Feature Writer: The_Master_J

Feature Title: Incubus

Published: 11.08.2022

Story Codes: Demonic

Synopsis: The man of her dreams isn’t quite what she expected

Incubus

Light shone through the blue sky, casting golden rays over her pink hair. She was standing in a green field, surrounded by various different coloured roses, each unique in petal and shade. Faceless individuals milled around the roses, some linked by hand, their dresses flowing behind them in the gentle breeze.

It was then she spotted him, kneeling by a pure white rose, admiring it. Silver haired, slim in physique, but dressed in white silk. He looked godly, the only person here to have any facial features. She walked forward, towards him, entranced by the smell of the roses and the shine of his hair.

He stood up slowly, holding a large white rose in his hand, avoiding its thorns and looked at her with beautiful blue eyes. His lashes were pale like his hair, and he smiled a set a white straight teeth. She stopped, feeling the grass beneath her toes, and looked to his hands. The rose glittered and found itself in her hand, morphing as he began to approach her.

The people around her stopped and began to creak, their head vibrating violently. The silver man stopped abruptly. She looked to her hand and the thorns had grown through her skin, impaling and leaking blacked congealed blood. It hurt badly. It leaked onto the dewy grass. She screamed.

Charlotte awoke with a pant, sitting up as she heard her heartbeat in her eyes. The room was dark, a hint of light peeking through her curtains as if nervous to enter.

She scrabbled for her phone, pressing the button and being assaulted by the bright light. 5.45am. Damn.

She wasn't due at work today and had hoped for a lie in, now she was too spooked to sleep. Peeling back her soft pink blankets, she trotted out of bed and peered out her window. The morning sun was beginning it's ascent into the sky, it was going to be a clear day. Gulls cawed overhead and the city was oddly quiet.

Her dream felt stuck in her head, lodged, and she shivered.

Meanwhile the first rays of light were worming their way between the curtains and falling on the toned, pale, body of Lucas. The woman whose arms were still wrapped around him was fast asleep, but he was awake, his mind elsewhere entirely.

“Why didn’t it work?” He wondered aloud, studying his hand where the rose had been and trying to figure out why he hadn’t felt the connection when he had handed it over. “Dammit.”

He had entered the dreams of hundreds of women now and none had failed to swoon swoon after he had given them his gift; the woman who lay next to him had certainly fallen, so why not Charlotte? What was special about her? Just getting into her dreams had been a challenge, but that had just made him more determined.

Lifting up Rebekah’s arm, he pulled back the covers and lifted himself from her bed, trying to remember which way her room was arranged. ‘Was hers the one with the door on the left… Or was that the night before?’ he wondered, before his eyes began to adjust and he saw the layout of the room. It was a huge bedroom, and lavishly decorated with art and plants and all of the clothes they had discarded in a hurry the night before. He didn’t bother to pick up his underwear as he wandered out onto the grand landing which looked over a marble-tiled enterance hallway below. He doubted that the rich executive type he’d left in bed cleaned all this herself, and he wondered what some of the staff looked like… “It’d be nice to have a maid” he mused, conjuring images of a busty brunette clad in a skimpy outfit, being bent over and made to scream between doing the dishes and the dusting… But then the image began to morph, her breasts shrinking, her hair lightening and then dying itself pink… Before the image of Charlotte disappeared with a puff of fairy-pink smoke.

“What’s wrong, handsome?” A sultry voice behind him asked, startling the silver-haired man slightly. He turned around and saw his latest conquest stood stark naked in front of him, her toned and busty body wrapping itself around his. “Come back to bed… I’ve got a busy day today and my alarm is set for an hour’s time, but since I’m up already…” Her lips pressed forcefully against his and he couldn’t resist as she dragged him back into the bedroom, pulling him as close to her as she possibly could. His cock hardened again in an instant, much to her delight, but his mind was elsewhere.

“On second thoughts… Why wait to get to bed?” She smirked between kisses, and began to sink to her knees, licking along the length of his shaft and making it as wet as she was. At well over 6 feet tall, Lucas’ waist was uncomfortably high for her when she was kneeling, but she didn’t mind one bit. Nor did she mind that she had to stretch her mouth as wide as she could to take him in it. This magical thing was worth anything…

He let out a satisfied growl and ran the fingers of one hand through her messy black hair, while he fixed his own hair with the other, checking for stray strands in the huge mirror that covered her sliding wardrobe.

