Dangerous Games. (Closed for myself and wicked)

Firmhanded_Daddy

reborn in flame
Joined
Jan 11, 2010
Posts
10,067
Another teeth grating convention. Kissing ass always irritated him but it was a nessicary evil in politics. This particular convention though placed a nice big lump lf lead in his gut. He was good at reading people, and his father had something up his sleeve. Normally Craig Masterson Sr. floated around the crowd, kissing ass, trying to garner support for his up and coming son to run for governor, but today he spent nearly all his time talking with Mr. Wilson and his wife. For the life of him Craig could not recall their names. They were laughing, patting each other on the back, talking.

He scoured his mind trying to recall anything he could remember about the Wilson’s. They were new to the political scene but they had money which would eventually equal pull. He seemed to remember they had a daughter and she wasn’t half bad looking. One time at a convention he recalled thinking he could bounce a fucking quarter off that hot little ass of hers. He had contemplated what he might do to her if he could get a few drinks in her. Wait there she was and she was looking at him. That was a glare, one that could cut.

Wait… No. Not a fucking chance. He was not about to let this happen. Not like this! He closed the distance, ignoring people as they tried to speak with him. He brushed hands aside and almost knocked some old lady in a walker on her ass. Fuck he hated political conventions! He closed the distance just in time to hear words he dreaded that confirmed his suspicions. He wanted to vomit.

“…you know it and I know it. Without a wife on his arms he just will not get votes. You have to sell the family man image and I think this would be the perfect move to do just that. She is young, attractive, full of energy. With your pull and mine it will be a sure thing. – Ah there he is now. Son, meet Marcus Wilson.”

He froze, he had enough poise to not let his mouth flap open. It was a deer in the headlights moment though. Gathering himself he knew, deep down that he had no bloody choice. Extending his hand he plastered on. Extending his hand he took Marcus’ and shook it firmly. “A pleasure to meet you sir. I am sorry we have not had the chance to talk before this but you know how things are in politics. Always moving, always trying to stay ahead of the curve. So what is my father talking your ear off about?”

The older man turned with a smile. He spoke with a rich voice that belied his age. “Well, Craig we were talking about how you should meet my daughter. I’ve watched you for a while. Good head on your shoulders and you know how to put your finger on the pulse and squeeze it if need be. That is just the sort of man my little girl needs. Someone to ground her, keep her head out of the clouds and give her some responsibility. I’m afraid with my work I simply cannot keep up with her. Speaking of which where is she…?”

Craig Sr. spoke up, patting his son on the back. “I’ll go track her down. Son why don’t you get to know the future in’laws?”

Craig was the shadow of his father in looks. Just over six feet he towered over most people, and those broad shoulders were enough to give a petty thief pause despite the fact that he dressed every bit the wealthy man. Short brown hair kept neatly trimmed to his head an homage of his military service. Deep blue eyes shone with intensity; they were hard not to stare into. Beneath the fancy suit his body was hard and lean. He made sure to keep it that way.

The words pierced the façade and he jerked his head toward his father. Hissing softly toward him “WHAT?!?”

The shock was clear as day on his features. Eyes wide as half dollars he stared after his father. The old man literally cackled and disappeared into the crowd. Craig Jr. wore a look of sheer terror on his face and looked as if he were on the brink of fleeing. A strong hand clapped onto his shoulders with skeletal fingers, digging into the thick muscle beneath the flesh. The voice of the owner dropped to a firm whisper.

“Yes son lets talk. This is not up for negotiation. Your father and I have already made this deal and you and my daughter are going to follow it through and like it. This is the best thing for your career. No one will vote for a bachelor. You have a year to start getting support before the ballot box opens. You will be ever bit of the happy couple in front of those cameras. Do you hear me? Or so help me god I. Will. Ruin. You.

Craig’s eyes lit up. Nothing pissed him off more than someone trying to threaten him. He closed some of the distance between them and put his hand on Marcus’ shoulder. Squeezing roughly of his own right with that fake ass smile on his lips he spoke in a soft, lethal growl. “You think for one second I will put up with your bullying, your threats old man? One phone call and your precious little princess goes back to jail, and your family is done. So don’t try to threaten me, Marcus. You are doing this to hang on my coat tails. Remember that.”

The older man’s spine straightened, his shoulders squared. The young upstarts word had stung his pride. Beside him his wife who had held her piece the entire time reached out, digging her nails into his forearm. He put on a fake smile of his own and clasped Craig Jr. on the shoulder. “Of course, of course you are right my boy.” Loud enough to draw attention, everyone was happy, smiling, the two families were getting on well.

Craig Sr. took that moment to appear. “Look who I found?”

Craig Jr. turned and all political facades dropped, his mouth hung slightly open and one word found it’s way out of his lips. “Damn”
 
Julianne sat at the bar, sipping her cocktail, fidgeting with her dress uncomfortably. She's managed to wander off and away from her parents, though for how long she couldn't be sure. Long enough to get a drink, that was for certain. Maybe two if she could be quick about it. It had been a long and arduous morning, and the afternoon would be longer still.

She looked at herself in the mirror across from the bar. She looked so...tame. This was not her style at all. Being on the petite side, standing at a mere 5'4, her mother insisted she wear heels. And so she wore heels. Being a woman, her mother insisted she wear a dress. And so she wore a dress. She had a great, athletic figure she'd worked very hard for, and so her mother insisted she wear a short and flattering without being too revealing dress...and that's the dress she wore. Her wavy brown locks were pulled back in a manner so much simpler than she was used to wearing it. She preferred having a bit of a wild look, not this boring politically picture perfect facade of bull shit.

It was all such a mess, and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. That was the worst part. The car ride to the convention had been awful. At first, the dear old Marcus and Carol Wilson had told their daughter they wanted her to simply accompany them. That was fine enough, she could smile and nod and shake hands and hold polite conversation if she had to. Given their tone the night before, she obviously had to. After bailing her out of the mess she'd found herself in the month before, Julianne did practically everything her parents told her to, as per their agreement.

And then...they dropped the bomb. And Julianne knew that this is what they had planned for all along. They might've even planned for it before she was arrested and simply didn't know how to bring to fruition their little scheme. It was in fact an evil and manipulative scheme.

"Darling," her mother said to her as she had stared mindlessly out the window of the limo. "Do you remember the Mastersons?"

She nodded to her mother. Yes, she remembered them. How could they forget? Their family had been on the political warpath for years. Her mother continued, ever so non-chalantly.

"Do you remember their son, Craig? Junior?"

"Yes mother, I remember."

Carol pursued her lips and clasped her hands as her father fidgeted with his newspaper. Julianne could tell something was up.

"Good. You're going to meet him again today." Smelling something fishy, Julianne probed. "Yes, and?"

Her father finally looked to her, interjecting, his anxiety of finally telling her getting the best of him. "And the two of you are going to get married this summer."

The Wilson's had fought before. It wasn't uncommon. They were a family of lawyers, it was almost an expectation for them to fight. But this particular fight was unlike any other they'd had before. It took everything Julianne had not to cry. Apparently the Wilson's and the Mastersons had come to some sort of agreement that this would be the best decision, for Craig and for Julianne, and they were going to do whatever it took to make it happen. They would be married, and soon.

Julianne finished her drink and asked for another. She turned back towards the convention room floor. She scanned the room. Some folks she knew, others she didn't. After a while, her hazel eyes landed on Craig. He was certainly hard to miss, but he wasn't really her type. Too refined, too boring. Not what she would hope for in a husband. She didn't even really know the man, but she hated him already. He was the only one who could put a stop to the whole ordeal. She certainly couldn't, not unless she wanted to renig on the deal she made with her parents and go to jail, like she should have. Julianne prayed that he would refuse, she wouldn't even care why.

They'd locked eyes for only a moment before he was again lost in the crowd. She turned back and picked up her second drink. She didn't care how early it was. Any second now, their parents would be breaking the news to him. Any second...

Ah. There came Craig Sr, with the biggest goofiest grin on his face. Julianne rolled her eyes.

"Miss Wilson -"

She'd already stood in anticipation, cutting him off. "Yeah, yeah, I know. You'd like to reintroduce me to my future husband."

With the sweetest and most sincerest smile, Craig Sr took her by the arm for a moment and pulled her in close. She looked around to see who was watching, but no one noticed. She flinched as his grip tightened and he whispered in her ear.

"You'll want to play nice, Julianne. You look the part, now by-god, you'd better act like it."

She just nodded to him in agreement. She didn't want to make a scene. His grip loosened and he led her through the crowd, back to where everyone stood, including Craig Jr.

Damn.

Really? Julianne took another sip of her drink.

"Hello to you, too," she said, dripping with sarcasm.
 
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His approval slipped out before he could school himself. Not that any amount of schooling would have helped. She was a sight to behold. It was not just the dress, the shoes, the make up, and the hair. There was a sense of wildness about her. Oh it was not obvious except to those who knew how to look into a persons soul and that was one thing on Crag Jr’s side. He could look at someone, and see into the deep dark corners of who they were. This woman was not the primp proper girl she seemed to be. She was an untamed beast. His hands flexed at his sides as his mind whirled with thoughts and possibilities.
The dress lay in tatters. Ripped to shreds in the heat of passion she was more nude than clothed. Bra, panties, all fell victim to the feral passion that the two of them shared. Ugly red welts marked his back like track marks where her nails had come close to drawing blood from the skin. Her ass resting on the smooth polished oak table sliding just a little further toward the center with every hard thrust until he was forced to grab her slender thighs and slam her ass back onto the edge of the table. Dishes and silverware rattled against each other, glasses pre filled with water sloshed and fell over, starting a river that dribbled onto the floor… “Hello to you too”

The venom in those words shattered the thoughts that had engaged his mind. In those expressive blue eyes the passion that had been there for that first impression turned to anger. The anger turned hard and his gaze finally settled to cold hard forged steel. He turned to the two older men who couldn’t have been happier by his initial reaction. Craig Sr. opened his mouth to stop the words before they flew out of his sons mouth. He knew the boy’s temper and could recognize when it was coming. Craig cut him off in a steely soft his. One word was all it took.

“No”

Her first impression had started out fantastic until she had opened her mouth. Now Craig was seething just beneath the surface. He had a tell when his anger got the best of him. There was a small vein on the back of his neck, it poked just out of the collar of his white tux shirt and it bulged as his blood pressure hit the roof. His father stepped forward, trying to stop the avalanche. It was too late though, the old man knew it. She had likely just blown the whole deal with a hand full of snarky words.

“No, dad. Not going to happen.” His voice was still a soft razors edge.

“I will not drape this harlot on my arm and pose for the media. I’d rather lose the election. If you want to marry me off try doing it to a woman with class, or better yet, I’ll pick her and take the load off. I will not marry this.”

