Heartkiller

Chapter Nineteen: Wicked Game

What a wicked game to play
To make me feel this way
What a wicked thing to do
To let me dream of you

Thursday, July 3rd, 2008

It was early July, four and a half months after the proposal. Even now, Avery was still not used to the weight of the ring on her finger. She often corrected herself when introducing Ville to others, defaulting to calling him her boyfriend. He was her fiance now. It was such a fancy word, and her lips tingled whenever she uttered it. Fiance.

Right now, Ville was on tour, living the fast times of a rockstar. He was going to try to be home for the July 4th weekend for Independence Day, but Avery didn't get her hopes up. By this point, she knew not to make plans with him until he was actually here with her. It was better that way so that she wasn’t disappointed when he called and told her something had come up and that he wouldn’t be making it back to the City as early as he’d thought he would.

On Thursday evening, Avery returned home from the office around 8pm; as usual, she was the last one out of the office and burning the midnight oil. She walked into the apartment and set her shoulder bag on the couch; she took off her beige trenchcoat and placed it on top of her bag before tying her hair up into a messy ponytail. She went to the kitchen to figure out what to eat for dinner, unsure if she wanted to bother with a meal at all since she didn’t have much of an appetite. She opened the refrigerator to find that it was bare; only a block of swiss cheese, a quarter of a gallon of milk, and some questionable meat sat on the shelves. She then started to look through the cabinets and found a can of chicken noodle soup.

“Canned soup? When did I even buy this?” she thought out loud skeptically.

Without many other choices, Avery resorted to making the soup. She had just started to turned on the stove when her cellphone started ringing. Quickly, she ran to the living room and pulled her phone out of the depths of her trenchcoat to read the caller ID. Ville. Immediately, she smiled, happy to be able to hear his voice again.

“Hey,” she greeted.

“Hey sweetheart, what are you up to?” he asked.

“Nothing much. I just got home from work, and I’m heating up a pot of soup that I found in the cabinet. I’m not too excited about it…” Avery made her way back to the kitchen.

“Why are you so out of breath?”

“I had to find my phone in my jacket. It was on the couch, and I was in the living room... How are you? I haven’t been able to speak to you in a while,” she asked as she stirred the liquid in the pot.

“I’m good. I had a little bit of a sore throat the other day, but I’m better now. I had some tea, and that helped.”

“Aw, honey. Is it gone now or still a little sore?”

“No, it’s mostly gone. A little rasp remains, that’s all.”

“That’s good. How have the shows been?”

“Uh, the shows have been, uh, they’ve been going pretty well. Anyway, how are you? How was your day?”

She sighed. “Good.”

“Uh oh, it doesn’t sound like it was. What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. I’m tired, that’s all.” she said and the words seemed to emphasize her exhaustion even more. Still, the fatigue failed to fully explain the reasons for her hesitation. There was something else on her mind, and she didn’t know how to bring up the subject with Ville, especially over the phone.

“Do you really think I haven’t caught on by now?” he chuckled, though the sound was muffled by the white noise of the telephone connection. “That’s your excuse whenever you don’t want to tell me something. Come on, Ave. What’s wrong?”

She set the spatula down and leaned against the counter so that the stove was in her right periphery. Her left hand held the phone to her ear while her right hand supported the other elbow. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, silently resenting the fact that he knew her so well. She wished she could just feign a sense of confidence until he got home, the point at which she actually wanted to have a conversation about this. It was a topic that was far too heavy to be discussed over the phone.

The past few months had been very hectic. The wedding planner would always have some new decision to make every week that she would discuss with Ville. Big flower centerpieces or something more modern? Sashes in the wedding tent or disco lights? Every minute detail was being meticulously planned. Nevermind the fact that Avery had a large caseload at work to which she also needed to attend. All the work she was doing was starting to wear away at her patience, and had she been more well rested, she may have been able to resist Ville’s questions right now. Because of the exhaustion that currently overwhelmed her, though, it was too easy for Ville to get his way.

