my heart was a hellhound

[chxsingphxntomz]

𝒄𝒉𝒙𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒑𝒉𝒙𝒏𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒔 || private mumu . sideblog to bittcrsweetmemxries. [ lovingly tortured by bobbie, 30, she/her ]

muses under the cut

adeola okafor - 36 , barkeep , pansexual , she/her , wunmi mosaku ( historical )

alec taylor - 33 , drug dealer , bisexual , he/him , jack o'connell ( modern )

arabella rhys - 27 , dancer , bisexual , she/her , grace van patten ( modern )

arthur whitmore - 45 , prince , homosexual , he/him , andrew scott (historical )

aurelia galetti - 29 , lady , pansexual , she/her , hannah dodd ( historical )

dawn rhys - 45 , literature professor , pansexual , she/her , rachel mcadams ( modern )

edith cooke - 26 , ward to the duke , pansexual , she/her , imogen waterhouse ( historical )

finley daly - 43 , hunter , pansexual , he/him , aaron tveit ( supernatural )

freddie colman - 56 , book store owner , homosexual, he/him , colman domingo ( modern )

bryony mitchell - 28 , maid , pansexual , margaret qualley ( modern )

[historiies]

an honest to god giggle tumbled from his lips at the latter statement and declan found himself ( not for the first time in freddie's presence ) reduced to a schoolboy. "well you're very kind," he managed simply after a moment, fortifying himself with a gulp of his wine. blinking in response to his name, he set his chin in his hand to look slightly upwards at the other. "mmh?" he squeezed their joined hands again before bringing freddie's knuckles to his lips. "i'll take your word for it," conceded eventually.

[chxsingphxntomz]

freddie had never felt like this before and already he felt so out of his depth. he didn't know what to do with these feelings. they felt too much for how long they'd been seeing one another. already, he worried that he had been a little too forward with how he was feeling. " sorry. " he sighed. he dropped his gaze as he took a sip of his drink. " if i ever come across too strong. i'm sorry. i just haven't felt this way about anyone before. " oh now that he was going to blame on the wine. he said it before he could even stop himself.

[historiies]

had it been anyone else, he might've considered it an overstep. but it was dawn, and he knew her well enough to know her heart was absolutely in the right place and he couldn't fault her for being so caring. "that's why they're just coworkers," tried another quiet laugh. if he thought about it, her presence alone had already made him feel more alive than he had at any point in the last week. he nodded. "coffee it is.. uh. i'll get it, just... stay here." the last thing he wanted was for her to see the absolute state he'd let the kitchen devolve into. with that, he disappeared into the other room and reappeared a short while later with two big mugs and placed them down on the coffee table before joining her on the sofa. "hope it's okay. i just made it like you have it at work."

[chxsingphxntomz]

dawn just hoped that dan knew her well enough now that he would say something if he was to be annoyed about her turning up. she thought that the two of them were close enough that he'd know she wasn't someone who would take offence. " this is true. none of the rest of them get a care package when they're sick. " she was becoming more and more suspicious of this 'sickness' as they went on but she wasn't about to call out her friend. if he wanted to tell her, she was sure that he would. " yeah, of course. no problem. " she shrugged. as dan left the room, dawn moved to sit down and make herself a little more comfortable. " it'll be perfect. thank you. " she reached to take a hold of the mug before she spoke again, " you know, i had to eat lunch all by myself today. i felt like i was back in high school. "

[historiies]

@chxsingphxntomz

he waited for tommy to spot him, taking a long drag from his cigarette before finally moving towards the other and speaking. "that bitchy little old woman your boss?" jesse jerked his head in the direction of the figure retreating at speed from the library's vicinity. his mother would have his head for describing a woman like that, but it was accurate. "told me off for smokin' out here. like there's anybody around," he made a gesture to the decidedly empty surroundings. "i reckon she'd have taken me by the ear if she coulda reached." another drag, exhaled with a sigh. "anyway. surprise. wanna go get a drink? or i can just walk you home, i guess." he shrugged.

