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Chapter Text

PART 1:  SIGHT & SOUND

WEEK 1

                Lighting the lilac candle on her nightstand, Poppy pulled back her comforter before turning her attention to the paperback next to her candle. Opening it to where she’d left off, she read a paragraph and then thought better of it. She was at the steamiest bit of her period romance novel. If she took this one into the tub with her, she’d devour it too quickly. Poppy wanted to savour the moment, pleasure herself to it right before bed, then she’d let her orgasm sated body drift off to sleep. Placing the book face down on the bed, she reached down and pulled her sweater over her head, heedless of the open curtains, tossing the material into her laundry basket.

                Glancing out at the river and the stunning backdrop the setting sun made for it, she smiled. Poppy loved having a corner bedroom, the L shaped floor to ceiling window the main reason she’d rented the apartment. Reaching for the button on her jeans she shucked them too, pushing them over her hips and down her legs. Pulling the strawberry hair tie off her wrist, she twisted her hair into a bun on the top of her head before shedding her bra and panties as well.

                She had a great view, gorgeous really. Well, out the smaller panel of the L shaped corner window anyways. The other faced an empty apartment in the building opposite hers which was why she never bothered to draw the curtain. Being on the top floor, she figured no one below would bother to look up. Well, and the fact most of the apartments in the other building were empty, the building she lived in being both newer and nicer, the other building having the misfortune of technically being part of Ares Street, albeit the fact it sat directly on the border, it still had trouble attracting tenants.

                People in Narin were crazy. Her rent was hundreds cheaper than if she were to rent the exact same type of apartment uptown. Plus, the view! That alone had sold her. Who cared if the street had a bad rep? The people she’d met so far in her building were lovely. With that thought, Poppy disappeared into her bathroom, closing the door behind her.

~             ~               ~

Tora glanced both ways down the length of the hall before taking hold of the door handle in front of him. Ten seconds, that was all he needed, and then he was in. Pushing open the door with one hand splayed against the wood, he stepped forward, allowing the darkness within to engulf him before closing the door behind him gently.

                Scowling, he stepped further into the empty apartment, the air was stale, it was obvious it’d been weeks since anyone had last been in here. “Fuck,” he mumbled as he wandered past the illuminated sliding door to the balcony and deeper into the apartment. He knew his search would be in vain but he still had to look. In the master bedroom all he found was a sleeping bag and an abandoned ashtray. Silently, he pulled out his phone and dialed Ronzo.

                “Boss? What’s goin’ on?” Gyu’s voice sounded in his ear.

                “He’s not here,” Tora’s annoyed tone rumbled into the speaker. “Nothing but a fuckin’ sleeping bag.”

                “Lucky fucker, he’s always one step ahead eh?” Gyu griped.

                “I’m done with this goose chase. Call Louis and that Pinky kid, have them take over,” he muttered.

                “You mean Damien?”

                “Do I give a fuck?”

                “Right, I’ll call them, night boss.”

                Tora closed his eyes for a moment, a headache developing right between his eyebrows. What a fuckin’ month. Vincent had him running all over hell’s half acre looking for a numbered. The only good news? With this set up, the guy didn’t look like an undercover cop, probably just an informant. He rubbed at his brow trying to ease the uncomfortable pulsing before it turned into a throb.

                Turning, he made his way out of the room and back the way he came. He was passing the living room when the light spilling over the ugly grey carpet caught his attention, the balcony calling to him. Licking his lips, his hand unconsciously travelled into the pocket of his hoodie, his fingers circling the carton of cigarettes within. Betting the nicotine might help his tension ache, he moved towards the sliding door.

                Stepping out into the night, Tora breathed deeply, the cool air filling his lungs as rats scurried about the alley below him. It was kinda nice here, this close to the river he could smell the water, the sent a welcome change from the gasoline he was so used to. Lighting up, he took a deep drag. Holding in the smoke, he let his eyelids fall closed as he methodically released the tension in his body.

                Feeling a little better, he took another drag and opened his eyes, his gaze drawn straight ahead into the apartment across from him. Whoever lived there hadn’t bothered to close their curtains; he had a great view of a cozy ass bedroom.

                He smirked as he took in the décor, hardwood floors, light coloured walls, a large bed with too many pillows in the dead center of the room. Angled against the wall and the window there was a reading chair and a standing lamp, books with their spines the wrong way on the shelf beside it. He arched a brow at that. His eyes swung to the other side of the room, taking in the laundry basket, the dresser with the circular mirror above it and the nightstand with the lamp that illuminated most of the room in a soft glow. Immediately, his eyes shot to the exits, all three white wood doors were closed. Closet, bathroom, hallway, he assumed.

                He wasn’t sure why the room looked so inviting to him. Maybe it was all the art on the walls? The knickknacks that littered the dresser? Perhaps it was the glass three wick candle burning on the nightstand next to the bed? The covers pulled back? Yeah, that must be it. It looked like whoever lived there had been getting ready for bed. He rolled his shoulders, feeling his own exhaustion in his bones. He didn’t normally sleep in beds but this person’s looked like an infinitely nicer place to lay his head than the dark cracked leather couch awaiting him back at his own cold and austere apartment.

~             ~            ~

                Humming in contentment, Poppy pulled her silk robe around her body, tying it closed loosely before opening the door of her ensuite, stepping into her bedroom. Moving over to her reading chair, she propped her foot on it, reaching for the tube of scented moisturizer she kept along with her other creams and perfumes on the top of the three foot bookcase. Squeezing a generous dollop into her palm, Poppy leaned over her leg, pressing her fingers gently against her ankle before dragging them up her shin, over her knee and up her thigh, her robe parting at her hip, hanging to either side of her leg.

                She smiled softly as Bazzi’s Mine began playing from her portable speaker next to her basket of creams. Reaching forward for it, she turned up the music with her clean hand before turning her attention back to her leg, oblivious of how loose her robe had become as it slipped off one shoulder.  

                Humming along to the song, she began massaging the moisturizer into her skin, enjoying the smooth feel of her hairless legs. Taking longer than necessary, Poppy pampered herself, applying pressure with her thumbs in a circular motion as she moved the length of the muscle in her calf. She smiled, enjoying her after shower care. She loved Saturday nights to herself, when she could just relax and luxuriate.

                Finishing that leg, Poppy slid both hands the length of her limb languidly, wicking away any remaining residue before placing her foot back onto the floor. Brushing a loose strand of her bangs out of her eyes with the back of her finger, she lifted her other foot, intent on repeating the process with the other leg.

                Across the road, in the apartment directly opposite hers, Tora’s jaw slackened around his cigarette, his eyes round in wonder at the short, curvy, sexy ass woman putting on a fucking show for him.

Chapter Text

                Sucking in a harsh breath, Tora cursed the lamp on the woman’s nightstand for backlighting her. From this distance, he couldn’t make out any of her facial features, just the curves of her body as she massaged herself. He groaned as he reached down to adjust himself, the shape of her more than enough of a sight to keep his attention despite the shadows cast over her face.

                Pulling his cigarette away from his mouth, he exhaled smoke, his eyes glued to the figure beyond the other window. He felt like a pervert. When she’d first entered the room, he’d expected her to close the curtains, cutting off his view of the bed he wanted so desperately to crawl into. She hadn’t. The longer he watched her, the more obvious it became she wasn’t aware of his eyes. She wasn’t putting on a show; she was just getting ready for bed. The fuck was wrong with him? Why was it so god damn erotic?

                Frowning, he contemplated turning his back, that’s what he should do. Give the woman some fuckin’ privacy in her own bedroom. She was the one that’d left the curtains open though….no. Didn’t matter, she had no idea she was being watched. He glanced back through her window, her hips swaying alluringly as she put something away in her closet. Tora groaned, his teeth beginning to grind as he debated what to do. He watched as she reached up and removed the tie in her hair, letting the thick tresses tumble down around her shoulders as she tilt her head back and ran her fingers through the strands. “Oh fuck me,” he whispered, putting the cigarette back between his lips, taking a long drag, desperate to redirect some blood back to his brain. He was gonna finish his cigarette and then he was gonna leave. After all, that’s why he was on the fucking balcony in the first place. There was nothing wrong with that right?

~             ~             ~

                Placing her strawberry hair tie on her nightstand, Poppy pulled at the knot around her waist, shrugging her robe off her body as it came loose. Letting it pool at her feet, she crawled in between her sheets, delighting at the feel of her short, mauve silk nighty sliding against the freshly laundered cotton. Reaching for her book, Poppy began reading, her hand slipping beneath the covers. She was two paragraphs in when the hairs on the back of her neck began to stand on end. She shuddered at the unmistakeable feeling of being watched. Glancing up, her brows narrowed at what she thought she could have sworn looked like a speck of fire in the darkness beyond her window. Curious, she turned off her lamp, plunging herself into darkness as she crept from bed and over to the window. Gazing through it, she concentrated as her eyes adjusted slowly, shapes beginning to form in the darkness.

                Poppy stumbled back, startled as the silhouette of a large man formed on the balcony across from her bedroom. Blinking, she took a step back towards her window and focused harder, her vision almost completely adjusted to the low light now. She bit her lip, the balcony was empty now. No shadow, let alone a silhouette, marring it from the lights of the city below. She sighed in relief, certain her eyes were playing tricks on her. Turning back to her bed, Poppy made it halfway across the room before her own anxiety got to her. Turning back to the window she pulled the curtain on the section of windowpane that faced the other building before returning to bed, turning her lamp back on.

                Yawning, thinking nothing more of the strange shadow she was telling herself she definitely hadn’t seen, she picked back up her book.  Three minutes later, Poppy’s skin heated as she read the wicked words on her page, her fingers creeping up her inner thigh.

                His look intensified, lust burning in his eyes as he stared at her. Moira shuddered as she touched herself under the weight of his gaze. “This is improper,” she whispered.

                “Improper? Ruining you would be improper. I’m only watching…lift your skirts higher,” he instructed.

                “Oh fudge biscuits,” she whispered as the text continued to describe the sexual encounter between the duke and countess, her fingers grazing her core lightly now, teasing her aroused sex.

                Laying further back into her pillows, Poppy spread her knees, letting her legs fall open as she began touching herself in earnest, her eyes devouring the words stoking the heat flaring in her molten core. Gasping, she slipped her fingers inside her wet channel, teasing herself. Letting the book fall to the side, Poppy closed her eyes, imagining herself as Moira, a handsome man sitting in her reading chair, watching her touch herself. Arching her back, she rubbed her clit as the other hand teased her nipples through the material of her nighty. “Oh god,” she panted just before she crested, her body trembling as her orgasm overtook her.

~             ~            ~

                Tora frowned as he reached street level, the scent of the city filling his nostrils as he strolled down the sidewalk, heading deeper into Ares Street. He ignored the people he passed, intent on getting home so he could relieve the tension straining against his jeans. When he’d left the apartment, pushing open the door to the stairwell, half disappointed she shut off her light, half annoyed he was disappointed to begin with, he’d expected his erection to wilt without the visual stimulation she’d been giving him.

                By the time he’d reached ground level he’d realized no such thing was going to happen. He was too turned on, the outline of her body burned into his brain. His mind more than happy to play the tantalizing visuals he’d experienced on repeat for him.

                Twenty minutes later, he pulled his hoodie off over his head and tossed it onto the floor next to the couch. He lost his jeans in the threshold to his bathroom, his underwear falling to the floor just outside his shower as he stepped under the cold spray. After washing, the water rinsing away the soap on his back, Tora frowned down at his erection. Planting both hands flat against the wall, Tora closed his eyes, desperate to banish his thoughts of her. The fuck was wrong with him? Beautiful women came on to him on a daily basis. What was so special about -

                Clenching his jaw, Tora hung his head. He knew why. Cause it was different. She was normal, sexy in an effortless way…and not the least bit interested in him. She wasn’t some Ares girl trying too hard, desperate for his attention in a short skirt and too much makeup. No, this was exciting; in the way he had to use his imagination. He frowned, he was fuckin’ conflicted over what he’d watched and he didn’t want to make it worse by masturbating to his memory of it, but damn it all if the water was doing nothing to cool his too hot skin, or the heated thoughts filling his head.

Balling one hand into a fist against the wall, Tora leaned his forehead against it as the other reached down to take hold of his engorged shaft. The soap left on his hand made him groan as it slickened the slide of his palm over his cock. He bit his lip as he gave into his pleasure and closed his eyes. For a moment, he was back on the balcony, watching the woman bent at her waist, running her hands over her leg. He felt his balls tighten as he remembered the way the light had perfectly outlined the curve of her ass, her hamstring swelling gently before dipping into her knee only to curve out again around her calf. Fuck she had sexy legs; he wanted to run his hands the length of them, hook ‘em over his shoulders. He groaned as he pictured spreading her wide open for him, sinking into her heat.

                He moaned as he gripped himself tighter, his imagination running away on him as he remembered the way her breasts had moved with her movements, heavy, large, a perfect handful for him. His breath came in heavy pants as his lip pulled back under the exertion of his self-love. Moving his hand faster, his thumb swiping repeatedly over the tip of his cock, using the pre-cum to lube himself further, he grunted as he jerked. Feeling the tingling at the base of his spine, Tora gave himself over to the pleasure, his hips snapping forward, thrusting his cock in his grip as he spilled his seed all over the shower wall. Leaning hard against his closed fist pressed to the tiled wall, Tora panted as ice cold water pelted his back and shoulders.

WEEK 2

                Poppy hummed along with her Spotify playlist as she prepped her dinner, she frowned when “I Get Off” by Halestorm began playing over her speakers. Closing her eyes she set down the knife as she listened to the lyrics, a shudder running down her spine at the words conjuring a dirty fantasy for her. The shadow she’d seen on the balcony opposite her window popping back into her head. Her brows scrunched together at the intrusive thought. Memories of the shadow she’d seen had plagued her periodically throughout the week.

                Sunday, she’d stared out her window for a while trying to figure out what could have cast the shadow with no luck. Monday night she’d convinced herself it’d either been in her head or a man truly had been there…watching her. By Tuesday she’d decided she wasn’t as horrified by the idea of someone on the balcony watching her as she should be. By Thursday she’d realized not only was she not appalled, if anything… it excited her.  I get off on you getting off on me! You're greedy eyes upon me And then I come undone And I could close the curtains But this is too much fun! It’s so much more exciting to look when you can’t touch! I get off on you getting off on me!

                Poppy shuddered again, the dampness between her legs growing. She’d never thought of herself as an exhibitionist but to be fair, she’d never really given it any thought prior to reading about Moira’s romance. Now though, it was an itch she wasn’t sure how to scratch. She’d masturbated three times this week picturing a faceless man in her reading chair, watching as she writhed on the bed.

                Biting her lip, she picked the knife back up and returned to her veggies doing her utmost to banish her distracting thoughts. She didn’t have a boyfriend and she certainly wasn’t about to invite a Tinder date into her bedroom to watch her flick her bean. Her cheeks heated at the idea as her knife sliced into the tomato between her fingers, the juice spreading over the cutting board like the wetness pooling between her legs. Oh god, what the hell was wrong with her?

~              ~             ~

                “God fuckin’ damn it!” Tora swore, furious with himself as he slammed his glass so hard against the counter it cracked. “Oh that’s just perfect,” he growled, even more annoyed with himself for his own stupidity. The fuck was wrong with him? It’d been a week since he’d watched the mystery woman in her bedroom; he would have thought he’d forgotten about her by now. Yet, whenever he had a moment to himself, invasive thoughts about her body kept cropping up, her silhouette conjuring itself in his mind’s eye to torture him.

                Feeling like a man possessed, Tora stomped out of his kitchen, grabbing his cigarettes off the counter on his way out the front door. He wandered aimlessly through Ares street, trying to decide if he wanted to stuff his face with take out or if he should go to the gym to try to burn off some of his annoyance. Either way, he had to find a way to banish her. He smirked to himself as he passed a group of men from a rival clan, half tempted to start a fight just to relieve his agitation.

                Walking along the river, he cursed himself when he realized where he was. Glancing up at the building in front of him, he scowled at the bright lights coming from the apartments above him. Turning away from them, he pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. Fuck his life. What the hell was wrong with him? Fuck his feet for carrying him here.

                Staring out at the water, he sighed in annoyance, the lights behind him reflecting off the glassy surface. Unlocking his work phone, he texted Gyu.

                Aniki : Any updates on the numbered?

                Ronzo: Nah. No new spottings. Ya said there was a sleeping bag in the apartment. Any chance ya just missed him and he’s still holed up there?

                Tora clenched his jaw as he read the text, glancing behind him and up at the apartment complex towering over him. The apartment had looked like it hadn’t been touched in ages, there was no way the dude was still using the space as a hideout…then again, he might be jumping around, rotating locations? Risky and stupid, but it’d been done before.

                Shoving his phone back in his pocket, he flicked the butt of his cigarette onto the sidewalk before j-walking over to the entrance of the poorly populated apartment building. He was checking for a rat, he was not going to even glance out the sliding patio doors, he promised himself as he took hold of the back garbage room door. He frowned as it opened without resistance; obviously no one had bothered to fix it after he’d busted it last week.

                Taking the stairs two at a time, Tora told himself he was not excited, he just wanted to get this over with, reassure himself there was no one in that back room and leave. Reaching the top of the stairs, he pushed the stairwell door open and forced himself to walk slowly towards the apartment door. Making his way inside, he flicked on the living room light lest he be tempted to look in her direction. It wasn’t smart to announce his presence, pretty fuckin’ stupid actually but he figured the risk was low. It didn’t fuckin’ matter. The only one that would notice, if anyone did at all, would be her and he’d be in out in under a minute.

                He hadn’t counted on Poppy though, or the twisted little fantasy that had begun to take root inside her.

Chapter Text

Curled up in her bed, a book in her hands, Poppy blinked in surprise as the light came on in the apartment across from hers, the sight so unfamiliar it took her a second to register what it meant. She frowned, she didn’t want someone to move in; she’d have to close her curtains. She liked waking up with the sun streaming in through the windows. More than half the time she didn’t even need her alarm clock as her body woke with the sun, an experience much less jarring than the shrill screaming of her alarm.

                Pouting, Poppy’s brows narrowed as a man very clearly moved across the living room and out of sight into the hallway. Suddenly curious about her new neighbour, Poppy crawled out of bed and walked up to her window in her nighty. The apartment was completely bare. Not a single piece of furniture graced its floors. Strange. Her lips curled up into a smile, perhaps it was just the building manager checking on something? No new tenant?

