xander didn’t know what the hell he’d gotten himself into. he blamed his sister, fully, and all of her theatrics for this one. all it took was a few texts and somehow he went from minding his own business to being responsible for a living thing.
cat: did you know only 10% of black cats get adopted from shelters?
xander: wow… clearly didn’t know that.
cat: well, don’t you think that’s sad?
xander: yes, of course i think that’s sad. i’m not evil. please just get to the point…
she dragged it out the way she always did, going on about some family friend with a litter of kittens about to be taken to a shelter. and somehow, by the end of it, it became xander’s problem to “save” the last one. they went back and forth until she wore him down just enough for him to give in, and now here he was… a pet owner. he’d spent the last two days taking care of this tiny little thing, and at first? he was completely thrown off. the claws, the late night bursts of energy, the constant squeaky meows. it was a lot. he hadn’t even told tori yet, mostly because he knew how it would sound. like he’d officially lost it this time. he figured he’d just explain it the next time he saw her.
he just didn’t expect it to be like this.
by the time tori walked through the door, xander was in the middle of getting his hand absolutely mauled. tiny claws wrapped around his fingers, little teeth sinking in like she had something to prove. she was playful, yeah, but there was a sharpness to her too. a little attitude. “shit—” he winced, trying not to yank his hand away too quickly. both him and the kitten froze at the same time, heads snapping toward tori like they’d both just been caught. “uh— hey,” he said, trying for casual like this wasn’t happening. the kitten darted immediately, skittering across the floor and weaving right around tori’s feet before disappearing behind the couch. “it’s uh… it’s not what you think,” he added, already reaching up to scratch the back of his head. he glanced over, watching as the kitten slowly peeked out from behind the couch, eyes locked on tori like she was assessing her. xander exhaled quietly. “okay, it actually is,” he corrected, a little more honest now. “but i can explain.” even as he said it, he knew he didn’t have a good explanation at all.
travis is convinced, without him, her boyfriend or whatever they were, would be completely useless. which is perfectly fine with him, because it kept his pockets lined with cash, and when it didn't jackson d'angelo owed him favors. and that was arguably more valuable. and because that man was so useless, travis was all but certain that he knew nothing about what was going on between him and the woman he called his own.
" please, he doesn't know shit. idiot wouldn't know his own nose if you cut it off and handed it to him, " a boastful smile on his face and a shake of his head. maybe he was a bit too confident in the ignorance of his employer, but that confidence came with preparation and experience. " why? he say something to make you think otherwise? " asked the older man as his hands are run underneath the water of the sink. in the apartment that jackson paid for every month, travis frequently made himself at home, even if it was technically hers. idiot shelled out so much money only for him to come over and have his way with her.
"again? i swear-- common sense has been chasing you your whole life-- but you have always been faster." she stares at the bloody knuckles, the split lip-- and the body writhing behind him. she rolls her eyes-- can hear the shriek of her publicist, knows someone in this party has filmed this entire altercation. she can almost read the shade room comments now. she tilts her head slightly, gestures to the stairs that lead up further into the cavernous mansion and away from the buzzing party. "come on. don't get blood on the carpet-- billie is attached to it." she heads up stairs without sparing him another look and walks into the guest room. she waits until he's there, until they are finally alone to meet his gaze again. "...you can't keep acting like a cave man every time a man speaks to me. men are going to speak to me-- they make up half the planet."
it had been weeks since the explosive argument with tori. the last time he saw her she was storming out of his house, heels striking the floor like punctuation marks at the end of something neither of them wanted to finish. there’d been no resolution afterward—no late-night calls, no angry texts, no attempt to circle back and clean up the wreckage. just silence. complete, deliberate silence. at first it ate at him. xander wasn’t used to things ending without some kind of control, some final word that tied the situation off neatly. but like most things in his life, he eventually adjusted to it. he adjusted to the quiet, to the absence. he wasn’t out chasing someone new, wasn’t hooking up with anyone else to fill the space she left behind. he was simply alone.
in some ways, that made things easier. no questions he couldn’t answer. no arguments waiting to ignite over things he couldn’t explain. no chasing after someone who didn’t seem entirely sure she wanted to stay. tori and xander had always moved in the same orbit—same kind of circles, same kind of families with too much influence and too much money behind them. for a while he’d convinced himself that meant something. that if anyone could understand the world he came from, it would be her.
unfortunately, that hadn’t turned out to be true.
no matter how much he showed up for her, no matter how many gifts he bought or how often he tried to make things easier, the one thing tori wanted most was the one thing xander simply couldn’t give her.