“If you’ve got work, pretty little thing, you better make sure you swallow every drop. I’d hate to make a mess of you for your meetings…”

“Oh you can make a mess of anything you want but my hair… We might just have to take a shower together to get clean… ish” the lady smirked, taking a brief break from sucking him to catch her breath. “I’m your toy after all, aren’t I? That’s what you called me last night… Call me that again…”

That evening the bar was heaving and busy, and this was the final pit stop for Charlotte and her friends. As Charlotte sipped a woowoo, her friend Beni and Rochelle argued over the next drinks for the table.

"Lottie, help me out, we get wine right? A good way to the end of the night," Rochelle followed her arms over her revealed chest, packed tight in a gorgeous red dress, her dark skin littered with black tattoos.

"As if! We get shots!" Remarked Beni, the youngest of the groups, bisexual and proud, blond, thin and wearing his usual beige attire and smart gold rimmed glasses.

"Guys, I've barely finished this drink," laughed Charlotte, stirring her drink. She smoothed her glossy silver dress, her straight pale pink hair hooked behind her ears. Music boomed throughout the room, most people standing by the bar, whereas the her group had sat across it in a cute enclosed booth. Lights flicked on high lofted walls, flashing across the most desirable faces and busty bodies.

"How about both?" Rochelle sighed, she glanced at her phone and sighed again.

"Fine by me, you're ordering," beni watched her sigh, "is that your darling fiancé?" He smirked, "worried about his lady with us devious singles?"

Rochelle shoved him, "oh quiet, you slag, no one could pin you down," she shoved her beeping phone in her bag.

"Guilty!" Beni chugged the rest of his drink, glancing around at all the bodies, "check out these bozos, hot hot hot!"

"You're like a dog in heat, get yourself out there!" Charlotte smiled at her friend, who could easily get who he wanted, "I can't remember the last time I got laid!"

"Three years? Last guy was Alex right?" Rochelle tapped her long red nails on the sticky table.

"Yeah well, I took a while to get over that,"

Lucas checked his hair one final time as he headed out of Rebekah’s door, following the pretty brunette maid who had been keeping him entertained since the homeowner had left for work that morning. Focusing on Charlotte’s aura, he tried to track down where she was but there was something in the way, something blocking him. What was it about this girl? He knew she couldn’t be far though, and there weren’t that many bars to try.

As he returned to his city-center apartment he could feel that she was closer, but was no closer to to figuring out where she was and he realised he was going to have to find her the old fashioned way.

“At least a bar crawl will be fun,” he chuckled to himself, picking out an outfit for the evening’s work.

The music was down to a dull techno beat and the friends chinked their glasses, downing vibrant green shots in unison. Charlotte gasped after, as the liquid stung the back of her throat. Beni laughed and picked up his glass of wine, taking a sip.

"God I'm gone mates, but this wine is fucking nice," his eyes scanned the room, shifty and wide, "there are lots of attractive men here tonight, eh?"

"Go speak to one then," Charlotte said, also scanning the room and swilling the red wine in the glass. She looked at the men Beni was referring to but none caught her eye. Was she really so picky? Or was she really still hooked on Alex like Rochelle had said.

"Nah, don't beni, I'll have to help ya into the taxi and I have a pissed off partner to sort out," Rochelle smiled though and sipped her drink, also eyeing up the room. She darted a finger out, "woah! Check. Out. Him!"

Charlotte batted her friends hand down, blushing, "Jesus, Roch, cool your jets!"

Beni glanced where her finger had been, looking at the silver haired man that had just entered the bar. Standing waiting for his drink, women were already scanning him and waiting to make an approach.

"My, my," he remarked.

The man she had been pointing at seemed to be stood on his own with a fruity cocktail in his hand, the light glimmering off his silvery hair. His black blazer was buttoned at his stomach but still shower off the sheer mesh shirt which did little to hide his perfectly-toned physique. He must have seen them pointing because he began to walk over to the tune of the music, smiling at each of them equally before locking into Charlotte as he got closer, his piercing blue gaze making her blush as he pulled up to the table and confidently placed his heeled black boots over the girl's lap.

"You know, I have mightily good hearing," he smirked, "but I didn't catch your name, gorgeous."