                Tora was walking back towards the front door when he caught sight of her in his peripherals. Stunned, he stopped dead in his tracks and turned his head to look at her. She was standing a foot from her window, fuckin’ staring at him…half dressed. Arching a brow at her behaviour he walked towards the sliding door, wanting her to know he’d noticed her this time.

                Blinking in surprise, Poppy watched as the man came back into view and stopped abruptly, staring in her direction as he approached the balcony door. Was he checking it? She frowned when he stopped a foot in front of the door, just looking out into the night. She bit her lip; he was dressed in a fitted long sleeve t-shirt and tight pants. The man was massive, even from a distance she could tell he was well built and quite tall. The light above his head illuminated him perfectly, she thought, her eyes drinking in his strong features before stopping on his eyes. She drew a harsh breath as his gaze locked with hers. The man was staring, not at the city beyond his window, no, he was staring at her!

                Fidgeting under the weight of his gaze, Poppy swallowed thickly and commanded her body to draw the curtain, to shut him out. She didn’t flex a muscle though, too pinned by the weight of his stare to move.

                Confused, trying to figure out what the fuck was happening, Tora stared at the silhouette of the woman in the window. Did she see him? Was she looking at him? She had to be. What the fuck else would she be looking at? He watched with curiosity as her arm finally reached for her curtain, her hand drawing back at the last second. What the fuck? If she was looking at him wasn’t she going to shut him out? Re-establish her privacy?

                Poppy faltered as her heart raced, her hand balled against her chest between her breasts, instead of clenching a fistful of the curtain. This was what she’d fantasized about wasn’t it? A handsome man watching her? She wet her lips, unsure if she’d lost her mind. Fantasizing about a strange man watching her pleasure herself and actually allowing it to happen were too very different things. She glanced behind her at the dog eared book on her nightstand. She’d finished it last Saturday. She’d re-read her favourite bit every night this week. She smirked as she turned her head back towards the man, a thought occurring to her. He couldn’t really see her, just her shape. She had to be backlit considering where her lamp was. The thought emboldened her, birthing a naughty idea. 

                Tilting his head slightly to the side, Tora watched the woman, his eyes widening in surprise as she reached for the hem of her nightgown, the material barely long enough to cover her bottom. His nostrils flared as her right hand slipped between her legs. He’d meant to leave. Now he couldn’t bring himself to look away. The fuck was this? There was no way she didn’t see him, she’d have to be legally blind not to, yet here she was, her hand moving between her legs as he stared at her. Drawn to her, he opened the sliding door, stepping out onto the balcony. Watching, he lit a cigarette, doing his best to ignore the trembling in his fingers and the throbbing emanating from below his belt at her actions.

                Pressing her free hand against the glass, Poppy let her head dip, her hair hanging in front of her as she supported herself. Keeping her eyes forward, she watched the man’s silhouette on his balcony, his body cast in shifting shadows coming from the city below him and the living room light behind him. Her pussy pulsed under her fingers as she watched him spark a flame, her soft breath coming in stuttered pants, the soft glow turning her on further. Now she couldn’t see his face. Somehow, it made her more comfortable as her fingers teased her wet slit. Faceless man, she thought, a moan escaping her as she dipped two fingers inside herself, the notion causing goosebumps to pimple her skin as she grew mindless with pleasure.

                Tora leaned against the railing, both brows arched in pleased surprise, a smirk on his lips as he watched her move, his guilt gone. This time, she really was putting on a show for him. He was sure of it. He chuckled as he watched her tremble, the movement of her hair giving away the fact she’d found her pleasure. “Fuck sweetheart,” he muttered when she still didn’t pull the curtain but instead pushed herself off the window and wandered back to her bed. His eyes narrowed as he did his best to make out her features through the window. Soft? Slight? She was too far back in the room for him to make out much more than the general shape of her face now that she was next to the light. Tucking herself in, she stared out at him for a long moment before turning out the light.

                Shaking his head in wonder, still confused but deeply aroused by the erotic encounter, Tora put out his cigarette and left the apartment, making sure to switch off the light. He was going to need his hand again tonight, he thought as he took the stairs two at a time.

                Poppy watched, eyes wide, propped up in bed as he left the balcony, her heart racing as the apartment across from her was plunged into darkness once more.

What the hell had she just done?

~            ~           ~

WEEK 3

                Poppy frowned, staring at the dark apartment across from her as she stood in her window. It’d been six days, six days with no sign of the man. Every night, the apartment stayed dark and empty. She’d kept her blinds closed all day Sunday, mortified by what she’d done on a whim. By Tuesday her curiosity had overtaken her shame and she’d opened the curtains, deeply inquisitive about what the man might be up to. She nibbled her lip as she wondered at the disappointment she felt. It was Friday night now and she still hadn’t seen him. For all intents and purposes, it appeared as though the apartment was still as uninhabited as the day she’d moved in. She was half convinced now that the man had been a figment of her imagination, a lustful lucid dream. Sighing, utterly disappointed, she turned away from the window and walked out of her bedroom.

~              ~            ~

                The cigarette crackled under the pull of his mouth as Tora smoked by the river across the street from the apartment complex. It was Saturday night and he was here again. Lacing his fingers together, he leaned his forearms on the railing separating him from a plunge into the cold river below. He was half tempted to jump. Perhaps the water would shake him free of whatever hold this woman had over him. He twisted around and craned his head back; glancing up at her apartment, sure enough, her light was on. Now he just had to decide what the fuck he was gonna do about it.

                Pushing himself off the railing, Tora crossed the street.

~             ~            ~

                Poppy was curled up in her reading chair sketching when she noticed the light on in the empty apartment. Narrowing her brows, she watched as the handsome man from the previous week approached the sliding door, his arms folding across his chest as he adopted a commanding power stance. She arched a brow in amusement at the pose, he wasn’t a fantasy then? Was he waiting for her? Setting her pad and pencil on the ground, she unfolded herself from her chair, moving to stand in front of the window, letting him know she’d noticed him.

                Letting his gaze trail her from head to toe, Tora sucked in a harsh breath. Fuck, her body wasn’t the only thing that was stunning; her face was god damn angelic. With the lamp next to the chair on, she was very clearly illuminated.  He drank in the sight of her, his fingers twitching on his arms with their desire to touch her. She looked adorable and sexy in the pyjamas she was wearing, the outfit doing even more for him than her lingerie had the last time. Effortless, he thought in slight annoyance, his attraction only growing.

                Smiling at the handsome stranger, Poppy placed her hands on her hips. She’d spent the week dreaming about what she’d do if she ever saw him again. Taking a deep breath to bolster her courage, she reached for the hem of t-shirt, pulling it up and over her head before tossing it behind her. Determined to make her fantasy reality once more, she slipped her hands into the waistband of her shorts, then pushed the loose material down her hips, letting gravity take them the rest of the way. Staring at him, she cupped her mound, over her panties, and began rubbing herself gently, his stare heating her skin.

                Tora’s breath hitched in his throat as she stripped for him. He groaned as she began touching herself, his arms slackening, his bravado lost as they fell limply to his sides. His fingers curled into fists, his blunt nails biting into his palms as he watched her drag her hand up the front of her underwear before slipping them inside her panties. This woman knew exactly what she was doing; she was showing him just enough to drive him mad. He desperately wanted to see her naked, he wanted to feast his eyes on her nipples. What colour were they? How large? Were they hard right now? What about her pussy? Just how wet did she get doing this for him? 

                Poppy felt a bead of sweat plunge from behind her ear down her neck as she pleasured herself, the man’s gaze everything she’d hoped for. He looked pained, hungry, agitated even in the way he seemed to rock on his feet as though he couldn’t decide whether to stay put or move closer. Feeling the tightening in her abdomen, she pressed the pointer finger of her free hand to her lips, drawing the digit in, she swirled her tongue over it, the added oral stimulation making her shudder. Pulling the wet digit out, she traced her lips before popping it back in, enjoying the torture playing out on her partner’s face. He really was handsome, even considering how pinched his features appeared. Wanting to tease him further, suddenly interested in pushing the envelope beyond her own pleasure, Poppy slipped her hand from her panties and reached for her reading lamp, switching it off. She giggled as he crossed his arms again, his face unmistakably pissed.

                Smirking wolfishly, confident she was backlit again by the light on her nightstand; she reached behind her, unclasping her bra. Sliding the straps down her arms slowly, Poppy pulled it off and held it away from her body, her arm outstretched to the side, her bra dangling from her fingertips for a moment before falling to the ground. Watching his reaction, she laughed as his mouth opened in shock and then morphed into disgruntlement as she turned to the side and bent over slowly. Hooking her thumbs in the waistband at her hips, her hands travelled the length of her thighs and then cupped the back of her knees, pulling her panties down over the curve of her ass as sensually as she’d removed her bra, her breasts swaying gently with the movement.

                Clenching his jaw, Tora’s fingers dug into his arm. The woman wasn’t just a beautiful naughty vixen, she was a fuckin’ tease! What she’d just done was cruel. He could just picture the delight dancing in her eyes as he strained to see more than just shadows of her naked body. This was bullshit. Walking towards the balcony, needing to close the distance between them the only way he knew how, he watched as she retreated from view into her bathroom, the door closing behind her, shutting him out.

                Tora groaned as her beautiful pert little ass swayed, the light tracing the contours of her spine like his fingers wished they could. And then, she was gone.

~               ~              ~

                Tora crushed the empty carton of cigarettes in his hand, his eyes fixed on the bed he could clearly see across from him, visions of every way he wanted to fuck her on it filling his head, his last cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. Fuck this infuriating woman. It’d been two fuckin’ hours! He’d chain smoked his entire pack and she still hadn’t come back. What the fuck was she playing at? Annoyed, he slammed the patio door open harder than he’d meant to. Closing it much more quietly behind him, Tora turned off the light and left the apartment.

                An hour later, Poppy emerge from her weekly bath in a towel, a smirk on her lips as she noticed the apartment across from hers was now dark. She wondered in amusement how long he’d waited before he’d left. Stretching her arms over her head, she arched her back and groaned, the movement making her feel naughty as the towel slipped lower on her breasts. Glancing out the window at the empty apartment, she bit her bottom lip and shuddered, picturing his hungry eyes on her body.

                Licking her lips, she dropped the towel and crawled into bed. Sitting up in bed, she stared out across the street picturing his disgruntled face, giggling to herself as she turned out the light. Poor guy. Screwing with him shouldn’t be this fun. I can’t wait for him to come back, Poppy thought, a wicked smile curling her lips.   

Chapter Text

WEEK 4

                Tora sat on the ugly grey carpet, staring at her apartment. He’d decided halfway through the week he didn’t give a shit how fucked up this little game was they were playing. He was into it. If she wanted to tease and torture him, he would happily oblige. Her apartment was dark though. Disappointingly so. He glanced at his phone, eleven thirty. He’d give it another fifteen minutes, then he was leaving. He wasn’t desperate, well, that’s what he told himself anyways.

~              ~            ~

                Poppy clicked on the overhead light to her bedroom and flicked off her heels before reaching up to pull the pins from her hair. Erdene had insisted they go dancing tonight, that she should really ‘put herself out there’ and quit spending every Saturday night in alone. She snorted, wondering what her friend would have to say about her behaviour the last couple Saturdays when she most definitely had not been ‘alone.’

                Releasing the last pin, Poppy shook out her hair when she caught the light out of the corner of her eye. She smirked as her mystery watcher pushed himself to his feet. Poppy arched a brow, wondering how long he’d been waiting for her. Pretending she wasn’t aware of him, she turned her back to the window and brushed her hair onto one shoulder. Reaching up and behind her, she took hold of her zipper and dragged it down slowly; pulling the pink party dress she was wearing down and off her shoulders.

                Sliding her hands over her waist, she wiggled her dress down over her hips and let it pool on the floor before bending over to collect it. Poppy smiled, feeling his eyes on her ass, wondering what he thought of her thong.

~                     ~                   ~

                Tora growled low in his throat at the view the mystery woman was giving him. Fuckin’ sexy ass, infuriating woman.  Did she have any idea what her ass looked like right now? How tempted he was? He clenched his fists, hating the scrap of fabric blocking his view. Was she ignoring him on purpose? She had to know he was there. A dangerous smile curled over his lips as she turned her head to look at him over her shoulder with a wink before tossing her dress into her laundry bin.

                Licking his dry lips, Tora breathed in time with the pulsing coming from below his belt as she approached the window. Her panties were blue today, a deep navy that had him wishing for something lighter, brighter, fuckin’ sheer. He groaned as she began sliding her fingers over her skin, the palms of her hands cradling her curves in his place. When her little fingers slipped into her panties he’d decided he’d had enough.

                The woman was obviously a deviant, she was as into this as he was. Why was she the only one allowed to get off? Without breaking eye contact, Tora reached down and unbuckled his belt, popping the button on his jeans, he pulled down his zipper.

~               ~               ~

                Poppy’s eyes rounded in delight as the dark man’s hand slipped into his pants, her fingers moving faster against her heated core. She moaned as he withdrew his member, his cock large in his fist as he moved his hand over himself slowly. Biting her lip, she groaned, wondering what it’d feel like to have a romp with a man of his size. Deciding her fingers weren’t enough anymore, she wandered over to her nightstand, bending unnecessary for his benefit, her legs spread wide. Reaching into the drawer, her hand hovered over her toys, trying to decide before her fingers closed around her dildo. Returning to the window, she waved the toy at her tall dark mystery man, smirking to herself as his hand began to move faster.

                Pulling her panties to the side, Poppy spread her legs and bent her knees, dragging the head of her toy through her heat before pressing it inside an inch. Holding his stare, she ran her tongue over her bottom lip languidly, catching it between her teeth as she pushed in the toy another inch. Leaning against the window with one hand, she watched his face contort as she rammed it home the rest of the way, groaning as it invaded her empty cavern. “Oh god,” she whispered, her teeth sinking deeper into her lip as she imagined it were him and not a piece of plastic.

~           ~             ~

                “Oh Christ,” Tora snarled as he watched his mystery woman press the toy into herself.
He was not prepared for this. Watching her feed it into her pussy slowly was killing him. He wanted to rip it from her and fill her himself in one thrust. Let her feel what she did to him as she squirmed on his dick. “Fuck!” he roared, jerking himself harder, his brows knit together as he watched her drive the rest of the poor imitation into her cunt. Reaching out with his free hand, he steadied himself, his fingers tented against the glass of the door as he stroked himself to the sight of the toy slipping in and out of her.

~            ~             ~

                “Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god,” Poppy panted, twisting and pinching her nipple through her bra as her other hand worked the toy faster between her legs, her gaze frozen on the dark man. Her pussy trembled as it drooled around the toy, her fingers sticky with her arousal. Watching this man masturbate was entrancing.

                She groaned, wanting nothing more than to get on her knees and lick his magnificent cock from base to tip. Holding his stare, she imagined it. Would his face look the same if he was staring down at her as his cock slid across her tongue? Moaning, her fingers left her breast and played with her tongue as the toy rocked harder inside her, the double penetration adding a layer to her dirty fantasy as she wondered silently if he had a friend.

~             ~               ~

                A few minutes later, when she threw her head back, her beautiful lips parted in an ‘o’ of pleasure, Tora felt his own pleasure rip through him. The orgasm catching him off guard as his semen splattered the patio door. Panting, he let the last of his shudders roll through him before tucking his dick back into his jeans.

                Opening his eyes, he stared at her, the toy in her hand hanging limply by her hip, her eyes on him as she stood stone still. He smirked at her. Next week, they were playing by his rules. Glancing down at the mess he’d made, he contemplated how to clean it up. He hadn’t exactly thought through leaving his DNA all over the glass. He’d have to come back tomorrow and clean this up. Fuck. 

                Looking back up at his little exhibitionist he smirked at the satisfied look on her face. Maybe having to come back here again tomorrow wasn’t such a bad thing.

~              ~              ~

                Poppy was folding her laundry Sunday night when she noticed the light go on in the apartment across from her. Blinking at it in surprise, she smirked as the man got on his knees and began cleaning the patio door with a small hand towel. Picturing herself on her knees at his feet had been sexy, picturing him on his knees between her legs was…delicious, she thought, squeezing her thighs together.  Her jeans limp in her hand, her task forgotten as her dirty mind frolicked through the gutter.

Snapping out of it, Poppy frowned as he ignored her, seemingly focused on his task. Watching him cum the other night had been hot, she was almost disappointed to see the evidence disappearing. She rather liked knowing it was there, like a dirty secret between them. Ignoring him in turn, she finished folding a pair of jeans and reached for a hoodie.

                Hanging the last of her shirts, Poppy moved out of her walk in closet and frowned as she noticed her mystery man standing by his sliding door. She thought he’d be gone by now. Apparently not. Her heart skipped a beat at the marker in his hand as he waved it at her with an arched brow. Was he going to try to communicate with her? No. That wasn’t allowed! This was a fantasy come to life. A fantasy. She wanted him to stay that way.

                Her eyes narrowed as he pressed the tip to the glass and began to write. Stepping closer to her own window, she frowned at the number ‘5’ he’d written. He erased it and wrote a host of other numbers. Confused but curious, Poppy grabbed her sketch pad off her reading chair and copied down his message, staring at the symbols in confusion for a moment. Ten numbers. What the hell was he trying to tell her? Glancing up she shook her head at him in befuddlement.

                Poppy watched, eyes rounding in horror as he curled his first three fingers in towards his palm, extending his pinky and thumb before pressing his hand to the side of his head, a brow arched almost in challenge. Horrified, Poppy drew the curtain, shutting him out.

Chapter Text

WEEK 5

                Poppy sat on her bed, staring down at his number on her sketchpad, her phone in her hand. She shouldn’t. She couldn’t….could she? Playing in the window was one thing. A safe thing. A fantasy where her mystery man remained nothing more than hungry eyes on the other side of the glass. Opening lines of communication was something else entirely. This would make things…real? Right now the man felt like a phantom, a drop dead sexy phantom that existed solely to heat her body with his gaze. She didn’t want to complicate things by giving him a voice, a name, a life. Why the hell did he want to talk to her anyways? Wasn’t what they were doing enough? Based on his performance the other night she would have assumed he was just as please by their silent arrangement as she was. Why did he want to go and complicate things?

                Chucking her phone to the side, she crawled off her bed and opened her curtains. It was Thursday, he’d be back Saturday. She knew he would. She’d just pretend he’d never given her his number. Touching herself for him was enough…her mind flashed an unbidden image of his cock in his hand and she groaned…wasn’t it?  