She was no longer even worthy of a name, or a gender. He didn’t even look at her. His voice was never raised, and the roar of conversation around them made it so only the few involved in the conversation could hear. “Do you see her father? She is trying to get shit faced at two in the afternoon. You want me to marry her because it will be good for my career? What career is that? Governor or MacDonald’s shift manager? She would tank my image faster than a drug conviction. Not. A. Chance. In. Hell”

Marcus was fuming. Even if every word he spoke was right or not, it was still his daughter. He stuck his finger into Craig’s chest and growled. “You listen here you stuck up shit, that is my daughter you are talking about and I’ll not ha …”

The warning look in Craig’s eyes said more than enough. It silenced the older man without him having to say a word or even move. It was like watching two wolves stare one another down, and the old alpha just lost his hunting ground and was slinking back into the forest. The older man brushed Craig’s tux jacket with an apologetic gesture. In a soft voice “I would appreciate it if you spoke with more respect about her.”

Craig just turned away from all of them and walked off, not even sparing Julianne another glance. She wasn’t worth his attention. He stalked his way into the men’s rest room, checking to make sure no one was there he walked to the sink and glared into the mirror. He slammed both of his hands into the cool tile and growled. Placing his forehead against the cold glass mirror he let out a sigh. The truth was even with as horrible of a pick as she was, he did need to tie the knot and it was a smart choice. Fuck. He hated it when his parents were right. Still though, she was already turning into a bitch and they were not even married. Was a political career worth taking her shit for the next 50 years? Ugh. Fuck fuck fuck!
 
The way he looked at her, it made Julianne feel somewhat uncomfortable. What the hell was he looking at? She was curious for a moment, but her curiosity was lost on her as the entire situation became lost on her. Everything was so far out of her control, at every turn there was little she could do but stand there, watch and wait to see what happened. What they decided. What they managed to agree to. She wasn't happy about it in the slightest, and she wasn't going to feign as though she was. Even if the marriage wasn't a sham, she wasn't the cutesy blushing bride type anyway.

She'd heard Craig was a bit a temperamental prick, but she'd never known how true this once rumor had been until now. Not that she cared, but at least it would be entertaining to watch ringside. Out came the big fat NO and all hell broke loose. She couldn't help but smile, laugh, and relax. Things were about to start spinning even further out of control, even for her parents, the master manipulators.

Julianne could care less about the rest of the shit that came flying out of Craig's mouth. It made no difference to her. No matter how insulting he wanted to get, it wouldn't phase her in the slightest. It would take a lot more than calling her a harlot and a drunk to get her riled. Julianne certainly felt as though she had reason to drink that afternoon, and she wouldn't blame Craig if he wasn't too far behind her after this whole ordeal. And it wasn't that she didn't have a temper, sober or otherwise, but she knew when to keep her cool, and this was definitely one of those times to keep her cool and let everyone else be up in arms.

She took a sip of her drink and turned to her mother with a smile of relief. "I guess that settles that."

The men could duke it out. Julianne wasn't about to get involved. That would be the stupidest thing she'd done all day. At this point all she'd done was say hello. She'd done everything else her parents had wanted and asked of her. If Junior didn't want to get married, then that was the end of it, and it wasn't her fault. They couldn't ask much more of her.

Their parents were grasping at straws as Craig stormed off. They didn't know what to do. Julianne made no move to go after him. Carol, always the voice of reason, turned to her husband.

"Marcus, they'll BOTH come to terms with this in time, I'm sure." Without intending to add insult to injury, she turned apologetically to the Mastersons. "He'd be a fool to spoil this."

Still fuming, Marcus Wlison took a few deep breaths as they all tried to decide what to do. Julianne just stood there. What else could she do? They were all acting as Gepetto, and she was the puppet on the other end of the string.

"She's right. If we can just get the two of them in a room together,"

"Alone," Carol interrupted him,

"Yes, alone...maybe the kids can work this out on their own." It was the best peace offering the Wilson's could muster. It would all depend on how stubborn Craig Jr was going to be and if he could be persuaded.
 
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It all sounded like a horrible romance comedy, maybe mixed with a little bit of Dante’s Inferno in for good measure. A little laugh, a lot of hell. Then again didn’t that describe all marriages? What could he do? She had money, a little bit of political influence, so the match would be advantageous. But got he was not going to be able to get past that smart fucking mouth and attitude. She said 4 words and he already wanted to smack the taste out of her mouth. Did the thumb rule still apply? Stupid of course not. It was as shame though. He had big hands, there were plenty of things he could find no wider than his thumb to beat this bitch around with.

He was starting to calm down, the cool surface on his forehead was helping with that. He could not figure out a way around this. There had to be one. Had too! He could not marry that wench! Just in time to spike his blood pressure again Craig Sr. walked in to the room. “Craig we need to ta-“

“Out!” His son roared, stabbing at the door as if his finger were a blade. “You have my answer, I will not marry that filthy cunt! I’d rather cut my pecker off with a hypodermic needle!”

“Craig! You listen to me boy I gave my word to the Wilsons! You know how important our word is to our family! You will not make me look like a fool!”

Dad mustered a little back bone, for a moment. It didn’t last long as his son trod right over that sudden burst of courage.

“Fuck your word dad. It is YOUR word. Did you ever thing to ASK me if I wanted to marry her? If I even knew her? Did you think to ask if she had a fucking brain in her head? She’s a strung out tart who wouldn’t fetch five bills for an asking price. She is a train wreck! I will make you look like a fool, because you ARE one if you think I am going to do this just because you promised my life away!”

“Don’t you think she is pretty son? I saw the way you looked at her, I heard what you said. If I was a few years younger myself why…”


Jr. Growled.
“Oh Christ spare me! That is the last thing I want to think about is your old wrinkly prick popping a chubby over some girl you are trying to marry off on me. Did you use her first? Oh god it’s seared into my brain!”

“Yes, she is attractive, but that ship sailed as soon as she opened her mouth! Did you hear how she talked to me? I don’t put up with that shit from my own family, let alone some two cent cum guzzler who you just deigned I’m supposed to marry. Not going to work. I’ll end up beating her to death. That will be good for my career huh? ‘local governor chokes wife with waist belt, more on the nine o’ clock news’. There isn’t anything more to debate, I want nothing to do with her. Nothing. I’ll find someone who I want to be with. You can take your little slut and whatever dowry you were promise and shove it up your ass.”

He brushed past Craig Sr. and pushed his way out the door. The door slammed into the wall he pushed it with such force. Fuck, now HE wanted a drink. No, what he needed was to get away from this. His mother, and the Wilson clan were still gathered around chattering like stupid birds. He fixed Julianne with a cold glare and walked by her scoffing. “Not on your life, not even if you paid me.”

Just about to brush past the whole lot of them he stopped. Turning to look down at her he looked into her eyes, towering above her. He flashed the hovering parents a toothy sneer, and grabbed her roughly by the wrist. Tugging her hard, she had the choice of following him, or being dragged. “Come my love we need to talk” Oh… yeah there was just as much bile in his words as her own first smart ass remark.

Dragged, carried, or followed, he pulled the slender woman outside to a solid wooden patio. It was large enough for small parties. For the two of them it was still not large enough. Once the door was closed he used her wrist like a sling shot, flinging her toward the far corner of the thick wooden railing.

“Ok, so we hate each other already. Obviously you hated me before we even met, so what in the sweet fuck do they have over you that would make you agree to this fucking train wreck?”
 
Off walked Craig Sr to talk to his son. Julianne doubted that there would be anything he could say or do that could manage to change Junior's mind. Not that she wanted him to change his mind, she'd much rather have him dead set on not marrying her. That made her life so much simpler. Perhaps a little more dramatic, but it would subside.

Their mothers chatted absentminded chitchat, while Julianne remained silent. She went to take another sip from her drink but her father took her glass from her.

"I think you've had enough today, young lady," he grumbled at her, almost pleadingly. She hoped she wouldn't have to see her father grovel. As awful as the situation was, Julianne wasn't a completely cold hearted bitch. As much as she didn't want to marry the asshole, she didn't want her father to sacrifice his pride, either.

She rolled her eyes again as she surrendered her drink to him. She could find herself another when he turned his back. Even without the alcohol, she was so much more relaxed than she had been an hour ago. Julianne had seemingly dodged a bullet, and an arrogant one at that.

She sighed heavily as she saw Craig Junior storm out of the bathroom and back onto the convention room floor. She was grateful he was being stubborn about the whole thing, but she could do without his dramatic antics. Julianne decided that instead of participating in the ongoing free-for-all, she would try and excuse herself.


Craig was making his way back towards them and she had no interest in hearing him run his fucking mouth like a spoiled rotten prat. But her father stopped her, told her that she would stay where she stood, and she groaned. There would be no running from the wrath of the overgrown man-child. She took a moment and resigned that she could tolerate his bullshit if it meant they weren't going to be getting married.

His cold harsh glare did nothing for her. It did not scare her, or intimidate her, nor did it offend or upset her. Not on your life, not even if you paid me. But at this, she couldn't help but snicker. He was obviously taking it all so much more seriously than she was. Then again she had the advantage of having had a yelling match with her family in the car before they'd arrived, in addition to the alcohol.

But as he stopped beside her, her heart stopped. The nasty flashes from him, the nervous glances from both of their mothers...Oh hell...now what the fuck did he want?

Come my love we need to talk.

Julianne was not a fragile girl, but as he took her wrist in his hand, she realized that she was indeed a great deal smaller than he was. The tug on her wrist was painful as he pulled her through the crowd. She smiled sweetly, and apologetically while politely excusing herself as she knocked and bumped into people. Her father's biggest order was to not make a scene, and so she did her best to assuage Junior's rudeness as he dragged her outside. People had been caught off guard but after having been apologized to went back to their conversations, ignoring Craig Jr's impending outburst.

Thankfully, he waited until they were outside on the patio, thankfully they were alone, and thankfully Julianne was coordinated enough to not fall on her ass when he flung into the railing. It caught her roughly in the stomach and under the ribs. She turned around slowly, mad as hell, as he seethed at her.

Ok, so we hate each other already. Obviously you hated me before we even met, so what in the sweet fuck do they have over you that would make you agree to this fucking train wreck?

She'd kept her cool inside. Outside, beyond the eyes and ears of everyone indoors, he wouldn't be so lucky. She tried to breathe, to stop her pulse from racing, and to stop her blood pressure from rising, but it was just getting more and more difficult every second she was near him.

"Take it easy, jack ass, and keep your god damn hands to yourself."

She fixed her hair, doing her best to return it to it's former neatness. And she also resituated her dress. It was taking a great deal of effort for her to try and pull herself together, but she could do it.

"Look," she sneered at him with condescension. "I don't have a choice. Either I agree to this, or I go to jail. I'd rather not go to jail. SO."

Julianne leaned against the railing, keeping her distance from him. There was a great deal of space between them, but it wasn't really enough for her. Another 10 yards and she'd be comfortable. She crossed her arms as she looked him up and down.

"You have my answer. Now calm the fuck down. Just because I have to agree to this shit doesn't mean you have to."

The more she talked the more sarcasm she picked up along the way.

"You've said no way in hell. So. We can both go on with our separate lives now. Good luck with your campaign."

She rolled the dice, gave him one final nasty look, uncrossed her arms, focused on the door, and went to make a swift entrance back to the convention.
 
The last thirty seconds or so played back in his mind as he looked at her. He had to admit for being half dragged out of a high class event like a child who had done wrong she handled herself with surprising grace. One check mark in the plus column. Still this woman was also going to make him go grey within the year if they did marry.