“Natalie’s getting divorced.” Avery broke the news about her boss.

“Oh, no.”

“Yeah, she and her husband have been together for 28 years, but I don’t know. Things haven’t been working out lately, I guess. They tried going to couples therapy, and they’re not seeing any progress.”

“That’s too bad. How’s she holding up?”

“She’s the one who filed the papers, but I mean, it still sucks to admit you failed in a marriage, you know? She’s trying to put on a brave face, but… there’s only so much she can do.” Avery paused, getting to the real issue now. She was hesitant to broach the subject. “She, um… she was talking about her prenup with him and how they were going to split their assets.”

“Uh huh.” Ville replied, sensing she was leading him somewhere.

“And it got me thinking… we never really discussed that, you and I.”

“Discussed what? A prenup?”

“Yeah, I mean, we’ve been planning the wedding pretty quickly to make the date of our two year anniversary, and I think that we’re kind of getting caught up in it all; we’re forgetting these other things. With the wedding in like two months, we kind of need to decide if we want a prenup agreement, don’t we?” she said slowly. “Do you, um, do you want one?”

She heard Ville let out a deep sigh, and she waited for his answer. “I think that a prenup sets us up for failure, don’t you agree?”

“I guess.” Feeling uncomfortable from the tone of the discussion, Avery rubbed the back of her neck. “So that’s a no.”

“I don’t think we need one. We’ll weather through whatever perils our marriage may face.” he consoled.

“Is it really that easy for you, Ville? How are you so confident? What if it gets to the point where we have to throw in the towel? I think… you know, I think it would be nice to have a backup plan.”

“Well, should things go south, I would hope that we would be mature enough to handle things rationally… A backup plan seems preemptive. It’s as though you’re walking down the aisle already expecting that things won’t work out.”

“It’s not that I don’t think things won’t work out. I’m just plagued by the question ‘what if?’ That uncertainty is… I don’t know, it’s really unsettling.”

“That’s what’s exciting about marriage: you don’t know what the future holds; doesn’t that excite you?”

“If by excite, you mean petrify my soul with fear, then yes; yes, it does.” she giggled, helping to break the tension.

Ville chuckled as well before continuing, “Why don’t we take the full plunge, Ave? If things don’t work out, then they don’t work out. We can handle it then if it comes to that, but there’s no reason for us to do this half-heartedly.”

Avery ran her fingers through her hair and wrung her forehead. “You’re right.”

“That’s just my opinion; if you still want one, you can draw up the papers however you feel necessary, and I’ll sign them. It’s not about the money for me. For richer or poorer, my heart belongs to you.”

“No, no, you’re right, Ville. You’re right. I love you, but... I think I’m just scared of ending up like Nat. She had her whole life planned out to be with this man, and thirty years later, they’re calling it quits. You never know what could happen.”

“I get it. I understand where you’re coming from, but I don’t think we need to do this. If you feel differently, then--”

“Yeah, no, I agree.” she affirmed. The soup in the pot started to boil and foam; the sound startled her, and she returned her attention to the stove. “Shit.”

“What?”

“Nothing, it’s the soup. I wasn’t paying attention.” She sighed and turned off the stove. “So where are you off to now?”

“Home.”

Avery grinned widely. “Home as in New York? Everything’s on schedule?”

“Mhmm.”

“You should be home tomorrow then, right?”

“Uh… Yeah.”

“That’s awesome. I’m excited to see you again, baby.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing you again, too, Ave.” Ville smiled even though she obviously couldn’t see him.

“I’ll make you a big home-cooked meal to welcome you back. Make all your favorites.”

“Don’t overwhelm yourself, darling.”

“Oh, please.” she scoffed. “I’d be happy to do it. What have you been eating the past few weeks? Burgers from questionable fast food joints, I assume?”

“Perhaps. We stopped at a diner once.” Ville tried to reason.

“Uh huh, that’s what I thought.” she responded with an eyeroll. “I know you don’t have the time to stop and take a minute for yourself, but when you’re home, I want you to be healthy.”