honesty.
or at least the kind she expected.
he knew he’d been secretive. especially when he hadn’t mentioned that their families had begun doing business together. the truth was, he didn’t have much control over that decision anyway. those deals were made long before he ever stepped into the room. still, it frustrated him that she couldn’t see his side of it—couldn’t understand that living with that level of secrecy didn’t exactly make him happy either. none of it was easy for him. but it was the life he’d been handed. and walking away from it had never really been an option. from his understanding, they were finished. tori had grown tired of xander’s secretive lifestyle, and xander had grown tired of fighting about it. it hurt more than he ever let show. like always, he did what he was best at—he swallowed the feeling, buried it somewhere deep where it couldn’t interfere with the rest of his life, and convinced himself it didn’t exist. except it did. what he felt for tori had been real. the way he’d wanted to win her over, the way he’d chased her approval even when it felt impossible. all of it had been real.
which was exactly why seeing her again hit harder than he expected.
xander had been doing a good job forgetting until the moment he caught sight of her across the room. the party itself was exactly the kind of event he was used to attending. an associate’s estate, filled with the kind of people who ran the world quietly from behind polished doors. everything about it was immaculate. guests danced beneath soft lighting, groups gathered outside smoking cigars on the terrace, and bartenders moved through the crowd pouring expensive liquor like it was water. the real conversations, though the ones that mattered—were happening elsewhere. most of the businessmen had disappeared into a private wing of the estate earlier in the evening. gambling, drinking, smoking, celebrating the close of another deal.
luck tended to favor xander.
by the time the card game was finished he walked away twenty thousand dollars richer. in his world that wasn’t even a notable amount of money, especially compared to the kind of deal he’d just helped secure. still he’d always enjoyed winning. he liked having his way. when the game broke up, the men filtered back toward the party together, laughter echoing through the halls as they returned with cigars in hand and easy confidence. associates clapped him on the shoulder, powerful businessmen and even a few mafia heads shaking his hand as they joined the rest of the guests. the room buzzed when they entered, attention briefly shifting toward their arrival. and when the noise settled again—that was when he saw her.
tori.
standing across the room, just as beautiful as he remembered. for a split second he was almost certain their eyes met. the moment sent a chill straight down his spine, the alcohol in his stomach suddenly burning a little hotter. he forced himself to stay composed. he couldn’t let her see anything. his heart was pounding harder than he liked to admit, and he hated the fact that she could still do that to him. it didn’t help that she looked exactly the way she always did—flawless, effortless, like the room naturally belonged to her.
at least he’d dressed the part.
his blond hair was loosely combed back with gel, though a few strands had fallen forward along his forehead. the tux was one of his best—kiton k-50, handmade in italy, cut perfectly to fit his frame. everything about him was black from head to toe, finished off with a pair of his nicest tom ford dress shoes. the only color came from the gold patek philippe resting against his wrist. xander had always been a new yorker at heart. he appreciated good tailoring and attention to detail. he couldn’t believe she was here. he spotted members of her family nearby too. whatever story she’d told them about the two of them, he honestly didn’t care. there was nothing about the situation that frightened him.
all he could focus on now was appearing natural.
he stole one more glance at her before bringing a cigar to his lips, lighting it with practiced ease. then he turned back to the man beside him, slipping into easy conversation, laughing at something that was said—doing everything he could to look exactly the way he always did.
“yeah, that might be my first and last hockey game i ever go to,” yasira said, blinking hard like she was still trying to process everything she just watched. she shook her head a little, half laughing, half genuinely confused. “it looked like everyone out there wanted to kill each other.” she wasn’t even trying to be dramatic... she just wasn’t built for that kind of chaos. sports in general weren’t really her thing, and a hockey rink felt like a whole different world with rules she definitely didn’t understand. “i could hardly watch,” she added, scrunching her nose as she glanced over at him. “every five minutes i had to look away, i swear i thought someone was trying to take your head off with that puck.” her eyes narrowed playfully, a small smile pulling at her lips despite herself. because as much as she complained, she still showed up. she always did for the people close to her. yasira tilted her head slightly, studying him for a second before letting out a soft laugh. “why the hell did you even invite me?” yasira asked, voice light but teasing. “jto see how long it would take before i lost my mind?”
