Chapter Text
Courtney was halfway through drafting an email when she caught herself smiling.
Her fingers hoovered over the keys of her laptop.
“Seriously?” She asked to an empty office.
She leaned back in her chair, rubbing an exhausted hand over her face.
Courtney snorted under her breath at how ridiculous she was being. More and more she found herself unable to focus at work. Which was very unlike her. Frustratingly so.
A memory of how Duncan had looked at her from across the table with that stupid little grin flashed through her head.
She closed her laptop a little too hard at the thought.
“Get it together.”
She lightly slapped herself across the face.
The point of this… experiment was to get her back on track. Not to derail her.
And yet here she was. Daydreaming about him. They hadn’t even done anything!
Yet…
A little voice in the back of her head reminded her.
The thought alone made her want to run out of her office and straight into a cold shower.
It was sick.
By Friday afternoon his phone buzzed.
Princess: So are we still on for tomorrow?
Duncan arrived balancing two paper bags and a drink carrier.
Courtney frowned.
“What’s that?”
“Dinner.”
Duncan laughed as he walked past her into the house.
She raised a questioning eyebrow.
“You’re working too much.”
“I am not,” she says defensively despite knowing that her recent workload had been pretty hefty lately. Though compared to most people she was always “working too much”.
She could handle it though. And to be honest the only thing that was really to blame for her “overwork” was him. Had she not been thinking about him so much then she probably would’ve already been done and ready to kick ass for her next case.
He set the plastic bags on her kitchen counter.
“You’ve texted me three times this week after ten.”
“I work best at night,” she quipped back.
“You forget to eat at night.”
“I eat,” she countered defensively.
He gave her a look of disbelief.
She crossed her arms.
“I do.” Sometimes.
“Have you ate today?” He asked.
She didn’t want to dignify his question with a response. Because then he would know that she in fact hadn’t. In her defense, she was too nervous to think about eating.
He began unpacking containers.
Sushi.
She stared at the boxes. Crunchy rolls. Shrimp tempura. Japanese mango cream soda.
All her favorites.
“How did you remember all that?”
“You ordered it after every debate tournament in high school.”
Courtney blinked.
“I did?”
“You would forget to eat all day…” He trailed off as he pulled chopsticks out of the bag.
“Then you’d inhale an entire roll in about four minutes as a reward.”
A laugh escaped her.
“You also got cranky if anyone touched your japanese tacos.”
She bit her lip recalling the memory. She couldn’t believe he remembered that.
She watched as he set everything neatly on her dinning table. Once he was done; he pulled out a chair and motioned her to come sit.
She walked over hesitantly before taking a seat. Once she was sat; he pushed her chair in and sat across from her.
Wordlessly, Duncan took the top of his container, unscrewed the lid of his drink, and separated his chopsticks before digging in.
For a few minutes they ate in comfortable silence.
Or rather Duncan ate. Courtney mostly pushed ginger around with her chopsticks.
“You don’t like it anymore?” He asked as he shoved another bite into his mouth.
“I do.”
“You’ve had maybe four bites.”
“I’m just not that hungry.” She shrugged her shoulders.
He looked at her for a long moment. He didn’t want to accuse her of anything but he had remembered it all from before. The excuses. The distractions.
“Are you not eating again?” He asked quietly.
Courtney’s hand stilled.
“I do eat.” She said defensively once more.
Duncan looked at her suspiciously. Unrelenting. Once it was obvious that he wasn’t going to drop the subject; Courtney finally gave in.
“I’ve gained weight.”
Duncan frowned.
“So?”
“So?”
She picked at another piece and sighed heavily.
“I guess I’m still getting used to looking different. When I was on the show…”
She gestured vaguely toward herself.
“I was tiny.”
Duncan looked at her like she’d said the sky was green.
“You never ate. You were exhausted.”
She opened her mouth but he beat her to it.
“Court. I mean this in the most respectful and disrespectful way.”
His voice had lost every trace of teasing.
“I think you’re beautiful.”
She blinked. But he continued before she could interrupt.
“I thought you were beautiful then. I think you’re beautiful now. And I’d rather you eat dinner with me than skip meals trying to look like you did when you were a teenager.”
Courtney stared at him incredulously. It might not have been enough to change her entire perspective. But it was nice to hear.
Though, one compliment wasn’t going to completely override years of torment from the paparazzi.
