The Bounty
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Human Solos =&gt; Topic started by: Praxis on 16-07-2006, 08:27:54</h2>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>16-07-2006, 08:27:54</strong>
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				He can still remember the words of his father when he slid the file across the desk towards him.<br><em><br>"It'll be a milk run.&nbsp; This is where she lives, you grab her, you bring her back, we cash the check."</em><br><br>His father had been a bounty hunter for almost twenty years, and he had been going on runs with his dad since he was fifteen.&nbsp; He'd seen alot of crazy shit, and no doubt would have seen more if his father hadn't insisted that he not only finish high school, but excel at it.&nbsp; This wasn't his first solo 'bag and tag' but it had rapidly spiraled into a cluster-fuck.&nbsp; It turned out that the target was more clever than they had thought.<br><br>It had taken three months, and his father had offered to pick up the job a number of times, to which he got an adamant refusal.&nbsp; His father had grown frustrated, and by the way his voice sounded, he was clearly getting alot of heat from the person that was paying for the bounty.<br><br>He had jumped through alot of hoops to get to where he was now, and where was he now?&nbsp; Nursing a second beer in a dance club with the bass throbbing in his head, and after two hours here, he was ready to make his move.&nbsp; Which of course was a mistake.&nbsp; You don't take the target because you're tired, you take the target when things are perfect.<br><br>Her folder had been committed to memory.&nbsp; He'd been chasing her so long, he knew what size her shoes were.&nbsp; He knew she like Ben and Jerry's Butter Pecan ice cream late at night, and that she liked to sleep with atleast one light on.&nbsp; He had even watched another bounty hunter kick down her door one night when he was sure she was in there…only to come out empty handed.<br><br>She was slick, and beyond that she was gorgeous.&nbsp; It made her twice as dangerous because she never seemed to be short on supply of guys willing to stand up for her.&nbsp; She was in her mid-thirties but she took great care of herself and moved with a grace that a woman of any age would find irritating.<br><br>She was working her usual scene.&nbsp; Sitting with men that were unconcerned over the fact that their suits cost in the four digit range.&nbsp; Men that bought her everything she wanted.&nbsp; Men she could squeeze for money, for security.&nbsp; She was always working some angle and…<br><br>His musings had been interrupted by a small, tight, fine looking blonde taking her place at the bar next to him.<br><br><em> “ Hi! “ </em>, she beamed, giving him the smile she no doubt gives every perceived eligible guy in the club.&nbsp; Frowning at her presence, he puts his hand against her abdomen and gently, but resolutely moves her out of his way while he growls low,<br><br><em> “ Blow…” </em>&nbsp; The young woman gives him a surprised look which gradually changes to outrage.&nbsp; He’s young, dressed reasonably well, and clearly single since no one else is around right?&nbsp; Who is he to push her away?<br><br><em> “Fuck you, jerk!” </em>, she squeaks, but his attention is back on the target, and he’s pleased to see her excuse herself from the booth, and he watches the sway of her hips and ass as she makes her way towards the women’s washroom.<br><br>Counting to five, and then leaving a twenty for the two beers, he slips smoothly away&nbsp; from the bar and follows her.<br><br>She disappears into the women’s washroom and he lingers a moment outside of it, counting to twenty, watching as two women leave.&nbsp; Another woman tries to get in, but he stops her with a resolute shake of his head and tells her to use another one.<br><br>With minimal fuss, he slips inside the women’s washroom.&nbsp; A 6’4” man wearing jeans and an untucked white dress shirt might appear out of place in any women’s washroom but in a club like this, it’s not unheard of that drunken guys wander in from time to time.&nbsp; He’s not ugly, not even close so when he appears, his dark blue eyes scan the washroom, noting that she’s in one of the stalls, and then looking to the sole woman applying lipstick in the mirror.&nbsp; She turns and gives him a flirtacious smile.<br><br><em> “Wrong room, gorgeous.&nbsp; You should try…”</em> but her words are cut short as he jerks a thumb over his shoulder and in the direction of the door.&nbsp; The set of his jaw telling her that he’s not one to screw with.&nbsp; She leaves with a concerned frown on her face, and upon leaving the washroom, he crouches down, taking the door jamb from the corner and placing it under the door, preventing people from coming in for the moment.&nbsp; <br><br>Waiting for her to leave the stall, his tall, broad form blocking the only exit.<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>16-07-2006, 08:48:52</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<em> “Wrong room, gorgeous.&nbsp; You should try…”</em> The woman’s voice had stopped abruptly. Charlie looked up from her seat and the pile of bills in her lap. She’d come in here to count the money, to make sure she had enough. Now her heart lurched in her throat. She had been on the run long enough to suspect everything. Nervously she tucked a strand of bright copper hair behind her ear. <br><br>Quietly she folded her money back up and slipped it into her handbag, zipping it closed. Her heart was racing and she bit her tongue as she thought. She had to get out of this somehow, but there was no window…of course she could be being paranoid. It might be nothing. She could feel the presence of someone else out there, but didn’t know if it was still the woman at the mirror. <br><br>She moved her head and tried to look through the crack in the door, but she couldn’t see anything. Dammit. Devising a plan, she reached up and very very slowly undid the latch on the door. She then held her hand under it and spoke in what she hoped was a natural voice. “Hon, could y’all hand me some paper? There’s none in here.” &nbsp;She braced for whoever it was to approach, ready to throw her weight into the door&nbsp; and knock them back. Maybe it would buy her enough time to get by. <br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>16-07-2006, 08:54:56</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				He smiles, and it has an almost predatory appearance to it.&nbsp; His heart is racing, and he feels the unease in his stomach that he always feels when he’s close to bagging the target.&nbsp; In bed, late at night, when he was too tired to sleep, he thought at times that he was obsessed with this woman, nearly as much as he hated her and wanted to return back to the real world.<br><br>He had been traveling in this woman’s wake for so long, he imagined that she knew him.&nbsp; That there was this great animosity between the two of them, but of course he knew that she had no idea of who he was.<br><br>He wasn’t even a tiny blip on her radar.<br><br>A confident smile dancing across his lips as he thought that in a few seconds, he was going to be a big fuckin’ blip on her radar.<br><br>He stays silent as he watches her stick her expertly manicured fingers out from underneath the door.<br><br>Simply waiting.&nbsp; Savoring the moment.<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>16-07-2006, 09:28:18</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				No response. That was telling…very telling. It was him. She didn’t know who he was, but he was heavy in her life. He was as constant to her as her shadow, only he didn’t go away in the dark. He hovered and breathed around her like a ghost. It was him that kept her from ever really sleeping deep, and ever really relaxing. It was him, the unnamed faceless man that tormented her. <br><br>Charlie fought to keep her voice steady. :”Hello? Is anyone there?” &nbsp;Of course there was. He was there and he was waiting. Did he know she knew? She was trying desperately hard to make him think she had no clue. But what good would it do her if she couldn’t get past him once she opened the door?<br><br>Slowly she pulled her hand back, and made a show of unzipping her purse. “Aha, Kleenex.” She made movements like she was taking care of business, and then zipped up her purse again. She stood and straightened the tight black skirt that feel to her mid-thigh. Her heeled knee high boots were surprisingly easy to run in, so she didn’t have to worry about that. She just needed to get past him. <br><br>Charlie pulled down the hem of her dark purple t-shirt, trying to cover the strip of skin showing around her waist. She had worn this outfit for a reason, but now wished she’d been dressed more conservatively. She stuck out in this, her emerald green eyes especially. The purple made them pop, and made them quite memorable. <br><br>First things first though. Get out of the bathroom. Get out of the club. Get out of the city. One step at a time. <br><br>With a deep breath she flushed the toilet and stepped out into the room, walking to the sink. When she saw him she acted startled. “Oh, this is the women’s room; you want the room next door.”&nbsp; He was much bigger than she expected, and his attractiveness was a cold splash of water, waking up her senses. She smiled coyly. “Well, perhaps I could just show you?” &nbsp;<br><br>Maybe if he thought she was going willingly they could get out the door, then maybe she could slip away. There was no way she was getting past this wall of a man by force. <br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>16-07-2006, 16:38:13</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				He's seen that smile from her many times from a distance, always giving it to whatever hapless man has been unlucky enough to meet her.&nbsp; Upclose, she's stunning.&nbsp; She beautiful, yes but there's a sensuality to her, and he's sure that's the side she taps to get everything she wants, and to keep avoiding trouble.<br><br>She looked <strong> so </strong> good.&nbsp; Like the type of woman that he would have made the attempt to pursue if he had seen her in a bar.&nbsp; His pursuit of her has been of a different kind the last three months, and he has to remind himself of the job, now that he's finally here in her presence.<br><br>Staying where he stands, infront of the bathroom door, he looks her up and down.&nbsp; Possibly a weapon in the purse, but certainly nothing concealed beneath the clothing as it's all too tight for that.&nbsp; Maybe something beneath the skirt, but it would be real uncomfortable for her if that's where she was hiding a piece.<br><br>He speaks in a calm, strong voice.<br><br>&nbsp;"You don't need to show me anything.&nbsp; You and I are going for a walk, Charlie." 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>16-07-2006, 20:30:06</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The change that came over Charlie’s face when he used her name might have been imperceptible to most, but to a trained bounty hunter, someone used to reading people and prejudging their movements and actions, it was clear. There was a shadow of fear stretching off of the calm cool exterior of Charlie’s pleasant expression. <br><br>She only missed half of a beat of conversation, if that. Again, something most people might miss, but not this man. And she knew it. But she had to try. “Excuse me? Charlie? I think you are mistaken. How much have you had to drink?” &nbsp;She walked over to the sink and turned on the water. She covered her hands liberally in soap, making them quite slippery, and watched him out of the corner of her intensely green eyes. <br><br>This was not good. She was cornered, he was big, and she <strong>could not </strong> go back. She would die first, but that would be a last resort. Even if he did catch her now, she was sure it didn't mean he would be able to keep her for long. <br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>16-07-2006, 20:39:40</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Besides being beautiful, she's smart.&nbsp; It's one of the things he likes the most about her...well that and her impeccable sense of grooming.&nbsp; He has never seen her on a 'bad day'.&nbsp; She is always polished and looking presentable, and he has wondered from time to time, how those traits were driven into her?&nbsp; Did someone teach her?&nbsp; Was it learned out of necessity?<br><br>He feels a small twinge of excitement when he sees the discomfort register on her flawless face.&nbsp; <br><br><em> So she's not invulnerable.&nbsp; She's clearly on the defensive at the moment, or atleast she believes she is, which is perfect. </em><br><br>He takes two steps closer and he speaks once more, as his eyes shift to watch her washing her small hands.<br><br>&nbsp;" You are <strong>not</strong> leaving this room without me, Charlie.&nbsp; So I'll let you decide.&nbsp; We do it with you maintaining your dignity, or without.&nbsp; I'm fine with either..."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>16-07-2006, 20:54:29</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;Charlie didn't turn from the mirror. Her voice was calm and low, but had lost a bit of the 'sunshine' that had been there beside the pretense she didn't know who he was. "Dignity is over rated when it comes down to survival. At the end of the day only one thing is important...and dignity isn't it. So far I've not had to compromise mine...but it doesn't mean I won't."<br><br>She continued to wash her hand, still not looking at him. Charlie was buying a few more precious seconds. Even without looking at him she could feel his size, his height, the breadth of his shoulders. He was so powerful she could almost feel his heart pulsing the whole room. But he was young. In the look she had gotten she had guessed him to be about ten years younger than her. It was enough to be a big difference as far as life experience, and she had been living like this for a long time. He probably came from the life as well, few who were in it didn't, but she was still older, and presumably wiser. But she wouldn't make the mistake of underrating him.<br><br>“So…do you have a name? You know mine and I don’t know yours. Hardly seems fair.” &nbsp;Her eyes scanned the mirror, checking out the room behind her. There was no other way out, and nothing to use as a weapon. This was not good. <br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>16-07-2006, 21:05:16</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The tools of his trade are tucked into the back of his jeans, concealed by his untucked dress shirt and he's fully confident that he has everything he needs to take care of her, here and now.<br><br>Impatience washing through him, and replacing the eager anticipation he was feeling only moments earlier.&nbsp; He's watched her for so long, he feels a momentary pang of regret that it's over.&nbsp; Moreso he feels regret that she's not going to go easy.&nbsp; He hates getting rough with women...well...he hates hitting women.<br><br>His jaw takes a hard edge and she can see a muscle in his jaw twitch from the force that he's clenching his teeth to keep from snapping at her.&nbsp; He takes two more steps towards her, his eyes on her hands.&nbsp; It's her hands that will create the biggest threat at the moment.<br>His voice slips closer to a growl of menace as he responds to her probing for a name.<br><br>&nbsp;" Who am I?&nbsp; I'm the cat, you don't wanna fuck with...so move your pretty ass away from the sinks, and go stand up against the wall. "
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>16-07-2006, 21:28:47</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				His impatience was testament to his youth. The corner of her red lips twitched ever so subtly into the suggestion of a smile, but it quickly fell again. Youth and impatience could be dangerous. And the rise in the volume of his voice cemented that thought. <br><br>How to play it… He could hurt her if he wanted to, and she did not want that. But if he became to impatient or angry he could lose his restraint and do just that whether he wanted to or not. How to play it… what message was he trying to send…she had to pretend to get it. He was growling, and clenching his teeth, cursing, clearly trying to intimidate her. So he wanted her scared of him. He must be under the mistaken assumption that a frightened prey was a docile one. That thought could not be further from the truth, but she could use it. <br><br>Charlie looked over at him warily, her eyes widening a little. This time when she spoke she put a bit of a shake in it. “Okay, okay…just… I’m sorry, alright?” &nbsp;Leaving the water on, and her hands and wrists very soapy, she slowly backed away from the sink. Her small handbag hung off of her forearm as she held her hands out in front of her a bit. She backed up against the wall…he hadn’t been specific after all. Charlie felt she was being convincing in her ‘intimidated’ act…probably because it wasn’t completely an act. <br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>16-07-2006, 21:36:10</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				He's had people cornered before, but not the caliber of her.&nbsp; He's had stronger people cornered, more physically dangerous people cornered, but never as smart or aware as she is.&nbsp; He's watched her for too long to not know just how good she is, and it's no small amount of relief when she acquiesces and moves up against the wall.<br><br>She can feel his eyes looking her up and down.&nbsp; No doubt she's used to men doing such a thing. No doubt she encourages it.&nbsp; This time however, it's not for the sake of figuring out what part of her he wants to use first.&nbsp; It's an attempt to decide where the threat is going to come from.<br><br>Taking another step closer and gauging the distance between him and her to about eight feet, he motions with his chin towards her purse.<br><br>&nbsp;"Throw me the purse...at my feet." 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>16-07-2006, 22:07:29</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Charlie wanted to comply. There was no weapon in it, but it held the money. She had to have this money, there was a purpose for it, and she wasn’t going to give it up without a fight. “No.” Her voice was a very low whisper, but it rang out in the room like a shot from a starter pistol. The last thing she wanted to do was anger him, but she had her own needs and agenda, and he was nothing but a hurdle. <br><br>“There is no weapon, and I can open it for you to show that. But I will not hand it over.” &nbsp;She braced for aggression. It was possible in the course of his anger he would get careless and leave an opening. The benefit of the short skirt is that it did not restrict the movement of her knee, and it would find it’s home in his crotch if at all possible. That one hit could be what she needed to get out of this place. <br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>16-07-2006, 22:24:52</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Arching an eyebrow imperiously, and a small, slightly amused look appears on his lips.&nbsp; He's had men four times as large as her agree to his&nbsp; 'suggestions', and she stands there, trapped, physically outmatched, negotiating with him.<br><br>His voice is low and calm, but she can hear the ominous promise of danger for her...<br><br>&nbsp;" Good for you.&nbsp; You got that out of the way.&nbsp; I like to give everyone a free one.&nbsp; You know...to get it out of their system.&nbsp; It's good to know that we've progressed and can get straight to business. Now...walk to me and extend your right hand. "<br><br>Pausing a moment, tilting his head slightly as he looks her over, and then speaks once more.<br><br>&nbsp;"You're good at what you do Charlie, but you have <strong>nothing</strong> to offer me that will keep me from doing what I need to do.&nbsp; <strong>Don't</strong> make the foolish mistake of thinking that this is a negotiation.&nbsp; There was no stipulation regarding whether or not you needed to be delivered unharmed."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>17-07-2006, 03:02:47</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Charlie’s voice was low and calm. He was a rattlesnake that could bite her at anytime, but she could not temper her words. “I was not negotiating, I was telling you.&nbsp; I will not willingly hand over this bag. There is no compromise in that.”&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>Charlie knew he could take the bag from her with ease, but to her there was still a difference between her giving it to him and him taking it. She would do next to anything to get out of this, but she would never give to him. She would never give anything to his kind, the kind that played with other people’s lives for money. He disgusted her. He probably had no idea why she was wanted, and he probably wouldn’t care if he did. <br><br>“And I’ve no doubt you have no qualms about harming me. As long as your precious dollars aren’t cut, what do you care? And do you think I haven’t had a man raise his hand to me before?” &nbsp;There was a flash of pain on her face but she quickly buried it. “Bruises and broken bones heal. The pain of voluntarily compromising one’s freedom does not.”<br><br>She took a deep breath and felt tired. “So do what you must to accomplish your agenda. I will do what I must to accomplish mine. In this situation she will probably win, but I will know I did not give in to soulless money driven pig, even if my eyes are black and I am in traction.”
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>17-07-2006, 03:39:11</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				He moves like lightning, covering the distance between him and her in half of an eye blink while she gets up on her 'soap box'.&nbsp; A single hand finding her throat and lifting up, applying pressure beneath her jaw.&nbsp; His strength lifting her slender form up off the ground until only her booted toes are resting on the ground.<br><br><em> She'll try to knee you, or claw your face.&nbsp; They always do.&nbsp; Thanks to television, women actually think that a knee to the groin will stop a man...a motivated one, at any rate. </em><br><br>His other hand stays free, ready to defend himself where necessary should the need arise, and where her face now rests, nearly at the same level as his, she can feel his breath against her coppery-hued hair.<br><br>His voice is still low, and tinged with anger, but also what she detects as confidence.<br><br>Advice from his father, "When you're at your least confident, that's when you let everyone know that you are supremely so."<br><br>&nbsp;" It's cute that you think your little speech would have some manner of effect on me. News flash Charlie.&nbsp; I don't wanna fuck you.&nbsp; So your pretty words don't mean a thing to me.&nbsp; Put your right hand above your head...or you'll think that the black eyes you crave for are a warm hug from a grandmother when compared to what I'll do to you." 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>17-07-2006, 04:00:09</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>He was much faster than she expected. The large ones were normally slow. There were the exceptions, and he was clearly one of them. She winced and grunted as he raised her from the floor, putting almost all 130lbs of her frame on her throat. Her eyes remained cool thought, and there was no fear or panic. But then he spoke. <br><br>His words affected her, but not for the reasons he thought. She momentarily lost a bit of her will, and the look on her face would have been impossible to miss. The mask of confident control slipped to reveal infinite bleakness. Slowly her right arm rose above her head, not from fear, but just because her thoughts were of something other than the place she was.<br><br>Charlie’s eyes turned slightly wet, and though they looked at him, they weren’t really seeing him. She was somewhere else right now, something consuming her thoughts and memories. Her body was lax in his grip as she struggled to breathe. <br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>17-07-2006, 04:32:01</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>&nbsp; Tears aren't gonna help you either...</em><br><br>Frowning as she lifts her arm, surprised at how she's just gone limp, but he's prepared for it, in case it's just a ploy to make him drop his guard.&nbsp; He's dropped his guard before, and had his nose and jaw busted for it. <br><br><em> It won't happen tonight. </em><br><br>With her right arm lifted above her head, his left hand snakes across and grabs her right wrist.&nbsp; His right hand leaving her throat and letting her feet plant firmly on the floor once more.&nbsp; He reaches behind him, his hand disappearing beneath the bottom of his untucked dress shirt and just as smoothly he brings it back to where he has her wrist pinned against the wall.&nbsp; He slips a white, plastic zip tie around his wrist and hers, yanking it tight until he feels it bite into his own wrist; with it that tight, it will have her wrist bound tightly to his own.<br><br>Now...she can fuss as much as she wants.&nbsp; She's going nowhere.&nbsp; In time, both our hands will turn purple if I don't get this off, but that will be taken care of soon enough.<br><br><em>Those plastic ties are bitches to cut through.</em><br><br>With her now 'attached' to him, his demeanor changes slightly, and she can see some of the tension leave his broad shoulders.<br><br>&nbsp;" Alright weeping beauty.&nbsp; Let's roll. " <br><br>Pulling her off the wall, and dragging her towards the door, he silently plays through the rest of the plan.<br><br><em> Back to the motel.&nbsp; Make the call.&nbsp; Wait for the pick up. </em>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>17-07-2006, 09:00:20</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Charlie was only vaguely aware of him. It was the pinch of the zip tie closing in on her flesh that brought her back to reality. <br><br><em>Fuck! God Damn I’m stupid!&nbsp; </em> <br><br>She was back to her senses and the mask of cool was back up. Too little too late though as he already had her bound to him. She tried to hide all evidence of how she knew she had screwed up. She would still try and appear unruffled, despite the momentary lapse into a hurricane of emotional response. <br><br><em>This is bad. Very bad. </em> <br><br>At term weeping beauty she just looked at him, not wasting time with an answer. She had more important things to thing about, like how to get away from this lowlife. The only thing that gave her solace was the fact that her bag was still around her arm. She smirked lightly to herself. He might have her tied to him, but she had ultimately not lost that little argument. <br><br>But it was not what was pressing at the front of her thoughts. He had with a few words sent her back. Why? Charlie discreetly looked him over. Yes, it could be because of his appearance. She was going to have to be much more guarded, and be much smarter, if she wanted to get out of this alive. He may or may not know what she was heading back to, and she doubted he would care either way, but she knew, and she would die to him before she died in that place. <br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>17-07-2006, 22:17:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				His wrist bound tightly with Charlie’s, rather than pull away, he backs her up against the wall.&nbsp; She finds her bound wrist lifted above her head and pinned to the wall while she can feel his hard chest pressing against her breasts.&nbsp; His dark blue eyes meeting hers and holding her gaze as she suddenly feels the touch of his bare hand on her inner thigh.&nbsp; Sliding smoothly up beneath her skirt, his rough fingertips sliding across the impossibly soft skin of her inner thigh.&nbsp; Stopping when she feels the touch of his fingers lightly brushing the satiny crotch of her thong, before sliding back down her opposite thigh.<br><br><em> She’s clean…and maybe you enjoyed that a little more than you should have…</em><br><br>Frowning a moment at his own thoughts, he then none too gently pulls her along with him towards the exit of the bathroom.&nbsp; &nbsp;Irritated with himself for losing himself in her for even a moment, and irritated with her for being what she is.<br><br>He kicks aside the rubber door jamb that he had blocked the door with, and brings her out into the hall.&nbsp; Receiving a number of dirty looks from women that had lined up to use the washroom, as well as a sharp reprimand from a waitress.<br><br>“Find somewhere else to fuck, why don’cha?!?”<br><br>He gives them all as much acknowledgement as he’d give a bug on the sidewalk, and rather than leading her out towards the main part of the bar, and instead leads her past the men’s room, and towards the far end of the shadowed hallway where there is a red door that is one of the bar’s fire exits.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>18-07-2006, 01:15:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Before she knew it she was up against the wall, his body pressing against hers, her arm above her head. Curiously she noticed he left her other arm free. She would have made a move with it if not for the fact they were zip-tied together. A sharp thumbnail in the eye and he would have been distracted enough for her to get away. Instead she just planted it against the wall the surface cool on her palm. <br><br>His gaze was intense, intimidating, but she didn’t dare let herself look away. She would try and give him no more clues as to what might affect her. Charlie would try and keep him guessing as long as she was in his vile presence. Like how she was hiding the face he smelled very good. It might be soap, or cologne, or both, but whatever it was it blended with the faint scent of alcohol on his breath and the subtle male musk of him. For some reason the cocktail reminded her of sex. <br><br>The purpose of their closeness was clear as she felt his hand between her legs. She grit her teeth, her temples flexing, and her eyes narrowed a millimeter. As much as she knew how to use her feminine wiles, she had never had to use them for more than a promise. She had let very few men get this close and intimate with her. Her body stiffened when she felt him brush against the front of her thong, and her body jerked uselessly, unable to escape the form pressing her to the wall. <br><br>He was done and yanking her roughly to the exit. But before he did she thought she had seen his expression change. A frown? What had he been thinking that had had him frowning. If she could learn that, she might have a weapon…<br><br>Charlie followed him without a fuss. She would save her fight until the proper time, and not waste energy. Besides, if she made a fuss the police might be called, and that was something she didn’t need. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>18-07-2006, 15:10:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Despite the warnings of <strong> To Be Used For Emergency Only </strong> on the fire exit, he slams the palm of his hand against the push-bar of the door and it pops open, the smoky heat of the club being replaced with the thick, wet heat of the evening.&nbsp; He already feels his body responding to the temperature and he frowns at the thought of breaking a sweat.<br><br><em> In this heat, once you start sweating…you won’t stop. Atleast <strong> he’s </strong> still here. </em><br><br>His head turning to look at a cab idling in the back lot of the club.&nbsp; A prearranged deal.&nbsp; Two hundred to wait, and another two hundred to get him and Charlie back to the hotel.