[chxsingphxntomz]

as tommy left work, he hadn't expected to see jesse waiting for him ... and he didn't like the way that his heart skipped a beat because of it. it was getting harder and harder for tommy to wrap his head around the way that he felt for jesse. he didn't want to admit it. he'd been burnt too badly recently to allow his heart to be given away easily... even if he might not has as much control over it as he'd like. " yeah, that's my boss. " he nodded. " she's not so bad ... not all of the time, anyway. " it was late. he figured that, that was why she was being so crabby. it didn't matter, anyway. " we can go for a drink. " he nodded. in reality, he was pretty tired but he wasn't going to say no to spending more time with the other.

[historiies]

he dipped his head under her gaze, a slight dusting of red adorning his cheeks. increasingly, he wished he'd left the door unanswered, but that wouldn't have been fair at all. logically, he knew dawn was probably the last person on earth who would judge him and was, in fact, possibly the person he felt most comfortable around outside of his family. "thanks," dan tried another weak smile and emitted a quiet exhale of laughter at her justification. "aw, c'mon. they're not that bad." okay, maybe some of them were, but the words 'dawn' and 'selfish' together like that simply didn't ring true one bit. "... mostly." a slightly twisted smile. "uh.. why don't we go in there," he gestured to the living room behind her. "d'you want a coffee, or somethin'? oj, maybe?" a quick lift of the carton she'd brought to punctuate the lame joke.

[chxsingphxntomz]

a part if dawn wondered if she had overstepped. it was pretty common of her to do so - especially for the people that she cared about. she meant well. she always meant well but sometimes, she might come on too strong. it had been the end of some of her relationships in the past. " maybe not. they not exactly not, though. " none of them were exactly people that she would hang out with outside of work, however. dan was different. she nodded and followed him through into the living room. she wanted to ask what was wrong - there was something in the air between them and she didn't know what it was ... she didn't like it, though. " coffee would be perfect. "

[historiies]

"mmh. right away, if you would," he placed the glass down solely to snap his fingers. he couldn't so much as imagine a world in which freddie could actually manage it. then man probably woke up perfect and went to bed the same way. declan thought about how much he'd like to test that theory for himself... he had been an investigative journalist, after all. an unintentional snicker escaped and lips twisted as he fought a smile. "sycophant," uttered accusingly, though he let the genuine smile blossom and started shyly at the table for a moment. "god, i hope i've looked better than this."

[chxsingphxntomz]

" i'll give it my best shot. " freddie smiled before he added, " anything for you. " and he really did mean it. he'd do just about anything to make sure that declan was happy. it hadn't even been that long that the two of them had been dating but he knew that to be true. he'd always been someone who fell hard and fell fast but even he had to admit that how he felt about declan was ridiculous for how long things had actually been happening. " declan.. " he sighed as he shook his head, " you've no idea how attractive you are to me. so i'd say the feeling is completely mutual. "

[suspcnd]

"You're always running that mouth, aren't you darling?" He muttered, chuckling lowly before pressing his tongue back onto her. He didn't want to waste another second, not when she was right here and all his and making those noises that he could have listened to for hours. His tongue knew how to work her, knew the pace that she needed, knew just how to get her to whine exactly the way he wanted. But even after so many times, after this becoming muscle memory, he had never tired of it. Perhaps that was what was different about her - she hadn't lost his attention fully yet, even after all the years.

His fingers teased, and he pulled his head back to watch the way they sank into her as he let out a satisfied groan. "I do always get what I want." He glanced up at her, the grin on his face even more devilish than usual. "But do you want me to stop?" He licked at her again, working his rhythm with his fingers, his gaze trained on her face to watch exactly what he did to her.

[chxsingphxntomz]

" you wouldn't have it any other way, love. " bryony was fairly certain that if she was one of these girls that would bend over backwards to be what dalton wanted. she was never going to be that kind of woman. it was probably the whole reason why the two of them had continued to circle around one another as much as they had. that and they knew each other well enough at this point to know exactly what it was that the other liked , that they needed.

her eyes were locked with his as he pulled back, as he spoke to her. her breathing laboured. at his question, she reached forwards, her hand tangling in his hair, " don't you dare. " she breathed. " please dalton. don't stop. " she knew it wouldn't be too much longer before she might come undone. she could feel the tightening in her stomach as she watched him.

