Slow Spinning Redemption

Saturday, October 30, 2010
Helsinki, Finland
11:45am

Have you ever had an orgasm without any type of clitoral stimulation or any type of penetration? Because for the first time, I have, and I’m quite amazed that it even happened. The man talked to me. Sure, the words were in a different language, and yes I’m about 99.9% sure he was whispering dirty words, but dear God, the fact that his voice alone caused that much of a reaction from me is just…well… spine tingling.

I’m always quite comfortable with men. I mean, it’s pointless to say I’m some blushing virgin, when obviously I’m not (See ‘Isolde’s Tale of Virtue’ from last month). But if a man can make me come just by the sound of his voice, I don’t care who you are, that is fucking impressive.

There’s the moment when you’re pinned down on a red Victorian couch, with a hard body cradled between your thighs that just gets you all hot and bothered. Then comes the wet, pouty lips that have just been nipping at your neck, saying these dirty words. Words that you know you’ve been thinking of, but have been trying so hard not to allow to act out in that pervy little head of yours.

Then, oh! That moment when an already gruff voice just gets deeper and huskier, and it makes you quiver, and it gives you the idea of what it would be like if you just got rid of the barriers keeping you separated and just let the man thrust into you. Because you know it’ll be hard, and fast, and dear god it, would be amazing.

And then…then that moment when the voice just fucking undoes you, and you’re left just the tiniest bit sated from the orgasm, but even more needy and restless then before because if he can make you come with just the sound of his voice, what the fuck is he capable of once his pants are off?

All I know is that I am very eager to find out, and here’s hoping it lives up to standards.

Jussi sat at his drum stool, his sticks in his hands, his leg bouncing up and down with the frustration that he’d been feeling since the afternoon before when he’d had his encounter with Isolde. His friends and band mates were scattered, as they had a short break between their tours, and they had all wanted to spend time with their families and loved ones.

Jussi was still single, and as long as he had a meal with his parents before he left again, he would be in the clear. So he’d come to the rehearsal space to get his frustration out on his drums, hoping that it would tide him over for the next eight hours until he met up with Isolde for their date.

It didn’t help that all he wanted to do was go downstairs and see if the blonde was working. He lifted his sticks, about to start, only for his phone to interrupt him. He walked over to the couch and lifted his bag, digging out his phone before answering.

“Shouldn’t you be distracting Rose?” Jussi asked, setting his sticks on his kit as he sat back down on his stool.

“She’s distracting herself with your girl’s website.”

Jussi blinked. “What?”

“Your girl is writing about your sex life on her blog.”

“As we haven’t had sex, she couldn’t be talking about me,” Jussi said slowly, only to hear a scuffle over the phone and Rosalind’s Spanish accent fill the line.

“Is it true that you can induce an orgasm with just your voice?”

“Oh Christ,” he muttered.

“Because if it is, you have Jyrki beat.”

“Can you pass your boyfriend his phone back?”

“No,” Rosalind said plainly. “I like this girl.”

“Good to hear. Can I-”

“Do you know she has an entire section of her site dedicated to sex toys?! She has an article on the pros and cons of vibrators! Spoiler Alert! Getting shocked, surprisingly in the pro column.”

“Rose-”

“I want to meet her.”

“Rose, shut up for a minute!” Jussi ordered, waiting a beat to see if she would listen. When she didn’t talk, he continued. “I just met her. I don’t know her too well, and I’d like to actually take her out on a date before I thrust her into your arms.”

“You’ve just met her and you’ve already given her an orgasm? Is it just me, or are you moving faster?”

“Rose, let me talk to Jyrki.”

“Can’t, he’s in the shower; we’re meeting Soya and Ville for lunch.”

“Then go join him and leave me alone.”

“Ooooh, testy,” Rosalind teased. “Maybe you should invest in some self-pleasure. Give me a minute, Isolde has self-pleasure tips.”

“Good-bye, Rosalind,” Jussi said with a roll of his eyes, before hanging up and tossing his phone back onto the couch.

Sighing, feeling confused as well as frustrated, he picked up his drumsticks and started playing, letting his hands, arms and legs do all of the grunt work while his mind focused on creating a fast rhythm. It helped a bit. He felt himself slow a good twenty minutes later, feeling the wonderful pain in his arms and wrists that he always welcomed when sitting at his kit, when a female voice broke through his music haze, causing him to look up.

“Do you know how annoying it is to hear you up here while we’re trying to work downstairs?”

Jussi gave a small smirk as he took her in. The black lace-up heeled boots…she had her dark wash skinny jeans tucked into the shoes, and a white and green-striped, short-sleeved shirt that flowed around her compact body, showing bits of her stomach when she moved, along with the silver of her barbell navel piercing.

She was void of makeup, except for the deep red of her lipstick. He was convinced that it wasn’t makeup, but that her lips just had that natural pouty, red look to them. Her blonde ringlets were up in a messy bun, though the black streak was loose and tucked behind her ear.

“You’re good,” she said, leaning up against the doorjamb.

“Thanks.” Jussi nodded.

“I’m horrible at playing instruments. My fingers have no musical talent whatsoever,” she smirked, wiggling her fingers at him.

“Easier for some than others,” he shrugged, trying to form the words to ask her about her website without sounding accusing. He had a feeling Isolde didn’t respond well to accusations.

Isolde nodded, raising an eyebrow in his direction. “Mind if I steal a water?” she asked, pointing to the fridge he and the guys kept well stocked. “Ben dragged me out of the room and surprisingly didn’t make me eat anything,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

“Go ahead,” Jussi nodded, watching as she moved to the fridge. He set his sticks on his kit once more, surprised when Isolde walked over to him and handed him a water bottle. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Isolde nodded as she made herself comfortable on the amp that sat across from him. “So, tell me what’s bothering you,” Isolde said, crossing her legs. “Take advantage of my interest, as I very rarely show it,” she teased.

“Why would you think something was bothering me?”

“Well, I gave you a perfect set-up to a dirty joke, and you didn’t take it. And in the almost 48 hours that we’ve known each other, we have taken every opportunity to make puns and dirty suggestions, which I think while unconventional, it’s still our very fun way of flirting. So, what’s wrong?”

“Do you have a website where you write about sex?”

“Did you Google me?” she teased.

“No,” he chuckled. “I think Jyrki’s girlfriend did.”

“Ah. Rosalind, correct?” At Jussi’s nod she continued. “I’ve been told we’d get along.”

“You would,” Jussi agreed.