&nbsp; It’s a guy his father had used down here a couple of times before, and it’s a helluva lot easier to transport the target when you don’t have to worry about driving.<br><br>He’s not surprised that Charlie’s acquiescing for the moment.&nbsp; Not many fight, once they’re captured.&nbsp; The smart ones take a break, learn the surroundings and the person that has them captive.&nbsp; They wait for the right moment.&nbsp; Giving Charlie a wayward glance as he opens the back door to the cab, his free hand guiding her into the cab, gentle, but with enough restrained strength to give her the message that he’s not in the mood for any shit.<br><br><em> She’s watching and waiting.&nbsp; Which is fine.&nbsp; I wouldn’t expect anything less from someone I’ve been chasing for three months. </em><br><br>He lets out a deep breath as he slips into the back seat behind her.&nbsp; The driver had kept the air conditioning on, and he can feel his skin tingle from the sudden change from sweltering outside, to the crisp coolness in the cab.<br><br>The cabbie looks in the rear view mirror, checking Charlie out and arching an eyebrow in speculation, and receiving the nod, he slips the cab into gear and heads out onto the street.<br><br>Looking at Charlie once more, he’s quiet a moment.&nbsp; His eyes narrowing as he wonders just what is bouncing about in her head, and then reaches to his hip and pops a cell phone off the clip.&nbsp; Pressing and holding #1, he can hear the dialling as he holds the phone up to his ear.<br><br>&nbsp;“ I have her.&nbsp; I’m on my way back to the suite. <br><br>His tone, although all business actually has a tinge of happiness, maybe even pride.&nbsp; He’s quiet for a moment when his eyes grow large in surprise and without think, he growls into the phone.<br><br>&nbsp;“Three days?&nbsp; I’m not sitting on her for three days, that’s just…” <br><br>Falling quiet again as he listens, and she can feel him tense against her as he sits next to her.<br><br>&nbsp;“Yeah well you tell them, that it’s <strong>not</strong> complicated.&nbsp; We get the target.&nbsp; They pay us.&nbsp; Simple.&nbsp; Three days…what the hell am I supposed to do for three…” <br><br>Getting cut off once again, and he lets out a deep breath, his shoulder sagging slightly while he sounds a bit defeated.<br><br><br>”Yeah…yeah…sure.&nbsp; I’ll check in at the intervals.” <br><br>Snapping the phone shut with more force than necessary, he looks out the nearest window of the car and watches the lights of the city blurring past them as they head for the hotel.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>18-07-2006, 20:26:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The heat hit her like a wall, and she pushed herself through it. The humidity was the worst part; it was like swimming through the air and breathing soup. She could see the cab idling, and knew it would be a regular of his. It would be someone who wouldn’t think twice about seeing the zip tie, and someone who wouldn’t listen even if she did thing asking for help might work. She wondered how much dough he’d had to plunk down to get the guy to wait. <br><br><em>wasted money buddy…I will get out of this</em> <br><br>Still acting like a macho bad ass, he guided her into the cab. He seemed to think it necessary to remind her of his strength, although he did it subtly. She refrained from rolling her eyes. The physical difference between them was blaringly obvious, she didn’t need a reminder. He could have been half the size he was and still have been stronger. <br><br>As he pulled out his phone she turned her head to look out the window. Almost out of habit she crossed her long shapely legs, letting the short skirt rise even higher to expose much of her toned thigh. He didn’t want what she had, so he’d said. Well unless he was gay, he wouldn’t be able to help but at least look. She didn’t think he would make a move or fall subject to her wiles, but having him look might disturb him. He might start to question himself. And if he didn’t? No harm done. <br><br>Charlie kept her head turned, watching the scenery run by as she listened to his conversation. She listened to every word, and tried to hear the other end through the receiver as well. And she cut apart what he was saying, looking for the hidden messages and the tone. It was pretty stupid of him to let her know they had three days. A lot could happen in three days. Couldn’t stay zipped together <em>every</em> moment. She hid the curl of her lip behind a yawn. <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>19-07-2006, 14:07:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The crossing of her legs didn’t go unnoticed.&nbsp; Ontop of everything else he needs to be accountable for, now he has a piece of ass that most men would kill for, distracting him from everything else that he really needs to be focused on.<br><br>He’s watched her long enough to know that she <strong>always</strong> looks good, but right here, up close, her skin looks like silk, and he finds himself momentarily wondering just what her skin would taste like.<br><br>A frown creases his forehead as he gives her thigh an almost irritated look, and then slides his gaze up the rest of her body, scowling at her as if she’s to blame for being so desirable.<br><br>The cab surprisingly pulls up in front of a high end hotel.&nbsp; Where some hunters might think staying in a seedy motel is low profile, he’s found that seedy motels are where most of the shit goes down.&nbsp; There’s plenty of trouble to be found at seedy motels, and plenty of people around to sell you out for a few bucks.<br><br>You pay well at a nice hotel, and no one asks any questions.<br><br>He opens the cab door, and once again the heat assaults them.&nbsp; Crashing over them like a tidal wave, and ruining the icey cool of the air conditioned cab.&nbsp; Reaching inside the breast pocket of his dress shirt, he pulls out some neatly folded money and offers it to the cab between his index finger and middle finger.<br><br>The cab driver takes it and gives a simple, silent nod, even as he slips out of the back of the cab with Charlie in tow.&nbsp; It’s late at night, and the doorman, although professional has seen enough crazy shit with celebrities and indulgent politicians that he doesn’t even bat an eye at the twist tie around both their wrists.<br><br>He wastes no time, wanting to get to the room, but at the moment, he wants to get out of the heat, and he gives a silent nod to the doorman, who seems more&nbsp; preoccupied with checking out Charlie, and in a matter of seconds they are surrounded once again by air conditioned heaven, and walking through the posh lobby.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>19-07-2006, 21:53:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Charlie was unsure if he was looking, or how much, as she kept her gaze out the window. She kept her legs crossed though, and arranged her body attractively, but not overtly so. It was a little hard to be comfortable with her right hand next to his, at the mercy of where he wanted to put it, and zip tied tightly. But she wasn’t about to complain. <br><br>She was surprised to see the hotel they arrived at. At least he wasted money in style. She didn’t think it was smart to be here. In a trashy place she could yell and make a bunch of noise and no one would think twice. They would think she was some junkie jonesin’ for a fix. Here…here the other guests would notice things out of the ordinary. Of course if they called the police that wouldn’t exactly work in her favor either. Though jail was a better option than that place. <br><br>He pulled her from the cab and out into the swamp of a night. Almost immediately her skin was damp again. She walked calmly alongside him as they approached the hotel. The doorman was checking her out, and she made a little kiss motion to him, and gave him a wink. It wouldn’t cause him to call the police, but it would get her remembered, in case there was any chance she wouldn’t be. <br><br>Once they hit the extreme air conditioning of the hotel she shivered. It was much more intense than the cab. As the air hit her damp skin and clothing, goose-bumps rose on her flesh and her nipples hardened. She knew they would be quite visible in the tight knit shirt as they sat high atop her full breasts. Charlie made no attempt to hide them. <br><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>20-07-2006, 15:16:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He simply smiles as he moves through the lobby. The attractive woman working the late shift behind the front desk looks momentarily unsettled by the way their wrists are bound, and when he chances a glance at Charlie he understands why else the woman might be unsettled.<br><br>Charlie’s a stunning woman, and a compelling blend of lithe beauty, and lush sexuality, so in the way that she’s dressed, coupled with the fact that her nipples are straining against the fabric of her bra, and thin top; she’s quite the sight to behold.<br><br>In fact he finds it difficult to look away from her as his mind toys with the idea of how her nipples would feel between his fingers, or rolling between his lips.&nbsp; Drifting momentarily as they wait for the elevator, awash with torrid thoughts of being tangled with her.&nbsp; He’s always had a thing for older women, and ontop of being older than him, Charlie is simply breathtaking.<br><br><i> Keep your head in the game, and out of <b> her </b> ass… </i><br><br>Silently chiding himself as the elevator doors open with a soft, ringing tone, and walking into them with her in tow.<br><br>With the doors closing, he presses the button for the sixth floor.&nbsp; &nbsp;Giving her a sidelong glance, realizing that they haven’t spoken since the women’s washroom.&nbsp; Suddenly feeling very aware of her inside the seemingly small space of the elevator.&nbsp; Puzzled why he suddenly feels so awkward.&nbsp; He’s never felt this way before around a target.<br><br><i> Stay cool.&nbsp; It’s just because she’s not the normal type of target, and certainly not an average woman.&nbsp; Just keep your thoughts off her tits and ass, and you’ll last the three days. </i><br><br>Letting out a deep breath as he tries to gather his wits about him when the elevator doors open for the sixth floor.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>20-07-2006, 18:35:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><br>As they strolled through the lobby Charlie tried to act as nonchalant and laid back as possible, but in truth, her mind was running at a hundred miles per hour. In her one brief walk through the lobby she had to learn as much about the place as possible. Her green eyes scanned the place, floor to ceiling. She took in every exit, every hall, every employee, every place to hide and everything she could use to her advantage. There would be things that she would miss, but she had to do the best she could. <br><br>When they entered the elevator she did the same, only that took much less time. She noticed they were going to six, and took in how many floors there were total, and if there was a level below lobby. She glanced at the ceiling to check out the access panel. And then there was nothing to check out but her companion. <br><br>Charlie leaned her shoulders back against the wall, her hips jutting out slightly from it, the hand zip tied to his hanging in the air between them. Her eyes took him in from head to toe, and she did not care if he saw it. She wanted him to see it. She scoured every part of him with her gaze, scrutinized every plane of his face and angle of his body. Often men became unsettle by her intense intake of them. Charlie wasn’t sure how he would take it, and that was what she wanted to find out. His reaction was more important than what she actually saw about him. <br><br>But she wasn’t really prepared for what she did see. As she casually languished against the wall, her green eyes unblinking and her lips forming a Cheshire cat grin, she was struck by his attractiveness once more. In the restroom she had gotten a quick look, and impression of attractiveness, but now she could see the more virile qualities of him. It was the square of his jaw, the strong line of his nose, the intensity of the dark blue eyes under a sharp-but not too sharp-brow bone. <br><br>And his form was delicious. He was built like she liked them, unfortunately. She didn’t let herself fall for men, it was too risky, but he was the type that would turn her head and make her wish she could just have a taste now and then. She was a great admirer of men, even though she used them for what she needed and then moved on. Charlie felt her nipples tingle and harden even more as she imagined what kind of torso was hidden under that untucked dress shirt…<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>21-07-2006, 22:09:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Arching an eyebrow, seemingly amused by the way she’s checking him out.&nbsp; His tone is low, and just a bit higher than a growl of warning as he speaks when he ‘escorts’ her out into the hall.<br><br>&lt;blue&gt;” Settle down, kitten.&nbsp; You don’t have what it takes…and…for your information, there’s twenty-three floors, including the penthouse.&nbsp; As you have no doubt already figured out, we’re on the sixth.&nbsp; There’s four elevators on this floor, and including emergency exits, employee only exits there is a total of thirty-six exits on the ground floor, sixteen of them below ground. “&lt;/blue&gt;<br><br>Reaching into his pocket for a moment and swiping his key-card through the reader, he looks back to her as the lock clicks loudly and a green light flickers on it.<br><br>&lt;blue&gt;”…and if you think for even a second I haven’t paid some of the doormen and staff to keep an eye out for your fine ass, then you’re not as smart as I pegged you for.” &lt;/blue&gt;<br><br><i> Keep her on the defensive.&nbsp; She’s always ‘on’.&nbsp; You cannot afford to slip for a moment with this one. </i><br><br>Leveling her with a ‘don’t fuckin’ try anything’ look, he moves with her into the large suite he has for the next three days.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>22-07-2006, 11:16:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>Interesting, he was amused by her checking him out. Now what did that mean? That wasn’t a reaction she typically got. With men she had tried to disarm with her ravenous look, amusement had never been a response. There had of course been desire. Rage. Occasionally disgust, not because of her, but because of the way she made them feel so weak, but never this. <br><br><i>What does that say about him?</i> She wasn’t sure. The fact that she didn’t know what to think both left her feeling unsettles, but also titillated. He wasn’t just a bag of brawn, he had some sort of cunning to him. But he was young, he would make a mistake, and she would be ready. <br><br>When he went on his spiel about the exits and the employees and the floors of the hotel she merely looked at him with a gentle smirk on her face. She’d had no doubt he knew every square inch of the hotel, or he never would have brought her here. And he probably had paid off some employees…or more likely told them payment would be forthcoming if he needed them, and slipped them a fifty in good faith. Although there was the slight chance he was trying to bluff through all of it, but she would never take that chance. <br><br><i>…you’re fine ass…</i> That was a slip. Even if he had consciously meant to say it, in his youth he must not realize what else that said. It said he found her attractive. And it went beyond the obvious admission. Of course she was attractive, any dolt on the street could see it, and to deny it would just make him look foolish. And of course he might think it meant nothing to say it, but it did. The fact that he had not censored it from his speech spoke to the fact that he did find her attractive and it had nothing to do with just how striking she was. It went far deeper and was more complicated than he could realize at his age. <br><br>He led her to the room, and still her eyes searched the hall and the building, taking nothing for granted. When he shot her the look, she shot him one back, as if to say “who, me?”<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>27-07-2006, 16:47:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He does a quick once-over of the room as they move into the spacious suite;&nbsp; just in case room service had moved his shit around.&nbsp; Two large duffel bags were still resting close to the king sized bed that somehow managed to look small in the large room.<br><br>On a nearby table was a black briefcase with a six digit combination lock, and he reaches out and puts his cell phone ontop of it, but not before he activates the key-pad lock on it, and gives Charlie a wary look.<br><br>The room has had it’s air conditioning blasting all day, and it seems that her nipples still haven’t any reason to change from their currently compelling state.<br><br><em> The next three days are going to suck hard. </em><br><br>Letting out a deep sigh that slowly turns into a growl of irritation, he takes a few short steps towards one of the duffels on the floor.&nbsp; Rather than yanking her with the plastic tie around both of their wrists, his hand closest to her hand closes around her fingers.&nbsp; Gentle, but firm and then pulling her along with him.<br><br><em> No sense in hurting her if you don’t have to…</em><br><br>Crouching for a moment and reaching the end of the duffel, he pulls out two things.&nbsp; A pair of polished, nickel-plated handcuffs, and a light green pair of children’s scissors.&nbsp; He tosses the hand-cuffs on the bed and looks to Charlie.<br><br>The scissors are small, and it’s awkward for him to use with his fingers but he puts the plastic tie between the opened blades of the scissors.<br><br>He’s seen the look before from some of his targets.&nbsp; Thinking he’s an idiot for having children’s scissors and not a knife of his own.&nbsp; A lesson learned from his father.&nbsp; Never carry a weapon on you.&nbsp; A weapon can be taken from you, and used against you.<br><br>His focus leaving the plastic tie on their wrists for a moment and looking to Charlie as he speaks.<br><br>&nbsp;“ I’m going to take this off.&nbsp; After that, you do <strong>not</strong> move more than a foot from me, clear?&nbsp; You try <strong> anything </strong> and things will get real ugly in here real fast. “[/b]<br><br>His voice is calm, but quite emphatic in a few of the words he speaks in order to drive home the fact that she has zero hope to fuck with him here.<br><br><em> She didn’t call the bluff about the exits and the bribes to the hotel staff…so maybe you’re doing better than you think. Just keep playing it cool.&nbsp; Three days will blow by in no time.</em><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>28-07-2006, 00:17:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Charlie kept her green eyes trained on the man she was tied to, and made her posture casual. She stood with her weight mostly on one leg, the other foot out to the side a little. This caused her hip to jut out a bit. Her free hand hung naturally down at her side, and her head tilted in one direction. He was scanning the room. <i>Hmmmmm, probably to see if anything was out of place from where he’d left it. Maybe seeing if anything had been stolen?</i> Apparently everything was as he expected, as he moved on. <br><br>Now the briefcase, that was interesting. She watched as he worked the keypad, and she tried to pick up a couple, or all, of the numbers. He looked at her warily, but looks could not kill, so she ignored it. He had shown her in the restroom at the club that he had a very big bark, and at least a little nip of a bite…but if she was going to know what she was dealing with, she had to test the boundaries. But she couldn’t push all at once. It had to be gradual. <br><br>Charlie shivered involuntarily from the ice cold AC. Like most hotels it seemed to have an ‘arctic’ setting, an it felt like it had been on that setting all day. The goose bumps already on her skin grew and were joined by new ones, and her nipples did not retreat. If anything they stood taller and tighter. Oddly enough it was the goose bumps that bothered her more. <br><br>The man let out a primal noise…from what she wasn’t sure, but it was something she was going to have to find out. It sounded like frustration at something. That could be an open wound she could irritate, or an Achilles heel of some kind. <br><br>His large hand wrapped around her soft one as he pulled her across the room. She was surprised he didn’t just yank her. Charlie held back, making him actually pull her, but not hard, not enough to say she was resisting. Just enough to make their arms raise and put them two arm lengths apart for a short time. <br><br>She smirked at the handcuffs…not like she’d never seen a pair of those before. But her eyebrows rose at the scissors, and she almost looked impressed. <i>Smart.</i> Those couldn’t be used against him. More than once she had gotten out of a tight situation by improvising a weapon, or taking the one her foe had. She preferred to try and worm her way out of trouble, but if she had to, she could fight like a cornered rattlesnake. <br><br>Charlie held his gaze calmly as he spoke. He wasn’t catching her off guard this time, and there were no words to trigger a memory. She knew he wanted this off of his wrist almost as much as she did. <br><br>Instead of answering him she glanced at the kiddie scissors. “Did you bring the construction paper and stick glue so we could keep busy? I could do much better at staying out of trouble if I could work on making a valentine for my favorite bounty hunter.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>31-07-2006, 15:35:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He looks unimpressed with her snappy patter and despite the fact that he’s holding a pair of children’s scissors, the clench of his jaw, and the menacing glint in his eyes still manages to do a convincing job of looking intimidating.<br><br>Her nipples are the first thing that brush up against his chest as draws closer, with her breasts soon pressing against his unyielding form, and his voice drops to a low growl again.<br><br>&nbsp;“If I’m looking for someone to be on the Gilmore Girls, I’ll let you talk.&nbsp; Until then kitten, you can stop with the snappy patter any time.” <br><br><em> Quit letting this one get inside of you.&nbsp; It’s her schtick.&nbsp; The only thing she has, and each time she dangles the carrot, you’re jumping at it. </em><br><br>His nostrils flaring as he takes in her perfume, and alone with her, here in the room, it smells that much more warm and intimate.&nbsp; He half walks her, and half muscles her back, until she expects to feel the wall bump up against her back like he had cornered her in the women’s washroom.<br><br>Then she hears the clicking of her heels on hard tiles and she finds herself backed into the large washroom.&nbsp; A tiled, double-headed shower with moulded seats, a large tub on the other side with the ubiquitous jets strategically placed around it.&nbsp; A large countertop with double sinks, and a toilet and a bidet.&nbsp; Large fluffy towels are stacked in a pile at the end of the counter, and although the lights in the room are off, there are so many mirrors in the room that the ambient light from the other room does a suitable job of reflecting off the mirrors and giving it an almost twilight feel inside the washroom.<br><br>She can feel him move against her, the pressure of the plastic tie building up for a moment and then suddenly releasing.&nbsp; Standing implacably in the doorway, preventing her exit of the washroom.<br><br>His eyes meeting hers resolutely as he speaks clearly, and decidedly firm.<br><br>&nbsp;“ Lose the clothes, kitten. <strong> Now </strong>”<br><br>Not raising his voice, but definitely putting more force behind the final word to drive home the fact that he’s not fucking around with her.<br><br><em> Yeah…this is standard operating procedure, but with Charlie…jesus…keep your head in the job.&nbsp; The targets are less likely to run when they’re naked, and if they do run, invariably they slow down to find clothes.&nbsp; Also…it’s one more psychological angle to work, letting them know that you’re in control, one step closer to breaking them down.&nbsp; A broken target is less trouble.</em><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>31-07-2006, 17:26:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She drank in his reactions like a woman dying of thirst. Everything he said and did in reaction to her told her something about him. Like as he backed her into the wall and grew admittedly intimidating, he had been bothered on some level by her comment. Otherwise he might have ignored it. She had yet to determine what exactly about it bothered him…whether it was the nature of the comment, or merely the fact she had spoken, but whatever had caused it, it had worked. <br><br>As satisfactory as his reaction was, Charlie was keenly aware of his size as he pressed against her and easily intimidated her where he wanted her. She was very outmatched physically, and wondered when she hit the wall how forcefully he would press against her. But soon she realized backing her into a wall wasn’t his intention at all. <br><br>Her eyes darted away from him for a brief moment as she sensed the space behind her and heard and felt the change in the flooring. A bathroom. Her brow flickered forward just a bit in curiosity. But when he spoke they returned to their state, and she smirked softly. He wanted her naked. But at least he had released the bind, and she rubbed at it softly. <br><br>Charlie wasn’t naïve enough to think he wanted her nude to see her body. No, he wanted to humiliate her, and he wanted her to feel too modest to flee. He wanted her to feel defensive and on guard, because if you were on the defensive, you weren’t on the offense. But Charlie wasn’t the typical player. <br><br>She raised her eyebrows and held his gaze. She wanted him to think that she thought he wanted her nude for his own perverse reasons. Bringing her hands to the base of her knit shirt, she slowly raised it above her head, fully extending her arms and stretching her fit torso to its length, causing her full breasts to jut out from her ribcage even in the lace demi-cup bra. Once the purple shirt was off she casually tossed it too him, aiming for his shoulders. <br><br>Next was the black skirt. She thought turning around and bending over might push his patience too far. Instead she just kept her green eyes focused on him, and unzipped it at the side, and then gradually slid it over the curve of her hips, revealing her creamy skin bit by bit, and the thong he had so briefly touched earlier. She tossed the skirt like the shirt. “Everything tiger?” She knew the answer, but waited for him to say it. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>31-07-2006, 18:09:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;“…jesus…”<br><br>Spills out of his lips before he has a chance to filter it.&nbsp; Some women are beautiful; which Charlie has in spades, but coupled with that is a raw sex appeal that she seems to be able to turn on and turn off at a whim.&nbsp; The way she moves and the sight of her undressing…even the confident way in which she does it hits him like a baseball bat to the gut.<br><br>She’s an undeniably desirable cross between sleek, and luscious, and for the first time he really does begin to doubt his intelligence when he insisted to his father that he could handle this job.<br><br>The “kitten” comments he was making was a continual way to remind her that she’s helpless, but the way she called him “tiger”…he’s the one that feels a bit helpless when he watches her skirt slide down over her&nbsp; hips and down her stunning thighs.<br><br>Her breasts are spectacular and of a shape that men would make complete fools of themselves over.<br><br>His eyes flickering a moment…blinking…<br><br><em> Did you say that out loud?&nbsp; Did you say jesus out loud??!? </em><br><br>His hand moves out of reflex and smoothly snatches the thrown top out of the air before it can hit him.&nbsp; The motion of him grabbing it only seems to encourage her compelling&nbsp; perfume to coalesce around him into something even more substantial.&nbsp; As if it's a siren song to the desire he feels when around this woman.<br><br>He gives her a momentary look that is equal parts fear and equal parts contempt before growling out harshly.<br><br>&nbsp;“All of it…and then turn once…in a circle.” <br><br><em> God…this might just wreck me…</em><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>31-07-2006, 18:38:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<i>”…jesus…”</i><br><br>Charlie resisted the urge to look smug, but it was very difficult. She held her full lips in a slight smile, but kept any acknowledgement of his slip of the tongue to herself…at least she hoped it was to herself. <br><br>Beyond even his uttered word of acknowledgement of her form, she could see him looking her over. Hell, she could feel him looking her over. His eyes caressed her as firmly as his hand could, running along the contours of her waist, the flat plane of her belly, the slight concave area of her midriff, the softer fleshier bits of her chest and hips and thighs…and he hadn’t even seen her ass yet. <br><br>As she let him look at her, she felt a little warm. Charlie was used to showing what she had, and often bargained with the aesthetic quality she possessed. She had even worked as a high class stripper for a few months, but she had never wanted anyone to touch her, and had never found any real ‘pleasure’ in displaying herself. There had been satisfaction at knowing the male mind was so easily manipulated, but never had there been the subtle feelings that were slowly tossing and turning in her body now, wanting to awaken. For some strange stupid reason, she liked having him look at her, and wanted him to find her appealing. And it had nothing to do with besting him. <br><br><i>Snap out of it right now! He is scum, he makes his money off of other people’s misfortunes, he intends to make money off of your misfortune…get over it!</i><br><br>Her thoughts were interrupted by his growling command and a look that clearly spelled he was disturbed at least a little that he had let slip his reaction. And he wanted all of it, as she knew he would. <br><br>Charlie brought her hands up to grasp the front hooking clasp of her brassiere. She took her time and slowly unhooked it. She let the bra part, revealing her bare sternum and the inner swell of each breast as they created unclothed cleavage. Charlie paused for a moment, letting the tease sink in before slowly peeling the cups away from her breasts. The shape of them barely changed as they stood firm from her body. And the gentle upturn of them, the exquisite slope assured beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were completely real. At the peak of them were rose colored nipples, perfectly round and the areole the size of a quarter. Her nipple were hard and tight, presumably from the cold. Though Charlie knew better…<br><br>She let the brassiere fall to the ground, and then hooked her thumbs into the string resting on either hip. After he’d had a good look at her breasts she slipped the tiny bit of fabric covering her sex down her legs, peeling it away to reveal her perfectly shaved womanhood, with just a small patch of well groomed downy red hair at the top of her lips. <br><br>Charlie stepped out of the thong, and dropped it on top of the brassiere. She was now completely nude save the heels, which she left on to accentuate her shapely calves. It was then time to turn in a circle as he instructed. Slowly she turned, letting him get a good look at her profile in the dim light, and when she had her back to him she paused, letting him see the upside down heart shape of her round buttocks, and the glimpse of womanhood beyond. If he had been less predictable she might have bent over and ran her hands up her leg as she righted herself, but didn’t want to push him anymore than she already was. After the pause, she turned the rest of the way and came to rest standing before him. <br><br>“You’re turn.” She winked. <br><br>Immediately she regretted that final bit of smart ass. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>31-07-2006, 20:42:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em> She’s a goddess.&nbsp; She’s absolutely breathtaking.&nbsp; </em><br><br>Every part of her looks to be made for only one purpose, and that’s the tempting and pleasuring of men.&nbsp; He can feel a dull ache forming in his chest, and a tingling knot forming in his abdomen that he hasn’t felt in a while.&nbsp; With her breasts exposed he feels his mouth go dry, and when she slips her thong down her long, sculpted legs, he finds himself going blind when he looks at her exposed, silky smooth perfection.<br><br><em> She has an ass that must cause traffic accidents when she wears the right thing…</em><br><br>He doesn’t quite stare…not quite, but close.&nbsp; He’s been to enough strip clubs to know a woman that’s peeled in the past, when he sees one.&nbsp; Except that Charlie is the type with a price that starts at three digits and climbs progressively upward with each hook she manages to latch onto your soul with.<br><br>He finds himself wanting to taste her sweat, as a tangle of sordid, molten thoughts whirl about his head in a lust-filled maelstrom;&nbsp; &nbsp;of her doing things to him, and he doing things to her.<br><br>For the last few months while tracking her, he’d wondered a few times about just what the big deal was about her.&nbsp; Sure she looked good, but there’s always another fine piece of ass walking around the corner.<br><br>As of this moment, he is beginning to have a better understanding of why someone would put up as much money as they had to bring her back, and for the first time, with any client, he wonders just what it is a client wants with a target.&nbsp; Which leads him to wondering what she did to earn the wrath of the client, other than running away, which might be all it took.&nbsp; If he had her…and lost a woman that looked like she did…maybe he’d act the same way.<br><br>It’s her comment&nbsp; that snaps him out of his thoughts, and it’s good she said what she did.&nbsp; It brought reality back once again, and pulled his eyes away from her body and back up to meet her own eyes.<br><br>He frowns a moment, struggling to formulate a sentence that is free of the sex-filled haze that seems to dance about in his head.<br><br><em> Get a fuckin grip.&nbsp; You’re acting like a teenager.&nbsp; She looks clean.&nbsp; There’s not much to hide on a body like that. </em><br><br>Reaching into the shadows of the bathroom, he then swings his arm towards her and tosses a large, white, fluffy robe through the air at her.<br><br>&nbsp;“ Put that on.&nbsp; Then get on the bed, and put your right hand on the head board.” <br><br><em> Her…and those heels…this is going to be a long three days. </em><br><br>He takes a step out of the door way, putting himself between the door to the room, and the washroom, and moving behind a sofa to assist in concealing himself from the waist down due to&nbsp; the fact that he’s responding to her naked form more than he would care to display at the moment.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>01-08-2006, 09:20:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Charlie released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. He had been very distracted. If he hadn’t been, her quip may have earned her a backhand across the face, or at the very least some other non-contact display of his dominance. As it was, he seemed to struggle for a response for several beats. <br><br>Having observed the way his eyes touched her body, knowing she affected him, brought a warmth to her she had only experienced once in her life before in response to a man. The warmth between her legs was subtle, and just a seedling of a large exquisite flower…but it was there, and it was living, and it was unmistakable. The rose colored buds at the peaks of her shapely breasts grew just a bit harder as she realized that he was in fact not just acknowledging her body…but distracted by it, presumably…wanting it. Wanting her. <br><br>It was Charlie’s turn to frown slightly as she caught the robe. <i>What the fuck?</i> This man, this hunter, was the bane of her freedom. He was the Sinestro to her Green Lantern, the Q to her Picard, he was her arch nemesis. She was not allowed to feel this. It was impossible, improbable, and unacceptable. Charlie was the object of desire, <i>not</i> the desirous god dammit! <br><br>Uncharacteristically, she lost her cool, albeit it was in the tiniest manner. There was a hairline crack in her cool façade as her greeneyes blazed with confusion at the distinct tightening in her lower belly. Her words bit through the air quietly. “What, no please?”<br><br>Charlie wanted him to hit her. She wanted him even more despicable than he was. Maybe then she could come to her senses. If not, it was going to be a very long three days. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>01-08-2006, 22:54:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Snarling quietly, out of sight as he tries to will himself to stop thinking about her gloriously naked body.&nbsp; About all the things he could do to her.<br><br>&nbsp;" I didn't stutter.&nbsp; Put the robe on and get your ass on the bed...<strong>now</strong>"<br><br>He'd heard other guys that worked for his father talk.&nbsp; Sometimes they'd pull in a fine looking woman, and they'd 'take a coupl'a rounds out of her' before bringing her in.&nbsp; He'd never been the type that enjoyed rape.&nbsp; Infact he wanted to kill the fucks that did it, but for the first time, he's wanted a woman that he knows he's not supposed to have.&nbsp; Not supposed to touch.&nbsp; Not supposed to talk to.<br><br><em> Cowboy up, shit head.&nbsp; She's a smart peeler that gets what ever she wants because she had an ass to die for and tits that any woman would kill for.&nbsp; Doesn't even cover her eyes...or her lips...or the small patch of hair just above her...</em><br><br>Growling again and thumping a fist against the wall.<br><br>&nbsp;" Get out here now!" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>02-08-2006, 00:48:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<i>" I didn't stutter.&nbsp; Put the robe on and get your ass on the bed...now"</i><br><br>Since he had left her sight, Charlie allowed herself to crumple mentally like a house of cards for just a moment. She couldn’t allow any longer, but she had to give herself a minute or two. Her trembling hands pulled on the robe, and came to her face, pressing her palms to her features before running through her long coppery hair. <br><br>Okay. He’s attractive. You can deal with that. But it was more than him being attractive. There were attractive men everywhere. It was his…intensity, and his…concentrated force of presence. It was unexplainable. Maybe it was chemistry, or pheromones...gods cruel little joke. Thaw her frigidity for a man she couldn’t let herself want. A man that was working for <i>him</i>. She would not let her desire or her attraction be the distraction that sent her back to that place. <br><br><i>" Get out here now!"</i><br><br>Charlie took a deep breath. And then another. And then one more. With each breath she built her resolve and her façade a little. Finally she placed the small smirk on her face and tied the robe loosely around her waist, letting the top open to reveal the soft cleavage of her perfect breasts. <br><br>She stepped from the room and gracefully strode to the bed. “I don’t suppose you thought ahead and bought me a toothbrush, did you?” Charlie lowered herself on the left side, she kicked off the shoes to expose perfectly pedicured that matched her fingers. Swinging her legs to the bed, the robe came open to show off most of her long legs. Acting modest, she pulled it close again, and then raised her right arm as he had instructed her to do. <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>03-08-2006, 00:42:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em> Jesus...she's going to be a handful.&nbsp; Stop thinking about her being in your hands.&nbsp; Just stop thinking.&nbsp; Calm down.&nbsp; The last thing you need to be doing is let her see you walking around with a hard on. </em><br><br>He stays standing off in the shadows for a moment...<br><br><em> And no...no toothbrush...No extra things for three fuckin' days in this room with you. </em><br><br>Even in the shadows, she can see him clench his teeth by the way the muscles in his jaw tightens.&nbsp; He steps off to the side, moving behind her and keeping out of her field of vision.&nbsp; Doing what he can to keep his eyes off her legs...and failing miserably.&nbsp; He reaches out to grab her wrist, and more gently than he should, he closes the hand cuffs around her slender right wrist, and the head board.&nbsp; He knows he should hand cuff both her hands over her head, but right now, the thought of her laying on the bed, her arms over her head...she's just too fucking hot right now for him to deal with that.<br><br>Tugging on the cuffs once to make sure it's secure and he gives her a look, much like a father would give a child that he's irritated with, but is too tired to bother yelling.<br><br>He sits down on the bed next to her, lifting up the phone, and is aware of just how close she is to him.&nbsp; He can smell her soft perfume and the thought that all that's between him and her naked body is a fluffy bath robe, he stands and moves from the bed.<br><br>&nbsp; "Ya...ya.&nbsp; MMmmmhmmm.&nbsp; I'm going to need a toothbrush...and a hairbrush.&nbsp; Yep.&nbsp; Ya, and some food.&nbsp; What?&nbsp; I...yeah...ok, yeah.&nbsp; A burger...no, two burgers, and fries.&nbsp; Mmmhmmm.&nbsp; Some coke too. Sure.&nbsp; Ice, yeah." <br><br>Setting the receiver down, he gives her a look, and for the first time he lets the stress and tiredness show, unintended but letting it show nevertheless.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>03-08-2006, 08:06:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She watched his temples flex and the muscles in his jaw tighten and release. <i>He’s going to give himself a migraine.</i> She had no compassion whatsoever. Yeah, he was primally magnetic…a black hole of sexual energy. But she was better than that. Stronger. More in control. He was a whelp, young and rash. She could be more, she could best him, and she could win in this little battle. As long as the tingling in her lower belly went away…<br><br>Aggravated with herself she looked away, trying to appear calm and unruffled. Out of the corner of her intensely green eye she saw he was moving as well, moving behind the bed. To no one’s surprise, he took her wrist in his strong hand. She expected him to cuff her, he had tossed them on the bed after all. What was unexpected though, was the looseness of them. They were tight enough to hold her probably, but she had expected them to bite her flesh as the zip tie had…interesting. <br><br>He reappeared in her field of vision. She found his expression curious. He was clearly annoyed by her, there was no question of that, but he was also seemed like he was something else…she couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was something else there. Like he was just too drained to deal with her. <br><br>When he sat next to her on the bed, she crossed her legs the other direction casually, ‘accidentally’ opening up the robe up again to just above the knee. And then he was up again. Was he bothered by her presence? What a nice thing to know… Charlie didn’t have to hide her smug look, because he wouldn’t look at her. <br><br>Charlie yawned, feigning boredom and adopting an air of unconcern. Truthfully she was listening to everything he said, and the things he didn’t. Burger and Fries, Coke, man food. Charlie would much prefer a cobb salad and an iced tea with lemon, but doubted he would care at this point. At least he was feeding her. When he looked at her the look of smugness was gone, and replaced with amusement. For just a moment though, confusion flickered across her expression. He looked weary and strained. <br><br>Something was wearing on him. Was it her? The three day wait? Both? Something else entirely? Charlie might never know what it was, but it was an open wound to jab her thumb in. <br><br>“So Tiger…you have some well thought out plan, or is it just sit and wait the three days and collect your ‘hard earned’ cash?” She rolled her eyes at ‘hard earned’, showing no respect for the chase she had led him on. He had actually given her quite a hard time. She'd never seen him, but she had known he was there, and she had barely stayed one step ahead of him. &nbsp;“But I suppose the KISS plan works best for your type anyway.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>03-08-2006, 22:28:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em> There she goes again with the “Tiger” thing.&nbsp; Unsure if that irritates me&nbsp; more than her smug tone.&nbsp; Keep your eyes off her legs.&nbsp; Jesus, why do I feel like I’m drowning here?&nbsp; It’s her perfume. </em><br><br>Striding across the room, and sliding open the large patio doors to the heat and the blue-black of the night sky.&nbsp; Which he realizes that the heat will ruin the AC, so he moves to the control and cranks the AC up to high.<br><br>Breathing in the air that is momentarily free of her perfume, trying to clear his head of thoughts of her before returning to where she rests on the bed after a few minutes.<br><br>Up close like this, and coupled with the fact that he can’t seem to get the image of her naked body out of his head, he’s really beginning to think the next three days are going to be hell.<br><br><em> Go back to what you know.&nbsp; Keep her on the defensive. </em><br><br>Breathing in, steeling himself and being foiled as he draws in more of her compelling, warm scent, and then growling out.<br><br>&nbsp;“ Charlie, I’m letting you use your mouth because I’m being nice.&nbsp; I can stop you from using it altogether if you keep pushing it.&nbsp; Are we clear on this?”<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>04-08-2006, 03:24:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Charlie watched him move about the room. He opened the door&nbsp; and then turned on the AC? He wanted fresh air? The hotel room was fresh and clean…a very nice place. What was his motive? Maybe it was more of a psychological act of some kind? It confused her. <br><br>And then he was back. Glaring down at her, building himself up. She reclined with her hand hanging from the handcuff and waited for what was probably going to be a stern word about not trying anything, blah blah blah. Too bad he had to look so…<br><br><i>Stop it girl. He’s a pig and a lowlife. Don’t let him get to you. If you have to go back, it will be because of him. And he’s just doing it for money…</i><br><br>That thought, the one of going back, and that this man would send her back there just for some cash, was enough for right now . It was enough to distract her from the breadth of his shoulders and the line of his jaw, and the masculine five o’clock shadow . He may not know why he was after her…and that was almost worst. That he would take money to capture a human being, without knowing why. <br><br>She narrowed her eyes slightly. She didn’t intend to, but it happened. His statement and request for verification she understood was completely irrelevant to her. Her voice was low, and a bit more smug than it had even been before. He had used her real name. She was becoming humanized to him. That was a good thing. Just like if you were kidnapped, you wanted your captor to see you as human, it made it harder for them to hurt you. He had used her name.&nbsp; “What happened to Kitten?”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>04-08-2006, 16:08:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em> You're letting her get inside your head, man.&nbsp; She's winning.&nbsp; Don't let the fact that she looks far nicer than she actually is, make you think she doesn't deserve her lot in life. </em><br><br>Despite the rationalizing in his head, a snarl of irritation escapes his lips at her "Kitten" question and his response is cut off when there's a knock on the door.&nbsp; The knock on the door seems to transform him instantly and he's back to the cool, confident guy that was in the washroom at the club.&nbsp; He gives himself a wayward glance in the mirror, checking his appearance on his way to the door and he looks through the peep hole.&nbsp; The tension that had suddenly appeared in his broad shoulders fades away just as quickly as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a folded bill.<br><br>He opens the door just enough for him to pull the food cart into the room, all while extending his other hand and giving the room service guy the twenty.&nbsp; Giving him a simple nod and speaking clearly.<br><br>&nbsp;" Thanks..." <br><br>Rolling the cart over to the bed, but not before he takes off all the cutlery, folding them in a cloth napkin and then tossing them out into the hall.&nbsp; <br><br><em> You don't need cutlery for burgers and fries...</em><br><br>He comes back to where she's seated on the bed and he pulls off the large silver lids as steam comes off the two burgers and the mound of fries.<br><br>&nbsp;" Eat." <br><br>He speaks in a low, firm tone before turning from her again and moving over to his phone.&nbsp; Unlocking the keypad and checking for any messages, text...voice mail...<br><br><em> Fuck me, this is gonna be torturous...</em><br><br>Locking the keypad once again and dropping the cell phone to the table he looks back at Charlie.<br><br><em> She might move like a dream, and look like candy...but I heard the rumors about the guy paying the bill for all this.&nbsp; If he's as much of a scum like I heard, then no doubt she's done plenty to get involved with the guy.&nbsp; Yeah...that or she's a victim.&nbsp; Whatever...they all want you to think they're a victim.&nbsp; Just like every fuckin criminal in jail is innocent.&nbsp; If she was such a victim, she wouldn't be such a smug bitch. </em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>05-08-2006, 01:06:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Charlie knew better than to try to call or signal for help. She didn’t know if he had really paid off some of the staff or not, but even if he hadn’t, the service person would probably have called the police. They would have just taken her in on the warrants, as false as they were. False or not, the cop’s job was to take her in, it would be the judges to determine guilt or innocence, and contrary to popular release, they were harder on the pretty ones. <br><br>People always thought the pretty faces had it easier, a charmed life. But woman had always hated her, even when she used to try and be nice, and men just saw her as one thing. Even when she had dressed more conservatively, all they saw was meat. Charlie was never asked on dates. She was propositioned. She had drinks bought for her. But never did a man ever want to get to know her beyond her body. There was a time in her life she had wanted them to. <br><br>But this was not that time, she had learned to depend on no one but herself, and not to trust anyone, man or woman. No one would help her but her, and no one cared what the truth was, just where the money flowed from. <br><br>Eating like this was going to be a little difficult. The fries would be easy. The burger harder, but she would manage. She looked over the try carefully, to see if there was anything useful. There was a large deli toothpick in the burger. It wasn’t much, but if it was strong enough, she might be able to pick the lock on the cuffs. It might be too brittle, and break, but there was the chance. Seeing him turn to mess with the phone, she grabbed it and quickly hid it under a fold of her robe. <br><br>Charlie knew she needed to eat. No Ghandi high and mighty fast in protest for her. She needed to stay strong, so she could take advantage of any opportunity she might have. She picked up a fry and popped it in her mouth. Smiling, she spoke with false cheeriness, as much as she wanted to pick up the lamp on the table and throw it at his head. “It’s delicious tiger. You should eat too. It’s going to be a very long three days.” &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>08-08-2006, 14:34:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em> She's already making you crazy.&nbsp; Just pick up the phone, call in and tell them you need to be tagged off.&nbsp; Sure, some of them will talk shit, but it's better than getting into a situation with a bounty.&nbsp; She's already got you thinking about things you don't need to be thinking about. </em><br><br>Looking to hear as she takes another dig.&nbsp; He silent as he glowers a bit at her and wonders how she can be so calm.&nbsp; He's seen others turn into puddles before when they're caught.<br><br><em> Not Charlie.&nbsp; She's always working.&nbsp; Always 'on'. Wonder just what the deal is with her?&nbsp; Bad question, man.&nbsp; You don't wanna know.&nbsp; All you need to know is that this is gonna end in three days.&nbsp; </em><br><br>It's that reminder that suddenly makes the large suite feel really small.&nbsp; He'd go outside but the heat is so oppressive that he can't bring himself to stand in it.&nbsp; He walks over and slides the patio door shut, and already the room feels cooler.&nbsp; Feeling derailed, unable to figure out what he wants to do...can do...he heads to the bathroom, leaving the door open and washing his hand and splashing his face with cold water.&nbsp; Pinching at the bridge of his nose and rubbing at his temples as he tries to stave off the looming headache.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>09-08-2006, 03:33:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>As he moved about the room, she kept a careful eye on him. She was getting under his skin, she could see it in his movements, hear it in his voice, and sense it in his tone. But there was no satisfaction in it, because the bastard was getting under hers right back…she was just better at hiding it. He was young, his tells were more obvious. <br><br>He was superior to her in several ways. One, he was physically her better. Way way her better. She would never be able to match his strength, and he already showed how quick he was. And two, he was a hell of a hunter. He was a better hunter than she was prey. She would loved to have said he caught her because of a mistake that she made…but she didn’t make any. She had been at her best, and he had still caught her. <br><br>But she had her advantages as well. First, her poker face. It had flickered briefly in the restroom at the club, but that had been an exception, and it wouldn’t happen again. And two, she was almost inhumanly gorgeous. Sometimes this was a fault, but in this situation it was putting him off his guard. He was questioning his motives and his moves. He was afraid to look at her and watch her like he might a less attractive woman than her. Her looks would also help her if she had to flee…many men would help her over any money they were being paid not to…if he did in fact pay off any staff. <br><br>No matter what their strengths and weaknesses, he had the advantage right now. She was handcuffed to the bed. But Charlie was confident she wouldn’t stay that way. She would get out of this, and he would have wasted every dime he spent trying to turn her in. <br><br>But how….<br><br>She continued to eat her meal, and contemplate the options. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>09-08-2006, 17:30:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em> You're in over your head.&nbsp; Every time you look at her just holds you longer under the surface.&nbsp; I need a fuckin' beer.&nbsp; I need a fuckin' beer, chased with whiskey. </em><br><br>Giving her a wayward look he sits down on the king-sized bed at the foot of the bed, putting as much space between her and him as he can, and he grabs the remote control for the large, plasma screen television.&nbsp; Flickering past about seventy channels in as many seconds, and then flicks the television off with a disapproving exhale of breath.<br><br><em> A shower would help...a long, cold shower.&nbsp; But what do you do about her?&nbsp; You'd need to cuff her properly because she is definitely not the type to sit still and behave. </em><br><br>Looking back over his shoulder, his eyes lingering on her exposed, bare legs which only causes images of her naked body to appear in his head once more.&nbsp; <br><br><em> She's so...perfect.&nbsp; Jesus...no wonder the guy put up as much money as he did. </em><br><br>Arching an eyebrow as he drags his eyes up to her face and he speaks finally.<br><br>&nbsp;" You finished?" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>09-08-2006, 20:11:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Charlie looked at him in all seriousness, her emerald gaze wrapping him up in defiance. <br><br>"Not even close."<br><br>She waited a beat and then looked at the plate non-chalantly. <br><br>"But I am done eating."<br><br>She wasn't finished. She would get out of this. <i>If you stop being stupid and play your cards closer to your chest maybe.</i> Charlie knew she should be acting like a wreck, acting as if she had lost her will. Then maybe he would relax his guard. But...it would just be such a shame. As much as she despised what he did, she respected his skill at doing it. He was a challenge. She had felt more alive running from her unseen pursuer these past few weeks, than she had sicne she had first broken free of the man who hired him. Even the fear had been welcome on some level. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>10-08-2006, 15:16:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He can't help but smile at her <em> "Not even close." </em> response.<br><br><em> She's quick, ontop of being devastating to the eyes. </em><br><br>It's her quick, aggressive response that manages to remind him that he is indeed in a room for the next three days with a dangerous person, as opposed to acting like a star-struck highschool kid around a porn star.&nbsp; Silent as he stands and moves around the bed until he's standing next to where she's seated.&nbsp; Tilting his head to the side a moment as he meets her vivid, green eyes and then speaks quietly and firmly.<br><br>&nbsp;" Lay down on the bed, with both your hands over your head." <br><br>It had been so long since he had been this close to a woman.&nbsp; Close to one that he wanted at any rate.&nbsp; He had been following her for so long, that in some ways, it was her that he was in a relationship with.&nbsp; <br><br><em>A completely fucked up relationship. Stop thinking about her like that.&nbsp; She's a pay check and nothing more</em>.<br><br>As much as he hated her for being such a smug little bitch, he respected her.&nbsp; She was excellent at what she did, and it was simply luck that he cornered her when he did.&nbsp; She might look perfect all the time, but she can't BE perfect all the time, which was why he knew that inevitably he would get her.&nbsp; He just needed to be patient.&nbsp; He had been patient for three months; being patient for three more days won't kill him.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>10-08-2006, 19:20:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Charlie returned his smile before she could think better of it. It wasn’t a warm smile they shared, but an acknowledgement that they were in a bit of a game, and both enjoying it, despite the serious outcome for each of them. <br><br>But, as she expected, she should have played it different. Her confidence put him back on guard, and as he tilted that gorgeous head of his and spoke quietly and firmly, she inwardly kicked herself. Outwardly she held the smile, and spoke softly and gently. <br><br>“Do you think that is necessary? You already have me cuffed to the headboard, what do you think I am going to do? Turn from Bruce Banner into the Hulk and splinter the wood with my sheer strength? Sorry Tiger...not that much strength in me.”<br><br>Not only did she not want to have any hands free to defend herself, but being laid out with her hands stretched above her head with this animal hovering above her…well, it made her pulse race in a way she wished it didn’t. <br><br>It was her turn to tilt her head as she tried another move. “Unless you are thinking of something else…”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>10-08-2006, 20:25:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He's all business as he stays standing next to her.&nbsp; Hearing her own skewed perspective as to why she'd be completely trouble-free with only one hand bound by the cuffs.&nbsp; He certainly expected her to say such a thing, and would have been surprised had she not.&nbsp; He deflects her futile reasoning in the matter of a eye-blink, and she can see him tense slightly as ig he's about to take the matter into his own hands, and his presence seems to loom that much more overtop of her.<br><br>It's her last response that blindsides him, and he's suddenly flooded with images&nbsp; of her.&nbsp; Her robe undone and tangled around her gloriously naked form with her hands bound abover her head.&nbsp; Her body writhing and twisting in ecstasy with him ontop of her, both of them tangled together as he takes what he wants from her.&nbsp; He's aware of her perfume again, and aware of the fact that her breasts, although covered by the robe are stil exposed enough to reveal their compelling curves.<br><br>He's not sure how long he had frozen at the side of her bed, but he takes a single step back from her, his eyes snapping shut tightly, and then opening them again.&nbsp; His arms folding across his chest as if erecting a barrier between her and him.<br><br><em> Like that will protect you...idiot. You screwed up again.&nbsp; Put her back on the defensive.&nbsp; Attack.<br></em><br><br>Snarling menacingly, his eyes moving to hers and despite the thoughts rampaging about in his head, he forces himself to take a step closer.<br><br>&lt;green&gt; " Put your other arm above your head...or I will." &lt;/green&gt;<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>10-08-2006, 20:49:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She saw it happen, the images flick through his mind. Were they close to hers? She swallowed against them, and tried to shove them away. Charlie tried to stop imagining his hot breath against her neck as he moved his large frame along her body, the front of his strong thighs against her perfect buttocks. Her arms stretched taut above her head, causing her breasts to sit even more firmly atop her ribcage, her erect nipples brushing his chest as he uses her and takes what he wants, giving her what she wants despite his intentions. <br><br>It was when he closed his eyes that she had a chance to recover and take a deep breath. She had wanted him to think those thoughts, and it was painfully clear he was... It was just an unfortunate side effect that she was, but at least she hid it better. And thank god the terry robe hid her once again hardening nipples...