[suspcnd]

Chuckling low in his throat, Dalton knew it was a trap laid for him in that question. If he said yes, he'd give her the satisfaction of letting her know just what she did to him, but if he denied then there was a risk she would rein it in in future. Instead, he kept the attention on her. He was far too experienced in this game to let the ball drop now, or at least he believed he was. "So you know you're a brat, huh princess? You can't help yourself, can you?"

His free hand reached for her waist as she straddled him, gripping into her hip while his fingers dug into the soft curve of her ass, and he let their eye contact break as he watched the way his fingers worked in and out of her. "Don't." He shook his head at her request, pulling his fingers out of her to bring them to his mouth to taste her. He closed his eyes, moaning as if he were a man tasting the nectar of the gods. "Not until I've had what I want first." In a swift movement he grabbed both of her hips, picking her up as he stood up to twist them both around so that he could seat her instead and sink to his knees in front of her. "God, look at you. Fucking perfect." His hands spread her and he lowered his head, his tongue immediately seeking the sweet taste of her.

[chxsingphxntomz]

bryony pouted a little as dalton didn't answer her question. instead, he posed a question of his own. she should have known that he would never fall into that particular trap - even if she'd hoped that he would. for once, she hoped that he'd make things easy for her. " i know exactly who i am, dalton. " she nodded. she had never pretended otherwise. even now she didn't have the status, bryony was still just as bratty as she had always been.

a whine fell from her lips as he denied her. it was almost like he had fun denying her anything that she wanted. she should have known, though, that he would do just about anything that he wanted. " don't you always get what you want first? having me in here is what you wanted. " she retorted - but there was a hint of a laugh in her words then. she was having fun, that much was clear. and although she enjoyed defying him, she happily spread her legs as dalton settled between them. " oh, god ! " she hissed, her head falling back as a moan of pleasure sounded.

[suspcnd]

"I would call it showing you what happens if you don't behave for me." He responded without hesitation, the tip of his finger pressing so gently into her to draw out what she wanted. She asked him not to tease, but that only made him want to do it all the more. "I can do what I want with you." He hummed, driving in deeper before pulling almost all of the way, only to repeat the motion again and again.

Dalton watched her all the while, his lips parted slightly as he toyed with her. Another finger pushed into her, sinking in until his palm cupped her and he pressed the heel of it against her to create the friction he knew she needed. He could have played with her in complete sensory deprivation, devoid of sight and hearing, and still would know exactly where to touch to drive her wild. "Are you going to rush me, Bry?" He muttered, curling his fingers slightly, his eyes darkening as his blood heated all the more.

[chxsingphxntomz]

" are you trying to tell me that you don't enjoy my brattiness? " she retorted. she'd always thought that it was pretty clear that was something he enjoyed. especially when the two of them would end up in this sort of situation because of it. the whimper that fell from her mouth as she thought he was about to pull away from her was downright pathetic. bryony wouldn't have put it past him. what it did do was show him all of her cards. not like he needed the ego boost.

hey eyes flickered shut for a moment as he continued. she revelled in his touch. when was the last time they'd been together? too long, she was realising now. she moved, then, so that she was straddling dalton. she sat up on her knees to still allow him decent access to where she needed him. " no. " she whispered in response to his question, " i wouldn't dare rush you. " bryony trailed her fingers down his chest, she lent forwards a little, her lips finding the crook between his ear and neck. " can i touch you? "

[suspcnd]

Dalton loved it when women threw themselves at his feet, the shallow ones that needed little more than a wink or to catch the scent of his wealth before coming to bed with him. It scratched an ever-present itch and inflated his bulbous ego every time, a necessity for a man like him. But this, when someone would stand before him and challenge him, that was what he craved. The challenge of it, the fights if it came to them, the pure heat that made the sauna all the more suffocating. Every time Bryony told him no like that morning, he had to have her all the more.

