Work Text:
Sophia strode through the doors of the British museum, waving hello to the guard at the door and heading straight for the giftshop. It was late afternoon - much later than her shifts normally started, but it was inventory night and she'd had the bad luck to get scheduled for it.
She just hoped Donna wasn't going to make her do it alone this time - once was enough. It had taken her hours to get through the entire list solo, and without anyone to talk to the shift had dragged on forever.
As she swung behind the counter and ducked into the back room to drop off her jacket and stow her bag, she took a quick peek at the daily schedule clipped to the wall, scanning for another late shift that matched hers. When she found it her mood both lifted and dropped - she was scheduled with Steven.
Butterflies raced through her stomach at the idea of spending a long, quiet shift with her work crush. Taking inventory was time-consuming but not that difficult, and chatting made the hours pass by faster - getting to spend all that time talking with him would be such a treat. That is, if he showed up.
She couldn't help the feelings she held for her shy, handsome coworker, but she'd also had to stay late or come in early more times than she could count due to his flakiness. He was notorious for begging off at the last minute or coming in late, and the rest of the team, her included, was forced to pick up the slack. She'd even had to cancel a date once because Donna made her stay late to close after Steven no-showed.
Tonight was either going to be amazing or terrible, and it all depended on whether or not he turned up.
She had her back to the door hanging up her jacket when she heard the soft scrape of someone's shoe on the concrete floor. A moment later there was Steven, stepping up beside her to hang up his coat on the next peg. The butterflies in her stomach intensified.
He really was gorgeous - dark curling hair that fell over his forehead and made her fingers itch to brush it back, velvety brown eyes that looked at her with such sincerity, a shy smile that had her melting every time she saw it, and his soft voice that made her want to lean in to hear more. He was the whole package, and she'd been flirting with him for months, hoping to spark something between them, but he hadn't seemed to notice. Maybe tonight would be her chance.
He noticed her glance and offered her a soft hello, his eyes crinkling adorably. She smiled back, trying not to let slip just how happy she was that he was here.
Today was looking up.
The first two hours went quickly - a rush of visitors passed through the giftshop as the museum started to close down for the day. It kept both Sophia and Steven busy manning the tills and helping people on the floor.
As the last people finally paid for their purchases and left, Sophia turned toward the stockroom and the task that awaited them. There hadn't been much of a chance to talk while out on the sales floor, but she hoped that the quiet evening's work might offer the chance she'd been hoping for. Maybe she could invite him out for a celebratory drink once they finished?
Donna always left the inventory lists in the same place, so Sophia quickly scooped them up and offered one to Steven with a smile. “Guess it's time to get started. Hopefully we can whiz through tonight.”
He took the clipboard with a tired smile. “Yeah, that'd be aces. Do you have somewhere to be after work?”
“Oh, no - not really,” she said hurriedly, thinking of her plan to ask him out for a drink once they were done. Glancing up at him she asked, “Do you?”
“No,” he answered and she breathed a sigh of relief. At least her plan wasn't completely shot.
Buoyed with that thought she got to work, making her way through the stockroom to find the first thing on her list and start confirming the count. As they got to work they started chatting, starting with their day so far and the utter ridiculousness of working with the public, eventually steering toward Steven's favourite topic - Egyptian history.
She wasn't as well versed on the subject as he was, but she could mostly hold her own as he waxed lyrical about pharaohs and gods, and she could tell that he was enjoying filling the gaps in her knowledge so she let him. He was a good teacher, patient and thorough and never condescending, and even if she hadn't been interested in the topic she would be happy just to listen to his voice.
She felt something grow warmer in her chest every time she managed to make him laugh, and as they talked and worked side by side she caught him glancing at her when he thought she wasn't looking. Hope bubbled up and she tried to tamp it down but her mind spun off into a daydream without her leave.
Maybe he'd say yes to her offer to go out after work. They'd talk and laugh and inch closer together at the pub on the corner, his gaze lingering a little too long. And when they'd had their drink he'd offer to walk her to the Tube like the gentleman he was, and when they got to the station he'd pause, his eyes searching over her face as he leaned in close - slowly, to give her time to stop him - but instead she'd lean in, her eyes falling shut as she stretched up on her toes to kiss him -
“Hey Sophia, can you check this for me? My count is way off and I can't figure out why.”
Steven's voice pulled her back to the present and she gave a guilty little start before turning to see if she could figure out where he'd gone wrong. As she glanced between his clipboard and the open box of plushies on the shelf she could feel herself frowning.
“There must be another full box somewhere. Maybe it got shoved back behind something? Yeah, see - you're short by exactly 24.” She flicked the corner of the cardboard packaging, right where it listed that it had originally contained 24 plush crocodiles. “Sometimes they get shoved in weird spots when people put stuff away, I'm sure it'll turn up.”
She shrugged and handed his clipboard back, taking a cursory glance around the shelf to see if she could spot the missing box before heading back to her own counting. However, a few lines down her list she encountered the same issue - an entire box of Nefertiti keychains was missing.
“Hey, did you ever find that box of Sobek plushies?” she called, going up onto her toes to peer at the top shelf in search of her missing keychains.
“No,” he responded, coming over to her. Looking down at his clipboard he frowned. “And I have another missing box now, of scarab magnets.”
She chewed her lip. Something was going on, clearly. Did a delivery just get dumped in a corner somewhere instead of being properly put away? Surely Donna would have noticed and yelled at someone to deal with it before now. Unless…
“Shit, what day is it?” she asked, turning to Steven with wide eyes.
“It's Thursday, love,” he said, raising an eyebrow at her as he leaned an elbow on the shelf. “Why?”
She snapped her fingers at him, her face breaking out in a wide grin. “The trucks come on Thursday! And we've been short-staffed all day with Alex being sick, so I bet you the delivery's still at the loading dock. But the computer counted them when Donna printed off the lists for us. Bet you anything!”
He broke into a smile as she spoke, and when she was done he bit his lower lip, his dark eyes twinkling. “Well, let's go see if you're right then, Sherlock. Come on.”
He gestured toward the stockroom door for her to proceed her out and she did, flush with the anticipation of success. They keyed themselves into the service corridor that opened out close to the giftshop and headed down it toward the loading dock, their voices hushing to a whisper as the eerily quiet museum enveloped them.
Finally they made it to the loading dock at the back of the museum, and she immediately zeroed in on a conspicuous stack of boxes tucked off to one side. They weren't the well-secured crates covered in stickers and invoice sheets that artifacts came in, just regular cardboard. She scooped a box cutter off a desk and slit the tape of the top one, crowing in delight when she peeked inside to find the missing box of Sobek plushies right there.
“Yes! I knew it!” She did a little happy dance as she set the box cutter back down. Pointing at Steven and smiling flirtatiously she added, “You owe me now!”
“Hey, hey, I don't think that I ever agreed to that bet, love,” he said, hands up as he stepped in closer, a comically-sceptical frown pulling his brows down for a moment before he broke out into a matching smile. “But yeah, sure. I'll owe you.”
Sophia could feel a flush starting on her cheeks as she hoisted the top box onto her hip. Was he flirting back? She decided to push her luck. Turning back to face him as she walked blindly back toward the hallway she arched a brow. “What if you owed me a drink? Tonight?”