<br><br>She he step forward and snarled, she had the presence of mind to follow up her last move with the hopefully killer one she intended. Her mouth dropped open in shock and her eyes widened a little. "Tiger! I merely thought you might be thinking I would try and pick the lock instead of use my strength... not that... well... I'm not sure what to say..." &nbsp;She smiled. "You did buy me dinner first though... I suppose that means something... "<br><br>Charlie braced for the attack to come. He would put her hand above her head, and he probably would not be gentle about it. Or my might grab her throat again... but she was ready.&nbsp; <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>10-08-2006, 21:29:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em> Jesus...this is not going to be easy...or pleasant.&nbsp; I wish I was somewhere else.&nbsp; Like Montana.&nbsp; Big sky...no one around, especially, beautiful know-it-all bitches. </em><br><br>&nbsp;" You might like the rough-stuff, Charlie, but this shit makes me real tired, real fast.&nbsp; You won't like me tired. " <br><br>He lets out a deep sigh as he draws closer to her and he leans over her, pulling out the key to the hand cuffs that is attached to a lanyard around his neck and was previously tucked inside the white dress shirt he's wearing.&nbsp; His one hand clamped firmly around her wrist that has the handcuff around it, and&nbsp; he then leans over further, slipping the key in the lock for the other end of the cuffs and slips it off the head board where he had her bound.&nbsp; Shifting his weight smoothly and letting his weight push her to the bed, resting on the bed on his knees, straddling her at her waist as he tries to think about how to do this smoothly without hurting her.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>10-08-2006, 21:48:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>"...You won't like me tired. "</em><br><br>"I don't like you now."<br><br>There was no sarcasm or smugness to her statement. Just honesty. And the sentance had sprung from her depths before she had a chance to try and word it in a way that might be a dig. It had just come out pure and clean, and exactly as what it was. She didn't like him. She was attracted to him...a fact she despised about herself right now. But like him? Not in the very least bit. Respect, maybe.<br><br><em>"You might like the rough-stuff, Charlie..."</em><br><br>The funny thing was, she didn't normally like the rough stuff. She didn't like the stuff at all. Charlie had been a fake. She had crafted herself as the epitome of sex, and yet...yet she craved no one. Charlie had the urges, healthy urges, but they were never for anyone she had met. When satisfying herself wasn't enough, sometimes she found another woman to satiate the craving, but even that was rare. But this man... maybe it was the nature of their relationship. What she craved from him was his power and his strength, and his roughness...too a point. <br><br>Charlie made a point to keep her body completely relaxed. She wasn't stupide enough to try anything now, and if he felt tensing muscles he might think she was getting ready to make a move. Getting hurt for real was the not something she wanted to happen. It was hard to stay relaxed with him straddling her. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>11-08-2006, 21:00:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>"I don't like you now."<br></em><br><br>She can feel him almost flinch at those words.<br><br><em> Why the fuck should it matter what this bitch thinks of you?&nbsp; You've pulled in worse than her, and they have said worse and done worse to you.&nbsp; Stop fuckin' fallin' in love with the prom queen.&nbsp; So she has great tits and a spectacular ass...and is probably the most beautiful woman you've ever pulled in...the most beautiful woman you've laid eyes on...period.&nbsp; She's a payday and nothing more. <br><br>Straddling her now, he's quite aware of her as she seems to give into his physical presence almost immediately.&nbsp; Her vividly coloured eyes making abdomen tie into a knot, and suddenly he's even more aware of her beautiful face being level with his waist.&nbsp; More thoughts washing through him and he blinks his eyes and lets out a snarl as he grabs her free arm, and in a matter of moments, both her wrists are handcuffed around the headboard of the bed.&nbsp; Her body slightly arched on the soft, expansive mattress of the bed, and only seems to accentuate the swell of her breasts.&nbsp; Looking down at her for only a heartbeat as he straddles her, but it seems more like an eternity to him, before clenching his teeth together, tucking the key back inside his shirt with a low growl and smoothly rolling off of her.<br><br>Silent as he comes to a stop at the edge of the bed and simply sits on it, looking out of the sliding doors into the dark sky, his broad shoulders and back to her as he tries to gather what's left of his senses.&nbsp; <br><br></em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>12-08-2006, 00:37:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As she lay on the bed with him kneeling above her, his thick strong thighs holding her in place, her robe was pulled more open exposing her sternum and the swell of her breasts on either side. Her silky smooth midriff was bare almost to her navel, and she was unable to fix any of it. The opening in her robe formed a V, an arrow, pointing straight to the apex of her thighs. She felt her skin grow warm in the frigid air conditioning. <br><br>Did he tense at her words? No, impossible…why the hell would he care what she thought? But if he did…. No, impossible. Was it? She knew he was attracted to her. But she was attracted to him and she could give a fuck what he thought of her. Right? …Not right. She <i>did</i> care on some level what he thought. <br><br><i>Dammit dammit dammit!!!</i><br><br>This was bad. Charlie had used men and played with their hearts and their needs and their emotions and not given one iota of shit about any of it. Men were the enemy, thanks to one in particular. And this one was the biggest enemy of all, as he would send her back. <br><br>He didn’t care what she though. It was anger…that was it. It was his impatience, and his youth. It was his pride. That’s all it was. She could use it, and use it cruelly if need be. But for now she was silent as he moved to sit at the foot of the bed, his shoulders and back broad and strong under the fabric of his dress shirt. <br><br>For an instant she felt compassion for him. He seemed so tired and haggard. But it was only an instant as she remembered exactly who he was and what she was too him. She was just dollar signs. She was pay day. Cargo. Meat. A package. She was nothing to him. Charlie didn’t like being nothing. <br><br>“Fucking brute.” It was said quietly but bitingly. She wanted him angry and seething and threatening to hurt her. That was easiest to deal with, easiest to hate. Charlie needed to hate him right now. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>16-08-2006, 21:28:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				And once again her scathing retort somehow threads it's way inside of him and jabs at something sensitive inside of his head.&nbsp; The name she calls him makes something inside of him snap, and it's almost as if a curtain of red has slipped down over his eyes and she can see the sudden change.&nbsp; No longer slumped...deflated, she can feel the change as readily as she can see it and in half a heartbeat he's on top of her, his chest pressing ontop of hers; his hands planted on either side of her head with his breath dancing like fire across her throat as he growls harshly.<br><br>&nbsp;" I <strong>hate</strong> you Charlie.&nbsp; I hate you..." <br><br><em> And I do...she's poison.&nbsp; She's toxic.&nbsp; She deserves everything she gets.&nbsp; All you need to know is the way she has acted so far, what I've seen over the last three months. </em><br><br>His weight pressing hers down into the soft mattress, heedless of the fact that her arms are handcuffed above her head, and suddenly he's aware of her once again.&nbsp; The warmth of her.&nbsp; The scent of her.&nbsp; The expanse of flesh that has been revealed at the top of her robe, with the powerfully feminine swell of her breasts being revealed that much more.&nbsp; Her slender throat...finding himself lost in her for a moment, and his snarling ends for a moment as his head instinctively dips closer to her, his nose brushing lightly against the side of her neck in an awkward, tentative exploration of her flawless skin.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>17-08-2006, 02:39:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Charlie expected a reaction, but thought it would come in the form of another punch to the wall, something thrown, or maybe even a slap. But the sudden movement of him striking over her like a rattlesnake made her gasp in astonishment, and the sudden weight of his body on hers forced the air out just as quickly in a sharp bursting exhale, emptying her lungs, leaving her only able to take short shallow breaths. <br><br>His hands on either side of his head, his chest to hers, she was caged by him. Her hands tightened around the cuffs as the contact pressed his chest to her breasts, crushing the flesh between them. And his scorching breath across her throat…waves of heat that fanned a forbidden fire deep within her. <br><br><i>" I hate you Charlie.&nbsp; I hate you..."</i><br><br>It was her turn to flinch. She didn’t care, she didn’t. Isn’t this what she wanted? She wanted to hate him, if he hated her, didn’t it make it that much easier?<br><br>She could smell him all over her, riding on the air she managed to intake, infecting her from within. He was marking her with his scent whether he intended to or not. And then…then the gentle searing touch to her creamy skin of her throat. <br><br>Her eyes closed, and she grimaced. Taken in any other context, the expression could be one of pain. And in a sense it was pain. The delicate tickle of his masculine nose whispering across her was painful in its intensity, and the realization of what it did to her. <br>She turned her head away from him, unwittingly giving him clearer access to the long graceful expanse of her skin. Charlie continued to drag in soft shallow breaths, her chest pressing even more firmly to his with each one. <br><br>Sensory overload made her drunk. She was lightheaded and shaky with the feelings running through her, and she responded without thought, harshly breathing a response. <br><br>“Prove it…”<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>17-08-2006, 22:39:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em> Prove it...</em><br><br><br>Was what she said, and once it again it slid the knife edge deeper inside of him, and twisted it.&nbsp; He was blind with anger, tension and desire.&nbsp; She was the source of it all.&nbsp; He could quell all of it if he only took a moment to give into what he felt, what he craved.<br><br>A thought fleetingly dances through the haze in his head that she seems to want it as badly as he wants it, but the realization is little more than a pretty snowflake that is destroyed in half a heartbeat as it meets the heat of his anger.&nbsp; She can feel his hands grabbing either side of the loosely tied robe and with a slight tearing sound of the tie being strained against the loops she feels the dry, cool air of the air conditioned room against her naked body once more.<br><br>Her body bound, still wearing the torn open robe and lying in it's tatters, and as quickly as it was torn open, revealing her, the weight of him; the heat of him was gone.&nbsp; Her eyes opening to see him towering above her once more as he stood at the edge of the bed.&nbsp; His eyes not meeting hers but simply roaming her body, bound and revealed on the bed.&nbsp; His eyes traveling the same path that his thoughts lead his hands and his mouth, his desire for her made evident by the lbulge inside his jeans, and he seems completely heedless of it, absorbed by Charlie's nudity once again.<br><br>Silent for a few moments that seem to stretch on into eternity, and then she hears a sound slipping out of him.&nbsp; Part growl, and part whimper, and he turns from her and heads into the washroom, not bothering to close the door.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>19-08-2006, 21:57:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Charlie had never been self conscious or ashamed of her body…until now. She watched him as he scanned every visible inch of her perfect skin. Watched as he would be able to see the slight pink in her flesh from the way her pulse had quickened. Watched as he would be able to see the points at the end of the swells of her breasts. Watched as he would be able to see her press her legs together, trying to hide the evidence of her arousal. She was naked to him, in every sense of the word. <br><br>She watched the bulge in his jeans, and felt her throat tighten. She was consumed with images and imagined feelings of him on top of her again, grinding that bulge against her sex while he kissed her hard, his stubble scraping her face, his weight pressing her to the bed, his heat warming her skin. And she could still smell the clean male scent of him. The subtle musk and soap and cologne, stirred together by the warmth of his body. Her mouth watered as she could almost taste the salt that would be on his skin. <br><br>It was his noise that snapped her out of the spell his gaze had put her under. The frustrated grunt he gave before leaving her for the washroom. <br><br>Charlie closed her eyes in both shame and relief. How could she want that vile excuse for a man. All he wanted was to treat her as a commodity. But he had surprised her…he had not given in to his desires. He was in far more control of himself than she had given him credit for. Which made matters worse. She was looking for reasons to despise him, not respect him. <br><br>What ever the case, for the first time in a very long time, she wanted her body covered, hidden. But her hands were restrained. She tigheted her grip on the handcuffs and rolled over onto her stomach. The upper half of the robe rolled with her, covering her upper back. But to her dismay, the robe twisted, and her lower back, buttocks, and legs remained visible. She pulled herself to kneeling and tried to maneuver it back somewhat into place by rolling her shoulders. <br><br>Eventually she got it to a point where she was mostly covered. Charlie sat at the head of the bed, her body sideways against the headboard, facing away from the bathroom as much as possible. She curled into a ball as much as she could, and tried to hide her flesh. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>20-08-2006, 18:08:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Seething, blind with need, confused, scared...all of it tangling inside of him and making him feel claustrophobic.&nbsp; With the door open, he could still watch her, but at the moment he'd rather stab out his own eyes than watch her, look at her.&nbsp; Her lips, her skin, her eyes...all of her.&nbsp; She was inside him; like a disease.&nbsp; <br><br>Reaching into the shower and turning it on.&nbsp; Water jetting out of both heads in the shower and in a matter of moments, his dress shirt and jeans are off, and laying in a pile on the floor.&nbsp; Wearing only his boxer-briefs, he looks down with disdain at the tented fabric that barely conceals his throbbing response to Charlie.<br><br>Leaning his head up against the outside wall of the shower and letting out a deep breath that slowly turns into a plaintive growl, the only sign of the battle being fought inside of him.&nbsp; His hand reaching into the shower once more, turning the temperature from cold, to hot, and steam immediately begins to roll out of the shower.&nbsp; Closing his eyes as he leats out another deep breath, sliding down his underwear and stepping into the embrace of the shower.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>21-08-2006, 17:28:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The sounds of the water reached her ears, and closed her emerald eyes in relief, her body deflating and relaxing for the first time in many tense moments. She would be free from his presence for at least a short amount of time. Her forehead came to rest on the cool headboard as she half crouched, half lay next to it. God she was in trouble. <br><br>Oh how she could use a shower. A hot shower, like he was taking. She could feel the steam in the room as the hot water hit the frigid air conditioning. The steam rode on the air and into her lungs as she breathed it. Charlie wanted to be able to immerse herself in scalding water and scrub him away like the dirt he was. She would rub her skin raw if need be…bleed him away if that was the only course that would cleanse her of him. <br><br><i>Get thinking…get out of this…do what you need to do…</i> But she couldn’t think. She felt drained and shaky. Charlie needed her wits, she needed to get away from this man as quickly as she could, and it had nothing to do with the bounty. It was him. Even now her thought tried to wander towards the image of him in the shower, wet, glistening, looking down at her with those intense eyes. She tried not to imagine being pushed up against the tile, her legs hooked over his elbows as he pressed his palms against the tile on either side of her… <br><br>Her eyes snapped open and she stared intently at the painting on the wall, consciously following the lines of it, distracting herself. First possible chance, she would do something to get free. Free of him. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>22-08-2006, 22:11:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The water thundering out of both heads pounded away at his tense muscles as he leaned up against one of the walls.&nbsp; His palms resting against the wall, with one of the hot streams of water striking the back of his neck and he tried to get thoughts of Charlie out of his head.&nbsp; Water trickling down his naked body as he simply stood there, silent; waging war with what was going on inside of him and wishing that the twin streams would simply wash him down the drain.<br><br>Looking down at the throbbing length jutting outward away from him like it was a friend that had betrayed him.&nbsp; It's not like he's never been around women before.&nbsp; It's not like he's never seen a naked woman before.&nbsp; Charlie was different.&nbsp; Charlie was wildly different, and she made him feel things that he wasn't used to.<br><br>It wasn't that he wanted to fuck her.&nbsp; He wanted to consume her.&nbsp; He wanted her moaning and gasping.&nbsp; Completely unleashed and unbridled.&nbsp; As desperate for him as he was for her.&nbsp; He wanted to explore her breathtaking beauty...worship her...use her...in everyway he could imagine.<br><br>All of it was so irritating.&nbsp; The more he knew that he should just call in and get someone else to swap him out, the more he wanted to touch her...taste her.&nbsp; Disappointed in himself about the moment where he had leaned down to kiss her.&nbsp; Thank god he was so consumed with desire that his nose bumped against her neck first and broke him from the spell she put him under.<br><br>"....Charlie..."<br><br>He whispered quietly, like a desperate prayer, and he didn't know when it had happened but his forearm was now pressed up against the wall, his head resting on it, dizzy from desire and stress while his other hand firmly gripped the base of his thick erection.<br><br>With the water streaming off of his slick, naked form, and steam coiling about him the same way he wished Charlie was tangled with him, his hand began to move, his lust taking him over the edge of control and giving into the fire that Charlie had created inside of him.&nbsp; Forgetting about everything for the moment except the images of her in his head and the aching, tingling sensations that are spreading outward from his lower abdomen and making himself throb and flex that much more hungrily in his hand.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>22-08-2006, 23:46:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Her silken coppery hair hung in her face, hiding it from the accusing world around her. She pulled her forehead an inch from the headboard and then slammed it softly back against it. Again she repeated this action. And then again as she pounded her head softly against the headboard. After a moment she let it come to rest again, and exhaled softly in irritation. <br><br>He was inside of her, crawling through her skin, invading her thoughts. She couldn’t shake him, couldn’t rid herself of the feeling of him on top of her. Heavy, hot, breathing against her neck. The flash in his brilliant blue eyes, the contrast of his eyes with his dark hair… the breadth of his shoulders, the height of his form, the graceful power behind his movements. It’s almost cliché, but he moves like a predatory cat… a lion or a panther. And his eyes follow her like the predator would it’s prey, hungry and wanting, but full of disdain. <br><br>Charlie opened her eyes and looked to the ceiling, as if imploring her maker for some bit of a break, some chance to escape him. But even if she could slip out of the room she would never be free of the feel of his large hand brushing the front of her silky thong that barely hid her bare lips. And the feel of his strong hand gripping her wrist as he pulled her through the lobby. And the growl of his voice as he displayed his bravado. He would haunt her. <br><br>But no matter what infection was ruining her, she had practical concerns. She had to get away from him… if he only knew where he was taking her. But she would never tell him, and didn’t want him to know. The fact she came from there at all filled her with burning shame. Shame she could normally lock away in a deep dark closet at the far end of her mind, but suddenly had busted the door down, and was screaming through her psyche. <br><br>Charlie dropped her head forward again, a vice in her chest. She scrunched her eyes closed tight against the scorching tears building in them. She could not cry…she wasn’t allowed to cry. <br><br>But cry she did. Silent tears trickled from the corners of her eyes, leaving trails of black mascara across the curves of her cheeks, and down her jaw. Everything was just so hard to cope with at this moment, she had been tossed into an ocean of emotion and the churning waves kept her from knowing what end was up. She was choking and drowning, and her only release was tears. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>24-08-2006, 21:44:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Consumed for the moment by the intense, conflicting emotions coursing through him, and all he can think about is how good she smells, and what he hungers to do to her...do for her.<br><br>His hand continues to move in rhythm with the throbbing in his head, and the hammering of his heart.&nbsp; His hips moving slowly; uncontrollably as the water cascades down his body.&nbsp; Ridding himself of the torment that she has planted inside of him, even as thoughts of her wrapped around him, writhing and gasping pound away at his head and heart.<br><br>Low, dark snarls escaping his lips as he continues to drag himself over the edge of abandon with his hand as it moves faster and faster.&nbsp; His shoulders tensing, his head thrown back as the building ball of aching heat explodes inside of him.&nbsp; water spraying from him as he spasms inside his hand and he paints the tiles with his molten seed.<br><br>His hand slowing down as he tries to get control of his breathing.&nbsp; His teeth chattering from the release of pent up emotions, and even then, it was barely satsifying seeing that he needed to keep quiet.&nbsp; Feeling like an idiot...a weakling.&nbsp; No doubt she wanted him to fall this far...this hard.&nbsp; No doubt she does shit like this all the time.<br><br>It's the irritation washing through him that lifts him up and he begins to quickly soap himself up and let the water wash away the sweat and the stress of the day.&nbsp; Having spent too much time in the shower already he steps out of it; taking a moment to wrap a towel around his hips and tying it off.<br><br>Not bothering to towel dry for the moment as he walks out of the bathroom wearing only a towel.&nbsp; Despite the fact that he's half naked, after the moment he had in the shower to cut the tension, he's feeling like he has his wits about him once more....right up until he sees Charlie, balled up on the bed.&nbsp; Her arms and wrists twisted as he can see the black tears ruining her mascara and leaving streaks down her flawless cheeks.<br><br>Frowning in concern as he moves without thinking and sits down on the bed next to her, reaching out with one hand and grabbing her shoulder as he speaks.<br><br>"Charlie?&nbsp; Did you hurt yourself?"<br><br>His tone is low, almost quiet as he asks.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>25-08-2006, 08:19:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				And just when she thought she knew what to expect from him he pushed her off the lip of an unseen pit. The blackness was oppressing and she couldn’t see the bottom, she was falling blind. There was no way this man, this bounty hunter, had a comforting hand on her shoulder. There was no way this man, this one who treated humans as stray dogs, had a soft tone. It was a doppelganger, an evil twin, a pod person. It had to be. But she didn’t want it to be. She didn’t want it to be anyone right now. She was an open wound, smarting and stinging, and his concern was salt. <br><br>She closed her eyes again, resting her face on her upper arm, hiding from him. Charlie had an image, a visage, and she needed it now. She needed the concrete wall of her confidence and her sexuality. She needed it so he would go away and leave her be and not make her feel and live and be awake. Charlie wanted the numbness back. She wanted the half asleep state that she drifted through life in to make itself known once more. <br><br>But he had awakened her. The fact that he was there to take her back to that place brought the memories out of hiding. The images and sounds taunted at her and poked at her from every direction. But worse, his…whatever it was about him…brought out feelings of desire that she didn’t want to face and recognize. Sex, or the promise of it, was a tool. A means to an end. It was worthless and meaningless and nothing more than a way to use someone. It was never supposed to feel like this. She was never supposed to feel like this. <br><br>“No.”<br><br>It was all she could answer, the one word a whisper into her robe covered arm. <br><br>Even with her face hidden she could see him, he was burned on her eyelids like a photograph negative. She could smell the soap from his shower, could smell he was still wet. And she could feel his hand on her shoulder. Not rough and harsh. Not dragging her around like luggage. But...not exactly gentle either. His touch and his voice were still commanding, but they weren’t cruel. <br><br>Charlie took a deep breath and reached out with mental fingers to grasp at the tendrils of her composure. It was wisping away like smoke, and her attempts at reining it in were as futile as if she had tried to grab real smoke with her flesh and blood fingers. But she had to try. This man had had her for just a few hours, and already she was losing it. It was unlike her. It was unlike what she wanted to be. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>25-08-2006, 17:35:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Her muffled, "No" almost makes him smile out of fondness before he realizes how much of an naieve idiot he's being.&nbsp; Despite the fact that only a few moments before, he was snarling at her; telling her he hated her, he can't help but feel something wrench inside of him when he sees her tear-stained face and the fact that she seems smaller now.&nbsp; More helpless.&nbsp; Not the naked, defiant woman in the washroom but now, just a pretty thing that is about as lost as a pretty thing can become.<br><br><em> No sense in being a complete dick to her.&nbsp; But why not?&nbsp; Who cares?&nbsp; In three more days you'll never see her again, and she hates you.&nbsp; You heard her, you've seen her. </em><br><br>Frowning at the thoughts in his head.&nbsp; Frowning at what he feels inside, and especially frowning at one he does next.&nbsp; She can feel his hand leave her shoulder and he reaches out with the key on the chain around his neck.&nbsp; Releasing one of the cuffs and then smoothly snapping it around his own wrist again.<br><br>His voice still more quiet than it normally has been, but she can still hear the warning at the edge of his voice as he speaks.<br><br>" Don't make me regret this, Charlie..."<br><br>Feeling his hand under her elbow and lifting up, wanting to make her stand.<br><br>" You can have a shower, and clean up. "
