didn’t like pie, and third, she wasn’t accepting something he was paying for.

“My check, please,” she asked of the waitress when she dropped off the pie, and then swung her attention back around to her unfortunate company. “The cobbler is better.”

Anne waited just as long as she had to in order to pay her bill, and then got up from the table. She was digging through her purse while she muttered to TJ that she would be outside waiting for him, and she wandered off just as she tugged a sketch pad out of some hidden pocket. It was eventually followed by a pencil. The little restaurant was quaint, tucked up on a short hill just high enough to make the distant port look like it rested far below it in the background. She’d noticed the optical illusion on the way in, the way it almost looked like the shop sat on the edge of the ocean that was actually several miles away. She’d wanted to draw the perspective as soon as they’d arrived, and she squatted down in front of the building to do just that. Anne would have to sketch quickly, but she just wanted to get a few details. She'd flesh it all out after she came home again.

 

[Cylian997]

TJ only chuckled as he remained there for a moment as he allowed his stomach to digest for a moment. The meal was certainly well made, with all of that lobster being delicious. The sweet succulent meat was made vibrant by a countless array of spices. But the traditional Maine roll won out in the end. One cannot mess with perfection. And those fries were the right amount salty goodness to just make every bite explosive. The sweet tea was nice, but entirely overshadowed by meal as a whole. As she walked away in a huff Tyler took a deep sight as he took a moment to examine what had just happened.

Tyler bounced between his masks quite deftly, a little too deftly. It was quite lonely within its own right. To constantly act, rather it was out of fear or out of some necessity was the real question. He was hoping to make her quit so he didn't have to go to the wedding. Deep down, he hated his sister. All of the taunts, insults, bad-mouthing, it still stung more than he let on. A lot of things did. It was why he really played two different people, if this tirade from him didn't work to deter her than he was stuck on the road. He was initially so dead set against it; his mother called, his brother called, even his dad called. But when his sister came up with this whopper of a situation, he finally caved in. He was no better than the 200,000 subscribers who follow him like mindless sheep.

"It seems like my whole plan to try and escape this entire thing is up in smoke. The least I can do was now try to endure this terrible trip. This is going to be almost as much as a waste time as leaving this pie to be left. Well, I will do some extra exercise today."

It was a shame to leave the pie to go to waste, so he decided to try and finish it. That was until he decided to take Anne's advice. He would buy some of the peach cobbler for the road. No doubt the task master intended to force him to keep on task. So much for his cross country trip. He hoped to actually have some decent adventures, maybe get into a fight or two and just blow all of this away like one really bad hangover. Two pieces of cobbler later and he walked outside an saw Anne for a moment. And in that moment she actually looked beautiful.

Her features shined under this new resolution he saw from her. The man was unable to place it, the way her eyes shined as her hands deftly moved across the page almost yanked at his chest. Her black hair rested on her shoulders like a silken drape and her eyes by contrasted shined brighter than any gem he had seen. Those skilled, yet delicate fingers moved with an almost unnatural precision. The most dangerous part of this entire thing was her smile. It was the first time he actually saw her truly happy as she engrossed herself into her hobby. It showed a side of her he had never had the chance to experience. He was honestly speechless and hidden beneath the layers of false bravado, machismo and egotism was a faint flush of red scarlet that tinted his cheeks.

"Was she always this pretty?" He thought to himself as he seemed to be trapped in her presence. He suddenly felt quite bad for her, that she refuses to escape her shell except in such tiny moments. But maybe, it was the fact that these moments were so fleeting that made them beautiful? Just like how even though human life is so short and full of darkness, it was those moments of life that made it worth it. Tyler was unable to move as he was utterly captivated by her in motion. How simply and effortlessly she erased errors, her attention to detail that she saw. He wanted to capture more of those moments, he wants to see more. And he intended too.

After seeing this, he was going to find more one way or another.

"Uh, so I guess we should get going right? I know, I know I took us out of the way but I honestly promise I will only take us off the path if it to see something awesome. I mean, when are you ever going to get a chance to see the US like this? It is a great opportunity." And with that TJ headed off to the car and got it started, it was time for their next destination. "Since it is on the way, our next major stop should be New York City no? Or are you going to be mad because I used our?"

 

[LeatrixSage]

Something had changed.

Anne wasn’t entirely sure what she saw when she looked back over her shoulder at Tyler. Something in his expression made her heart stutter, and then pick up a faster rhythm. Her cheeks warmed as she quickly closed her sketch pad and tucked it back into her purse. It was unsettling, whatever it was. Something like that moment of quiet that had come over him in the restaurant.

If he wasn’t so damned arrogant, he could actually be likable. The stray thought made Anne laugh at herself. That was wishful thinking at best, even if he did seem more reserved. It was likely just a full stomach making him lethargic and she shouldn’t get her hopes up for actually enjoying the next few hours. Something that was uniquely underlined by his remark about New York City.

“No, actually,” she began with a sigh while she followed behind him to the car. “If we take the most direct route possible, we don’t go anywhere near New York.” Anne stopped at the passenger and watched Tyler walk around to his side of the car. Something was on his mind, something she was missing, and it was irritating her for some reason she didn’t entirely understand. What the hell did she care what He thought about anything? He didn’t give a damn about her, and she shouldn’t give a damn about him. Still, something about the way he moved had changed. It reflected something she saw in herself.

God damnit.

“If you take I-95 south we’ll travel along the coast. It leads almost straight into the heart of New York,” the words came out fast and clipped as she yanked the passenger door open. She was angry at herself for caring, and angry at him for affecting her. “It’s about an eight-hour drive from Bar Harbor, and we’re only about ten minutes away from there.” Anne pulled her phone out of her purse and was opening google maps before she even had her seatbelt on. “We’ll get there around 7pm if the traffic around Boston doesn’t slow us down.”

It took them out of the way, but it wasn’t world ending. They would still make good time, and she’d scheduled the whole mess out so that they’d arrive four days before the wedding. That meant there was wiggle room, and if it meant peace and an end to the disturbing sense of guilt that was parading across her conscience, she’d deal a lost hour or two. From frosty, Bar Harbor, Maine to sunny, San Francisco, California. It was a 53 hour drive on the new route that took them through New York City, a little more if you accounted for gas and food stops. If they spent nine hours a day on the road they should still make it in the seven days she had planned for.

“I’ll look for a hotel while we drive,” she groused quietly, buckling herself in as they pulled out of the parking lot. Anne was not looking forward to the cost of a New York Hotel. Sure, she had some money saved up for this trip, but New York was out of her league and she knew it. That meant she might have no choice but ask him to help her get a room. Her cheeks darkened with color at the thought. She imagined him humiliating her at the front desk of some expensive hotel in that loud, animated, YouTuber persona of his. Her heart gave a small, painful lurch that made her quickly push her thoughts aside and focus on the passing scenery.

The wind whipped her hair around despite having it tucked behind her back. Had she known her drove a convertible, she would have pinned it up or put it in a pony-tail. Trying to trap more of the long strands only led to more of them being snatched free by the wind, and Anne gave up on the futile endeavor. That left her with nothing else to fiddle with, but at least her wandering mind had settled. If he made an ass of himself, then she’d deal with it then. She wasn’t going to waste her energy worrying about what might be. Besides, he wouldn’t be the first person to humiliate her in public. She’d survived it before, and she could do it again.

