No Strings Attached

Chapter One

Alex Romero was a man of control. At least, that's what he told himself. But being around Norma Bates made that control slip, and lately, it felt like he was barely hanging on.
Living at the Bates Motel after his house burned down was supposed to be temporary, just until his house is finished being built. Yet, every day spent there felt like a test he wasn't prepared for. He'd walk out of his room, trying to focus on the day ahead, and then he would see her sitting behind that desk every morning and he found his pulse quickening.
There were moments he hated her. Hated the way she could manipulate him without even trying, hated the way she would look at him with those blue, pleading eyes when she wanted something from him.
And then there were the other moments, the ones that crept in when he was alone in the quiet of the motel room late at night. Moments when he found himself missing her. Wanting her. In ways he shouldn't. Moments when all he could think about was how it would feel to give in, just once, to take her in his arms, to kiss her, to fuck her until all that pent-up frustration burned away.
And then there were the nights she stood right in front of her bedroom window, carelessly undressing in full view as if she didn't realize. Or maybe she did. He couldn't decide if it was innocent or if she was testing him. Either way, every time she slipped out of her blouse or dropped her skirt to the ground, he had to remind himself not to look. It didn't matter though, she was burned into his thoughts.
That was the hardest part. Being around her so much more than usual, seeing her like this, so close and yet untouchable. He knew she would never want him the way he wants her. That was when the hatred crept in again, the push and pull that threatened to tear him apart.
He promised himself he wouldn't seek her out today. He'd already endured too much proximity, too many moments where he had to force his mind back into focus. But, as soon as he stepped out of his room, there she was, like a vision in soft pastels. The light sundress she wore fluttered just enough in the breeze as she watered her plants, her white cardigan accentuating her figure in just the right way.
He stopped short, his breath catching for a moment. It wasn't just how she looked, it's the way her presence seemed to seize him by the throat and refuse to let go.
"Hey, Sheriff Romero," she calls out, her eyes still focused on the plants she was carefully tending to. She was unaware, or maybe entirely aware, of the effect she had on him. Her voice was light, casual, but to Alex, it might as well have been a siren's call.
"Can I ask you something?" Norma's eyes lifted from the plants, meeting his with a softness that made his pulse quicken. She still wasn't looking at him fully, like she didn't know she was pulling him apart just by being there.
"Yeah," he says, his voice rougher than intended as he set his briefcase down in the passenger's seat before turning to her.
"Can I call you by your name? It's a little stupid at this point. 'Hey sheriff Romero' " She laughed, and the sound was so light, so innocent, but Alex could feel it settling uncomfortably in his chest. When she finally looked at him, really looked at him, he caught the way her gaze flickered down, lingering on the suit he wore.
"I've never seen you in a suit." she says, her voice having a curious edge to it. Alex shifted, feeling the weight of her eyes as they roam over him. The way she was looking at him, like she was appreciating the way the fabric clung to his frame, made him feel suddenly exposed.
He could feel the heat rising under his skin, and for a moment, he wondered if she liked what she saw. He hoped she did. God, he wanted her to like what she saw.
"Yeah, I'm on my way to testify at Kyle Miller's hearing." he explains, watching as she continues to stare at him with an unreadable expression that sent his mind spinning.
"So....thats what you wanted to ask me?" He tried to inject some humor into his voice, desperate to break the tension tightening in his chest. "Yeah, you can call me Alex."
Please call me Alex, he thought. The idea of her saying his name casually, intimately, sent a ripple of something dangerous through him.
"No, actually," she replied, a small smile playing on her lips. "I'm gonna talk to Mayor Woodriff about giving me Lee Burman's seat. I was wondering if you had some tips on issues to cover."
Alex scoffs at the idea of Norma being on city council. The thought of Norma being involved in that kind of politics, it set off every alarm in his head. He knew what those men were like behind closed doors, the shady dealings, the late night parties. The last thing he wanted was for Norma to be tangled up in all that mess. It was like she went looking for danger.
"You're not gonna get that seat," he said, his voice flat. Not if he has anything to do with it.
Her gaze sharpened in response. "What is it with you about me-"
"Look," he interrupted, his gaze softening. "I know what you're up against, how things work. It's very political in the worst sense."
"Well, my friend Christine Heldens got me a meeting. I don't think that could've happened if there was no chance." She frowns, clearly not understanding him.
"Well...good luck. I hope it goes well. I do," he says, and he meant it, despite everything in him telling him to keep her as far from that crowd as possible.
He turned to his car, hoping the conversation was over, but then something tugged at him, a thought that had been gnawing at the edges of his mind since it happened. His gaze flickered to her bedroom window and the memory of seeing her silhouetted in the soft glow of her lamp, unaware, exposed, made his pulse race all over again.
"Uh, listen," he begins as he turns back to her, his heart pounding. He felt ridiculous for even bringing it up, but he felt like he had to. "Uh, it's a little awkward but I think you should be made aware of it."
"What?" she asks, her voice gentle now, as if sensing his sudden unease.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to speak. "Sometimes at night, when you've got the light on in your room...you can, uh, see right through those curtains."
Her eyes widened, and he saw the way her cheeks flushed at the implication. For a split second, she looked embarrassed. But then, something else flickered in her gaze, a brief moment of curiosity.
"You can?" she asked softly, her voice almost a whisper, as if she was processing what that meant. Her heart beat quickened, and she couldn't help but wonder, had he seen her? Had he watched?
Alex shifted his weight uncomfortably as she continued to stare at him with an unreadable expression. He could feel the tension building, the kind of tension he tried so hard to avoid with her. He looked anywhere but at her, his gaze flickering up to the window again before focusing back on the ground.
"Yeah," he muttered, not trusting himself to say more. His voice was tight, controlled, the way it always got when he was trying to keep things professional, but the images flooding his mind were anything but.
He knew he should leave, just get in his car and drive far away from the way she was looking at him now. But he couldn't seem to get anything to move, not with the way her blue eyes sparkled with something he couldn't quite place.
"Well," she finally said, her voice light but carrying a teasing edge. "I guess I'll have to be more careful."
Alex's throat went dry. He could hear the playfulness in her tone, the way she seemed to brush the situation off so easily, and yet his body reacted as if she had said something far more suggestive. God, he needed to get out of here.
"That's probably a good idea," he finally managed to say, the distance between them feeling somehow dangerous now. Like he was balancing on a knife's edge and one wrong step would send him over.
They stared at each other for a moment longer, caught in a strange, charged silence. The air felt heavy between them, thick with unspoken things Alex had spent too long trying to bury.
"Alright," he says awkwardly, breaking the moment as he moves towards his car, desperate for an exit. He dared one last glance at her as he got in and caught the hint of a smile playing at the corner of her lips, a smile that made his stomach tighten.
He knew it was just a simple conversation, innocent even, but it had a way of winding him up in knots, making every casual glance or soft word feel like so much more.
As he pulled away from the motel, all he could think of was the way she had looked at him. The way her eyes had wandered over him as if she was seeing him for the first time.
He tried to shake her from his thoughts as he arrived to work, but it was impossible. Being around Norma was like being caught in a storm, he could never quite control where it would take him.
And for Alex, that was a terrifying thing.