“Well then I must do something to repay you the favor.”

“That’s really not necessary.”

“It is.” he insisted. “Besides, I feel like all we talk about lately is the wedding, which, I’m excited about, but… I don’t know. I think it overwhelms all our conversations nowadays. Let’s talk about something else.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“I was wondering…” he started slowly. “ What would you do if I were to show up at our doorstep in a uniform?”

“Are you really thinking about doing that, Ville? I was kidding when I told you that was my sexual fantasy.” she scoffed.

“I may or not be thinking about doing that, and I’m sure you were indeed kidding.” he exaggerated his tone sarcastically. “Anyway, how would you react?”

“Depends what uniform.” she replied as she turned off the stove.

“Whatever your heart desires.”

“Hmm… well I guess, if it were up to me, you’d be in a Navy commander uniform.”

“Okay, then what would you do if I were to show up at your doorstep wearing that?”

“It’d have to be a nice white one. Very crisp, you know? Hot off the press, or whatever.” she replied, completely distracted by the mental picture. “You’d have the hat tucked underneath your arm, chest held high… you know, playing the part.”

“Say it is all that.”

“What would I do then?” she clarified.

“Yeah, what would you do?”

“Is this hypothetical? Or are you thinking about doing this?” she deflected.

“Avery, answer the question.” Ville said exasperatedly.

“I’m going to go with hypothetical. If you happen to do all that, and I don’t imagine how you would considering the fact that you’re across the country, well then I would probably have you right there in the middle of the hallway without a care for who was around. Not even Mrs. Iverson, who would probably have some snide remarks to mutter under her breath as she shut her door. I wouldn’t care at all. I would fuck you so hard, baby, and…” There was knock at the door, and she stopped scooping the soup into a bowl to go answer it. “and it’d be crazy wild, kinky sex because you would have just fulfilled my greatest fantasy. You would have complete control of me and of the situation, and I'd be at your every whim and mercy. Although… any uniform will do though.”

As she turned the doorknob, she continued. "Satisfied with that answer?"

Her words trailed off as she gathered the sight in front of her. Her mouth fell agape. Ville stood tall wearing a white Navy commander uniform with his hat tucked under his left arm. His hair had been cut quite short so the strands were only a few inches long, and it tapered the frame of his head; it was still quite unruly with curls frazzled everywhere. Avery's eyes marveled over the various badges on the uniform; it all looked so real. He held his phone to his ear with his right hand and smirk played upon his lips; he was happy to have surprised her speechless.

"I don't know, are you satisfied?” he countered.

“Damn you, fucker,” was all that she managed to whisper before pulling him inside by his collar.

Because of Avery’s haste, Ville barely managed to grab his duffel bag off the floor before she shut the door and practically threw her phone on the desk.

“I’m assuming you want me in the bedroom.” Ville said, the smile stapled to his porcelain skin.

“Oh honey, I don’t think I can wait that long.” Avery replied before jumping into his arms and grabbing his lips with her mouth.

He was caught off guard and stepped backwards towards the door due to the force. Once he regained his balance, however, he leaned against the wall by the front doorway, and she pushed up against him. Avery took the hat from him and placed it on his head without removing her lips from his. Once she had done so, she smiled and left urgent kisses on his lips. She cupped his face tenderly.

She pulled away but for a moment to remark, “I wasn’t expecting you to be back so soon.”

“I’m on leave for the holidays. I have strict orders from my commanding officer to take some time off,” Ville replied, continuing to play the part just as she’d wished.

Avery raised her brow; her interest piqued. “Oh, really? How long are you in town for?”

“Mm, not very long. A few days, perhaps.”

“Hmm, I see. Well then, we’d, uh, we’d better make them count,” she winked.

“Yes, we'd better.” She started for his mouth again, but he stopped her. "But first... I’ve spent a few months out at sea, and I think it deserves a celebratory drink. Besides, wine would help set the mood quite nicely, wouldn't you agree?”