"Take it easy, jack ass, and keep your god damn hands to yourself."

There was the cum dumpster he knew and hated! Was it beyond her to be a little polite? He decided that he would reign himself in and see where this conversation went, after all they had a common goal. A few insults would be worth getting out of this train wreck.

More bile spewed out of that pretty little mouth and he stood stoically picking the valuable bits of information out of the shit she tossed his way. Jail time huh? So that was it. The parents were holding incarceration over her head.

It was when she headed to the door that he started to move again. He stepped quickly but this time as his hand came up to grab her it was firm but not painful. He was looking to make an alliance and they had already started on a bad foot. No need to make it work. Still… he much would have rather wrapped his hands around her throat and squeezed until she begged for mercy. The idea actually was kind of arousing…

Refocusing with a slow grin he turned her with his hand, brushing off her dress lightly and reaching up to pull a strand of hair from her face, tucking it back into place. Suddenly Craig’s rage was gone and he was all smooth polish again. Yet he blocked the door, clearly he was not going to let her go back in until they finished this conversation.

“It is not that easy I’m afraid. I said no but they will keep pushing and to some extent they are correct, having you on my arm would be a boost for my career. However I don’t believe there is any chance we can reconcile this enmity between us. So lets focus on solving our problem instead of trying to deny it. This won’t stop any other way. My dad may be a spineless old bastard but he is good at what he does, and that is steering people the way he wants. He will find a way to bring me on board. So love muffin, you are better off working with me than fighting against me in this situation.”

Ok so love muffin was a dig and there was a little hint of sarcasm with it. Could you really blame the guy? Clearing his throat softly he spoke again.

“Truth is I had nothing against you until you started being a smart ass. So Julianne, we fix your little problem then we go our separate ways. You can go back to… doing whatever it is you do and I’ll go back to my campaign. Who was your arresting officer?”

His mind was already turning. This could work if they could keep from being at each other’s throats long enough for him to make a few phone calls. That, and if they could do this without either set of parents realizing what’s going on.

“One more thing princess, we have to act like we are getting along. So what do the old buzzards expect us to do? Let me guess? The old “get them together and make a baby” routine? So we have to pretend we are at least physically attracted to one another. Otherwise they will know something is up and we WILL end up having to go through with this. So when they come to- SHIT”

The two old women had sought them out. They were doing their best to will the pair to be copulating a child right this second! When he saw them out of the corner of his eye he just reacted without thought.

His grip turned hard again, pulling Julianne into his arms his lips found hers and claimed them in a deep, rough kiss. One hand resting on the small of her back, the other tangling into the mass of hair she had oh so recently tried to fix. He felt hesitation, and her trying to pull away. He bit her lip roughly, enough to send a jolt of pain through her bottom lip. Then he growled against her mouth.

“Fake it, or live with me every day for the rest of your life. Your choice kitten.”
 
Julianne didn't flinch. There may have been a hint of fear and nervousness run across her face as Craig stopped her, but she wasn't about to let him have that satisfaction. She looked down at the hand that grabbed her arm, even though his grip was now less harsh, and then she looked back up into his eyes.

She did not return his grin. The look on her face as he attended to her dress and her hair, gentle as he was being, should have clearly told him she didn't want him touching her. It wasn't the roughness he'd displayed while dragging her outside, that was certainly something she was used to. More than one of her previous lovers had man handled her, had known how to manhandle her, and she couldn't nor would she deny that had she liked it. But Craig...there was something about him that was different, something that unsettled her.

She listened to him as he spoke, not interrupting. His sweetness was almost sickening, but that was only because Julianne knew it was faked. Out came love muffin and she almost pulled away and spit on him right then and there. But she didn't. She really couldn't deny his logic. She was screwed no matter which way they looked at it, but if he wanted to try and weasel his way out of this shit storm, he was more than welcome to. Hell. She'd even agree to help him do it.

Truth is I had nothing against you until you started being a smart ass. So Julianne, we fix your little problem then we go our separate ways. You can go back to… doing whatever it is you do and I’ll go back to my campaign. Who was your arresting officer?

A smart ass? At this Julianne grit her teeth. She wanted to argue with him even though she knew it was pointless and childish. The first words out of his mouth had been "damn," which Julianne had seen as license to be a smart ass. As if he'd been gentlemanly like all along...he was so full of shit. Regardless of how full of shit he was, though, he was also right. If he could get her out from underneath her parents, she wouldn't have to say yes, and it would be so much more difficult if not impossible for their parents to solidify the marriage if they were pitted against both Craig and Julianne. As opposed to just Craig.

She looked away from his gaze for a moment, and then back again. "Officer Torrance." She dropped her voice a little lower. There was no one out there on the patio with them but even so...it wasn't something she was entirely proud of. "You're going to want to speak to his CO, out of the 2-9. I think his jaw is still wired shut."

Julianne saw the wheels in his mind turning, and she was more than happy to let him do whatever it was he thought he could do to fix the mess they were both in. She would be indebted to him if he could genuinely make the whole instance go away. That wasn't necessarily a comforting thought, but at least they wouldn't have to get married. That would be a much better ending to the day.

Craig continued on and she continued to listen. Actually she was only half listening. She knew what he was getting at. Okay, so they'd pretend to at least be able to tolerate one another. Really? Did they have to pretend that they actually liked one another? Ah, no, just physically attracted. That would be easier. It's not like Craig was an old troll, he was actually incredibly attractive, she wondered what he looked like under his suit -

-Shit.

Before Julianne knew what was going on, he had taken hold of her, kissing her. It wasn't cold, like she'd expected it to be. It was fiery, and passionate. Her hands had come up to stop him, landing squarely on his chest to push him away, but his arms wrapped around her to pull her in closer. His touch on her back, she made to protest, and then he bit her.

Fake it, or live with me every day for the rest of your life. Your choice kitten.

She pulled her mouth away from his in pain, and squirmed as he called her "kitten." Someone must have been watching. She couldn't see who, she couldn't see much past his broad shoulders, even in heels. She found herself annoyed that he noticed they were being watched and this was his response to it.

With one eyebrow raised daringly and in a soft voice, she conceded. "Fine."

She could beat him at his own game if she had to. She stood on her tiptoes to reach him, running her hands up his chest and shoulders, around the collar of his suit, her nails scratching the back of his neck. She pressed her body up against his, leaning into another roughly passionate kiss. This time, there was no hesitation and she didn't pull away. If he wanted to put on a show, Julianne could do that all on her own.

She'd make him regret ever letting the word "damn" slip out of his mouth. He wanted her, as much as he might've hated her, no more than she hated him at the end of the day, but Craig still wanted her. She could feel it in his lips, in the way that he kissed her, in the way that he held her petite frame there unrelentingly...she knew. And if he wanted to be a dick, she could most certainly be a tease.
 
"Fine."

Something about that phrase… it should always, always come with a tolling mourning bell when spewed from the painted lips of a female. It was never a good thing. In this case however he was having a difficult time finding a flaw at the moment. Her delicate hand slid up his chest. There was something about a woman’s touch. Despite the fact that she was touching his skin through thick layers of fabric he could feel it keenly. Every hair on his chest tried to stand on end, to prolong the slide of her delicate fingertips. He was no slouch in the gym when time permitted, and for the first time she was allowed to really appreciate that fact. As their bodies pressed together she could feel rock hard muscle, and untapped strength just beneath the skin. What he had done to her just a moment ago was a spoon full of what he could produce if prompted to do so.

As her nails crept up along the back of his neck she could feel the fine hairs on the skin standing at attention. The thick muscles that framed his spine flexed as he added his own heat to the second kiss. He had not expected her to yield without more encouragement. The sudden heat in her kiss, the wicked intention; it caught him off guard and pulled a groan from his throat.

His body melted against her frame, pressing against her curves and seeking more. It was not hard to fake interest in her. Lets face it? She was a smoking hot looker. He had been interested from the first real look. She had put a damper on it with her acidic tone. His anger had insulated him from anything beyond that first rush. Now with his anger fading desire was free to swim through his veins again.

As the kiss held on he continued to surrender to his desire. Conceding ground to his boundless hunger miles at a time; soon he would lose the battle. He could not afford to lose that battle, he had to keep his head. A warning growl rattled in the pit of his throat. His hands slid down her body until they rested upon her hips. He started to push his body against hers until she found her back driven up against the wall.

He pinned her up against the wall roughly, and she could feel his length responding to her delicious tease. He prodded her from beneath the slacks that did nothing but proudly show his growing arousal. He drew out the kiss for another few thundering beats of his heart. Then he shattered it as roughly as it had begun. His forehead rested against hers and he stared into her eyes. The look he gave her had heat written all over it, his gaze could have been used to cut glass. His eyes were a little glazed over but slowly he was reeling himself in. What’s that? Jr. exercising some self control? He had it when the situation called for it.

He could not afford to lose himself in this woman, he could not afford to let her wrap him up with thoughts of what her body could offer and have her leading him by the nose. This could not, would not happen. If he had to harness all the bile and hatred in the world to get it done by god he would!

His hands came off her hips almost like he had just touched a burning hot pan. They planted against the wall as he continued to gather his wits. Somehow he managed to speak without passion in his voice. Maybe there was hope for the budding politician after all?

“That should be enough to convince them to leave us in peace for another few moments at least. We are going to have to pretend for the rest of the day at least, but for now it should buy us some privacy.”

or worse it will bring them all out here to watch the show so they can all pat themselves on the back.

He wasn’t much of a praying man but he pleaded with everything he had for that not to happen. He shook the thought away and focused his gaze on her eyes. That’s right on her eyes. She couldn’t tease him with her eyes could she? Hopefully she was not one of those women who had mastered the bedroom stare. Somehow he knew he wasn’t going to be that lucky.

“Ok I am going to need a little more information here kitten. Just what did you get arrested for anyway?”


The pet name rolled unbidden from his lips. That was a bad sign. It was too late to change course now. Maybe he would hold it over her head, make her earn the right to be called by her real name. For now he had more important things to worry about.
 
Julianne may not have known much about men. What she did know tended to get her into trouble more often than not, leaving her wondering if she knew anything at all or if she was just winging it the entire time. But what she did know...was a man's body. She knew body language. She could see it, and she could feel it.

Craig Junior may not have been like every other ordinary guy; there may have been something there deep inside him that Julianne could not quite pin down...but right then, in that moment, his body responded the way every man's would...whether he liked it or not.

She heard him groan, she felt her lips as she felt the vibrations pass from his skin to hers. And it was all too obvious that Craig was indeed enjoying himself. She wasn't surprise, that had been her intention. Although he did seem momentarily stunned.

No matter how angry he might have been, Julianne knew that she could still appeal to his desire, play to it, tease it. He wanted her, and when he had her, he wanted more of her, and she would make him want all of her. She could tease him until he wanted every inch of her.