"You think I put effort in for you?" He whispered hoarsely, his gaze fixed on hers as he moved his hand, fingers gently catching the skin of her outer thigh. "You're mine." His fingers trailed up to her hip, following the shape of it before slipping in between her legs. He didn't break eye contact, he didn't need to. He knew this body all too well. "This is mine." He hummed with satisfaction as he toyed with the slickness between her folds, his touch still gentle and explorative. No matter what she said or how she treated him, that didn't lie - it showed exactly how she felt about him. "Look at you, wet for me already."

[chxsingphxntomz]

bryony had long since given up in deciding what it was that dalton had over her that got under her skin so much. she just couldn't shake him. no matter how hard she tried. every time he walked away from her, she told herself that she wouldn't let him back in ... and every time they ended up in some sort of situation like this. she was sure that she'd tell herself the same once they were done here too. yet she knew that there would be a time when it was the final time, she hoped that it wouldn't be any time soon.

" what would you call carrying me through the house? " she retorted. her eyes were trained on him as she waited to see what his next move was about to be. a shaky breath left her lips at his touch. at least with dalton, she didn't need to worry about if he would give her what she needed. she knew that he knew how to touch her, how to make her feel good. " don't tease, dalton. " bryony whispered. " i know that you can do better than that. "

[suspcnd]

Dalton was already sat on the lower wooden bench, arms draped over the rest behind him and legs spread wide, staring at the door that he knew would open sooner or later. Bryony liked to run from him, but he knew it was only so that he would come after her in chase. Sometimes he gave her the satisfaction, other times he would tire of their dance that had been going on for years and let the space between them widen for any length of time he chose. No matter how it went, they always ended up like this one way or another.

His fingers flexed the moment she walked in, his gaze roaming over her body as he drank in the sight of her. He'd seen it all before, but it didn't stop him looking like he was finally satisfying a craving. "There's my girl." He purred, deep and low, the words meaning so little now after all that had transpired. A gruff moan escaped him as she grabbed his face, and his grin only sharpened. "Yeah? Is that right?" He turned his head, capturing her thumb into his mouth, sucking it between his teeth before he bit down on it gently. "Show me."

[chxsingphxntomz]

bryony knew what the two of them had was not healthy. she was well aware that their habits were toxic and just down right bad. her friends had told her to stay away from him time and time again after all. she was just too stubborn for her own good. if she wanted to be around dalton, then she would. and when she didn't, that was when it would be over between them. at least, that was what she told herself, anyway. she didn't like to believe that he had more power over her than her own self will.

she tilted her head slightly as she took in the sight of him and she wasn't subtle as she allowed her eyes to rake over him. " you know that i'm right. " she didn't think that it needed to be said. at this point, bryony was pretty sure that they knew one another better than they knew themselves. it felt like they could read each others mind sometimes. " since when did you need me to do your dirty work? i don't need to prove myself to you. " she muttered but with her hand staying where it was, bryony rested the other on the bench behind his head and lent forwards a little, " you haven't gone to all of this effort to lose your spark at the last second, have you? "

[suspcnd]

Dalton let go of her hand to remove his shirt properly, discarding it nearby, and laughed at her spiteful words. The sound of it bounced off of the marble walls, a hearty chuckle from his belly as his eyes lit with the fire she was starting. "Oh? Does that upset you, Bry?" He goaded, dragging his teeth over his bottom lip as he stepped closer to her.

He let a moment pass, taking in the look on her face, breathing in the rage emanating from her like it was more precious to him than oxygen. "I was talking about the hangover." He muttered, a satisfied gleam in his eye for the reaction she was giving him. "But I am flattered, that you like to think of me and the little sluts." He winked, a shameless thing, and made no hesitation to remove his boxers and step under the shower outside the sauna. He didn't possess an inkling of shame about his body, and made no effort to hide a thing as the warm water cascaded over him. "Now stop sulking and get in here." He threw over his shoulder as he slipped through the door.