He looked at her, gobsmacked, and she had a brief moment of anticipation - was he going to say yes? - before his gaze shifted over his shoulder and he suddenly leapt forward, his hand outstretched as he yelled, “Watch out!”
As his words registered she felt the impact of a workbench into her lower back as she stumbled into it. Dropping the box she held in shock she reached back to steady herself and felt her hand bump into something - something that was already tipping from her hitting the bench.
She twisted to try and steady it right as Steven reached her, his arm shooting out past her shoulder to grab the - oh shit - really old-looking pot. Between the two of them they managed to slow its fall enough that it didn't shatter on impact, but as it landed on its side a cloud of dust shot out, right into their faces.
Sophia reeled back, coughing and waving her hand in front of her nose to try and dispel the haze. Steven coughed into his shoulder as he carefully righted the pot, smoothing his hand over the painted depictions of people and greenery that decorated its sides to check for damage before stepping back out of her space. She immediately missed his warmth.
“Shit, thanks for catching that. I would have been so fired if it had broken,” she said, glancing up to his face and feeling guiltily relieved that he'd come to her (and the pot's) rescue like that.
His strong brow was pulled down into a frown as his eyes traced over the ancient pot, and Sophia took a moment to trace his features with her eyes before finally turning back to the workbench. Had he found a crack after all?
No, when she looked it over it looked intact. Painted people danced across the surface, waving leafy fronds and holding each other close. She wanted to make a joke about the ancients going clubbing, but he was still frowning so she kept it to herself.
After a moment's more contemplation of the pot she'd almost destroyed, Steven shook himself out of his daze and leaned down to pick up the box of inventory she'd dropped. Standing up, he met her eye with a troubled smile and said, “Let's get this back, yeah? And no more walking backwards.”
Sophia nodded awkwardly and helped him grab the rest of the boxes to carry back to the giftshop. The trek back was subdued and she silently kicked herself for ruining the mood so efficiently. He had (maybe) been flirting with her! She'd (almost - sort of) asked him out! And now he must think she was a careless klutz who almost got herself fired for breaking a priceless antique.
Back in the giftshop storeroom they unpacked the boxes and found the missing items from their lists. As they continued on taking inventory, Sophia tried to focus on her clipboard but found herself more and more distracted by what just happened.
The memory of him pressing up against her as he grabbed for the falling pot played over in her mind and she could feel herself starting to heat up in response. The feeling got even stronger as he moved into her row looking for something on his list. As he scanned the page his teeth sunk into his full lower lip, indenting the plush, inviting surface and she could feel her heart beating faster in response.
She absently watched as he pulled off the light jacket he was wearing and set it aside before running a hand through his hair, highlighting the strong lines of his profile. He really was unfairly handsome - if she hadn't messed up so badly earlier they could have been flirting right now, standing a little too close, brushing up against each other, maybe even stealing a quick kiss before they left to get that drink…
He looked over at her and she jumped, knowing her face was flushed from the heat running through her as she stared at him like a weirdo. She immediately fanned her face, trying to look casual. “It's hot in here, isn't it?”
Thankfully, he seemed to buy her excuse and she watched as he hooked two fingers in his shirt collar and tugged, making her bite her lip at the peek of his neck it offered her. She also couldn't help thinking of somewhere else he could put those fingers… The throb of heat that thought sent zinging through her startled her out of her daydream just as he finally answered. “Yeah, it is stuffy in here.”
She made herself look at the shelf of stuff in front of her instead of continuing to watch him. What was wrong with her? She had a crush on him, sure, and she'd daydreamed about him before, but never this intently and with him this close. Her whole body felt flushed and as she shifted in place she could feel her panties sliding against her body from the wetness gathering between her legs.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, willing her heart to slow and her body to simmer down. She was at work. She had a job to do and under no circumstances would she jump her hot coworker on the clock. After a few more deep breaths she felt a little bit more in control.
A few minutes later she wandered into the row he was in and stopped dead, her whole body filling with throbbing heat at the sight of him. He clearly hadn't managed to cool down, as he now had the top few buttons of his shirt undone so that she could see the whole line of his throat and had rolled up the sleeves as well to expose his tanned forearms. His hair was starting to stick to his forehead and her fingers itched with the urge to push it back.
She wanted to twine herself around him like a cat and sink her teeth into the smooth golden skin of his neck. He always wore his shirts buttoned up tight and the glimpse of his skin was making her feral with want.
She must have made a noise because his head whipped up to hers. What she saw had her stepping closer, all thoughts of hedonism falling to the side. His eyes were bright and feverish, the dark circles underneath more pronounced than usual. The bit of his undershirt she could see was dark with sweat, mirroring how overheated she felt.
“Hey, are you okay?” she asked, reaching for him without thinking. The back of her hand found his forehead and she hissed. “You're burning up!”
His eyes slid shut for a moment as he leaned into her touch, before pulling sharply back and turning away from her. “I'm fine,” he mumbled, not quite meeting her eye.
“Are you sure?” she asked, following as he moved back and tilting her head to try and catch his eye as her mind filled with worry. “You don't look so good, Steven.”
“I'm fine,” he repeated, but his voice was less firm. He leaned back against the shelving and finally met her gaze, his eyes dark and heavy lidded as he attempted a smile to put her at ease.
Slowly his expression morphed into a frown as he looked her over. “Are you feeling okay? You're a little red,” he murmured, his eyes roving over her face.
She could feel herself heating even more under his gaze and tried desperately to get a hold of herself. She wanted him so badly that being this close and not doing anything about it was physically painful. All she wanted was to close the distance between them and lick the sweat off his skin.
She was so turned on that she could feel herself starting to shiver, but as he asked his question she tried to muster a normal-looking smile. “Yeah, I'm fine. It's just boiling in here, that's all.”
She glanced away from him, unable to meet his gaze for much longer without the fear that all the depraved thoughts swirling through her mind would be visible on her face. As her eyes skittered down his front they immediately snagged on the obscene bulge at the front of his pants. Her eyes flew up to his as her mouth opened unthinkingly. “Oh! You're…”
He cleared his throat, hunching his shoulders as if that would hide it from view. “Er, sorry. I don't mean… I'll just be…” he trailed off, gesturing further down the row as if that explained things.
“Without even letting me see it?” she asked, her voice low and intent, then immediately clapped a hand over her mouth in shock that she'd let something like that out. “Sorry! Sorry, that was - I just… I don't know what's going on with me. I can't seem to get a hold of myself.”
He'd stilled at her first words but as she turned to leave he reached out a hand to stop her, his eyes dark and intent on hers. “Do you feel it too? It's like you're itching out of your skin, yeah? Burning up from the inside?”
She nodded, breath bursting out of her in a relieved whoosh even as she shivered from the way his fingers felt wrapped around her wrist. Stepping closer she gave into the urge to touch him, running her free hand up his chest and feeling his heart pounding in time with hers. “Yeah, that's exactly it. Do you know what's going on?”
He let out a soft sound as she touched him, leaning back against the shelf and letting go of her wrist to run his hand up her arm instead. His hand trembled as he stroked her and he seemed to have a hard time thinking as she stepped in even closer, pressing her breasts against his chest.