~              ~                ~

                That Saturday, Tora frowned as he watched his vixen leave her washroom in the same robe he’d first glimpsed her in. She hadn’t contacted him. Following her movement with his eyes, he waited for her to acknowledge him. It came a few moments later when she approached the window with a wave and a smile. She wasn’t going to shut him out then? He’d thought she might be done with him after how violently she’d pulled the curtain on him last week. Forming his fingers into the symbol for telephone, he shook his hand next to his ear, indicating his desire for her to call him.

                He scowled when she shook her head. No? Why the fuck not? He repeated the gesture in annoyance. Once again she shook her head no. He tossed his arms out to either side of him, palms face up in confusion. When she just continued to shake her head, he crossed his arms and stared hard at her, trying to figure out where this shy act was suddenly coming from.

~           ~            ~

                Poppy frowned as her fantasy man stood with crossed arms looking confused and bothered. Grimacing, she grabbed her phone off her bed where she’d left it and punched in the number she’d been staring at for days. Below it, she typed a message:

                I don’t wanna talk.

                He pulled out his phone and frowned at her message before typing his own. Then he looked up at her, a challenge still evident in his gaze.

Poppy glanced down at her phone when it buzzed in her hand.

 fine. no talkin. but I want to hear ya moan.

                Eyes widening, Poppy lifted her head, staring at the sexy smirk on his lips as he nodded at her slowly, reinforcing his desire.  She reached for the curtain on reflex, the game over now that he’d made her uncomfortable, she hesitated and drew back. Improper? Ruining you would be improper. I’m only watching…lift your skirts higher, she thought to herself, quoting the passage she was too embarrassed to admit how many times she’d read. She stared down nervously at the phone in her hand. Maybe having his voice would make it hotter? Maybe she’d enjoy more than just his gaze? Did it even matter? She had texted him, he had her number now. In her desire not to call him, she’d just given him unlimited access to her, now he could call her anytime he wanted. She frowned, she supposed she could block him but it was too late to go backwards now right?

Lifting her head to look at him, Poppy nodded once, hesitating only momentarily before pressing dial on the message thread. She waited and watched as the man’s smirk transformed into a grin as he punched the connect button on his phone, bringing the device to his ear. He didn’t say a word, just arched a brow at her expectantly as he listened to her erratic nervous breathing.

Licking her lips, Poppy bent over and placed the phone on speaker at her feet before reaching for the knot in her robe.

~                 ~                   ~

                Tora smiled as he watched his vixen loosen her robe, the sound of the silk and her fingers working adding to his pleasure. He might not be able to touch her but seeing and hearing was better than just a visual alone. One of these nights, I am gonna touch her, he promised himself. When her robe fell open, Tora sucked in a harsh breath, biting down hard on his lip to prevent himself from spewing every expletive on the tip of his tongue. Fuck he liked this woman; she’d made his last wish come true. Sheer white lace panties and bra, halle-fucking-lujah. He wished he had the scope off his rifle so he could see the fine details, with her reading lamp on he could finally see her, the rose of her nipples, the outline of her pussy.

                He couldn’t suppress the groan that escaped him as she began to fondle herself, her breasts spilling out of her palms and between her fingers as she squeezed them. Fuck he wanted to be her fingers. Gritting his teeth, he forced his heartbeat to quiet so he could hear her better. It was faint but he would swear he could hear tiny hums escaping her. Bracing his forearm on the patio door, Tora pressed the phone harder against his ear, desperate to catch any sound that might emanate from her.

                “Mmm,” she moaned as she tweaked her nipples through the material, the small sound shooting straight to his groin. Reaching down, he adjusted himself without taking his eyes off her, palming himself through his jeans as she slipped her fingers into the front of her panties.

                Tora frowned when she withdrew her hand rather suddenly and moved away from the phone and towards her chair. Arching a brow in confusion, it took him a moment to catch on as he watched her drag the chair over to the middle of the window. He grinned as she plopped herself into the seat, hooking one leg over each arm, spreading herself wide for his viewing pleasure.

~                ~                ~

                Licking her lips, Poppy glanced down at her phone on the floor as the seconds ticked by, indicating the call was still very much connected, the sound of his aroused breathing ever more reassurance she had his attention. She blushed as she looked up at the man staring at her in delight. If she had realized how much this angle would do for him she would have thought to do it sooner. Inhaling deeply, she ran her hand down the center of her torso, letting her fingers slip into her panties, sliding two fingers along her slit before massaging her way up, spreading her labia so she could catch her clit between her scissored fingers, pinching the small bud deliciously.

                Moaning at the touch, Poppy stared hard at her dark mystery man, the weight of his hooded gaze burning into her as she pleasured herself, her breathing coming harder the more sensation she brought herself. Backing off her clit as her chest flushed with the evidence of her heated blood, Poppy dipped her fingers lower, circling her opening as the man grunted. She watched, her head tilted slightly as he popped the button on his jeans, pushed the phone into his pocket and tugged his shirt up over his head with both hands in one fluid movement.

                Poppy’s eyes hooded in desire as she stared at her partner, every part the voyeur now as her fingers stilled, her breathing breaking in excited pants as she took him all in. Oh mother of Jesus, the man was unbelievable. Every single fantasy of the male bodies described in her romance novels come to life. She wanted to lick every inch of him, starting with the ribbed muscle populating his torso. “Oh god, thank you,” she breathed, his phone at his ear again, his bicep flexing at the movement, drawing her attention to the koi fish on his arm.

                “Nah sweetheart, the devil sent me,” he teased, the baritone of his voice like gravel under tires as the reverberation caused wetness to seep onto her fingertips.

                Poppy might have rolled her eyes at how cliché his line was if it weren’t for how sinful he looked standing there, his dark mane of hair sliding over tan broad shoulders, muscles rippling under tattooed skin with every motion. He certainly looked like a dark angel and that made her want to do bad things. She shuddered, her eyes closing as the tremble moved through her. “Fuck woman, ya just cum from lookin’ at me?” his voice rumbled out of her speaker in amusement, trying to coax her into talking to him.

                Biting her lip in response to his words, Poppy shook her head. She’d been bloody close though, she thought, her vaginal channel pulsing, making her feel hollow and much too greedy; but he didn’t need to know that. His voice was everything she had no idea she needed.  The art he wore on his skin had been overwhelming enough, the addition of his voice was reeking devastation on her nerve endings, her skin pimpling with goosebumps in response to the low husky decibel.

                Desperate for release, Poppy thrust two fingers inside her pussy.

~                ~             ~

                Tora smirked as he watched his vixen throw her head back, her feet jerking involuntarily as he watched her hand flatten against her mound under the material of her panties. Reaching down with his free hand, he took hold of his shaft, pumping himself slowly as he listened to her moan. “Move your panties, I wanna see your fingers,” he growled. He licked his lips in desire as she gasped and pulled the material to the side.

                Tightening his grip on his cock, Tora groaned, locking eyes with her as her free hand pulled the cup of her bra down, exposing her breast as she played with the perfect nipple. She was killin’ him. His hand moved faster, in time with hers as she pummelled herself, her knees gripping the arms of her chair tighter. “Oh god, I’m, I-I-ahhhh,” his vixen cried out, her head slamming back, her eyes locked with his as her legs spasmed, her fingers pistoning in and out of her in desperation, so wet he could hear the squelching.  

                Groaning, Tora squeezed his cock, precum seeping out of his tip. Frowning, feeling the sticky ooze on his fingers, he clenched his jaw. The last thing he wanted was to cum all over the damn window again. Glancing down at his feet he arched a brow at the small hand towel he’d brought to clean but had forgotten in his disappointment after she’d shut him out. That’ll work, he thought smugly, returning his gaze to his sated little exhibitionist, he smirked into the phone as he stroked himself in earnest.

“Like what ya see?” he growled, her gaze locked on him as she sat draped over the chair limply. He moaned, low in his throat, his gaze on her exposed pussy as he jerked himself, imagining what that tight wet little cunt would feel like around his cock. He lurched when she nodded at his question, the only acknowledgement she was listening to him. Reaching for the towel, Tora wrapped it around his cock and pumped himself once, twice before grunting his release.

                “What’s your name?” He panted, unable to help himself, desperate to hear her voice again once he’d recovered.

                Smirking, his vixen shook her head in amusement and pulled her robe closed as she sat up and reached for the phone. His face fell as she disconnected the call, the sound of her movement ending abruptly, the soft panting of his own breathing the only noise that graced his ears now. Wiping himself, he tossed the towel to the side, tucking himself back into his jeans before shooting her a text.

                Next week, I want ya to answer me.

                He watched as she glanced down at her phone and laughed; a smirk on her lips as she typed. He glanced down at his hand as his phone dinged in quick succession, his breath catching in his throat at her words.

                You look like a man that’s used to being in charge…

But this is my fantasy handsome.

I’ll call the shots, not you.  ; P

Well fuck me, he thought, a devilish grin spreading over his mouth. His angel had horns.

Chapter Text

WEEK 8

                Tora was about ready to tear his hair out by the third Saturday she’d refused to respond vocally to him. Here he was again, standing on the balcony, smoking aggressively, his hand gripping the railing so hard his knuckles were turning white as he watched her fuck herself fully dressed with her dildo draped sideways on the edge of her bed. Now she was just being cruel. He’d changed tactics over the month, switching from demanding to sweet requests in the hopes of coaxing her into doing his biding. It hadn’t worked. He frowned as the skirt of her dress shifted, obstructing his view. “Lift your skirt higher,” he growled into the phone, more a desire than a request considering she barely listened to him.

                He watched in confusion as she froze, pulling the toy from her depths, sitting up to stare at him incredulously. “What did you just say?” her voice came through the receiver, soft and sweet and breathless. Tora did his best to keep his face emotionless, not that she could see him in the shadows that clung to him, “I said, lift your skirt higher,” he repeated firmly, uncertain why that, of all the dirty things he’d said to her the last few weeks, was what had finally done it for her.

                “What we’re doing is dirty and wrong,” she whispered, her head turned on the mattress to stare at him, curious as to how he’d respond.

                Smirking, Tora ashed his cigarette before placing it back between his lips, “nah sweetheart, watchin’ ya ain’t wrong. Dirtyin’ ya up with my hands though, that’d be wrong,” he admitted, only half teasing.

                She held his gaze for a long moment, perplexed as to how he’d just role played her exact fantasy. “My name is Poppy,” she finally answered the question that’d been torturing him for weeks.

He smirked, “like the flower?” Tora grinned wider when she nodded, “suits ya. Pretty.”

~               ~                   ~

                Poppy sat on the edge of her bed feeling dumbfounded as she watched his cigarette flare and crackle in the dark. For the first time in all the weeks they’d been playing, Poppy allowed herself to wonder about the man who watched her. Feeling both curious and terrified of giving her mystery man a name, a background, an existence outside their play, she ventured cautiously, “what’s your name?”

                The low chuckle that greeted her made her abdomen clench, an involuntary reaction to the deep rumble. “Tora.”

                “Tora?” She repeated, both intrigued and befuddled by the odd name.

                She watched as he put out his cigarette and moved back into the apartment, into the light, pulling his shirt over his head, turning to show her his back for the first time in all their play. “Tora,” he repeated firmly, his kanji on display for her.

                Poppy blinked in surprise before her eyes hooded in desire, if she’d thought his front was immaculate, his back was godly. She wanted to run her hands up and down the muscle on either side of his spine, dig her nails into his shoulders as those strong hips snapped forcefully against hers. She watched as he turned to look at her again in the light. “Can we talk now Poppy?” he asked hopefully.

                Tossing her dildo to the side, Poppy rearranged her skirt and smoothed it over her legs as she perched on the edge of the bed. “I’d really rather prefer to keep this…fantasy,” she replied hesitantly.

                Smirking at her, Tora braced his forearm against the door as he stared across the distance at her. “I got all kinds of fantasies sweetheart, ya made damn sure of that. How bout we make one of mine reality now since you’ve had all the fun?” He inquired, not caring that everything he wanted to do to her was kinky. Then again, the woman only looked innocent. He knew she was hiding horns, with her track record; she’d probably be into it.

                Swallowing thickly at his words, Poppy felt heat seep into her cheeks, “like what?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

                “Let me touch you,” he purred seductively, his simple request hitting her like a roundhouse kick to the chest.

                “No,” she bit out vehemently, knowing if she ever let the sexy sinful man in her bed she’d never want him to leave. She could say goodbye to ever being satisfied with her own fingers and a hot book. Like the Duke had done to Moira by the end…Tora would dickmatize her, she’d seen his cock, heard his dirty talk. No, he’d ruin her, leaving her wholly unsatisfied with any other lover she’d ever take to bed, she was sure of it.

                She watched as his face fell with disappointment. “Fine, let me take ya on a date then?”

                She hesitated before she shook her head again, knowing she wouldn’t be able to control herself if she were ever in the same room with him. The sexual tension was too much even with twelve feet and two panels of glass between them.

                “Fine. Final ask, when I call, ya answer the phone,” he requested, his tone clipped.

                Poppy’s brows knit together in regret. He’d tried to call her a few times the last few weeks outside of their Saturday night play. She only ever picked up the phone when she could see him standing in the other apartment. She hadn’t realized it bothered him that much. “Okay,” she agreed.

~                  ~                 ~

                It was Tuesday when the first call came through. Taking a deep breath, Poppy shrugged her purse back into place and stared down at the rip in her jeans as the bus bounced over a pothole. “Hello?” she answered brightly, trying to pretend it was someone else.

                “Where ya at sweetheart?” his voice came through, igniting a flame low in her belly.

                “On my way home from work,” Poppy replied, doing her best to keep her voice light, sweet, as though she weren’t having visceral images of his body parts flashing in her mind.

                “What do you do for work?” he asked.

                Frowning, Poppy glanced around, hoping no one could tell how strange this conversation was for her. What was he doing? Why did he care? “I’m an editor,” she replied.

                “Friend of mine is a writer,” Tora commented.

                “Uh-huh,” Poppy mumbled, unsure what the point of his call was.

                “What are ya scared of Poppy?” he asked suddenly.

                “What?”

                “What are ya so scared of?” he repeated, “Why ya acting so cold when I know how hot ya can be? I promise I don’t bite, unless ya want me to,” he teased.

                “I-I’m on the bus, this really isn’t the place for this conversation,” she muttered before cupping her hand around the receiver, “people are listening,” she hissed.

                She could swear she heard him smirk before his words came through the phone, “I’ll call ya later then.” And then he was gone. Frowning at the odd conversation, Poppy placed her phone back in her purse, her curiosity piqued for the remainder of her ride home.

~                ~                 ~

                Tora yawned as his thumbs moved over his controller, his avatar moving across his screen. He hadn’t called her again after their awkward conversation on the phone earlier this afternoon. Getting her to strip was easy, getting her to talk was like pulling teeth. He frowned as he shot the enemy in his avatar’s way, forcing the digital representation to scale a cliff face as he watched on detachedly. He supposed most men would kill to be in his positon but honestly, it sucked.

                He just wanted to know about her, what was so wrong about that? She was sexy as hell, kinky, and quirky based on things he’d gleamed from her bedroom décor. She’d piqued his interest. So what if he wanted to talk to her in the middle of the day? What was so wrong with that? She’d been pushing boundaries since the first time she’d acknowledged his existence. Why couldn’t he push one now?

~               ~                ~

                Poppy watched her phone out of the corner of her eye as she moved around her apartment, making herself dinner while she half-heartedly watched a documentary on her laptop. He hadn’t called her back and it’d been hours. What the hell could he have possibly wanted? Phone sex? If that was the case why did he ask her about her work? Picking up her phone, she bit down on the thumbnail of the other hand in indecision, debating whether to call him or not.

                Phone sex could be hot? Maybe? Navigating through her contacts, she clicked on ‘Hungry Eyes’ the nickname she’d given Tora when she’d originally saved his number. She listened to it ring a few times before his surprised tone replied, “ya miss me already sweetheart?”

                “You said you were gonna call me back,” she murmured stupidly, not sure what had possessed her to call now that she had him on the line.

                “Oh? Ya wanna talk to me now?” he teased, a smile in his voice.

                “Maybe?” she replied cheekily, “or maybe I’m just looking for a good sausage,” she teased, hinting at the request he’d made the other night. Hoping he might just offer to stuff her and get the ball rolling on their phone sex. She couldn’t wait to hear him moaning for her.

                The laugh that escaped her speaker made her smile; she’d never heard him laugh before, just the occasional chuckle, “yeah? Sorry, you’re outta luck, that’s my other number.”

                Poppy frowned, her mouth twisting in confusion, “your other number?”

                “Don’t worry about it, sorry, never mind,” he brushed her off, the amusement still evident in his tone.

                “Okay, well, I’m curious as to what you wanted this afternoon on the bus?” She asked leadingly, trying again, while turning off her laptop and the stove, figuring she could eat after he got her off.

                “Just wanted to talk, learn about ya,” He replied honestly.

                Poppy’s hand slid off her hip as her eyes rounded in surprise, “what, but I’m -?”

                “The sexiest thing I’ve ever seen, yeah. The dirty shit ya do is hot as hell but I’m curious as to what ya got going on upstairs too, and not just between ya legs,” he teased.

                “Um…I like to read?” she replied awkwardly, not sure she wanted to have this conversation anymore.

                Tora smirked, deeply amused by her discomfort, “relax Poppy this ain’t an interview, I’m just curious ‘bout ya.” Turning off his game, Tora put her on speaker and set his phone on his chest as he lay down on the couch, trying to picture her doing mundane things.

                “Hey Tora?”

                “Yeah?”

                “You’re weird ya know that?” Poppy told him, frowning as she stood at a loss in the middle of her kitchen between her stove and island.

                Tora chuckled, a grin forming over his lips, “says the woman that masturbates for strangers. What’s so wrong with wanting to know ya? Ya know what’s weird for me? I know every inch of your body but I know nothing ‘bout ya other than your name.”      

                Poppy frowned as she debated his words; she supposed he did have a point. She nibbled her lip in indecision. Moira and the Duke had been friends….with benefits…well, until he married her. She huffed at the ridiculous notion. This was real life, not a romance novel. Friends then. If it got weird she could always block him. Put an end to their odd relationship. There was no harm in chatting right? If he was going to call her out of the blue from now on, maybe knowing a little more about him wasn’t so bad? “Okay. Wanna play twenty questions?”

Chapter Text

WEEK 8

                “Favourite food?” Poppy fired off.

                “Strawberries, favourite memory?” Tora replied just as quickly.