"I~I'm cha~" a shiver shot down her spine as Charlotte caught a glimpse of the rose tattoo on the man's forearm and realized, unmistakably, that this was the man from her dreams.

"Nice et you, Charlotte! I should thank you for stopping your friends pointing at me like that... So rude... But then really I should thank them for drawing my attention to a beautiful girl like you..."

The friends looked at one another, each as awestruck as the next by the sheer confidence emminating from this specimen of a man.

Beni shook his head, as if snapping out a trance, and sensed his friends discomfort and outstretched a hand.

"Beni," he introduced, shaking the strangers soft hand, "and this taken lady is Rochelle, we're Charlotte's bestest friends," he grinned to Charlotte who nodded a silent 'thank you', "Why don't you join us?"

Lucas sat, gestured by Beni to sit beside Rochelle and the gang began to discuss each others lives. Charlotte was quiet, regardless of Lucas flirty comments and attempts get to know her, and Beni filling the void on her behalf, she felt an eerie familiarity, like she knew lucas, like she'd gazed into his blue eyes many times. He was stunning, beyond handsome, but she felt herself overwhelmed by his presence. Her friends still seemed shocked and obsessed.

Lucas told the group he worked for his own fashion brand, high end he said, even designed his own unique style. He owned the top apartment of what Rochelle called 'the rich bitch apartments' by the City bay, a sharp 15 minute walk from Charlotte's 'basic bitch apartments'. He was 28, Charlotte feeling young at 22, and a single man. He appeared to like everything Charlotte did, books, history, art, swimming, everything.

As the night neared a close, Rochelle could sense Charlotte's low social battery and pulled her to the bathroom. Once there, as the ladies tweaked at their hair, Rochelle checked on her friend.

"Wow mate, Lucas has been flirting with you alllll night," she pulled at a strand of hair by her face, "seems like a fuck boy, oh wait sorry, 'bachelor'," the girls giggled as a boozy wave hit over them, "but what do you think?"

Charlotte looked at herself in the mirror. Her pale pink hair was fluffy with the heat of the pub and her blue eyes looked tired,

"I mean he's hot and apparently successful," she thought about the rose, "but I'm not gonna fuck him, or nothing, I'm far too exhausted. Plus I think Beni wants him!" She chuckled, hoisting her dress into place.

Rochelle laughed a bit too loud, "I don't think he wants Beni's banger! But let's go home mate, honestly," she hooked arms with her friend and they sauntered out the ladies room and back to the booth.

Beni had his arm around lucas, enamored, showing him something on his phone with glee. Too drunk, thought Charlotte. Rochelle stood, hand on her hip as they approached the table.

"Home time, lad" she turned to lucas, "sorry, we're very tired ladies," she pouted.

"Nice et you," Charlotte said, feeling those blue eyes looking into her very soul.

Beni clambered out the booth, "add me on Instagram!" He slurred. Rochelle rolled her eyes.

"And a pleasure to meet you, too, gorgeous," he smiled as he scooted out of the booth to let Beni out, towering over the two ladies so that they were staring at his almost-bare chest until they craned back their heads a little. Stood this close, she could smell his aftershave for the first time and it immediately seemed familiar... Was it the same that Alex wore, she wondered? No, it was different, but the effect it had on her was identical.

As Beni finished clambering out of the booth behind him, Lucas took another step backwards to leave a polite space and the girls found themselves stepping forward instinctively to fill it and keep the gap small, before slowly shuffling backwards again. As Lucas turned his attention to their other friend, the women looked at each other wide-eyed, communicating their identical feelings without saying a word.

"You better make sure these beautiful girls get home okay, Beni."

"Of course!" The drunkard beamed, just about falling over himself as he tried to stand, held up only by one of Lucas' strong arms which expertly swooped in to catch him, as if he knew where he was going to be before he even got there. As he released the drunken mess he turned to Charlotte with an exaggerated roll of his eyes and silently mouthed the word "Men" with as much sarcasm as he could muster, earning a giggle from Rochelle.

"A photo booth!" Beni called out as he twirled away, cutting off Lucas just as he opened his mouth. "We should get our pictures taken together, to remember the night!"

"Well he'll certainly not remember it any other way," the other three all laughed, almost in unison, shock spreading over their faces that they'd had the exact same thought.