Avery’s eyes widened in surprise at the thought of alcohol. He hadn’t had a drink in a little over a year, and things had been going well. Did he really want to break his streak for something so trivial? It wasn’t necessary, and, moreover, she didn’t want him to slip up because of this and succumb to his addiction.

"Wine? Wine isn't--"

Knowing what she was going to say, Ville rolled his eyes and interrupted. “A glass isn’t going to change anything, Avery. Wine, please."

Avery was taken aback by his decisive tone. She wasn’t sure if this was a part of the role he was portraying or if it was cause for concern. She looked into his eyes, imploring for some clue, but she couldn't see anything. He looked back with an expectant stare, waiting for her to get the bottle. Not wanting to kill the mood, she reluctantly complied with his request.

"Yeah… yeah, sure." She said and slipped from his grasp to go to the kitchen.

His arms slowly fell to his sides and into his pockets while he waited. Avery went to the kitchen and fished a bottle of wine out of a cabinet under the sink. They had been stowed away for special occasions, and apparently, Avery's sexual fantasy counted as a special occasion. She set it down and braced herself on the counter. Was this such a good idea? She didn’t want to cause him any discomfort; wine certainly wasn’t necessary. The situation reminded her of the conversation she’d had with Ville’s brother, Jesse, when the couple had visited his parents in Finland last year. Jesse had told her all about his older brother’s troubles with alcohol, relying on it as a medicinal resource. Things had gotten bad. Now, was this an innocent request--a means to liven up the mood? Or was it something more serious?

She stood and speculated the possibilities, but she realized that that's all it would be: speculation. Avery couldn’t know for certain unless she asked, which she definitely didn’t want to do. It was a rather selfish decision on her part; had she objected to his request, they would have fought, killing the sexual tension entirely for the rest of the night. She didn’t want that; this had been a fantasy of hers that she really wanted to follow through. Avery didn’t want to bring the wine into the equation, but he had insisted on it. She couldn’t just walk outside empty-handed. She let out an exasperated sigh. She reluctantly promised herself to stop this if it got out of hand. It was a hard offer to refuse, but she reasoned that a glass of wine couldn't hurt anybody. At least, that’s what she hoped.

“Need some help back there?” Ville called out.

“Huh? Oh, uh, no, I got it. I had to find the bottle.” she covered.

Avery took two wine glasses out of the cabinet and took them to the dining table along with the bottle and a wine-opener. She let him open the bottle and tapped her fingers on the back of a chair while he poured the plum-colored liquid into the glasses. The whole time, she had her eyes on his face, trying to gauge his state of mind. It was wine, not necessarily his poison of choice, but it was still a slippery slope.

“Stop eyeing me.” Ville warned.

He hadn’t even looked in her direction, but he could feel her intense stare on him. She was worried and reasonably so. He set the bottle back on the table and faced her to see the anxiety clearly written on her face. He exhaled deeply, placing his hands on either side of her neck. His broad hands seemed to swallow her small frame whole, and she shrunk in his grasp.

“I’ll be fine.” He reassured.

Avery shrugged her shoulders, knowing she couldn’t change his mind. She didn’t like this part, sure, but he wasn’t going to accept any other answer from her. He bent down and kissed her lips at one final attempt to convince her.

“Trust me, Ave.”

“I do.” she answered honestly.

He smiled and picked up his glass. “Well then, let’s make a toast. To a lovely welcome home.”

“To a lovely welcome home,” she agreed with a uneasy grin and took a few sips of the wine.

He finished half the glass before setting it on the table. The liquid swished around in the glass from the force, although it didn’t spill over. Avery had had a sip and held the glass between her middle and ring fingers, using the palm to support it. She waited to see what his next move was.

“I think we need a safe word before we start, Ave.”

“A safe word? Do you expect things to get so out of hand?” Avery was surprised and placed her glass on the table.

“I’d prefer to be prepared. You never know.”