“Ah, I don't…” he trailed off, his breath catching in his throat.
He felt so good against her, both soothing and inflaming the ache between her legs, that she couldn't help but press closer until the hard line of his cock dug into her stomach. He sucked in a breath even as his hips twitched into her touch, and his hand slipped around her side to knead at the small of her back, pulling her in closer.
She could feel herself swaying closer, needing more of the heat that was pouring off him even as her body ignited. His head had tipped back against a shelf and she couldn't resist the urge any longer, leaning in to trail her mouth over the soft skin of his neck.
He tasted delicious and it was the hardest thing she'd ever done to stay gentle and not bite down like she wanted, but the way he shivered and his breath caught in his throat made it worth it. She made a pleased little sound and kissed her way up his neck, savouring the press of his body against hers and the way it made her go liquid with want.
Finally - finally - she was getting some relief from the restless ache that had been plaguing her ever since they'd gotten back from the loading dock. Maybe she hadn't completely ruined things after all…
Her teeth had just closed around his earlobe in a cheeky little nip when he gasped and stiffened against her. She hummed a little sound and was about to do it again when he said, “The pot! They were waving lettuce on the pot!”
She pulled back just enough to look him in the eye, her brow furrowing. She was trying to pay attention to what he was saying but his hand was stroking over her lower back, rucking up her shirt just enough that he was touching bare skin. It sent delicious shivers up her spine and she couldn't help but press into the touch even as she managed, “Lettuce? What does that mean?”
He widened his stance and nudged her to stand in between his legs even as he took in breath to answer. “Ancient Egyptians thought that lettuce was an aphrodisiac-” his hips twitched forward, rubbing his cock against her unthinkingly - “and that pot was covered with depictions of it, and people embracing. What if it was used for some sort of ritual purpose, and remnants of whatever was inside was in the dust we inhaled?”
Her hand slid down to his hip to pick at the hem of his shirt, wanting to slide her fingers underneath to feel his hot skin against hers. She couldn't quite manage to stop herself, even as the weight of what he was saying hit her, and her fingertips brushed over the smooth skin of his stomach as she replied, “So, you think we got dosed?”
“Yes, exactly,” he responded, his eyes fluttering shut at the feel of her touch. “Must have been - pretty potent stuff for us to be so affected now.”
“Yeah,” she agreed, her gaze snagging on his lips as he sunk his teeth into the lower one. She wanted to taste it so badly her mouth was watering, and as she leaned in she absently continued, “What should we do now?”
“We could go to A&E,” he murmured, but as he said it his hands tightened around her waist to pull her even closer, sliding fully under her shirt and making her shiver with want.
“Do you think you can travel like this?” she asked, scratching her nails just above the waistband of his pants and feeling his stomach muscles jump in response. Her breath ghosted along his jawline and his eyes fluttered open as his head instinctively turned toward her. “Because I don't know if I can.”
He groaned softly in response as his hand smoothed up the dip of her spine. “Not without getting myself arrested, yeah. Mm, but I don't want to take advantage…”
His words trailed off as he focused on her lips, so close to his. She threaded her free hand around the back of his neck and tugged him down with all the gentleness she could manage as her heart pounded in anticipation of a kiss. “You aren't,” she breathed. “I promise you aren't.”
That broke the last of his restraint and she gasped as his mouth descended upon hers, his tongue licking greedily into her mouth as his hands tightened around her back to pull her close. The kiss was everything she'd dreamed of, hot and sweet and with the man she'd been crushing on forever, and she never wanted it to end.
She could feel herself shivering with need as she arched into him, her arms winding around his neck. Every brush of his lips stoked the fires raging within her even more, and soon it wasn't enough.
One of her hands slid down his neck until she bumped into the buttons of his shirt and popped the first one open. Her skin was hungry for his, itching for more contact. She'd thought that giving in to the urge to touch him might calm the insistent ache between her legs but it had only sent it roaring higher. She needed more - she needed him.
His breath caught as she worked her way down his chest and his hands tightened on her for a moment before gripping her shirt in turn and giving it an experimental tug upwards. “Can I?” he breathed against her lips.
“Yes,” she replied fervently, letting go of him for a moment and leaning back just enough to allow him to pull her shirt up and off. As soon as she was free of it she dove back in, kissing him eagerly as she undid the last button.
He shucked his collared shirt off and gathered her into his arms, his big, warm hands roaming over her skin until she shuddered. She was so sensitive that every brush of his fingers had heat pooling between her legs and she pressed into him for more.
“Need you - need you to touch me,” she murmured, all shame pushed out of her head by the heat that filled her. She could barely think through it as every silky slide of his tongue sent it roaring higher and higher and the touch of his hands on her skin had her soaking through her panties.
He groaned into her mouth as her words hit him, his hands immediately dropping to the fastenings of her pants and fumbling to undo them as his cock throbbed against her belly. “Yeah, love. I've got you…”
The moment the fabric gave way he slid his hand in, dipping inside her panties to find her burning with heat. As his fingers slipped through her wetness, teasing and touching, he let out a soft, pleased sound, his forehead dropping to hers.
She gasped as his fingers found her, her whole body shivering hard at the intense rush of pleasure that crashed through her at the first brush of his fingertips, before her muscles all loosened at once and she had to grab him to stay upright. A moan ripped itself from her throat. “Fuck, fuck. Steven, that's…”
“S’ good, innit?” he asked, his voice pleased. His exploring fingers found her most sensitive spot and started to circle it in tight little swirls, just the way she needed.
She knew if she could pry her eyes open he'd have a cheeky smile plastered to his face, but for now it was all she could do to stay upright as he pleasured her. She'd been turned on for so long that her hips were already pressing into his touch, needing to come.
“So good,” she agreed, her voice breathy and soft. Her fingers scrabbled at his belt, trying to pry it open - wanting to return the favour. “Can I?”
Now it was his turn to falter, his rhythm over her clit stuttering as she yanked his belt open and got to work on the fastenings of his pants. “Yes, love. Please. It's all yours…”
Even as her body shivered with pleasure a little corner of her heart soared at that - all hers. She knew that was probably just the powder they'd inhaled talking, but she still liked hearing it. A girl could dream.
Her hand slid through the opening of his pants and down into his briefs, finding him hot and hard and waiting for her. His hips bucked into her touch with a low hiss as she wrapped her fingers around his cock, marvelling at the thick, heavy weight of him.
“Shit, Steven,” she said wonderingly, her inner muscles clenching around nothing as she imagined how good he would feel sliding into her, filling the empty ache inside with this glorious cock. Her thumb spread the wetness at his tip over the head before she gave him a firm stroke. “S' that good?”
He stuttered out a moan in response, his fingers losing the rhythm over her clit as he thrust into her fist. His breath was coming in fast, choppy pants that matched her own as he shivered at her touch and pressed closer for more, making the heat within her flare even hotter.
The knowledge that she was making him feel good was heady and she wanted more - she wanted to make him fall apart in her hand. He was so responsive that it was easy to figure out what he liked and focus in on it. Her strokes sped up and she gripped him tighter as his breath came faster and faster and his hips stuttered up into her fist. He was leaking everywhere and she used it to ease the passage of her hand, making her strokes slicker and slicker as his moans got breathier.