                “Climbing trees with my Dad in Moonbright,” Poppy replied with a smile, “favourite way to unwind?”

                “Workin’ out, the heavier the weight the better, same question,” Tora answered, threading his fingers together behind his head, focused entirely on the sound of her voice coming through his speaker.

                “A long bath with a sexy book,” Poppy replied, adding almost as an afterthought, “I also really like having my feet rubbed.”

                Taking a mental note of her comment, Tora hummed before asking, “favourite book?”

                Blushing as she checked on the roast in the oven, Poppy groaned softly in embarrassment before replying honestly in a small voice, “The Secret Garden by Q.B Noyouko.”

                Touching his tongue to the back of his teeth to keep from laughing, Tora nodded, “that’s a hot one,” he commented calmly. He’d know, he’d practically written a chapter or two for Quincey. “What’s your favourite part?”

                “You’ve read it?” Poppy squeaked; her embarrassment doubling considering there was so little plot to porn it barely passed for a book.

                “Mmmhmmm,” Tora teased. In truth, Quincey had read it to him so frequently by the time it’d been published it did very little for him. Thinking about Poppy reading it though? Touching herself to it? To his ideas of what was sexually pleasurable? Now that had his cock stirring.

                “Uh, hard to choose, but if I have to, it’d be the dinner date with the elevator scene,” Poppy responded, momentarily forgetting her embarrassment.

                Tora’s brows rose at that, he’d had a hand in writing that one. She liked the idea of a forward man? Even in a public setting? He smirked; he’d love to play with her on an elevator after teasing her over dinner. “Wanna roleplay?” he suggested seriously, loving the idea of acting out the book.

                Rolling her eyes Poppy smirked, “maybe someday,” she replied with no trace of sincerity, “and that’s two questions buster, you don’t get to skip my turn,” she teased.

                Grinning broadly, Tora chuckled, pleased she hadn’t replied with a flat out ‘no’. Did that mean she was open to closing the distance between them now? “Kay, what’s your question?”

                “What’s your favourite part of the book?” Poppy fired back, feeling unoriginal but very curious.

                “When he licks her cunt in the elevator till she screams and the people waiting on the next floor hear,” he teased boldly, the ‘eep’ that came through the receiver exactly what he was hoping for.

                “Why that scene?” Poppy asked, bolstering her courage.

                Chuckling, Tora chose not to point out that now she was the one breaking the rules, “I like the idea her trying to pretend as though she didn’t just have the orgasm of her life, other people stepping onto the lift while he’s still wearing her cum on his mouth like leftover desert. Or maybe it’s just my love of intimidation, like ‘yeah we were doing exactly what you’re thinkin’, I dare ya to say something’ ya know?”

                “You’re filthy,” Poppy chided, pulling her roast out of the oven as she pressed her thighs together trying to keep the damp aching his words caused at bay.

                “You love it,” Tora shrugged, “it was your favourite too,” he pointed out.

                Biting her lip, Poppy nodded, the idea of him being so out of control with need for her he couldn’t even wait to get into the apartment? Hot. “Yeah, I do,” she replied boldly.

                “K, so, roleplay?” Tora pushed.

                Laughing, Poppy shook her head, “we’ve been roleplaying this whole time, my fantasy remember?”

                “So let me bring all your fantasies alive,” Tora insisted, smirking wickedly before adding, “I’ve been told I’m damn good with my tongue.”

                Nose scrunching, forcing herself to keep a straight face, Poppy coaxed her inner minx forward, “bet I’m better.”

                Sucking in a harsh breath, Tora’s pained expression morphed into a small smile as he listened to her dissolve into giggles on the other end of the line. He couldn’t wait to have her tongue on him but for now, listening to her laugh was pretty damn nice.

WEEK 9

                “Harder,” Poppy wheezed, eyes open, fixated on the man watching her from across the alley, her free hand pressed to the glass.

                Smirking sadly at her, Tora nodded, “shame your toy isn’t doing it,” he teased, “think ya need a couple more inches and a little more muscle if ya want it real hard,” he teased, winking at her.

                Groaning Poppy threw her head back and flicked her wrist faster, her foot propped up on her reading chair, her rabbit buried in her pussy as she massaged her clit between its ears.

                Licking his lips, Tora adjusted himself, annoyed he was more interested in the hand that appeared to be reaching for him rather than the toy between her legs. “Fuck, what do ya really want from me?” he asked himself again for the hundredth time this week.

                “Talk dirty to me,” Poppy begged, unaware his question had been rhetorical, “I’m close.”

                Closing his eyes as a shudder rolled through his body at the desperate need in her voice, Tora purposely dropped his voice, arousal laced through the rumbling octave. “I wanna pin ya to the wall of an elevator, and tangle my tongue with yours while ya ride my thigh. I want to feel how wet ya are through my jeans. I wanna run my hands all over your god damn curves, yank up your skirt, put your thigh on my shoulder and eat ya like that snack y’are.”         

                Taking a deep breath, he continued, locking his gaze with hers, voicing his deepest desires. The sound like honey poured over thunder, “I want to be in that room with ya. I want to crowd ya back into that chair and fuck ya exactly the way ya want. Hard and deep and whisper all the filthy shit I dream about doing to ya in your ear as ya pant, your cunt wrapped around my cock so tight I can barely pull out to thrust.”

                “Oh my god,” Poppy whispered, squeezing her eyes closed as she shattered, her hips jerking involuntarily as her toes curled against the cushion of the chair.

                Pulling the toy from her body a moment later, Poppy stared across the way at the man glaring at her. Was this not good for him? He hadn’t touched himself. She frowned; he didn’t look satisfied at all. If anything, the hunger in his gold eyes was ravenous. She shuddered again, biting her lip, need making itself known between her legs already. She wasn’t satisfied either…not by a long shot.

WEEK 10

                “That’s fucked Poppy,” Tora stated monotonely as he set his weight down and grabbed his water bottle.

                Scrunching her face up, Poppy carefully applied another coat of paint to her toe nails. “What is?”

                “Carnal red?” Tora commented, taking a sip of his water, “is everything about ya always sexually charged?”

                Smirking, Poppy snorted, touching up her baby toe, “now that you mention it, I guess it does sound like a bad porno, if you think the colour name’s rich, guess what the brand name is?”

                Lips twisting into a grin, Tora shook his head in amusement, “what is it?”

                “Wet n’ Wild,” she enunciated, placing emphasis on the ‘w’s as she glanced down at her phone.

                “Pffff, you’re shittin’ me,” Tora replied, reaching for the weighted bar at his feet, enjoying her voice in his ear.  

                “Dead serious,” Poppy attested, blowing on her toes as she twisted the cap back on her polish, “k, I forget, who’s turn is it, yours or mine?” she asked, setting the nail polish aside as she flopped back on her bed to continue their game of questions.

                “Fucked if I know,” Tora muttered, silently keeping count of his shoulder shrugs in the floor to ceiling mirror in front of him, despite having given up on keeping track of their game a week and a half ago.

                “Well I have one I’m curious about,” Poppy offered.

                “Shoot,” Tora replied, grunting as he finished his last rep.

                “What’s one thing people often misunderstand about you?” She asked, studying her fingernails now, wondering if she should paint those too. The colour on her toes would certainly go well with the red bra and panty set she was thinking about wearing for him tomorrow.

                Both brows arching in surprise, Tora set down the bar and lifted a sixty pound dumbbell over his head, working his triceps as he thought about her question. “That I don’t play basketball,” he joked, not sure how she’d feel about his real answer.

                Snickering, Poppy shook her head in amusement, “no, seriously, I’m curious, we’ve covered a lot of surface stuff, I really wanna know what makes you tick,” she teased, hoping her developing feelings for him weren’t obvious.

                “It’s a good question, I need to think for a minute, you go first,” Tora countered, feeling a little conflicted about lying to her but needing to know how honest to be with his response.

                Humming, Poppy nodded, reflecting for a moment before opening her mouth, “there are a lot of people who see me and just think: small, cute, defenceless. I think the number one thing people misunderstand about me is the fact I know how to use their perceptions of me to my advantage. After all, when you’re as small as I am, sometimes getting away with something is better than getting your way. Ya know?”

                “Oh yeah? Is that why you’re so good at getting away with being an asshole to me?” Tora teased, grinning when she giggled.

                “Maybe…” flipping onto her stomach, she picked up her phone, cradling it in her hands, wanting to be closer to him, “your turn.”

                Finishing his set, Tora set aside his weight and bit his lip for a moment, choosing his words carefully. “Most of the men I’ve met in my life covet influence. They call it money, physical strength, sex appeal or reputation but it all boils down to power and respect. Most guys look at me and think, I want what he’s got. Truth is, though, I’d give my left nut to have what they got,” he explained honestly, standing in the middle of the gym with his hands on his hips, staring at himself in the mirror as he held his breath waiting for her response.

                “What do you mean by normal?” Poppy asked, intrigued by the intensity of his response.

                Shrugging, Tora turned away from the mirror and wandered over to his chin up bar, “I mean normal Poppy. Being a good ol’ average Joe sounds like goals to me,” he muttered, smiling, his breathing growing strained as he lifted his dangling body weight, his mind on his mentor.

                “So you’re gonna what? Sell your car, stop working out, give your money to charity, eat some chips and be bored and lonely half the time? I think if you spent one day in my shoes you’d change your mind. I bet you don’t even know what it feels like to walk down the street without people moving aside for you,” Poppy teased.

                Landing heavy on his feet, Tora frowned, “first of all, if ya ever let me come over, I’d make sure ya never felt bored or lonely.” He told her flatly, making her blush. “But nah woman, ya ain’t listening. I’m talkin’ about stability, comfort, predictability. Livin’ in the same place for a decade, or at least longer than a year or two, coming home to the same person every night, knowing your fuckin’ work hours before you’re workin’ ‘em, not having to be paranoid wondering if the people around ya are gonna act up,” he clarified.

                  Poppy frowned; she hadn’t realized being a building manager was that stressful, he must deal with terrible tenants, she thought, the fact only occurring to her now that they’d never discussed his work.  Her heart palpitated aggressively in her chest at the notion he wanted a long term relationship. Her face fell a second later, as another thought hit her, “Do I make you paranoid?” she murmured.

                Laughing, Tora pushed his bangs out of his sweaty face with a smile, their definitions of ‘act up’ entirely different. “Nah sweetheart, you’re the most consistent person I know,” he teased, “all I gotta do is hear your voice and I know exactly what I’m going to get.”  

                “Oh really?” Poppy contested, rolling her eyes.

“Damn right,” he told her firmly, realizing she needed proof to believe how attune he’d become to her. When sound and sight was all he had to focus on, learning her voice has been as instinctual as breathing. “Last Thursday ya sounded like ya were gonna cry. Knew ya were upset before ya ever told me about Gil chewin’ ya out. Friday ya were happy, turned out ya had taken the day to visit your Gran. Saturday I picked up the phone and all ya did was breathe and I knew it was go time, never moved so fast in my life,” he exaggerated teasingly.

Pulling the corners of her mouth back, Poppy grimaced, she was entirely too transparent. There was no way he hadn’t figured out she’d developed a crush. “And what are you gonna get now?” she cooed, a sultry suggestive edge to her voice, desperate to distract him.

                Smirking Tora licked his lips, his cock stirring at her tone, “if ya wanna play you’re gonna need to give me a half hour, I’m filthy,” he muttered, stretching out his back and shoulders, attempting to loosen the tightness he was feeling after his workout.

                “Filthy eh? You know that’s how I like it,” she teased. When he snorted, she suggested with mock innocence, “Or you could just go to the washroom and we could facetime?”

                Tossing his head back on his shoulders, Tora breathed deeply through his nose, fighting temptation, “nah, I’m not going backwards sweetheart. I want less distance between us, not more, I hate those stupid fuckin’ screens. If I ever get to see ya up close, it’s gonna be in person.”

                Rolling her eyes, Poppy sighed in defeat, “we’ve been over this Tora. I like our dynamic,” she lied, practically choking on her desire to have him touch her.

                “Can’t blame a guy for tryin’, your teasin’ is straight torture sometimes,” he explained, forcing a joking tone despite being dead serious.

                There was silence on the other end for a long moment as Poppy gnawed on her bottom lip, momentarily considered inviting him over before chickening out. “Listen, I gotta go,” Poppy lied, “you have a good afternoon and I’ll see ya tomorrow at ten?”

                Sighing, Tora nodded, “ ‘course sweetheart, wouldn’t miss it,” he told her disappointedly before the line went dead and she ran away again.

~                 ~             ~

                Staring down at her phone, Poppy frowned. Tora had never been so open with her before. She wasn’t sure how to feel about it, his vulnerability appealing to a deep part of her soul. Wanting more than a sexy friendship with him was a bad idea. Biting her lip, she thought back on their last session, a level of awkwardness making itself known that hadn’t been there before. Neither of them had voiced the slight disappointment but it was there, growing. The excitement and sensation of sight and sound just weren’t enough anymore to satisfy either of them.  She bit her thumb, wondering just how bold she could be.

                Her phone buzzed in her hand:

                What’s one thing you want to experience before you die?

                Don’t say his dick, don’t say his dick, don’t say his dick, she thought frantically, her thumbs typing the only other thing that came to mind immediately.

                Romantic love.

                On opposite sides of the city, both Tora and Poppy groaned at her response for entirely different reasons.

Chapter Text

PART 2:  TOUCH, SMELL & TASTE

WEEK 11

                Tora leaned backwards against the railing preventing him from tumbling into the river as he stared up at her lit apartment, frowning in indecision. It was late, she was probably wondering where he was. He didn’t want to play their game anymore though. He knew too much about her now, her favourite food, colour, game, political opinions, what she liked on her sandwiches, her values, beliefs, why she displayed her books with the spines backwards. Fuck he even knew things about her family, her Mom ditching her as a kid, her Dad’s death, her childhood in Moonbright. How the fuck was he just supposed to watch her now, knowing all that? He couldn’t. There was too much intimacy now to just be a spectator. Last week’s session had been hellish trying to pretend he was satisfied with the status quo. He wouldn’t be able to fake it again.

He grimaced; she’d flip if he did what he was thinking about doing though. It might not mean much to her but he’d told her shit he didn’t share with anyone, his desires for his future, some of his childhood trauma, his history, stories about Quincey and Gyu that made him seem like a normal man. She made him feel normal. He could have a fantasy too couldn’t he? Of being someone else? Someone who could have a real relationship with her? Someone who could…love her?

Opening his phone he scrolled back in their conversation and stared down at the two words that had changed everything for him.

Romantic love.

                Sighing, he turned his head away and lit a cigarette; he’d barely touched them this week, calling her instead whenever he wanted a moment of stability, normalcy.  She’d told him his existence was exciting for her, a dirty little secret that thrilled her. He smirked wondering what she’d think if she knew their relationship, though sexually exciting, was actually mundane in comparison to his day job. 

                Fear and intimidation…where the fuck had it gotten him?

He frowned feeling pathetic, if he couldn’t even get her in the same room, how was he ever gonna get to experience a normal relationship with her? Why did everything he did have to be so non-conformist? He snorted at his own question, because it’d be fuckin’ boring, that’s why. Of course he and Poppy had had to do things backwards, baring their bodies before their hearts. He glanced once more up at her apartment. Fuck it. He’d been playing Russian roulette with his life for a decade; why not toss his heart in the gamble this time?

~              ~            ~

               Poppy frowned in confusion at the dark apartment and then at the silent phone behind her on the bed. Where was he? She jumped when she heard the knock at her front door. Grabbing her robe off the bed, she opened the door to the bedroom and pulled on the silk as she headed for the front door, securing the belt as she passed the kitchen.

               Rising up on her tip toes, she peaked out the eyehole, wondering who would be visiting her at ten thirty at night. Eyes rounding, her lips parting in a small ‘o’, Poppy’s heart fumbled its rhythm hard in her chest.  What the hell was he doing outside her door, how the hell did he even get in the building!? Backing up in horror, her shoulders hit her coat closet with an audible thud.

               “Oi, Poppy, I know you’re there, I can hear ya,” his voice rumbled through the door, the baritone somehow even better in person than over the phone. She wondered what it would feel like in her ear, his breath hot on her skin, the thought both deeply arousing and petrifying for her. “Woman, I’ve had enough of your teasing, I want the real thing. I’m not playing this game anymore.”

               Stepping towards the door, Poppy bit her lip, unsure what to say, “uh, I don’t know if I want to do anything with you other than what we’ve been doing,” she lied, hopeful her voice was loud enough for him to hear but not her neighbours. She sighed and squeezed her eyes closed; trying to banish all the fantasies she’d had of him moving over and in her.

               His air leaving him in a disappointed whoosh, Tora balled his palm into a fist against the door separating them. Well, that was that then. He wasn’t taking any steps backwards, if she wasn’t willing to walk forwards with him, she left him no choice but to walk away. There was no way he could keep this dynamic with her, it was killing him.

“Kay, I understand. Sorry. Hope I didn’t freak ya out showing up like this,” he offered in apology, knowing this had been a possibility but not fully prepared for the rejection. “Listen Poppy, I’mma go now but I meant it. I’m done with this. I’m not playing games anymore. If you’re not gonna meet me, lose my number sweetheart,” he instructed, pushing himself away from her door. He’d gone about twenty feet when he heard her door open behind him.

               “You don’t mean that!” she objected, her heart racing now that there was finally nothing but air separating them.

               Tora smirked and turned to face her, staying exactly where he was, “yeah sweetheart, I do,” he told her sadly, letting his smirk slip into a frown as he took in the sight of her in the same short silk robe from when he’d first glimpsed her. How many times had he tortured himself wondering what that silk would feel like under his impatient fingers?

               Fiddling with the ends of her waist tie she stared at him pleadingly, forcing herself to say the words caught in her throat. “But I like this, what we do, it’s good for me,” she whispered, her blush leaving no doubt as to what ‘good for me’ meant, “and I like talking you,” she added shyly, not quite ready to admit just how much she liked him…in general.

               Shrugging, doing his best to ignore the twitch of his cock and his heart at her words, he closed the distance between them by ten feet, rolling his eyes when she took a step back, preparing to close the door in his face. “Calm down, I get why ya might be freaked out but I swear I’m not gonna do anything ya don’t want me to. ‘Sides, I promise I can make other things good for ya too,” he assured with a lecherous wink.

               “You’re really done if I don’t let you in?” she whispered, preparing herself to take the plunge she’d known had only been a matter of time. She’d been thinking about inviting him over since their conversation earlier this week, he’d just beat her to the punchline. Tora didn’t need to know that though.