“Okay, we’ll get a safe word. What do you wanna use?”

“I don’t know. You pick. You need to be able to say it out of context to call my attention.”

“That I can say? What makes you so sure I’m the one who’s going to need to use it.” she replied with an eyebrow raised.

“I… I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Okay, mister. Let's see who needs to tap out.” she said defiantly.

“I wasn’t intending to propose a challenge.”

“Pick a word.” she said with a deadpan voice.

“No, we don’t need one. It’s fine--”

“No, no, Ville, you brought it up.” she replied impassively. “Pick a safe word.”

“Are we really going to--”

“Yes, we are. I won’t judge you for whatever you happen to choose; just pick something.”

“Watermelon.” he blurted out.

“Watermelon, really?” Ville narrowed his eyes, but she smirked. “I’m only teasing you. Watermelon is fine. I can't imagine having to use that word in context, and it will certainly call my attention.”

“Are we done with that now?”

“I don’t know.” she shrugged.

Ville sighed and rolled his eyes. “I love you, but sometimes…” he trailed off.

“Sometimes, what? I get on your last nerve?” Avery joked.

“Yes. It makes it hard.”

“As long as you still love me.”

“That I do. Always and forevermore, my prinsessa.”

“I love you, too. A million times more, if that was even possible, now that you’re doing this for me. I-I can’t believe you.” she said shutting her eyes and closing the gap between them.

He kissed her. “Only for you.”

“Thank you.” she whispered.

He kissed her again, pulling the hairtie out of her tresses and allowing her blonde-brunette mane to flow freely. She shook her head to tousle the locks further, and he pulled her back to him, slipping his tongue into her mouth. Ville pushed her pelvis into the table behind her until she sat down on it. Her legs were spread apart so that he could be as close to her as possible. Ville moved down the length of her jaw and started to work a spot on her neck. The brim of his hat poked the side of face, so she took the hat off his head and placed it on her own, running her fingers across its lip. She tried to play it cool, but the nerves and tension she felt about the wine was evident. Ville noticed. He placed sloppy kisses on the exposed skin of her neck and collarbone.

“Re…” he started to mutter, fixating on a spot at the base of her neck at which to leave his mark, “...lax.”

Her shoulders remained tense, however, and she pulled him back up to her lips. Ville smiled, knowing just what to do to help her forget her troubles. He hiked up her pencil skirt past her her hipbone. Avery waited to feel the lace of her lingerie pull away from her skin, but instead, Ville’s fingers slipped inside her and her breath caught in her throat. Her mouth gaped open in surprise, and she leaned into his frame for support. Though she was seated on the dining table, she thought she would slip away at any moment. The way his fingers were moving inside her was unreal, and she reached an utter moment of euphoria. Everything around her dissolved away, and she could no longer sense where she was. She couldn’t discern the end of a wall from the beginning of a doorway or see where any of the furniture in the living room was. She concentrated only on his touch.

Avery had her arms wrapped around his neck, and her head rested on his shoulders. Her body pulsed against the feeling of his fingers, while her teeth dug into his shoulder as a feeble attempt to free herself. Her groans against his skin made him go faster. She began shaking and groaning louder before finding herself biting his shoulder, attempting to hold back a scream. She felt the tears slipping through her clenched eyelids. An uneven moan forced its way out of her lungs, and Ville let out a throaty chuckle, pleased by what he was able to do to her.

"Ville, please," she begged, wishing for more.

But Ville was content with taking the time to be a bit sentimental. What a torturous man he could be. His motions started slowing, and she noticed that he was beginning to harden beneath her. Thank Goodness. Avery wasn’t sure she could last much longer; she needed him inside of her. He was acting like he had all the time in the world but he didn’t; she fucking needed him, and he was teasing her relentlessly. She needed him inside her now. She needed the vacillating movement of his member inside her walls, and his actions were only tormenting her.