The drive was lovely, at least so long a she kept her attention on the world outside the car. Inside the car was awkward, uncomfortable, and filled with a very tense and very loud silence. She attributed it to the gaping void of space that separated them. Seriously, the Grand Canyon couldn’t have bridged the gap between her and the boy she had never really known that had grown into the man she couldn’t understand. They didn’t even speak much to each other when the stopped for gas. Everything had been distilled down to just the communication that had to happen. She should have been relieved, even happy, that he didn’t want to harass her, goad her, or even talk to her.

But, Anne was strangely on edge.

The whole situation had turned in a direction she hadn’t anticipated, which just made her double down on keeping her guard up. It was like knowing something bad was waiting for you at the end of a hallway but having no idea how long the hall was or when it would end. She was waiting for it, whatever it was, to happen at any moment. The longer she waited, the more tense she became.

This was such a shit Idea, Emma, she was complaining to herself as the evening wore on and New York City switched from looming on the horizon to popping up all around them. It was the beating heart of the art world, but Anne had never visited before, alone or otherwise. Despite her best efforts, she caught herself gaping like an obvious tourist more than once before she forcible commanded herself to shut her damn mouth and stop looking up.

 

[Cylian997]

Tyler just couldn't handle it. There was something that made him nervous to his core, he felt the heat in his ears as they continued but he was unable to speak to her. Every moment he turned to look at her the only thing he saw was her smile as she drew. And he wanted to see that smile again, he wanted to see what else made her smile. He may have judged her a little... very harshly but maybe just like how was afraid of life before maybe she was as well? That meant there were so many more ways to see her happiness and to see how she truly lived.

He had to see it, his heart demanded it.

As they reached New York City after several hours of travel, the hectic lights paired with the vibrancy of life in the city helped give this place the "move a mile a minute vibe" it was known for. The traffic was hell though as they reached the main hub of the city, 42nd street Times Square. Even without the ball dropping the amount of life here was impossible to measure. Even Tyler was a little awestruck to see just how busy this place was. But he eventually had to park the car as he was happy that he convinced her to come to New York City. But as he thought about her and this city, the class Frank Sinatra song came to mind as well as some of the classic songs about this place. And it helped him come up with a devilish idea, he only needed to show a little more of who he really was aside from his persona.

As they walked into the hotel, the gilded golden frames added a level of luxury to this hotel that almost made it seem otherworldly. The waitstaff quickly assisted them as they walked to the front desk. After being warmly welcomed by the front desk clerk who referred to them as a couple. Tyler kept his composure as he only ordered a room for two with separate beds, a suite and they went up. During the elevator ride up, Tyler remained quiet still as he began to plot his plan. As they reached the 29th flood of this lavish hotel room, the door opened to the kind of opulence that was only possible in a major city.

From their high vantage point, the pair were able to see all of the bright lights and splender of the city as far as the eye can see. The empire state building shone like a bright beacon in the darkness. The bright lights of 42nd street illuminated the night with with unique sense of energy. The room was fabulously designed and tempered in black marble and red undertones. The bathroom almost seemed like a room within itself, a beautiful marble bathtub with a clear glass shower in the same room. The beds were fluffy and plush, the kind of bed one would wish to sleep their live away in luxury. There was even a massive television in the other side of the room. But Tyler decided to put his plan into motion.

"This is a once in a life time situation. We may never get a chance like this again Anne. So how about this. Lets take advantage of it. If we rush after this we can make it to the wedding. We will do a straight shot to Kansas. Then to Colorado for a little R&R, little stop at Vegas and then the wedding. And since I wanted to do this, honestly, its on me. But this will be great for you too. You will get a chance to see one of the cultural meccas of the world. The Guggenheim, museums, the botanical gardens, the food, there is so much to see, we won't be able to see it all but we can accomplish a lot. So, you literally have nothing to lose and even better yet, you can make me spend money. Which is a jab right in the kidney for me but, fuck it. Life is too short to worry about shit like that. We are in motherfucking New York City. What do you say? Do you want to see as much as we can of this city?"

He turned to her with a warm and sincere smile. That varnish is gone again as he showed a little more of who he really was. But deep down, he really wanted to capture that smile that won him over. He knows that if there was one place that he could get the most out of her is here. And he was willing to risk quite a bit in getting to see her in her truest element was what called to him. He wanted to conquer her unfortunate outlook in life and see who she truly was meant to be, because if that smile was any indication of anything, he might be falling for this girl without knowing it. He was so serious about this that he even used her name, without any bit of venom at all.

"We can even visit fashion avenue and all the art stores. This place would be a playground for you Anne. You would only be doing yourself a disservice at this rate."

 

[LeatrixSage]

The hotel he inevitably picked – despite her insistence on much cheaper options outside the main body of the city – was a golden and gelled haven of luxury and refinement that she had no hope of being able to afford without blowing a painful chunk of her budget right out the window. Despite her desire to appear unaffected, Anne found herself actively gawking at everything in sight. There was something new to distract her in every corner, and had she not been so worried about how this hotel arrangement was going to work out, she might have missed the fact that the clerk greeted them as if they were a couple in favor admiring the architecture. She opened her mouth to correct them, only for her jaw to click closed again. That uneasy sense that something wasn’t what it seemed came back while she stood there and watched Tyler take over the situation.

At least he got a room with two beds, she thought with a vague sense of mistrust, but, what the hell is he up to?

The possible motives behind his actions worried her more than the fact they where sharing a suite. It felt like a setup. Her paranoid mind was concocting all manner of reasons for his apparent lack of animosity. It didn’t fit with what she knew of his character, and Anne had no idea how to handle it. She found herself strangely complaint when she would have normally dug in her heels, and quiet when she would have normally been extremely vocal. Which left her no recourse but to follow along in Tyler’s wake while she considered the idea that she liked him better when he was being an asshole. At least then she knew how to act around him.

The suite was immaculate.

There really was no other word for it.

Anne was drawn inexorably to the large windows that allowed her to look down over most of the city. Her heart lurched when she dared to press a hand to the glass. It felt as if she could walk right out and onto the empty air over the gleaming lights and busy streets. The adrenaline that spiked her blood made her lips part and her breathing quicken, but she only smirked at her reflection and leaned a little more of her weight against the glass to make her heart beat faster. The city was strangely beautiful in it’s concrete and metal glory, and some secret part of her was happy she had decided to allow the detour. New York City was spread out all around her and she wondered at the set of events that had brought her there, finally.

Some alien sense of loss invaded the moment and Anne frowned at her reflection. She’d finally made it to New York. But, she’d be leaving in the morning. The realization made the whole thing so bittersweet that her eyes burned with unshed tears. Anne didn’t notice how she slowly shrank in size, or that her arms wrapped defensively around her middle to protect herself from her own internal struggle. The raw vulnerability that was coiling itself around her heart stripped away what little resolve she might have had to face Tyler with rational objections when he voiced arguments she was already thinking.

She let him talk without interruption, noting the details that he’d already considered in order to stymie her most obvious objections before she could voice them. He was being so damned reasonable about it all that she was struggling to find a reason to tell him no. Her own wayward desire to do exactly what he proposed didn’t help. The only thing that triggered her wary sense of self-preservation was her distrust of his motives. She didn’t understand the change in him, or why he’d care at all about what she thought or felt. It echoed of the hollow games she’d watched him play when they’d been teens. Totally interested in everything about whatever girl was his most recent conquest until he’d used her up and spat her out.