               Lifting his shoulders again, Tora stuffed his hands into his pants pockets, moving towards her again, stopping when they were two feet apart, the open doorway the only thing between them. “I like ya Poppy, you’re smart and sweet and fuckin’ sexy as hell and thoughts of ya have been driving me up the walls for months. If ya won’t let me in, will ya come out?” At her confused look, he explained, “Can I take ya out? On a date? In public somewhere if ya don’t wanna be alone with me?”

               Blinking up at him in confusion, Poppy opened her mouth to speak and then shut it, thinking carefully about what to say. “You really want a date?” she murmured incredulously, taken off guard that he wanted more than just a friends with benefits situation with her.

               Taking one last step towards her, he leaned his forearm on the doorframe staring down at her as she gazed up at him, their chests only inches apart. His nostrils flared. Why are ya shocked by that?  “You want love?” I want stability, a long term ball n’ chain and you’re the one I wanna be chained to.  He thought fiercely, too afraid to voice his desire for fear of her continued rejection. “Why not bring that fantasy to life? Or am I way off? Ya not like me as much as I think ya do?”

               He wanted to roleplay a relationship? The dinner date from the book? The notion stabbed at her heart. That fantasy wasn’t a game to her. Frowning, Poppy stared up at him, ignoring the sting of his harsh words and the reminder of her embarrassing text. “Want a late dinner?” she offered, figuring now was as good a time as ever to get her heartbroken.

               Tora arched a brow at her, trying his best to ignore the havoc her scent was wreaking on his senses. “Yeah. We eating out or in?”

               Biting her lip, Poppy stepped away from the door, padding down her short foyer to her kitchen. “In,” she tossed over her shoulder before disappearing around the corner, slipping her panties off, stuffing them into a kitchen drawer on her way to the fridge, already deciding food wouldn’t be the only thing of hers he’d be eating tonight.

               A smug look crossed Tora’s face as he stepped into the apartment, closing and locking the door behind him. Joining her in the kitchen a moment later, he watched her place a bowl in the microwave, punching the buttons before turning to face him. “What are we havin’?” he asked, wanting to talk to her but not sure what to say now that he’d accomplished his goal, only a few feet and the air in the apartment between them now.

               “Ramen,” she replied, feeling nervous despite her forced bravado, the enormous man looking awkward in her kitchen. Fingers twitching, itching to touch her, Tora curled them into fists and crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall with his shoulder. Poppy blanched as her mouth went dry, the muscles in his arms even more impressive in person. With the distance of the alley between them, she hadn’t realized just how defined they were.

               Clenching his jaw to keep from declaring his desire for her, Tora undressed her with his eyes, picturing the body he knew so well and yet not at all. Two small layers of fabric, that was all that lay between his fingers and her skin. Fuck, he wanted to touch her, so. damn. bad.

               Watching him eyeing her silently, Poppy swallowed thickly and took a step towards him. She wanted to touch him. She’d spent weeks fantasizing about it. “Can I…can I hold your hand?” she whispered, feeling stupid. Why was she asking for his hand when she wanted his everything?

               Brows arching in surprise, Tora uncrossed his arms and reached his hand towards her, palm up, “ ‘course,” he mumbled.

               Reaching for him, closing the distance, Poppy brushed her fingertips against his, letting her fingers slide along the length of his as she gave him her hand. Curiously, his fingers didn’t close around hers. Instead, the two distance lovers just stood there, palms pressed together, enjoying the sensation of each other’s skin, hers smooth and soft in every way his was hard and rough.

Outstretching her other hand, Poppy hooked the thumb of her free hand with his, the pad stroking his palm as she pulled him towards her with both hands. Now only a foot apart, she let go with her right and grabbed his other hand, entangling their fingers on both hands. She closed her eyes and shuddered as he pulled his fingers away and drew them down the length of her digits to her palm, caressing them gently.

               He repeated the action as few times, the last time, he locked his gaze with hers, looking for any objections as he dragged his fingers down her palms and over her wrists. When she didn’t move, just stared at him with trust in her eyes, he continued his ascent, trailing his fingers down her forearms and up to her shoulders. On their way back down her arms, he flattened his palms, running the entire surface of his rough hand over the silk, warming the skin beneath it. When she allowed it, he dragged his hands back up her arms, stepping closer to her, he drew them over her shoulders and down her back, his hands coming to rest on her waist, their bodies now only an inch apart, both of them unsure which of them had closed the gap between them.

               Tora searched her gaze as he began to lower his mouth towards her upturned face, her lips parting in welcome, her floral smell overwhelming him. He brushed his lips against hers gently, the sensation sending a spark straight to his groin. Wrapping his arm tightly around her, closing the last breath of distance between them, his other hand rose, clasping the side of her head, his fingers burying themselves in her hair as he pressed his lips more firmly against hers. Sliding his tongue along the seam of her mouth he groaned as she parted wider for him.

               Poppy moaned into Tora’s mouth, his kiss every bit as eager and connection starved as hers. The sensation of his touch was devastating as his tongue slid against hers. Circling her arms around his neck, Poppy yelped when he cinched her waist with his strong hands and lifted her onto the kitchen island, his hands sliding to the knot at her waist as he kissed her, her hands on either side of his face. He groaned as it finally came apart under his fingers. Slipping his hands under the flaps, Tora broke their liplock, dragging his mouth down her neck, tasting the creamy expanse of her skin with his tongue and teeth as his hands memorized the curve of her waist.

               Squirming, Poppy squeaked, both his hands squeezing her ass as he yanked her forcibly against him, his erection nestled between her spread legs, forcing her nighty to bunch, revealing her lack of panties, her tender flesh pressed against his zipper. “Oh Christ,” Tora whispered, sounding pained as he glanced down at their laps. Sliding his hands down her thighs, Tora sunk to his knees, spreading her wider as his hands settled on the insides of her thighs. At her gasp, he glanced up at her with an arched brow, “can I?” he asked, lust making his voice come out raspier than he meant it to.

               Like the first time she’d acknowledged his voice over the phone, Poppy nodded once, sharply. “Itadakimasu,” he whispered teasingly, her hands coming down to tangle themselves in his hair as he surged forward, his tongue as hungry as his eyes as he devoured her, dragging patterns through her sweetness. She groaned and writhed above him, her fingers turning white as she clenched the edge of the counter, her teeth sinking almost painfully into her swollen, plump lower lip.

He smirked against her sex as her thighs began trembling on either side of his head. Wriggling his tongue into her opening, she groaned as he lapped at her, the shaking in her thighs growing more violent. Spreading her wider with his heavy palms on her inner thighs, he nipped at her clit, trapping it between his teeth gently as his tongue flicked mercilessly over the engorged bud.

Poppy’s fingers tightened on his head, trying to force him closer as she bucked against his teasing mouth, the tremors in her body mounting. Sucking on her clit gently, Tora slipped his tongue lower, the thick muscle caressing her opening once again, before licking her firmly with the flat of his tongue from opening to clit, punctuating it with a forceful flick of his tongue over the sensitive bundle of nerves. “Oh my godddd!” Poppy moaned, lost in sensation.

 Backing off abruptly, he plucked her fingers from his hair and stood between her legs as he stared down at her beautiful flushed face. “To be clear, you started this yeah?” he affirmed, enjoying the after taste of her on his tongue, “I was fine with eating actual food for dinner, if that’s what ya really wanted,” he continued.

               Poppy stared up at him incredulously, her ass on the edge of the counter as her legs dangled limply to either side of his thighs. “You can’t be serious,” she murmured, wondering how far he’d take the roleplay, she’d thought it’d go out the window once he had his hands on her.

               He arched a brow at her, her juices still glistening on his lips and chin as his hands made quick work of his belt, the movement instantly drawing her eyes to his hands and the thick bulge behind them. “Why wouldn’t I be serious about spending time with ya? I wanna make it clear that if we do this, right now, I still want dinner, and your time and our phone conversations.”

               “Tora, I was this close to cumming,” she whined, holding her thumb and forefinger a smidgen apart, doing her best to ignore the way her heart was reacting to his declaration. Forcing herself not to acknowledge the role he was trying to fill for her.

               He grinned at her, popping the button on his pants as he lowered the zipper slowly, teasing her, her eyes still glued to his crotch. “I know.” He commented, thinking it was about time he made her wait for something for a change.

               “Then why did you stop!” She demanded in annoyance.

               Tora laughed at her, his erection momentarily forgotten, “you’re adorable when you’re mad, ya know that? The cheeks, they’re real cute, all puffed out like ya tough. Reminds me of a hamster,” His laughter increased in volume as she swung her leg, attempting to kick him, “ya always this feisty? Or only with me?” he teased, catching her calf in his hand, pulling it into the air, forcing her to fall onto her back, her hair spreading out like a halo framing her face against the granite island.

               “Tora?” she whispered to the stunned, startled look that had crossed his features. They stared at each other for a long moment before he finally moved, his hand sliding down the length of her leg, his fingers squeezing her hip before he bent over to kiss her mouth again.

               He’d studied her from a distance but seeing her unguarded and spread out in front of him had his heart clenching in his chest. He’d never seen a more stunning woman, the things he knew of her adding to her visual appeal as his eyes caressed every inch of her face.

               Dipping his mouth to her ear instead, his lips brushing the shell, he whispered “You’re beautiful ya know that?”

               Gasping at his words, Poppy blinked up in surprise at him as he pulled away, staring down at her, an unfathomable look in his eyes.  “Tora?”

               He watched her patiently, one hand on her hip the other supporting her head, waiting for her response. Forcing the clenching in her chest to stop, Poppy narrowed her gaze, refusing to roleplay romance with him, regretting her text for the hundredth time since she’d sent it. Playing into this would mess up her heart too much; she needed to get him back on track, there was no way he was being sincere was he? He was a hell of an actor but there was no way he actually wanted to date her. She didn’t believe it for an instant. Fisting her hands in the shoulders of his t-shirt, she yanked his head down to her. Nipping his earlobe, she traced the curve around his spacer with her tongue before making her naughty demand.

“Fuck me.”

Chapter Text

             “Poppy?” Tora grumbled against her lips a moment later, uncomfortable with how aggressive she’d become with him. She’d been soft a minute ago, what the fuck had happened? Why was she suddenly acting like a cat clawing at him instead of just letting him lead?

             “Yeah?” the woman in question breathed against his mouth, nipping at his bottom lip.

             “I really like ya woman, I’ve wanted to touch ya…taste ya…for months,” Tora reassured, ripping his mouth from hers, “and I was ready to do ya right here like ya want…but…can we have dinner first?” Tora whispered; his fingers tangled in her hair, cushioning her head against the counter as he loomed over her, reminding himself he wanted normalcy. Order. Dinner and a movie, he promised himself. Then he’d watch her shatter under his cock and tongue a half dozen times like she wanted. “I feel like we’ve been grinding for weeks, can we just slow dance for a minute?” he offered, pulling her into a sitting position as he backed off, letting her legs fall away from the tight grip they had on his sides.

             “You don’t want me now?” Poppy asked in confusion at his metaphor, allowing him to help her down off the island, her thighs sticky with desire and the oral pleasure he’d given her.

             Taking hold of her face, Tora kissed her silly, until she shoved against his chest for air, her nose buried against his cheek he was kissing her so deeply. Breaking the kiss, Tora’s gaze was heavy and serious as he watched her suck in air breathlessly, “I’ve never wanted anything more in my life,” he swore, zipping his fly before fixing his belt.

             Eyeing him curiously, wondering what had caused the intensity brimming in his gaze; Poppy nodded her quiet acceptance, trying not to feel disappointed despite her relief that the ‘love’ roleplay was over now. Stepping over to the microwave, Poppy punched in a new time, his eyes trailing her every movement. She shuddered under the weight of his gaze as she prepped their bowls before splitting the warm broth between them. “Utensils are in the drawer behind you,” she said absentmindedly, still dazed from his kiss and his words, gesturing at her cabinets before crossing into the living room with both bowls, feeling off balance and utterly confused by his not-rejection.

             Tora joined her on the couch a moment later, handing her a pair of chopsticks as he she handed him a bowl. “This is good,” he commented a few silent minutes later, his bowl half empty.

             “Thanks,” Poppy mumbled around her noodles, a small smile on her lips. “Next time you come by I’ll be sure to have strawberries for desert,” she offered.

             “Next time eh?” he teased, taking another bite of his food. Poppy shrugged and smirked over the rim of her bowl, sipping at her broth.

She could put her feelings aside, build a wall and keep him out. As long as he stopped giving her compliments and it became all about mutual pleasure she could have a fuck buddy right? She could handle that couldn’t she?

“Wanna watch a movie before bed?” he asked, gesturing at the tv across from them.

             Arching both brows at him Poppy frowned, “ya really just wanna hangout?” She’d thought by the time he finished eating it’d be ‘go time’ again.

             He shrugged, reaching out for her empty bowl as he stood, “I’d like to spend the night actually, if you’re cool with that.”

             “Um, that’s a little forward,” Poppy mumbled.

             Tora deadpanned, “so is touching yourself in front of an open window, if ya don’t want me to, it’s fine. Just figured I’d ask since you’re so good at telling me what you want.”

             Poppy watched his movements as he wandered back into her kitchen, washing her bowls as if he belonged there. Glancing down at herself she sighed and threw her head back on the arm rest as she shimmied down the couch, reaching for the remote. She supposed it wasn’t that weird of him to ask, it’d be midnight before they finished a movie, with sex after that, well, it’d be real late. Why not let him spend the night? It wasn’t like he was a stranger anymore; he hadn’t been since the first night they’d talked if she were being honest with herself.

             She rubbed absentmindedly at her chest trying to stop the painful clenching there. She knew exactly whey letting him stay was a bad idea. Boyfriends shared meals and slept over. Tora’s not your boyfriend he’s just a…fuck friend? She scowled. Was he still roleplaying?

             Setting the second bowl on the drying rack, Tora flicked off the kitchen light and came to join her on the couch again. He smiled when she lifted her legs for him, smirking when she blinked at him in surprise a moment later as he pulled her feet into his lap, massaging her foot with his thumbs. “What? Ya said ya liked foot rubs?” he reminded her.

             Poppy stared at him incredulously, why the hell was he acting like they’d been dating for months? Here she was in her nighty after instant ramen, watching Netflix while he rubbed her feet after doing dishes. This was so fucking weird. She should feel awkward with him shouldn’t she? It was strange to feel this comfortable with each other wasn’t it? Her guard was falling, her heart already wanting to paint pretty pictures of a future with him despite her brain’s protests.

             So let me bring all your fantasies alive. I’ve been told I’m damn good with my tongue.

Her eyes widened as the memory sprung forward. Biting her lip in pained indecision she glanced at him. She desperately needed to know if she’d misread everything and he was actually serious about this or if he was just still just roleplaying her romance fantasy like he’d offered weeks ago. “Tora?”

             “Yeah?”

             “Is there anything in particular you want to watch?” she asked, chickening out of the real question on her tongue.

             He shook his head, “nah, you pick.”

             Nodding, Poppy clicked on ‘The Bucket List’ a movie she’d been planning to watch for a while. The story of two dying men who set out to fulfill their life dreams before the grim reaper claimed them. Poppy spent the majority of the film internally panicking, Tora’s hands sending her on her way to a cardiac arrest despite his desire to relax her. She wanted to cry. What this real or a game? How should she act? If it was a game she wanted it to end. Right now. Her heart was already cracking in her chest at the idea he was playing with her. This was so nice. Too nice. When was the last time being with a man had been this easy? This comfortable? Why the hell did she have to like him?

Burying her emotions, she turned her eyes from the screen and onto her companion. He seemed to be perfectly content, his thumbs massaging the arches of her feet as if it were the thousandth time he’d done it and not the first. He wasn’t moving his hands off her feet. Why wasn’t he trying to get between her legs anymore? He really just wanted to watch a movie and rub her feet? Did he want to roleplay a relationship?

 I’m talkin’ about stability, comfort, predictability. Livin’ in the same place for a decade, or at least longer than a year or two, coming home to the same person every night.  Poppy sighed, recalling his words. She shook her head when his met hers in silent question. This was his fantasy wasn’t it? A routine? Comfort? Companionship? She closed her eyes. She could play along if that’s what he wanted right? He’d played all her games; she could give him this, even if it hurt her heart? She supressed the nausea rolling through her at the notion.

Tora’s fingers worked her feet until Edward and Carter sat staring out at the pyramids, Carter asking Edward what joy existed in his life. Tora frowned as Edward told a story about protecting his daughter from her abusive husband. Poppy watched Tora in silence as he watched the screen, his jaw ticking, “all I know is he didn’t kill him and Emily never saw him again.”

             Pausing the movie, Poppy stared hard at Tora, waiting for him to look at her. He wanted to feign intimacy? Fine. A girlfriend would ask what’s bothering him. “There’s a story under that tension. You gonna share with me or am I just supposed to pretend I didn’t notice you turned into a statue the minute Ed mentioned a hitman?”

             Sighing, Tora gave her feet a gentle squeeze and turned to look at her, “perceptive aren’t ya?” he muttered. Arching a brow, Poppy waited for an explanation. “Just struck a chord with me s’all, done some shit I ain’t proud of. Been that guy people call when they need somethin’ taken care of,” he answered honestly, wanting to be as truthful as possible if she were actually gonna give him a shot.

             Poppy was silent for a long moment as she digested his words, wishing she knew for sure if they were acting or not. His past didn’t matter if it was an act. Did his past matter to her if this was real? Shit. She really liked him and that was one hell of a bomb. Did she care? Would it change the way she felt about him? “That’s a lot.”

             He smirked at her self-deprecatingly, “want me to leave?” he asked, mentally bracing himself for rejection.

             She studied him for a long moment before shaking her head no, once, sharply, clicking play on the movie, ignoring him as Tora sat stunned she’d decided to accept him. They watched the rest of the predictable but well-acted movie in silence until the credits rolled over the screen. Shutting off the tv, Poppy sat up and stared at him, deciding the turmoil she was stewing in over his revelation and her uncertainty about his feelings could wait for morning. She knew for certain she wanted him inside her, that was good enough for now wasn’t it? “Should we go to bed?”

             Tora studied her for a long moment, “is that what ya want? Am I staying or leaving after?”

             Shrugging, Poppy smirked at him, “lets figure it out as we go? This was all kinda unexpected for me and I don’t think there’s a precedent for our kinda…rapport.” She explained, standing up.