She was no longer thinking about the wine, but she certainly wasn’t relaxed; she was anxious. Avery was at the edge of her seat, begging for more. Like she’d predicted, he had her wrapped around his finger, ready to comply with every request he’d make. He removed his fingers, and she was struck with panic as to why he was stopping. While she sat dumbfounded on the dining table, Ville pulled her skirt back down and reattached his mouth to hers. He separated her lips with his tongue, and her body welcomed the familiar feeling. Her lips were starting to go numb from all that they’d been put through--the kissing, the biting, the pressure--and she pulled away to give herself a minute to recuperate.

Avery opened her eyes and saw that he curls of his hair, though short, were spread across his forehead; she smoothed them down so his face was visible. His olive-toned skin was complimented by the stark white of the uniform. An amused expression graced his face as he patiently waited for her to finish admiring him.

"You're so sexy, Ville. I know ‘handsome’ is the politically correct term, but sexy just fits you so much better. Those years of fingering a guitar certainly paid off. My God."

He beamed. "Well, you, my dear... Your beauty could not even be matched by the angels from the highest of heavens."

"Fuck you and your poetic skill.” she immediately countered. “Even when you're trying to tell me that I'm sexy, you make it sound so God damn beautiful, and I’m just here gawking at you at like a child who’s just seen a unicorn or something. It’s not fair.”

Ville chuckled in response, and she took this opportunity to attack his jawline with kisses. Her mouth grappled with his earlobe, and he let out a soft hiss. He set to work removing her blouse and unclasping her bra. Once he had done so, he slipped his hands between the lingerie and her skin and gently massaged her breasts. He wasn't rough, but the feeling sent her on a tailspin and she gasped out a small moan. It had caught her off guard. While she attempted to recollect herself, he started to unbutton his shirt but she stopped him.

"Ah ah, don't." She warned.

"But the uniform is gonna be in the way."

"Don't worry. We'll make it work." She muttered.

She started to kiss him again while unbuttoning his pants due to an idea of her own. She pulled the bottoms down a little and took his member in her hands. Avery could feel him grow even more now that she was holding him, but he wasn't quite ready so they continued to kiss. Her hand remained where it was so that she could continue to hold him. Their kisses were growing rougher and more ardent. They lusted for some end.

He started to take off her bottoms, but she flicked his hands away. She had other plans which she fully intended to execute. Avery got off the table and turned Ville so she could kneel in front of him. His eyes widened. He held her hands as she sat on her knees. From her position, she looked up at him, curious to see what he thought. There was a look of surprise as they had never done this before. Still, she could see the eagerness in his eyes.

“I thought I could show you how you make me feel.” she whispered. “Would you like that?”

Ville nodded, unable to provide an audible response. His jaw was trembling with anticipation; he wanted her to put him out of his misery. Avery let her right hand slip away from his and slowly slide down the side of his pants. After licking a finger, she ran it down the length of his penis, giving him an idea of what was to come. He smiled and so did she. Pleased with herself, she held the tip of his member and guided it into her mouth. His eyelids closed, and he left out a soft hiss of pleasure. She moved all the way up, practically swallowing him whole. His knees buckled underneath him; this was never something they'd done. It was new. He liked it.

She moved back up and increased her rhythm with each stroke. Avery was slow and hesitant; she’d never done this to someone before, and she was making it up as she went along. Ville was patient with her; other women had done this for him in the past, but it was not quite as satisfying as it was right now. The playful smirk on her face and the seductive glances alone were enough to send his mind reeling, nevermind the feeling of her warm mouth on his penis or the care with which she executed each stroke. No, this woman had an innate skill and boy, was she using it. Ville took a slight step backwards and gripped the edge of the table to steady himself.

Her mouth trailed his shaft gracefully; her tongue licked up and down and around the head, causing Ville to moan out once again. She moved her mouth and hand up and down on his shaft for many synchronized successions before he was gripping at her shoulder to stop her.

“I’m…” He breathed out as his body stiffened, trying not to come so soon. His eyes rolled backwards and his eyelids fluttered with pleasure.