[chxsingphxntomz]

she hated that he was able to see through her so easily. years of their back and forth and it was probably easy by now to know exactly what was on each others mind. she stood for a moment and watched him walk away from her. there was a tiny part of her that thought about leaving him high and dry - just to see what he would do. she enjoyed to piss him off. it was all a part of the fun. a part of the sick little game that went between them. but she knew if she left, then he'd probably go cold on her for a little while and she didn't want that.

so, instead of leaving, bryony followed suit. she - like him - had never been someone who had any shame over her body and she wasn't going to shy away from the unspoken challenge that he'd laid before them now. " i don't care what you do, dalton. " bryony responded as she left her clothes in a pile on the floor. only her underwear remained. she wouldn't let him have that much satisfaction. not yet anyway. " just don't expect me to be some second rate choice. " bryony followed him into the sauna and moved across to him. she reached up to grab his face, to make sure that he was looking at her as she said it, " i'm much better than anyone else you can find and you know that. "

[suspcnd]

Dalton finally set Bryony down again once they reached the spa, an immaculately pristine part of the grounds that people would pay hundreds for with a membership at an elite gym. But there it was, at his disposal whenever he wanted it, one of the many luxuries that he took for granted every day.

Bryony's sass and attitude only spurred him on more, that signature grin never leaving him for a second. "I want..." His hand reached for her arm, his fingers sliding down the length of it to take her hand. "...to sweat out my sins from last night, and commit many more." He interlaced his fingers with hers, a dark chuckle leaving him as he started to pull her in the direction of the sauna, already shrugging off the shirt that was barely covering an inch of his torso anyway.

[chxsingphxntomz]

working for dalton and his family was a constant sign of everything that her family had lost. bryony was determined to get it all back for herself. she wasn't going to be someone who rolled over and took it. she just needed to device a plan - once that would work and get her back on top again. maybe dalton could be useful in that.

at this point, she knew better than to try and pull away from him. she knew he'd do as he pleased. it didn't matter what she said. it had always been something that she'd, secretly, enjoyed about dalton. she liked someone who took charge and knew what he wanted - even if she also liked to pretend like she didn't. " your sins from last night? " she raised an eyebrow, " so i'm just another notch on the bed post, right? whatever little slut you brought home didn't bother to stick around? " her jealousy struck again!

[suspcnd]

Dalton could have easily made the dig about who was pathetic between the two of them, and he surely would at some point, but even he knew that the timing wasn't right. Not when he was parading her through the halls of his family home, trying to have his way with her. The teasing and goading about her family and wealth status could come later, after he got what he wanted.

"Don't worry, princess, you're going to keep your job. In fact, you are in the possession of a Pritchard directly, so you needn't worry." He laughed, a torturous evil thing, and smacked her ass without a second thought. "I invited you to walk by yourself, but you refused me darling. I did tell you this was your fault. Not listening very well today, are we?" He ignored anyone that he passed, easy enough for him to do when that was the norm for him, and disregarded her squeaks of protest as he carried her to the indoor spa with a satisfied, smug grin on his face.

[chxsingphxntomz]

knowing that a big reason of why she was still around the pritchard house was because of dalton was not the comforting statement that he seemed to think it was. she knew him too well for that. he'd get bored in the next breath and she'd be out on the street, she was almost certain of that. and dalton would be there with that same smug look on his face. god she couldn't stand it.

bryony rolled her eyes. " you gave me all of two seconds to move before you'd flung me over your shoulder like some sort of neanderthal. " she shouldn't have ever expected anything less from him though. that was just how he was as a person. she'd gotten used to that, over the years. " okay. fine. now we're here. what do you want? "

[suspcnd]

"Yes, I am." He grinned wider, playfulness spreading to his features. "I am a rabid dog." He muttered, lips catching the skin of her jaw as he kissed along it, the large span of his hands smoothing over her hips and around to her ass. "If I don't get to fuck you soon there is no telling what I'll do, and it will be your fault." He pulled her flush against him, his wide, bare chest under his unbuttoned shirt pressing warm against her.