Then he turned and smiled at her.

That wasn’t the same person that had showed up on her doorstep that morning. He looked completely different. Unlike his previous shifting between two personalities, this felt like less a game at her expense and more like and honest entreaty. His eyes were different, so was the way he moved, the way he breathed. Some phantom of a memory made her blood run cold even while her skin tingled with an awareness that she refused to acknowledge. Her cheeks warmed with color, prompting her to turn her attention back to the window and everything outside of it.

That’s why you really hate him, some taunting little voice in the back of her mind whispered from where she had tried to bury it forever, he never looked at you the way he looked at them. They way he’s looking at you now.

Anne viciously bit her tongue as if she could kill the truth of it if she could silence her thoughts behind a wall of pain. The masochist in her found some release from the mounting tension, and then she took a slow, deep breath and forced herself back into the tidy, carefully built box that kept the world organized. Tyler didn’t like her, he never had, and he certainly didn’t have any reason to pretend he did that could be deemed even remotely good for her well-being. If she was smart, she’d turn him down flat and be done with it. However, she could benefit from whatever game he was playing so long as she didn’t end up being just as stupid as the procession of women that had gone before her. He was right, it was a once in a life time opportunity. To her credit, it was even going to be on his dime, so she wouldn’t have to break the bank in order to enjoy herself. When she realized she was tapping the fingers of her left hand against the side of her leg, she clenched her hand into a fist to make herself stop, and then turned to face him again.

“A day and a half,” she offered carefully, not wanting to sound too eager or too willing to let him have his way. “If we’re out of here around 2 pm on the second day we can make up a little time and leave a bit of breathing room. That way we don’t have to make the rest of the trip a mad dash if anything unforeseen happens.”

Anne needed time to think, room to breathe, and as much space as she could put between herself and the disturbingly attractive new version of Tyler James Scott. That meant she needed a way to excuse herself from the situation. The first thing that came to mind was a nice hot shower. The second was food, and then third was sleep. The shower and sleep were easy enough, but food in New York after 7pm… yeah, she had no clue where to even start to tackle that.

So, she’d let Tyler handle it.

“I want to get a shower, try to get my rat’s nest of hair under control after being whipped around by the wind all day,” it was the easiest out she had, so she ran with it. “Do you have any idea what to do for dinner? I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.” She walked as she talked, some part of her mind acknowledging that air of bitchiness in her tone. She was uncomfortable, it made her nervous, being nervous made her angry, it was the result of all her defense mechanisms slamming back into place. She couldn’t be afraid while she was pissed off and being angry made her feel a hell of a lot stronger, too.

“I’d hazard that a hotel like this has room service, but I’d probably suffocate on the prices, even if you are planning on carrying the bill. I don’t think I’ve spent more than $15 on a meal in years.”

 

[Cylian997]

Tyler couldn't believe how her sheepish side was actually rather cute. Especially as she tried to rationalize a way to escape his little plan. And while Anne said 2 pm and Tyler "agreed" he had a totally different idea planned. He fully intended to get her engrossed in the city and the history and keep her from wanting to leave. His attraction to Anne almost compelled him like a fish to a lure. Even as she curiously pressed her hands against the window and stared off into the city, he found something about her beautiful. Tyler hated being stuck for words, it didn't happen to him often. She then said she was going to go to take a shower but then the question of dinner popped up.

"Well, we are in New York City, the 2nd capital of pizza. I say we get some of that. It is nice and comforting and decently inexpensive. I can only imagine what you are going to want to do so I need to be prepared. And we have so much to see too." He responded rather nonchalantly about this idea about pizza. It was something delicious and normally available pretty late. He decided to their bags away as he decided to check his accounts. Things were still looking fine; he was rather decent with money. Not amazing but when in doubt he always had his amex.

Tyler made a decent living; he had taken his personality all across various social media networks and even had a patreon and he lived well. But after this, it might be ramen noodles for at least a week. The idea of cup ramen noodles hurt his pride a little, and his love for Japan. But if this was the cost for what he wished; he did not hesitate. Anne had become like the pied piper who led him down a path to either his salvation or his doom and he didn't care either way. His mind was ravished by thoughts of her.

Tyler stared through the hotel room as his mind repeated itself. He was unable to take her subtle and shaky smile away from his mind. How she tried to press the glass, how relaxed she looked now, he she would look as they explored the city. And it took him this long to realize, she was nude in the shower in the other room. His mind raced as it imagined her, her slender curves being kissed by the water, her wet hair down her back, her beauty exposed to the world and his overactive imagination took it one step further. He imagined her escaping the bath room and her body exposed to the cold air. His mind pieced together this alluring mirage as he was soon lost in it.

Her nipples perked up, her natural gait as she inched closer, her arms wrapped around his neck as their lips locked. In his mind, all of this hatred they had could explode into some serious love making. And he wanted it. Quite honestly, he wanted her to boss him around a little, to sit on his face and be dominant in her life. His breathing soon became haggared as his thoughts cause a reaction in his body. He felt his arousal sneak up on him like a bad debt. He shook his head and decided to not do this now, he needed to quell his body that only grew more and more hot. He wanted to pin her down and make her cry for him. He wanted to see Anne let loose and let the chaotic pleasure of living rip her world asunder. He wanted to make her orgasm so much that she would ever why she was so upset. He wanted to tie her down and make her give in to her baser impulses...

He nearly had a full erection as his mind created potential scenarios. In hindsight, he was truly not that against really being closer to Anne. While she may have the worst holier-than-thou attitude, to maintain that attitude took a lot of internal strength, and her love for her art work spoke a lot of what she truly wished. His mind soon wandered again; she now lay on top of him as he cock throbbed for her and she prevented his entry until he agreed to something stupid. The dual faced man needed to do something and the only thing he could think of was to exercise. He removed his shirt as he kicked out his limbs.

Tyler was a specimen indeed; he was formed of almost marble with strong arms like thick steel coils. His body had some small cosmetic scars; he remembered his training fondly. It was a legitimate karate school in Japan that emphasized power and a calm state of mind. And he really needed the calm state of mind. He also had to impressive sleeve tattoos that claimed up his arm. They were done in the traditional style of Japanese tattoos. On his right arm there was a blue and silver dragon that seemed to fly through a stary sky and it in, there was an orb that the dragon clutched in a protective manner. The detail of the scales allowed this to almost look like an art piece. While his left arm had a black and red dragon that seemed to be escaping from some foul, malignant cave and in it's mouth there was an orb that was being crushed. The ball had a Japanese Kanjji as well. On his shoulder blades the color scheme blended together into a new orb with one final symbol inside of it. He stretched out his body and started with his routine.

It started with some shadow boxing to get his blood pumping anywhere else. Then he began practicing his basics and lastly, he ended it with a kata. He kept his eyes closed as he focused on his breathing, it allowed his powerful frame to extend and give anyone a look at the groves formed from years of training. His movements were precise and slow to only add to the difficulty but at least right now, with his back turned, he managed to control himself. Every punch was sharp and precise, the blows were so strong that he managed to push off the sweat that grew all over his body.

 

[LeatrixSage]

“Are you suggesting that Chicago style pizza is better than New York style while you are in New York?” she shouted the question, but only because she was in the bathroom going through her purse and her day-bag for all her toiletries. “You’re a brave man, Tyler.”