"Common let's go! I want pictures!" Beni insisted, taking the chance to grab Lucas by the arm and drag him in the direction of the booth, with the girls following behind with a sigh and ducking into the capsule that was so small he seemed to fill it completely with his broad shoulders and long legs, not that Beni seemed to mind having to squeeze in so tightly with the new object of his adoration. He made space for Rochelle and held onto her waist to help her porch on the edge of the small seat, buy Charlotte was less sure, tentatively trying to squeeze in without wanting to touch him too much, still feeling uneasy with his presence. But when she felt a strong hand grab her by the hips and pull her in, she physically wasn't able to resist and fell right into his lap with a surprised squeal. His hands were huge and one of them was plenty to grip her petite frame and let her wriggle only a little as she tried to find a comfortable spot to pose.

"If you keep squirming on me like that, your round little butt is going to wake something up," he whispered into her ear with a purr, before shifting her so she was resting right on his crotch.

"Smile!"

The camera flashed and took the image, the 10 second countdown before the next starting immediately

"Let's get a silly one!" Beni called out, sticking out his tongue and pulling a cutesy expression. Rochelle followed suit, squishing her breasts together as she threw up peace signs and pushed her lips into a ridiculous duck-face. Lucas opened his mouth wide, baring a set of teeth that couldn't have been more perfect and unfurling his unusually long tongue into the best Gene Simmons impression any of them had ever seen, right by Lottie's face, shocking her so much she almost forgot about the booth and only had time to extend her surprise into a shocked charicature.

"Jesus... What can you do with that thing?!" Beni exclaimed, any inhibitions long since replaced by inebriation, making Rochelle burst out laughing.

"This..." Lucas smirked, putting a finger under Charlotte's chin and pulling her into an entwining kiss just as the camera flashed, the look of utter shock captured in the photo for ever, right before she pulled back the curtain and darted out into the bar.

"Jesus... Bagsy keeping the photos!" Beni exclaimed, darting out to grab them before anyone else could move, leaving Rochelle and Lucas alone behind the curtain.

"Fuck," Rochelle gasped, clopped out the booth in her heels, clipping Beni over the back of the head, "come on, we need to catch up with Lottie! And give me them photos!" She snatched them, four in total, and tore two off, handing one to Beni and one to Lucas. She turned to Lucas sharply, "you can't just stick your tongue down a woman's throat!" She was angry but also felt a compelling attraction. No, she told herself, Harry is at home.

"Sorry, Rochelle," God why did he say her name like that, "couldn't help myself," she felt herself stepping forward, shook her head and grabbed Beni by the arm, "come on, Beni!"

Rochelle and Beni shuffled through the crowds and were hit by rain the minute they found themselves outside. Rochelle huffed, Beni groaned and they both looked for Lottie. She was standing by the wall, her dress sticking to her slim body, away from the bar, by a puddle of her sick.

"Jeez, Lottie I'm so sorry," Beni mumbled, hugging his friend close. Rochelle came over too, slipping one of the photos in Charlotte's purse before hugging her too.

"It's the booze!" Charlottle claimed, but she sounded uncertain. It wasn't the booze.

×××

'Home' texted the friends to the group chat, Beni apologising for being a mess, Rochelle posting her expertly taken photos. Charlotte smiled as she sat in bed, but a lump was in her throat. She tucked under the covers.

Lucas was very attractive, so why was she so uncertain? She thought about his soft lips and tongue and got excited, only for it to be extinguished like a flame. Was it her? She thought about the way his hands felt and wanted to touch herself, but didn't. She texted 'great night guys! :)))' and fell asleep.

×××

As she drifted off, she dreamt she was back in that booth, but her friends were absent this time, it was just her and Lucas, his strong hands gripping her close, his deep voice sultry in her ear.

"Smile!"

"Pose!"

"Good girl!"

"Don't fight it..."

A hand slid down her thigh as the camera flashed, and she saw the piercing gaze of the blue eyes on the screen, feeling it wander all over her body. Plenty of men had stared at her, she always got plenty of attention... But not like this, this felt different. Nobody had ever looked at her quite like he was.

She felt his hand side back up, pulling her dress with it and revealing the lacy black underwear beneath. She wanted to stop him, to push him away, to run like she had, but she didn't. His scent was all over her, familiar and alien all at once. His hands were controlling her, his touch utterly irresistible.