She was doing a good enough job that he'd gotten distracted from his original goal. His fingers still stroked over her clit, but aimlessly instead of the focused attention she needed. It was the worst kind of torture - almost enough but falling just short. She writhed against his hand, rubbing herself against him as she panted in frustration.
“Steven,” she breathed, falling short of begging for his touch but not by much. She was so desperate to come - her body so primed by the powder she'd inhaled and his closeness that it hurt - that she'd do almost anything for relief.
Thankfully he realized her predicament without her having to beg him and his fingers stopped their aimless stroking to circle purposefully over her clit once more, making her shudder against him at the rush of pleasure.
“Sorry,” he breathed, his voice shading into a low whine as she twisted her wrist around the head of his cock on the upstroke. His free hand pressed into the small of her back and his hips jerked up into every stroke of her hand now, making no secret of how close he was getting. “Just - feels so good…”
“Yeah,” she agreed, unable to stop herself from shifting her hips in time with his stroking fingers. Her free hand wound through the curls at the back of his neck as they pressed their temples together, panting into each other's ears. She could feel tension gathering heavily in her core, driven tighter by each stroke of his fingers against her clit, and all she could do was moan and press into him for more, needing to be driven over that cliff.
His thrusts were getting shorter and sharper. The realization of how close he was had her stroking him faster, twisting her wrist in the way that made him moan and rubbing her thumb over that spot just under the head until he shuddered violently and came, splattering her hand with his milky white release.
He was lost for a long moment, gasping and groaning into her ear as his hips jerked and she stroked him through his climax. The feel of him coming had her shivering, wanting to experience that relief herself even as she dreamed about more.
Maybe it was just whatever they'd accidentally dosed themselves with, but she couldn't help but want to feel his cock jerk inside her as his bare chest pressed to hers and he made her come all over him. She was insatiable for him - she wanted him to make her come on his fingers, his tongue, his cock. Whatever he offered she'd gladly take.
Thankfully after another moment he recollected himself and with a few purposeful rubs of his fingers she followed him over that edge, letting out a shocked moan as her climax hit her with the force of a truck. This was the moment her body had been yearning for ever since she’d breathed in that dust and it made the most of it, her hips jerking into his fingers as her whole body shivered and pleasure sparked through every cell in her body.
In the aftermath they were both panting and wrung out, leaning on each other to stay upright. Sophia gave him a last gentle stroke and let go as he shivered and muffled a low sound in her hair. A moment later he pulled his hand out of her pants and she couldn't quite smother the sound of loss that escaped her throat.
He chuckled softly, leaning into her as his chest heaved for breath. “Yeah, love? You need more?”
“Yeah,” she answered unthinkingly, shocking herself at her forwardness. But when she took a moment to catch up with her body the lazy, post-orgasmic bliss she expected was already fading, replaced with another rush of heat. “Shit, yeah. I don't think it's worn off yet.”
He paused, clearly doing his own internal check. His hand slid off her bare back to palm his cock and evidently came to the same conclusion she did - they might have come, but their bodies weren't done for tonight.
“I think you're right,” he said softly, still leaning into her space and letting go of his erection to trail his hand up her back with a hum of interest. His body was hot against hers as he panted in her ear - his climax had taken the edge off but he was clearly still raring to go. “What do you want to do about it?”
She took a deep breath and let it out as her nerves sang in delight at the stroke of his hand up her spine. Her body knew exactly what it wanted her to do about it, her inner muscles squeezing around nothing with the urge to be filled. “I want you to fuck me.”
He froze against her and she had a moment of regret - maybe she was asking for too much - before he groaned softly in her ear, his cock twitching against her belly. He pulled back just enough to meet her gaze, his own feverishly bright. “Yeah, you want that?”
“Yes,” she breathed, shivering in anticipation. The thought of him pushing into her, filling her like her body needed, wiped away the last of her afterglow and left her panting for more and she knew he could see it on her face. “I really, really do. Do you?”
“Yes,” he said, his dark eyes going wide as his hands tightened around her, as if stunned at his good fortune and afraid she might change her mind. His gaze darted around the aisle they stood in as if hoping a comfortable space might appear out of nowhere. “Where should we…?”
“Donna's desk,” she responded as soon as the thought came to her. She didn't really want to do it on the hard concrete floor or holding onto the metal shelving units, but she was worked up enough to take what she could get. Donna had a little desk tucked in the back corner of the storage room that she refused to let anyone else touch, but it would suit them just fine.
She pulled away from Steven even though it made her body scream at her and practically ran back to the secluded desk. The dust they'd inhaled was making her shiver with need, and her mind had caught on the thought of him pushing into her, replaying it over and over on a loop until she was half-mad with anticipation. As he followed close behind she asked, “Do you have condoms?”
“Bollocks,” he cursed, his pace faltering. “No, I don't. Maybe I could find some?”
His voice was hopeful but they both knew the nearest convenience store was blocks away and the chance of scrounging some up on museum property was slim to none. She reached the desk and turned to him as she flicked open the catch of her bra and started to shimmy out of her pants. “I can't wait. Please tell me you're clean?”
He nodded eagerly, his eyes flicking up to hers for a moment before snagging on her naked body with a look of raw need. He quickly pulled off his undershirt and shoved down his underwear until his cock sprang free into his hand, unable to take his eyes off her. As he stepped in close, crowding her against the desk he asked, “You?”
She let herself be walked backward as she ogled the tanned expanse of his bare chest and the hard, throbbing length of his cock as he gave it a lazy stroke. When she hopped up onto the desk he followed her in, stepping between her legs as his hand smoothed up her bare thigh and his mouth found her neck, making her skin prickle with heat.
“Yeah,” she breathed, leaning back against the wood as his hot, trembling body surrounded her, biting her lip in anticipation. It might just be the dust making him want this, but even so she wasn't going to miss her chance to explore him, to have him. Her hands stroked over his skin, feeling the heat radiating off him. “I'm clean, come on.”
Instead of taking her the way she needed, he instead dragged his cock up her slit, sliding it through the wetness dripping from her and rubbing the head against her clit until she moaned. Despite her impatience her legs curled around his to keep him close as her arms wound around his shoulders, pressing their bodies together. Her hips hitched into him, shamelessly rubbing against his cock as she took whatever pleasure she could get.
“Will you need me to pull out?” he murmured, kissing his way up her neck as he continued to tease her with the grinding roll of his hips. His free hand smoothed up her spine to curl around the back of her neck, sending shivers radiating in its wake as she trembled on the desk.
“No, I'm covered. Come on, Steven,” she goaded. Part of her was grateful he was taking the time to ask before they got started, but the rest of her couldn't handle waiting any longer. She could hear his breath coming in fast little pants and she didn't know how he was managing to hold out when relief was right there. Every drag of his cock against her clit had her shivering and grinding against him for more as her body wound itself tighter and tighter. She was dying to come, her whole body crying out for relief.
“Yeah?” he breathed, shifting to notch the head of his cock at her entrance, and at her fervent nod started to slowly push in.