But she would have to hold-fast. Julianne could not and she would not surrender to this man, not easily. Not without a struggle, and not without a fight. She felt the tempting growl in his throat as the kiss lingered, grew deeper, the heat of it spreading through their bodies. Julianne had to stop herself from purring in response to it. She couldn't let it distract her. She needed this man to give her what she wanted, she needed him to help her back out of the deal she'd made with her parents. She just had to focus on her goal...

His hands traveled to her hips but what happened next she was not all too prepared for. She became lightheaded, almost dizzy, as he began pushing her. Her heart skipped a beat as her back hit the wall. She was close to faltering...but after another few long moments, she could finally breathe, and she'd needed the air. There was more than just heat growing between them.

And finally...the break she needed. Julianne held on to Craig's neck, holding herself up, using his tall frame to her advantage as his forehead rested on hers. He was close to breaking a sweat, she could feel it in his skin. She closed her eyes for a moment, mentally yelling at herself to snap out of it and get her head on straight, before returning his gaze.

When she finally did, she did so calmly and steadily, trying to relax, even with her body pinned between his and the wall. She looked at him with neutrality, needing him to focus. She could seem him trying to do the same as she as he withdrew his hands and then returned them to their previous conversation.

Peace...pretend...privacy... Julianne understood. She watched as the logic worked it's way through Craig Juniors brain before he spoke again.

Ok I am going to need a little more information here kitten. Just what did you get arrested for anyway?

She let out a sigh. They were definitely playing a game of cat and mouse...and they were fighting for who would be the cat, and who would be the mouse. Of course his help would come at the cost of telling him what happened. It was a risk she had to take. If she didn't, there would be nothing he could do, and they'd have to get married. She was screwed either way. But truthfully, Julianne felt like she was screwed no matter what she did.

Letting her hands drop, leaning against the wall for support instead of against Craig, she drew herself back and away from him and began to tell him the story.

"It was at a protest rally last month on 72 St...it might have gotten a little out of hand."

Julianne recalled the evening well. It could have been handled a lot worse, there were only a few arrests, herself included. At least there hadn't been fire hoses or beanbag guns.

"The cops were called out, they went after the rally leaders. I might've resisted arrest a little..." She trailed off, knowing her words were a lie. There was no use in lying, not at this stage in the game. Conceding, "Okay so I might've resisted a lot. I took one swing and the cop ate pavement, he broke his jaw."

There. She said it. It sounded just as bad out loud as it did in her head. She held her breath, waiting for his response. Would he laugh? Was it something he could take care of it? Or would he get pissed, because they were so fucking screwed?
 
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It startled him actually. He was totally not expecting that moment after the kiss broke for her to actually hold him like that. It was almost… almost intimate. Did she actually enjoy that? Something deep down in him latched on to that thought like a predator seeking pray. Yeah she enjoyed it.

Focus Craig, focus! Keep looking at her eyes not her… oh hell!

As she leaned back against the wall it gave him an amazing eye full of her chest. Try as he might the movement alone was enough to draw his gaze down. He felt his length shift in his pants and thanked god that he had put enough separation between them that she couldn’t feel the direct response to the view.

He winced as she told her story. Resisting arrest and breaking a guys jaw? Oh this was bad. Surprisingly he held on to calm, he almost looked like he felt for the woman’s situation. Just for a second then it was all business again.

“Mmph. That’s not good. I wonder what your parents have over him that he was willing to roll over and let you off the hook? If he drops the charges that means he is paying for that out of pocket. Jaw wired shut, protein smoothies that isn’t going to be cheap. They either have something really embarrassing over him, or they threw an ass load of money his way. Either way it is bad for him. I might be able to use that.”

He drew a deep breath, the wheels were certainly turning in his head. He was plotting, considering, his head tilted in thought and he was staring right at her, but seemed to be seeing something else entirely as if she were a million miles away.

Just like a bolt of lightning his eyes refocused on hers. He nodded as if agreeing to some sort of inner dialogue. Reaching out to smooth her dress over her legs he spoke in a firm tone, but not rude. He was just being matter of fact.

“I can try to dig up how your parents managed to turn this cop. The good news is either way he is in bad shape. If he is exposed as a dirty cop that puts all of his convictions in jeopardy. Let alone his pending cases. The bad news? It may take a while so we are going to be spending some time together pretending to be love birds. There is nothing for it. So I will make you a deal. I will try to be polite if you will. Truce?”

It wasn’t a very good shot, but it was the best they had. It was either that or concede to live with her for the rest of his days and he wasn’t ready for that yet. Good looks were great and all but they did not fix the fact that she was a bitch. She even fucked up being arrested at a protest rally! Christ.

“I have a guy, he will look in to this. Pull the guy’s bank records, do a background check. We should be able to find something on him. Until then? We will just have to pretend, kitten. We should be heading back in there, pretending to be a happy couple. Come on, I’ll buy you a drink to celebrate the occasion.”

Best case scenario is he got her totally plastered and she turned in to someone who wasn’t a totally cunt to be around. Here is to hoping! He held out his arm to her, drawing a deep breath. They had to keep up appearances. “Time to play house.” He even managed to stop from grimacing.
 
Julianne studied his face as she completed her tale. Craig was deep in thought, but he didn't seem stumped by the predicament. She could see before he even open his mouth that he would at least try. That's all she could really ask for. She wouldn't even bother asking him not to be a dick if he was willing to put his foot down and do his best to prevent the marriage from actually happening.

Even though he was willing to try, though, she didn't see a whole lot of hope in his eyes. That was discouraging. For a moment she thought maybe there might have been a way, and she was trying to cling to that hope.

Not good. Oh no shit Sherlock, of course it wasn't good. She listened to him, intently, and as he rambled on she did not interrupt him. She would just let him think out loud, formulate some kind of plan, do what she could to help him, and then pray to god that it all worked out.

She felt him breathe, and he snapped her attention once more when he refocused on her, nodding, even though she hadn't said anything. Julianne looked at him with curiousity, but still said nothing. Obviously he liked her so much more when her mouth was shut, and she needed him to like her, so as much as it pained her she would put a sock in it long enough to get what she wanted from him. She wasn't sure how long her patience would last with his attitude and his condescenion, but so long as it was enough, that was all that mattered.

Again Craig reached out to touch her, and again he was gentle. But Julianne knew better. She could feel it in the electricity he sent through her body. By nature, this man was not very gentle.

For a moment she wondered what he would be like, in the bedroom. The energy between them was still highly charged. There was anger, hatred, disdain, but there was also desire, passion, and lust. She liked a man who could be an animal behind closed doors... and for a moment she wondered if Craig was that kind of man. It did not take her long to conclude that yes, he was. But it was more than that. He was something else...he was dangerous. He wasn't necessarily a monstrous creature, but he was still foreign and dark. Even to Julianne.

Truce?

The last thing Julianne wanted to do was go back into the convention pretending to have patched up their...disagreement, on the convention room floor, not too long ago. She would have to bite her tongue, lest she say something she regret, or something that would alarm their parents. It would piss her off to no end to not say anything, to not respond. It would kill her to stay quiet, because she was anything but quiet. Above all she would have to behave, and that was never her strong suit. She'd lose her shit at her first chance, away from it all...but goddammnit the man was right. Again. They needed to buy time for him to look into their mutual problem.

"Do what you gotta do. Let's just hope you can get it done quickly."

She fixed herself once more. Her hair, her dress, her makeup. She had no idea if she was actually presentable or not, but she supposed it would have to do.

Time to play house.

She rolled her eyes as they walked back inside together. Everything was still as it was when they'd left only a few moments before. Julianne hoped that the crowd would begin to thin, and soon. There were only a few hours left of the convention, and her fingers were crossed that it would wrap up early. Or at least she could leave early.

It only took a few minutes for her to spot their parents. They were all standing together. Their respective fathers still seemed anxious and nervous, but their mother's were all giddy with excitement. It made Julianne want to vomit. Her grip on Craig's arm tightened as he led her along. He'd said something about a drink. She would be counting down the hours and minutes until they could go their separate ways for the evening.
 
*******

It had been three weeks since that fateful convention. So far his attempts to dig his way into the life of this cop who held a conviction over Julianne. He had not expected this to be such a hard nut to crack but here he was sitting in the back of a limo with this contemptible woman. He could swear she had turned milk sour with a look before. What was worse still is she came with him EVERYWHERE. There was even the incident in the bathroom. He was in the shower and she came in, poked her body around the curtain and ran her finger up the entire length of his spine.

He almost jumped out of his skin. It surprised the hell out of him, but more importantly… that fucking tease! They had even been sharing a room, after all they were engaged. They could not risk having a spare cot wheeled in and he was not about to let her show him she unnerved him. So they shared the same bed. Her outfits became smaller and smaller as the campaign trail got longer. Last night she had worn nothing but one of his button down shirts to bed.

So on top of just being generally miserable around her, she was also teasing the living fuck out of him. He was trying not to show it, trying to pretend there was no attraction but damn it if he wasn’t getting to the point where at times just smelling her perfume put a tent in his pants. He was hungry, needy, and almost…almost considered giving in and just trying to seduce her.

Normally this is the sort of problem he would have solved with a high paid escort, or if worst came to worst on his own. Yet he could do neither, he never had a moment’s peace and he refused to show her she was getting to him. Unfuckingacceptable! The end result was his moods had become particularly intense, his anger quicker than normal to surface. Everyone around him was miserable, but somehow she sat across him with that sickeningly sweet smile. She was chattering on about shoes or some such stupidity. He was only half paying attention. Still his eyes started to wander her form, taking her in with a hunger that he barely managed to hide.

Then it was there. He could smell the mixture of her natural scent, and the perfume she had chosen which blended so blasted well to emphasize it. He felt his crotch stir. No, he would not give her the bloody satisfaction! He gave her a scathing glance and reached out to grab a tablet. Placing it in his lap as if that was his only intention he began to play angry birds. The sound was on; loud. He was going to pretend she did not exist, try to drown her out, and maybe, just maybe, she would go away.

Well at least maybe it would distract him from the reaction he was having to her, and the thoughts… oh god the thoughts! He could see flashes inside his head.

She had become quite accomplished at dolling up but making it look simply delectable. He had never seen anyone look so elegant, and sexy all at the same time. He wanted to ravage her, ruin that make up, muss her hair, and rip that dress to rags! He could feel her smooth skin under his hands. There had been shared kisses between them since the first, one time she had been draped over him in the morning in a bra, panties, and a matching see through teddy and she kissed him as he woke. He had been so shocked, and half asleep he was kissing her back before he knew it. His hands started to wander, and he felt her body soften, yield in the way a woman did when they were ready to surrender to a man’s touch. Then she suddenly tensed and pushed him half out of the bed.

He felt confused, irritated, and most of all fucking turned on. Did she want him? Did she hate him? Was it both? To be honest the only reason he felt any negativity for her is she seemed to lack a brain to mouth filter. Things just popped out of her mouth and they were usually snarky, snotty jabs, or blunt insults. He couldn’t understand that, she had so much potential. Not as his wife of course that was a horrible thought, right? Right….? No of course it is. She could make so much more of herself than just a hanger on or a wanna be hippy, or whatever it was she had been doing in her free time.

beep beep beep

Fuck. Low battery alarm and he wasn’t distracted at all. He was still thinking about her while focusing on this damned game! How had she invaded his thoughts so much in so short amount a time? It was simple really. She was a god damned tease!