Isolde sighed as she went back to their original topic. “I don’t just talk about sex,” she started, causing Jussi to nod. “I also talk about my life in general and things I’ve experienced, as well as the published articles I write for my friend’s magazine, as the magazine isn’t available everywhere.”

“And your sex life.”

Isolde blinked before lifting a shoulder in a shrug. “Sure, if it’s worth talking about.”

“So our encounter on the couch? That was worth talking about?”

“Very,” Isolde smirked.

“And you see nothing wrong with that?”

Isolde frowned at him, prepared to get defensive at his words, wondering if he was one of those men that didn’t like women talking about sex out of the bedroom, or if he was upset with the post itself. Which only confused her more, as it had painted him in a very generous light. She continued to look at him, only for the reason to slowly dawn on her, and her eyes to widen with the realization of how she’d fucked up.

“Oh shit, I never asked you if it was all right! I’m so sorry!” she looked around the room, looking for a laptop. “Do you have a laptop here? I’ll take it down if you …” she hopped off the amp and started for the door. “We have one downstairs, I’ll just-”

“Hey, hey. Wait,” Jussi chuckled, attempting to grab hold of her before she left the room. He failed in grabbing her, but succeeded in getting her attention. When she turned to face him, he gestured her forward, placing his hands on her hips when she was close enough, and bringing her to stand between his legs.

“It’s fine,” he said calmly.

“No, it’s not,” she said adamantly. “I always asked permission before I post, or even think about writing something, because people tend to be a bit more reserved and private with their life than I am, and obviously you’re one of them.”

“I’m really not,” Jussi admitted. “I just didn’t know you shared your sex life online.”

“Ah, I don’t,” she admitted. “I’ve written about two other experiences, but that was more of a ‘do not do’ guide than some piece of erotica. Sex on the beach, by the way? Much better as a drink then in practice.”

Jussi laughed. “I trust you.”

“Everything else sex related are my own personal experiences, both with a partner and on my own. But I keep it very vague and never use names, even when I’m given permission.” She leaned down and brushed her lips against his. “Look at yours as a glowing review of your technique. Five stars, really. I only described your voice,” she kissed him again. “Your sexy, sexy voice.”

Jussi laughed, tightening his hold on Isolde, prepared to deepen the kiss, only to be cut off when a female voice rang out through the space.

“Isolde, let the man go and step away.”

Isolde sighed against him, but did as she was told. “My babysitter found me.”

“Damn right, I found you! Now downstairs; Ben’s holding a cab.”

Isolde smiled over her shoulder at the woman/ “I’m going.”

“Isolde Aislin Caspari, I did not force myself into this dress, only for you to waste my time up here making out. I am not leaving until you detach, and I see that ass going down these stairs.”

Isolde rolled her eyes. “I hate it when you use my full name; you sound like my mother.”

“Isolde!”

“Fine!” Isolde pouted, before leaning down and giving him one last kiss. “I’ll see you tonight?”

“Corona at eight,” he nodded.

“Your front man has good messenger skills,” she laughed, before turning and leaving the room, walking past the woman that was standing at the door. “Does Ben have my bag?”

“Yes, he has your bag.”

“Bastard probably fucked it up,” Isolde said, rushing down the stairs.

“Sorry if I kept her,” Jussi said, causing the woman to look back at him and smile kindly.

“Please. She knew what she was doing when she came up here. I knew it was a bit weird when she wasn’t prepared for a shoot she’d been planning for the last six months.”

“You’re the pin-up girl, right?”

“I am. How Izzy convinced me to do it, I have no idea. I’m Alisha, by the way.”

“Jussi,” he said, standing and shaking her hand. “Good to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Alisha nodded. “So, you like my Isolde huh?”

Jussi blinked, before looking at Alisha amused. “Is this the part where you warn me to take care of her or else you’ll kill me?”

Alisha laughed. “No, this is the part where I warn you that Isolde isn’t who you think she is.”

Jussi frowned. “What?”

Alisha sighed. “I love Izzy to death. After traveling and working with someone off and on for five years, they very much become your family. I’m sure you understand, what with you being in a band.”

“Yeah, I get it. I don’t see what that has to do with me seeing Isolde.”

Alisha ran a hand through her hair as she thought about Isolde and her history with men. “She likes men, not to say she sleeps with every one she’s met,” Alisha said quickly. “She’s only had a handful of lovers and…” she shook her head. “I’m not making sense, am I?”

“Not really,” Jussi said slowly.

“Isolde; she doesn’t realize what she does to the men she starts seeing. She likes having a good time, not really thinking that the guys are actually falling for her. As cliché as it sounds, she works so hard at protecting her own heart that she doesn’t realize she’s breaking them in the process.”

“Alright,” Jussi said, looking at Alisha with a raised eyebrow. “Are you trying to dissuade me from pursuing her?”

“No, I’m just saying that if you’re going to start something with Isolde, guard yourself. I don’t want to see another guy get suckered into following Isolde around like a little puppy, only to be surprised when she drops you without any notice.”

“Thanks for the advice, I guess.”

Alisha laughed. “That was more of a suggestion. This is my advice: don’t let Isolde walk all over you. She has the tendency to do that. If you want her to respect you instead of using your penis as a toy, then I suggest you man up a bit.”

“Thanks,” Jussi said shortly, wishing the woman would stop talking and leave.

“And now I’ve annoyed you,” Alisha shrugged. “Which is fine by me, as I doubt we’ll see each other again. Have fun with Isolde, while you have her.”

Alisha turned and left down the stairs, hearing the door to the rehearsal studio nearly slam shut, causing her to blow out a breath.

“Well?” she heard once she reached the bottom of the steps.

“Don’t ever ask me to do that again, Isolde,” Alisha said, not bothering to look at her friend before making her way down the rest of the stairs.

Isolde bit her lip, looking up the stairs before following Alisha. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“I don’t bad talk my friends, Izzy. And when I do, it leaves a foul taste in my mouth, so forgive me if telling this guy that you’re a bit of a heartbreaker in the worst way is hurtful to me too.”

“Ali,” Isolde sighed.

Alisha turned, causing Isolde to stop walking and look at her. “If you want him to stop chasing after you so bad, then why do you continue to put yourself in situations where you’re going to be around him?”

“Ali...”

“And don’t tell me you don’t. You accept an invitation to some get-together, where you knew he would be, even after he expressed interest in you. You told me about the ride you accepted from him.”

“I had no choice!”