The camera flashed and her dress disappeared, sequins scattering in the like like a million sparkling stars. She saw herself exposed to him, her perky breasts held perfectly in place by a matching black bra.
<div class="aa_ht">
<div>

"S-stop..." She insisted, but the sound came out as a pathetic whimper, any was met only by a gentle but incredibly demanding "Shhh" as he pushed her underwear aside, feeling how wet she already was with a single thick finger.

"Oh you're so excitable baby-girl, I love that..." He purred as he licked her up the neck, leaving a trail of saliva up her skin.

"Why am I letting this happen?" She thought "I don't want this... This creep... This pervert... I don't want this.... Do I?..." She tried to squirm away, but only succeeded in pushing herself tighter against him, so close that she could feel his cock hardening through the denim of his jeans. "No... No... No..."

When the camera flashed once morec she saw that she was flushed bright red, biting down on her own lip and arching her body against his. Every muscle in her body was tense, showing off the lines of her abs and the strength in her thighs.

"Why am I letting this happen?" She thought.

"Because you want it." Was that her own voice, or his? "You ache for it. You're obsessed with it. You crave sex. You need someone to make you forget about Alex, who dumped you three fucking years ago for someone who was a better fuck with bigger tits. You lie in bed and fuck yourself desperately, and when you cum you still catch yourself moaning 'Alex.'" the voice flicked between hers and his, like an acapella in her mind.

"But now you're going to moan mine." That was his voice. His. "Say it."

Two of his fingers felt huge compared to her own tiny hands, but they slid into her easily and immediately found the perfect spot, fucking her perfectly as his thumb sent lightning tingles through her clit. Charlotte writhed on his lap as flames shot up and down her body, already grinding helplessly in time with his touch.

"Say it. Say my fucking name you desperate cunt." His snarl was like a furious animal in her ear, his hot breath adding to the fire that was burning her up.

"Say it!"

"Fuck me Lucas!" She moaned loudly, as she felt an orgasmic wave rush through her. The camera flashed brightly right at her climax, freezing her convulsing body, mouth agape, looking tiny against the man's huge frame. Then she heard voices outside the booth, people laughing, people mocking her, repeating back her moans and jeering. Voices she recognised - her friends, her family; and voices she didn't. What? Had they heard? There was nobody there... Was there?...

Charlotte panicked, bolting up and running outside, feeling dozens of eyes following her scantily-clad body out of the door of the club and into the torrential downpour, raindrops mixing with the wetness running down her thighs and the tears now running down her face. What had happened? What was going on? She glanced around, and saw herself surrounded by faceless blobs, the dark sky above her, streetlights flickering in time with her panicked breaths. Only one light was constant: the advert on the side of the bus stop: an image of a white rose, a phone number at the bottom.

Another voice boomed in her head. One she hadn't heard in a long time. Alex's voice.

"NO!"

Charlotte shot awake, her chest heaving, a wetness dripping between her legs like she hadn't felt in such a long time.

It was 9am. The sun was bright in the sky, and Charlotte groaned. She hadn’t slept much after her…intrusive dream and, even if she wasn’t due in work till Monday, she still had to get up to do shopping. As she pulled herself up she check her phone, texts from Beni saying he had a hangover and a hard on, and Rochelle saying she was arguing with Harry over her super late night. She texted them ‘weird dreams, too much booze, yack’ and pulled herself out of bed.

After showering and dressing in blue denim jeans and a cute frilly blouse, her black converse on and her hair straightened, she felt more like herself. She’d put on minimalistic makeup, white glittery eye shadow and cute glossy lipstick, feeling the effect of the summer weather.

But shopping was strange and soon that nagging feeling swept back over her, making her feel a mix of lust and discomfort. In tesco, she flinched at the abundance of white roses, feeling her stomach churn, and she kept seeing silver hair in the corner of her eye. At one point, while paying, she’d nearly shrieked as a silver haired goth had came behind her in the line, only to calm and apologise.

On the way home she felt watched, a familiar feeling from when she dated Alex. They’d dated for a year, he was so handsome with tanned skin and dark waved hair, almost black eyes, romantic and amazing sex she still touched herself over. She was almost certain he’d ask her to move in, but he’d dumped her like a stone and moved on far too quickly…the next day. She was heartbroken. She’d known he was popular, lots of female friends, even guys crushed on him, but he’d never cheated had he? She shoved her feelings aside and walked back to her flat feeling gross.

