I scan through the dresses on the rack before me. Michael is finally shooting today after several days of read-throughs. His hours are definitely long but I'm enjoying getting to know London on a more personal level. I feel like I'm starting to transition from tourist to local.
The baristas at the coffee shop I frequent all know me by name and they try speaking with a Chicago accent while I imitate theirs. Sometimes I end up sitting at a table in the back, just reading a book and people watching. Fiona, my favorite of the baristas, will occasionally sneak me a scone or a refill on the house.
Tonight, Michael has made plans for the two of us to have dinner. Since Tab isn't around, I don't have any decent dresses that could possibly live up to the standards of an evening out with Michael Fassbender. I know he doesn't care about my wardrobe, in fact, he prefers me with nothing on, if you know what I'm saying. But I want to find something really nice for this evening. It should be special since it's our first evening out as a real couple.
I pull a short backless royal blue lace dress off the rack and immediately it makes me think of the first night I joined Michael to Red Crane for the Masquerade. I'm so lost in thought that I don't even feel the tap on my shoulder or the voice speaking to me. I turn with the dress in hand and almost bump into Carey Mulligan.
"Oh! Carey, hi! Sorry, I didn't hear you," I laugh.
"I thought it was you, but I wasn't sure. Danielle? Right?" Carey is looking very casual today in black skinny jeans and a black silk blouse. Her hair is cropped short and tousled perfectly.
"Daniella, but please, just call me Dani," I politely correct her.
"Oh, that's right! You know, this is totally random, but I realized last week where I recognized you from. I was hanging out with my friend, Kiersten, and she mentioned her ex, Michael Fassbender and that's when it hit me, that I'd seen you with him in The London Dish! I knew I'd seen your face before."
Eh... she's friends with Kiersten?
I give a nervous chuckle. "Oh, really? Yeah, that was me," I look around for an escape.
I hold up my dress and excuse myself to try it on.
"Oh, I'll head to the fitting room with you, if you don't mind? I have some dresses to try on too."
Carey and I chat in our neighboring stalls while we each try on dresses. She's pretty funny and extremely charming. Easily best friend material.
The dress I pulled from the rack fits like a glove and I'm stunned by my reflection. I look incredible. I lift my hair and study my reflection, deciding I'll pin my hair back. Michael loves kissing my neck. I'll make it easy for him tonight.
"So what are you up to today? I finally have a week off from shoots and I'm meeting up with friends tonight at Red Crane. Fancy joining us?" Carey asks as I step out of the dress and place it back on the hanger.
"Oh, well, uh, Michael and I have plans but another time, definitely!"
"Oooh, so are the rumors true? Michael's a one-woman man now?"
I'm not really sure what to say. If she's close to Kiersten, surely she knows they were engaged? Hasn't he always been a one-woman man?
I chuckle, unsure and say, "I guess so."
I finish putting my clothes back on and step out of the stall with the dress. I'm definitely buying it and I can't wait to wear it for Michael.
Carey steps out with a few dresses draped across an arm. "Find a keeper?"
At first I think she means Michael for some reason, but I realize she means the dress.
"Definitely. I've actually never spent this much money on a dress before," I make a face as I check the price tag.
"It's beautiful," Carey admits with a smile.
I agree with her and we both take our purchases to the front counter and pay for them.
I'm actually having fun just chatting with Carey and I'm surprised by her invitation to get some coffee next. She insists it's on her and I feel guilty for complaining about the price of my dress in front of her.
I tell her about the coffee shop nearby that I enjoy and we make our way to it.
Fiona is working and she acknowledges me and waves. She sees who's with me and does a double take.
I introduce my two new friends to each other and Fiona does much better at acting natural around a celebrity than I do. Carey and I order lattes and take a table near the back for some conversation.
I slink into my seat and drape my bagged dress on the back of the seat next to me. Carey sits across from me, with her back to the café. I see Fiona behind the counter preparing our beverages with haste.
Carey tells me about a coffee shop in New York where all their drinks are named after celebrities or bands.
"I dated Shia LeBeouf for a while, you know who Shia is?"
I nod.
"They have this chai tea latte named after him and they call it a Chai-a TeaBeouf. Ridiculous. It was okay, but I couldn't stop laughing when I ordered it. Anyway, I'm dating Marcus Mumford now and the last time I went, I ordered the Little Latte Man and I found it much more satisfying." She laughs and I join in.
Fiona brings us our drinks and we thank her.