“But you did have a choice in making him leave yesterday when he came and interrupted your work! You had a choice yesterday when you guys did whatever it was you did. You also didn’t have to ask him on a date, or go upstairs and make out with him. But you didn’t choose not to be around him.”

“Ali.”

“Look, I know you got fucked over, Iz. I know why you play this game with guys, but aren’t you tired yet?”

Isolde looked at her friend in surprise, not sure how to respond to her statement. Instead, she wrapped her arms around herself and started walking past Alisha. “I think we’re running late, and Ben is probably close to killing us.”

“Isolde,” Alisha sighed.

“I just don’t want to hurt him, Ali,” Isolde shrugged. “Jussi…” she sighed. “He’s a nice guy, and I just don’t want to unintentionally break him like I’ve done before.”

“I know you don’t, sweetheart.”

Isolde shook her head. “You really don’t, but that’s fine. Thank you for saying whatever you did to him. I won’t ask you to do it again.”

“I appreciate it.”

Isolde nodded. “We should head out.”

Alisha nodded. “Yeah, let’s go,” she sighed, before following Isolde down the rest of the stairs towards the sidewalk where Ben was waiting impatiently.

“About fucking time,” Ben muttered as they got into the cab and headed towards the dock where Alisha had chartered the boat. Isolde bit her lip the entire ride and wondered if sending Alisha to do her dirty work was a good idea, and what exactly her plan was for Jussi.

XxxxxxX

“Should we go?” Ben asked, causing Isolde to blink and stare at her computer.

“What?” she asked, looking up at Ben.

“Sweetie, you’ve been distracted all day. Are you okay?” he asked with a frown.

“Yeah, no, I’m fine,” Isolde said, shaking her head, before looking at the time on her computer. “I’m going to take a quick shower before Merlin starts.”

“Are you sure you want to watch it tonight? It ends right as your date starts,” Alisha pointed out.

“I’ll text him and let him know I’m going to run late. Mind setting up the channel, though?” Isolde asked, getting up from her chair and making her way to the bathroom.

Ben waited until the door was closed all the way and the water was running before he got up and turned the TV on, setting it on the right channel for Isolde, moving back to the table. “So what’s up with her?”

“I don’t know,” Alisha sighed. “She had me try to convince Jussi she was this horrible person.”

Ben shook his head. “This guy is different.”

“No shit,” Alisha sighed. “I just…I hate seeing Iz like this. She needs to get over what happened; she needs to start trusting again.”

“She trusts,” Ben said quickly, saving his work on the computer, knowing that once Isolde left the hotel room for her date, they wouldn’t be wanted. “She trusts men with her body, and that’s a big thing with Isolde. You know that.”

“Yeah,” Alisha nodded. “I just…want to see her happy, I guess.”

“We both do, Ali. But Isolde is Isolde, and she’ll live her life the way she wants it as long as she’s happy.”

“Do you think she’s happy?” Alisha asked.

Ben shrugged, stuffing his laptop into his messenger bag. “I don’t think she’s as happy as she could be, but I think she’s happy in general. You know you can’t tell her shit. She thinks the way she wants to think, and if she doesn’t agree with your opinion, she stops listening. Why do you think Ivan e-mails her rather than calls her? He knows that once he starts talking, Isolde stops listening.”

“Only because he lectures her like a father instead of acting like her manager.”

Ben shrugged, motioning for Alisha to pack up. “If you sit Isolde down and tell her to give a real honest-to-god relationship a chance, and list of reasons why she should, she would counter it with a list to rival yours on why being in a relationship is an unnatural occurrence, and how all men want the same thing, even if they voice it or not, and that’s a woman at home bearing and raising kids.”

Alisha rolled her eyes as she finished packing her bag. “One jackass of a boyfriend and apparently all men are like that.”

Ben shrugged. “She’ll figure it out eventually; let it be with this guy or another. Isolde will settle.”

Alisha shrugged, not bothering to argue any more as she shouldered her messenger bag and Ben went to the bathroom door, opening it to talk to Isolde.

“Hey, we’re heading out! Our flight leaves tomorrow afternoon, so we expect you for lunch.”

“Call to remind me!” Alisha heard Isolde say, causing her to smile.

“Deal. Love you!”

“Love you too!” Isolde shouted as Ben closed the door and followed Alisha out of the hotel room just as Isolde turned off the water. Grabbing a towel, Isolde dried off before wrapping the towel around her body and using her hand to wipe the fog off the mirror.

Sighing, she put on her lotion before taking the hair dryer to her hair. She dubbed it dry enough and left the bathroom to grab her clothes, only to see that her show was starting.

She looked at the clothes on the bed before turning back to the TV and making a quick decision. She went and sat down on the couch, crossing her legs underneath her as she watched in excitement. She figured she could text Jussi and let him know she’d be a bit late, and hopefully, he’d forgive her. She really should have set their date for a later time, she thought, before forgetting about the date and watching the new episode of Merlin with the excitement of a five year old in a toy shop.

XxxxxxX

He took a drag of his beer, looking absently at his phone for the fifth time, only to wince at himself. He wasn’t use to waiting for women; usually women waited for him. He sort of hated himself for knowing that she was half an hour late and he was still at the bar, sipping on his first and only drink like an eager puppy.

He felt a slight vibration near his hand and nearly jumped out of his seat as he grabbed his phone and looked at the ID. ‘Bam’ it read. It was official, he sighed. He definitely hated himself. Shaking his head at himself, he answered the phone.

“Hei, Bam.”

“Hey! Where the fuck are you?!”

“I’m at Corona, but-”

“Great!” Bam laughed. “I’m like two blocks away. I’ll meet you there!”

Before Jussi had a chance to argue, Bam had already hung up. Sighing, he hung up his own phone, noting the time and that she was now forty-five minutes late. With that thought, he took another drag of his beer.

He stared at the bottle, rolling it between his palms, trying to figure out what it was about Isolde that kept him rooted to the barstool. He’d already figured out she was addicting. Just the feel of her and her personality; it meshed with his perfectly. He felt like he didn’t have to hold back or act like a gentleman. He chuckled silently to himself. He was sure if he did act like a gentleman, Isolde would laugh at him and tease him for it.

She was crass and he was positive that she had kinks in the bedroom, which he was looking forward to finding out about. She was fun and had that laugh that nearly knocked the wind out of him every time he heard it. Just the idea of spending time with her, taking out the possibility of sex, had him eager. The word ‘eager’ made him think of Alisha’s warning, which caused him to inwardly wince, wondering what type of friend would say that about another, even if said with the best intentions in mind.