She was so primed by the dust swirling through her veins and the way he'd been grinding against her clit that when the blunt head of him started stretching her open her whole body shuddered, inner muscles spasming around him as she surrendered.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK,” she cried, unable to stay quiet as her eyes rolled back from the force of the climax that ripped through her. Thankfully he had the presence of mind to clamp his free hand over her mouth as she cried out and to keep pushing in as she writhed around him, lost to the pleasure of finally, finally being filled.
“Stars, love,” he groaned in her ear, helplessly thrusting in harder as her body pulled at him, clenching rhythmically around him in bliss. “So good… squeezing me so tight… is that what you need?”
She nodded against his hand, thankful that he'd left it in place as she moaned and panted and cried out behind it. The fingers of his other hand dug into her thigh as his thumb stretched down to press against her clit and she bucked hard into him - it was almost too much but at the same time she was desperate for more.
With his hand over her mouth she was free to make whatever amount of noise she wanted so she did, whining and moaning and gasping against his palm as he bottomed out inside her and started to move. This was everything she'd ever needed, she was sure. She could die happy now - after at least one more climax on his perfect, glorious, cock - and she wouldn't regret a thing.
He seemed to feel the same, muffling his groans in her neck as his hips moved faster and faster. He was talking too, a low stream of filth that poured from his lips like he couldn't contain himself. “Loved feeling you come around me. You want to do it again, don't you? I can tell. Stars, I want to stay like this forever… You feel so good, love - so hot, so wet, gripping me so tight. I never want to stop…”
She wanted to tell him how much she agreed, how much she needed to keep him inside her forever, but even if his hand hadn't been muffling her she wouldn't have been able to get the words out past the steady stream of moans that clogged her throat. It was just too good - his thrusts fast and sharp, hitting that spot inside her with deadly accuracy as his thumb rubbed over her clit and he whispered into her ear - that she could already feel herself hurtling toward the edge.
He could clearly feel it too, thrusting in harder and faster as she tangled her fingers in his curls and caged his hips between her thighs. His low voice was starting to sound strained as he continued, “You're a wonder, love - you're going to go again, aren't you? Come on, let me feel it - let me take care of you. Please, love, I need you…”
Her body trembled harder and harder as pleasure built in her core with every thrust of his hips and touch of his fingers. His whispered words were honey in her ears, fuelling the fire that raged within her. She couldn't hold on any longer - her breath caught as pleasure surged up in an unstoppable wave, pulling her under until she shuddered and moaned behind his muffling hand.
“Yes, love - yes. There you go… Stars, you feel amazing. I can't- I'm gonna -!” He trailed off into a long, drawn-out groan as he shoved in deep and shuddered, his cock jerking inside her as he came and sending fresh shivers through her.
She held him tight, sounds welling up unbidden as she drowned under wave after wave of pleasure. His body was scorching hot and trembling hard against her as she felt him work through his climax, and the knowledge that he'd found his pleasure with her, that her body had made him groan in her ear like that as he let go, sent another wave of bliss through her.
It felt like an eternity later that the waves started to slowly subside. She came back to herself to find Steven's face buried in her neck as he shallowly rocked his hips against hers. His soft sounds of pleasure were so quiet she wouldn't have been able to hear them if he wasn't making them directly into her ear.
Best of all, he was still rock hard, mirroring the heat that swirled through her veins. It had receded just enough with her climax that she could almost think past it, but the only thought in her head was more. She tried to hitch her hips into his slow rhythm but with how she was sitting she didn't have much leverage.
His hand still covered her mouth, muffling her voice, and she had to tap the back of it before he slid it away to cradle the back of her head instead. He pulled his face out of her neck to press a kiss to her lips, his eyes still dark and full of promise. “S-sorry, love. Didn't want to get caught like this…” He rocked his hips into her in emphasis.
She couldn't help but smile at him, even as the lazy roll of his hips made her breath catch. He didn't look sorry - he looked like the cat that caught the canary. He clearly liked that he'd driven her to make that much noise. “It's okay,” she breathed, licking her lips as his cock rubbed over that spot deep inside, fanning the flames. “Let me up for a second?”
“Sure, yeah,” he agreed instantly, but it took him a long moment to stop moving his hips, and an even longer moment to pull out of her. He finally did with a hurt little sound that went right to her core, his hand dropping unthinkingly to stroke his cock as he took a step back from the edge of the desk. His expression was confused.
The moment she had space Sophia stood up on wobbly legs, turning her back to him and leaning over the cheap plywood desk. She barely had a moment to spread her legs apart and shake her ass in his direction before he rushed in to fill the space, groaning in her ear as he pressed up against her back.
He shoved back inside, filling her so deep that she gasped, back arching and head falling back against his shoulder as her inner muscles squeezed him tight with joy. This was what she needed - this was all she needed - his cock deep inside her, making her tremble and her knees go weak with need.
“Oh, that's even better,” he moaned into her shoulder, his body hot where he molded his chest to her back. “You feel so good, love. Is this what you wanted?”
She nodded against his shoulder as his hips started to move in long, slow thrusts that left her panting with need. She reached back blindly for him, finding his hip and pulling him closer as she pressed back to take him deeper. “Yes, yes - that's exactly what I need, Steven. God, you're perfect…”
She felt him twitch inside her at those last words and thrust in a little harder, taking her in earnest now. With the new position she had more freedom to move, to push back into his thrusts for more and she shamelessly used it to her advantage. Within moments she was shivering and panting into the still air of the room as they worked together to make every thrust count, trying hard to keep from crying out and alerting security to what they were doing.
One of his hands curled possessively around her hip while the other slid up her sternum, holding her tight to his chest as he pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses to her shoulder between panting breaths. “Love, love,” he panted, his voice hoarse in her ear as he repeated her words back to her. “So good, so perfect. Stars, I want to stay right here… let me… let me…”
“Yes, anything,” she moaned, too far gone to deny him anything he wanted - not when he was making her feel like this. Her blood ran thick and hot in her veins as she pressed eagerly back into his thrusts, needing every inch of him she could get. Her nails dug into his arm and his hip as she spurred him on faster and faster and her mouth ran away from her. “You feel amazing. Fuck, I need you, I need…”
He groaned in her ear at that, his cock shoving in harder even as his grip loosened over her hip and his hand began to slide in and down to where her pulse throbbed between her legs. She could hear the hot, male satisfaction in his voice even as it trembled with his own all-encompassing need when he replied, “Yeah, love - I know what you need. I've got you - let me take care of you…”
His fingers slid between her legs and found her clit, his other hand holding her firmly against his chest as her knees went weak and a scream swelled in her throat at the intense rush of pleasure.
He groaned, his hips moving faster as he felt the way she trembled in his arms, her body teetering on the edge of bliss once more. “Do you n-need me to…?” His hand slid a few inches up her chest, offering to cover her mouth again if she wanted.
“No, no, no - I can - can keep quiet,” she managed, her breath ragged as she swallowed back the scream. The thought of getting caught like this was distantly mortifying, but the fear soon fled under the relentless pounding of his hips and rub of his fingers against her sensitive flesh, leaving her open and far too honest. “Oh fuck, oh god - Steven, it's so good… Don't stop… you can't stop. I need you, I need you…”
His body trembled hard against hers as his pace picked up even more until each thrust slammed into her, driving in so deep she couldn't think around the pleasure of it. His arm was an iron bar between her breasts, caging her in and holding her tight to his heaving chest until she could feel his heart thumping between her shoulder blades.