I cautiously sip my latte trying to think of a casual way to turn the conversation towards Michael and Kiersten. But there is no casual way, so I just flat out ask about Kiersten.
"If you don't mind me asking, and I only ask because I've had a bit of an unpleasant experience with her, but how are you friends with Kiersten?"
Carey smiles, sipping her drink. "I was wondering how long it would take before you asked about her. It surprises a lot of people that we're friends, but I promise you there's more to her than her catty attitude lets on."
"Like what?" I can't help but ask, even though it's not like me.
Fortunately Carey is nice and takes it in stride. "Well, she's got money out the arse and does a mean pole dance. That and she has amazing tits."
I giggle.
Did she really just say that?
"Yes, I really said that," she says as if reading my mind. "But in seriousness, we grew up together. So she's an old friend. She's not the greatest, but she's like family."
"Ah, I see."
"She stayed with me for a few months when she broke off the engagement. I've never seen her so heartbroken. She doesn't let much get to her, but Michael nearly destroyed her."
"Wait, she broke off the engagement?" I set my latte down, a little too hard, and a bit splashes out onto the table.
Carey nods, taking another sip of her drink. "Naturally. I wouldn't have stuck around either."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, he messed around behind Kiersten's back. They were going to get married and she caught him snogging someone from the make-up department on set." Carey grimaces, keeping her voice hushed so only I can hear. "I always knew he was a ladies' man, after all I'm the one who introduced them, but I never thought he'd cheat on her. I haven't spoken to him since and it kills me because he became like a brother to me."
"Oh, wow." I look down at my drink and my hands are shaking.
Carey reaches a calm hand to my wrist, "I'm so sorry, I thought you knew? Shit, I shouldn't have said anything."
"No, it's fine. I knew they were engaged but I'm a bit surprised by their break-up. You're sure that's what happened?"
"I can't imagine why Kiersten would make something like that up. She was crazy about Michael."
My stomach is doing flips and my subconscious is yelling at me.
See Daniella?! This is why we don't run off to London with strange men!
•••••
I touch up my make-up, double checking that there's no lipstick on my teeth. Diamond studs sit prettily on my earlobes and are the only jewelry I am wearing. My hair is in a simple loose side bun and I'm feeling pretty good on the outside. On the inside is a whole different story.
I haven't said a word about Kiersten, or even Carey, since he came home. I feel nauseated about the whole break-up story Carey shared, but it's Kiersten. I'd be silly to believe someone like her over Michael.
I feel like a nervous wreck, but I'm going out with Michael tonight and I'm just going to have to suck it up for a more appropriate time. I push the negative thoughts from my head and slip into the nude stilettos I ended up buying while dress shopping.
Knowing Michael is waiting for me on the other side of the door, I open it slowly and step out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. Michael is lying on his back playing with his phone. He's wearing a grey suit and tie and as always, looks perfect polished. Even with his sexy scruff.
He sees me and sits up, slowly lowering both his phone and his jaw. "Fuck me," he mutters.
I swallow hard and blush profusely.
"Wow, Daniella... just... wow." He stands and is in front of me within two long strides. He takes my hand and I spin slowly so he can see the back as well.
Pulling me in for a kiss, he lightly brushes his fingers down my exposed back. "What are you doing to me..." he whispers against my ear.
•••••
The restaurant Michael has chosen tonight drips with romance. There's a grand piano and lit candles everywhere. The lighting is dim and the pianist is playing very soothing and nostalgic pieces.
Michael and I are shown our table near the back of the restaurant for privacy. He pulls my chair out for me and I thank him as I sit. He plants a kiss on my neck as he pushes my chair in.
Michael is completely sweet and charming, but I can't help but keep quiet for most of the evening. I have a lot on my mind. Dinner comes and goes as the pianist continues to play. I watch him as I sip my wine. Between Michael and I, we've nearly finished an entire bottle and, being the lightweight that I am, my head feels slightly cloudy already. But I feel wonderful.
"Do you play?" Michael follows my gaze to the piano.
I turn my attention back to him and smile. "I am a master of Mary Had a Little Lamb. But that's the extent of it, sadly."
Michael chuckles and reaches across the table for my hand. "How about you?" I ask.
Michael nods and I raise my eyebrows. "Not as often as I'd like. But I dabble, yes."
I thread my fingers into his. I feel bad for not exactly being attentive. Kiersten has really been weighing heavily on my mind the entire evening, no matter how hard I tried to push her aside.
"I'd like to hear you play sometime," I suggest.