He was broken out of his thoughts when he heard the familiar and unmistakable ‘Yo!’ ring throughout the bar. Lifting his head, he grinned at Bam, getting up to hug the man before resuming his seat.

“Where the fuck is everyone?” Bam asked, sitting next to Jussi and signaling the bartender for a beer.

“Everyone as in…?” Jussi hedged with a raised eyebrow, wondering who Bam was talking about.

“Tried calling Jyrki, and he’s not answering. I dropped by Ville’s, and he’s not home. I tried his phone, and got his voice mail. I even tried his chick friend, Soya.”

Jussi snorted at Bam’s description. “By ‘chick friend,’ I assume you mean ‘girlfriend’?”

“So they’re official?” Bam asked, nodding at the bartender and taking a drink of his beer.

“As of about 3 months ago, Bam-Bam,” Jussi laughed.

“Good for them,” Bam nodded.

“You hate it,” Jussi smirked.

“I do, but he’s happy right?” Bam asked, looking away from his bottle and over at Jussi.

“The man can’t stop smiling. Sickening really,” Jussi chuckled, taking a drag of his beer.

“So, really. Where is everyone?”

“Jyrki went to Berlin to see his girlfriend; she got him tickets to see The Fuzztones at Bassy,” Jussi explained with a shrug. “They invited Ville and Soya.”

Bam opened his mouth to say something only to stop when his phone rang out; he looked at the screen before answering the call.

“What’s up, fat boy?” he asked with his grin, only to roll his eyes. “Fuck if I know, Phil! I left everything you told me to on the desk….Well then just send it all!” Bam said with a shake of his head. “Yes everything with an address; just fucking send it…all right then, bye.”

“Your dad?” Jussi asked once Bam hung up the phone.

“Yeah, some fans asked for some autographs so I left them in a folder on the desk like he told me to, and apparently he can’t find them.” Bam rolled his eyes. “So I told him just to send everything that’s on the desk.”

Jussi laughed. “Of course you did.”

“So Berlin?” Bam asked, going back to their original topic.

Jussi nodded. “Yeah, Jyrki comes back Monday, but then leaves for Barcelona on Friday after our gig, then flies back on Saturday afternoon.”

Bam blinked. “What?”

Jussi shrugged. “Impi has her last soccer game on Saturday and Jyrki promised he’d be there, so he’s going, though he made the promise before we had the dates for the tour.”

“When does Ville get back?”

Jussi shrugged. “I’m not sure; from what Soya told me, they’re staying the rest of the week in Barcelona with Rose, but I’m not sure when they’re coming back. Aida probably knows.”

“Who the fuck is Aida?”

Jussi laughed. “Soya’s little sister; she talks to them every night. They’ve probably already talked to her tonight and turned their phones off which is probably why they’re not answering. That, or Lyn took them away, she tends to do that.”

“And you got stuck here by yourself?”

“Ah…I’m actually waiting on someone.” Jussi admitted.

“Is that why you’re all dressed up?” Bam laughed, looking at Jussi.

Jussi looked down at himself and noted he had taken care to dress up a bit. He was in tight black jeans, a black button down shirt, the first two buttons undone, with a black coat over. His hair wasn’t its usually spiked fashion, having left it down. A rare occurrence, but he had put on a grey fedora, which was currently sitting on the bar.

“So who are you meeting?” Bam asked, taking another drag of his beer.

“Me.”

Bam and Jussi turned to see Isolde coming closer to them. Jussi found it hard to breathe as he took her in. She was wearing tight gold leggings with a black mosaic pattern on them, gold and black heels with a black-lace-cut strap with three black pearl buttons keeping the shoe in place. Her upper body was covered in a grey wrap-around jersey sweater, her oversized hood sitting neatly on her head, hiding the ringlets of blonde curls he knew she had.

“Sorry I’m late, Vuori,” Isolde said with a wince as she pushed her hood down, letting her curls escape. “I got distracted.”

“It’s fine,” Jussi shrugged, wincing inwardly at not only his lie, but at her smirk.

“It’s not.” She said hiding her smirk. “But if you say it is…”

Jussi shook his head, clearing his thoughts as he looked back at Bam, who was staring between them. “Uh…Bam…this is a friend-”

“Of Soya’s,” Isolde cut off. “I’m Isolde.”

“Bam.”

“I know. One of my first jobs was covering one of your demos in Prague,” Isolde admitted with a sigh as she stood next to Jussi.

“Ah, how’d you like it?” Bam asked with a grin.

“I hated it,” Isolde said looking at him with a ‘duh’ expression. “It’s not fun for me to watch men skateboard, but it was a job.” She shrugged before turning back to Jussi. “I was saying that I got distracted; I forgot today was Saturday when I made the date, and as stupid as it sounds, I had something to watch.”

Jussi laughed. “You ditched me for TV?”

“I didn’t ditch you,” Isolde defended. “I’m here; I just got really into what I was watching, and forgot to text you. And then it ended, and I realized how late it was, and rushed here, and then that was just another list of distractions that you do not want to hear…” Isolde ranted with a wave of her hand as she adjusted her bag on her shoulder. “So…am I interrupting something?” she trailed off, looking between Jussi and Bam.

“I think I am,” Bam admitted. “Didn’t know it was a date you were waiting for.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Isolde shrugged looking at Jussi. “Right, Vuori?”

“Right,” Jussi lied, keeping in his sigh.

“I already ate anyway,” Isolde admitted, looking around the bar. “So, I don’t know if you want to go…oh, pool!”

“You play?” Jussi asked, taking a drink of his beer, watching as she set her bag down next to him and started to undo her sweater.

“I can kick your ass at it. I’m good at darts too,” Isolde said, shedding her sweater, causing Jussi to stare at her as he took in the taupe-colored shirt she was wearing. If one could even classify it a shirt. It was a long sleeve, tunic-style shirt that fell to the top of her thigh, covering her upper body.

The thing that made him swallow harshly was that the shirt looked like it was in two pieces. The piece that held the sleeves stopped just a couple inches below her bust. The second part, which connected to the collar of the shirt, fell down to the end of her thighs, leaving a large hole at either of her sides, leaving a bit of her back and front bare before his eyes.

“I think I’m going to head out, let you two do whatever it is you guys are going to do,” Bam said, looking at them oddly.

“No, no, stay,” Isolde said with a wave of her hand as she started to walk away.