             Following, Tora trailed after her with a frown, he wanted a relationship. Not a fuckin’ rapport. Shutting off the standing light in the living room, he watched her disappear into the bedroom. Stepping into the room after her, Tora glanced around the space he knew so well, amazed he was finally here, with her. It was just as it always was, only it smelled amazing, like her skin. He glanced at her as she shrugged out of her robe before he moved over to the window, assessing the opposite apartment building, satisfied that all the other apartments within eye shot were as dark as his before he drew the curtain, shutting out the rest of the world. Tora smirked at the giggle that escaped her, “what?” he asked teasingly, glancing at her over his shoulder as she shrugged the straps of her nighty off.

             “Nothing, you’re just cute is all,” she teased, tugging on her slip, letting it fall to her feet, naked in front of him. Poppy smiled, finally feeling back on normal footing with him. Naked was familiar, sex was what they were good at.

             Pulling his shirt off over his head, Tora tossed it on to her chair before reaching for his belt buckle, “get on the bed,” he instructed, “touch yourself for me.”

             Holding his gaze, Poppy crawled onto the bed, propping her head and shoulders on two pillows so she could watch him as she settled herself onto her back, spreading her knees. Reaching between her legs, she stroked herself gently, tracing her lips slowly, teasing herself as he pushed his pants off. Poppy arched a brow, intrigued by the tiger on his leg; she hadn’t realized he had more tattoos. He grinned as he noticed the direction of her gaze. “Tora,” he stated flatly in explanation the way he had the night he’d first shown her his back as he unthread his belt from his pants.

             “Tora,” she agreed teasingly.

             “Say it again,” he whispered, his free hand pumping his cock as his eyes drank in the sight of her so close.

             “Tora,” Poppy whispered back, her eyes glued to his, enjoying the hunger he held for her as her fingers traced small circles over her cunt.

             “Again,” he demanded, taking a few steps towards the bed, “I love my name on your tongue, and the way you’re looking at me. Like I’m being offered everything I’ve ever wanted.”

             Ah shit. I really like this guy. “Tora, touch me,” she pleaded, needing his hands on her again as her fingers pinched a nipple and tugged, trying to banish the invasive thought.

             He smirked at her, his knee on the end of the bed now as he tossed the belt down beside her, “I’ve been waiting a long time to hear ya say that,” he teased.

Chapter Text

Tossing his belt on the bed beside her, Tora crawled over her. Grabbing both her wrists, crossing them over each other, he pinned them to the bed with one hand above her head, the other pressing her into the mattress with pressure on her hip, his knee between her legs. “Ya teased me for weeks ya know that?” he murmured in her ear, his breath causing soft strands of her hair to brush gently against her cheeks, “I think it’s payback time don’t you?”

             Chuckling at the sharp gasp and intrigued look in her eyes, Tora used his hand on her hip to take hold of the belt, weaving it around her wrists before securing it to the bar of her headboard. Tugging on it to make sure it was secure; Tora glanced down at the woman under him with a smirk. “It’s my turn to call the shots now,” he teased, Poppy’s brows arching as she remembered one of the first texts she’d sent him.

             Sliding down her body and back onto his knees, Tora gazed at her, her breasts high, her back arched as she accommodated the state of her arms. Getting off the bed, he smirked at her as he pulled open her nightstand, her eyes growing wide as she realized what he was looking at. “Quite a collection ya got here,” he teased, pulling out her toys one by one.

             Poppy closed her eyes, her cheeks burning as he placed first her purple rabbit on the nightstand, then her blue dildo, followed by her small butterfly vibe, her eye mask and a couple condoms. Holding up her small jewelled anal plug, Tora smirked at her, “damn sweetheart, you really are kinky aren’t ya?” he teased, leaning down slightly, slipping his fingers between her legs, satisfaction in his eyes when his fingers came away wet, his cock throbbing.

             Picking up her Venus Butterfly vibe, he took hold of Poppy’s ankle gently and slipped one elastic over her dainty foot, pressing a light kiss to her adorable red tipped toes before repeating the action with the other foot. “Lift,” he told her gently, shimmying the elastics up to her hips and over her ass, the butterfly nestling between her folds as she supported her weight on her planted feet. Fingering the remote, Tora smirked as he hit the ‘on’ button, Poppy’s legs clamping closed on the toy as her whole body flipped to the side, a low moan humming from her throat.

             Amused, Tora pumped his cock slowly as he watched her writhe, thoroughly pleased with himself. Collecting a condom off the bed, he ripped it open, chuckling at the ‘for her pleasure’ label on it before rolling it onto his member. When was it not about her pleasure? “I’m still hungry,” he announced, joining her on the bed, prying her knees apart as Poppy gazed at him, a half-crazed look in her eyes.

             “Tora, please – I-” she begged, her arms straining against her bonds.

             Chuckling, Tora flattened himself to the bed, his hands on the backs of her knees, forcing them back and open, presenting her beautiful glistening core to him. “Go ahead and beg dirty girl, won’t help ya any,” he teased. Licking his lips, he pressed them gently to her labia, his nose nuzzling the vibe, adding pressure as Poppy cried out. Smirking crookedly, Tora dragged his tongue languidly through her slickness, coating his lips and tongue thoroughly, drugged on the smell and taste of her.

             Poppy bucked, her arms straining as she fought to free herself, needing to bury her fingers in his hair and press him where she needed him. “Tora!” she begged as he continued to tease her, his tongue strokes much too slow in comparison to the insistent vibrating on her clit, the asynchronous teasing driving her insane.

             “I’m savoring ya, trying to figure out how ya like it again,” he teased, releasing one knee so he could wrap his arm around her thigh, his thumb resting on the vibe gently for a second as he glanced up at her over it before pressing down on it.

             “Damn you! You know exactly what’s you’re doing!” Poppy cried as she fought his hold on the other knee, her body convulsing as he laughed at her, his tongue wiggling against her vaginal opening as she moaned.

             Replacing his tongue with his fingers, Tora groaned as he sunk two fingers into her heat to his knuckles, walking them rhythmically against her g-spot. “True. Ya can cum now,” he teased, locking eyes with her as she bucked against him for a moment trying to find her rhythm.

             “I don’t need your permission,” Poppy bit out, riding his hand in earnest as he kissed the inside of her bent knee, his belt digging into her wrists as she pulled down on them, doing her best to seek the leverage she needed to rock herself against him harder.

             Smiling at her, Tora nodded, enjoying the way her breasts were bouncing and the death grip her pussy had on his fingers, “ya made that very clear weeks ago,” he teased as she panted, her eyelids fluttering. Losing his smile, his own breathing growing rapid, Tora watched as Poppy’s face twisted in ecstasy, her mouth falling into a beautiful ‘o’ as she moaned on the verge of orgasm.

             “So fuckin’ sexy,” he whispered breathlessly as she broke, coating his hand in her juice as she shook, gentle tremors wracking her body.

             Breathing hard, Poppy stared at him as he withdrew his fingers from her body, “says the Greek God.”

             Arching a brow at the compliment, Tora crawled over her sweat slicked body, pressing his mouth to hers as he rocked his cock between her legs; the thick appendage pressing down on the vibe teasing her clit deliciously as he kissed her deeply. Poppy moaned around his tongue as it thrust against hers, the flavour of her pussy sliding against her taste buds. Groaning, she hooked her legs over his muscled ass, humping him as he flattened himself against her, crushing her body under his as he eclipsed her on the bed.

             Breaking the kiss, he trailed his mouth down her jaw to her neck, his hands on her upper arms, pinning them to the sides of her head, “I wanna fuck you,” he whispered.

             “Oh god yes,” Poppy groaned, his hands slipping down to her breasts, palming them roughly as he adjusted his hips, the tip of his cock prodding at her wet slit.

             “Tell me ya want it,” he demanded, his lips hot on her chest, “that ya want me.”

             “Fuck me Tora! I want it so ba-” Poppy grunted as Tora plowed forward, his cock thrusting into her with one snap of his hips, his pelvis driving the vibrator hard against her clit.

             “Fuck!” Tora roared, his teeth gnashing together as her walls clenched, clamping almost painfully around his engorged member as he tried to withdraw.

             Propping himself up on closed fists to either side of her hips, Tora closed his eyes and trembled as he withdrew an inch before driving forward again, setting a languid rhythm as her pussy molded itself to his cock, adjusting to his girth and length.

“Oh god,” Poppy whispered, staring up wide eyed at the sinful man moving inside her, his eyelashes brushing his cheeks, his jaw clenched in pleasure, his lip drawn back in barely restrained control, his brows knit together in concentration. Her abdomen trembled, her wet passage squeezing him tighter, causing the man to growl low in his throat. “Tora?”

“Your body is fuckin’ insane,” he told her fiercely, taking hold of her thighs, moving to straddle her left as he flipped her onto her side, her wrists pulled tight against the belt, helpless to fight his manipulation as he hooked her right ankle over his shoulder, the backside of her thigh tight against his abdomen, her other leg limp between his.

Poppy sent out a silent thank you to Erdene for forcing her to go to yoga as Tora drove back into her, the sensation making her cry out as his cock bumped against the wall of her vagina. With her spread wide open like this, Tora slipped his palm over the butterfly on her clit, pressing down on it with a heavy hand as his other pinned her thigh against him, holding her tight as he thrust into her savagely.

“Tora! Ah! Tora!” Poppy screamed, a second orgasm already bubbling to the surface as he fucked her sideways.

“That’s right baby, fuckin’ cry for me,” he spat between clenched teeth, his orgasm much too close for his liking. Retaining his pace, he drove the heel of his palm harder against her butterfly, massaging it in small circles against her, her cries raising an octave as she shook under his hands, her arms pulling aggressively down on her belt binding in a useless attempt to free herself. “Ya like that? Show me how much,” he snarled as she clamped down harder on him, his cock throbbing painfully inside her, desperate for release.

“Oh god, oh god, oh god,” Poppy moaned, bucking back on his thick cock as her whole body shook with the force of his thrusts, her breasts bouncing wildly. “Tora! I- mmmah! It’s SO GOOD!” she wailed, the tsunami he was stirring inside her threatening to drown her when she finally broke, the tremors vibrating through his limbs as he continued to pound her cunt.

Letting her leg slip off his shoulder and down to lay limply against his thigh, Tora dug his fingers into her hip and her waist, thrusting erratically as he let his own orgasm wash over him. “Oh fuck me,” he grunted. Tossing back his head, teeth grit, he groaned as he released, his thighs flexing against her ass as he emptied himself inside her heat.

Catching his breath, chest heaving, Tora withdrew and threw himself onto his back beside her, closing his eyes. Listening to her rustling, Tora smirked as he realized she was still fighting his belt. He wasn’t letting her go yet though. He wanted, a half dozen orgasms from her; he wasn’t stopping till he got them, even if it took all night. Taking a deep breath, he held it, forcibly trying to slow his heart rate as he turned his head to look at her.

Poppy stared at Tora for a long moment, her pussy still pulsing as the vibe continued to tease her over sensitized clit mercilessly. “Tora, that was the hottest thing anyone’s ever done to me,” she whispered, shivering as her heated skin adjusted to the cool air of the room.

Flashing his teeth and his dimples at her, Tora winked, “I’m not done.”

Chapter Text

 “Tora? You gonna let me go?” Poppy’s sweet little voice graced his ears as he returned from the bathroom.

“Pfff, not on your life,” he swore, a smirk on his lips at the harsh catch of her breath.  Sitting on the bed, he glanced down at her, his eyes raking her face and chest. “So fuckin’ beautiful,” he whispered, dipping his head to take a nipple into his mouth, sucking it gently as it beaded under his tongue. Cupping the opposite mound with his hand, he rolled her nipple between his fingers, tugging on it gently as she moaned. Slipping his heavy hand off her breast, he pressed it against her rib cage, sliding it down to the apex of her thighs. Releasing her nipple with an audible ‘pop’, he dipped his fingers between her legs, caressing her internally with one finger until her eyelids hooded with lust.

Reaching over her, he grabbed her mask, slipping it over her eyes, blinding her. “Tora?” she whispered uncertainly.

“Let me play with you?” he asked calmly, his fingers still on the mask, prepared to remove it if that’s what she wanted.

Nodding, Poppy relaxed back into the pillows, her face slipping away from his hands. Breathing shallowly, she kept her eyes closed, listening to him move as the bed shifted. Poppy shuddered as he slid his hands the length of her legs, coaxing her thighs apart. When cold metal touched her labia she jumped, attempting to close her thighs, Tora’s grip preventing it as he bathed the metal in her arousal. “Is that my-” she whispered in surprise.

“It’s exactly what you think it is,” his voice rumbled excitedly, rolling on a new condom with his other hand, “if ya got objections, voice ‘em now,” he warned, the metal travelling the length of her slit and down to probe gently at her rose bud.

Biting her lip, Poppy stayed quiet, relaxing her body to take the toy. The metal felt slick and cold as he pushed it forward slowly. “Oh god!” Poppy squealed as he turned the power back on her butterfly vibe, the sensation relaxing her asshole further as he pushed it in the last of the way, her body swallowing it.

Her center of gravity flipped suddenly, Tora’s strong hands on her hip and shoulder as he propped her on her knees, face down on the mattress, her hands helplessly bound. She trembled under his hold; certain she could feel every rough callous on his hands.

Dragging his hand over her shoulder and down her spine, Tora stood on his knees behind her, his cock throbbing as his hands gripped her ass checks, prying them apart for him. “Oh fuck,” Tora whispered, staring down at the view, her pussy open and pulsing for him, her ass decorated with a large, beautiful, bright, green jewel. “If I promise to make it good for you, can I fuck you the way I want to?” he bit out, seeking permission.

Shuddering at the controlled restraint in his voice, Poppy pressed her ass back into his hands in response. The move stretching her arms as her nipples dragged across the comforter. “I need to hear ya say yes,” he insisted, driving a finger into her depths, pumping her as she moaned for him.

“Yes!” Poppy wailed, every stroke of his fingers sensational now that he’d taken her vision.

Smirking, Tora slid one powerful hand along her spine, wrapping around the back of her neck under her hair, the force pressing her cheek more firmly against the bed. Her weight on her elbows, her hands twisted into a prayer position in his belt. The other hand rested heavily on her tailbone as he mounted her, the thick head of his cock probing her entrance.

Feeding her only an inch, Tora groaned as her pussy clamped down on his glans, trying to drag him in deeper.  He held still, waiting, holding his ground until she started to squirm under his hold, trying to buck back to take more of him. “Ya want my cock?”

“Yes! Give it to me!” Poppy cried, desperate for more, her body weeping for him.

He pressed forward another inch, biting down hard on his lip to prevent himself from driving forward. He thrust shallowly, only wetting the tip as Poppy wiggled, frantic to take back control. Every time he thrust forward, he jostled her anal plug, reminding her of how full she already was. “Tora!” Poppy squealed as he fed her another inch, his real girth beginning to fill her as he stretched out the mouth of her cunt.

 “What do you want Poppy? Tell me,” he whispered harshly, not as unaffected by what he was doing as he’d have her believe.

“Fuck me Tora! Fuck me!” she begged, her fingers curling around the tail of his belt, desperate to grip something, to assert some semblance of control.

Wetting his lips, pressing down and back on her tailbone with the heel of his palm, Tora snapped his hips forward, burying himself to the hilt as Poppy shrieked. His eyes rolling back in his head, Tora forced himself to stay still as she squirmed below him from side to side, powerless to move backwards or forwards under the weighted restraint of his fingers. The death grip her cunt had on his cock almost too much for him to take. With her anal plug fighting for room, the metal rubbing against him through the thin membrane just heightened his pleasure, making her even tighter for him…even fuller for her.

“Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god,” Poppy wailed, feeling fuller than she ever had in her life. Why had she never thought to use her rabbit and her anal plug together?

“How flexible are you?” Tora demanded between grit teeth, his thumb and fingers tightening on the back of her neck.

“Fairly?” Poppy whimpered into the sheets, flexing her ass cheeks, desperate for him to move now that she’d adjusted.

“Tell me if it hurts,” he growled, withdrawing a few inches before thrusting forward with his hips, the hand on her tailbone forcing her to flatten herself into the bed, her knees bent out to either side of her in a frog position. As soon as she hit the bed, she knew why he’d asked.

“OHMIGOD!” Poppy screamed, her ass squeezing tightly around the toy, her butterfly vibe trapped snuggly between the bed and her clit, every thrust forcing it to rub powerfully against the vibe. Her thighs trembled in the split position he’d forced her into, his cock bottoming out inside of her at the new angle.

“FUCK YES!” Tora roared, his glans bumping against her cervix with every stroke as his thumb dug into the indent on her lower back, his other hand squeezing her neck as he increased his pace. “You like that?” he demanded.

“GOD YES!” Poppy shrieked, the lack of control and the overstimulation shaking her to her core. She never wanted this man to take his hands off her. She moaned, long and low as he pumped, completely focused on his harsh breathing, the squeeze of his fingers, the hitch in her own breathing every time he slammed home.

“ Course ya do, ya fuckin’ kinky, dirty girl,” he growled, driving into her as her pussy walls trembled around his cock, the vibrations on her clit teasing the underside of his dick.

“Ohhhh,” Poppy groaned, feeling the bed shake beneath her with every powerful thrust of his cock inside her. She tensed, her orgasm coiling low in her belly as he fucked her, his fingers firm and strong as they dug into her skin. Biting down on her lip she inhaled deeply, groaning as the smell of him filled her nostrils, the scent of his sweat, sandalwood and their sex just causing the inner trembling to increase.

“Tora!” she wailed as he released her neck to take hold of a fist full of her hair, craning her head back.

“Cum so I can kiss ya,” he growled, plowing into her one last time, driving himself as deeply as he could as her walls spasmed, the force travelling the length of her lower body as the muscles in her thighs, abdomen and ass clenched and released uncontrollably. “Oh fuck yes woman,” he groaned, thoroughly enjoying her release as he grunted and thrust into her, once, twice and held deep, as he flopped over her, his arms circling her waist, lifting her off the bed as he came, his mouth on her back as he kissed her skin reverently.

~             ~               ~

Poppy’s breathing felt loud in her own ears as his hot breath grazed her back, his sweaty forehead pressed against her shoulder blade. “Mmmm,” she moaned on a long exhale as he withdrew from her body slowly, letting her up. “Ohhh,” she groaned as she stretched out her legs, moving out of the frog position he’d forced her into. Fire travelled the length of her legs as she flopped them down. “No more,” she whispered, utterly sated as he removed the mask tenderly.