"I can definitely do that for you. Maybe next week when I have some time off we can check out a music shop."
"I wish I'd taken lessons. My parents let me choose between piano or dance and, of course, I chose dance because of my friends." Immediately, Michael's eyes light up.
"Dance? What kind of dance?" He's definitely interested and it makes me giggle.
"Oh, all kinds. Jazz, ballet, tap. I dabbled," I wink.
A sly smile curls across his face and I can tell where his mind is headed.
"I'd love to see you dance sometime."
"I knew that was coming," I snicker and he squeezes my hand, grinning.
"I can play my penny whistle and you can dance to it." He leans across the table, laughing quietly.
The waiter comes by and offers to top off our wine glasses for us. We both decline and wait for him to scamper away before continuing.
"You have a penny whistle? What the hell is a penny whistle?" I snicker, really enjoying the playful flirting.
Michael explains the tin whistle that's pretty popular in Irish music. The description sounds similar to a recorder, which you remember playing in kindergarten.
"And you have one?" I'm still laughing at the idea of dancing around to him playing something like Hot Cross Buns.
"I most certainly do. And I'm going to break it out tonight and you're going to dance to it." He looks rather serious, but I keep giggling.
Our conversation dies down as the pianist begins a new piece. We sit, holding hands, just appreciating each other's company while listening.
•••••
Michael shuts the door behind us, locking it immediately. The flat is dark, save for the glow of the electronics and the moonbeams dancing through the windows.
Michael strides toward me and spins me around to face him. He cups the nape of my neck and puts one hand on my lower back, caressing my exposed skin. He brings his forehead to mine and we breathe heavily against each other.
The entire ride home was filled with nothing but sexual tension. Poor Smith. Even he must have sensed it. Michael had kept his physical distance from me the entire way back, building up the tension. Good Lord, that man knows how to eye fuck. His eyes looked over every inch of me from my neck to my heeled feet and back to my eyes. I wanted to kiss the sexy smirk right off of his face.
Now that we are finally in complete privacy, there is nothing to stop us. I press my lips to his and he tightens his grip on me, pressing me into him. I can feel his hard-on and it excites me even more.
He lowers his mouth to my neck; his favorite spot. I tilt my head for him and his scruff scratches lightly against my shoulder, sending chills over my body.
He nips at my ear and whispers, "I'm going to tie you up, Daniella."
My eyelids are extremely heavy with lust by now. I push away from him and give him a sexy smile. I back up slowly, letting my dress slip off of my shoulders. Michael takes off his jacket and tosses it to the couch. He kicks off his shoes and yanks off his socks. He doesn't take his eyes off mine as he undoes his tie, ripping it away from his neck. He definitely has a lot more clothing to remove than I do. My dress pools around my feet after I wriggle it down my hips. Michael pauses from unbuttoning his shirt, taking in the sight before him.
Not having an accommodating bra for my dress, I opted to go without. Here I stand with my brand new pricy dress pooled around my aching high heeled feet in black lace panties. Michael's lips part and his eyes return to mine. There's a hunger in them and I see his jaw clench in the sparse light of the moon.
"You're killing me, love," he closes the gap between us, crashing his mouth into mine.
I kick my dress away, not wanting it to get torn. I kick my leg up behind me and grab my stiletto by the heel to pull off.
Michael breaks the kiss, "Keep them on." He snatches his tie off the floor and pulls me by the hand to his bedroom.
I pick up my pace behind him, trying to keep up with his long spaced out strides. The loud clack-clack-clack of my heels stop when we reach the bedroom door and Michael turns to face me. He picks me up, bridal style, and carries me to the bed with his tie clenched between his teeth.
He tosses me to the center and I squeal as I bounce. He chuckles darkly and crawls up over me, straddling me. Michael grabs me by the wrists and quickly pins my hands up above my head. He takes the tie and wraps it tightly around my wrists, securing me to the headboard.
My breath quickens. He snakes his hands from my wrists, down my arms, past the sides of my breasts, (which makes me giggle), and down the sides of my torso to my panties.
The contact of his fingers on my panties makes everything inside clench. He teases me on the outside of them, trailing a finger down to where I've become very wet for him. I swallow hard at the way he's grazing my sex with his finger nail. I close my eyes and try to burrow my face against my arm.
I feel his mouth on the sensitive flesh below my belly button and gasp. He leaves a trail of wet kisses up to my clavicle before bringing attention to my nipples. He takes one in his mouth, sucking and flicking it with his tongue. I open my eyes and look down to watch him. He looks up at me from under his lashes, smirking at the expression on my face. He turns to the other nipple and greedily takes it into his mouth. I cry out with surprise when he tugs on it with his teeth.