“W-won't stop, love,” he groaned in her ear, his voice hoarse and shaking as he raced for his climax. “I've got you - I've got you…”
She'd never admit it, but his low, earnest voice telling her exactly what she wanted to hear is what finally pushed her over the edge. Her inner muscles rippled around him as her back arched hard, shoving her hips back into his harsh, pounding thrusts as she shuddered in the cage of his body and let go.
The scream welled up in her throat again and she had to let go of his arm to slap her hand over her mouth and soften it before it could escape and bring the overnight guard in, looking for whoever was being murdered in the giftshop backroom. As her mind whited out with bliss she knew she couldn't allow that to happen - if they were interrupted they'd have to stop and she was certain that she needed his cock to survive. Now that she'd had it she couldn't imagine being without it.
Through the haze of her climax she was distantly aware of his soft, rising chant of “Yes, yes, yes,” in her ear, each word timed to the slap of his hips against her ass as he chased his own orgasm. A moment later she felt his rhythm falter, his thrusts getting sharper as he started to come apart. The sting of his teeth in her shoulder had her shivering through a fresh wave of pleasure as he muffled a loud, long moan in her skin and came, shuddering against her.
For a long, glorious moment he was all she could feel as pleasure swept through her in wave after wave, leaving her washed up and trembling on the shore. When she came back to herself it was to soft kisses over the darkening indentations of his teeth around the ball of her shoulder as Steven murmured apologies in her ear.
“Mmm, sorry love - got carried away there, didn't I?” he muttered, his voice still pleasure-soaked despite the concern running through it. “Did I hurt you?”
“No,” she breathed, stunned by the force of her climax and trying desperately to regain her wits. He was still moving inside her in slow, lazy strokes that had her legs shaking and her mind scattering despite her best efforts. “You're fine, really.”
If all she had to remember this night by was bruises on her skin in the shape of his mouth she'd take it, she thought hazily. The effect of the powder had dimmed somewhat when she came, but the drag of his cock inside her was threatening to pull her back under. She let it - welcomed it really - wanting to draw out the moment as long as she could.
Her head lolled back on Steven's shoulder as her legs shook with the effort of staying upright, relaxing into his hold and letting out a contented hum as he trailed soft kisses along her shoulder toward her neck. This was heaven.
He grunted softly as he took her weight, his legs trembling more and more even as he kept moving inside her. Finally he was forced to take his hand off her hip to blindly reach back for the office chair they'd shoved out of the way earlier and sink down into it before his legs gave way entirely.
Sophia laughed softly at their predicament, spinning around on her own shaking legs to face him before sliding into his lap. Hopefully the battered leather chair would hold them both.
“Oh, that's better,” she murmured as she settled in, shivering in relief at the feel of his skin against hers. His big, warm hands settled on her hips, pulling her against him as if he felt the same hunger for her as she did for him - the powder's doing, no doubt.
She reached between their bodies, finding his cock and guiding it back inside as she sank onto his lap, sighing in relief as he filled her just the way she needed. Through fluttering eyelashes she watched his head tip back against the chair, pleasure suffusing across his face when she took him all the way inside.
His dark eyes got even more heavy-lidded as she started rocking in his lap, narrowing to glittering slits as his hands tightened around her hips and his legs spread to better brace his feet against the floor. He looked incredible - flushed and mussed and clearly enjoying the way she was moving on him, and the thought that it was all because of her sent a wave of heat roaring through her body.
“Is this what you need?” she asked softly, echoing his earlier words. Her voice was pleased and breathless as she pressed in close and threaded a hand through his curls, unable to resist touching him. If this was all she had she was going to make the most of it.
“Yes,” he answered, his voice hoarse and honest as he tipped his head back further and fully relaxed into the chair underneath her. His hands smoothed up her hips to circle her waist, letting her control the pace this time. “Yes, this is perfect, love…”
They were both getting tired despite the powder still running through their veins, but this really was perfect, she thought. He was surrounding her, his hands around her waist, his chest pressed to hers, his strong thighs under her, his panting breath fanning out over her throat as his cock filled her so full she could barely think. If she could capture this moment and bottle it she would.
To complete the picture she leaned down and brushed her lips against his, her hand cradling his strong jaw as stubble pricked her palm. He responded immediately, leaning up into her touch and panting into her mouth as his tongue slid wetly against hers. One hand slid up her spine to cradle the back of her neck as the kiss deepened and she shivered at the touch, relaxing into him. This was exactly where she wanted to be.
As she moved in his lap, letting pleasure slowly build between them, she gave herself permission to explore. She'd been too frantic for release earlier to really appreciate anything more than the hard thrust of his cock but now the powder's effects seemed to be dimming and she could think clearly enough to want more.
Her fingers twined through his curls while her other hand stroked over the smooth skin of his shoulder and down his chest, revelling in the feel of him. He was hot and hard everywhere she touched, his muscles trembling under her fingers as she explored and she couldn't get enough.
He made a soft sound against her lips and his hand slid up to carefully cup her breast, his thumb rubbing over the underside in a maddening rhythm. When she pressed into his touch for more he immediately obliged, sliding his thumb up to rub over her nipple instead until she shivered in his arms and rocked her hips into his faster.
He broke the kiss to gasp and shift up into her rhythm as much as he was able, his dark eyes on her face as his mouth went slack with pleasure. She petted through his soft curls and kept up the faster roll of her hips, biting her lip at the perfect friction of his gentle counterpoint thrusts and how they rubbed his cock over that spot inside her that made her see stars.
She could feel her eyelashes fluttering as her eyes tried valiantly to roll back in her head at the pleasure swelling within her, but she tried her best to keep them open and on the man beneath her. She wanted to savour every moment of this before it ended completely.
“Want to stay like this…” she murmured unthinkingly, too focused on how good she felt to be anything other than honest. The rolling thrust of him inside her, the rub of his thumb over her sensitive nipple, and the feel of his body under hers had her completely overwhelmed with want. “Just like this…”
“Yes,” he responded immediately, nodding his head against the back of the chair as his thighs tensed rhythmically under her, pushing up into the rocking of her hips. “Just like this, love. Feels so good…”
His fingers kneaded the back of her neck in a gentle massage, making her melt against him with a soft, pleased sound. She was as helpless to resist the pleasure of his touch as she had been all night, so she bowed her head to offer him more space, tucking her face into the soft waves of his hair and breathing him in. “Keep doing that,” she whispered, caught between all the ways he was making her shiver with need until all she could do was roll her hips over him harder and ask for more.
“Of c-course,” he responded, his voice catching gratifyingly as she took him in deeper. His palm slid in a firm caress over the back of her neck at the same time as he lightly pinched her nipple, making her gasp in delight and shiver in his arms. “Like that?”
Sophia moaned in response, heat curling through her from all the ways he was touching her. He filled all her senses and surrounded her so completely that he became the only thing that mattered. Her fingers tangled in his hair and she wound herself around him, greedy for every millimeter of skin contact she could get. “Yes,” she finally responded, her voice shaky. “Just - just like that.”