“Thank you.”
His smile was small.
Courtney silently ate the rest of her sushi roll. Duncan supposed he would take the small win.
“Heather’s going to figure it out first,” Court said in between bites.
Duncan snorted.
“Heather thinks she’s Sherlock Holmes.”
“She’s right more often than I’d like though.”
Duncan shrugged.
“She’s already suspicious,” Courtney pushed further.
“So’s Gwen.”
“Her too?”
“Who else?”
“Bridge…”
“And Geoff. I think the only person who doesn’t suspect us is DJ.”
“They’re going to interrogate us.”
“Let them try. I’ve survived worse. Besides, we’re way smarter than them.”
The certainty in his eyes soothed her fears for just a moment. If anyone could keep a secret it would be them. She had a bit of faith that they could continue this arrangement for well enough before anyone would find out.
For now; they had time.
The empty containers had barely made it into the trash before the room fell quiet again. The easy laughter from dinner slowly gave way to something heavier.
Duncan leaned against the kitchen counter. Eyeing her up and down. His gaze bores down into her soul to the very core of her. It makes her so restless she bolts up from the chair and walks toward the living room.
“I’ve been thinking about tonight.”
Courtney instinctively straightened. She had barely made it to the edge of the living room before she stopped in her tracks. She wrings her hands before slowly turning back to him.
“So have I,” she admits.
He studied her for a moment which only causes her to continue to nervously wring her hands.
“You okay?”
She nodded her head furiously. Though she knows she’s fooling no one.
“Can I ask you something?”
She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Shoot.”
Courtney looked down at her hands.
"You've been very patient with me."
He frowned. Unsure of where she was going with this. His stomach turned in a knot wondering If she wanted to cancel their arrangement. He wouldn’t lie that he would be disappointed but also slightly relieved. Mostly disappointed.
She let out a quiet sigh. Building the courage to her walls down a little and let him in.
"Every time. When I hesitate; you stop. When I overthink; you wait."
Duncan stayed silent. He knew better than to interrupt Courtney during one of her monologues.
"I just..."
She searched for the words.
"I don't want you thinking you're dragging me into any of this."
He didn't answer. Mulling over her words.
"I've had every opportunity to say no. Or stop this at any time. And I haven't."
She gave a small, almost embarrassed smile.
"That's not because I'm afraid to. It's because I’m choosing to trust you."
The tension he'd been carrying in his shoulders seemed to ease. He didn’t know that all of his fears hid in that one realization. That she was choosing this. He just had to remind himself that she wasn’t choosing him.
“Okay.”
Duncan gave a single nod.
“Okay,” He repeated with more confidence.
He walked over to his bag and unzipped it. He pulled out a neatly folded strip of soft black fabric.
Courtney looked from it to him.
“A blindfold?”
He smirked devilishly.
He slowly walked over to her. Wrapping and unwrapping the single piece of fabric in between his fingers.
“May I?” He asked; holding the blindfold up.
Completely speechless; she nodded her head while biting her lip.
He gave her one final smile before stepping behind her.
He delicately wrapped the blindfold around her head and over her eyes. Her entire world plunged into darkness. She could feel his fingers tenderly knot the fabric to the back of her head.
Suddenly being without sight was extremely… vulnerable. Without sight; all of her other senses were heightened.
Even the feel of him gathering her hair in his hands and setting it on her back made her skin dance with tingles.
“Is it too tight?”
She shook her head a bit too violently before she found her voice again.
“No, it’s fine.”
“Okay, good.”
She could feel his words hit the shell of her earlobe. She had to clench her hands into fists in order to not try to regain control of the situation.
She could hear him shuffle around her. Not being able to see was going to drive her nuts.
She liked being able to see. She wanted to see him. She wanted to see how he reacted. How his mind worked. How he moved through the scene. Now; she couldn’t.
“Ummm, Duncan,” she whispered.
Then she felt his hand wrap around her wrists.
“So, I still haven’t seen your room. Mind telling me where it is?”
“Last door down the hallway.”
“Okay.”
And then he was tugging on her arm. Guiding her through her house.
Each step she took was small and uncertain. She knew her house like the back of her hand but suddenly she was self conscious.
Hopefully she wasn’t walking funny. She didn’t even realize that could be a thing one could be self conscious about.