“Wow,” Bam muttered. Both he and Jussi watched as she grabbed a pool cue, testing it in her hand. “She is-”

“Yeah.” Jussi laughed. “Yes, she is.”

“You like her,” Bam accused, looking at his friend.

“Yeah. And she knows it,” Jussi laughed. “Right now I’m just trying to figure out how to get her into bed.”

“How’s that working out for you?” Bam laughed, turning and getting his beer from the bar.

“She’s here, isn’t she?” Jussi asked, raising an eyebrow in Bam’s direction.

“So, how late is she?”

“At least an hour,” Isolde answered, passing Jussi a pool cue. “I really am sorry for it,” she said to Jussi, smiling wearily. “You’ll learn that I’m late for everything. Josef says there’s real time and, ‘Isolde time,’ and that everyone should run on ‘Isolde time.’ Rack the balls, Vuori.”

“Are you ever going to call me Jussi?”

“First names are reserved for my friends, coworkers and lovers,” Isolde said, chalking the end of the stick, watching as he gathered the balls and racked them up. “You are neither.”

“Hurtful,” Jussi smirked at her. “Especially with what happened yesterday.”

Isolde winked at him as she leaned against the table next to theirs. “Get used to it; I’ve got a sharp tongue.”

“Bet it would feel wonderful on my-”

“Ah! And just when I was starting to like you,” Isolde laughed, flouncing to the end of the table. She leaned over, smirking at Jussi, knowing he was scanning her body, as well as the gaps in her shirt that left parts of her front bare to him. She smirked as she sent the cue ball rolling into the multi-colored ones, pocketing one of the striped balls.

“Why don’t you wear a watch, keep you from being late?” Jussi asked, having collected his own cue and looking at the table before taking his shot.

Isolde bit her lip to keep from scanning his body as he leaned against the opposite table. She’d do that later. Instead, she shrugged at Jussi’s question and pushed her cue forward “For the most part, I work on my own time table, and I’m not really late for important meetings; just meetings I set up myself. I distract easily and forget, a fault of mine I have no intention of curing.”

“You are a very interesting woman, Isolde,” Bam said, watching them play, amused and drinking his beer.

“So I’ve been told,” Isolde said, smiling at him.

“Did you want anything to drink?” Jussi asked, his fingers trailing over the wood of the table before they ran themselves over the small of her back as he walked behind her.

“Whatever they have on tap is fine,” Isolde said with a shrug.

Jussi nodded, leaving for the bar as Bam watched Isolde. “So, what do you do?” Bam asked.

“I’m a photographer,” she said absently, bending over the table again and hitting the cue ball against the striped red ball. “I use to model, though. Still do, but I enjoy being behind the camera a lot more than being in front of it.”

“You live here in Helsinki?” Bam asked.

“I move around a lot,” Isolde said, smiling when Jussi brought her a pint. She watched as he leaned against the free table. Taking a sip of her drink, she set it on the edge of the table before looking at the balls on the felt to see her shot.

“So where do you live now?” Jussi asked.

Isolde shrugged leaning forward and arranging her cue “Not sure yet. I have yet to decide where I want to move to next.” She grinned at Jussi before leaning back down and hitting the cue ball, causing it to hit the side of the table and miss the striped balls completely. “I have a flat in Prague, but my manager’s been trying to convince me to do some stuff here in Hels, since I’m here already. I’m just not sure if I want to move back here.”

“Why not?” Bam asked.

Isolde shrugged. “I’ve already lived here. Why move somewhere I’ve already lived? It’s like fucking someone I’ve already fucked.”

“Wow, how are you Soya’s friend?” Bam asked, blinking at the blonde.

Isolde laughed. “I’m more her partner’s friend.” At Bam’s stare she smiled at him. “Josef, her dance partner. I’m his friend, I met Soya through him.”

Jussi rolled his eyes. “Yesterday was the second time they’ve actually hung out, and she spent most of the night stalking me.”

“I wasn’t stalking,” Isolde said. “You’ve got a photogenic face.”

Jussi shook his head, containing his laugh. “Good excuse.”

“And you were stalking me, Vuori. Get it right,” Isolde said, pointing her finger at him as he took his turn before turning back to Bam. “What did you mean by, ‘how am I Soya’s friend?’”

“Soya’s a bit more…” Bam waved his hand, trying to find the word, before Jussi laughed.

“She wouldn’t have said the word ‘fuck,’” Jussi finished for Bam before turning to his friend. “And you’d be surprised by who Soya surrounds herself with; you really need to meet Rosalind.”

Isolde sighed as she tossed the stick on the table and turned to Jussi. “I’m bored. And I lied before. I haven’t eaten, so you are going to have to give me food.”

Jussi chuckled as he nodded and downed the rest of his beer, watching as she drank a good half of hers. “There’s a kebab place down the street.”

“Perfect!” Isolde grinned as she went back to the bar, setting her half-empty glass on the bar and putting her sweater on. “Well…” she said, looking back at Bam and Jussi.

Jussi smirked as he set his empty bottle down, paying for both the drinks as Isolde shouldered her bag, Bam paying for his beer before following them out.

“I think I’m going to head out, catch up with the rest of the gang that’s wreaking havoc across Helsinki,” Bam said as they started down the side walk, Isolde buttoning up her coat.

“Are you sure?” Isolde asked. “We don’t mind you tagging along.”

Jussi stared at Isolde before shaking his head. “We don’t mind you coming along.”

“Right. ‘Tagging along,’ that’s rude,” Isolde shrugged, chewing on her lip as she looked around the area they were standing in before smiling lightly at Bam.

“It’s fine,” Bam said with a shake of his head. “We still have to meet up tomorrow though, to talk about Christmas.”

“Right!” Jussi grinned. “I can get together around noon.”

“Ah, how about earlier?” Bam asked.

Jussi chuckled, having a feeling the Bam was determined to see Ville even if it killed him. And as the rumor around the watering hole was that Soya and Ville were most likely going to have sex during the trip, Bam finding the Finn might just get him killed. “You’re going to Berlin, aren’t you?”

“Just to hang,” Bam laughed.

“I can do it around eight or nine, I guess,” Jussi shrugged.

“So early. But that’ll work,” Bam nodded.

“You also didn’t show me that tattoo you got done,” Jussi pointed out, having seen the picture Jyrki had shown him of Bam’s new addition to his arm art, but not having seen it in person.

“Okay this conversation really needs to end soon or else my stomach will eat itself,” Isolde said with a teasing grin, stuffing her hands into her jacket before turning to Bam. “You got a tattoo?”