Steven's panting breaths were getting faster in her ear as she took him in deeper and harder, unable to stop herself even as she tried to draw out the moment for as long as possible. His hand slid from her neck down her back in a long, slow sweep that had her practically purring in his lap before curling around her hip. The next time she rolled her hips over his cock he tugged, pulling her in tight to his body so that he thrust in a little deeper than before. He kept doing that every time she rocked her hips until they were both gasping for breath. Into her ear he whispered, his voice shivery and hoarse, “Love, I - Stars, that's it…”
“Yes, yes, fuck - K-keep doing that, Steven…” she whispered back, thrusting herself onto him over and over. She was helpless to deny the demands of her body at this point - it wanted more, deeper, harder. It wanted her to come her brains out in his lap, speared on that perfect cock and she was eager to give in. She couldn't stop the fast, intent roll of her hips now even if she'd wanted to, not with the promise of bliss so close.
His mouth found the sensitive skin of her neck in a series of soft, eager kisses, each brush of his lips and flick of his tongue setting off little sparks under her skin. She slid one hand up his shoulder into his hair, pulling him in closer while she tilted her head to the side, asking for more as she shivered in his arms. He let his teeth scrape over her neck in response as he pinched her nipple between his fingers a little harder, making her hips buck forward as heat roared through her. He was playing her body like an instrument, pulling pleasure out of her like music and she wanted more.
Thankfully he knew exactly what she needed, and with a last firm tweak of her nipple he let his hand slide down her front to where their bodies joined, his thumb unerringly finding her clit. He started to rub over it in firm little circles as he trailed hot, wet kisses up her neck before gently biting her earlobe and her brain short-circuited.
Sophia's back bowed and her hips jerked forward into his hand, shivering at the overwhelming rush of pleasure flooding through her. She had to grab his shoulders for balance as she moaned and rocked into him harder and harder, chasing the climax that was suddenly barrelling towards her. “Fuck, Steven - that's it!”
“Take what you need,” he groaned in her ear, his grip tightening around her hip to pull her in harder while he thrust up into her strokes as best he could. He was trembling under her and panting for breath, clearly just as close as she was but still letting her set the pace as he gave her everything he had.
“Yes, yes, yes,” she moaned, lost in pleasure as everything tightened within her to a bright, hard point. It was too much, and as she worked her hips over him she could feel herself starting to shatter. Surrendering to it was the easiest thing she'd ever done, her body shuddering in his arms as she let her climax sweep through every cell and fill her with bliss.
Somehow she managed to keep moving over him as she shivered and her body worked through wave after wave of pleasure. Steven's hand was tight around her hip as he groaned in her ear at the feel of her coming apart around him, tugging her harder onto him with every roll of her hips. “Yes, there you g-go…”
She could feel him trembling under her while he strained toward his own release, his body taut with tension as it teetered on the precipice and she wanted so badly to help him fall over. “What do you need?” she breathed as she kept moving over him, rolling her hips to take him in deep every time.
“Love, I need - I…” he stuttered, his face buried in her neck as he pulled her in tight, thrusting up as best he could. Words failing him, he surged up out of the chair, pulling her up with him and laying her out on her back on the desk without her feet ever touching the floor. He followed her down, propping himself up on an elbow as he thrust in deep.
His free hand found her clit again and he rubbed over it in fast, firm circles, moving with her as she bucked up into the shocking pleasure of his touch. “Again - need to feel you again, please…” he muttered into her ear as he started pounding into her.
“Shit, Steven,” she gasped, her back arching off the desk as her body shivered through the onslaught of sensation. His hard, fast thrusts were so good she could barely think, all she could do was wrap her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist and hold on. She could feel her eyes rolling back and her nails digging helplessly into his back - it was too much, it was perfect, she was going to die, she was going to come. She couldn't stop it and wouldn't want to even if she could.
“Yes, yes… Please, love,” he whispered between panting breaths, his hips working feverishly between her legs as he teetered right on the edge of coming.
“Oh, oh Steven - it's so - I can't - I'm gonna,” she babbled, so overwhelmed by the hard fast thrusts of his cock that she could barely breathe. He was making her come - not giving her body a chance to slow down and take stock of things but driving her higher and higher with every twist of his hips and firm rub of his fingers until she finally had no choice but to let go.
She arched up into him as bliss roared through her in an unstoppable wave, shuddering so hard she would have fallen off the desk if not for his body caging her in. Her nails were digging painfully into his skin but her whole body had locked up tight as it worked through wave after wave of pleasure and she couldn't make herself move, even to unclench her fingers - it was that good.
“Yes, there you go, love. Stars, that's it, that's it,” he moaned in her ear, getting louder as his hips snapped into hers harder and harder before he finally slammed in and groaned in her ear as he trembled on top of her and came.
Her body weakly tried to respond, squeezing around him with another little wave of bliss. She moaned softly, too wrung out for more, and relaxed against the hard surface of the desk. Slowly she got enough control over herself to soften her grip on his back and she petted him in apology for the little crescent-moon shaped indents that no doubt littered his skin.
“God, Steven - that was…” she trailed off, her voice wondering. Amazing? Euphoric? Transcendent? All that and more?
He hummed a soft note in her ear and slowly lifted up from where he'd collapsed onto her. She immediately missed his warmth as cool air rushed to fill the space, even more so when he pulled his hand away from between her legs to push his sweaty curls off his face.
“Sorry love - are you okay?” he asked, coming back to himself and peering down at her with an anxious line forming between his brows. “I didn't hurt you, did I?”
“Mmm, no, you're fine,” she managed, weakly flapping a hand at him as she shivered through aftershocks. “Just made me come my brains out, tha's all. ‘M good.”
The line slowly disappeared from his forehead as his face softened hearing her lazy, satisfied tone. A smile grew on his face and he gently stroked the line of her jaw, his eyes crinkling when she let her eyes fall mostly shut and leaned into the caress like a cat. “You're sure?”
“Yeah,” she breathed, exhausted and feeling sated all the way down to her bones. All she wanted was for him to keep touching her like that, gazing down with that soft look in his eyes, like he - well. She stopped that train of thought before it could go any further. It was just the powder talking.
Steven shifted on top of her at the same time as she gave a lazy stretch and the movement made him accidentally slide out of her. Her body immediately missed the stretch of his cock, but before she could ask him to put it back in he leaned up and looked down at himself. “Oh, wow. I've gone soft.”
Sophia blinked hard in disbelief - the powder had kept him hard this whole time, how was he soft? - and focused inward, trying to find any traces of the powder's effects, but all she felt was tired satiation. The frantic heat and need to come had slipped away without her even noticing. She flopped back on the desk and sighed, a little disappointed. “Huh. I think it's worn off.”
Steven levered himself all the way off of her then, standing up on wobbly legs and tucking his spent cock back into his briefs. As he pulled his pants back up she realized she was sprawled out naked on the desk, fluid leaking down the inside of her legs, and Steven suddenly wasn't meeting her eye.
It was a splash of cold water on her warm, lazy afterglow. She hastily sat up and ran her hands through her hair to try and bring it back to some semblance of order. She really needed to clean up before she put her clothes back on, but she didn't want to do that right in front of him, especially with the way he suddenly couldn't look at her.
When he handed her a crumpled pile of her clothes she took it with a soft, “Thanks,” and held it as she hunted around in the mess on the desktop for something she could use to wipe up the mess.