He was glaring at the tablet as the screen went black. He continued to stare at it angrily, as if staring a hole in the damn electronic device would fix his problems! Then he heard her voice. She had become a new woman most of the time. Her barbs never happened when others could hear them, and at times when in private she would say his name in a way that put the hair on the back of his neck on end. She stroked his name, caressed it with her lips, and Christ it took everything he had not to shiver visibly. Oh this was going to drive him crazy. Just like she was doing right now.

“Craig, are you listening to me? I need a new pair of shoes for tomorrows event. I’ll need your card again, darling.”

She was practically purring. It was likely because she was about to spend his money. Another thing she had been doing. Draining him fucking dry! She was clothes shopping just about every bloody other day. Some new undergarments had even appeared in her arsenal. Not like she needed those for anything!

He drew a slow, deep breath and set the tablet to the side. When he spoke his voice was soft, like the sound of a blade being drawn over the whetstone.

“Yes kitten, I heard you. I’ll make sure you have everything you need.”

And what you deserve too you little bitch.

The thought bounced through his skull and made him smile.

She knew that tone of voice by now, it was a big warning sign that she was treading on his last nerve. Would she be smart enough to heed the warning this time? Likely not, she hadn’t done so yet.
 
Three weeks. Three very long, very tiresome, stressful, angst filled weeks. Julianne kept waiting, hoping beyond hope every day would be the day Craig finally said that he'd been able to un-bury her. That he'd finally been able to persuade someone somewhere with some amount of money or promises and she would finally be released from her own promise she'd made to the Masterson's as well as to her own family.

From the day that she and Craig had been reintroduced, she knew that she'd have to tread a very thin line. She'd have to tease him, play with him, and make him want her. That was easy enough. The hard part however, was simultaneously making him hate her, and want her gone. Her plan would go to hell if he wanted her so bad he had to have her. It would fall to pieces if he decided not to bail her out, figuratively speaking, and she couldn't have that. That was not going to be a possibility. As much as she might have turned him on, and as much as she might have been occasionally turned on herself, she'd have to make him so furiously uncomfortable he wanted her out of his life as quickly as she'd come crashing in.

At the end of the day that was certainly what Julianne had wanted. And she still wanted it, didn't she? To be free of this man, unchained from him? She'd had no intentions of getting married to anyone any time soon. Least of all to a budding politician like Craig Masterson Junior. No matter how well she looked and could dress the part of a politicians wife, it was just a life she was simply didn't feel like she was cut out for.

She'd gone to school, gotten her degree. She'd even taken a decent swing at law school, and had almost finished, before she walked away. She'd felt so...trapped...so boxed in, held down. Julianne had to make it stop, and the only option she'd seen was to quit school and cut herself off from her parents. But yet, somehow her parents and the bullshit of the world she thought she'd left behind managed to reel her back in, kicking and screaming. Landing her in Craig's lap, the last place she wanted to be. When it was all over, she just wanted to disappear for a little while. And she'd make Craig want the same thing, too. God help her she'd make him want her gone.

The most amusing thing was how easy Craig had made it. She had to ask herself constantly...did he enjoy this? Being teased and taunted? For the most part, she could see right through him, and how unnerved he was at every turn. The fact that she could sense he was unnerved probably unnerved him even more so. The irony of it was hilarious. Julianne was by no means inept, she was actually quite intelligent. If she'd learned nothing from her family, she'd learned how to manipulate people. More specifically, she had learned how to manipulate men. Craig was no exception.

Soon after the convention, the two had moved in together, at both of their parents insistence. And so the charade continued on a little longer than either had anticipated. The first night she'd been staying in the room down the hall from his, and their mothers had found out and they'd both thrown a fit over it. It was the first time Julianne ever regretted not being able to claim religion as an excuse to not have to sleep in the same room as a man. She had no idea how anyone outside the house found out, and it actually disturbed her a little to think about.

Surprisingly, though, sleeping in the same room, in the same bed, as Craig, actually made it easier to tease him. She'd wanted to keep an eye on him as much he likely wanted to keep an eye on her. She was not about to let him change his mind. He had to want her gone, now. She was pretty sure she was succeeding.

That particular day, had been just like any other. Craig had gone to a conference, followed by meetings, and a charity dinner. A typical day on the campaign trail. Their respective parents were both ecstatic - his numbers had sky rocketed in the 3 weeks since even the private unofficial engagement announcement. If they actually went public with it, Julianne could only imagine the amount of support he'd have by years end. She'd done the math, more so than just the figures that were given to Craig by his campaign manager. The statistics were staggering. He would without a doubt win by a landslide.

Julianne continued on with her business on her phone in the back of the limo while Craig, who she imagined was exhausted, did his best to ignore her. That had actually been the worst part. She'd been helping him the past three weeks without so much of a thank you or even an acknowledgement. She'd been helping him keep his schedule, she'd been helping him pick his suits, making sure they were dry cleaned, along with a million other details that were still seemingly going unnoticed. The responsibility had fallen on her, especially since she didn't want him anymore distracted than he already was. From the outside, it might have appeared as though simply her presence had increased his favor-ability but really, she'd also increased his efficiency and productivity. It was a double edged sword; on the one hand she was resentful but on the other, she didn't want him to become attached to things she was secretly doing for him. Again...she was treading a very thin and dangerous line. But her resentment was bound to get the best of her. She was never very good at biting her tongue, after all.

Craig, are you listening to me? I need a new pair of shoes for tomorrows event. I’ll need your card again, darling...Yes kitten, I heard you. I’ll make sure you have everything you need.

Oh she knew that tone. She glanced up from her phone, she'd been going over his schedule for the rest of the week. She'd looked up just in time to see him smiling. She couldn't deny that as hard as she might have been trying to annoy the holy hell out of him, he was doing the same to her in return. It was equally infuriating.

Julianne gave a short, heavy sigh, with just a hint of attitude. The day had been just as mind numbingly long for her as it had been for him.

"What I need, is for you to get off your ass already and make that arrest go away. It's certainly taking you long enough."

Logic would have told her to stop there, but logic had given way to desperate frustration.

"It's almost as if you're intentionally dragging your feet, to drag this on as long as possible."
 
Oh she just flipped the fucking switch right there. Storm clouds settled in his gaze as he stared at her. Really? Just fucking really?

Outside of the look in his eyes there was no hint as to what he was thinking. His face was cold and impassive. He would not give her the god damn satisfaction of setting him off. He was going to keep his composure and talk about this calmly with her. He was going to handle this calmly and with digni…

Fuck that smug look on her face! He lunged forward with a growl. Body weight pressing against hers he bore her to the back of the fine leather seat. His arms sank into her slender shoulders, forcing her back against the cushions hard enough that she will have bruises in the morning. His face was close enough to hers he could see her pupils dilate with surprise, her scent filled his nostrils and that in turn put an unusual edge on his anger. His eyes glittered with rage, but lust was rapidly creeping in to set his eyes ablaze. He had not yet realized it, his body was betraying him. His voice certainly came out all rage though, and that was what he needed right now.

“Right, because it isn’t like I haven’t been busting my fucking ass to get this done in between all the other shit I have to juggle. I want you out just as much as you want out, kitten. Oh sure there have been positives to you being here. I’m up in the poles and I am a thousand more times organized. I am thankful but they are not worth putting up with your fucking mouth. I can find someone who will do those things who isn’t an irritating bitch. Trust me when I say I am fucking ready to be done with you. Don’t you worry.”

Anger was making his heart pound inside his chest, his pulse was racing, he was three seconds from throttling the life out of little miss prissy pants here. Then he drew in a deep breath filled with her scent. The impact was visceral and intense. A shudder rolled through his entire body as he drank her in. He tried to find some biting comment to put her in his place and hide his insane attraction to her he came up empty. His rage was jam packed full of insults but his hunger… it was a wordless beast. It fed on touch and need, not words.

His eyes met hers, and she could see the shift. Looking back at him was not a rage fueled man, but a man fueled by a hunger for flesh. It was the sort of look that sent thrills down a female’s spine just before she was pounced by a predatory male she had pushed to the brink of insanity. She had tormented Craig for weeks and he had internalized it all. Rarely having moments where he slipped in his control and showed outward effects, but in this moment his control shattered like broken glass.

His hands slid from her shoulders to frame her face roughly. His lips crushed against hers with such force he could see stars. One hand continued to glide over her features until he found her hair. His fingers locked and pulled hard. There was nowhere to go between his body weight, his hand on her face, and tangled in her hair; no escape.

His lips parted slowly as he drew her bottom lip between them. His teeth found the delicate flesh and sank into the soft petal with a low, throaty, hungry growl. The hand that had until now been framing her face crept down the slender column of her throat, his large hand circling it firmly. It was just enough pressure to make her feel his presence every time she drew a breath, not enough to really rob her of breath. Yet.
 
Logic would have told Julianne to shut the fuck up. Except she wasn't being logical. She wasn't being rationale. She was fed up with the charade, with the facade of the engagement, and most of all she was fed up with Craig. She wanted out. And now, she just wanted out of the car...

Oh the look on his face...she didn't really have any familiarity with it, at least not first hand. She'd seen Craig borderline lose his cool dealing with some of his staff members, but up until this point she'd only poked and prodded him to the brink of exploding, but only just. She'd never pushed him too far, she'd always been so careful. All it took was one long, tiresome day where they were both tired and irritated for her to slip up...and snap at him. Not that he didn't deserve it, but it might cost her terribly.

Out of nowhere, he lunged. Julianne dropped her phone in surprise and gasped as he was suddenly invading her personal space. His growl made her squirm, and her spine straightened as his touch sent shivers down it. Her neatly crossed legs were thrown to one side, and out of his way. She closed her eyes tightly as he painfully took hold of her. She tried to take a breath, trying to steady her pulse after the harsh spike, but found that she could not with his body pressed against hers. She could feel the heat between them instantly, an all too familiar feeling whenever they were close. It was a mixture of anger and desire. It was pure passion. Julianne's heart raced like something fierce, she was sure he could feel it against his chest.

They were pressed so closely together, she could feel when he tried to breathe and calm himself, and she was sure he could feel when she tried to do the same. Her hands had flown to her sides, gripping the seat beneath her, her nails digging into the leather. Her heels dug into the floor of the limo as she tried to steady herself, ground her body, drawing herself inward. She had half a mind to knee him between the legs, to get him off of her...but within the confines of the car, she thought it best to wait and see what happened before physically responding. And so, as he opened his mouth to speak, she kept her eyes closed and sat as still as she possibly could.

Right, because it isn’t like I haven’t been busting my fucking ass to get this done in between all the other shit I have to juggle. I want you out just as much as you want out, kitten. Oh sure there have been positives to you being here. I’m up in the poles and I am a thousand more times organized. I am thankful but they are not worth putting up with your fucking mouth. I can find someone who will do those things who isn’t an irritating bitch. Trust me when I say I am fucking ready to be done with you. Don’t you worry.