He brings his mouth to mine and forces his tongue in. I kiss him hard and try to wrap my legs around him, to keep him in place. He presses his still clothed hard-on against me and I moan into his mouth.
I whimper quietly to myself as he nips his way down my neck, kissing the side of my breast while twirling the nipple of the other with his fingers.
He sits up and moves down to the end of the bed where he begins to slip my legs out of my panties. My heels are still on and he kisses my ankles, one at a time before propping my legs up on the bed, knees bent and spread wide.
The cool air against the wetness of my sex makes me squirm. The look in his eyes as he unbuttons the remaining buttons of his dress shirt before slipping it off his arms, makes me swallow hard. He unbuckles his belt and drops his trousers and briefs. Being in the dark with only the light of the moon to guide him makes the setting that much more erotic.
His solid chest looks like that of a marble sculpture. The lighting accentuates his sculpted muscles and the shadows make the abs of his lengthy torso appear more prominent.
Michael crawls back up to me, slipping his arms around my hitched up legs, wrapping them around his neck and back. He strokes his tongue across my sex and flicks it against my clit. My back arches against my will and I let out a moan, again burying my face into my arm. I can't watch him down there. It's too much.
He sucks and licks. He is the parched deserted wanderer and I am the oasis he has stumbled upon just as he had begun to lose all hope of survival.
I buck against him and he bites my inner thigh, making me pull at my restraints.
"Lie still," he commands.
His dominance is thrilling and I crave more. He buries his face back in between my thighs and I return to my blissful state. I feel him push a finger in while he sucks on my clit.
I'm breathing so hard, trying to stay calm, to pace my orgasm, but it's nearing faster than I expected. I squirm against him and he places a palm flatly against my belly, holding me down.
"Michael," I say, barely audible.
So close... Almost there...
I bite my lip as I feel the rise of my climax. Michael's fingers stroke the perfect spot inside and I come undone. My back arches despite Michael holding me down. He knows I came but he doesn't stop. I ride through my orgasm with his mouth still sucking on me.
The intensity is almost too much. I surprise myself by weeping into my arm as the waves of pleasure still pulse through me.
Michael stops and crawls up over me. He cups my cheek, forcing me to look at him.
"Daniella? Did I hurt you?" His eyes are wide with worry.
I sigh and sniffle, shaking my head. "No, not at all. I don't know why I'm crying."
Michael places a kiss on my lips. "Are you sure? We can stop."
I shake my head, hard. "No!"
Michael chuckles at my reaction.
I blush, embarrassed by the speed of my answer. "No, I don't want to stop."
He kisses me and I kiss him back, passionately. I wish my hands were free to rake through his hair or claw at his back.
I feel him reach between us, guiding himself to me. He enters me slowly, possibly still afraid of hurting me. I moan as he fills every inch of me. Michael buries his face into my neck, breathing hard as he moves with a rhythm.
"Dani," I hear him utter. "I love you so much."
He moves faster and begins to pound against me. He kisses me hard and pushes himself up. He tosses my legs over his shoulders and falls back into me, bracing himself against his elbows on either side of me. All it takes is a few more thrusts before I feel the surge of another orgasm take place.
I gasp and throw my head back. Michael grunts and thrusts harder, feeling my walls clenching around him. He lets out a loud groan and rides out his orgasm before collapsing on top of me.
After a minute of breathing heavily against each other, recovering from our orgasms, Michael reaches up to untie my restraints. He takes my hands in his and kisses my red wrists.
"I never want to hurt you. Please tell me if I ever do. I mean it," he strokes my hair. Tendrils have escaped my loose bun and I'm sure I look like a hot mess.
I kick off my high heels finally and it's almost like a whole other orgasm, stretching out my toes.
"I will, Michael." I finally rake my hands through his hair and kiss him hard.
"Don't think I've forgotten about you dancing for me."
I throw my head back and laugh. "With your penny whistle, right?"
"Well, that was a joke, but whatever you want, sweetheart." He lies back and pulls me to his chest, running his fingers up and down my back.
I sigh with contentment. This man makes me happy. Happier than I've been in a very long time. The truth about Kiersten can wait until tomorrow at least.
•••••
A/N: Big thank you to @RedWritingHood09 for help with dialog between Dani and Carey! She's the master of dialog. Seriously. Check out her stories, especially Lifted and Landed!