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>26-08-2006, 10:10:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Resolve. Strength. Stubbornness. Resoluteness. Determination. Tenacity. <br><br>At the feel of the cuff releasing and then the sound of it latching again around his larger wrist, Charlie searched every fiber of her being for any trace of any of the traits she had prided herself on for so long, the ones that had allowed her to survive. They had to be there somewhere, they had not left her, they were simply smothered by the explosion of her other weaker traits. <br><br><i>" Don't make me regret this, Charlie..."</i><br><br>It was this line that first pointed her in the direction of where her stronger traits lay hidden. <i>Make him regret it</i>… like he was doing her some sort of favor by cuffing her to him instead of the bed. And the edge in his voice. He was not as…vile, but there was still and edge to his voice. She felt her defensiveness flare, but was still somewhat shaken by the unexpected encounter with him on the bed, and her even more unexpected reaction. For the moment she kept silent. <br><br>Still with her face hidden, Charlie took a deep breath and let it out slowly, with a long slow count to ten. With each count she attempted to put humpty dumpty back together again and be at least a shadow of what she was before he had gotten inside of her. It was difficult, and built on an unsteady foundation, but when she felt his hand on her elbow, she was able to raise her face, feeling as if her mask was in place. She might have been convincing if not for the mascara cracks in her armor. <br><br><i>" You can have a shower, and clean up. "</i><br><br>Charlie slid her long legs off of the side of the bed and stood, holding the robe closed in front of her with her free hand. Another hint that she wasn’t the confident, almost arrogant, woman that had entered the room. Fully armored Charlie would never have needed to hide herself. But right now her nudity was her soft underbelly. Hopefully he would let her shower in private. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>28-08-2006, 20:20:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em> You're in uncharted waters man.&nbsp; Who gives a shit if she's crying? </em><br><br>The wariness he feels is clearly shown on his face as he watches her long legs swing to the side, and they both stand up.&nbsp; Leading her into the bathroom, he tries to black out the image in his head of her standing at the other side of the bathroom, undressing and standing naked, and imperious only&nbsp; a few hours before.<br><br>Still wearing only the towel, he seems to have forgotten about it as he leans into the shower and turns it on, both heads launching out water and steam as he looks to her in her robe.&nbsp; Realizing that she won't be able to get the robe off if she's cuffed.<br><br><em> She's just a girl.&nbsp; An upset, entirely-fuckable, but physically incapable girl. </em><br><br>Giving her a somewhat dubious look he uses the key around his neck and releases the cuff on her wrist so that only he's wearing the cuffs now.&nbsp; Moving behind her, she feels his hand at the back of her robe and he pulls it downward and off her shoulders.&nbsp; His head turned as the though of seeing her naked again...in a towel...well...that would be more revealing than he'd care for her to know, and his hand finds her bare upper back and lightly shoves her into the steaming shower.<br><br>Forgetting that when he stopped his shower, he left the soap on the counter and not in the shower, and he slides the door shut, still able to see her pebbled, naked silhouette through the glass.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>30-08-2006, 23:01:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The door provided a little privacy, just enough to hide the details of her shaken resolve. She took a deep breath and built herself up a little more, turning her back to him, letting the water hit her from both sides. The water running over her did much to calm and soothe her, to wash away the unsettled and restless feeling he gave her. She just needed to get ahold of herself. <br><br>She needed to forget he was behind her. That his power was just on the other side of the door. That his animal magnetism was breathing in her ear even through the glass. She needed to forget how strong his hands were, and how his body felt on top of her. She needed to forget the glimpse of him in just a towel, the sight of his skin and his broad shoulders. She needed to forget the hair on his navel that dipped to beneath the towel. <br><br>She needed to remember he traded humans for cash, much like the man she was running from. She needed to remember she was nothing but chattel, nothing but a paycheck. A paycheck with a nice ass. This man cared nothing for her beyond the money he would use to buy more expensive dress shirts and pay for more nice hotels. She needed to remember that yes, she was the one with the warrants, albeit undeserved, but he was the scum. She was better than him, and she knew it, and that was all that mattered. <br><br>Another deep breath and she turned to face one of the showerheads, knowing he could see her profile fairly clearly. He would be able to see the color of her nipples, but not their definition, and that was good enough for her. She stuck her face under the warm water, letting it gently beat on her skin. Another step forward and the water was pounding on her head, wetting her hair completely. She turned and brushed water from her eyes, and grabbed the small bottle of shampoo. She poured some in her palm and washed away her makeup and the product in her hair that kept the curls at bay. A bit of the shampoo got in her eye, burning and making it tear. Quickly she washed it out, wishing he could feel the burn, and was in some sort of pain for what he was doing to her. <br><br>Her hair clean, she looked for the soap, then remembered seeing it on the counter. That would mean she would have to ask him, the door would have to open. An idea started to form in her mind. Maybe… maybe she could have a small chance. He had been very careful to keep her away from anything that looked like a weapon. But she didn’t really need a weapon, she just needed distraction. Like burning and painful eyes. <br><br>Charlie turned her back again, taking the small complimentary bottle of shampoo in her hand. It was only about half full. She filled it almost full with water, and then shook gently. It was now much more watery, easy to throw, but thick enough it might stick. She turned back to the door, her heart pounding in her chest in anticipation and adrenalin. She kept her voice calm, but with the edge it had had when they had first encountered each other. <br><br>“I need soap.”<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>31-08-2006, 16:22:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em> ...and I need to get the fuck out of here.&nbsp; I need to get rid of this woman before I get pulled in, even further. </em><br><br>Giving the slightly distorted image behind the pebbled glass a wary look and feeling that familiar, hungry surge again he grabs the small, wrapped bar from the sink, giving her a fresh one instead of the unwrapped one he had already used, and without looking, or without thinking, he reaches into the shower with the hand that has the hand cuffs attached to them.&nbsp; The bar of soap resting on his open palm, all while thoughts of just how good it would feel to have her slick, naked body against his fingertips.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>01-09-2006, 01:51:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Charlie’s emerald eyes spied his hand, or more importantly, the dangling cuff. Her heart leapt to her throat, and then settled back down into a spastic patter. She knew she had one chance at this. With a burst of speed she grabbed the open cuff with her right hand, clamping it around the safety handled on the shower door, and at the same time threw her full left palm towards his face. <br><br>She wasted no time. She did not stop to check and see if the shampoo got in his eyes, but dove for the floor. He would probably be reaching high for her, maybe for her hair. Her limbs scrambling, she pushed herself forward, past his grasp, and reached back only for her handbag and clothing. Once she had them, she was off, bolting out of the bathroom as fast as her toned legs could propel her. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>04-09-2006, 19:03:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Naked and glistening, Charlie stumbles out of the hotel room and into the hall.&nbsp; She can hear her captor pulling ferociously at the handcuffs and the handrail that she had cuffed him at even as the shampoo burns at his eyes and he struggles to rinse it out.&nbsp; It's a single&nbsp; loud snarl of rage that she hears that spurs her into running down the hall as she picks herself off the floor of the hall.<br><br><strong>"Charlieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"</strong><br><br>She can hear him yell in frustration and pain as she stumbles off down the hall.&nbsp; Sending a look back over he shoulder as the need to flee drives her onward and she runs into something.&nbsp; Her head bouncing off something unyielding and she finds herself knocked backwards and landing on her naked behind as she tries to shake the haze out of her head even as she hears a voice...a familiar one.<br><br>" Aw.&nbsp; It looks like our little bird sprung another cage. "<br><br>The voice brings back a deluge of memories and emotions as she looks up and sees two men in expensive suits towering over her.&nbsp; The one she remembers is bald, with impeccably groomed, and elaborate facial hair that she knows he spends far too much time fussing over.&nbsp; The second man she doesn't recognize but she can feel his eyes moving over her naked body and he grins like a predator at her.<br><br>"No wonder the boss wants her so bad.&nbsp; I'd a even paid straight up for her, but I s'pose letting the idiots do the ground work of findin' her made it easier...and cheaper."<br><br>Instinctively Charlie clambers backwards away from the two.&nbsp; Looking the opposite way down the hall and spotting another man in a suit, pulling a handgun out of his suit and heading into the room where she left her previous captor handcuffed in the shower, and the bald man reaches out and tangles a fist in her wet hair.<br><br>Dragging her up to her knees and then resolutely dragging her down the hall back towards the room she had been running from previously.<br><br>"You're goin' nowhere bitch..."<br><br>Snarls the bald man as she finds herself dragged back into the room with the three men, and the bounty hunter.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>04-09-2006, 23:57:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Charlie kept herself in impeccable physical condition, but she was pushing so hard with her legs to get away she could already feel the muscles straining. The growl of her name sent a chill through her, and she knew that once he got the key from around his neck he would be after her with a vengeance. <br><br>She could scarcely believe it had worked. Charlie had always been the type to seize an opportunity, but the man was good. Beyond good. The fact there had been an opportunity at all was a miracle. Let alone that she had succeeded in making it work to her advantage. <br><br>As she ran she looked behind her, expecting at any minute to see him tearing out the door and after her. She clutched her clothes tightly, and her handbag was wrapped around her wrist. As soon as possible she would find a corner to duck into to don her clothing.<br><br>Charlie was about ready to turn her head forward again when she collided with something hard and solid and warm. Her body bounced backwards, and she landed on her rump, sliding a little, her skin burning on the carpet. Her eyes widened when she heard the unforgettable voice. Fear and icy panic settled in her belly. She was momentarily frozen. Surely Davis hadn’t been sent. As she turned her head she saw the bald man, and her jaw dropped open. It was Davis. <br><br>Davis was Quentin’s right hand man, and she had seen far more of Davis than she had ever wished to. Quentin had kept Charlie by his side since she was eighteen and he first pulled her off the street, up until the time she had fled. She and Quentin had been together over fifteen years before she finally broke free, and she knew Davis had been his lackey for years beyond that. <br><br>Quentin. The memories of the man she was running from brought up a strange mixture of feelings. On one hand, he had given her what most girls dreamed of, money, clothes, jewelry, and a huge house to live in. And in a strange way, she had loved him a little. He had protected her and paid attention to her. But Charlie knew the situation for what it had really been…a prison, and Quentin had been her warden. And the things he had given her, and the other girls, did not come without a price. Charlie had paid that price over and over during her ‘stay’. <br><br>At least she had been the lucky one. Quentin had chosen her for his own. It had been painful to train new girls, knowing where their fate lie, and in the middle of the night she would cry quietly at the fate that lay in front of them. Her defense against the pain had been to build a wall between her and the other girls in the house. They came and went, and becoming friends with them was not an option. As they were sold away she didn’t want to feel the heartbreak and the guilt of losing them. <br><br>It was the gaze of the second man than spurred her body into action again. She scrambled backwards a few feet and then quickly turned to try and run. But the sight of the man with the gun made her jolt and it was enough time for Davis to grab her by the hair and drag her to her feet. <br><br>She kept silent, but inside was screaming in panic. Quentin would kill her for everything she had done. For the money she had stolen, for the plans she had ruined, but mostly for the way she had lied to him, and shared his bed and made him think she loved him. He would kill her for defying him. No one defied Quentin. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>05-09-2006, 01:29:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Charlie is dragged in by her hair and thrown on the large bed while she looks and spots her previous captor being dragged out ofthe bathroom by the third guy that came with the first two.&nbsp; His eyes are an upleasant shade of red from the shampoo being thrown in them, one of his wrists is trickling blood and the handcuffs are on him now with his hands cuffed behind his back.&nbsp; There's an angry, bloody welt on his forehead right at the hairline where it looks like he was pistol-whipped and his unconscious form is dropped on the floor beside the bed.<br><br>"The fucker is heavy...and strong.&nbsp; We should just kill 'im now."<br><br>Davis closes the door to the room calmly and sends a look to the guy doing the complaining. He seems unconcerned with Charlie or the bounty hunter, while the other guy with him seems quite interested in Charlie's naked curves, and Davis speaks while he checks himself out in the mirror, his fingers picking at some invisible flaw with his facial hair.<br><br>"We don't do anything until we know <strong>everything</strong> about this situation, and then we lose the dupe, and take our dear, Charlie home to Quentin.&nbsp; He has an elaborate homecoming planned.&nbsp; Seems like Charlie's been busy."<br><br>His attention drifting to the bounty hunter's clothing on the floor and seems amused by the fact that he's in a towel.<br><br>"Only a few hours Charlie, and you already have him naked?&nbsp; Did you atleast give him a taste before you betrayed him?&nbsp; See...the very best thing about this?&nbsp; It's not about what Quentin's going to do to you when I take you back.&nbsp; Although it's a close second.&nbsp; You see...I'm gonna get to do what I've always wanted to do since I first saw your fine ass.&nbsp; Rufus, Albert and I are going to rape you...all night.&nbsp; Maybe I'll even let your new boyfriend have a go before we put a bullet in his head.&nbsp; So we all know what you are...you can make it a fight, or not, but you and I both know what I like.&nbsp; So...get on your hands and knees."<br><br>Looking towards the guy that just dropped the bounty hunter on the floor.&nbsp; <br><br>"Albert, check his stuff...I want some answers for Quentin when we get back."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>07-09-2006, 17:30:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Charlie’s hand held the wrist gripping her hair as she was unceremoniously drug down the hall by Davis and back into the bounty hunter’s hotel room. She landed with a soft thump on the bed where she was tossed, and as she scurried to shrink into a corner of it, she saw them dragging him from the bathroom. <br><br>For a moment she felt guilty, the feeling washing over her in a chilling wave. His eyes were red, but more importantly, they had hurt him, and he was now cuffed. Which led to the next feeling, confusion. Why treat him this way? They had hired him, hadn’t they? Why not just claim her and take her away, why beat him? <br><br>Feeling the eyes still roving her body, Charlie pulled a sheet up around her wet naked body. She had a very heavy feeling in her stomach, something was extremely not right. Her eyes watched Davis as he predictably tended to his beard and spoke. Dupe? What dupe?<br><br><i>"Only a few hours Charlie, and you already have him naked?&nbsp; Did you atleast give him a taste before you betrayed him?&nbsp; See...the very best thing about this?&nbsp; It's not about what Quentin's going to do to you when I take you back.&nbsp; Although it's a close second.&nbsp; You see...I'm gonna get to do what I've always wanted to do since I first saw your fine ass.&nbsp; Rufus, Albert and I are going to rape you...all night.&nbsp; Maybe I'll even let your new boyfriend have a go before we put a bullet in his head.&nbsp; So we all know what you are...you can make it a fight, or not, but you and I both know what I like.&nbsp; So...get on your hands and knees."</i><br><br>As he continued his speech, she first was washed in pink, embarrassed by the assumption she had screwed the man they had dropped on the floor. But as Davis went on, she grew pale, and grew paler with each word. By the end of it, she was as white as the sheet she hid under. <br><br>“Davis…” Her voice was small and weak. Suddenly she was again the young woman that had been trapped in that house, and not the savvy one that had been on the run. She trembled under the sheet, his words having frozen her blood in her veins. She knew Davis…and he did not make idle threats. <br><br>Even in her panicky terror of the promise he made of raping her all night; she tried to think of some way out. Her eyes darted around the room to the different men scattered around it. Strangely, the one on the floor, the one who just a few minutes ago had been her adversary, was now in it with her. As much as she had despised what he was doing for a living, she did not want him dead.<br><br>Her eyes finally settled on Davis again. She hadn’t followed his orders, and at any moment expected his fury. She took a deep breath and tried to swallow past the lump of fright that was making it hard to breathe. Charlie held her voice a little steadier this time. “Davis…let me talk to Quentin, please? Surely he doesn’t want you to…do what you want to do…” She couldn’t even say the word ‘rape’. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>09-09-2006, 03:37:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Davis gives Charlie a supremely confident sneer at her response.<br><br>“ Charlie…baby.&nbsp; Talking to Quentin…that&nbsp; ship has sailed.&nbsp; The next time you see Quentin, you will be answering his questions.&nbsp; You sure as hell won’t be having a conversation with him.&nbsp; Furthermore, the chance to have Quentin believe you has long since passed. “<br><br>Crouching down and grabbing the bounty hunter’s jeans and pulls out his wallet and then stands once more as he flips through it.<br><br>“In fact…when I tell Quentin that it was the recently missing slash possibly deceased Adam Masterson who took a number of gruesome liberties with you.&nbsp; Quentin will believe me, simply because it’s easier that way.&nbsp; You’re nothing Charlie, and for the next few hours you will be precisely what you were born to be and trained to do.&nbsp; No need to hide beneath the covers like a school girl.” <br><br>Slipping Adam’s wallet into the breast pocket of his jacket he motions with his chin towards Charlie.<br><br>“ Hands and knees Charlie.&nbsp; You know what I’m capable of.&nbsp; Personally I prefer it if you force me to take it from you, but for the moment, I want the boys here to see how special you are.”<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>15-09-2006, 22:12:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				His voice chilled her, crept through her veins like an infestation of ice, freezing all in it’s wake. Charlie had been scared before, she'd had moments of fear so strong she had tasted bile in her throat, her eyes tearing from the acid burn. But nothing compared to the terror that invaded each cell of her body at this moment. Her heart stopped for a second, and then began a forceful pounding. Surely the sound filled the room, reminiscent of Poe. <br><br>Her eyes darted around the room, looking for some savior, a savior that was not top be found. She'd not had a savior for years, she had been her own protector and confidant, but now she could really use one. But true to the solitary life she had created, she was alone.<br><br>Charlie&nbsp; started to tremble, her hands clearly bearing evidence to her fright as much as the wide-eyed and alarmed expression on her fine features. Her full lips parted again and her chest lurched in a small desperate gasp. <br><br>“Don’t do this…please…” <br><br>Her voice sounded small, young...much like it had when Quentin had first found her. She felt much like that girl again, though at the time Quentin had been, in a sick sort of way, a rescuer in his own right. Though she had not known it at the time, she was just moving from one hell to another, just with a more well disguised devil. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>16-09-2006, 00:53:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=6532.msg248725#msg248725">Quote from: Lyria on 15-09-2006, 22:12:15</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">His voice chilled her, crept through her veins like an infestation of ice, freezing all in it’s wake. Charlie had been scared before, she'd had moments of fear so strong she had tasted bile in her throat, her eyes tearing from the acid burn. But nothing compared to the terror that invaded each cell of her body at this moment. Her heart stopped for a second, and then began a forceful pounding. Surely the sound filled the room, reminiscent of Poe. <br><br>Her eyes darted around the room, looking for some savior, a savior that was not top be found. She'd not had a savior for years, she had been her own protector and confidant, but now she could really use one. But true to the solitary life she had created, she was alone. Except for Adam...his name was Adam. And they were going to kill him. <br><br>Charlie&nbsp; started to tremble, her hands clearly bearing evidence to her fright as much as the wide-eyed and alarmed expression on her fine features. Her full lips parted again and her chest lurched in a small desperate gasp. <br><br>“Don’t do this…please…” <br><br>Her voice sounded small, young...much like it had when Quentin had first found her. She felt much like that girl again, though at the time Quentin had been, in a sick sort of way, a rescuer in his own right. Though she had not known it at the time, she was just moving from one hell to another, just with a more well disguised devil. <br><br>It was not clear, even to her, if she was begging them to not hurt her...or Adam. <br><br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>17-09-2006, 03:13:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Davis simply shakes his head in disappointment as he listens to Charlie's response and reaching inside his jacket pocket for a moment he retracts his hand and held within it is a ball-gag.&nbsp; He tosses the device to the man standing by Adam as well as the foot of the bed with the man catching it in mid-air.<br><br>Davis turns to look at Charlie once more as she cowers beneath the bedsheets.&nbsp; His tone rings of mock disappointment as he gives her an oily smile.<br><br>"Ever the girl that makes the wrong choice.&nbsp; Thank you Charlie, I was <strong>so</strong> hoping you would disobey.&nbsp; In fact I..." <br><br>His speech is cut short as there is a knocking on the door, and a muffled voice is heard.<br><br>"Mr. Masterson?&nbsp; It was reported that there was some noise up here?&nbsp; It's hotel security and we're wondering if we can come in and speak with you?"<br><br>Davis' attention lingers on the door for a moment, and then looks back to Charlie as his eyes narrow in an almost reptillian fashion.&nbsp; His voice dropping to a menacing tone just slightly louder than a whisper.<br><br>" You make a sound...a single sound and I'll kill the security guard, right here infront of you.&nbsp; Don't put that on your conscience ontop of all the other pathetic things you have done."<br><br>He then turns to the man holding the ball gag that moves to the side of the bed, closer to Charlie and out of line of sight to the door that leads into the room.<br><br>"Rufus.&nbsp; Keep her quiet, and make sure Charlie is more amenable to my plans for her for the rest of the evening."<br><br>The man with the ball-gag, now identified as Rufus blinks in a slightly incoherent manner in response to Davis' words.&nbsp; Davis gives an irritated scowl at Rufus, points to the second guy and then towards the door, who simply nods in turn and heads towards the door as the security guard knocks once more.<br><br>"Mr. Masterson? Is everything alright?"<br><br>Comes the muffled voice once more as Davis looks back to Rufus and speaks in a quiet, exasperated tone.<br><br>"Gag the bitch, and make sure she's well worked in by the time we get back."<br><br>And with that command firmly understood and Rufus turning to give Charlie a predatory grin, Davis and the other man slip out the door, and into the hall to talk to the hotel security.&nbsp; Rufus growls quietly at Charlie almost as if he can see through the sheet she is hiding under.<br><br>"I've heard about you.&nbsp; Get on your hands and knees.&nbsp; I'll be a pussy-cat compared to Davis, be a good girl and things won't go so bad for you.&nbsp; Be difficult...and people are gonna die."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>19-09-2006, 07:03:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Charlie watched with wide wary emerald eyes as Davis pulled the ball gag from his pocket and tossed it to one of his associates. The ice that had been creeping through her chilled her even more. He was really going to do this. And of course she had pleased him further by not being a willing participant. But she could never be, not with him, not with any of Quentin’s brood. Charlie had only ever had one man, Quentin, and prior to meeting the bounty hunter, had been one hundred percent sure there would never be another. <br><br>Her eyes flew towards the door as the knock echoed throughout the room. Time. The knock meant time. She had time to think of something. But her thoughts were playing 52 pick up. They were scattered and in disarray, some face up, some not, all jumbled. The sight of Davis had taken her back to her time with Quentin when she was not strong, was not smart, and only thought about lessening the pain of the girls who traveled through. <br><br>It was hotel security. She debated on screaming. She wanted to scream. Charlie too the air into her lungs, breathing deep and full until they were ready to burst. But one look from Davis and the air was leaking out of her, along with her courage. True to her memory of his cold nature, he was threatening to kill the hotel employee if she made a noise. <br><br><i>“…Don't put that on your conscience ontop of all the other pathetic things you have done.”</i><br><br>That statement sent a wave of shame crashing against the last bit of her nerve, and her eyes fell to her lap, filling with tears. She was beaten. Even Rufus’s obvious lack of smarts did not give her hope. If she had met Rufus without Davis making her feel small, she would have been able to outwit him easily, able to turn the tables and probably use her charm to garner good treatment from him. But with the memories making her feel young and vulnerable again, she can only shrink. <br><br>As Davis disappeared, Charlie knew the security would be no help. Davis could charm a cobra, and would have the man sent on his way in no time. <br><br>When Rufus addressed her, she closed her pretty eyes, her long lashes trapping for a moment the tears that had been disrupted by the falling lids. But even they could not stop the salty drops from running down her cheeks. She had run for so long. Actually thought she might make it. Her life had consisted of little more than running, but it had been hers. She had made her choices. She had been in control. Now…now it was all shattered like a house of cards. <br><br>Knowing that her time of choices was over, Charlie quietly moved the sheet aside. Her perfect form trembled in humiliation and fear as she eased very slowly onto her hands and knees, her head facing the foot of the bed. She hung her head, letting her copper tresses fall around her face, hiding her from those who might look on. She was nothing. And if she caused the death of others because of her stupidity...then she was even less. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>19-09-2006, 19:22:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It had been fury that had coursed through him like a lightning bolt, more than the pain of the soap in his eyes when she had handcuffed him in the shower.&nbsp; The first few moments had been him thrashing about in a vain attempt to pull himself free while trying to get his head under the water to wash away the soap.<br><br>It had taken a moment to remember the key was around his neck and despite the burning in his eyes he was leaning over close to his hands, trying to figure out a way to get the key in the handcuffs when he heard a man's voice all of a sudden and he whipped his head around in surprise, only to have his vision flash bright white and feel an intense pressure against his skull, and then there was nothing else...<br><br>...until he had heard voices again.&nbsp; Opening his eyes proved to be an act of equisite torture.&nbsp; The light made his head pound, and his eyes felt like a bag of glass had been poured in them.&nbsp; It had taken a few moments to realize they were still in the room...his room.&nbsp; Despite the disorientation he had heard his name, and had understood that whatever was going on, he wasn't going to be part of it for much longer if he didn't do anything. <br><br><em> Who the fuck were these guys? </em><br><br>There was atleast three of them...maybe four, but it seemed three and Charlie was...was she with them?&nbsp; The way the one guy spoke to her, they definitely knew one another.&nbsp; <br><br>From where he was on the floor he could hear what...Rufus?&nbsp; Was that what the guy was called?&nbsp; He could hear what he was saying to Charlie and he was even more surprised when from where he was laying on the floor he could see Charlie's ass lift in the air, as if she was on her&nbsp; hands and knees like those fuckers had told her.&nbsp; Rufus seemed quite absorbed in what Charlie is doing which was when he figured now was the time to do anything...if anything could be done.<br><br>Everything seemed to hurt when his eyes were open, so he screwed them shut tightly and with his hands cuffed behind his back he begin to shift on the floor.&nbsp; Feeling the towle around his hips coming undone, but pride regarding being naked was very low on his list of things he needed to worry about at the moment.<br><br>Meanwhile, Rufus was in love.<br><br>" GOD DAY-UM, bitch!&nbsp; No WONDER Quentin was ready to kill for this! "<br><br>He's eager to just get inside her.&nbsp; It's not often you find a woman like this, broken and ready to give whatever you want, but Davis gave him the ball-gag and Davis is <strong>very</strong> particular about his instructions, so...Charlie finds her hair roughly gripped and the red, rubber ball is shoved crudely into her mouth and in a matter of moments she feels the rubberized straps securely buckled at the back of her head, keeping it tight in her now, stretched-open mouth.&nbsp; Rufus was far from gentle and she could feel the straps and buckles pulling at her silky, coppery, and still damp hair.<br><br>His large, hand is felt in a loud, stinging&nbsp; blow against her ass as he proclaims in a growl.<br><br>" Ohhhhh I'm gonna make you love me, bitch. "<br><br>One hand still in her hair, arching her back and drawing her naked body closer to him as he fumbles with his belt and zipper and his trousers slide down his legs.<br><br>"You'll have never had it so good, baby."<br><br>Which is about when Charlie expects to feel the violation, as his hand tightens painfully into a fist in her hair.&nbsp; She hears Rufus make a strange sound behind her, and then she is pulled violently off the bed and lands on the floor hard.&nbsp; <br><br>Looking up she can see Rufus lifted nearly off his toes, his face a purplish-red as his hands claw frantically at his throat.&nbsp; Behind him is Adam, naked and tensed to the point where his muscles stick out of his legs and arms like they were corded steel, blood dripping in hot red streaks down his own forearms, and his eyes nearly as red as the blood from the ugly welt at the top of his forehead.&nbsp; Where Adam had looked calm at points, confident at other points, and even when he had been frustrated by Charlie, he didn't look like he did right at that moment.&nbsp; Primal, animalistic and having been pushed into a fight or flight situation, in this case his response was to fight.<br><br>He snarls in desperation even as Rufus gasps, clawing at his throat and then clawing at Adam's eyes behind him.