Avery looked up at him to see his head tilted back as he struggled to regain his composure. She giggled at his reaction and stood up to kiss his cheek.

“Enjoy that, my dear?” she taunted.

“Fuck, Ave,” was all that he managed to whisper matter-of-factly.

She laughed menacingly, and he had had enough with the power she thought she had. He buckled his pants so that the clothing wasn’t in the way if he moved around. He pulled her by the wrists and pushed her onto the table so that her back lay flat. With the hat in the way, Ville took it off her head and threw it over his shoulder as he kissed her. Distracting her with his lips, Ville removed her skirt and panties so that she was fully exposed. Ever the competitor, Ville had to outperform Avery’s acts. Did she really think she was the only one with a gifted mouth? Oh, he’d show her.

He forced her legs apart before bending down. When his face was inches away from her vagina, she cocked an eyebrow. He didn’t give her any time to approve, however; his tongue slipped inside her, and she twisted her torso not knowing how to react to this unfamiliar feeling. Her entire body was going into some kind of shock, and she could barely tell where she was anymore. It was an utter state of euphoria that she didn’t know she had the potential to experience. An electric sensation pulsed through her core, and she squirmed. She really really needed him. Now. She could hardly breathe, and she was done with the aggressive nature with which they played these games. The way her body was reacting to his was inconceivable. She was willing to accept that he had won; she didn’t even care. Avery just needed him. She needed him now. Now. Now. Now.

Her lips snarled up, and she grunted through grit teeth. Her eyes were squeezed tightly. Still, she swore she wouldn’t utter the safe word. It was more than she thought she could handle, but she still didn’t want him to stop. It felt good. Oh, it felt so good. Her body writhed on the surface of the table like a fish out of water. The tips of her fingers were turning red from trying so desperately to grip the table; each attempt left behind a faint imprint of her hands on the glass top. Fuck, he was so good at this.

Avery yelped and begged for mercy, “Baby, please… Ville, just give it to me. Give it to me good!”

Ville complied and pulled away, leaving her panting body laying on the table and Avery trying to compose herself. He beamed as he was proud of what he had done. Her body relaxed against the table, and she gasped for air.

“Ville, please,” she whined and pulled her torso up, bringing her to a seated position. “Don’t tease me any longer, Ville.”

“Ah, ah.” he admonished, “What’s my name?”

“Commander,” Avery grinned and lingered on the last syllable. She took his hand in hers. “Don’t tease me any longer, Commander.

“That’s my girl.” he approved.

“No more games.” she breathed out.

Ville didn’t need to be told twice. Bending down, he approached her neck and left a trail of kisses while she unbuckled his pants once more. Her movements were hurried; she tugged his trousers down and let them slip to his ankles before falling back on the table. He leaned on top of her to keep their bodies close.

“I love you, Ave.” he said before pushing inside her.

"Yeah," was all she could manage to sputter out.

After their lengthy foreplay, this moment felt like a reward for their efforts. Ville's pelvis thrusted into her forcefully, and his movements became rhythmic and almost melodious. Her breathing quickened, and her heartbeat was racing. Their bodies melded together into one form, and finally, everything felt right. She felt whole again. At this point, Avery couldn’t even attempt to keep her lips preoccupied on his skin; she wanted to savor every second of this after the protracted events leading up to this moment. She closed her eyes and let her mind block out all the other sensory information so that she was only focused on him. So that she could only feel the sweat of his chest against her own skin. So that she could only feel his labored breathing. So that she could only feel him pushing in and out of her. In and out. In and out. In and out.

The ends of his mouth curled up when he saw the blissful look that graced her countenance. Her eyes were closed, and she forgot everything else. She forgot about the prenup. She forgot about the wedding preparations. She forgot about the unresolved cases that she still had to work on. She even forgot about his odd request for wine earlier in the evening. Everything she felt--no, everything she knew was whatever existed in this moment. The rest was irrelevant.