Before shutting the door, Anne poked her head out. “The only thing I won’t eat on a Pizza that, you know, normally goes on pizza, is anchovies.” The door closed, and she rested her forehead against it. She took one long, deep breath, and then another, and then just one more for good measure.

Her heart was rushing along at a break neck pace, despite her best efforts. It was such a stupid little thing. He’d smiled at her, so what? That didn’t mean a damn thing. For all she knew, he had been laughing at her star-struck idiocy. Telling herself that didn’t help anymore than anything else, and Anne groaned as she pushed herself away from the door. A nice hot shower would do wonders for her mood. She got the water running, stripped down, and hopped in just as soon as the glass had been turned opaque by steam and condensation. A soon as the hot water hit her shoulders, stiff and knotted muscles began to relax and let go of the tension that had gathered there. Anne braced her hands against the cool tile wall and let her head hang while the water rushed over her. The warmth relaxed her and brought a sense of comfort to the paranoid mess of conflicted emotions surrounding the man she’d left one the other side of the bathroom door.

Anne shivered despite the hot water and steam and shut her eyes against the tingling sensation that started betwixt her thighs and slowly spread outward. She wouldn’t allow herself to connect the dots, to believe that Tyler had anything to do with what she was felt. It was just memories of a ridiculous girlhood crush coming back to haunt her. She would ignore it, and it would fade away, just like it had before. That meant she needed to do something other than stand in the hot water and think. Her shampoo filled the bathroom with the bright, fresh notes cucumber and lime as she washed her hair. Her body wash added the warmth and sweetness of almond, honey, and oatmeal to the mix. The familiarity brought her sense of calm and soothed away her conflicted emotions until she felt normal again. Not that bathing helped to ease any of her sexual frustrations, but she was far too worried about the possibility of being heard or caught to do anything about that.

All too soon, she was squeaky clean and out of excuses to waste anymore of the hotel’s hot water. Anne dried herself off and changed into some comfortable PJ’s – a loose pair of shorts with a matching tank-top. Each where the softest cotton in a deep, crimson red that made her grey eyes look all the paler and brighter. She was drying her hair in one of the fluffy hotel towels when she opened the door to let the steam out. It was the sound of heavy breathing that first made her look up, and what she saw made her pause in the threshold.

Tyler was shirtless. Yes, her brain had caught that little detail. What irked her was that it got stuck on that fact for several long seconds before she was able to collect her scattered wits back together. Thankfully, he was facing away from her and he hadn’t seen her gawking at him. His skin shone with sweat while he punched at the air in short, shar bursts between slower movements. She wasn’t completely certain just what he was doing exactly, but he looked amazing while he did it. Acknowledging that thought made her mouth go dry and Anne shut the bathroom door again. It clicked closed a little more firmly than she had meant for it to, and she cussed silently in frustration. She went to the sink to grab one of those little plastic cups that seemed to be in every hotel to so that she could get some water, but she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw herself in the mirror. Her eyes were dilated, her lips softly parted because she was panting, and there was absolutely no missing the hard peeks that her nipples had become beneath the light top she wore.

“God damnit,” she hissed at her reflection in a whisper. “Get your shit together. That’ your best friend’s brother, and he hates you. Whatever this is, it is not happening!”

Lot of good it did to lecture herself about it. It didn’t stop the insistent tingling that made her press her thighs together as if she needed to hide it. It wouldn’t keep the needy, empty ache from building lower in her belly, stop the liquid warmth that gathered low and made her slick, or ease the indigent and demanding pulse in her clit. She could ignore it, but the idea that he’d miss any of the very obvious signs that she was aroused was as ludicrous as teaching pigs to fly.

It’s not like I have a choice, she thought bitterly. Anne couldn’t just sit in the bathroom all night, that wasn’t going to work. And she couldn’t do anything about her current condition with him on the other side of the door. She could fuss that it was too cold and then sweat to death all night. That would be preferable even remotely admitting anything else. It was hard enough to admit to herself that he affected her in any other way than to piss her off.

Anne let her heart rate slow back down before she dared to open the door again. She wasn’t sure what would be waiting on the other side, but she was prepared this time.

 

[Cylian997]

Tyler only waited for her, as she came out her wet and messy hair, her stiff nipples that begged for attention, her rosy cheeks. She looked so gorgeous right now. He wanted to just take her now, just slam her on the bed and have them enjoy each other for the next few hours. He took in a deep breath as he was obviously still hot and bothered by her now coming out so vulnerable. As he saw her, not weak per say, but open, it made his heart flutter off. He was forced to try and hide his growing erection again and it sadly wasn't working. He took in a deep breath as he always knew that life favored the bold.

"First I was talking about Naples, Italy. Their pizza is amazing, we should go some time. But... right now I am drawn to you and I can't explain it. My glasses are off and I am letting you see the real me. There is an ancient Japanese proverb that has no author; it is the proverb where every person has three faces. One they show to the world, one they show to family, and one they show to no one. Well, I am showing you that face, the one that no one sees because when I saw you at that restaurant in Maine, I saw your true face. Not the one that you use your smarm to defend yourself with, the same way I use my false ego to protect myself. But the woman who had devoted herself to her art. Who plans every stroke, even in her life when it doesn't need that. To be plainly honest I was trying to do some martial arts exercises to calm me down and it didn't do a thing for me. Because now I am imaging you and that smile tomorrow as we explore the city. You do love life more than I thought, its just different than how I see it."

Tyler bared his soul, he couldn't tell if it was the hormones or the fact that he was no better than a love sick puppy at the moment. But even as a disheveled mess he found her attractive. He wanted to see her curves and make her cry to heaven. His heart raced a mile a minute as he believed he was doing the dumbest thing he has done for a very long time. He crossed his arms as he let this moment sink in. He walked a little past her.

"Yeah, I have done some dickish things. I admit that but there is one thing different between those girls and you that I didn't get to see until that day. You are passionate about something, you have something that you live for and helps form you. Did I dump all of those girls? Yes I did. Because they were boring. The moment we became some sort of an item they stopped growing as a person, they were only really with me for the experience of being with "me" and not me. But I believe with you its different and I was the idiot who didn't notice it till now and is doing quite possibly the dumbest thing he has done in... well ever. I am a fucking moron. Look, here is the truth ok, you excite me because I know, we we go along you will continue to learn and grow and in that process that helps me grow. You think I know anything about renaissance art besides that Jesus is in like 60% if it? No, but you do. Just please, don't let my past ideas control your perception of me. Hell, you can use the trip to New York to test me if you want, we can order pizza and just relax. Or when I come out of the shower you can just let me kiss you." Tyler took to the shower afterwards, he was still semi erect.

A hot and cold shower would do him some good. He allowed the water to run down his form as it tickled down his abdomen and his pubic area. He remained in place as he allowed the water to cry and cleanse from him his sudden feelings but it was an exercise in failure. He had his own products, some that he endorsed, they were good products and they were free. By the time he finished he took a step out of the shower and wondered just want in the blue hell did he do. He half expected a knife attack at this rate. But he felt he had too, Tyler didn't want anymore regrets in his life over something he could have acted on. His muscles remained taut as he tried to stretch out in the shower. But it was to no avail.

He eventually got out and put on a tank top and some boxer briefs and half expect Anne to stab him in the neck with a pencil. But he stepped out to her to see her reaction.

 

[LeatrixSage]

Nope.

She was wrong.