&nbsp; Trying to kick at things to make a noise and bring Davis and the other man rushing in to save him but Adam drags him over by the patio doors where there is nothing for him to kick or smash and suddenly there's a strange popping sound and Rufus goes limp.<br><br>Adam lets Rufus drop to the floor quietly even as Rufus' eyes bulge and his breathing sounds wet, laboured and ragged.&nbsp; Adam's naked form crouches next to Rufus, patting the man down and pulling out a gun, as well as the key to the handcuffs and in a matter of moments the cuffs are off his wrists and dropped to the floor.&nbsp; His eyes look terrible and his wrists are a bloody mess and he looks to Charlie and he simply holds a finger to his lips for a moment and then stands silently and moves to the other side of the bed.&nbsp; His jeans are slid on in a matter of moments with the belt cinched tight around his waist, and the gun tucked in the back of his jeans, and he grabs Charlie's high heels and his white dress shirt which is close at hand.<br><br>Trembling from the nerves and the need to get the fuck out of there he moves back around the bed, grabs Charlie's wrist and pulls her up onto her feet and silently slides open the patio door and pulls her out into the thick heat of the night.<br><br>The patio door is slide quietly shut once again and he tosses her his shirt, ignoring the fact that she's still wearing the ball-gag.&nbsp; <br><br><em>"Put this on..."</em><br><br>He whispers raggedly and then moves to the patio that belongs to the room on their right.&nbsp; He drops one of her high heels in their patio, and then throws the other high heel into the far patio belonging to the other room.&nbsp; With a purposeful stride he moves back to Charlie and drags her towards the patio on their left and gauges the eight to ten feet of distance between their patio and the other one...and deciding that falling from the third floor, although not too far, would still fuck them up bad.<br><br>Motioning with head towards the patio belonging to the room on their left, he looks back to Charlie.<br><br><em>" We're jumping...you ready?" </em> 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>20-09-2006, 07:14:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rufus’s crude praise of her assets only served to make her feel smaller and less in control. She continued to hold her eyes closed and clenched her jaw against the emotions that wanted to spring forth. Instead of letting those emotions grow and overwhelm her, Charlie took a deep breath, and then another. Each breath took her deeper inside of herself, to a place she could escape to, like she used to do when she first met Quentin. <br><br>But the searing pain of her hair being yanked jolted her back to her surroundings. She grunted in pain, but otherwise did not reward him with a reaction. The hurt continued as he roughly forced the rubber ball into her mouth, her jaw stretching painfully open and her hair getting tangled in the straps and fasteners. And then there was the stinging smack to her ass cheek. She grunted again and yanked forward, her reward more blazing pain in her scalp. <br><br>She almost rolled her eyes at his ‘I’m gonna make you love me’ comment. If she hadn’t been feeling so small and humiliated and in pain she might have. It was usually the ones who sang their own praises the loudest, that had the least to sing about. But his skill, or lack thereof, was irrelevant. <br><br>As he pulled her closer to him, her neck arching and straining, her breathing came out noisily through her nose. Her hands flew up to grab the fist buried in her hair. She knew she couldn’t beat his strength and get him to let her go; she just wanted to ease the pain a little. <br><br>Charlie kept her eyes closed. By not looking, but not taking in her surroundings maybe she could pretend this wasn’t happening. Even Quentin hadn’t out and out raped her. He had coerced her when she was new to him, but he had mever blatantly forced himself upon her. <br><br>Spit ran from the corner of her mouth and she gasped through her nose as her breathing picked up in panicked pace. At any moment she expected rough violation. She could hear the faint metal sound of his belt buckle, the sound of the zipper being lowered. The rustle of his clothing. And…something else?<br><br>She was flying through the air and landed in a heavy thump on her shoulder and hip on the floor. Stars flashed through her vision for a moment. When it cleared, her eyes widened. <br><br>It was the man she now knew to be Adam. <br><br>He was quite a sight. Red. He was red. His eyes, the welt on his forehead. His skin was red from the blood coursing through it and from the exertion of holding Rufus up by his neck, quite literally, killing him. His form was a distortion of the human body. Every muscle bulged and was pushed to the point of tearing. It was almost surreal, he resembled a comic book, or an action figure. But it was his eyes that sent a chill through her. Basal, primal, and bestial. <br><br>She was frozen in wonder at the sight before her. Quentin had killed in front of her once, but it was a bullet to the back of the head. She had seen death, living on the streets it was impossible to miss. But she had never seen the taking of life with bare hands before. <br><br>It was the pop that brought her back to life. She was reanimated and her first action was to gag. The sound had been sick, and the meaning sicker. She had no sympathy for her would be rapist; on the contrary, she was glad his vileness was being removed from the world. But the literal effect Adam had had on Rufus’s body was something she was not used to. <br>&nbsp;<br>She was watching him, breathing raspy through her nostrils, trying to gain control of the sickness in her stomach.&nbsp; He had garnered a gun and the handcuffs were gone. As he pulled on his jeans she could see that he was not in the best of shape, much of it because of her. There was a hint of remorse edging her thoughts, but she was mostly satisfied her plan had worked. Almost. Davis had been an unexpected factor. <br><br>Charlie let him yank her to her feet and drag her naked form to the patio. The thick humid air made it even harder to breathe, and she finally reached up in attempt to remove the ball gag. She paused long enough to catch the shirt and pull it around herself, taking the time to just button the three lowest buttons. She would get the others later. <br><br>Her fingers were back on the straps and the buckles of the gag as she watched him created a misdirection with one of her shoes. Great, she was going to be barefoot for awhile. But better barefoot than dead. <br><br>She was still working with the tangled mess in her hair when he drug her towards the other balcony. They were jumping. If that was the case, she was going to need to be able to breathe. Sucking it up, she grabbed hold of her hair with one fist, and the gag with the other, With a loud rip she tore through her beautiful tresses, leaving the left side of her head a jagged mess. <br><br>Charlie finally breathed deep, filling her lungs with the sticky air. The ball gag came free, several large locks of hair thoroughly tangled in the straps. <br><br>In response to his question, she nodded. She was ready. She would jump, and she would follow him, and she would use him to get away. There was no doubt in her mind that she was still nothing but a payday to him…even more than that, she was now leverage. She assumed he now knew how valuable she was. That thought gave her a strange achey sadness. But she swallowed against it, and prepared to leap. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>21-09-2006, 01:54:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He grips the rail to keep his hands from shaking and realizes that the blood from his wrists were making things more difficult to handle things than he had realized.&nbsp; When he had been on the floor, with his hands cuffed behind him, it had taken all his strength and perserverence to slide his hands down, over his behind and finally to get his legs through the awkward loop that his arms and hand-cuffs had created.&nbsp; The effort of doing it had caused the arm cuffs to sink into his skin until the skin had worn raw, and heedless of the pain, it was nothing compared to the fact that those three fucks were going to kill him.&nbsp; His right shoulder felt like it was on fire as well...maybe he pulled it while straining to get his hands in front of him, or maybe when he was strangling that guy and...<br><br><em> Don't think about that...don't even think about that right now... </em><br><br>The extent to which Charlie had gone to remove the ball-gag doesn't even register in his mind at the moment and a bolt of lighting, streaking down from the sky like skeletlal fingers of white hot energy off in the distance goes unnoticed as well.&nbsp; He climbs up onto the narrow iron rail and reaches out to the wall to keep himself steady.&nbsp; The butterflies in his stomach having him convinced that he hasn't the strength to clear the gap when the immediacy of the situation washes over him and with a desperate snarl he leaps from the patio towards the far one.&nbsp; His tall form clearing the far rail, atleast the top half of him as his right shin catches the top of the patio, banging hard and sending him sprawling onto the tiled patio floor.<br><br><em> Just leave her.&nbsp; She put you in this situation.&nbsp; She was the one that fucked you the first chance she got. </em><br><br>With his face pressed to the tiles, he lets out another grunt as he pushes aside the pain and in turn pushes himself up off the floor and turns to move to the rail as he motions silently with one hand for her to get the fuck over here too.<br><br>Lightning streaks downward once more in the distance and thunder rolls across the sky.&nbsp; A slightly cooler wind dances through the thick, heavy heat of the evening and tugs at the shirt tails that she's wearing, and carried on the wind is a promise of rain.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>21-09-2006, 04:12:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Charlie watched carefully as Adam jumped. He was much taller than her, stronger, and with longer legs. He had almost cleared the balcony, save for the clock of his shin that sent him sprawling to the patio’s surface. She winced as he hit hard, and a feeling of dread burst to life in her stomach. He had barely made it. It was going to be very hard for her. <br><br>That didn’t mean she had to follow him, right? Her eyes darted back towards the hotel room they had just left. No, she had to follow him. She had no choice. Risking falling three flights and crushing her legs or breaking her neck was a much more attractive prospect than staying here and letting Davis get ahold of her. <br><br>She looked back in time to see him gesturing for her, the flash of bright lightening illuminating the world in spit second flashes of daylight. The rapid flashing of the electric bolts echoes the need for a hurried pace. Charlie climbed up on the railing as Adam had done, using the side of the building for balance. <br><br>She was careful to not look down. She looked straight across. Charlie didn’t focus on the railing she needed to clear, or the hand outstretched for her. She focused on a spot beyond, on the railing that edged the far side. The farther the goal, the farther you got. Folding herself into a half crouch she took a deep breath. Every nerve was wound tight, like the strings of a violin, ready to snap. There was a sick feeling in her stomach. If she didn’t make it, things would be very bad. <br><br>But risk never stopped her before, and with a grunt she pushed off with her toned legs as hard as she could, her arms outstretched. Halfway there she knew she was going to fall short. By how much was the only question, but it was soon answered as her torso landed painfully across the iron railing. As the shocking burst of pain consumed her body, she had presence of mind to hook the railing with her elbow, leaving her balanced on the steel bar. <br><br>Charlie had no strength to pull herself over. The wind had been knocked out of her, and it was all she could do to hold her body in place and not slip backwards over the edge. She turned her emerald eyes to Adam, imploring him to pull her over, not knowing if he would or not. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>21-09-2006, 20:40:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Pain blossoms in his shin like a fountain and he can feel warm blood running down his leg as he leans over the rail and waits for Charlie to make the jump.<br><br><em> Fuck, she's not gonna make it. </em><br><br>His realization coming too late and she's already hurtling through the air.&nbsp; The sound of her striking the rail makes him forget all about the pain in his shin, and he moves quickly to her.&nbsp; Both his hands slipping under her arm pits and lifting her up, over the rail.&nbsp; The danger that waits them just a room away causes him to not even notice just how naked Charlie is under the dress shirt and although his shoulder is killing him from pulling it earlier when he was trying to get the cuffs off, he carries her like a small child into the new room.<br><br>Putting her down gently on the bed as he hopes she hasn't been hurt too badly.<br><br><em> Who gives a fuck if she's hurt?&nbsp; She called her buddies, and then she was gonna fuck them out of thanks. </em><br><br>Closing his eyes a moment so he doesn't have to look at her, knowing that he's just lying to himself.&nbsp; He didn't hear it all...but he heard enough to know that Charlie was about as fucked as he had been...but he can't figure out the connection at the moment, his mind is racing, and everything hurts.<br><br>He turns his back to her and moves silently through the room to the door that leads to the hall, his bare feet brushing across the lush carpet as he leans softly against the door and listens.&nbsp; He doesn't hear anything.&nbsp; Which might be good...or very bad.<br><br>Looking back into the room, spotting Charlie lying on the bed in his dress shirt, even with everything that has gone on, he feels a lurch in his stomach as he looks at her, which in turn causes him to look away.&nbsp; Spotting to large sets of luggage, one dark and quite professional looking, and the other set is coloured hot pink. You might think the luggage belonged to a little girl, coloured like that, but the sheer amount of the luggage tells him that it definitely belongs to an over-indulged woman.&nbsp; This belongs to a couple, no doubt and the fact that it's only midnight in Las Vegas might be a blessing.&nbsp; The couple is out, but who knows when they'll return.&nbsp; He can't think about any of that at the moment.&nbsp; His vision is still blurred and still aches...and without speaking he heads into the washroom, turns on the sink and begins to splash cold water against his face.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>22-09-2006, 06:25:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He pulled her over. She wasn’t sure he was going to, but of course he wouldn’t let his cash cow, his leverage, his only tangible asset, slip away and crash three stories to the ground. She didn’t know how much he had heard when he had been lying on the floor in the hotel room.&nbsp; He could have been unconscious, or he could have been faking it, biding his time. But she bet he heard enough to know how much Quentin wanted her back so he could punish her. <br><br>And Quentin always got what he want. <br><br>Which is exactly why he wanted Charlie back so badly. She had dared to do something no one had for a very long time. She had lied to him. She had played him. She had left him. She had escaped. More importantly, she had made him love her. She had done it to survive as best she could under the circumstances, but he had thought it was real. <br><br>It’s when Adam set her on the bed she realized she hadn’t been breathing yet. Her diaphragm finally relaxed and she gasped in air. Gently she pressed on her ribs. None seemed broken or cracked, thank god for small favors, but the flesh was tender. She would be bruised. But it could have been much worse. <br><br>She lay on the bed and noisily breathed air into her lungs, taking a moment to recover. Adam had disappeared into the restroom, and she could hear the water. He was either washing his wounds, or his eyes, or both. <br><br>Charlie pushed herself to sitting with her hands, her breathing much more under control. They had to get moving. They couldn’t stay here long. Even if they weren’t discovered right away, the longer they stayed the harder it would be to get out of the hotel unnoticed.<br><br>Spying the luggage, she grabbed the largest of the hot pink bags and placed it on the bed. When she opened it she almost laughed from frustration as she rifled through it. The clothes could barely even be called clothes. They were…strings, with fabric. Even when she had danced she had worn more than this to start with. She rifled through and tried to find something that didn’t sparkle, that would attract the least amount of attention. Problem was, all of these things would. <br><br>Finally she settled on something black.&nbsp; http://www.electriqueboutique.com/womens-shoes/Dress-with-Thong/C-3908-BLK.html The dress was hardly a dress, but this was Vegas. She wouldn’t be the only woman running around half nude. And this one still had tags, with a matching thong bearing tags as well. So she knew it was clean. <br><br>The shoe selection was just as bad. She settled on a pair with straps, so they wouldn’t fall off of her feet, and with a slightly wider than stiletto heel. They would have to do. http://www.electriqueboutique.com/womens-shoes/Strappy-Sandal-/ATTITUDE-BLK.html<br><br>Looking over her shoulder and not seeing Adam yet, she whipped off the shirt and dressed. There was a makeup kit in the suitcase, and in the pocket a bundle of money…about $500. Seeing a spare handbag, a small black evening clutch, she stuffed the money into it, along with some of the makeup. A woman dressed up but without some sort of face would be noticeable, as it was just not normal. Especially not in Vegas. There was some gel on the dresser, and she ran some through her hair, tossleing it messily about. It hid the jagged ends on the left side of her head, and also made the dampness of her hair seem purposeful. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>25-09-2006, 21:56:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>You killed a guy.&nbsp; People want to kill you.&nbsp; There's no going back now.&nbsp; It's your word against those fucks...and Charlie's.&nbsp; She'll hang you out to dry like she did before.&nbsp; You need to get out of here...hide.&nbsp; Maybe she's already left.&nbsp; Hopefully she's already left.&nbsp; You killed a man.&nbsp; Killed.&nbsp; </em> <br><br>Splashing more water against his face and scrubbing at the blood on his forehead and the deep scrapes in his wrists that were put there by the handcuffs as he wrestled with them to get his arms swung around infront of him.&nbsp; His head pounds and although he can see fine now, if a little blurry, his eyes still feel like theire's powdered glass in them.<br><br><em>Don't think about it.&nbsp; It was self-defense right?&nbsp; Who says?&nbsp; He was about to fuck Charlie.&nbsp; Rape Charlie.&nbsp; Who says?&nbsp; She gave it up pretty easy.&nbsp; She's so fucked up, maybe she's into that and...don't think about it.&nbsp; don't think about it.&nbsp; don't think about it.</em><br><br>With the blood wiped away, he runs a wet hand through his hair and giving him a toussled look and he can see that the welt on his forehead doesn't look quite as bad as it had previously.&nbsp; Turning off the sink, he walks back out into the room in a rush, determined to get the fuck out of here and stopping dead in his tracks as he spots Charlie putting on her shoes and wearing...well...wearing whatever it is she's wearing.&nbsp; Thoughts of the moment in the bathroom when she undressed for him.<br><em><br>Not for you, idiot.&nbsp; Because you made her.</em><br><br>"...Jesus..."<br><br>He murmurs quietly as he finds his thoughts unravelling at the sight of her, and then blinking his eyes and giving her an angry glare through red-rimmed eyes before moving to what is obviously the guy's luggage.<br><br>Having no luck finding anything his size except for dress shoes that probably cost more than he'd make in a year, and being forced to settle on black "hawaiian style" shirt with dark blue flames around the cuffs of the sleeves that pull tight around his biceps and a slutty looking hula dancer sprawled across the back of it.<br><br>Not impressed with the clothing but atleast his jeans aren't trashed and he can wear something that fits, he looks over his shoulder and gives Charlie a look for as long as he dares.<br><br><em> No big suprise why people are willing to kill for her. </em><br><br>And for a moment he feels bad for her.&nbsp; As breathtaking as she is, he wouldn't be surprised if she's been hassled by men her whole life, which in turn makes him angry with her again for making him pity her.&nbsp; Looking to the luggage again as he rustles through it, hoping to find some boxers and finding only small bikini briefs he growls quietly.<br><br>" Why haven't you ran already? "<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>25-09-2006, 23:16:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She heard him enter the room, but did not turn around. She kept her hands on the small delicate fastenings of the sandal, finally locking it home. Ignoring him, she moved to the mirror and pulled some of the make up from the small evening bag. She hated using another woman’s makeup, and would definitely skip the lips stick, but she needed her face made up. <br><br>As she lined her eyes with a smoky grey liner, and lay on thick mascara, she could hear him rustling about behind her. She could see in the mirror that he was looking for clothing as well, and she had doubts he would find much to fit his tall, broad frame. When she saw what he was forced to wear, she had to chew on the inside of her lip to keep a smile from appearing. The situation called for many things, but amusement wasn’t one of them. <br><br><i>" Why haven't you ran already? "</i><br><br>The question froze her. Why hadn’t she ran? She could have grabbed the clothing and flew out of there, dressing in one of the public restrooms. But then again, this was Vegas, and everything would have been on camera, so it was better to dress first. But that hadn’t been the reason. <br><br>The reason was that she kind of felt like they were in it together now. Even if he would betray her for a quick buck first chance he got, for the moment they had a common enemy, and they could use each other to get out of it. She was smart, and so was he, and two heads were better than one. <br><br>And there was another reason poking quietly and persistently at her. She had been so dead to men for so long, and he had awakened something in her. She hated him. That she was pretty sure of, but…at the same time…she wanted him. To feel alive like that, to know she was capable of desiring someone, that she wasn’t a completely destroyed and frigid bitch…it was a welcome feeling. <br><br>Charlie lowered her hands and her eyes and slowly put the makeup away. She tried to keep her face blank, knowing he would be able to see her in the mirror as she could see him. After a long moment she looked up, looking at him through the reflection in the mirror. For some reason that was easier than looking at him directly. <br><br>“I’m not going to let you give me back to them. I don’t care how much money I’m worth. But…in the mean time…we need each other to get out of this.”<br><br>Her eyes dipped again to the handbag. She had found money. Her slender fingers dipped inside and pulled out four fifty dollar bills. She turned and held them out to him, looking at him, unblinking. <br><br>“Here.”<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>28-09-2006, 00:33:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He positively bristled at the way she spoke to him.&nbsp; He had already decided that he was going to let her go, but her telling him "what he was gonna do" and "what she was gonna do", made him want to turn her in, just so he could throw it in her face.<br><br>The things he had heard in the room back there.&nbsp; The terrible, frightened tone to her voice was all that he needed to hear when it came to finally deciding then and there while he had been lying on the floor that if they did get away, he was just gonna go his seperate ways forget about Charlie.&nbsp; Forget he ever heard her name.&nbsp; Saw her.&nbsp; Touched her.&nbsp; Smelled her.<br><br>And it was those random thoughts of her that made him even more irritated and as she held out money; god only knows where she managed to pull that out of, he ignored the hand that held the money completely as he moved towards her.&nbsp; He could feel her hand pressing against his abdomen and her arm bending gently as he drew closer and closer to her and towered only slightly above her because of the heels she's wearing.&nbsp; His voice is low, and just slightly more civil than a snarl as he speaks.<br><br>" Keep it.&nbsp; You're gonna need it."<br><br>He snaps, enunciating each word as if it were a slap to her face.&nbsp; His eyes although not blurred, look red and ragged and he finds himself looking at her for far longer than he should be before turning from her with another growl of irritation as he moves towards the door to the room.<br><br><em> She hung you out to dry and you NEED that money and still you're playing like you're her white knight.&nbsp; Let this shit go.&nbsp; Walk one way down the hall, and her the other. </em><br><br>But he couldn't.&nbsp; Maybe it was because he wanted her.&nbsp; Maybe it was because he was more scared than he had ever been in his life.&nbsp; He leaned against the door once more and listened, his mind warning him that he was breathing too loudly and they would hear him, even though he knew they couldn't.&nbsp; He couldn't see anyone outside through the peep hole either and so he took a deep breath and quietly opened the door, his other hand reaching back to the hand gun tucked in the back of his jeans and taking it in his hand and holding it as he looked up and down the hall after sticking his head out through the crack he created by opening the door.<br><br>Things <em> look </em> safe...<br><br><em>But they just look it, don't they smart-guy?</em><br><br>Mustering up whatever courage he has left, he steps out into the hall, reaches out and yanks down the fire alarm as lights and bells explode into life in the hallway.&nbsp; With the door open, flicking the safety awkwardly on the gun and waving to Charlie he speaks loud enough to be heard.<br><br>" The stairwell...let's go!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>28-09-2006, 09:54:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She held her ground as he approached, her green eyes defiant, but her body trembled. Each step closer made her more and more uncomfortable, and not from his intimidation presence. It was because she could still feel the attraction. She was attracted to a man who had bristled at every word she spoke, was as much a brute as the ones she was running from, and who positively hated her. Maybe it would have been better to be frigid after all. <br><br><i>" Keep it.&nbsp; You're gonna need it."</i><br><br>Each word was like a knife in her gut. It wasn’t what he said, or the fact that his stupid pride was overriding his intelligence. It was the way he said it. He was assaulting her verbally the way he probably wanted to physically. <i>Yep, that’s what I get for reaching out.</i> Sure, he was probably pissed she had thrown the shampoo in his eyes, but he is the one who had taken her prisoner first.&nbsp; <br><br>She took a deep breath, and just as he turned from her she hissed a word to him, her lips drawing back like a rabid dog. The one word came out quiet and low, and very cold. But decidedly audible, and there was no question she meant for him to hear it. <br><br>“Idiot.”<br><br>Charlie knew he didn’t have his wallet. That meant no cash, no credit cards, and no atm. He had been staying in a hotel, so she guessed he didn’t live in Vegas, but was here for her. If he lived in Vegas, and just wanted a hotel room to keep her in, he would have known of somewhere further out in another part of town. And even if he did live in Vegas, he wouldn’t be able to head home. They had his ID, and therefore knew where he lived. He was fucked. He had to need money. And his pride kept him from taking it. Well screw him, she had offered, and it was hers now. Charlie shoved the cash back in the evening back and zipped it closed. She held it tightly in her hand as she watched him. <br><br>He was careful about the door. At least he hadn’t lost all of his sense. But the minute the door was open they were done. She would go one way, and he would go the other. Although… he did have a gun. She was reminded of this by him pulling it and holding it at the ready as he cracked the door. Now she was torn. A gun was a useful thing, and could get them, him, as far as money could, even further. It was just less discreet. <i>The other way Charlie, see what way he goes, and GO THE OTHER…</i><br><br>He tripped the fire alarm, and was calling for her to hit the stairwell. What the hell? Now he wanted her to go with him? Before a mental debate could even start her long legs were covering ground, heading for the stairs. <br><br>The fire alarm was smart as it would draw a crowd and create chaos that they could blend into. But at the same time, it would be an alert to Quentin’s men that they were on the move and headed for an exit. But the choice had been made, it had been pulled, and she was going with Adam.&nbsp; <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>29-09-2006, 00:17:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He had heard the "Idiot" comment that she had muttered and although he would have loved to yell at her, there simply wasn't the time.&nbsp; The stairwell was suddenly filled with guests from the hotel and the only saving grace was that they were only on the third floor and it wouldn't be too long a wait to get to the first floor.<br><br>His mind was racing with where to go, where to hide, who he can talk to, and everything he could think of was fucked.&nbsp; Every plan he had seemed compromised and these guys that want Charlie and want to kill him now have everything on him.&nbsp; They know who he is, where he's from and who he works for.&nbsp; For all he knows, these guys might even have his dad's phone line tapped so if he calls in, he's fucked.&nbsp; Or if the cops find out it was him...which they will.<br><br>Dead guy in a room.&nbsp; Who rented the room?&nbsp; Where's the guy that rented the room?<br><br><em> I'm so fucked. </em><br><br><br>With the gun tucked back into his jeans and hidden from view by the "Hawaiian Shirt" he's wearing he takes a hold of Charlie's hand with one of his.&nbsp; Feeling a small, warm surge in his abdomen as he touches her, but it pushes it away and tells himself it's simply so he doesn't lose track of her in&nbsp; the chaos.&nbsp; Despite the crowd of people around them, he still keeps his head down as they slowly make their way down the steps and once on the ground floor, rather than follow the crowd he veers off down a connecting hallway and takes Charlie with him<br><br>He had told her he had paid off staff.&nbsp; Well that was a bluff, but he did take his time before hand to learn the layout of the hotel they were in, and with his head turned down, and the leggy redhead pulled along behind him, she finds himself swinging out of the hall and pushing through two large doors that lead into the kitchen.