"And I think you're right. I do want to create a scene." If there was ever a challenge, no matter how small, Dalton was going to rise to it. So with that, he wrapped his arms around her waist and hoisted her up, throwing her over his shoulder with ease. "You're a very naughty girl." He stated simply, starting to haul her out of the room. "Everyone in this house ought to see it. Should I show them?" One of his hands reached for her skirt, starting to slide it up more to expose more of her legs as he laughed.

[chxsingphxntomz]

that earned an eye roll from bryony. he was either annoying the hell out of her or exactly what she needed in that moment. today, apparently, she was in an inbetween kind of mood. something which wasn't exactly helpful. " you know - it's almost pathetic how desperate you are for me. " she tilted her head as she looked up at him. the height difference all the more obvious now that she was this close to him.

she'd challenged him, yes. and bryony knew that he was always going to rise to a challenge but as he flung her over his shoulder, bryony couldn't help but squeal a little. " don't you dare! " she cried, legs flailing a little as she felt his hand at the bottom of her skirt, " you know that i need this job. don't! " it was one thing to tease her, to play with her and to annoy her like no tomorrow ... but to embarrass her in front of the people that she would have to see every day? that was a step too far.

[suspcnd]

He just smiled at her response, wide and with a glint of mischief in his eyes. Dalton knew it would drive her crazy, though it wouldn't stop him. If anything, it was something to put away at the back of his mind to use at a later date if he needed to get under her skin. "Prove me wrong and maybe I won't believe it." He chuckled, his fingers hooking into the waistband of her skirt and pulling her towards him. He couldn't keep his hands off of her when he was in one of these moods, when she was right there and still so his.

"But your 'work' is so dull." He countered, lowering his head so that his face was a little closer to hers. "And you would much rather come and get into the sauna with me." It wasn't a question - just a low, confident utterance. "Come on, Bry. You know I'm only going to get in your way until you say yes. Or I'll carry you down there myself and make a scene."

[chxsingphxntomz]

the look on his face was one that bryony knew all too well and one that she knew that she would never tire of. she just had to pretend otherwise. she couldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing how under her skin he was. " what the fuck is wrong with you? " bryony raised an eyebrow, " you in heat or something? " not that it was unusual for the two of them to be found in this exact situation. it was a wonder she ever got any of her work done.

" i dunno. there's all sorts of things you can uncover when you're the help. " she shrugged, " most of us go unnoticed. " she was an exception to the rule, clearly. bryony placed her hands on her hips and pursed her lips - as though in thought. " maybe a scene is what i want you to create. " bryony responded. she was never going to make things easy for him. she was in too much of a bratty mood for that. " besides, i think it would be almost too much work for someone like you. "

[suspcnd]

Dalton hummed low in his throat, the sound vibrating against her skin as he pressed his lips to the soft flesh of her neck below her ear. "Is that what you want?" He uttered softly, too soft for a man with no good intentions. "You want me to bring other girls home?" A moment passed, a heaviness to it. "I think you like having my attention, Bry. I think you like it even more when you tell me to stop and I don't."

Though instead of pursuing further, he hissed a breath inwards and took his hands off of her. "But if that's what you want." He shrugged, moving around in front of her now. He actually had no intention of leaving her space, especially when they were already tied into this back and forth. "Why are you in a mood?" Insensitive, of course, and with no regard to her actual wellbeing, but for Dalton it was gesture enough.

[chxsingphxntomz]

" if it means that you're gonna leave me alone, yeah. " she shrugged and before she could think better of it, she added, " maybe. " realistically, she knew that her jealousy would get the better of her. the idea of him being with anyone that wasn't her was enough to drive her absolutely crazy. she just wasn't about to voice that. " were you dropped on your head as a baby or something? do you seriously believe that? " the back and forth, the cat and mouse ... she couldn't lie. she did enjoy it.

she let out a breath - disappointment? relief? she didn't know - as he let go of her. " wow - you are so caring, dalton. it's such a wonder why i don't want to fuck you. " she rolled her eyes. it was always more than that - even if neither of them really said it. " let me think. hm... " she tapped her finger to her lip, " it's almost like i was just trying to get on with my work and someone decided to come along and try to distract me. "