“Of Jussi,” Bam said, taking off his jacket and showing Jussi his arm where he’d gotten Kat to do the tattoo.

“Oh wow,” Isolde said, running her fingers over Bam’s arm. “That is amazingly done. Who did it?”

“Kat Von D,” Bam said as Jussi looked at it.

“I’ve always wanted one done by her, but I’m never in LA for enough time to set up an appointment,” Isolde sighed, pulling her hand back.

“I’m honored to be on your arm,” Jussi laughed, looking over at Isolde as she unsnapped her camera bag. “What are you doing?”

“I want a picture,” Isolde said with a grin, taking her camera out and turning it on as she motioned Jussi to get closer to Bam’s arm. She smiled at them as Bam extended his arm, Jussi’s cheek laying right on it as he opened his mouth in a scream. Isolde snapped the picture, looking at her screen as Jussi stood back up.

“It really did turn out amazing,” Jussi said, looking absently at the LCD screen Isolde thrust in his face before she showed it to Bam. “Seriously, it’s an honor to be on your arm with Ville.”

Bam laughed. “Glad you think so. So, tomorrow morning?”

“I’ll make sure he’s out of my hotel room by seven-thirty,” Isolde said with a smirk as she turned the camera off and stuffed it into her bag.

“Have fun tonight,” Bam said with a shake of his head. “And uh, happy early Halloween.”

“Bye,” Jussi laughed, watching Bam jog across the street. He turned back to Isolde with a smirk. “So, I’ll be leaving your hotel room in the morning?”

“Don’t get cocky. I have yet to decide if you’ll be leaving with your boxers or without them,” Isolde smirked back, making sure her bag was strapped before looking back at Jussi with a raised eyebrow. “What?”

“I’m not wearing boxers.”

Isolde rolled her eyes. “Briefs then.”

“I’m not wearing underwear.” Jussi laughed.

“Ah, well, in that case, neither am I. Food now.”

“You are the most interesting woman I’ve ever met,” Jussi stated, staring at her in amazement.

“Oh, Vuori,” Isolde cooed, patting his cheek. “I know, but I’m serious; you need to feed me. I really haven’t eaten much today.”

Jussi nodded, waving his hand forward as they walked down the side walk. “So, no underwear, huh?”

“Only when I absolutely have to,” Isolde said, looking at him, her lips quirked. “They get in the way when one tries to have sex against a wall.”

Jussi laughed. “Yes, they do. So where did you grow up?”

Isolde laughed, causing Jussi to turn to her with a grin. “We go from talking about not wearing underwear, to where I grew up?”

“As much as your lack of underwear has peaked my curiosity, your accent has me intrigued.”

Isolde laughed. “I spent their first ten years of my life in Manchester.”

“England?”

“Mmm, I was born there. But when I was about ten, we moved to Prague, and I was there until I was about sixteen.”

“What happened at sixteen?” Jussi asked, opening the door to the restaurant for her.

“I got discovered,” Isolde grinned as she walked up to the counter. She looked up at the menu that was on the wall, feeling Jussi stand behind her, before smiling at the man behind the counter.

“Otan Kebab ranskalaisilla ja pieni juoma,” she ordered in perfect Finnish. (I'll have the Kebab with fries and a small drink)

Jussi looked at her in surprise, his gut clenching when he saw her teasing smile, only to turn back to the man behind the counter and nod in her direction. ”Otan sama.” (I’ll have the same.)

“You speak Finnish” Jussi stated, taking their drink cups and handing her one.

“I do,” Isolde laughed as they walked to the soda fountain. Both of them went for the Coke; Isolde pushed his hand and cup out of the way so she could fill up first. “And yes, I understood everything you said to me yesterday.” She leaned forward to whisper in his ear. “Hot. As. Fuck.”

“So, at sixteen you were discovered?” Jussi croaked.

“Mm, Josef was taking a photography class at our prep school,” she shrugged as they found a table and settled down as they waited for their food. “He asked me to be his model, and I agreed. A lot of the pictures that were submitted were framed and put up in this…hole-in-the-wall gallery, and Josef’s was one. An agent saw it, liked it and contacted Josef and…well, here I am.”

“And you like to model?”

Isolde nodded. “Sure. It is fun having someone dress you up, make you up and pose you. I like that I get to travel, and I’m never in one spot for too long. Same with when I get called to take the pictures. But I’m mostly Europe-based; I only visit the U.S. when Josef begs it of me, and those calls are very rare, as he now has Soya.”

“Jealous?” Jussi teased.

“God, no! Let Josef bitch to someone other than me,” Isolde laughed, only to look up when her number was called. “Oh, would you…?”

“Yeah, I’ll grab it,” Jussi chuckled. He stood, stripping off his jacket before he went up to the counter to get their food. Isolde watched, stripping off her own sweater, her head tilted as she tucked a black curl behind her ear. She was definitely glad to have given the man a chance; with an ass like that one he had to be wonderful in bed.

She watched him come back, setting her plate in front of her and sitting back down. She grabbed his plate as well, and moved her kebabs onto it, smiling at his raised eyebrow as she moved his fries onto hers and set his plate back.

“I really just wanted the fries.” She shrugged.

“You could have just ordered them,” Jussi told her, pointing towards the menu. “It’s an option.”

“Yes, but then you would have been left with no fries and two kebabs. Now you have four, and I have fries.” Isolde sighed as she looked over at him. “Do you want some fries?”

Jussi shook his head, laughing silently to himself. “No, it’s fine. Keep them. So, your accent it’s Czech and English?”

Isolde shrugged. “It’s a bit of everything.”

“And you know Finnish,” Jussi pointed out.

“Had to learn when I moved here,” she pointed out. “I hate speaking English in a country I know I’m going to spend more than a month in, so I try to learn the basics of the language as a sign of respect. I also know German, Hungarian, and a tiny bit of Gaelic that I picked up from my grandmother before she passed. Obviously, Czech I picked up while living there for so long. I also know a bit of other languages.”

“That’s impressive.”

“Josef calls me a mutt because I’m a bit of everything. I can get around in almost all the European countries, except for Russia,” she said with an annoyed shake of her head. “Russian I have yet to be able to pick up.”

“Are you close to your parents?” he asked, picking one of the kebabs apart with his fingers as he watched her pop a fry into her mouth.

Isolde nodded slowly. “My mother more than my father. My dad isn’t too happy with the direction I’ve taken with my life but,” she shrugged, twirling her hand in dismissal, “C’est la vie.”