As she entered the flat, she dropped the bags as the door slammed shut. On her wooden dining room table, in a pale pink vase, was a white rose.

For a long moment, Charlotte just stood there and looked at it, not believing her eyes, not sure what to think, what to do, how to react.

“I must be hallucinating or something…” She told herself shakily, “lack of sleep… Nightmares… That’s all…” Forcing herself to carry on with her day, she picked up the shopping and started to put it away, but even as she did she could feel him all around her. As she stretched to put cans on the top shelf, she could feel his hands wrapping around her waist. When she opened the freezer, the chill made her nipples harden instantly as if the cold were his long, nimble tongue lapping at them as skillfully as he no doubt would… When she bent down to put her toiletries under the bathroom sink, she could imagine him pressing her face down against the cold tiles and taking her right there like that… She couldn’t help but imagine how good it would feel…

“God my hormones must be through the roof or something…”she told herself, trying to steady her breathing which had become erratic. “This is crazy…”

She tried to focus on her tasks for the day, ignoring the flower which had somehow appeared, telling herself it wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. Shopping completed, it was time for yoga. “That always helps calm me down…” She reassured herself. “Clear the mind…” But as she got changed into her workout gear, she could feel his hands on her body, as if it were him undressing her, lifting up her top and showing off the sports bra she’d already put on beneath, then unzipping her jeans and pulling them down her firm white thighs.

“Why am I getting turned on by undressing myself? Uurghhh! This is ridiculous!”

As she pulled up the tight leggings and checked herself out in the mirror, her mind was suddenly consumed by the thought of being pinned against it and fucked right there, her leggings around her knees, her underwear only pulled aside. She could imagine her lipstick smudging against her reflection, her hands leaving sweaty prints on the silvery surface, his perfect cock pounding into her until her legs shook and she collapsed at his feet, only to be dragged back up and told he~

Charlotte snapped herself out of it and shuddered, half from how uncomfortable she was and half from how turned on. Picking up her mat, she lay it out where she always did, by her desk, and stretched while she loaded up the app which told her today’s exercises. Lotus, plank, side planks pigeon stretches; all fine… Upwards dogs were good, child pose… “Maybe I’ll skip downwards dog… One missed exercise won’t hurt, right?…” She could already imagine herself bent in that position… Head down, bum raised… Lucas behind her, tearing open her yoga pants and ravaging her, telling her to take it like the good bitch she is, telling her how tight she is, how good it feels to~

“For fucks sake Lottie!” She barked at herself out loud, “concentrate!”

As she went through her routine, stretching and twisting along with the instructed exercises, she could feel her lust building, not subsiding. Every movement made her want to be manhandled. Every controlled breath made her wish to be choked. Each time she spread her legs wide, she ached to be fucked right there and then.

“This is unbearable…” She groaned as she got to all fours and prepared for her last position. The desire was burning between her legs now to the point she could barely concentrate on what it said on her screen. Turning on the audio commands only made it worse.

“Get on all fours,” the voice from her phone instructed her robotically. “And slowly spread your arms forward, lifting yourself into a plank position. Focus on keeping your back straight, and your core tight. Good girl.”

“What?!” Charlotte exclaimed, losing her position from the shock “it doesn’t say that!” Pressing restart, she began again…

“Focus on keeping your back straight, and your core tight. Good. Now raise your bum… Up… Up… Up…” She swore the voice was morphing into Lucas’ “raise it up high, and keep it there. Stay.”

A whimper suddenly escaped the girl’s lips, and she knew she had to do something to get this out of her mind.

Reaching for her phone, she closed the yoga app and went to open one of her favourite stories, thinking that maybe if she just came it would clear the air a little. But instead she found herself in her dialer… Before she even knew what she was doing, the number from her dream and been called, and she was sitting by the phone like a nervous puppy at its owners feet, watching it ring.

“What the fuck am I doing?!” She cursed herself when she realised, “this is crazy!”

Darting for the phone, she went to hang up but just as she grabbed it, a voice spoke up.

“Yes?” It was curt, and rude, and unmistakably him. Charlotte only whimpered.

“What do you want? I’m busy” was that… Moaning she could hear?

“L-Lucas?…”

“Obviously. Who is this?”

“It’s… Charlotte, the pink haired girl from the bar?” What the fuck am I doing?! She thought, but it was too late now.