She felt how strong his hand felt wrapped around her wrist. How calloused his finger tips were. It was the most he had touched her in years. Embarrassingly enough; it was entirely too hot and getting her way too riled up.
She heard the click of the door opening and she could only presume she was being led into her bedroom.
She stood in the middle of her room when Duncan let go of her wrists and disappeared for a moment. She heard the door shut and then he was back next to her side. She could feel his looming presence next to her.
“How are you doing?”
“Still good.”
Though she wouldn’t be for long. Not unless he actually did something soon. She was on the verge of becoming a shaking mess from the anticipation.
“Okay, just checking. Now I don’t want to hear that pretty voice again unless it’s because you can’t hold back any of those beautiful sounds I’m about to get out of you.”
He grabbed both of her hands and drew them behind her back like he was going to cuff her. Instead, he crossed her arms and laid them down.
“I also don’t want you to move your hands unless I tell you to. Got it?”
She nodded her head.
She felt his fingers nimbly undo the buttons on her cardigan and brush the article of clothing past her shoulders to hang down on her forearms. Underneath was another button up; she was like a fucking russian nesting doll. She could practically feel his eyes rolling as he undid her blouse buttons as well. When that was hanging on her forearms as well; he cleared his throat.
“Um, I didn’t think that part through. You got it from here.”
She uncrossed her arms and the two items fell to the ground.
Next his finger danced on the waistband of her pants before one of his fingers hooked on the material. He unbuttoned her jeans and she felt the hard denim run down her legs. Once they were cleared; she stepped out of them and kicked them to the side.
Now she was down to nothing but her underwear. The breeze in the room made the hairs on her arms stand up and her nipples harden.
She felt Duncan hesitantly put her hands on her waist before exploring up and down her body. His hands strayed up her stomach; her muscles contracting as he glided his hands up to cup under her bra and back down until they settled on her hips. His fingers gently thumbed the waistband of her underwear; examining the texture before they were gliding back up and over her collarbones.
He took his time enjoying feeling her up. Unfortunately for her; he wasn’t touching her in any part that anyone who wasn’t a virgin would find exciting.
His hands finally gave her some purchase when he cupped her breasts from outside her bra before snaking behind her and unhooking her bra. Her bra fell forward and hung against her midsection.
Duncan slowly brought his hands back up towards her breast and cupped them in his hands fully. He had spent the better half of his life dreaming about these breasts. Definitely the best ones he had ever seen. He never got tired of seeing them and now that he was being blessed with their presence and with the ability to do whatever he wanted with them; he was going to.
He kneeled down slightly until he could comfortably wrap his lip around one of her nipples as he used the other hand to palm the opposite one. He grasped the nipple into his teeth before pulling slightly and letting go. Peppering soft kisses as he switched sides to give attention to the other.
For a moment, Duncan thought about how childish it would be to leave a hickey. Then he decided he didn’t really care before setting his sights on a beautifully unmarked space on the right side and sucking hard.
“Hey!” She called out.
He ignored her as he went back to showering his second favorite of her body parts (he would have to dedicate a whole session to her ass alone) before he reminded himself that he had other plans for her tonight.
She could feel him sliding down in front of her. As his breath crawled down from her chest down to her belly button. HIs hands stayed glue to her waist with a firm grip. Aiding him on his descent.
For a second she lost all sensation of him. She wanted to reach a hand out even if it was just to feel his hair. But she kept her hands clasped behind her obediently. She’d have time to test his patience. Right now she just wanted him to finally do something with her.
Her world is incredibly still for a couple of painful moments. Long agonizing seconds pass with nothing but the sound of her own breath. Until she is thrown over the edge by one tongue drawing a long stripe over her lips through the sheer fabric of her underwear.
It was mind numbingly delicious how she could feel the expanse of his tongue without it ever actually touching her core. Duncan stayed on his knees in front of her.
Licking stripe after stripe up her folds. The tip of his tongue pushing through slightly before disappearing. His fingers were swirling patterns into her hips.
Duncan kept his ministrations focused as she came undone before him. He must’ve been waiting for her to beg because he kept up his attention until she was panting above him and pushing up on the toes of her feet for some more friction.
His mouth left her long enough to wrestle her underwear down to her ankles before he dives back.
The first lick of his tongue on her actual cunt almost makes her scream out in pleasure but she muffles it into a moan.
He takes his time exploring every area of her. He alternates between long licks; using his tongue to separate her folds and downright making out with her vagina. She wishes she could see him kneeled in front of her.