Smirking, Tora glanced down at the listless woman beside him, thoroughly proud of himself. Leaning down, he nipped her ass gently, making her jump slightly as he took hold of the jewel plugging her ass. “Exhale and relax beautiful,” he instructed, tugging the plug free in one smooth motion as she exhaled.

Sliding the grip between his fingers, the tip of the teardrop pointed towards the ceiling, he took hold of the elastics strapped to either side of her hips, sliding the vibe down her thighs and off her body. Turning it off, he smiled down her gorgeous back, her hair tumbling over her shoulders. “Be right back,” her told her, disappearing into the washroom.

Poppy moaned; every muscle in her body limp. It was official, the man was a god. She was completely and utterly dickmatized. He wanted to stay the night? She snorted, he could live in her bed for all she cared. Smiling softly to herself, her face snuggled in her blankets, she listened to the water running in the bathroom as he cleaned her toys. She heard his footsteps a moment later and glanced up at him when she felt his fingers on the belt.

“Hope that wasn’t too tight on your wrists,” he murmured softly as he released them. Poppy bit her lip and moaned at the ache in her arms as she brought them down to the mattress. Tossing the belt to the other side of her, Tora crawled onto the mattress beside her, circling her forearm with one hand, he cradled the backs of her fingers with the other as he pressed feather light kisses to her red wrist. “Thank you for allowing that, I’ve been dreaming about it for weeks,” he whispered.

Smirking, Poppy nodded, letting her wrist slip bonelessly out of his grip and back down to the bed. “It was really good, never played like that before,” she mumbled, sighing in contentment as his blunt fingertips began grazing her back. “Mmmm, I like that,” she whispered.

Smirking, Tora nodded, closing his eyes as he propped himself up on his elbow, laying on his side beside her. “Whenever ya feel up for it, can ya flip back over? I really want to kiss your mouth,” he told her honestly.

Groaning, Poppy made a show of flopping onto her back, every muscle in her legs and arms protesting the movement. “I think you killed me,” she teased.

Chuckling at her jest, Tora leaned down, fitting his mouth to hers, kissing her languidly, thanking her with his tongue and lips for gifting him her body and her acceptance. Groaning into her mouth, Tora deepened the kiss as her hand pressed against his neck and the back of his skull, trying to draw him closer. Swinging a leg over her, Tora straddled her body, supporting himself on his elbows as they made out, her hands roaming his shoulders, back, chest, arms, neck and face now that they were free. “You smell amazing,” she whispered against his mouth.

Smirking, Tora pulled away from her face and nuzzled her neck, “you taste phenomenal,” he complimented her back, nipping her skin gently, “I wanna kiss every inch of you.”

Giggling, Poppy thread her fingers through his hair, holding him to her neck, “I think that might take a while,” she teased.

Grinning, his dimples on display, he pulled back, her hands falling to his shoulders as he stared down at the woman in his arms. “All night,” he told her hopefully, a brow arching in silent question.

Rolling her eyes, Poppy nodded, “probably most of the morning too,” she agreed, delighting at the way his face lit up at the invitation. She could do this. Whether this was real or not, she wanted it.

“I’ll make ya breakfast,” he promised.

Laughing, Poppy smirked, her tone taking on a devilish edge, “I’d rather you make me cum again.”

Tora’s brows climbed his forehead before snapping low over his eyes, his gaze heating with desire for her, “careful what ya wish for, or ya might not be able to leave this bed at all tomorrow,” he warned.

“I don’t have any plans,” she replied happily, twisting a lock of his hair around her finger, flashing her teeth at him teasingly. Lowering his hips, Tora pressed his erection against her abdomen, letting her feel what her teasing had done to him, flashing her a devilish smile. Poppy blanched. “Mmm, on second thought, I want a water break first,” she murmured, shoving him off her gently as she sat up, her body protesting. Massaging her thighs for a moment she sighed before pushing herself to her feet.

“Want me to carry ya?” Tora teased as she wobbled on her feet, her legs trembling.

“You’re real proud of yourself aren’t ya?” Poppy called over her shoulder as she disappeared through the bedroom door. Rolling out of bed with a satisfied smirk, Tora padded over to his pants, checking his phone as he listened to her filling glasses in the kitchen.

Louis: Boss, there’s still no sign of the numbered. I’m thinkin’ he skipped town. You’re right this is a wild goose chase. It’s been weeks. I’m starting to think the guy’s a ghost.

Sighing, Tora dragged his free hand down his face in annoyance; he couldn’t believe how long this dickhead had evaded them. So much for his days being numbered, the fucker had nine lives.

Aniki: Keep looking. Vince hasn’t forgotten about him which means I’m not allowed to either.

Thumbing out of his messages, he opened his Spotify and swiped her Bluetooth speaker off her shelf, carrying it closer to the bed. Playing ‘Mine’ by Bazzi, he set it down on her nightstand and flopped onto the bed, lacing his fingers behind his head, closing his eyes as he vibed to the music.

In the kitchen, needing a minute to herself, Poppy breathed deeply, closing her eyes as her hands clenched on the counter, Tora’s smile flashing behind her eyes. This is dangerous, he could do some serious damage, she thought, her heart flipflopping in her chest. If she hadn’t been convinced he was the one she wanted before he’d fucked her, she certainly was now. Who made love like that? Her thighs trembled at the memory, her legs threatening to give out on her. Why’d you have to fall for him so hard? she thought with a helpless sigh before turning back to the bedroom, glasses in hand, forcing a smile to her lips.

Setting the water glasses down on the nightstand next to her speaker a moment later, Poppy yawned and wandered over to the window, pulling open the curtain. “You’re naked ya know,” Tora pointed out, one eye cracked to stare at her ass.

Smirking, Poppy stared out at the empty apartment across from her, “never stopped me before,” she teased, moving to join him on the bed again; the lamp on the nightstand bathing her skin in a soft glow.

“Come ‘ere,” he coaxed, his hand sliding down to grip a handful of her ass as he pulled her tighter to his body, kissing her gently. “Ya wanna put on a show?”

“Always,” she whispered teasingly, “I love this song by the way.”

And I think I love you, Tora thought in amusement, kissing her.

Chapter Text

Pulling her knees to either side of his hips, Tora sat up, propping his back against her headboard as he drew her onto his lap, his hands on her ass. “Ya know there’s no one watching,” he teased.

Smirking, Poppy dragged her fingers down his pectorals and over his shoulders, scratching lightly with her nails. “You were watching,” she pointed out.

Unimpressed, Tora retorted, “ya like the idea of just anyone watchin’ ya? Way to make a guy feel special.”

Laughing, Poppy nodded, “I like the idea of being watched, it turns me on,” she whispered rocking against his deflating cock, “I don’t let just anyone touch me though,” she reassured.

Sighing, Tora nodded, leaning back, allowing her teasing hands to explore the rest of his torso as she straddled him, “What if I wanna be the only one that touches you?” he asked boldly, her fingers stilling on his muscled stomach.

Breath hitching in her throat, she met his gaze, trying to decipher the look in his eyes, “we’re friends with benefits,” she whispered questioningly, the serious tone of his query making her heart flutter.

Sighing, Tora arched a brow at her, “is that really all ya want from me?” he asked disappointedly.

“You must have other women,” she protested weakly, what the hell was he doing? This wasn’t a romance novel! Men that looked like him did not just suddenly stop playing the field. The romance angle of this was roleplay… wasn’t it?

Lifting his head, Tora glanced around the room, making a show of leaning around her, looking behind her before relaxing back into his spot, looking up at her. “I don’t see any other women, are they hiding in the bathroom?” he teased, hooking his thumb towards her ensuite.

Her lips twitched as she fought a smile, “you’re incorrigible.”

“And you’re ridiculous, pfff, other women,” he muttered, rolling his eyes, “ya think I’d spend eleven weeks simping over your cute little ass through a fuckin’ window if I had ‘other women’? Nah. I want you.”  

Blushing, Poppy buried her face in his neck, hugging him tightly as his hands traced her sides, starting at her shoulders, moving down her curves and over her hips. “You mean that? This isn’t roleplay? You’ve meant everything you’ve said to me tonight?” She whispered doubtfully.

Tora’s hands stilled on her sides, sighing as he tilt his head back against the headboard, his face twisting in pain. “You thought all this was a game? Poppy – ah Christ. I want a relationship. A real one. Not a fuckin’ fantasy. I want ya to be mine and I wanna be…yours. If you’ll have me.”

He listened as her breathing grew shallow, her heart beating so hard he could feel it against his chest. “You really want…me? For more than sex?” She whispered against his neck.

“You’re so fuckin’ beautiful inside n’ out and ya don’t even know it do ya?” he whispered, one hand settling on her lower back as the other buried itself in her hair, pulling her closer, “Just date me. Let me prove I want all of ya,” he whispered, bringing his mouth to her shoulder, kissing the creamy skin under his lips as his hands roamed her body.

Pushing her away from him a moment later, he cupped her breasts, bringing both to his mouth as she cradled his head in her hands, groaning as he suckled first one and then the other. Trapping a nipple gently between his teeth, he flicked it with the tip of his tongue, grinning when she pulled his head tighter to her, her hips bucking against him as she moved her weight off her ass and onto her knees. Pressing her ample tits together he took both nipples into his mouth, groaning as she moaned and tugged on his hair. Squeezing her breasts tighter in his grip, he took his time, sucking her harder as her fingers tangled in his hair, her moaning growing harsher as she rocked her pussy against his inflating cock.

Pulling back, he smiled at her, leaning forward to kiss her mouth as his thumbs and forefingers tweaked her nipples, tugging on them gently as his tongue swept the inside of her mouth. Groaning, Poppy clenched his traps, her nails digging into his shoulders as she rocked against him harder. Releasing her breasts, Tora’s hands gripped her hips, helping her slid against him with more force.

Groaning into her mouth, Tora slid his hands up her sides and gripped her waist, lifting her in one smooth motion. Effortless, she thought, groaning as she watched the muscles moving in his arms. A testament to how powerful he was. Then he brought her down slowly, impaling her on his dick.

 “Ahhh,” Poppy moaned, tossing her head back, baring her throat to him as she sank, her pussy stretching around his girth as she swallowed him. Leaning forward, Tora latched his mouth to her throat, pressing hot open mouthed kisses the length of it as she seated herself.

Wrapping his arms around her, Tora thrust against her slowly, groaning with encouragement as she circled her hips on him, their movement so slow it was torturous. Keeping one arm braced around her back, he cupped the back of her neck with the other, tilting her head so he could kiss her deeply, his tongue running the seam of her lips, begging her to part them for him.

Opening her mouth, Poppy hummed deliciously as he penetrated her, his tongue tangling with hers as he rocked them in time. Fire flared from between her legs, her walls milking him as the heat spread up her core, her skin heating everywhere it touched his.

Tora closed his eyes, fighting with himself for patience as he crushed her to him, every inch of her torso pressed against his, her nipples raking the planes of his chest with every roll of her hips. “Poppy, you’re killin’ me,” he grumbled as she nipped at his bottom lip. “I need more,” he begged.

Pressing her hands to his chest, Poppy pushed him back into the headboard, smirking at him as she leaned forward on her knees, lifting off him a couple inches before dropping back down. “That what you like?” she whispered, repeating the motion as he growled low in his throat at her words.

“Fuck yeah, I like that,” he growled, shifting his hand on her hip so he could press the pad of his thumb against her clit, massaging it, panting as she picked up the pace.

“I’m gonna need ya to keep doing that,” she groaned, leaning back, her hands on his thighs behind her as she rode him with fever.

Sliding his other hand up her torso off her hip, he palmed her breast, “you’re too far away,” he complained off handily.

  “How do you want me then?” she asked, her movements stilling as she stared at him.

Smirking, he grabbed her waist and lifted her off him, setting her to the side for a moment as he reached inside her nightstand for another condom. Rolling it on, he pumped himself a few times and grabbed the belt again before reaching for her.

Poppy blinked in surprise as he sat her on his abdomen faced away from him, spreading her thighs around his as she sank her weight onto her knees, and he sank back into her heat. Sitting up, keeping his back straight, Tora buried his face in her hair, breathing in her floral scent mixed with their love making as he wrapped the belt around her waist, threading one end through the buckle, tightening it on her as he gripped the tail. He settled the other forearm between her breasts, his fingers hooking over her shoulder. “I want ya just like this,” he rumbled into her ear as his other hand yanked, forcing her ass tighter to him.  Reaching down to rub her clit, she began to ride him, his hand on her shoulder forcing her down harder with every down thrust.

“Oh god, Tora,” she whispered, her breath hitching as he met her thrust, the ripples of his muscled torso grazing her back and ass with every move.

“Ride me Poppy,” he demanded, nipping her earlobe before tracing the shell gently with his tongue. He groaned, enjoying every inch of skin he’d plastered against his. Wrapping the tail of his belt around his fist, he cinched it tighter, yanking back, forcing her to maintain the closeness.

Arching her back, her head on his shoulder, his lips on her ear, Poppy stared ahead at the dark empty apartment, picturing him smoking on the balcony as he watched her. He thrust hard, moving inside her. Her eyes fluttering closed as she shuddered. This was so much better. He was right, there’d been too much distance between them for too long.

His forearm flexed as his fingers dug into her shoulder harder, his mouth dipping to the skin just below her ear. There was no distance between them now. Not even an inch. She moaned, the thought making her pussy clench as she moved faster, bouncing up and down the length of his thick cock, the belt on her hips forcing her back deeper on his dick with each thrust. “Tora! Touch me!”

Grinning mischievously, Tora did exactly as he was told, releasing her shoulder, dragging his palm across her body from her knees to her waist to her breasts, to her shoulders to her neck back down to her cunt, massaging her clit as she danced on him. He groaned, her hands on his wrists, clinging to him as her hips rolled and circled deliciously, dragging out the pleasure for both of them.

His hand feels heavenly, Poppy thought, closing her eyes, focusing in on the sensation of his fingers sliding over her skin. She felt feverish with every pass of his hungry hand, his fingers sparking every nerve on end as he touched her everywhere. She groaned, the belt biting into her skin, preventing her from leaning away from him as it controlled her hips. Poppy glanced down, the leather in his tight fist making her shudder, her pussy clamping around his cock tighter. “Fuck woman,” Tora whispered breathlessly in her ear.  

Reaching behind her with her right hand she grabbed a fist full of his hair, pulling his head over her shoulder, turning her face so she could kiss him as the other hand gripped his wrist harder, her nails digging into his skin as his fingers tortured her clit deliciously. “Mmm,” she groaned into his mouth, pressing her ass back against him aggressively, desperate to take him deeper, her orgasm coiling like a snake in the pit of her stomach.

Sliding his palm up to her chest, Tora grunted against her mouth as he took hold of her throat, holding her still so he could kiss her harder, turned on by her aggression, the tugging on his hair growing fiercer. Needing to take control, he bent his knees, forcing her forward, her hands coming down to catch herself on the mattress as his arm circled her waist, hugging her tight to his chest as his weight landed on his knees. Snapping his hips, pulling back on the belt, keeping her anchored to him, he littered her back and shoulders with kisses, raking his teeth against her gently as he drove into her mercilessly, her hair swaying with every thrust.

 “Tora!” Poppy shrieked at the beast the man on her back had become. It was all she could do to support the weight of both of them, her arms trembling as he humped her mindlessly, his biceps flexing on her waist with every thrust.

“Tora!” she screeched as he pulled her up at a 45 degree angle, his weight off her arms as they left the bed, coming down to grip his forearm as he fucked her ruthlessly. Tora groaned as he held her suspended, her knees off the bed, his forearm wrapped under her breasts, the belt in his hand pulled so tightly his triceps strained as he thrust into her viciously. “OHMYGOD!” Poppy screamed as something inside her snapped, white light flashing behind her eyes as she convulsed in his arms, her pussy clenching down on his cock like a vice as she shook.

“F-fuck,” he grunted, holding still, supporting her against his arm as his cock twitched and gushed inside her pussy walls. His arms and thighs trembled with the force of his release, his breath coming in harsh pants as the hot air blew her hair against her ear.

Feeling weak, Tora sank down onto his ass, taking her with him, keeping her tight to his chest with the belt as she lay limp in his arms. Panting, he tried to slow his heartrate, feeling hers through her pussy as it pulsed gently around his slowly deflating cock. Relaxing back into the headboard he let her lay atop him, nudging her head to the side so he could press a kiss to her cheek. Releasing the belt, he wrapped his arms around her in a gentle hug.

Scrunching up her nose in delight at the loving gesture, Poppy lulled her head back on his shoulder, staring up at him, “I have a crush on you,” she confessed.

“Well that’s a relief, ya worried me with that ‘other women’ shit earlier,” he teased, closing his eyes, taking a deep breath, his chest expanding under her back, the deep baritone making her shiver. He smiled when she giggled, folding her arms over his.

“So you’re gonna date me?” she asked in a teasing voice, nuzzling her forehead against his neck, the words on her tongue giving her more confidence. Giving her another squeeze, he rolled her out of his arms, tossing the belt onto their pile of clothes. He pulled off the condom as he slipped from the bed, ignoring her as he disappeared in the washroom to throw it out.

He rejoined her a moment later, tucking his arms under her knees and around her back, he lifted her, placing her gently on her feet before tossing the soaked comforter off the bed, pulling back her sheets. Then he crawled in, reached for her, tugging her under them with him. Manipulating her in his arms, he lay on his back, her thigh tossed over his, her hand on his chest, her head on his shoulder. “Tora?” she whispered nervously, her anxiety getting to her the longer he remained silent.

“Hmmm?” he grunted, a hand behind his head, the other squeezing her bottom gently in acknowledgment, his eyes closed, a smirk on his lips.

“Um, you gonna answer my question?” she whispered, her finger tracing figure eights over his chest.

“What question?”

“I asked if you really meant what you said about dating me?” she asked, holding her breath.

Cracking an eye, he glanced down at her as she canted her head to stare up at him with wide beautiful eyes. “Sorry, didn’t realize that was a question, thought ya were just stating the obvious,” he told her seriously, laughing at her when she gasped, blushed and swatted his chest lightly. Nuzzling the top of her head, he grinned, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head, “course I’m gonna date ya. You’re my one and only and I’m gonna make ya unlonely,” he teased.

Giggling Poppy smirked, “unlonely isn’t a word,” she pointed out.

He shrugged delighted by her laughter, “you know what I meant. Now put your hands back on me woman, what ya were doing felt good.”