There were a million things running through her mind. There were a million things she wanted to say. To retort him with. What the fuck did he know? He knew nothing about his stats. He knew nothing about the program designs she'd come up with to keep him organized. He knew nothing about the dozens of phone calls and flirting and sweet talking she'd done for him. He was so god damned blind, and full of himself, and oblivious-

Her thoughts were completely cut off. She didn't even have a chance to run through them all before her ability to think disappeared entirely. When she finally reopened her eyes, Craig was still speaking, and she was in a bit of a fog. It was something between surprise and anger at having been charged. She could feel the heat of breath as he breathed down on her neck. She'd made ground to gain back her clarity, but as she looked him in the eye, she knew she was fucked.

But she looked at him daringly all the same. She was not one of his obedient and adoring sex kittens who would do for him whatever he asked, whatever he pleased. She was a different animal entirely...but truth be told, Craig was an equally unfamiliar foe.

She might have blinked as his hands came up to her face, but she wasn't afraid. Her heart skipped a beat as his lips met hers, and it damn near stopped entirely when he took hold of her hair. If she'd been standing she'd been weak in the knees, but thankfully she was sitting. She was, however, suddenly very dizzy and disoriented. Julianne brought her hands to his hips as they kissed, with the thought of trying to push him off of her. But instead she found herself closing her eyes again, gripping his hips tightly even in her small hands, and kissing him back.

The feeling of his hand on her throat brought her back to reality, however. She forcefully pulled away from his lips, her nails now digging into his sides through his shirt. She shifted her legs, the pressure of his weight bearing down on her. In a low, strained voice...she thought she might try and remind him of the situation, what he was doing. What they were doing. It certainly couldn't end well.

"What do you think you're doing?"
 
”What do you think you’re doing?”

The words lacked her usual venom. They came out in more of a breathy whisper. That was certainly satisfying. Her words were protest, but her body was far from protesting. He could feel her nails digging into his skin through his shirt pulling him closer. No more games, not this time. She had definitely been kissing him back. Something shifted in his mind, he had made a decision; and a fateful one.

She had been manipulating him all along, through her snide remarks, and using her body as a weapon and he had been letting her. There had been no real consequence aside from verbal sparring. He was done letting her hold the cards, it was time to make her fold.

His hand locked a little tighter around her slender neck, now there was certainly an edge to his grip, enough to make breathing a little more difficult. His eyes burned with a low, but focused flame. His voice was deep and yet somehow cold.

“Simple, I am shutting you the fuck up. Here is the deal kitten. I am tired of you running your god damn mouth all the time. I am tired of the god damn games, so I am done playing. You start showing some fucking respect to me, and do what I ask without fucking back talk or I will make one phone call. I’ll call your father and get the wedding pushed up to a few weeks from now and you will be stuck with me forever. Feel free to call my bluff. You have learned enough about me to know that I will stop at nothing to get what I want. No price is too high.”

He paused, gazing into her eyes in meaningful silence, letting her digest what he had just said, his hand never leaving the delicate column of her throat. He drove the point home with what he said next.

“If you are my wife? You will have to deal with this shit all the time, you will be expected to be anything I need you to be and you won’t have a choice, do you know why? Your father will cut off the trust fund and you will be broke. You will need me to be successful, otherwise you won’t have a penny to your name.”

He finally released her throat, but his hand simply tangled back into her hair. He stared hard into her eyes, a wicked glimmer in his. He had the upper hand, and the games were over. Gone was man who was so easily drawn and pushed. She had pushed him to the breaking point but instead of breaking, she had found a piece of him she had not expected.

He broke that gaze and settled onto the seat beside her, never releasing her hair. He did not pull her anywhere just yet, but he smirked. His voice was taunting.

“You are so good at using your mouth kitten. You really want to get those new shoes? Time for you to put your mouth to work. Unless you want me to make that phone call…”

Now his fingers tightened into her hair and gave a firm tug. The other hand gripped her by the arm as he half yanked her out of the seat and onto the floor in front of him. His eyes held her firmly, lust finally crept back into his words.
“undo my belt, and be quick about it kitten. These pants are starting to become very uncomfortable.”
 
Julianne screamed at herself in her head. God what a hopeless mess - wait, no! The moment she thought the situation hopeless and the moment she believed it to be true, is the moment it would be. She had to fight it. No matter how hopeless. Even though that any hope she'd had about trying to reign the situation in was quite officially gone, it still wasn't hopeless. Right?

Her head was swimming. Oh how her head swam. Had any other man been doing what Craig was doing to her, she'd be begging to be fucked. She could touch her own thighs and she would know. But those feelings, she ignored. They were lost at sea along with most of her other emotions, including any that made sense.

Of all the mistakes she could have made, she had to make the one that might prove to give Craig the most unfair advantage and maybe even an endgame strategy. Of course she couldn't make a small, minor slip up. She had to make one so god damned massive she screwed herself two ways til Tuesday. Julianne was going to spend an eternity cleaning up after her own mess, backtracking, regaining ground, finding another foothold, and crawling out of the hole she'd dug herself.

She seethed as she felt the grip around her neck tighten. She wasn't surprised. Her breathing would become labored if he held his grip there long enough, a feeling Julianne was definitely familiar with. She wondered if Craig had any idea what he was doing. If he knew what would be too much pressure, if he knew how long he could apply the pressure, if he knew when to release. She wondered whether or not he had any of this knowledge and whether he'd use sound judgment and stop himself before going too far. In the moments before he spoke, the look in his eyes, the red hot fire coming from his hands and his body...she wondered genuinely and wasn't sure if he would.

Simple, I am shutting you the fuck up. Here is the deal kitten. I am tired of you running your god damn mouth all the time. I am tired of the god damn games, so I am done playing. You start showing some fucking respect to me, and do what I ask without fucking back talk or I will make one phone call. I’ll call your father and get the wedding pushed up to a few weeks from now and you will be stuck with me forever. Feel free to call my bluff. You have learned enough about me to know that I will stop at nothing to get what I want. No price is too high.

Her faith in her ability to salvage what remained of the ride home was slowly fading. She wasn't sure she would be able to dig her way out of this. She wasn't even sure she wanted to, but her one track mind kept her focused. She shifted in her seat with what little space he'd given her. She strained, pushing against him, struggling to breathe, her body language communicating that to him clearly. Her grip on his hips tightened as his grip tightened. If he wanted to grip her tighter she would dig her nails into him deeper, knowing it would leave marks, but not caring as Craig didn't seem to be phased.

She said nothing to him in response, but she continued screaming at herself in her head. This game was not over yet. They might've reached check, but it was not yet checkmate. She would simply have to change strategies. She would have to change tactics. All was not lost, certainly not. She would simply have to be quick to think, even though she couldn't really think. The game had most certainly changed, more so than Julianne had initially realized, but she would understand it clearly quite soon.

If you are my wife? You will have to deal with this shit all the time, you will be expected to be anything I need you to be and you won’t have a choice, do you know why? Your father will cut off the trust fund and you will be broke. You will need me to be successful, otherwise you won’t have a penny to your name.”

She stared at him with a burning hatred. Oh how she hated him. All other emotions and bodily responses aside, what ate at her in that moment, was hatred. It was the hatred that stopped her from giving in to him time and time again.

It was likely what she hated most about Craig. She hated being wrong, but it was something she could live with. And accept. What she found incredibly hard to swallow - was that Craig was usually, almost always, right. It was utterly and profoundly annoying as it made him obnoxiously and intolerably arrogant.

This was never more true than when he held that final insidious look in his eye. The games they were playing were obviously that much more dangerous, and she'd have to tread more lightly than ever, but all was not yet lost. Julianne inhaled slowly and calmly as he released her throat, filling her lungs with air. He hadn't broken her, not yet. Bringing her to his mercy would take so much more than that, if it could be done at all.

Even with his hand still in her hair, Julianne relaxed as he finally released her, as he released her body. The amount of pressure on her form had been bearing down on her. She knew she could not have supported his weight too much longer. She moved in her seat as he spoke again, squirming, contracting and releasing her muscles, stretching with what little movement he'd given her, until she'd found herself thrown on the floor.

You are so good at using your mouth kitten. You really want to get those new shoes? Time for you to put your mouth to work. Unless you want me to make that phone call…

She couldn't say she hadn't been anticipating it. At this point, she knew to expect the unexpected, and her body was ready for it. Damn near behaviorally conditioned for it. The situation was without a doubt a shitstorm, but like any storm, it was temperamental. It could, at a moment's notice, dissipate. It could also, at a moment's notice, worsen. It was just too damn unpredictable. Sticking Craig and Julianne together might've been the best or the worst arrangement their parents had ever made. They had and would continue to push and challenge each other in ways neither thought possible. They just had to try and not kill each other first.

Undo my belt, and be quick about it kitten. These pants are starting to become very uncomfortable.

On her knees, she kneeled in front of him, staring up at him as he held her there by her hair. She slowly raised any eyebrow at him. This was not a wise game to play with her, nor was it a wise game for her to play with him. This was going to get interesting, and it was going to get ugly.

She parted her lips to speak, but thought better of it. She looked him up and down curiously, but she kept her grin to herself.

"Fine."

Julianne situated herself between Craig's legs, running her hands up and down his thighs, slowly dragging her nails across the fabric of his pants. She kept her eyes locked on his. If he could push her, she could push back. It would be a gamble, but even if she lost, amusingly enough, Julianne didn't think she would care.

Pushing aside the jacket of his suit, she leaned forward as she balanced her weight on his thighs. Undoing his belt with her teeth, she was deliberately slow, still staring up at him all the while. Finally catching the last release, she leaned back again, pulling at his shirt and untucking it as she did. She began unbuttoning it, watching how his chest moved up and down with each breath. She pulled it open and began untucking the last thin layer of his undershirt. She ran her hands up his chest lightly at first, but slowly with more pressure. Her hands settled at his waistline, undoing the top of his pants, leaning in to unzip them with her teeth...

And then suddenly, Julianne stopped.

"On second thought..."

She retracted her hands, leaning back again, on to her heels, ready to roll and pounce at a moment's notice. She knew better than to not be prepared.

"I don't think I want those shoes after all."

She smiled, so much more wickedly than she'd intended. She couldn't help herself. What a fun game this had become...and it was not over yet.
 
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He sagged back into the seat as she began to tease him. Oh she was certainly talented with her mouth as he thought, and her hands. Obviously she was just as much of a slut as the rumors he had gathered would have suggested. However the rumors also suggested that she used sex as a tool. Something he had already known, but that was why he did not completely let his guard down; completely anyway.

Still he could not help but enjoy the hell out of every second. Those eyes of hers, the way she looked up at him. It pierced him, drove him just as wild as anything else she could have done. He watched her work his belt with her mouth, and he couldn’t help but quirk a smile. Normally he was a very vocal lover, but he was holding back on her. He would not give her the satisfaction of seeing him squirming with anticipation, of seeing just how much he ached for her. No, he wouldn’t give that to her now, maybe not ever.

As her nails made a trail down his chest, leaving a quickly fading line of red his chest started to rumble, like the thunder of a coming storm. His eyes finally closed, he started to relax and just enjoy it.