Anne had not been remotely prepared for what had been waiting for on the other side of the door.

What had that even been?

He had just called himself an idiot. It was a strange thing for her mind to latch onto, but that fact stuck out for some reason. Before that he’d bee philosophical, something about seeing her true face. If she was honest she wasn’t sure she understood what he was talking about. He’d seen her sketching before and he thought he’d seen something other people didn’t, or that he hadn’t seen before. Whatever he thought he had seen had led him to make a couple conclusions about her that Anne wasn’t sure she wanted to hear. At least, not from Him. Her mind hop-skipped over the things he’d said, trying to recall the details that had been drive right out of her head when he had slid past her. He hadn’t touched her, but her blood had run hot and cold at the same time.

He was a fucking moron and she excited him, because she was her own person, and she loved something, and she didn’t want their past to color her perception of him…

What the fuck do I even do with that?

Anne made a frustrated sound when the door closed between them again, and then wandered aimlessly around the suite while she tried to piece together the very conflicted understandings she had about Tyler. First was the ego maniac that had greeted her that morning. Then there was that soulful and serious personality that had made its first appearance at the restaurant. Some memory tugged at the back of her mind, one of a quiet and shy boy, back before the muscles and the girls. She’d been too afraid to talk to him, so much as to avoid running into him when she could manage it. He’d changed, though. He’d become someone else, as people often did, and so had she. Anne had still avoided him like the plague, but her reasons had changed. She’d been hurt when he’d looked right through her as if she hadn’t even existed. Then she’d watch them come and go, one after another, and she’d learned to hate him. It was all tucked away somewhere, that sense of not being good enough, jealousy for those he picked, and displaced emotions she still wasn’t whole enough to feel that she’d laid at his feet. Not that he was responsible for any of it. What she felt was her responsibility, her problem, not his.

Anne sighed and raked her hands through her damp hair. There was a lot to unpack and she didn’t have the time, or the will, to give it the kind of attention it demanded. She wasn’t strong enough for that. Instead, she added a few new items to the tightly compartmentalized categories of issues.

“Or when I come out of the shower you can just let me kiss you."

A detail her mind had missed the first time around sprang to the forefront of her thoughts. It was the timber in his voices and the hunger in his eyes that brought the image back. Her attention had danced down his body, taken in the broad expanse of his chest, tapered waist, narrow hips, and… Anne shivered and reflexively hugged her middle as if she could keep herself safe. There was no denying what she had seen, but had it really been about her? It was surprisingly hard to believe, even with his own apparent confession. It was one more thing she didn’t have room for, and Anne took up the task of ordering pizza without him because she needed something to do. She’d played it safe and gotten a supreme and an all meat. If he didn’t like veggies on his pizza, then they’d each have a large pizza to themselves. She had just hung up her cell phone and set it down when the bathroom door startled her by opening.

Her body clenched as tension pulled her tight as piano chord. He’d unloaded a whirlwind on her, and now he was standing there waiting to hear her rebuttal. What was she even supposed to say? Her heart was hammering away in her ears as she faced him, and the world tilted. Two things were glaringly obviously.

Tyler wanted her.

Anne wanted him.

This is nucking futts, she mentally complained. She could blame her utter lack of a love life all day long, but that didn’t change the fact that she didn’t react this way to just any guy she happened to see shirtless. Anne swallowed her discomfort, and like the little coward she was, resolutely focused on something else.

“I went ahead and ordered the pizzas,” her voice came out strong and confident, thank god, and not the breathless mess she had expected to hear. “I hope you don’t mind. Supreme and meat lovers, more or less. I figured they were a safe bet.”

Her mouth worked for a second, and then closed with a click. She couldn’t think of anything else to say to him. Not when the majority of her brainpower was focused on not stupidly giving up how badly she wanted to believe that he wasn’t just playing her for his enjoyment. What if she actually slept with him, and then in the morning, he was right back to the asshole he had always been, just with a new notch to cut into his belt? Anne didn’t think she’d be able to handle the blow, and then neither of them would be showing up at Emma’s wedding.

 

[Cylian997]

Did he really just say that? Did he really just bear his soul out?

"What the hell was I thinking? Of course she wouldn't believe you. You have always been a dick. Maybe I shouldn't have reached out too far."

Tyler entered the shower and only stood there for ten minutes. He hoped that the water would wash away his attraction to Anne. But his heart refused to quiet itself. He felt his heart call for her with every beat. Every single cell, every single synapse reached out for Anne. He had to keep it calmly closed for now, anything else could lead to a potentially disastrous situation. Which actually didn't sound that bad. The only part about his whole confession was that it would have sounded entirely fake to Anne. Especially if he considered how unceremoniously he dumped all her friends. From a bad text to a shout-out on his channel for being the worst lay of his life, there was no way she could trust him now. Tyler wanted to smash his head against the wall, this was a bad idea.

He couldn't help but laugh at the sheer improbable nature of this situation, it was like a terrible lifetime drama. With the cheap situations and all. But not it actually meant something, more than it ever had before. He could easily admit to himself that those other times were nothing but enhanced flings. But this felt very different from the onset. And he hoped that it was different. He remained stuck in the shower as he pondered just how terribly this could end. The first was Anne just putting up her defenses and just not responding to him. The next could be a tirade of insults and savage words from her, some how a "manipulative" something would be involved there. Worst case scenario would be a slap in the face, the trip cancelled and then she would promise to never see him again. And he believed she could do that without any question.

He eventually continued with shower, he took great care in the subtle contours of his body. It was required in his line of work. After a certain level of manscaping, he felt a little better. The idea of concentrating so intensely on his work helped him focus. That was at least until he was done and he had to face her. He admittedly was scared at the entire prospect of seeing her, after this revelation, if she were to say to go away might be too much to bear. He tried to become someone different from who he was before and now he almost wanted to go back just so she could like him just a little more. Eventually he came out to see her and was again awestruck by her.

Her seductive pout that begged for a kiss, how her clothing hugged her form which left little to the imagination. In that moment his mind turned blank as he held onto her and wrapped her arms around her. He bent forward and whispered to her.

"So you are going to have 5 seconds after what I do to react, ok?"

And with that, he very suddenly kissed Anne across the lips. It was short yet sensual kiss. He pulled away and began to count down from five.

 

[LeatrixSage]

“Tyler, wai-“ the words couldn’t get past her lips fast enough. It wasn’t as if the suite was massive, but what space had been between the had been eaten up so quickly that Anne’s brain wasn’t even capable of thinking the word ‘run’ until it was much too late for her feet to move. Arms as strong and unyielding as steel snaked around her body. Immediately she felt impossibly small and fragile. The soft curves of her body were pressed tightly against the hard planes and angles of his, and for the first time, she realized just how tall he really was compared to her. Anne wasn’t a short woman by any stretch of the imagination, but Tyler loomed over her in a way that made fear join the adrenaline induced arousal that turned her nipples into painfully tight nubs beneath her shirt.

Her frantic mind barely had time to register what he’d said, for formulate the will the ask what he meant, before his lips slanted over her own. Anne’s grip on his arms tightened, her fingernails digging into his skin, and a sound somewhere between shock and lust escaped her throat. The kiss was relatively quick, but it left behind an ache that threatened to undo her even as he released her and backed away.

Tyler had just kissed her.