“What isn’t he happy with?” Jussi asked, curious. “Your professional life or your personal?”

“You mean, does my daddy know his only daughter isn’t a virgin? Yes, he does,” she laughed. “Unfortunately, he caught me mid-coitus; he turned the deepest shade of purple.” She shook her head. “But to answer your question, he’s not happy with my professional life. He had a very specific plan for me.”

She picked at her fries before picking up her coke and taking a sip. “When I started modeling, he saw it as a phase I was just going through. When I started taking it seriously, and later started perusing my photography, he saw it as this form of rebellion. But I didn’t like his plan. And if I don’t like something, then I stay away from it.”

“So, you’re not close with him?”

“Oh, I am,” Isolde said. “I’m his only child, so we have civil conversations, and he always leaves me money when I’m in town.” She gave a small laugh. “I’ll always find twenty euros under my phone and another on my dresser, because he knows if he outright hands me the money, I won’t accept it. So he hides it in places he knows that I most likely forget I put money, and never anything over twenty.”

“How much do you end up finding?” Jussi laughed.

“Over the course of the time I spend in my flat, I’ll find about a hundred Euros just laying around in small bills or coins.”

“And you mum?”

“Oh, I’m her pride and joy,” Isolde laughed.

“I can tell you were spoiled rotten as a child,” Jussi laughed, stealing one of the fries from her plate, grinning when she gave him a disapproving glare.

“And I’m still spoiled rotten. My parents only wanted one child and they ended up with me,” Isolde teased. “My mum genuinely enjoys spending time with me, and she’s over the moon that I grew up to be a girly girl so she could dress me up and have someone to go shopping with. With me traveling as much as I do, I try my best to keep her updated on where I am, and when I may make it back to her corner of the world. And that makes her happy. And I like it when my maminka is happy.”

She popped another fry in her mouth before gesturing to him. “What about you? Only child or, wait no…” she snapped her fingers as she remembered. “No, I know you have at least one brother, because you were talking to him a couple of days ago when I went over to Ville’s.”

“I have two older brothers, Jyrki and Janne. And no; it’s not the same Jyrki that’s in the band,” Jussi said with a grin.

“I didn’t think it was,” Isolde said with a shrug.

“And I also have parents. Was it lonely being an only child?” he asked, redirecting the questions back to her, as he was much more curious about her.

“No,” she said slowly. “I lived about two miles from Josef, who has four other siblings. I would ride my bike to his house when I got bored, which was about two minutes after I got up. Did you like having brothers?”

“Sure.” Jussi nodded. “But I prefer hearing you talk then talking about myself.”

“And I get bored talking about myself,” Isolde grinned. “I’m lying. I love talking about myself.”

Jussi laughed. “Seriously, most interesting woman I’ve ever met.”

Isolde shook her head as she rested the urge to wipe her fingers on her leggings, using a napkin instead. “As much as I do enjoy talking about myself and hearing myself talk in general, can I ask you something?”

Jussi nodded. “Go ahead.”

“At Ville’s; why so cocky?” Isolde asked.

Jussi chuckled. “You’d caught my interest; I was trying to catch yours.”

“And catch it you did,” Isolde said, popping another fry in her mouth.

“I don’t usually…” Jussi sighed, pushing his plate away as he looked at the blonde across from him. He was hesitant about admitting something that he hadn’t admitted to anyone else, let alone his closest friends. “I have a friend who is…freakishly psychic.”

“You have a friend who is psychic...?” Isolde said slowly.

“She is surprisingly accurate in everything she predicts,” Jussi defended, thinking of Rosalind and her predictions. For the most part, they came true in one form or another.

“All right…go on,” Isolde laughed.

“Anyway, a few years ago she said I was going to meet my match.”

“She sounds like a fortune cookie,” Isolde teased.

“She’s usually not so vague,” Jussi assured with a laugh.

“So, she said you were going to meet your match, huh?”

Jussi shrugged. “For the most part I tend to disregard anything that comes out of Rosalind’s mouth, especially when I first met her. But this prediction in particular stuck with me.”

“So…” Isolde asked with a shrug, “What does that have to do with me?”

Jussi grinned at her. “When you told me off in the coffee shop-”

“You think…” Isolde stared at him, before laughing. “You think I’m your match?”

“I still have to see how you are in bed…” Jussi trailed off with a smirk. “You caught my interest, and when my interest is caught, I pretty much just….latch on.”

“How do I unlatch you?” Isolde asked, causing Jussi to smirk.

“You sleep with me, see if I lose interest,” he said with a slight lift of his shoulders.

“And if you don’t lost interest?”

“Then you’re stuck with me.”

Isolde laughed. “I really don’t see how I benefit from any of this, other than potentially getting a good lay. But I guess I’m going to have to sleep with you then.”

“Good to know we’re on the same page,” Jussi chuckled.

Isolde rolled her eyes. “So really, you believe in psychics?”

“You don’t?”

“I don’t believe in a lot of things,” Isolde said with a mocking smile.

“Werewolves?”

“Men who turn into wolves during a full moon? Really?”

“Vampires?”

“Oh Vuori, I know you believe yourself one, but blood sucking undead? Seriously?”

“Ghosts,” Jussi put out.

“My grandma swore her basement was haunted. I never heard, or saw, a thing,” Isolde shrugged.

“As a girl, you probably believe in something stupid like fairies,” Jussi laughed.

“Hey, don’t knock fairies. Fairies are real,” Isolde said, grinning at Jussi.

“So you really don’t believe in anything out there?” Jussi asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m pretty open-minded actually,” Isolde admitted. “All legends and myths are formed on some kernel of truth. But it’s like the world is playing this huge game of telephone, and the more the stories get told, the more exaggerated or unbelievable they get. Do I believe in Dracula? Yes, as his real name was Vlad the Impaler. Do I believe he still haunts his castle? Fuck yes, I do.”

Jussi laughed. “Good to know.”

“I believe to a certain extent, but I don’t knock other peoples beliefs either, or their level of belief,” she shrugged. “I wholeheartedly believe in ghosts. My grandmother really did have one in her basement, and I saw it when I was twelve. I ran up those basement stairs so fast, I ended up sliding across her kitchen floor in my socks and chipping my tooth on one of the table chairs.” She lifted her upper lip and tapped the upper canine tooth on the left side of her mouth before speaking again. “Had to get the damn thing capped.”

Jussi shook his head in amusement. “And then there are fairies.”