Thankfully Steven seemed to realize her predicament and pointed her to a box of tissues before awkwardly stepping back. “I'm going to go get my shirt,” he murmured, jerking his thumb toward the rows of shelving.
She nodded, a little glad he was giving her the privacy she wanted while she put herself back to rights, but mostly trying to process the whiplash of how strange the mood had gotten. As she tossed used tissues in the trash and pulled her pants up her legs she wondered what exactly you were supposed to say to someone you'd just had multiple rounds of frantic, ancient-drug-fueled sex with. Thanks? Whoops? Want to go out sometime?
She knew what she wanted to say, that's for sure, but figured with the way Steven was acting it would be a no. That was it then - she really had blown her chance when she knocked into that pot, but now that she knew what he felt like in the throes of passion it was even worse. She'd had a taste of him but that was clearly all she was going to get.
She heaved a sigh as she turned to the desk and started putting it back to rights. Donna would kill them if she realized they'd touched it, and she'd fire them if she realized they'd had sex on it. She didn't know about Steven, but she couldn't afford to lose this job, so she cleaned up the mess and tidied the papers they'd flung off to the side. Thankfully Donna kept her desktop pretty clear so it wasn't too difficult to get it straightened out.
As she was putting the last things back Steven rounded the corner, fully dressed and holding her shirt. She smiled gratefully at him and put it back on and then they stood there awkwardly for a moment, neither of them quite able to break the silence.
“I guess we should finish up the inventory?” she finally asked, darting a glance his way. It wasn't fair that he looked this good - glowing and rumpled with sex hair and sleepy eyes. It made her want to snuggle into bed with him and hold him tight. Not fair at all.
“Yeah, yeah,” he agreed with a nod of his head. He ran his fingers through his hair and winced as they caught on tangles as he turned away toward the row of shelving where they'd left their clipboards when they'd gotten distracted. “At least we're almost done. I'm exhausted.”
“Yeah, me too,” she agreed with a glance over at him. Even that small acknowledgement of what just happened between them had her leaden heart lightening a smidgen. Maybe they could laugh about this in the future?
They finished taking inventory mostly in silence. Steven finished his list first and she thought he might take the opportunity to leave without her, but instead he took a few of her items so that they could finish together. It was a small thing, but it made her feel a little better.
They parted ways - him to the bus and her to the Tube - with a wave and an awkward smile and she thought longingly about the alternate universe in which she hadn't knocked over that pot and they were going for a drink right now. That version of her didn't know what Steven's cock felt like driving deep inside her, but she could be on a date with him, getting to know him better over a drink in a way that might lead to more. All this version had was a pleasantly-sore body and the knowledge that she'd fucked things up.
When she finally crawled into bed that night she made herself focus on the life-changing parts of the night, before everything got weird and awkward. She fell asleep thinking about the feel of his body against hers, the way he had touched her and talked to her and taken care of her even as the powder raged through him. It led to some very nice dreams.
The next few days were weird. When she went into work the next morning (thanks Donna, for scheduling her to open the day after staying late for inventory), nothing was said about the state of the back room and any suspicious stains she might have missed cleaning up, so she figured they were in the clear. She also wasn't called into a back office and fired for disturbing an ancient artifact, so no one must have reviewed the security footage from last night. She breathed a sigh of relief.
Steven wasn't there - either not scheduled or he called off. She didn't know which and she figured it would be better not to know. Part of her missed his presence but she figured it was probably for the best - he clearly felt pretty weird about what happened and she didn't want to pester him.
She had the next day off and she threw herself into all the chores she'd been neglecting. She shopped for groceries, cleaned dishes, did all her laundry. She meal-prepped for the coming week and even did some baking. At the end of the day she had a spotlessly clean flat but a still-heavy heart.
If she could go back and do things differently she wouldn't have knocked over that pot, but once it had been knocked over she couldn't fault herself for giving in. He'd been so sweet and affectionate and giving, and then at the end he'd taken over and made her body dance to his tune and it had all been perfect. She went to bed with that thought playing over and over in her mind and had another night of pleasant dreams.
The next day she was hanging up her jacket in the backroom of the giftshop, resigning herself to another shift of cleaning up messes and working with the public, when the scrape of a shoe on the concrete floor beside her followed immediately by a soft gasp pulled her attention.
She glanced over and, oh - Steven was there, staring with horrified eyes at her shoulder where her cardigan had slipped down her arm. She followed his eyes and saw that the fading bruise in the shape of his teeth was peeking out from under her sleeveless top. The dark purples were shading toward healing yellows and greens now, but if you knew what it was you could still make out the shape of each tooth.
He wrenched his eyes back up to hers, still looking devastated. “Stars, I'm so sorry,” he whispered to her, raising his hand toward the mark before letting it drop back to his side. “I shouldn't have - I hurt you…”
Sophia took a deep breath and let it out before replying. She could be an adult about this. “Steven, it's fine, you don't have to be sorry. I said it when you did it and I'm saying it now. Okay?”
He nodded hesitantly, but his eyes dropped to the mark on her shoulder before meeting hers again.
He didn't look convinced so she continued. “I'm not upset about anything that happened while we were dosed.” She paused and couldn't quite meet his eye for the next part, feeling a little too cowardly to watch his reaction to her honesty live. “It felt good, honestly - at least until you got all weird at the end there…”
Steven looked down at his feet then, scuffing the toe of his shoe against the floor and rubbing the back of his neck. “I'm… I'm sorry about that.”
“Thanks,” Sophia said with a nod of her head. There, they'd talked it out like adults. It didn't matter that there was a crack still running across her heart.
To her surprise though, Steven wasn't done. "I just - I realized how rough I had been - felt like the worst sort of villain.”
She opened her mouth to respond but he held up a hand to stop her. “I know you said at the beginning I wasn't taking advantage, but that was before everything else happened. I bit you,” he gestured to her shoulder and leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper, “and surely left bruises all over. And that wasn't how I wanted-”
She paused, waiting for the end of that sentence that didn't come. Finally she asked, trying not to get her hopes up, “Wasn't how you wanted what?"
He glanced away, flushing. "It wasn't how I wanted our first time together to be," he finally muttered. "You deserve roses, and candlelight, and someone who doesn't just paw at you like an animal."
She stared at him, shocked. "Wait, you liked me? Before all that?" She tugged him around and the truth was all over his face. It gave her the courage to say, "Me too - that's why I asked you out. I…" she took a deep breath, "I still do."
He brightened like the sun coming out from behind a raincloud. "Oh, oh! Thought I'd ruined it, what with all the, you know…" He gestured at her shoulder.
She shook her head no and felt a smile grow on her lips. "You didn't."
He leaned in closer, his eyes crinkling at the corners and his voice dropping to a murmur. "Would you want to go out with me then, on a proper date? Dinner, maybe a movie? I'd like to do it right."
“Yeah, I'd love that,” she breathed, feeling the awkwardness and anxiety of the last few days dissipate into mist and leaving her light as air.
Before she could say more, Donna bustled into the backroom, yelling at them both to stop chatting and get out on the sales floor - they weren't getting paid to giggle in the back.
Sophia headed out of the backroom with a spring in her step - she finally had her date with Steven!