“Prove it.” Was all he said, and the popup showed that he had started a video call. Panicking, the girl hung up, panting.

She was panting, her mind was running wild. She could feel that she was sweating more than she ever had from yoga and the wetness between her legs was nearly-unbearable.

The phone buzzed and she jumped out of her skin. It was from him. A single text. 3 words.

“Show me. Everything.”

Charlotte’s hands were shaking and her mind whirled. She’d heard moaning right? Or perhaps that was her clearly perverse mind, what sort of person answers a call when…

She stared at the text until her eyes blurred before sending a reply – ‘what do you mean? Xx’ then scolded herself for sending the Xs. Yoga had not made her feel any more relaxed and now she was slumped on her floor panting over a text. Her phone vibrated.

‘You know what I mean xx’

‘I’m not sending you nudes, I don’t even know you xx’

‘Do you want to know me, pretty thing? Xx’

His confidence must be soaring to behave such a way, she thought. She felt her whole body flush and a spike go up her spine. She felt her toes curl as she read over the text again, then shook her head and replied.

‘Maybe I do xx’ which clearly meant yes in any woman’s language.

He didn’t reply. She felt herself becoming paranoid and nervous, did she put him off? She, again, scolded herself for caring so much about a total stranger. She’d only met him once and yet, she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about those blue eyes, that silver hair, those pointy white teeth and…

“God I sound like Beni,” she said out loud and began to pack her yoga mat away and tuck it under the draws in the bed. She flopped herself down on the soft pink sheets, still dressed in her yoga gear, her lightly coloured hair melding in with the sheets. She sighed, feeling very much not zen and in control of her body.

Buzz buzz.

She looked for her phone, dropped still on the floor and scooped it up, perched on the end of her bed.

‘Knock knock, Lottie’

And the doorbell rang.

‘That couldn’t be… Is it?’ her mind ran wild, how on earth was he here? Wasn’t he just with some other woman? How long ago was that? She fumbled with her phone, looking at the call log… Almost 45 minutes ago?! It can’t have been… Had she really been sat by her phone all that time, what was going on in her head?

Knock. Knock.

Shit! Bouncing up, Lottie grabbed a hoodie from one of her coat hooks and darted for the door. Even without opening it, she could feel his presence on the other side. She peered through the peephole and just saw him about to knock again. Part of her brain told her she was stupid for keeping him waiting, the other part told her she was stupid for even caring. In any case she flicked open the lock and opened the door just about as fast as she could manage.

He was dressed in a black leather jacket with a tour shirt from her favourite band beneath it, and another pair of black jeans, this time ripped all over and slightly faded. A pair of black doc martens embroidered with flower patterns completed the outfit, making him even taller and more imposing than he already was.

“H-hi…” She struggled out, feeling a little breathless at the scent of his aftershave. “What are you… Doing here?…”

“That’s up to you,” he smiled, stepping forward without being invited inside.

He marched in as she breathlessly gestured, and he appeared to be scoping the room out, looking around at each detail, from the photos on the walls to the paper origami birds dangling from thin rope from the ceiling. It was like he knew what to expect.

Charlotte fumbled for a moment, twisting the fabric of her white hoodie before shutting the door. A stranger was walking around her private space, her mother would be ashamed of her lack of awareness for her own safety. She briefly went over to her kitchen and automatically filled the kettle and switched it on. Her apartment’s living area was open plan and she could see him glancing around, his boots stomping on the carpet.

He paused at her art, sprawled on the desk, next to different types of pen. She blushed and ignored his cheeky smile, dumping coffee into both cups before cringing that she didn’t even ask him what he wanted. Why was she so flustered? The kettle hummed to the end of its cycle.

“I’m sorry I called so abruptly…” she mumbled, she felt so dumb, “I didn’t know you were busy or…you know,” she popped sugar in and then the boiling water. Heat rised up into her face, but she already felt boiling.

“Oh you needn’t apologise,” he smiled, “I wasn’t doing anyone important.” As he spoke he took off his leather jacket and for the first time she saw his muscled biceps, perfectly filling out the t-shirt, and covered in wonderfully detailed tattoos all the way from his wrists to, presumably, his shoulders.

“Hang this up for me, will you?”