Then she stopped.

He barely missed a beat. Instead of reaching out for her, instead of striking her, instead of even showing any outside hint of anger he pulled out his phone. Unlocking it with the code, not even looking in her direction he hit the speed dial. Apparently someone answered because he cleared his throat to banish any hints of lust, and then spoke clearly.

“Hey, its Craig. No no, I don’t care how far you are, send me the bill for the work you have done. I don’t need that work done anymore. Yeah. I know but we have really hit it off, so we are going to see things through. Thanks, bye.”

He hit the end call button, and stuffed it back into his pants. Then he undid his pants and began buttoning the shirt once more. Each button done in a methodical manner, something he could have done in his sleep, but he pointedly didn’t look at her. Every button done up, he tucked the under shirt and the shirt back into the suit pants, tucking it carefully around his raging bulge. After he was situated, he buttoned his pants once more, and reclasped the belt.

Turning, he reached to the mini-bar and poured himself a drink. Taking a long slow pull of the murky liquid as if he had all the time in the world he let the silence hang for another moment longer. Then he let his eyes meet hers.

This was the look of a man who had just burned all the pages in the book. There was an iron set in his gaze, his shoulders were squared. He was dead serious, like a heart attack. When he spoke his voice was soft, but firm and held finality.

“I am not your father, Kitten. I will not continue to play these games with you. In case you haven’t figured it out, the man who was working to find a solution for our situation is now dropping the case. You have burned your last bridge. From here on out it will work simply. You will work with me, and we can try to get along. Or I will spend every free moment I have taking everything you love and enjoy about live, and ruin it. Please, continue you test me, find out just how serious I am. You really have no idea who you are fucking with.”

He took another long drink from his glass and let silence fall again. Finishing it off with one final drink he set it down and stretched out on his side of the limo. Propping his head on his hands, he closed his eyes with a relaxed sigh. It was as if she no longer existed, that raging hard on was still there, but it no longer mattered. She had finally stepped wrong, in a big way.
 
Julianne watched as his entire body relaxed. It tensed and soothed, whether he liked it or not. But he most definitely liked it. He had, after all, asked for it. And she could see it. It was written all over him. It would have been so much easier, so much simpler, if Craig could just admit to it all. To every last frustratingly aching inch. But neither he nor Julianne would budge. They wanted what they wanted from each other, and they wanted it the way they wanted it, notwithstanding anyone or anything else that might have or should have mattered. They each had their own ways of going about getting from one another what they wanted, at their own and at each other's expense.

It was tricky, and it was messy, and ironically tragic, to say the least.

She sat on her heels, on pins and needles, waiting to see how he would respond. She'd been telling herself over and over to expect the unexpected. He was unlike any adversary she'd repeatedly come up against. If she'd stayed in law school she might've been more well equipped to play this game with him; but for now she was left to her own devices.

She watched and listened very carefully as he took out his phone. She studied his words and his intonation as he made the ominously sounding phone call. It was a bit melodramatic for her taste, but the complete stillness in the air of the car told her that it required all of Craig's faculties to remain calm enough to make that phone call - making melodrama a bit irrelevant.

Before the call was even over, Julianne had triaged the situation. Before he'd even opened his mouth to attempt to explain the terms of the situation to her. What was done could be undone. It was not solidly written in stone. One more phone call and the ball could be rolling again.

I am not your father, Kitten. I will not continue to play these games with you. In case you haven’t figured it out, the man who was working to find a solution for our situation is now dropping the case. You have burned your last bridge. From here on out it will work simply. You will work with me, and we can try to get along. Or I will spend every free moment I have taking everything you love and enjoy about live, and ruin it. Please, continue you test me, find out just how serious I am. You really have no idea who you are fucking with.

Internally, she rolled her eyes. Of course, there was that pompous arrogance rearing its ugly head again. As if he held all the cards. More often than not he held more than she did, but what he had not yet processed was the idea that you can't play a game with someone who has less to lose. So much less to lose.

So. Why not play it straight...and explain to him. Clearly. Once and for all.

Still kneeling, situated between his legs, she cocked her eyebrow to him once more. "Oh really now?"

She stared him down, fearlessly. It may have been foolish, and even though she'd always been able to dually rely on skill to compensate for her foolishness, Julianne had always been at the end of the day more fearless than anything else. Not even Craig could scare her anymore, not in the face of going to prison.

She mused to him, mockingly, but with an edge of sympathy. He was really the one who didn't have a fucking clue. As she went to move she saw him open his eyes once more. Not out of alarm, more so out of curiosity than anything else.

In a swift motion, she sat up and climbed on top of Craig. She hiked up her skirt to allow her legs to straddle his hips, sliding into his lap smoothly, his hard on bulging beneath her thighs. She wrapped her arms around his neck loosely.

"Let me explain something to you before you go issuing anymore idle threats. Because really, Craig, darling, they're getting old. And tiresome. You are not an almighty powerful deity no matter how much money your family has and no matter how great your stats are."

She pressed her lower body against his, taunting him.

"You're more than welcome to come after me with anything and everything you've got. You want to know why? Because you'll be coming up empty handed. I have nothing left for you to ruin. Do you really think I was able to walk back in my father's house without signing my life away? That he would not first and foremost cover his ass before mine? Do you think I have anything left? Any and every last right I might have had or even thought about having ever again?"

She laughed coldly, almost cruelly, as she relaxed her body. They'd played their hands a bit more quickly than she'd anticipated...but this was it. Her cards were, more or less, out on the table for him to see. She had nothing for him to take. She didn't even have the one thing she valued above all else - her freedom. It was no longer hers to call her own. It no longer belonged to her. It had become a bartering chip.

"You just don't get it, do you?" She whispered in his ear. "Just because some old biddies gave me away to you, does not make me yours. You don't own me."
 
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The movement caught his attention and he opened his eyes and even straightened his posture. This would be interesting if nothing else wouldn’t it? Despite what he projected to her, he never wrote her off, never underestimated her. She was crafty, cold, calculating. He had taken that for granted too often in the beginning of this exchange and they were in the state they were in. She had way more foothold, way more control than he cared for. It was time to lay it all out on the line and see who came out on top, though he knew whoever did, would not stay that way long. He actually admired the woman, almost as much as he hated her guts.

She crawled out of her position and situated herself right in his lap, right on the steel rod within his slacks. It took every ounce of self control he had not to give her the satisfaction of making him groan. He couldn’t blink now. He had already played a big hand and if he started to back petal, to crumble she would have him. They both fucking knew it too. So he tensed beneath her, but that was all she was going to get.

The hike of her skirt, that slow grind of her hips upon his length, he gave no outward reaction. Inwardly he was trying not to cream his god damn shorts. He drew a deep breath, and let it out in a slow, soft, controlled chuckle as he looked up into her eyes. Normally he was staring down at her but with her in his lap it changed more than just the fact that she was deliciously teasing his hardness.

He let her have her say, all of it. If it made her feel better? All the better for him. It was always best to take someone down a peg once they thought they were coming out the victor. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as she whispered into her ear, but it was her words that produced the largest reaction yet. He laughed, outright laughed in her face.

One hand curled into her hair slowly and he leaned around to press his lips against her cheek in a near affectionate way. It was far too condescending to be affectionate though. Then it was his turn to whisper into her ear, his teeth lightly nipping her earlobe. His voice was iron steady, it was going to take more than what she was doing right now to shake that control.

“You are adorable at times, did you know that? There is always more to lose kitten. Always. You are completely correct. I don’t own you, I’ll give you that point.”

Then he leaned back to stare into her eyes, speaking normally rather than the whisper.

“I do not want to own you. I want nothing to do with you. You had your chance, hell we had a chance to work something out and get along. It is done now, and I am done with you. No more games, no more of this. No more teasing. All you have done is trade a prison with bars, for a prison with windows. You had some relative freedoms with me until now.”

His hands slid down her body slowly, there was nothing sensual in his touch, it was hard, but not nearly as hard as his eyes. There was not even anger in his gaze anymore, just a mirror, staring back at her. When his hands met her hips he plucked her out of her lap like she was a child’s toy, and set her next to him, turning toward her to continue to explain things.

“When we get home there will be cellular scramblers in your room, no phone, the windows will be sealed shut. You will be kept under 24/7 surveillance. Female security will even escort you to the rest room. Your meals will be delivered to you, you will never leave the house again. Oh and you will be staying in a guest room, you won’t even get to see me, which is likely the only part about this you like”
 
When we get home...

After that, that's when the silence started. There was silence the rest of the drive home. There wasn't a word, a glance, an acknowledgement. There was nothing. Julianne wasn't sure what to think or what to feel or how to respond. She knew Craig too well to not take him seriously, but he was speaking a kind of madness she just couldn't understand. And she wouldn't. Until the next day.

That night, when they finally arrived home, they went their separate ways. She thought it best to say in the other bedroom...not realizing once she was in there, she genuinely wouldn't be coming out. She went to bed that night, unsure and uncertain, with quite the rude awakening the following morning.

Craig wasn't to be found. As promised. What she awoke to instead, were men sealing the windows shut and technicians installing scramblers. As promised. Standing outside the door was Emily, her own personal escort. Although in truth she was more of a guard than an escort. Tall, brute, silent, broody, and unattractive. Julianne guessed he probably handpicked the broad for the job. Fulfilling his promise in its entirety.

Coming face to face with Emily, she finally realized her fate, and the realization got caught in her throat. He had been serious, dead serious, and he was dead intent on confining her in isolation. He'd instructed the TV be left for her, but that was all. She spent the rest of the day in a kind of panic. She didn't bother calling for Emily, or anyone for that matter. Not that they would come to her aid, anyway. Feigning illness would be expected, and anticipated. Hell. Emily was probably a certified EMT. To someone unfamiliar with anxiety they might've mistaken the hyperventilation and chest pains for feelings of dying, but Julianne knew better, and did what little she could for herself. To keep herself calm. She paced the room in circles, the way a recently captured wild animal might circle it's cage. She tried to think. But Craig had created a prison for her, and had locked her in solitary confinement. To which there was not an end in sight. This had become her life, for now, but it wouldn't be for long.

Days past. And she grew more and more upset. She knew the dumb bitch of a guard had been instructed not to speak to her. And so she didn't. And she was the only person Julianne came into contact with, ever. Emily delivered her food and escorted her to and from the bedroom for the barest of necessities. And sometimes, not even then.

She spent hours tearing the room apart, looking for a way out. But found none. It had been stripped relatively bare, with very little remaining. Certainly not anything obvious that could be used for an escape attempt. A few more days past. She did what she could to burn off energy and adrenaline, resorting to doing sit ups and pushups like how she imagined a prison inmate might. Even after only a few days, her mind started to itch. Imprisonment was bound to make her crawl the walls rather quickly, but the isolation was going to fuck with her brain, and fast.

It would be rash, unplanned, violent, and she'd only have one chance at it. If it didn't work, she'd be fucked, and Craig would hire more guards. And she might not get another chance. Anything more than a week in the hell he had created for her would drive her more than mad. It would crush her, and from their separate corners of the house they both knew it. But Julianne would have nothing of it.