<br><br>The large, cluttered area is normally full of people but at the moment it's empty as all the staff has evacuated.&nbsp; He looks up at the walls for a moment, finds the exit signs and heads for them.&nbsp; Getting a strange look from some of the staff waiting in the large street behind the hotel but nothing is said either because they believe Adam and Charlie got turned around in the evacuation, or the staff that saw them really don't care.<br><br>Another sharp crack rolls across the sky, and then the rain begins.&nbsp; People let out small shrieks of cries of discomfort as the sky opens up and the rain begins to pound down.&nbsp; A number of cabs pull up, no doubt called by hotel employees hoping to take the rest of the night off because of the fire alarm and without waiting he opens one of the back doors of the cab slides inside and pulls Charlie in with him.<br><br>Growling at the cab driver,<br><br>"Just go, man.&nbsp; Go."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>29-09-2006, 22:43:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<i>Maybe I could get lost in the chaos of the crowd.</i> But his hand wrapping around her slender wrist squashed that idea, and she was pulled forward. The feel of his hand was like an electric cuff where their skin met. She swore she could feel it tingling, and that tingling spread up her arm like a thousand fire ants marching in her veins. <br><br>He had tucked the gun into the back of his jeans. If she were quick, she might be able to get it. But Charlie had never liked guns. As a rule, she didn’t like violence at all. She had always relied on other ways to escape a situation. But Adam…he had killed that man. He was brandishing a gun. He had punched walls. He was a physical force. And with his red eyes and his damp hair he looked a bit wild and dangerous. What if she went for the gun and missed? The reaction would not be good. <br><br>Instead she kept pace with him, her heels clicking on the stairs, the sound gradually getting lost in the sounds of the crowd gradually swallowing them up as they neared the bottom floor. She could feel many of the eyes in the crowd on her. Charlie was practically naked from the back, a few strings, and a very short skirt, and that was it. Even in Vegas it would attract attention, and her red hair would be a beacon out of the corner of people’s eyes even before they realized the expanse of her skin. <br><br>She was grateful when he veered away from the crowd when they reached the ground floor. He seemed to have some idea where they were going, so she still dutifully followed. Down a hallway, through doors, a kitchen, and then gratefully, outside. None of the staff seemed to care about their presence, and why should they, they were overworked and underpaid as it was, kitchen staff always were. Civilians in employee areas would be a security matter. Let security deal with it. <br><br>The crack of thunder made her jump and look up, just in time for the downpour to hit her face. It wasn’t a gentle rain, it was a pounding, skin soaking deluge. Immediately what little clothing she was wearing was soaked, as was her hair. She didn’t know if the mascara was waterproof of not, but she would find out shortly. <br><br>Adam pulled her into a cab before she could protest, although given the situation she probably wouldn’t have. Like entering the hotel, the air conditioning slammed into her, and being wet, chilled her quickly. Her wet feet slid around in the sandals uncomfortably.<br><br>She crossed her long bare legs and slipped the buckles open on the first sandal with her slender fingers. She slipped it off, and then repeated the action on the other leg. She would let her feet and the sandals dry, and then slip them back on. <br><br>She smirked softly at Adam’s command to the driver. ‘Just go.’ Brilliant strategy. What a plan. She resisted saying anything out loud, though. A fight would be remembered by the cabbie, and they needed to be forgettable. It was going to be hard to accomplish that, what with her dress and his shirt, and the fact they made a striking couple. <i>Not a couple. We are not a couple at all.</i><br><br>How the hell did he expect to pay for the ride anyway? She was going to have to cough it up probably. He was cashless as far as she knew. Although it was possible he had found something in the man’s suitcase he had so artfully scavenged his attire from. But she had been in the room and hadn’t noticed him pocketing money. Her eyes had not been on him the entire time however. <br><br>Charlie turned her gaze behind them, taking inventory of the cars in the immediate vicinity. In a few minutes she would check again, if there were any matches between the two scenes, she would try and tell if they were following them. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>30-09-2006, 00:18:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He was soaked through and had never felt so miserable in his life.&nbsp; The gun tucked into the back of his jeans felt like a heavy lump at the small of his back and he hated the way it felt.&nbsp; His eyes still ached.&nbsp; His head pounded.&nbsp; He had a soaked goddess sitting next to him that he wasn't sure if he wanted to kiss her, or push her out of the moving car.<br><br><em> And don't forget...you will be wanted for murder within the next two hours.&nbsp; Oh, and some mother fuckers want to kill you and have all the information they need to find out who you are and where you live...lived.&nbsp; And you're broke. </em><br><br>With the cab driver giving him an odd look with the command he gave, but doing it anyway and putting the cab into drive.&nbsp; When Adam feels the car lurch forward he lets out a deep, ragged sigh and leans forward, resting his head against the back of the head rest of the passenger side seat.<br><br>The momentary respite from the tension only seems to make him crumple, and the reality of the situation weighs on him until it's all he can&nbsp; do to simply&nbsp; give up.&nbsp; His eyes closed, leaning on the seat in front of him and staying silent.&nbsp; Not wanting to think about any of it, let alone the fact he killed a man.&nbsp; <br><br><em> Maybe I can just close my eyes and wait for the driver to kick me out. </em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>30-09-2006, 22:43:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Charlie took a deep breath and started sorting through options in her head. Running. This was known, this almost gave her comfort. The hotel room had been…nightmarish, but this…this was familiar ground to be on. If she was moving she could distract herself from what was inside of her. If there were choices and decisions to be made, she could cope and keep going. And as desperate as getting away was, the chase…it almost thrilled her. <br><br>She glanced over at Adam and had a moment of sympathy. Her hand rose to rest upon his back as he leaned against the back of the passenger seat. It hovered above him in debate as to whether or not to reach out. This was not familiar ground for him. He was used to being the pursuer. <br><br>Her hand stayed where it was, a few inches from him. She could lay in on his back and further cement that they were in this together, or she could withdraw it out of spite for the fact that he was a bounty hunter that made his living off of the misery of others. <br><br>Charlie was pretty sure she hated him, but…in the silent backseat with the rain pounding on the car…she wasn’t sure at all. She remembered the weight and warmth of his body as it pressed her to the bed, and the way he had reached for her when he found her after his shower. <br><br><i>God Dammit!!!</i> She did not need this. She did not need him dragging her down. Charlie had a few contacts she guessed Quentin’s men would not know about. Places Adam probably didn’t know about, as she had avoided them when she realized a few months ago how close on her trail he was. He was faceless then, and it had been when her respect/disgust for him had started. <br><br>Her small hand fell to gently rest on his shoulder. She did not say anything, but just let the heat of her palm do her speaking. There wasn’t much more to really say that wouldn’t be a lie. Tell him everything was going to be okay? She didn’t know that. Tell him they would get through this? She didn’t know that either. Tell him she would stick by his side? She never made such promises. <br><br>But for this moment, she could be a warm hand on his shoulder. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>30-09-2006, 23:09:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She can feel him tense the moment she rests her small, cool hand against the pseudo-smooth, yet strangely coarse, cheap fabric that the garish shirt he's wearing is made of.&nbsp; The shirt is as soaked through as everything she has on as well, but despite the initial tensing, over the course of a few seconds she can feel him relaxing even though his head still rests on the seat in front of him.<br><br><em>&nbsp; You killed a man.&nbsp; How did that happen?&nbsp; How did you go from jerking off in the shower because Charlie is more woman than you can handle...to killing a man?&nbsp; Because you're a fuck up, and just like what the guys said back home, this was too much job for you, and Charlie was just too much...too much of everything for you.&nbsp; You killed a man.&nbsp; You're going to jail.&nbsp; Like a cop, bounty hunters aren't that high on the popularity list.&nbsp; You're gonna get raped...or killed.&nbsp; Or raped and killed and maybe not in that order. </em><br><br>He was scared.&nbsp; He had no idea what to do and the reality of the situation seems to have soaked into him the way the rain had.&nbsp; Her hand on his back felt nice...one small light in the darkness and whether she was manipulating him right now or not...it still felt nice.&nbsp; It allowed him to drop down the wall just enough for him to whisper quietly, even as he kept his forehead resting on the back of the seat infront of him.<br><br>"...I don't know what to do..."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>01-10-2006, 00:38:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<i>"...I don't know what to do..."</i><br><br>For a man like Adam, those six words were a very sacrificial confession. Weakness was something you couldn’t display as a bounty hunter, or it would be pounced on and fed upon. Like a vampire drinking from a severed artery. She could be a vampire right now. This could be her chance to suck him dry and leave a husk behind while she escaped and found her way without him. <br><br>But she couldn’t. <br><br>And she realized something, even if he didn’t. It wasn’t really a weakness to admit when you were lost. Didn’t it actually take a lot of strength to display that you were not infallible? All Charlie knew was that her respect for him doubled, no tripled, no, grew infinitely from his admission. Seeing him as a human, and not just a boogey man, made him even more attractive than he was before. <br><br>Her hand squeezed his shoulder softly, and she sighed delicately. When she spoke, she matched his tone, but natural instincts added a compassionate quality to her voice. It was unfamiliar to try and comfort another, but also felt as right as anything had for a very long time. “It’s okay to not know. As long as you survive in the mean time, the answer will eventually come. And even if it doesn’t…you can keep surviving.”<br><br>The story of Charlie. Hadn’t she been searching for her answer? In the years since escaping Quentin she hadn’t known what to do. But she had survived. Was it as fulfilling as if her life had gone in a different direction? No…but you couldn’t change what had already transpired, you could only try and open new doors and keep trying to find your way back to a well lit path. <br><br>Charlie leaned forward to the cabbie. “Please drive us ten more minutes north, and then drop us off.”<br><br>There, they would exit the cab and take a bus to another part of the city. It wasn’t inconceivable that this cabbie would be tracked by Quentin’s men. The staff of the hotel had seen the tall dark man and the red head get in a cab. It was just a matter of time. So, they would take a bus to a new part of town, and then walk to where she had in mind, unless he spoke up. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>01-10-2006, 01:13:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Her being nice to him only made it worse.&nbsp; If she had been uncivil to him like all the other times then he wouldn't have felt like such a frightened weakling if she had pounced on him and made him feel bad for succumbing to the the pressure.<br><br>Her hand on his shoulder felt nice...it also irritated him.&nbsp; It was the same hand that had thrown the shampoo in his eyes, and the same hand that would have clawed his eyes out only a few hours earlier, and now...they were in it.&nbsp; It seemed like they were in it together for the moment which seemed that much more unreal to him.<br><br>From adversaries to allies in the matter of a few minutes.<br><br>There was a friend of his dad's that was a bounty hunter as well.&nbsp; Says that he had 'found Jesus and had been saved."&nbsp; He had told Adam that with faith came hope, and the hope allowed him to stay positive in tough times.&nbsp; Adam was positive at the moment as well.&nbsp; He was positive that he was fucked.<br><br>The transfer to the bus barely registered to him.&nbsp; He stared out the window like a catatonic, trying to play through possibole solutions in his head but all he could hear was the wet, popping sound that had come out of the guys neck when Adam kept squeezing and squeezing.&nbsp; The guy was probably gonna be the one that shot Adam.&nbsp; The guy had stuck some fucked up thing in Charlie's mouth and had brow beaten her into letting him rape her.&nbsp; The guy had been fuckin scum, but he still couldn't get the look in the guy's eyes out of his head.&nbsp; <br><br>He looked terrified.&nbsp; He was making awful gasping sounds and his lips spasming with each laboured breath was all that was moving.&nbsp; <br><br><em> You did it to him.&nbsp; You did it and now they're gonna be looking for you.&nbsp; The cops, and whatever psycho is after Charlie. </em><br><br>Letting out a ragged breath as the bus lurches to a stop and he spots Charlie standing up and moving down the aisle to get off.&nbsp; Biting his lip a moment, wondering if she wants him to follow.&nbsp; Does he want to follow?&nbsp; Should he?&nbsp; Should they split up, or work together?<br><br>He'd figure it out, but his eyes still look too haunted at the moment to really form any sort of lucid thought.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>01-10-2006, 05:15:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As they rode silently in the cab, Charlie started to worry about Adam. She didn’t want to. She wanted to get out of the cab when it stopped, and tell the driver to take him and dump him somewhere. But she didn’t. Something deeper knew she couldn’t leave him in this state. In this state, he was dead. <br><br>Something more was happening to him that she realized. She left her hand on him, eventually moving it to stroke his back lightly. Charlie ran over things in her head. What was causing this? It had to be more than just being on the run. It had to be more than just not being able to go home. He was smarter and better than that. And being a bounty hunter, he could go to the cops. He hadn’t done anything wrong. <br><br>Except kill a man. <br><br>But it was self-defense. But…maybe the killing…was it the killing? She had been horrified to watch it, it had to be worse to do it. Had he never killed anyone? <i>Of course he hasn’t, he’s a bounty hunter, not a mercenary.</i> Was that it? Charlie had no clue how to solve that. <br><br>The driver let them out, and she paid, just as she had known she was going to have to. But that was far from her mind. Also pushed from her mind was Adam’s state. One of them had to have their shit together if they wanted to get somewhere safe, and it was unmistakably not Adam. <br><br>It was still raining, and they were still dressed in unmistakable clothing. Seeing a Walgreens on the corner, she took his hand and pulled him with her. She left him outside under the light protection of the eaves. She emerged a few minutes later with a couple of bags. Charlie took his hand and pulled him around to a dark corner of the parking lot. There, she donned a cheap t-shirt and sweats she had bought, along with a pair of flipflops. She put them on right over her dress, they were going to be soaked anyway. She then pulled her long copper hair into a ponytail, and twisted that up to hide under a ball cap. There was a t-shirt for him as well, and she helped him into it. It was tight, but less obvious than the loud one he had on before. She took the gun and put it in a bag, wrapped up in the shirt. <br><br>With a sigh she pulled him to the bus. <br><br>It was another silent ride, and her thoughts ran a mile a minute. She was trying to sort out where to go, where to take him, how to get money, how to escape a very powerful man that was close on her tail. A deep ache settled in her head, but she couldn’t let it slow her. <br><br>When the bus stopped, she stood, and started down the aisle. In the large mirror in the front she could see Adam still sitting in the seat. <br><br><i>You could leave him. This is your chance.</i><br><br>She stood at the front of the bus for a long minute. Finally it was the bus driver that jolted her from her thoughts. “On of off, lady.”<br><br>“Just a sec…” She turned and walked back down the aisle and held her hand out to Adam. “Coming?”<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>01-10-2006, 19:17:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>Get it together, fuck-up.&nbsp; Do you even remember how you got a t-shirt on, instead of the other shirt?&nbsp; Sure you do.&nbsp; Charlie put it on you in an alley.&nbsp; Like some mom with a screwed up little kid.</em><br><br>Her voice pulls him out of his thoughts and he looks to her with a frown, not one directed at her.&nbsp; A frown consisting of displeasure, fear and concern before he simply nods his head and refrains from reaching out to her offered hand.<br><br><em>You already have made yourself look weak.&nbsp; Keep it up and she'll bail on you completely and right now, you need her more than she needs you.</em><br><br>With both of them dumped on the sidewalk and the hiss of the hydraulics of the bus startle him out of his introspection he looks up and down the street as the rain hammers down on them.&nbsp; It's true when they say Las Vega never sleeps.&nbsp; Even at this hour of the night, in the rain, there are still people running this way and that, with he and Charlie standing in the middle of it like two lost refugees.&nbsp; Blowing a small cloud of water off his face as he speaks.<br><br>" So...where to?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>01-10-2006, 21:42:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Charlie was actually glad to see he refused her hand, but was too tired and had too much of a headache to smile or acknowledge the slight. But it meant he was waking up, and getting back some strength of mind. It was a relief, she wasn’t the nursemaid type. <br><br>She walked ahead of him and off of the bus, out into the pouring rain once again. It was late, but people were everywhere still. It couldn’t be avoided though unless they headed off into non-tourist Vegas, and she didn’t know her way around there. <br><br>At his question she sighed. There were a couple of choices, and she knew which one she wanted to make. So she made it. “I know a place we can stay for at least another week if need be. It’s safe as long as we aren’t followed. And we shouldn’t take a cab either, but it’s a good mile.” With that she turned and started walking, the plastic bags in her hands tied closed to keep the rain out as much as possible. <br><br>If he followed he followed, if he didn’t, he didn’t. Charlie just wanted out of the rain. She was soaked through, and it was not comfortable to walk in the flip flops in the rain. Her toes were turning to prunes, and despite the steaming heat of the night, her feet were cold. <br><br>Eventually they came to a high rise building with a security entrance. A door man stood out front, protected from the rain by a large canopied entrance. <i>Great, more money down the drain.</i><br><br>Charlie was a big believer in the ‘As if’ method of bullshitting. Act ‘as if’ you belonged, and no one questioned whether or not you did. Act ‘as if’ you were supposed to be somewhere, and no one thought you shouldn’t be. But in a place like this, that wasn’t always enough. This was the kind of place where the doorman knew the residents. <br><br>She looked at Adam. “Just…follow me and let me do the talking.”<br><br>Charlie strode forward with a wide smile on her face, despite the crushing headache, a fifty dollar bill from her purse hidden in her hands. “Hi handsome. Larry Bertram in 2312 was letting me use his apartment while he was in Japan, but I forgot my key. Joyce from next door knows I am staying there.” <br><br>The doorman at first looked Charlie and Adam over suspiciously, but her wet t-shirt clung to her breasts enough to distract him a little. And her wide bright smile and sparkling green eyes caused him to rock back on his heels a little. <br>”Now ma’am, it’s awfully late for that. But…if you forgot your key…” He hesitated and leaned over and pressed the buzzer in a private box. Charlie knew there would be no answer. Larry had warned her about Joyce Nilson, the busybody next door. He told her to always come after eleven because Joyce would be out drunk by that point. <br><br>He was a slightly portly fellow, and probably bald under his cap. Charlie guessed he had a plump little wife at home and three or four kids. A car payment and house payment and not enough dough to cover it all. This was probably a second job for him. <br><br>There was no response, of course. She didn’t have her key to his place, but she could get in if she could get upstairs. She waited patiently, looking as if she had all night. “Harold”, as indicated by his nametag, looked a little uncomfortable with the nipples protruding from her shirt, but uncomfortable in the way that made him lock his hands together in front of him. He looked a little sheepish and apologetic as he turned to her. “Ma’am, I’m sorry, I’m not getting an answer.”<br><br>Charlie smiled warmly and leaned forward to press her lips to his ear in a whisper. “Listen Harold…” Her breasts pressed against his red jacket. “…this is Larry’s brother. It’s kind of a surprise. If you could just let us in the building, I have my own key. Please, tiger? I would be so grateful, I am miserable being so <i>wet</i> and really need a chance to take a long hot bath and get warm.”<br><br>To sweeten the pot she slid one hand up his chest and tucked the fifty in his breast pocket. “Please, honey? I have my own key, you don’t even have to leave your post…”<br><br>Harold turned beet red, but grinned. “Alright…but it’s our secret, okay miss?” When he called her ‘miss’, she knew she could have gotten about anything from him. She pulled back just a little smiling sweetly. <br><br>“You…are the best, Harold.” <br><br>He let them in the building. <br><br>With a wink, Charlie was pulling Adam through, and into the elevator. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>02-10-2006, 01:08:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em> Don't act shifty.&nbsp; You try to hide your face and he'll remember that more than you looking him straight in the eye. </em><br><br>He watches Charlie do her thing.&nbsp; She does it in a soaked shirt, sweat pants and flip flops and somehow still manages to tie the guy in knots.&nbsp; It's a side of her he had always watched from a distance but never actually saw up close.&nbsp; I side he certainly didn't see when they were back in the hotel room.<br><br>Harold the portly security guard never had a chance.&nbsp; Being a guy, he knew they were in when Harold rocked back on his heels.&nbsp; It was her smile that sealed the deal, and the guy only pressed the buzzer long enough to distract him from the thoughts of Charlie that were bouncing around in his head.<br><br>How did Adam know?&nbsp; Because he would have done the same.&nbsp; No doubt, Harold would be jerking off to thoughts of Charlie and her smile for the next three weeks.&nbsp; God help him if he had seen her in the dress she had on underneath, or worse...naked.&nbsp; It was how Adam knew that Charlie was in him.&nbsp; Maybe in him for good which irritated him and scared him on more levels than he cared to think about at the moment.<br><br>Giving Harold a slight eye roll as Charlie pulls him past and into the lobby, Adam stops and halts her forward progress for a moment as he speaks conspiratorily with the security guard.<br><br>" We weren't even supposed to come until tomorrow when she got the key in the mail but I got...well..."<br><br>Hanging his head a moment and looking at Harold's boots, clearly looking embarassed.<br><br>" ...Yeah so I got mugged tonight.&nbsp; We spent the entire night with the cops, and now Charlie insists we take a moment to clean me up and rest a moment.&nbsp; Women...when they get the bit in their teeth, yanno? " <br><br>Giving Harold a slap on the shoulder and a smile of appreciation before he's led into the swank building and speaking a bit louder.<br><br>"I'll tell Larry how much help you were though.&nbsp; If I know my brother, you'll have a little something extra waiting for you when he gets back."<br><br>Harold gives him a smile and a wave but his eyes seem to be affixed to Charlie's ass inside the wet sweat pants that cling to her like a second skin.&nbsp; When his picture is invariably sent around the city it won't look like the state he's in now, and he knows he looks like shit.&nbsp; His eyes still ache, and his head is pounding and no doubt he has a stellar scab forming where he was pistol whipped earlier.&nbsp; The deep scrapes on his wrists were still angry looking and hard to hide when wearing a t-shirt but Charlie's tits did a spectacular job of keeping Harold's eyes off of him.&nbsp; If Harold happens to see Adam's face on the t.v. or a newspaper it's doubtful he's gonna make the connection between the picture he's looking at and the shit kicked guy that a goddess dragged into his building.<br><br>His hand still holding hers as she pulls him into the opulent lobby and without thinking, his fingers lace with hers, feeling her small hand inside his and then telling himself that it's strictly to give the very small number of people around that they're a couple like any other couple that might be around.<br><br>Getting inside the elevator and when the doors closed it took him another second to remember to release her hand and then standing still inside the elevator as it climbed upwards.&nbsp; He had seen Charlie naked earlier...and in that dress she found...it still took a supreme amount of effort not to look at her in the soaked clothing she now wore, no matter how un-sexy they might be.&nbsp; Charlie could make a nun's outfit sexy.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>02-10-2006, 22:34:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				When Adam started talking, Charlie didn’t know what to think, but she smiled softly and waited patiently. Inside she was half screaming at him, calling him an idiot that didn’t know when to keep his mouth shut, and half thanking him for helping out, doing what might actually be helpful. <br><br>At least by him making an effort to even further smooth things, Charlie was able to see that he was coming out of whatever had been drowning him in thought and almost catatonia. His mind was working again, and that was a good thing. She wasn’t used to having to look out for anyone but herself. Maybe he did do the right thing by talking to Harold? She didn’t know. But it was done. <br><br>They entered the elevator, and she held his hand for a second longer. She told herself that it was just to cement the illusion they were a couple, and not because it was strong and warm. But the second they let go, she was opening one of the plastic bags she carried, crouching and setting it on the floor, water still dripping from her clothes and making a small circle of moisture in the carpet around her. She was glad for the ballcap that hid her face from him. <br><br>She worked quickly. She ripped open the master lock and took out the keys. They should be the same size as the one for the deadbolt and the knob lock to the apartment. She didn’t have Larry’s key on her, her purse was back in the motel room. But she had picked up a few tricks over the years. <br><br>Next she opened the package that held the metal nail file. It should hold up long enough to do what she needed it to. Patiently she started filing the teeth of the key. If possible, she wanted to be finished by the time they reached the 23rd floor. One tooth, then another, deepening the groove slightly between each one. Two keys came with the master lock, she would only have two chances to make a bump key. <br><br>As the floors ticked by, she filed. She was silent the entire ride. Adam probably had his own thoughts to contend with anyway. She needed to concentrate.&nbsp; She was only half done by the time they reached the 20th floor. She would have to finish in the hall. Charlie piled everything back in the bag, and stood, waiting for the doors to open when they reached floor 23. <br><br>When the doors opened, the hall was gratefully empty. She expected they would be this time of night, but never took anything for granted. Taking a left, she strode purposefully down the hallways, her flip flops quietly smacking the bottoms of her feet as she walked. She stopped in front of 2312. <br><br>Taking another glance around, she pulled back out the key and the file. Another minute later she stopped and blew metal shavings away from the key, and held it to the light. Hopefully it would do. <br><br>Charlie closed her eyes in a silent prayer, and slipped the key into the deadbolt. With a little shake, it found it’s way in, settling snugly in the key hole. With her right hand she turned the key as far as it would turn, and held it there. With her left hand, she turned the nail file around, holding it by the file. A quick and powerful flick of the wrist and the handle of the nail file struck the back of the key sharply, and her fingers turned the key the rest of the way as the tumblers fell into place. <br><br>Her body relaxed and wide smile crossed her face. It worked. She repeated the process on the door lock, tapping the homemade bump key and knocking the tumblers back. Without any look to Adam, she opened the door and stepped inside the luxurious apartment. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>11-10-2006, 16:01:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He'd heard guys talk about it, he'd heard references to it, but watching Charlie in action in the elevator making the key was like watching a dancer.<br><br><em>She looks great...she thinks great...and she's a terminator when things get tense.</em><br><br>He was silent as he watched her slender fingers moving nimbly, sensing the fact that she wanted silence and he really wasn't sure what to say at this point.&nbsp; He was frightened, stressed, and wholly embarassed by the way he had acted a few moments earlier.&nbsp; He was also embarassed that despite the awful situation they were in, he still couldn't keep himself from watching the sway of Charlie's ass even inside&nbsp; the rain-soaked sweat pants she was wearing.<br><br>He had tracked Charlie for a long time, and he didn't even know about this place.