Charlotte cursed herself for doing just as he asked, taking the coat from his hands and even putting it on a hanger before hanging it up near the door, despite his lack of manners. As she returned to the coffees she could smell the leather and aftershave all over her hands, and it was only making things worse. She knew she should say something, to break the silence that was filled only by his intense stares at her body, but she couldn’t think what. But when he spoke, she wants sure it was any better than before.

“So what made you call, beautiful?”

As she poured milk in each cup, she carried them carefully to two coasters on the dining room table, she tried to think of a witty or flippant response but couldn’t.

“You…I wanted to apologise about last night, doing a runner,” she thought back to the moans on the phone, the way he sounded so unphased and she got wet again. She pulled her hoodie down and leaned against the table, “I was sick you see, too much alcohol, Rochelle said she told you off for…”

“For kissing you?” He said nonchalantly. He took his cup and took a swig, much to her shock that the cup would be boiling, and he placed it down. She looked back down as he eyed her twisting hands, each fingernail coated in pink nail polish to match her hair.

“Well, they’re protective my friends so…” she tried to think but every time she looked at his face, each perfect sculptured detail of his jaw and the dimples in his smile, she flushed, “anyways I just wanted to know you better when I wasn’t running away,” God, she thought, I sound so lame.

“Well your friends aren’t here to tell us off now, so why don’t we get to know each other a little better?”

Pulling out a chair, he plopped himself down on it, flicking out another to rest his feet on, legs crossed.

Charlotte racked her mind for something to do, something to say… What was she even thinking calling him, never mind letting him in? Not that he’d given her much choice. She cleared her throat, and forced herself to say something.

“Well I know you don’t have much in the way of manners, mister. Take your dirty boots off my furniture please, for a start. And it’s rude to just barge your way in in the first place, anyway!”

For a moment he seemed a little off guard, a little sheepish even, but he did as she asked, slowly placing his feet back on the floor and wiping away any dirt he’d left.

“Would you like me to go stand outside so you can welcome me in again?” He asked dryly. “Maybe you’ll have thought of something clever to say by then. I’ll pretend it was the first time, don’t worry… I have to say though, your shaky little hello was cute. Just like the rest of you.”

“No, that won’t be necessary thank you Lucas.” She sighed with a roll of her eyes, although inside she was swooning at his compliment. She felt herself being drawn to the seat closest to him, right where he had been resting his boots, but resisted and instead chose a seat at the opposite end of the table, sliding down into it. As she tried to think of what to say next, she took a sip of her coffee and immediately burnt her tongue, accidentally filling the gap with curses rather than a subtle delay.

“Careful, it’s hot. Do you need me to kiss that better, beautiful?”

She shook her head, a slight smile on her lips she tried to hide. He was so cocky, it was almost amusing. As she watched him carefully, a thought slowly hit her that shot a strike of fear down her spine.

How had he known where she lived?

“…you came here very fast, but I don’t remember actually telling you where I lived, did I?”

She thought back to the rose, still sitting and blossoming brightly on the table between them. Then she felt the familiarity from the dreams, the walk to the shops, the way her yoga had went.

It felt wrong, yet also so compelling.

She noticed him shifting in his seat, leaning forward for the first time, looking directly at her with a hard blue stare rather than glancing nonchalantly around her apartment. She’d never seen anyone with such a powerful gaze, just the sight of him locking onto her like that made her want to shrivel up and hide, but she didn’t. She forced herself to sit still and to try and meet his gaze. For a moment, he just looked, then he smiled.

“I know a lot of things about you, Charlotte Musgrave, I’m very perceptive. I know that you’re a receptionist for a hospice just outside town, but you only work day shifts because there’s no busses at night – and you failed your driving test twice: once because you burst out crying after hitting a pigeon with the car, and once because you’re a dumb little cunt.”

The sudden insult caught Charlotte off guard and she struggled not to recoil. She was about to berate him, but he just carried on speaking, not giving her a chance to say a word.

“I know that when you’re not working, you like to do Yoga. You used to go to the gym down the road, but too many men stared at your round little butt. I can’t say I blame them… And speaking of men, I know that the only one that’s been in your bed with you for a very long time is Mr Kodiak, your big cuddly bear. He’s sweet, and quiet, and doesn’t leave you for other women with nicer boobs, but he can’t fuck you and he doesn’t know about that one little spot on your neck where you really like to be kissed… Oh of course I know about that. Come over here and I’ll prove it.”