Anne shivered and blinked at him. She had five seconds to react. That was what he had said, right? What did that even mean? She had five seconds to yell, scream, run, hit him… and then what? Did it matter what she did? She imagined telling him off only for him to hold her up against the nearest wall by one of those big hands around her neck. She saw him yanking her clothes off of her, parting her legs, forcing his away inside her…

Anne’s lips parted. She was panting.

How much time had gone by?

Better yet, why the fuck was she getting all hot and bothered by imagining Tyler forcing himself on her? It couldn’t say anything good about her mental state, and she shook her head to try and clear it. Disgust came first, followed by shame, and Anne retreated into herself to hide from her own wayward thoughts even as her mind tried to construct another version of the same thing.

“Don’t do that again,” her voice cracked as she spoke. Whether the rending loss she felt was horror at her own weakness or the denial of the twisted and depraved things she was imagining, Anne wasn’t entirely sure. Whatever was happening wasn’t normal. Sure, she’d been horny before, had a few boyfriends, but none of that was anything like what she was feeling while Tyler stood there, staring at her, looming over her, offering her anything and denying her nothing.

Anne cleared her throat and took a couple of steps back to put some space between them. She couldn’t breathe, but there was nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide, and no one to save her from herself. She tried to remind herself who he was, what he had done, and instead, long forgotten stories about the way he used his tongue, his fingers, his hands, all came rushing back. She told herself she had never wanted to hear them, but she’d listened anyway. Now that she was older, and he was standing before her, her mind created very vivid images from those old stories, each more lascivious than the last.

“You’re my best friend’s brother,” her voice was stronger, but Anne was speaking for her own sake more than his, “We can’t do this. It’s just not okay.” The weak excuse was all she had to cling to, and she held onto it like a lifeline. “Whatever this is, its not going to work. So, can we agree to just not do this, please?”

 

[Cylian997]

In that moment, something all felt right. The way her lips felt, the way her body fit with his so snugly, her smell that raided his senses. It was a system shock that almost turned off his entire nervous system. The way she panted tantalized him. But then what really sank his heart was when she said to not do it again. Not, Tyler smelled a falsehood in the air. She looked a little too hot under the collar, and Tyler planned to test out his theory just a little. It was now his mission in life, or at least as long as this trip was going to be, to help this woman escape the self-imposed shackles of her life.

So it was time to enact another little plan and TJ just happened to be the right mask for this job. Tyler took off his glasses and cleaned his lenses for a moment as he turned to her with a coy Cheshire grin.

"Not for nothing Anne... but what does that whole best friend's brother thing have to do with anything? It only sounds to me, like you normally do, is run away. You work so hard to keep this maintained look about yourself but you honestly just look miserable. You try so hard to keep this maintained look, and for what? Whenever you have an honest answer, let me know. We can put a pin on it. But if you were really not that interested, why were you ready for more? I do not mean anything by my next statement, you are entitled to live however you want, but..." He inched closer to Anne. His breath was on her ear as he took a gentle nibble on her ear lobe. "When was the last time you had an orgasm so explosive you lost the feeling of your lower extremities? You should know the kind, the one that lingers in your mind for weeks as you go about your life?"

He pulled away from being in such a close proximity to her and he shook his head and sighed. Tyler was sad that she brought this entire little game to an end but he was more than determined to not let it die.

"And again, the guy you supposedly hate with all your guts kisses you and you didn't hit me. So that is just saying hey... don't do it but do it. And we have about another 10 minutes before the pizza gets here. So, I might as well try again." Tyler kissed her again but this kiss was longer, slower and more passionate. He took his time to savor her scent and flavor as he didn't even break the kiss this time, she would have to it seemed.

 

[LeatrixSage]

The little baby hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Something had shifted, and she felt like alarms were going off inside her skull. Stupid as a deer facing down a wolf, she stood there, frozen, waiting for the other shoe to fall while he grinned at her like a devil come to claim her soul.

“Maintained look,” she started to make a rebuttal, but he spoke right over her, telling her that when she had an honest answer, she should let him know. Her mouth worked, but no words came out. Anne retreated a step or two, but he just seemed to come with her, as if she were inescapably tied to him. She sucked in a sharp breath through her teeth, hissing at him as he leaned close. Her hands came up to push against his chest as his breath fanned the side of her neck. His teeth caught her ear and Anne pulled her head away a second to late to honestly say she didn’t like it.

I should know the kind? Anne’s checks flamed a bright red and she backed away at he same time that he pulled back. She hated to think he knew the answer to that question before he had asked. Even more, she hated the idea that she didn’t have to say it out loud for him to know. A simpler, and yet more mortifying question would have been to ask when she last had any orgasm. A fear of discovery made her feel defensive, and then outraged. It was her fault, was it, that she hadn't had magical, mind blowing sex. I beg to fucking differ.

“You’re an ass,” Anne snipped, lashing out at him because she had no more ground to stand on. He fucking knew it, and that just infuriated her further. She wasn’t paying attention to what he was saying, far too focused on a long list insults she was preparing to throw at him, and then she came to a screeching halt as he leaned in and kissed her again.

Anne growled at him as his lips moved over hers. Some vengeful, vindictive creature reared its ugly head within her and her arms slipped up and around his shoulders. It forced her up onto her tiptoes and drew her body out so that every inch of her smaller body was pressed tightly against his own. A wanton, lustful sound escaped her lips as she deepen his kiss. One of her lithe little legs slipped up to hook over his hip and drag him close, nestling that distinctive bulge right up against the heat of her sex. Anne let his hands travel where they would, gave him whatever he wanted to take, and even went so far as to pump her hips to rub herself against him. Her body warmed in ways she didn’t completely understand, but she was too focused on the task at hand to really notice or care.

When her heart was pounding, and she felt like she couldn’t breathe, Anne pulled back to look up at him. A sort of feminine satisfaction was written on her features. Maybe she hadn’t ever had some mysterious, mind numbing orgasm. What of it? Most women didn’t, and she was willing to believe the few that did were lairs. She did, however, know how to play men. Sure, sex had never been particularly rewarding on her end, but she knew how to please. Something gained out of some stupid desire to be wanted before she’d gotten wise to the fact that it never mattered how good she was in bed, they all promised whatever they thought she wanted to hear.

“You’re no different from any of them, are you?” she asked, momentarily unashamed by her flushed cheeks, panting breaths, or haggard voice. “You all promise what you think we want to hear. Pleasure, love, security, gifts, whatever you imagine we want that will get your dick wet. You take what you want, and then you leave. We’re worthless, and expendable, and you are exactly who and what I thought you were. No amount of explosive orgasms could even begin to change that.”

 

[Cylian997]

Tyler did get a little bit of a sick satisfaction as Anne literally malfunctioned as a human. It was almost cute to see her try to piece together the life she built, the one she manufactured with so much care. It only took a small monologue to destroy. The way she only admitted that he was an ass was only the icing on the cake. He was being an ass on purpose after all, Tyler still believed no one had ever really challenged her like he did. Many people only left her in her rut because those "friends" didn't really care how this path really hurt her. But the way her chest puffed up, and the way her nipples tried to pierce through her shirt was a sultry sight and it made him get harder. But when their lips were locked, that was where the surprise truly lied in.