“Ah, I believed in fairies so much when I was younger. And I still do, to an extent. I blame Peter Pan for it.” She laughed. “I use to love Tinkerbell and learned everything I could about fairies. My grandmother actually had a fairy ring in her backyard, and I swore I saw fairies dancing out there one night.”

“You were close to your grandmother, weren’t you?” Jussi asked, with a small smile.

“I was,” Isolde nodded. “I actually found out years later that she had planted the fairy ring for me, and had dug out little holes in the center and put candles inside to look like the flickering of fairies.”

“You have a fairy on you, don’t you?” Jussi pointed out, having a feeling the fairy represented her grandmother.

“Jesus, did you look at that magazine with a fucking magnifying glass?” she teased. “She’s on my ankle; she was my first.”

“For your grandmother,” Jussi pointed out.

Isolde nodded. “Yes, for my grandmother. She passed away when I was eighteen, and it just felt right.”

“Fitting tribute.”

Isolde nodded, not wanting to admit that on the anniversary of her grandmother’s death, she would fly out to Castlebar, Ireland and stay in the small cottage her grandmother had left her, and light the fairy lights in her honor. That seemed much more personal to her than talking about the tattoo she’d gotten done for her beloved grandmother.

“Can I ask you something?” Jussi asked, leaning forward on the table.

“You’ve been asking me questions all night,” Isolde laughed. “And that, in and of itself, is a question.”

Jussi chuckled. “I think your friend Alisha tried to warn me off you today.”

Isolde frowned as she pushed her half empty plate away and leaned back in her, chair rubbing her stomach. “Okay, I’m full. Are you full?”

“Isolde,” Jussi sighed.

“Look, walk me back to Torni, and we’ll talk.”

“So, you know what she did?”

“As I prompted her to do it, yes, I do,” Isolde said, reaching over and grabbing her coat. “Can we-”

“Yeah,” Jussi nodded, putting his own jacket on as Isolde wrapped hers around herself. Isolde picked up her bag and followed him out, watching as he threw out their trash. They stood outside for a beat before Jussi directed her the right way that would lead her to her hotel.

“So, why’d you sic your friend on me?” Jussi asked as they started walking. “If you don’t want me going after you, all you have to do is say so, and I’ll stop.”

Isolde snorted. “Would you really?”

“I would put up a fight,” Jussi chuckled, stuffing his hands in his coat pockets.

“I’m not the girl you take home to mother, Jussi.”

“You haven’t met my mother. I think she’d take to you,” Jussi shrugged.

Isolde laughed. “What I’m trying to say is that I don’t do normal relationships. I really don’t believe in them.”

Jussi looked over at her. “Have you at least given a relationship a try?”

Isolde nodded slowly. “I have. I was in one for a good six years, but after that ended I just didn’t want to go down that road anymore. So I tend to stray to casual relationships with men that…tend to be at my beck and call.”

“You have an itch and they scratch?”

“Pretty much,” Isolde laughed. “I’m not a whore.”

“I wasn’t pegging you as one.”

“I happen to enjoy sex, and I happen to have had partners that aren’t looking to settle, but just want to blow off some steam from their work in the form of sex. And I’m very much willing to please.”

“So, how many men do you have at your beck and call at the moment?” Jussi asked, quite nervous about the answer.

“Just one,” Isolde said with a small smile, knowing that most men were daunted when they found out the woman they wanted to pursue also had active competition. “He lives in Prague and is an old high school friend of mine.”

“What does he do?”

“Why do you care?” Isolde teased. “He wouldn’t care about you, and that’s what matters isn’t it?”

“Isolde, what does he do?” Jussi asked, not sure why he needed to know what the other man did for a living. Most likely the hint of jealously he felt had a bit to do with the reason.

Isolde rolled her eyes. “Men,” she muttered, before answering. “He’s a doctor. He works insane hours in the ER, so even when I’m in Prague, I don’t see him much. All-in-all, he’s a decent guy. And he’ll eventually make the nurse from Pediatrics a very happy woman when he gathers the courage to ask her on a date.”

Jussi laughed. “And you would allow it?”

“Why do you think he’s the only one left of my lovers?” Isolde asked with a shrug. “I enjoy having them to myself, but I can’t stop them from falling in love. As long as it’s not with me; they’ve all found someone that’ll enjoy them in their everyday life, and I step aside so that they can be happy.”

Jussi blinked. “So, what part of this is supposed to scare me off?”

Isolde shrugged. “I just don’t want you to think that I’m in this for the long haul, because I’m not.”

Jussi shook his head. “Have I given you the impression that I want a relationship?”

Isolde frowned. “What?”

Jussi sighed, rubbing the back of his neck before he spoke. “You’ve caught my interest, I’ve already admitted that. And I’m not going to stand here and tell you that I wouldn’t want to see you again, but at this moment in time, I don’t have the time to be in a relationship. I’m not looking for one; I’m spending the next couple of months on the road, and we’re in talks to continue our tour well into April. I’m in no position to commit myself to anything other than my drums.”

“So, what do you want from me?” Isolde asked as they stopped in front of Torni.

“Well, I’d like to see the inside of your room tonight,” Jussi admitted, before running his hand down her arm. “See if maybe tonight is enough to get me by?”

“And if it’s not?” Isolde asked with a raised eyebrow, her fingers finding the loop of his jeans and tugging him closer. “I’m a damn good lay, Vuori.”

Jussi laughed. “And if it’s not, then we’ll take it from there.”

Isolde nodded slowly, chewing on her bottom lip before speaking. “If I agree to this, you have to promise to keep it casual. I don’t want you changing your mind two weeks from now and begging me to be your girlfriend. I won’t give in. and it’s a sure-fire way to get me to avoid Helsinki and any of its surrounding areas until I’m sure you’re over me.”

“I swear, all casual.”

“Just sex?”

“Sex and pleasant conversation, from time to time,” Jussi negotiated.

Isolde sighed. “Let’s keep it sex for now, and then we’ll talk about more later.”

Jussi shrugged. “Fine by me. Now this room of yours…”

Isolde laughed as she grabbed his hand and lead him inside the hotel. “Fine, come on.”

Jussi chuckled as she eagerly pulled him into the elevator, her fingers finding the button that would lead them to her floor before wrapping her arms around his neck and covering his lips with hers.

‘Just sex,’ he reminded himself, as his fingers found her waist and his lips moved with hers. She was providing relief for the long months on the road, and it was just luck that he found her so interesting. ‘Just sex,’ he thought one last time, before losing himself to Isolde.