Rolling her eyes, Poppy slid her palm over his muscled chest, enjoying the small rumbles he made as she caressed him, his fingers flexing on her hip encouragingly. He protested with a grunt when she rolled away from him for a moment, clicking off her lamp. “Night Tora,” she whispered, her hand returning to give him gentle caresses.

“Night sweetheart,” he whispered, turning his face so he could breathe in the scent of her hair. He smirked as Just my Imagination by the Temptations whispered out of her Bluetooth speaker.

~              ~               ~

Tora’s eyes snapped open in the dark, his senses on high alert as he scanned the room, trying to figure out what had woken him. Flexing his fingers, Poppy’s full tush squishing between them, he frowned realizing she hadn’t moved, still draped over his side. If it wasn’t her movement, what was it? He pushed on her shoulder gently, she rolled away from him, moaning in her sleep, her hand coming up to rest above her head. Tempted to kiss her, Tora forced himself to focus, training his senses, listening for any noise signalling something out of the norm. He rolled his eyes as the fridge hummed in the other room. Some thug you are, he thought self-deprecatingly, how the mighty have fallen, since when ya scared of a fuckin’ fridge?

That’s when he saw it, across the street. Tora squint into the night, beyond the window. “Oh you stupid fuck,” he whispered, his lips curling into a sadistic smile as he watched the glow of a cellphone travel across the living room in the apartment opposite him.

Turning away from the window, he reached over Poppy and grabbed his phone off her nightstand as quietly as he could and called Louis.

“Boss?” Louis picked up on the second ring, the deep bass of a car speaker thudding in the back ground.

“Where are ya?” Tora asked quietly as he watched the cellphone light disappear into the hallway in the apartment opposite him.

“Joy ridin’ with Damian, he’s tellin’ me ‘bout this purple haired chick he met a couple weeks ago at -” Louis explained before Tora cut him off.

“Yeah, I don’t give a shit. He can tell ya about getting his dick wet later. I found the numbered but I’m a little,” he glanced down at the sleeping woman beside him, “tied up. He’s in apartment 1220, 12 Pattigrass Hill. I’ll be watching.”

Beside him, Poppy moaned, stirring at the sound of his voice.

Grimacing, Louis whacked Damian, shouting the address as the car pulled a screeching U-turn. “Not that I’m complaining but if you’re on a roof within eye shot, why don’t ya just shoot him?” Louis inquired curiously.

“Cause I want the stupid fuck alive, that’s why,” Tora snapped in annoyance, lying through his teeth, shutting up the moment Poppy moaned in her sleep, beginning to wake. Holding his breath, he waited to see if she’d fall back asleep. His shoulder blades tightened as she opened her eyes and stared up at him questioningly.

“Everything okay?” she whispered, surprised to see him on the phone.

Moving the phone away from his mouth he glanced down at her, “everything’s fine sweetheart, go back to sleep,” he whispered to her.

“YOOO! ANIKI! YOU GETTING IT IN?” Louis yelled through the phone, Poppy’s eyes snapping wide as Tora dragged his free hand over his face in annoyance.

“How long?” Tora demanded, ignoring the comment, the tension increasing in his shoulder blades as he glared out the window in front of him doing his best to pretend Poppy was not looking at him with intense curiosity.

“Ten minutes?” Louis guessed.

“I’ll let ya know if anything changes, keep your phone on ya, and turn that racket down,” Tora ordered, ending the call.

“What was that about?” Poppy asked, placing her soft hand on his spine entreatingly, his muscles relaxing under her fingers.

“Nothing beautiful, don’t worry about it, just work,” Tora reassured her, laying back down, leaving his phone beside him as he dragged her into his side. “Told ya I got fucked up hours, on call 24/7,” he explained, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head as she snuggled into his side; seemingly satisfied with his explanation.

He sighed in relief a few minutes later when her breathing evened out, her body limp against him once more. He kept his eyes trained out the window as she slept, waiting. Ten minutes later he watched as the light flicked on in the apartment opposite him, Pinky and Louis moving across the patio door, disappearing into the hallway. Tora grinned as both boys reappeared a couple silent minutes later, dragging a badly beat man between the two of them towards the door. Tora sighed as the light flicked off a moment later, his cellphone vibrating in his hand.

Picking up the call, he pressed the phone to his ear, “I saw, take him to Martin, he’ll take him to Vince,” Tora muttered, “make sure no one sees ya.” He added in a whisper before hanging up, turning to to Poppy, finally able to give her his full attention again.

Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he extracted himself from her embrace, got up and closed the curtain. She might like to sleep with the window exposed but he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of being a sitting duck. Sighing in relief the minute he was engulfed in darkness, the tension leaving his shoulders, he smiled. She might like standing in the light, but he lived in shadow, they’d figure it out though, there had to be middle ground they could meet on. Crawling back into bed, he pulled her tight to his chest, kissing her cheek as she moaned and shifted, pressing her backside into the cradle of his hips. “Goodnight love,” he whispered, pleased he’d finally gotten everything he’d been after…well, almost everything he thought with a small smile. Her love and commitment would come though, he’d be patient. After all, if this experience had taught him anything, it was that good things took time… like finally getting the numbered…or the two orgasms he was still planning to wring out of her come morning. He chuckled at the thought, a wicked smile on his lips.

Chapter Text

              Poppy sighed dreamily, her body soft and sated as she struggled to force her heavy eyelids open. Laying on her back, it took her half a second to register that the pleasure she was feeling wasn’t residual, but active, Tora’s tongue wiggling against her slick core, his bulk shifting between her legs beneath the blanket. Moaning, reaching for the edge of the sheet, Poppy lifted it and stared down at his dark head and his hands on her hips as he lapped at her, her cunt clenching at the sight.

              Pressing a sucking kiss to her clit, Tora winked at her before pulling away an inch, “mornin’” he murmured, pressing a kiss to the hollow of her hip, before crawling up her body.

              “Morning,” she yawned, wrapping her arms around his neck as he settled his hard cock between her legs, rocking forward and into her wet welcoming body. She grunted softly as he stretched her pussy, her calves hooking over his ass, dragging him closer as he began riding her gently.

              “Feel good?” he murmured in her ear, his weight planted on his elbows as he rocked into her a little deeper, his stokes sweet, slow and soft.

              “Feels nice,” Poppy muttered sleepily, floating on her exhaustion, letting him do all the work as her pussy tightened around him in small degrees, her pleasure mounting the longer he kept up the consistent rhythm.

              Tucking her tight against his body, Tora rolled onto his back, her limp body weight settling onto his chest. Pressing her thighs together, trapping his dick deep, Poppy groaned as she nuzzled her cheek against his chest, his hips thrusting deliciously as his arms cuddled her.

              Tora sighed, closing his eyes, thoroughly enjoying the lazy sex, her cunt slick and tight on his dick from his morning oral. Taking the opportunity to touch her, Tora ran his palms all over her back, teasing her with his fingertips as he grazed them low over her ass, cupping and spreading her cheeks as he thrust a little deeper. Nestling the full length of his cock into her hot passage he grunted his pleasure as he released her ass, stilling his hips, just enjoying the sensation of being inside her, being with her.

              Breathing evenly, Poppy smiled lazily as he stilled beneath her. “My turn?” she asked, tensing all her muscles as she stretched on him languidly. She giggled as he groaned, her pussy clenching him tighter momentary as she yawned and pushed up on his chest, drawing her knees along the sides of him until she was sitting on his abdomen with the girth of his cock stretching out the mouth of her cunt wider with the new angle. “Mmm, so deep,” she moaned, licking her lips, her eyes closed as he gazed up her body, his hands on her knees, hers resting slightly higher on her thighs.

              Experimentally, Poppy rolled her hips gently, lifting off his thick cock by half an inch before sheathing the exposed skin once more. “Mmm, that’s good,” she whispered, repeating the motion. Reaching for her hands, Tora laced their fingers together, lifting his hips gently, encouraging her to rock against him again, her movement tortuously slow. He planted his elbows on the bed, this triceps flat to the mattress as she leaned forward, her weight transferred to the backs of his arms as he supported her from their joined hands as she rocked, settling into a languid rhythm.

              “How was last night?” he asked, his voice gravelled from sleep as she continued to ride him with closed eyes.

              “Exceeded all expectations,” Poppy told him honestly, opening her eyes as she flashed him a small smile, squeezing her fingers around his.

              “Good, I was worried I hurt ya when I made ya do the splits,” he told her, planting his feet so he could lift his ass off the bed and circle his hips against hers.

              “Mmm, my thighs are sore,” she conceded, “but the pleasure was worth it,” she promised.

              He grinned at her, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze, “if you’re up for it, I’d like to make you cum again while I make ya breakfast,” he offered.

              Poppy arched a brow at him in confusion as she rocked, “How are you going to do both at the same time?” she asked, genuinely confused.

              Smirking at her, Tora licked his lips, thrusting up into her every time she rocked back down onto his length, their bodies keeping time with each other. “Say yes and you’ll find out,” he teased.

              “Aren’t you just going to make me cum now?” she asked, halting her rocking so she could circle her hips in place, enjoying the way his eyes closed and his brow furrowed, a moan escaping his lips. “Or is it your turn to cum?” she teased.

              “Mmm,” Tora groaned, releasing her hands, settling one hand on her hip, cupping her neck with the other, his thumb caressing her cheek gently as she pressed her palms to his chest. “I’m in no hurry,” he murmured, enjoying the quiet intimacy of their morning sex.

              Leaning her face against his palm, Poppy sighed contentedly, stilling on his cock as she lowered herself to his chest, his hand cupping her bottom possessively as the other slipped into her hair, playing with the strands as she rest her cheek to his chest, listening to his heartbeat. “I like this,” she murmured.

              “Cuddling?” he asked, gazing down at her serene face as he combed his fingers gently through her hair.

              “Yeah,” she sighed, “we should do this as often as we’re rough and dirty,” she suggested, her jaw cracking with the force of her yawn.

              Tora nodded, enjoying the weight of her atop him and the gentle caress of her fingertips. This certainly felt like heaven to him. Getting used to this would be entirely too easy. “Sounds good to me,” he murmured, the blunt tips of his fingers caressing her scalp. “Want breakfast?”

              “Are you hungry?” Poppy sighed.

              Tora shrugged, “I already ate,” he teased.

              Smirking, rolling her eyes, Poppy chortled, “yeah, alright Casanova.” Yawning, she folded her arms over his chest, resting her chin on her forearms so she could look at him, “I’ll make breakfast, you don’t need to wait on me,” she offered.

              Shaking his head, Tora objected, a twinkle in his eye, “I want to, you made dinner and I didn’t get to do everything I wanted to last night. Let me pleasure you some more.”

              Exhaling audibly, enjoying his warm palms running the length of her back, Poppy arched a brow, “oh?”

              Rolling her off him gently, Tora sat up and grabbed her rabbit off her nightstand, “I wanna play with this still,” he told her with a devilish look.

              Poppy’s gaze shifted slowly between the toy in his hand and the joystick she’d been thoroughly enjoying between his legs. “I’d rather have your dick,” she told him as she laid on her side gazing up at him, her cheek resting on her outstretched arm.

              “I can’t cook if you’re on my cock,” he pointed out, a wide grin stretching his mouth.

              Poppy’s smile widened, “and here I was starting to think there was nothing you couldn’t do,” she teased.

              Rolling his eyes, Tora pushed himself to his feet and grabbed his underwear, putting them on as he tossed the toy onto the mattress beside her. “I promise you’ll enjoy it,” he offered, “and then if ya want, I’ll fuck ya again after we eat?”

              Sitting up, Poppy nodded, everything else he’d done to her last night had been fantastic, if he still wanted to torture her who was she to object? “K, how do you want me?”

              “Restrained. I’m going to assume you don’t have any nylon rope hanging around?” When she shook her head, he added, “You got any belts or scarves I can use?” already reaching for the belt he’d discarded the previous evening.

              Her interest piqued, Poppy nodded, gesturing at the closet, “help yourself, they’re on a special hanger.”

              Disappearing into her walk-in closet, Tora remerged a moment later with three silk scarves in his fist. Eyeing him interestedly, Poppy extended her wrist, placing it in his palm when he wagged his fingers at her in a beckoning motion. Tying one end of a scarf to her wrist, he walked around her bed, securing the other end to the left post of her headboard. Circling to the other side of the bed, he repeated the action with the other wrist. Poppy stared up at him, lying prone in an X, her hands gripping the scarves as they pulled her arms apart over her head.

              “You’re into bondage then?” she asked as he dipped his hand between her legs, caressing her sex, the remaining scarf and his belt hanging over his bare shoulder.

              Tora shrugged, “I’m into lots of things, my desire to tie you up is because ya made me feel helpless for weeks and now I wanna return the favour, let ya know you’re not the only one who likes control,” he teased.

              “Can I tie you up later then?” Poppy challenged, squeezing her thighs together around his fingers as they stroked her wet lips.

              He gazed down at her thoughtfully as he circled her clit with the pad of his finger, watching her reactions. “Not a big fan of feeling caged or trapped,” he admitted, “if it’s something you really want, we can talk about it though,” he compromised.

              “Okay,” she murmured as two of his fingers dipped into her heat, stroking her rhythmically, forcing her to focus on the sensation and not their conversation.

              Satisfied she was wet enough, Tora reached for her rabbit, running the head of the dildo portion between her lips, wetting it before he probed her core with it gently. The toy slid in with little resistance, her cunt having already adjusted to his larger girth that morning. Using two fingers, he pulled her lips apart gently and nestled the ears of her rabbit on either side of her clit as she watched him curiously. “Close your legs, hold it there for me,” he instructed, his face surprisingly stern as he focused on his task.

              Gripping the toy with her thighs, Poppy gasped as Tora thread his belt under her knees and then hauled it up to her upper thighs before cinching it tight. He frowned, the belt still too loose on the tightest hole. “Wait a second,” he told her, reaching for his pants. Withdrawing his switchblade, Poppy’s eyes widened as he took it to his belt, making the beginnings of a new hole before punching the clasp through it with his thumbs. “There we go,” he muttered to himself, flicking the knife closed before tossing it back onto his crumpled pants. Threading the end of the belt through the buckle, Tora smirked in satisfaction now that her legs were trapped securely together with her toy between them.

              Forcing a finger between her thick thighs, Tora turned her toy on, quickly placing it on the highest setting, grinning as her head shot back, a moan escaping her as her arms jerked against their bonds. “Alright, you enjoy sweetheart and I’ll be back to play with you later,” her told her, patting her shin affectionately as he stood.

              “Tora!” she gasped, her eyes round saucers as she stared at him, her back spasming as the vibrations of the toy travelled the length of her nerve endings.

              “Yes Poppy?” he asked, a sadistic smirk on his face as he paused in the doorway to look at her.

              “You’re really gonna leave me?” she cried, her hips humping the air as her thighs strained against his belt.

              “Only for a little while, then I’m gonna come back and feed ya, tease ya a little more and use that,” he promised, gesturing at the third scarf he’d left on the bed beside her.

              Poppy blanched, “Tora this is too much,” she squealed, twisting her hips.

              He chuckled darkly, leaning his shoulder against the doorframe as he watched her wiggled and strain against the bed, “no sweetheart, too much was eleven weeks of not being able to touch you. I’m going to pleasure you until I’ve exhausted every fantasy I had while I watched you play in the window.” He explained before turning and walking down the hallway, disappearing into the kitchen.

              Poppy stared at the ceiling and groaned as she shuddered, the merciless ears of her rabbit over stimulating her clit quickly driving her towards orgasm. “You’re a sadist!” she shouted as her first orgasm rolled over her, tears pricking the corners of her eyes as the toy continued to stimulate her, indifferent to her sensitivity.

              In the kitchen, Tora laughed at her outburst, cracking eggs into a bowl as he listened to her cry out her pleasure and pant while she continued to curse him.

~               ~                ~

              “You’re going to kill me!” Poppy shrieked from the bedroom as Tora plated the spinach and feta omelette he’d made her, wondering absentmindedly if that was her third or forth orgasm. Walking into her bedroom Tora set the plate down on her nightstand as he gazed down at the vixen he’d captured. He admired her sweat slick body, a satisfied smirk on his lips as she panted, her eyes glazed over as she stared up at him.

              Slipping his finger between her thighs, he turned off the toy, the tension in her muscles relaxing immediately. Hooking his forearm under her knees, he lifted her, smirking at the large wet spot beneath her before setting her back down. “Are you actually done, or can I play some more?” he asked, removing the belt around her thighs before with drawing the toy.

              “I’m dead, deceased, I couldn’t possibly take anymore,” Poppy whispered hoarsely, her throat raw from her shouting.

              “That’s a shame, I’m still not done,” he sighed, hauling her body up gently, propping her against a pillow as he took a seat on the edge of the mattress. “Guess I’ll just have to come back later this week after you’ve recovered a little,” he teased, reaching for the plate, cutting a small piece of the omelette with the fork, stabbing it before bringing it to her lips.

              Pulling the eggs off the fork with her lips, Poppy chewed silently, swallowing before she spoke again. “How about a blowjob? Give me a little break?” she begged.

              Laughing, Tora grinned at her, lifting another forkful to her lips, “how about a date? A real one. I’ll take ya to dinner, yeah?”

              Taking the mouthful, Poppy nodded in agreement as he set the plate down and began to untie her. A few minutes later, Tora watched her eat the rest of her breakfast as he dressed. Glancing at his phone, Tora sighed, the real world calling for him. “You leaving?” Poppy asked around the last bite.

              He nodded regretfully, buckling his belt at his waist, the leather still warm from her thighs, “gotta work,” he explained, “but I’ll be back Thursday night, seven work for you? I’ll take ya for steak and then I’ll eat ya in the elevator?” he offered with a wink, grinning when she choked on her food. “I’m teasing,” he promised, approaching the bed, pressing a kiss to her forehead, his hand on the back of her head. “Have a good day, text me,” he told her with a grin as he headed for the door.

~             ~               ~

              Tidying her room, Poppy made her bed and collected her scarves, hanging them back up in the closet, she ran her hand over the third, her fingertips caressing the silk, curiosity overtaking her features. Grabbing her phone off her nightstand, she typed out a message to Tora, her own sexual deviance getting the best of her despite the sated ache of her body.

              Poppy: What were you going to do with the third scarf?

              His reply came late that evening as she was soaking her well loved body in the bath, her phone vibrating on the edge of the tub.

              Tora: Ask me again the next time I’m inside ya and I’ll show you.

              Poppy: Tease.

              Tora: Says the woman in the window. ;P