As the distance between them became nothing, he felt the desperation in her lips, in her posture, how she tried to devour him. But he also wished to devour her as well, his hands surfed through her body. His fingers moved up her delicate sides, danced by her breasts, tickled past her nipples and then moved even lower. His fingers moved down her abdomen, under her pants and went for a closer feel, his fingers sank into her supple flesh as he was hungry to feel her shape. All the while he continued to kiss her wishing for more. The way Anne pressed her body on him only made his cock thicker and more engorged as her fragrance tickled his nose and her moans were like call signs of lust. But they soon separated and only stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity.

Tyler only chuckled as she went about her speech, it was rare to see her finally show some level of vulnerability. He actually looked quite sad as she explained herself. Anne had most likely never had anyone who truly loved her and fulfilled her in anyway before. While he assumed that, based on her speech and how she kind of blatantly said that men used her proved his point, at least in his own estimation. That led to her haughty attitude which was some kind of defense mechanism to keep people away. Tyler had an idea of what he was going to do to fix this. He also knew he was the only person who most likely could, and while that may be an egotistical move on his part there was a track record to prove it.

He was going to destroy her expectations, break her down and like those beautiful pieces of kintsugi art; fill her back up with gold. In more ways than one. As Tyler was about to open his mouth the door to the hotel room was knocked on. Those pizza's came in a bit quicker than expected. But that isn't entirely a bad thing. Even cold pizza would still be good. He turned around and opened the door. He took in the pizzas and set them down in the small kitchenette of the suite as he walked back to her. He lovingly held her face in his hands, his eyes softened as he looked down to her and saw just how weak she allowed herself to be for once. He kissed her tenderly, his lips placed on hers warmly in a sensual kiss as he pulled her into an embrace by the waist and gave her a coy little smirk.

"Here is where your little theory breaks, at least when it comes to be, if I were such an asshole then where do all these great stories about me come from? If I were such an asshole. then why are some of your friends still trying to reach out to me. But right now, the only woman I want right now is you. And, if you allow me the chance to prove it to you. Lets just say pizza for breakfast might not sound so bad. Because the only thing I want to see right now..." His hands were now firmly pressed into her ass, he grabbed her tightly and brought her closer to his level crotches and chests pressed together tightly. "Is how wonderfully you look while you are screaming my name, begging me to finally fuck you but that last little bit of pleasure doesn't come yet."

His voice had a distinct sexual energy to it. A definite hunger for her and her alone.

 

[LeatrixSage]

God damnit, but she could still feel his touch on her.

In her.

Anne felt herself shiver at the ghost of a memory that still scorched her from within. That’d he’d even dared to take so much absolutely floored her. She’d expected him to fondle her, grope her, but not to invade her body so completely. It elicited a conflict within herself that she couldn’t settle, or even begin to fathom. He took whatever satisfaction she’d hope to earn by the little stunt away from her as well. He just laughed at her while her skin tingled every where he’d touched her. Every word melted off of him as if there wasn’t a thing in this world she could use to wound him enough to make him back off.

Worse still, the proof of her arousal was glistening undeniably on his fingers.

The knock on the door broke the tension between them for a moment. He stood between her and the door – a wise choice because she was seriously thinking about making a run for it – so she let him answer it and collect the pizza. Her stomach knotted, and she put it off as hunger pains that would soon be taken care of. He, however, came right back after her.

Anne stumbled as she back peddled. One hand came up to defend herself, but as he caught her face between his, it uselessly pressed into his shoulder as if she could hold him back. Her other hand grabbed onto one of his forearms, but her chances of actually moving that are were so ridiculously slim that it seemed stupid to even try. Something changes in his eyes, and for a moment, she hated him for whatever it was he saw. It was as if he could pull back everything and peer into the very heart of her. Whether she hated him for seeing, or herself for what he saw, she couldn’t say. Maybe she hated them both, her weakness and his ability to see it.

His lips were warm and seeking when they touch hers this time. It quieted her anger to some extent, but it also fanned her fear of him. Not so much of what he might do, but what he might prove. God help her, she didn’t want to go through what the rest had gone through. She knew he what he was, knew the risks, knew his games, so why the fuck was she standing there and letting him kiss her like he actually gave a shit what she thought or felt? He pulled her in so easily that she felt utterly disgusted with herself. His smirk earned some small part of that emotion being displaced onto him.

Anne watched him with a doubtful expression pasted onto her face to hide the dozen or so emotions that came and went in the course of his declarations. His hands found there way to her ass, and she yelped in surprise when he grabbed her up and held her tightly to him. Her feet dangled off the floor and he again made her feel impossibly small. The impossibly large erection that nudged against the core of her only made the illusion worse. Ridiculously, with her chest pressed tight against his own, she was still looking up at him more than at him. Worse, she had to trust him not to drop her when she braced her hands against his shoulder to push the top half off her body away from him.

What stopped her, what tempted her more than she could ever admit, was the vision he painted in her mind. How badly she wanted to be that other woman that would let him play with her body to his content was something she couldn’t deny. Nor could she reconcile that woman with the one she wanted to be. One that was loved, not used. Wanted, not just desired. It yanked at some painful thing she didn’t want to look at too closely. Those things weren’t for her. The woman she had become was no more worth loving than the child she had been. Some part of her heart broke, and she hid it quickly behind the first thing she could think of.

“Put me down, Tyler,” she growled at him, proud of herself for sounding pissed off instead of ready to sob her eyes out. “If you want to hear someone screaming your name, call up one of my so-called friends, I’m sure any one of them would be happy to get a second chance. Hell, go to a bar and find a fly. I’ll politely step out while you spend yourself. I’m not interested in what your offering.”

Lair.

Anne mentally screamed at the little voice that dared to call her out. He was hungry for her. He didn’t want just any woman, he wanted her, and she damn well knew it. She told herself she didn’t want him, and then she whimpered like a wanton when the tiniest shift of his body or hers made his cock rub against her clit. Her arms shook. If she rested against his chest she’d find some relief, but it is was too intimate and comfortable. Too much like the warmth and care she craved. It was more dangerous than his cock could ever be.

“I can’t do this casual thing, okay?” she blurted, her cheeks a flaming red while she tired to look at anything but his very attentive gaze. “I can just have sex and go back to being… whatever the hell we are in the morning. Just, let me go. You’ll get bored, you’ll leave,” and it will break me. Anne couldn’t say it out loud. She’d already let him strip her soul bare and she refused to give him anymore. “Can we please just eat the damn pizza and go to sleep?”

 

[Cylian997]

As Anne continued to try and defend herself from him, more and more of her layers were peeled away like an artichoke. Tyler could tell by how her voice quivered and by how her body shivered for him; she only fought against her instincts due to some preconceived notion. But he kept her in his grasp, his rigid cock pressed against her stomach and his hands still pressed firmly against her soft behind. His lips kissed down her lips and chin, he was still obviously hungry for her and he did more of these little teases to continue to break down her defenses. Eventually she will break down and when she does, he will be there to have her.

But her responses were expected and came from a place of fear. But he still listened and took in her concerns. As she spoke his eyes were focused on her. Once she was finished he took a moment to digest everything she said and only gave her a coy little smile. Despite her posture and how much she had fought him, he really understood that she was a scared little girl and was afraid to experience the messy spills of life. That whole story felt very similar to him. It was essentially his story before his miraculous change. But the similarities between them were almost too uncanny to believe in. It actually made him laugh as he kept his arms around her as he forced their physical closeness.