&nbsp; No doubt she had even more last minute places to hole&nbsp; up in if things got ugly for her.<br><br>With the door closing behind them with a soft click the world seems to slip away and they're tucked away in a posh aparment, but he doesn't see any of that.&nbsp; At the moment, all he can see is Charlie and he watches her with a frown on his face, part of him in awe of her, and part of him still trying to puzzle her out.<br><br>His voice is quiet and a little bit reverent as he watches her.<br><br>" You are quite a woman."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>11-10-2006, 17:17:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Once they were inside, Charlie sighed deeply. This place would be safe for a little while. They wouldn’t want to linger more than a day or two at most, but that would give them time to gather their thoughts and look for a safe in this place. She’d never broken into a safe before, but she had used her wits to figure out what men used for their passwords, and guessed a combination would be similar. Just had to find out more about the man, and she could figure out what numbers he would pick. And they had a whole apartment of this man to search. <br><br>But before that, she needed a hot shower and dry clothes, and maybe some sleep. But first, she needed a strong drink. <br><br>As she ran over things in her head, she thought about how nothing else tonight could surprise her. She had been caught, escaped, caught again. She had realized a huge attraction for a man, the first man to bring up feelings like these in a very long time. Quentin was one step from catching her. She was now sort of allied with the same man who had captured her in the first place. She had watched a man get killed. <br><br>But nothing prepared her for his words. <br><br><i>" You are quite a woman."</i><br><br>Charlie froze, her eyes holding his, her head tilted and her expression dripping with bewilderment. She was certain that despite the obvious physical attraction between them, thoughts of him pressing her to the bed came to mind again, he despised her as much as she despised him. <br><br>But despite her loathing of him, she did respect his abilities and his skill. Was that what he meant? Did he respect her and the way he’d had to chase her for months? Was he just surprised she knew how to make the bump key? Or was he commenting on the way she had pulled him along like dead weight while he worked through whatever mental shit he had to muck through?<br><br>She held his gaze, unblinking, for a long moment. The silence built until it was an almost tangible drape around them, circling the small space they took up in the large posh apartment. In the end she decided it didn’t matter what prompted his words. The sincerity had been thick in them, and the statement stood strong. <br><br>Finally one corner of her lips tentatively pulled up in the hint of a smile. A real smile, not the one she wore to dazzle, but one that came from an honest and genuine place inside of her.&nbsp; She more mouthed her words than spoke, but the message would be clear. <br><br>“Thank you.”<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>14-10-2006, 01:06:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em> A swing and a miss.&nbsp; You are just out of your league with this woman.&nbsp; Which is a good question as to why you think you need to cling onto her like she's some kindof life preserver.&nbsp; You could have said anything to her like "Good work with those keys." but instead you sounded like a star-struck admirer and she gave you a smile like she felt sorry for you. </em><br><br>Letting out a deep breath, he's been embarassed enough today to last a life time and no doubt Charlie will want to change her clothes and he's not sure if he's ready to see a half-naked Charlie again.&nbsp; He slips off his shoes and lets his wet, bare feet sink into the dry, plush carpet of the swanky digs that Charlie got them into.<br><br>Leaving her to whatever it is she has planned next he wanders around the penthouse, blown away be the furnishings and the money the guy has gotta have to keep this place.&nbsp; They're up high, which is good because it means he won't get seen if he's out on the balcony.<br><br>Heedless of the fact that it's still a downpour, leaving Charlie alone to change or do whatever it is she has planned next he slides open the glass door and steps out into the sheeting rain as he lets the sound of it falling all around him swallow him up.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>18-10-2006, 18:03:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Charlie’s perfectly groomed brows quirked forward slightly as he simply exhaled and stepped out into the rain. He was impossible to read. Just when she thought she might be getting a handle on him, he goes and reacts in a way she didn’t expect. Her green eyes followed him all the way out onto the balcony. What was his problem now?<br><br><i>Screw him, who cares what his problem is.</i><br><br>Charlie stepped over to the bar on the other side of the main room. The room was huge, and clearly set up for entertaining. As she stepped behind the bar, she could see it was also well set up <i>thank god</i> with a good supply and variety of alcohol. She kept things simple for now, simply pouring herself a brandy. It would warm her, and right now she felt cold, and not just from the rain. <br><br>Leaving Adam to his own devices, Charlie proceeded into the depths of the apartment, taking her drink and the plastic bags with her. In the back she found the master suite. It was lush and opulent, and like the rest of the apartment, obviously professionally decorated. <br><br>She set her things down on the bed and walked into the bathroom. It was huge and glorious, and she was very grateful to see the large oversized sunken tub. Immediately she started the water, making the temperature quite hot. Charlie rifled through the cabinets until she found a barely used bottle of bubble bath and poured a very generous amount under the stream of water. <br><br>As the tub filled, she stripped down, depositing her wet clothes in the sink for now. Nude, she walked back into the master bedroom. It was possible there were women’s clothes about, but unlikely. Larry was a decent guy, she didn’t think he was a player. He had been totally enamored with her, and she didn’t think he was the type to get caught up in women. He was alright looking, that wasn’t a problem, but he was devoted to his career. He was the type who worked to have it all, and ended up with nothing. She felt only the smallest pang of guilt for using his place like this, and for the way she intended to gather any resources she could from this place, but pushed the guilt away. He was a nice guy, but nice guys finished last. <br><br>As expected, she found nothing in the way of women’s attire. Instead she grabbed a button down shirt; much like the one Adam had given her to wear, and hoped the thong from the dress would dry out enough to wear after her bath. Given the lack of material, she guessed it would dry enough. Especially since the material was thin. <br><br>Returning to the bathroom, she hung the shirt on the doorknob, leaving the door open a crack to let the steam escape the room. She eased her body into the hot water, her drink in one hand, her skin immediately turning pink from the heat. It was slightly painful it was so hot, but the pain was welcome. Pain she could deal with. It was the other things she had been feeling that evening that she couldn’t deal with. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>19-10-2006, 04:12:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Looking over his shoulder, he can see that Charlie is gone which is a good thing.&nbsp; He's not feeling the most stoic at the moment and her, and her body, and more importantly, her eyes are just more than he can take at the moment.<br><br>Sliding open the patio door once more and stepping inside, he pauses and looks around.&nbsp; Everything is quiet, and it immediately fills him with anxiety.&nbsp; Did she leave him?<br><br><em> So what if she did?&nbsp; Wouldn't that be a good thing?&nbsp; What?&nbsp; You two are gonna date now? </em><br><br>Scowling more at the voice in his head as he chides himself, he pushes the anxiety away as he moves quietly through the plush penthouse while still soaked to the skin.&nbsp; Calming himself, he uses his head for the first time in what seems like hours.&nbsp; There was a bottle of brandy sitting on the bar and he doesn't remember if that was out earlier or not, but it's a clue.&nbsp; His eyes flickering over the glasses on the bar and seeing everything is tidy, and laid out symmetrically, there's a single crystal glass missing from one of the racks.<br><br><em> She likes her luxuries...did she help herself to a drink? </em><br><br>Moving through the apartment, wishing he had the gun, but knowing full well that he'd be about as useful with it as he would be with a pair of knitting needles.<br><br><em> Actually knitting needles might be more effective...</em><br><br>Alert, and moving silently despite the wet clothing as he moves across the plush carpet.&nbsp; It's the steam he spots billowing out of the bathroom door that lets him know that Charlie, or possibly more than just Charlie is present in the apartment.&nbsp; Maybe..<br><br><em> What's his name?&nbsp; Larry?&nbsp; Maybe Larry showed up? </em><br><br>He's betting that if Larry showed up, there'd be some noise, and he's sure if those fucks showed up, there'd be alot of noise so it's with only a&nbsp; small amount of dread that he speaks.&nbsp; His voice coming out hoarse and soft the first time from tension and lack of use since getting here, he clears his throat and speaks again, quiet, firm but cautious.<br><br>" Charlie?&nbsp; You in there?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>19-10-2006, 15:30:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<i>" Charlie?&nbsp; You in there?"</i><br><br><i>Where else would I be?</i> The smart ass remark was the first thing that came to mind as he startled her out of her zone. She had been soaking, reclining in the tub, letting the heat penetrate her skin and drive the chill from her bones, and the comfort of the tub banish the worries of Quentin. The brandy had helped just as much, as she had downed the double very quickly. Too quickly probably, as she felt the light tingly feeling that came with the rush of a buzz. <br><br>“Yes.”<br><br>Her voice came out wearier than she had intended. With a sigh she opened her eyes and glanced at the water. The bubbles were still plentiful, and she would be covered if he entered, as he was bound to do. She was sure he would want to check on her, he just seemed like the type that wouldn’t trust anything he didn’t see with his own eyes. Although he had seen her nude several times already, and she wasn’t sure what the purpose of covering up was at this point. <br><br>She moved her legs together under the water and sighed softly again, her eyes closing once more. She wasn’t ready to leave the world she had been imaging where this was her tub, and where she was just relaxing with a drink after a long night of dancing with someone special. Charlie had always wanted a place like this and the kind of life it brought, but with her history, she would never have it. Luxuries were borrowed, not obtained, and she would relish this as long as she could, even though someone’s face kept creeping into her fantasy. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>19-10-2006, 21:29:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em> You are acting like such an idiot.&nbsp; Like a weakling. </em><br><br>Chiding himself further the moment he hears the tone of Charlie's voice in response to his calling out to her.&nbsp; She sounds tired and annoyed...and really tired of dealing with shit.<br><br>With his head still pounding and the soaked clothes he's wearing sucking the heat out of his body as he stands like a lump in the hall, he stammers out a response.<br><br>" Yeah, I...I know...I mean...I was just checking and uhm...yeah...okay then. "<br><br>Letting out another deep breath as he leaves the hallway and Charlie to her bath.&nbsp; He can't seem to stop his mind from racing, yet he seems utterly paralyzed about doing anything about what he's thinking.&nbsp; He comes across what has to be the master bedroom and after a moment of snooping around he finds a pair of clean, and especially, most importantly dry boxers.&nbsp; Peeling the soaked clothing off of him, he hangs them on the back of a chair for a moment and luxuriates in the sensation of the dry boxers against his cold, wet skin.&nbsp; His wrists are still a moderately bloody mess from where the handcuffs had dug into his flesh and he's hesitant about making a mess in this place despite the fact that Charlie clearly broke in, she still kinda knows this 'Larry', and because she kinda knows him, he's reluctant to really relax.<br><br>Wandering around the penthouse in the pinstriped boxers that Larry was so kind to "loan" to him he ends up sitting in a large la-z-boy recliner and with his hands resting on his lap to keep his messy wrists from touching the fabric, he closes his eyes and tries to relax.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>24-10-2006, 17:23:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<i>" Yeah, I...I know...I mean...I was just checking and uhm...yeah...okay then. "</i><br><br>Charlie sighed, and let him leave without another word, her eyes still closed. She didn’t know exactly what his deal was, and didn’t care. At least she told herself she didn’t care, although the undercurrent of her thoughts spoke to something different. Something else nagged at her. There was a reason he was acting like he was, and it wasn’t weakness. He wasn’t a weak person. <br><br><i>Okay, I’m worried about him. The guy had to kill someone for christs sake. That would fuck anybody up. Cut the guy a break.</i> At the self admission, her eyes opened to find the cold ceiling looking back at her and her dream world far away. <i>Shit.</i> She didn’t want to be worried about him. She didn’t want to give a fuck. But the realization that it was probably the death weighing on him, and something in her gut told her that’s what it was, made her feel compassion for him. <br><br>“Dammit.”<br><br>Charlie sat up and brought soapy hands to her face, rubbing at her forehead in frustration. This was all wrong. She ran solo, relied on herself and no one else, and no one relied on her. But somehow her and Adam’s fates had become entwined, and it was far more complicated than just the fact they were both now running from Quentin. There was something else there pulling them together, and that annoyed the shit out of her. Not only was there something else, she wasn’t exactly sure what it was. If she didn’t know what it was, how was she supposed to sever it?<br><br>Charlie pulled the drain from the tub and stood up as it drained. She stepped out and walked over to the shower, trailing bubbles across the bathroom floor and not caring at all. She flipped the water on, making it hot. When it had come to temperature, she stepped in and quickly washed her hair and rinsed, resisting the temptation to linger under the pounding water. <br><br>After the shower she wrapped her hair in one towel, and dried with another. She dressed in the button down shirt and the still slightly damp thong, and then sought out Adam, not even understanding why. Her bare feet were silent on the plush carpet as she slipped down the hallway. Before she entered the main room she spied him in a recliner in nothing but a pair of boxers. For a moment she stood there and soaked in his powerful form. <br><br>He was the epitome of masculine, but there was more to him than that. And to her dismay she felt something burning inside of her. Her eyes drank him in like a man who had just crawled from the desert would water. For a moment she was nothing but a female spying on a male, her responses instinctual and basal. <br><br>Suddenly she turned and walked back down the hallway, her fists balling. <i>What the FUCK is wrong with you, Charlie? Get it TOGETHER!</i> She sat down heavily on the bed in the master bedroom. She slammed a fist into the mattress. Yesterday she had been okay. Yesterday she had been in flight, but ultimately in control and unconcerned with anything. And now….<br><br>She sighed, the image of him still vibrant in her mind. His wrists had been a mess. She had to look at them, before they got infected. <i>You don’t have to do anything…</i> She silenced the inner voice, growing tired of it as one might a five year old child who wouldn’t shut up. <br><br>Rising from the bed, she entered the bathroom again, finding a first aid kit. She looked in the mirror. Her face was stark and plain, her coppery hair hidden under the towel, her face without makeup. Charlie was still a breathtaking woman, but without her mask she felt vulnerable. <i>This</i> was who she really was. Just a woman. Not the vixen she had portrayed for so long she almost had herself convinced of the role. <br><br>Not wanting to live in her thoughts anymore, she switched it on, and turned from the mirror, once more heading to the main room. She didn’t look at him as she purposefully strode into the room. <br><br>“Hey, I’m going to look at those wrists. You want a drink first?” <br><br>Charlie headed to the bar, needing another drink herself. Her voice had come out casual, thank god, and she didn’t think it betrayed any of the mixed up crap in her head.&nbsp; <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>27-10-2006, 21:47:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He had heard her matter of fact tone when she entered the room, and his first instinct was to open his eyes and send back a sharp retort.<br><br><em> You don’t need her pity, or her help.&nbsp; She needs you just as much as you need her.&nbsp; Right? </em><br><br>The bolstering going on inside his head seems to have little effect on his outer appearance however and he slowly opens his eyes as he looks to her.&nbsp; For a moment, he can actually hear his heart rate increasing as he looks at her.<br><br><em> She’s unbelievable. </em><br><br>The dress shirt she’s wearing somehow seems to accentuate her feminine charms and he can see her provocatively cut thong beneath the white fabric of the shirt, reminding him that she’s not wearing anything else at all underneath it.&nbsp; Despite everything that’s happened, here in the momentary security of the penthouse.&nbsp; Tired, warm, and dry for the first time in what seems like forever, thoughts of her are all that drifts through his head.<br><br>Her challenging smile.<br>The way she looked so sad and lost when he came out of the bathroom.<br>The way she undressed infront of him.<br>The way she had smelled when he pressed her onto the bed.<br><br><em> You’re totally fuckin’ losin’ it over this woman. </em><br><br>Even a towel on her head that should somehow detract from her appeal, only seems to make her look that much more fresh, vital and appealing.&nbsp; It was easier before when he could simply channel what he was feeling for her into anger.&nbsp; Now, it just seems wrong.&nbsp; In this case, she seems like she’s actually trying to be nice.&nbsp; He’s stressed, and scared, and he just got out of a situation where he thought he was going to be killed, so at the moment, genuine honesty seems like the best course.<br><br>Pushing out of the chair, and doing what he can to keep his eyes on Charlie’s eyes and not on the rest of her as he’s quite aware of the fact that he’s wearing only boxers and his ability to conceal his reactions to her are zero.<br><br>He tries to give her a genuine smile, not that he isn’t trying to be genuine, but he just feels so tired that he’s really not sure what he’s feeling at the moment.&nbsp; He almost reaches out to her, to touch her shoulder or her forearm maybe just to let her know he’s trying to be genuine, but touching her would undoubtedly be a bad idea.<br><br>“ Thanks Charlie, but right now…I really need to just shower. I…I just…a shower would be good.&nbsp; I appreciate what you’ve done for me since…well…since it all flew apart.&nbsp; Thanks for even offering to help with my wrists, okay?”<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>09-11-2006, 21:43:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He seemed to take a moment to answer, and the silence hung thick between them like a fog. She was unconsciously holding her breath as she put a few ice cubes into the tumbler and poured Black vodka over them. She was waiting for him to say something cutting, or flip her some attitude, and she still kept her eyes off of him, and on what her hands were doing. <br><br>Hearing him stand, she looked up, meeting his eyes as he walked towards her. She concentrated on keeping her eyes on his, and not on the breadth of his shoulders or the muscles in his arms. <br><br>When he reached her, he gave her a smile, one that she believed, and she let out the breath she had been holding. When he spoke it was sincere and relaxed, and without stress or malice or defensiveness. The relief she felt was a surprise even to her. The corners of her full lips twitched up in their own small smile, grateful to have someone to smile too, even as she didn’t want to feel the need to smile at anyone. Her voice was very quiet as she answered, but easy to hear against the backdrop of rain in the otherwise silent room. <br><br>“The shower in the master bath is wonderful. And Larry’s clothes should fit you. He’s not quite as big as you…but close. And…”<br><br>She hesitated, still not entirely trusting of his mood. But she wanted things to be easy for a little while. She didn’t want to fight and be on guard, so she continued, nodding towards his wrists. <br><br>“…you’re welcome.”<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>09-11-2006, 22:12:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em> So just reach out to her and take her into the shower with you.&nbsp; It's not inconceivable that she feels the same way you do.&nbsp; Or ask her.&nbsp; Ask her to come to the shower with you. </em><br><br>Her smile only seems to encourage the voice in his head as he stands there for a moment as she suddenly seems unwilling to meet his eyes and he keeps his attention focused on her slender fingers holding the bottle of vodka and the glass.<br><br>This whole thing seemed unreal now.&nbsp; It was so much easier when he hated her, and wanted to fuck her.&nbsp; Now...he didn't know what the hell he was feeling.<br><br><em> This is torture. Maybe I should do us both a favour and just bail.&nbsp; She's not wanted by the cops.&nbsp; I am. </em><br><br>Giving her a small, tired smile as he speaks.<br><br>" I'll be back for one of those. " <br><br>Pointing to the glass of vodka as he leaves her at the bar and heads for the bathroom.<br><br>Standing inside the bathroom for a moment, deciding whether or not he should lock it.<br><br><em> Locking it might mean she will think I don't want her inside with me, but then it doesn't look like I'm begging for her to come in either.&nbsp; </em><br><br>And then settling on the way she did it, with the door open just a crack incase she needs to talk to him.<br><br><em> Yeah...talk.&nbsp; You really want to talk with her right now. Talking is not the thing you want to do with her right now at all.</em><br><br>With the door slightly open he turns and continues the silent battle in his head as he turns on the shower and seeks for the right temperature.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>18-11-2006, 05:08:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He left the room, and Charlie felt as if she might crumble into a mass of flesh on the floor. Instead she managed to hold her drink and make it over to the chair he had been sitting in. She perched on the edge of it, her body curled forward on itself, one hand holding the drink, the other holding her face. <br><br>She wanted him. <br><br>She wanted him like she had never wanted anything or anyone before. She was bewildered and bothered and&nbsp; confused about how she could want him so desperately. But she did. <br><br>Charlie felt a desire for him that was unreal. It ran from her toe to her head in a needful tremble. His image was emblazoned on the back of her eyelids, his masculine form, the eyes that were so full of fire, the way he moved… She could still smell his scent, could still feel him pressing her to the mattress, and then pulling her over the balcony. <br><br>She lifted her head and downed the double vodka in one open throated gulp. It burned her esophagus and felt like acid in her belly, but the sensation was nothing compared to the yearning she felt to tangle with Adam. She had hoped the vodka would dull it, but it didn’t work. <br><br>Charlie stood suddenly, pacing. She had kept it together when he was in the room, the tension had been thick, but they both had been trying. He wanted her. She knew that, any fool could see it. But he would never let himself close to her. She was a mark, and she was goods, and he was something else. <br><br>In a fit of frustration with herself and the situation, she turned and flung the glass into the unlit fireplace with a guttural cry of aggravation. It was a dramatic thing, something that would have made her roll her eyes if she had seen it in a movie…but she felt as if she could explode. <br><br>“Fuck!” <br><br>What was she going to do? The desire for him was painful it was so intense. Her mind was chaotic with thoughts of their limbs twisting together, his muscles against her body, their lips crashing together like stormy waves on a beach…<br><br>Charlie turned and looked down the hall. She could hear the water in the shower in the master bath. Her eyes closed and her face clenched in effort to refrain from following after him. The effort was futile though, as her feet moved on their own with steady purpose towards the master bedroom. <br><br><i>What the hell am I doing? What makes you think he’ll want this? He left the bed when you wanted him to stay…he is stronger, mentally, physically, in every way. So he desires you…doesn’t mean he’ll fuck you.</i><br><br>Her feet did not slow as her thoughts tumbled through her head. Soon she was in the master bedroom, gazing at the steam spilling forth from the crack in the bathroom door. Her heart pounded in her chest and her breathing grew more intense. Her breasts rose and fell under the white button down dress shirt. Her nipples had hardened to painfully tight points, and her hands rose to cup her swells of flesh, trapping those nipples between her fingers and squeezing them. <br><br>The wave of want that shot from her pussy out over her body threatened to topple her. <br><br>“Dammit.”<br><br>She didn’t want to want him. <br><br>But she did. <br><br>Charlie set her jaw and carefully pulled the towel from her hair. The shirt was next. Both items were discarded to the floor, leaving her nude, her wet copper colored hair falling around her face and shoulders in a wild mess. She licked her lips once, her body having silenced her thoughts. <br><br>With determined and resolute steps she closed the distance to the bathroom door and silently pushed it open. There was no break in her pace as she continued forward to the meat in the shower in front of her, the Adonis bathing and unaware of her presence. <br><br>Charlie pulled the shower door open and stepped inside, her green eyes blazing with a fanatical want. Still her pace did not slow, she continued forward until her body forced his back to hit the wall of the shower, the door swinging closed again just as his flesh hit the wall. She knew she had only been able to push him because she had caught him off guard. But it was enough. <br><br>Her hands slid up his chest, neck, face, and into his long dark hair. She gripped it and pulled his head forward, pushing herself up to meet his lips in a powerful and passionate kiss. Charlie forced her tongue between his lips, breathing hotly and heavily through her nose. A deep passionate groan vibrated from her chest, and she pressed her flesh to his so firmly it might seem she wanted to occupy the same space.&nbsp; <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Praxis</strong> on <strong>21-11-2006, 00:19:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It was like his thoughts has been made real.&nbsp; There was no way to hide the surprise in his eyes the moment he heard the shower door slide open.&nbsp; Turning to spot Charlie, his body tensing and about to speak when he took in the rest of her.&nbsp; Undressed.&nbsp; As perfect as she had been earlier when he had her undress in the bathroom and then she's ontop of him.&nbsp; Hot water hammering against both of them and sending water droplets and steam into the air as she presses herself up against him hungrily.<br><br>Her breasts pressed against him as her tongue invades the heat of his mouth and he feels her slender fingers slide along the sides of his head.&nbsp; Her desire driving her to the edge that he felt like he had been teetering on since meeting her.<br><br>The kiss is returned in as savage a fashion as she had been kissing him.&nbsp; His arms wrapping around her slick, smooth body while his tongue tangles with hers. Every part of her is slender, sleek, and desirable.&nbsp; His desire for her immediate, and she can feel him, hot, hard and thick; pressed against her abdomen as his hands slide down her back, cascading water as he touches her and both hands claim her ass.&nbsp; Strong fingers gripping the cheeks of her perfect ass and pulling her tightly to him, holding him against&nbsp; her and giving her the sense that if he wanted, he could hold her there indefinitely and there is nothing she could do about it.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bounty</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lyria</strong> on <strong>03-12-2006, 03:20:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A primal grunt of want issued forth from her as he crushed her against him. The powerful grip of his large hand on her round buttocks sent a wave a weakness washing through her, her legs trembling for a moment and threatening to let her spill to the floor. If not for his desperate clench on her ass, she might have done just that. <br><br>But as she was still standing, she continued to devour his mouth with her own. Her teeth closed around his lower lip, holding it firmly as she ran her tongue across the trapped flesh before releasing it and invading his mouth once more. She felt frantic, desperate to taste and feel all of him at once. <br><br>Charlie could feel her full breasts pressed against the hard wall of his chest, and craved a more direct touch. She broke the kiss, throwing her head back under the water, letting the hammering fall slick her coppery hair back again. The long expanse of her graceful neck was bared to him down to her collar bone. Her hands pulled his head forward until his lips met the skin of her neck. A series of whimpers sprung forth from her throat as she waited, pleaded, for him to consume her.&nbsp; <br><br>The angle of her body pushed her hips and abdomen forward, her buttocks flexing in the palms of his hands. The presence of his desire on her abdomen was not lost on her, and she writhed her body against it as one foot lifted to wrap her leg around his. The curve of the back of her knee conformed around his thigh. <br><br>“Please….”<br><br>It choked out of her, a surprise to herself as much as it might be to Adam. She wasn’t even precisely aware of what exactly she was pleading for, she just needed more, everything, all of him. <br>
			</dd>
		</dl>
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