The fifth day had gone by. She was tense, on edge, anxious, and jittery. She hadn't broken, not yet, but Julianne was not made for confinement and isolation. Human's naturally aren't, but without her freedom she had nothing. Without an outlet for her wildness, she would go mad. And it would happen much more quickly than Craig would have expected.

Five days of solitary confinement, even with a television, had already started to fuck with her mind. It tore at her emotionally not to be able to see or talk to her family. Or anyone else for that matter. It couldn't go on, and it wouldn't, if she had anything to do with it.

That night, she tucked herself away. The closet, of all places, so typical. She stripped the dresser, bundling nuts and bolts and whatever else sharp and heavy she could find in a pillow case. She was dressed in as concealing night clothes as she'd been given - a pair of shorts and a t shirt, and sneakers - the only pair of shoes that had been left to her. She was as prepared as she could be. It would be a lot more than just violent, it would be ugly. It might even be deadly if Emily didn't go down quickly and easily. But idly and passively waiting for an opportunity to escape wasn't enough. She'd have to make herself means of one, by any means necessary.

Emily came in late that night to do a bed check, just as Julianne anticipated. Alarmed not seeing her in bed, the guard began her search immediately. Without hesitation, Julianne attacked the woman. She swung the pillow case and nailed the woman in the gut. She fell into the dresser, knocking over the TV, creating the first crash.

The fight itself was over moments later. It happened so quickly and in such a flash, Julianne wasn't even sure what happened. She could scrap, and with her foe already down, it was quick and painless. For her. Not so much for Emily. She dropped her weapon and resorted to physical combat. She went for points of weakness. The points you're never supposed to go for in a fair fight. Like the kidney's. But Julianne didn't give a shit. She just wanted out. Now. And fast. And as far as away as she could possibly get.

With Emily incapacitated, she went for the door, having to break it down. That was the second crash. With all the adrenaline rushing through her body she didn't even feel it. It didn't phase her in the slightest. She stumbled into the hall and made way for the stairs...when the lights flicked on. Her eyes adjusted and she saw Craig emerge into the hall, confused and bewildered, shocked as hell to see Julianne standing there.

Her heart was racing, her hair was wild, her body shaking all over. She felt feral, and though she thought nothing of it at the time she probably looked it, too. She stopped and they stared at one another. He was the only thing that stood in her way of the stairs, and then the front door, where she could make a break for it. She looked at him and stared him down the way she'd never looked at a man before. She dared him to move. To challenge her. To give her a reason. An excuse of any kind.

Without saying a word, Julianne's eyes flashed to the open stairwell. Flight or fight kicked in, and she gauged whether she could make the jump onto the first landing without hurting herself. Her eyes flashed back to Craig, who undoubtedly knew what she was thinking. How could he not? She looked back to him, with a half moment's time to make a split second decision.
 
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The first few days had been extremely busy. He had Emily in place, and she was perfect for the job. She was female, but you had to look really hard to tell even that much. She had a temper; she was a former prison guard who got fired for being too rough while putting down a riot.

He did however see just how much Julianne had been doing for him. She was a busy girl and without her around things were running like shit. He had missed two important meetings and spent the evenings on the phone apologizing for “Scheduling errors”. He almost entertained the idea of striking a deal with her. He couldn’t do that though. She was too fucking dangerous to him. The worst part was that he was starting to fucking miss her. Even the snotty jabs and the attitude. By far he missed sleeping beside her, feeling her body pressed against his, the occasional random moment of weakness between the two when they would kiss, or touch intimately. Now that he could think rationally without her constantly digging at his skull he realized something. That was happening more, and more often. Despite how much they hated each other on some levels, on others they were drawn together without control. It was why the bursts of rage were so intense. There was passion between them.

The third night he couldn’t take it any more. He had a call girl sent over but the catch was she looked just like Julianne, the only difference was the color of her eyes. He wanted that woman so fucking bad, but he dared not admit to her that he needed her. They spent half that night tearing his room apart. She was a little hell cat in her own write and she left exhausted, but glowing. He paid her an extra fifty bucks for the panties that ended up being shredded when he used them to tie her to his head board. The part he knew was cruel, her screams were heard half way across the house, even in her room Julianne could hear her lustful cries, the dirty filthy things she said to him as he used her body for his pleasure.

The next few days went smoother, he had hired someone to replace Julianne’s functions of keeping him organized. All in all things were settling back into a nice comfortable situation.

*

Crash

He snapped awake. What in the sweet fuck was that? It wasn’t but a few heartbeats later that the alarm in his room went off. He had given Emily an emergency transmitter that would be able to communicate with the alarm on his person. It went off and he knew Julianne was trying to escape, he didn’t expect she would get very far. Emily was a fucking brute of a woman.

So when he scrambled out of his bed in nothing but a pair of boxers he was shocked to see Julianne standing at the top of the stairs looking like a wild, feral dog. Her hair was a mess, there was blood on her, he wasn’t sure who’s exactly, and she looked hunted.

Their eyes met and she froze.

There were two things she had never bothered to learn about Craig, he was both an accomplished hunter, and proficient in isshin shorinji ryu okinawa te. A man with his background could not always depend on security to do the job for him.

He saw her looking at the front door and shook his head. His voice was soft, soothing, calm and his eyes leveled to hers.

“You know you won’t make it kitten. You know I have people outside and they will stop you. No one else has to get hurt ok? We can talk about this, we can go have a couple drinks and talk about this like adults. No violence, no insults, no more solitary. We might even be able to get along. I went too far, I just hope you didn’t kill Emily.”

His hands were raised in a gesture of non-violence. Both of his palms were raised where she could see them, displaying his hands were empty. He slowly stepped to the first step and his hand slid along the wall as if for balance.

That hesitation cost her the only chance of escape. His hand found the security system panel and he pressed the emergency button that would summon the perimeter guards. The alarm went off in the house in loud screeches, and every exit would be covered in thirty seconds. If she was going to make her break, she would have to take down Craig quick, and then break through a line of security. Good luck kitten.

“Just come down here, we will get you cleaned up, and talk ok?”

You fucking cunt. I’m going to strangle you!
 
You know you won’t make it kitten. You know I have people outside and they will stop you. No one else has to get hurt ok? We can talk about this, we can go have a couple drinks and talk about this like adults. No violence, no insults, no more solitary. We might even be able to get along. I went too far, I just hope you didn’t kill Emily.

Julianne was trying to listen, but her heart was beating so loud the pounding in her ears was drowning out much of what he was saying. She'd never felt her heart beat so fast before, she wasn't sure she would be able to contain herself after. Talk about this...and no more violence...just didn't seem likely. Her pulse was racing so fast she was breathing heavily, but that was really the only thing she managed to do to stay remotely calm.

She saw his hands come up, and she flinched. She wasn't sure what he was doing or what he was going to do. Having been confined for 5 days took her temperamental nature to a bit of an extreme. She was touchy, and edgey, and anything and everything he did was going to be a possible threat. She was out of the room, and she wasn't about to go back in it.

And then she heard the alarm. Julianne knew instantly what it was and she knew instantly what it meant. The blood drained from her head and her stomach hit the floor. She felt sick, and if she'd had anything her stomach she might have thrown it up. She'd made it out of the room, but she wasn't going to make it out of the house. The reality of the loss, of her failure, hit her hard and fast. She didn't believe a word Craig said about no more solitary. Had she been rational she might have felt paranoid, but she had no reason whatsoever to believe a word that came out of his mouth.

Her head was swimming and the having to stand still with the amount of adrenaline running through her body was making her shake. Having been confined and isolated for 5 days had fucked with her mind and with her emotions, but it was that moment standing across from him that damn near almost broke her.

Just come down here, we will get you cleaned up, and talk ok?

Her eyes welled up, and she felt weak. Hopeless. She wouldn't go so far as to break down and cry, she hadn't done that since she was a child. But a few stray tears fell as she tried to decide what to do.

She didn't know whether to charge Craig, just for the hell of it, even though she knew she wasn't going to break loose of the house and the guards that would follow. She was angry enough and mad enough to do it, and cause somewhat satisfying damage, but she wasn't sure it was worth it.

At the same time...she didn't know whether to throw herself at him. To throw herself at his feet, apologizing, asking for forgiveness, and begging for the love of god for him to not lock her back up. She heavily considered it. What was left of her pride, although dwindling, was still holding her back.

She blinked a few times, having been starring at him. She realized her eyes were wet from being on the verge of crying, and she felt somewhat embarrassed. Trembling, she raised her hand to point, looking back at her prison.

"I cannot go back in there, Craig."

It wasn't a threat. It wasn't an order. It was a simple statement of fact. Another couple weeks in that room, if that even, and he would have broken her heart and her spirit and everything else. She would crumble, and if he ever bothered to open the door again, there would be nothing left.
 
He watched her transform before his very eyes. She was wild, beautiful even as she was in a near feral state. When she saw hope vanish like the flame from a snuffed candle he could almost see her soul shrivel. For the first time since they had met he felt something for her other than lust and hatred. He actually felt sorry. What she had forced him to do; no what he had done to maintain control had been really fucking harsh, and likely a bit criminal. What could he do though? She was a fire cracker, they had been trying to get each other by the proverbial balls since that first moment. This game of one upsmanship was becoming costly, and draining, oh so fucking draining.

What he did next was something he might regret for the rest of his days. He reached up to the pad of the security system and punched in the code. The alarm went silent, a voice came over the intercom.

”are you ok sir?”

He pressed the button to speak back.

“Yeah I’m fine, false alarm guys, thanks for checking.”

He stepped away from the front of the stair well, staying a good teen feet or so back and spoke softly. It was the most sincere thing she had ever heard from him, and she could hear the exhaustion.

“Kitt – Julianne. We can’t keep doing this to each other. This is exhausting, and fucking pointless. Do you have any idea what the rest of our lives are going to be like if we can’t just come to a damned understanding and set pride to the side?”
He drew a deep breath and looked straight into her eyes. He was smooth as an oiled snake but there was no faking what was in his eyes. He was telling the truth, telling it from the heart. All the cards were on the table, for real this time.

“We have been together for a month, and despite the fact that we can’t get along you were out of my life for five days and I felt your absence. In work, hell just your company, because that 1% of the time we are not at each other’s throat? I actually like having you around. We need to find a way to make this work because chances are w- EMILY! FUCKING STOP!”

The lumbering woman was bleeding from the face, and several other places, she had a large piece of what might have been a bed post in her hand. She was just about to club Julianne with it but Craig’s voice stopped her cold. There was a sharp edge in his voice, a command that was normally only present in public speaking, but right now it was hard, focused, and he radiated command, control. She dropped the weapon and took a step back.

“Go get yourself checked out, and go home. I’ll debrief you in the morning.”

She took a look at Julianne, and then she stalked down the stairwell with a gruff. “Yes sir”

She was out of his mind in an instant, his eyes were back on Julianne.

“So the ball is in your court. Come have a drink with me, or walk out the door. No one is going to stop you from leaving, but you know what waits for you if this doesn’t work between us and there isn’t anything I can do about that. I’m just tired of fucking fighting with you kitten.”
 
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