"It all sounds to me as if you are desperate to keep me away because if you let me into your little heart, you will hate yourself for being wrong all this time and not taking advantage of other times you had an in your life. Well let me just tell you, and this is something I do believe in, regrets are bullshit. The only things that are truly real are the things you make real and make matter. So answer me this Anne, are you a basic bitch? Are you the kind of woman who fancies herself as some pointless piece of eye candy for some man. I can imagine you are already saying hell no. And in case you didn't notice I just invited you to Naples a little while ago. Did I take any of those other girls anywhere besides some boring local event? Which only meant they weren't worth it for me. But you... I know the moment you stop standing in your own way and allow yourself to live without these rules, you will be more amazing than you are now. And you seem to be forgetting about another situation here. What if you outgrow me and tell me to kick rocks? Hmm?" He gave her a smirk as as he kissed her deeply again, his tongue slipped down into her mouth as he remained locked in time with her.

"But before I changed, I was just like you. A few years ago I refused to move forward. It got so bad that bitch of a sister and my entire family used me as a punching bag. Then my father gave me ten grand and kicked me out of the family. He got tired of my inability to change and move forward and left me to the streets. What happened was supposed to be my trip around the world. But it all stopped when I went to Japan. Osaka specifically. There was a man there by the name of Yasutami Tanaka. I was like a broken pot and he helped pick me up. He helped me learn the value of myself and the value I knew I was worth. He taught me how to truly live and make my life my own. He passed away one year before I returned back to america. My tattoos are in honor of him ad they are a constant reminder of his most important lesson. That between in between hate and love, harmony exists and fighting for harmony takes effort. My blue dragon tattoo is love, my black one is hate and how they become together is harmony. It took me a long time for me to learn to love all of the parts I hate of myself. But I had help. And now I want to help you because without saying a word, your smile made me want to help you. And I think the first step to helping you is showing you that you that your body is amazing and beautiful. Well, my cock sure thinks you are. And worst case scenario we enjoy each other for a week and if you are not into it then you can call it quits. As much as I may want to. I will leave it all in your hands and if you desire to keep me away, then I will stay away."

He still kept her close as he spoke, his arms still held her close. His eyes looked dreamily into hers, seemingly lost in her presence.

 

[LeatrixSage]

He was laughing at her again, and absolutely no near to putting her down. Anne thought she might start screaming from pure frustration alone until the things he said made her attention sharpen. He was hitting far too close to home for her own piece of mind to tolerate. He didn’t have it all figured out, exactly, but he was damn close. Too close. It wasn’t being proven wrong that terrified her. It was being proven right.

He distracted her from memories she didn’t want to relive when he called her a basic bitch. She rolled her eyes at comment, fully intending to tell him yeah, she was a basic bitch, and she was cool with that. But then she frowned at him when he suggested that meant she was just eye candy. To which he was correct about her mental dialog, something that made her puff up with a displaced sense of outrage. And then he was changing gears on her again, pointing out that he had invited her to Naples. That quieted her a moment while she tried to recall if that was true or not. She frowned as she thought back. He had said something to the effect that they should go sometime, but that had just been some dumb, throw away comment.

Right?

As he went one, Anne became quieter. She wasn’t saying much at all, he didn’t give her a chance to, but her mind was somehow quieter, and therefore so was she. It was disorienting, but she was listening. He mentioned rules, and Anne raised an eyebrow at him. Again, close, really close, but not quite on the money. She had to give him credit, he was more right about her than anyone else had ever been. He wasn’t on the nose, but he knew next to nothing about her. People she’d known intimately, and for many years, understood her less than Tyler did.

Anne felt herself softening, slipping, something that was made worse by the alien idea that her out growing him would be hard for him to handle. What did he care? Why did he care? She opened her mouth to ask, but then his lips covered hers again and her good sense weakened a little more. She heard herself gasp as his tongue passed her lips, and felt her body melt against her will. Her arms collapsed slowly until she was resting against his chest. The heat of his skin burned her through the fragile excuse for protection that clothing was supposed to be. Some tiny, desperate voice in her head tried to shout that it was all a game. It was a trap, and she should run. He’d found the right bait, that was all it was. He’d found what it took to make her pliant, and when he realized it, he’d use it to take everything he wanted.

But she so wanted to believe his story. About himself, and his tattoos, who and what he was, and what he wanted from her. For her. Anne let her head tip forward and rest against his shoulder. She felt so tired, and yet her body was absolutely on fire for wanting him. He was still holding her. Just waiting for her to say something or do something. The idea that he would just stand there all night, just like, waiting, made her smirk. She felt dizzy, like she was drunk, and wondered absently if she was in any right state of mind to be making choices.

Anne let herself wrap her arms around his shoulders. It felt comfortable, familiar, good; she lifted her legs to wrap them around his hips. What if she let herself do this and he actually proved her wrong? Was it worth the risk?

He was strong enough to hold her up without her help, and she broke away from kissing him long enough to pull the silky top she wore over her head. It fell to the floor somewhere as she leaned herself down against him. Skin to skin, she could feel his heart beat. It was thudding away at the same frantic pace as her own, and she wondered for the first time if he was at all afraid of what she might say or do.

“Five no’s and a yes is still a yes, right?” she joked quietly, using humor to disguise her uncertainty. If he proved her wrong, well… she could live with that. If he proved her right and he used this against her later… well, she’d know soon enough which one it would be. “Alright, Tyler. Why do they keep telling stories about you? I want to know.”

 

[Cylian997]

A smile curved on her lips as he laid her down on the nearby bed, he quickly took a moment to move the beds together as they were going to need the space. Tyler took the time to take off her pants and examine her form with his eyes for just a moment. He admired her form as he crawled over like some sort of lion over her. His lips plotted a course for her body as his lips first stopped by her neck and collar bone. Tyler's lips continued their erotic tour of her form as his hands and lips nibbled and suck on those beautiful nipples of hers. His breath was hot over her form as he took a moment to admire her again.

"Lucky me, your pink nipples are my favorite kind." He admitted openly as his hands remained on her breasts, his fingers moved through her supple skin as his lips kissed down her chest and abdomen. The unique smoothness of her body called to him as his lips remained across her stomach. With a gentle twist of her nipples he left her breasts do as his hands and mouth moved even lower still. He was now headed toward her smooth plateau as his hands felt around her form. Tyler was enchanted by her subtle features and he was happy that he had the chance just to show her a little bit. Who would not take their time and enjoy this? It was a shame. But it wasn't really time yet, he needed to break her down a little first.

His lips and tongue teased right by her moistening sex but they didn't really stop there. No, he marveled at how supple and soft her thighs were first. His tongue licked across her delicate legs as the heat that came from his body was the sole indication that he was near by. He nibbled down her inner thighs, his teeth gently raked past her legs as his free hand only teased at him actually playing with her hot sex. Occasionally, he would flick her clit as a gentle reminder that he knew that her body was there but, he wanted to admire more of her form first. His tongue licked down the middle of her thigh and stopped only mere centimeters from the prize, only for him to continue the other way. Tyler loved taunting his partners, he always wanted them to anticipate more before giving in. He felt it made love making much more interesting.

But his lips stopped for a moment as his hand flicked her clit again and in that moment of shock he decided to leave his mark on her. He placed his lips on her sensitive inner thigh and began to place a hickey on it. As he sucked on her thigh, his finger rubbed her sensitive little nub to only heighten her pleasure. She was trapped within the pleasuring web of Tyler and he only had one thing in mind; make her only want him from here on out.