As his movements started to increase in frequency, she prepared herself for what was to come. Her hands travelled up his chest to perch at the nape of his neck, her nails digging into the skin, and he reattached his mouth to hers. However, she couldn’t respond; she couldn’t mirror his actions and vie for control. Avery was content with what he was already doing to her; it was good. Boy, was it good. Maybe the best yet. As he came inside her, a staggered moan escaped her lips, and she threw her head back and curled her torso forward against his body. Once he finished, he pulled out and rolled beside her; their bodies were panting in harmony, trying to regain composure.

Avery turned her head to see Ville already staring back at her. He was eagerly awaiting some feedback, but her response was not one he would have expected: “We need a new dining table.” she said with chest still heaving up and down.

He could help but release a signature staggering laugh. Those aren’t the words he had in mind; ‘that was amazing,’ or ‘let’s go for round two,’ maybe, but nothing quite like that.

“What are you laughing at? After what we just did, there’s no way I can eat another meal at this table. Are you kidding me?” she expressed with a deadpan humor.

“We’ll get a new one this weekend.” he reassured.

She grabbed the scrunchie off the table and tied away her hair into a messy ponytail at the crown of her head. “Where did you get the uniform by the way?”

“Believe me, it’s best that you don’t know.”

“Oh no, I don’t like the sound of that.” she said and scrunched her nose.

“Shall we go eat someplace? Perhaps that new deli that opened around the corner.” Ville suggested.

“Honey, my body is all tingly, and I can’t feel anything south of my bellybutton. I hardly have the energy to make it to the bedroom.”

“Wanna go for round 2?” Ville chuckled.

“Believe me, you have no idea how much I want that, but…” she paused to regretfully finish her statement: “my body is going to have a hard time simply recuperating from round 1. I think I’m just gonna go to bed.”

“Okay, darling. I’ll join you.”

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“Oh, I already ate.” he smirked at the pun. “No, I ate before I came home. I’m not too hungry. Are you?”

“No, I barely had an appetite for that excuse of a soup that I was heating up. No, no, I’m fine.” she said and sat up.

Hopping off the dining table, she picked up her clothes off the floor and went to the bedroom to grab her pajamas. While she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face, Ville turned off the lights and changed into pajamas. He brought his duffel bag into the bedroom as well. Once Avery came out dressed in her night clothes, Ville went to the bathroom to finish his own routine before bed. By the time he returned to the bedroom, Avery was snuggled into her side of the mattress with the comforter wrapped tightly around her body. He climbed beside her and wrapped his arms around her stomach to pull her close to him. With his chin resting on her shoulder, he sighed.

“Can I ask you a question?” Ville began.

“Hmm?” she replied, keeping her eyelids closed.

“Why… why were you so hesitant with the wine earlier?”

Avery rolled her eyes. “It’s nothing.”

“No, tell me.” he insisted.

“We had a good time tonight, Ville; let’s not fuck it up with a fight.”

“I’m not fighting, I’m asking you a simple question. What did you think? I was going to suddenly go back to my old ways and get wasted? I’m not an animal, Ave. I can control myself, you know.”

Avery twisted to give him a stern look. She understood where he was coming from; it would have hurt to be judged at every step, but at the same time, he had to have known how she felt. The man had fallen apart in front of her very own eyes because of the volatile substance, and she was allowing herself to give him the poison for her own benefit. It felt selfish. It was selfish. She couldn’t say any of that, especially not now. After what they’d done, she couldn’t criticize him or herself. This was a good memory; she didn’t want to tarnish it.

“Watermelon.” she said.

Ville laughed. “That was our safe word for earlier. You can’t use it now!”

“You only said that we needed it to be prepared if things get uncomfortable; you never said for what.” she said smugly.

“That’s an unfair loophole to use.” he pointed out, though he remained jovial.

Throwing on a smile, she said, “Good night, my sweet prince.”

After giving him a last kiss, she rolled in the bed to find a comfortable position. He sighed and turned off the lamp, having to settle with her half-empty response for the time being.