But if she could see this would probably end a lot faster than she wanted. The meer sight of him probably would’ve sent her over the edge. How badly she just wanted to…
Almost subconsciously she reaches a hand out and feels the tips of his hair thread through her fingers. She almost gets to enjoy this new sensation before she feels a sharp pain on her left ass check.
“I said keep your hands behind your back.”
Did he just spank her?
Her ass tingled in pain. But the warmth that blooms in her chest tells her she’ll probably be trying to get punished more.
For now she complies and threads her hands back behind her arms. She was too close to give up now.
Once her hands were back behind her; Duncan returned to eating her out. This time though; he added two fingers. Pumping in and out of her as he continued to lavish attention on her; as though she was a peach and he was a starved man.
The sensation was so good until it wasn’t. Her body burned throughout. Her knees were getting weak and she was going to go numb without gratification soon.
Duncan had his fun drawing her out into a panting wet mess. He snaked an arm up her stomach until he was palming her left breast and pinching at her hard nipple.
It was all too much. She was in heaven. The only thing that would make it better-
And that’s when she felt him wrap his mouth around her clit and suck.
Suddenly it was all too much. Her was grasping at her breast, fucking her with his long fingers that could reach more than she ever could in her solo sessions, completely stretching her out, and he was sucking on her clit.
She felt her cunt clench and unclench around Duncan’s fingers as she screamed into the empty room; coming harder than she had in years. Every muscle in her body tensed as her pleasure flooded her over and over again.
Underneath her, Duncan removed his hands but continued to lap at her entrance; licking her clean until her body went slack and her moans droned off into tiny whimpers.
The room settled into silence again, broken only by the sound of Courtney trying to steady her breathing.
He waited until finally he stood up slowly. Slapping Courtney’s right cheek lightly before settling in front of her.
"You okay if I take it off?"
Courtney nodded.
The knot loosened, and a second later light filtered back into the room.
She blinked several times before her eyes adjusted.
"How are you doing?"
Courtney thought about it.
"Good."
He tilted his head.
"'Good' good?"
A small smile tugged at her lips.
"Better than good."
The tension in his shoulders visibly eased.
Courtney looked at him with a thoughtful expression.
"So..."
"So?"
"Is it your turn next?"
One corner of Duncan's mouth lifted.
"Maybe next time."
She narrowed her eyes.
"You sure?"
He bent down to retrieve the discarded blindfold from the floor, folding it neatly before slipping it into his back pocket.
It struck her then that he'd treated the whole evening with the same care he'd shown her earlier. He kept unexpectedly showing up for her in ways she dreamed when they were together.
But she didn’t want to get used to it.
This was just sex.
And she was going to tell herself that over and over again until it stuck.
Courtney walked over to her dresser and pulled out an old larger university t-shirt and turned back to him.
"So..." she said, smoothing nonexistent wrinkles from the hem of the shirt.
"So."
The house suddenly felt much too quiet.
She wasn't used to this part. The part where everything was over. Where no one knew quite what came next.
"I should probably head out."
"Right."
Neither of them moved.
Courtney mentally kicked herself.
Say something.
Anything.
Instead she awkwardly gestured toward the door.
"I'll...walk you out."
"How chivalrous."
She rolled her eyes.
"Oh, don't ruin it."
A crooked grin spread across his face.
"There she is."
She nudged his shoulder as they walked down the hallway.
When they reached the front door, she rested one hand on the knob but didn't open it right away.
"You still owe me."
His brow furrowed.
"For what?"
"My point is..."
She folded her arms.
"-one of these days it's going to be your turn."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
She opened the door. The cool evening air drifted inside.
Duncan stepped onto the porch before turning back toward her.
"For what it's worth..."
She looked at him expectantly.
"...I'm glad you texted me first."
Courtney blinked.
"I almost didn't."
He gave her one last smile.
"I'm glad you did."
For a second she thought about saying something clever. Something sarcastic.
Instead, all that came out was—
"Goodnight, Duncan."
"Night, Princess."
He headed down the walkway toward his truck.
Courtney watched until he disappeared into the driver's seat.
Only after his taillights vanished down the street did she quietly close the door. She leaned her back against it. A slow smile spread across her face before she could stop it.
"Get it together," she muttered to herself.
The smile refused to leave.