things had been better with tori lately, and xander wasn’t about to take that for granted. he’d had enough of the arguments, enough of that cold shoulder she could give when he’d crossed some invisible line. so he’d been trying—actually trying. no disappearing acts, no days of unanswered texts. he’d been around more, present in the ways he’d promised, even if the rest of his life was quietly threatening to implode behind the scenes. the family stress, the things he kept tucked away—those parts he still danced around. some details felt better left unsaid. safer that way. still, he’d made an effort where it counted.
case in point: the mink coat.
she’d wanted it, and now it was hers. god, she was expensive. but the truth was he didn’t mind. there was something about the way tori expected things from him, like the world naturally bent in her direction that amused him more than it annoyed him. if anything, he liked indulging it. it had been a few days since they’d last seen each other, so he’d told her to come over. nothing formal. just time together. xander was stretched out in his loft chair when she arrived, ankle resting over his opposite knee, posture loose as he scrolled lazily through his phone. he looked up the moment the door opened, though, eyes lifting just in time to catch the storm cloud that was tori rushing inside.
he didn’t say anything right away. just watched. studied the sharp movements, the tension in her shoulders, the way she moved like she was carrying a grudge through the room. interesting. slowly, he pushed himself out of the chair and followed her into the kitchen, unhurried as ever. by the time she reached the counter, he was already leaning back against it, arms loose at his sides, gaze fixed on her with quiet curiosity. there was the faintest hint of amusement in his expression now—playful, deliberate, like he was trying to defuse a bomb without making it obvious. “alright,” he said, voice easy as he tilted his head slightly. one brow lifted, studying her. “tell me what happened.” his eyes moved over her once, measuring the mood.“ because something clearly has you pissed off.”
xander stood in the hallway outside her apartment like he hadn’t been pacing for the last five minutes, jacket immaculate, expression cool, pulse absolutely not. a slim black velvet box rested in his palm, thumb brushing over the edge of it like a nervous habit he’d never admit to.
he knocked once. twice. when the door finally opened, he didn’t miss the look on her face — the guarded edge, the annoyance she wore so beautifully. god, he loved when she was mad at him. hated it too.
“god, you take forever to answer the door,” xander drawled the second it cracked open, tone easy, familiar, automatic. and then he caught the look on her face. ah. right. dangerous territory. his expression shifted almost immediately, grin softening, hands lifting in mock surrender. “okay, okay — forget i mentioned that," he said easily, voice low, familiar, like he hadn’t been the one who disappeared into back-to-back meetings, late nights, family obligations, and a life he never quite knew how to explain to her.
his gaze flicked down for half a second before lifting again, mouth tilting into that maddening half-smirk. “before you slam the door in my face… i brought a peace offering.”
his gaze dipped to the box, then back to her, smirk deepening. “but now i’m debating whether you deserve to see it.” he tilted it slightly, letting the faint jingle of the bracelet inside tease the air. just enough to be cruel. “give me something,” he coaxed. “a smile. a sigh. a tiny sign you don’t completely hate me.” a beat. softer, but still teasing. “or don’t. i can stand here all night watching you pretend you’re not curious.”
finally, slowly, he opened the box, he held the box out, gentle, almost reverent, like it was something fragile. inside, the van cleef bracelet caught the light — five delicate motifs, unmistakable, absurdly expensive, and chosen with far more thought than he’d ever confess.
“i know,” he added quickly, already anticipating the lecture. “i know. jewelry doesn’t fix emotional negligence. i’ve heard it. i’ve processed it. probably in therapy, in another lifetime.” xander signs, “look, tori. things have been… complicated lately. family shit. work. obligations i didn’t ask for but don’t get to walk away from.” a pause. then, quieter, “none of that makes you feel any less ignored. i get that.” he exhaled slowly, thumb brushing the box again before finally lowering it.
“still,” he added, sly returning, deflecting just enough to feel like himself, “i think we can agree you’re being a little dramatic about me missing one dinner.” he can't help himself from pushing her buttons. “okay. maybe two.” he half-heartedly admits, knowing he's playing a losing game. he stepped closer, carefully, like approaching something skittish and dangerous. his free hand lifted, fingertips catching lightly at her wrist, coaxing her just an inch nearer. “come on,” he murmured. “don’t look at me like that. you know i always come back.” and then, quieter still — honest in a way he rarely let himself be.
“i don’t go anywhere when it comes to you.”
his arm slid around her waist, pulling her in gently, forehead hovering just close enough to hers that she could feel his breath. “let me make it up to you,” he whispered. "or…" he steps back, still working off that lighthearted sarcasm, "i guess i would have to figure something else out for this van cleef, though i think it would look very pretty on your wrist."
『 TASTE. 』 for my muse to use flavored oil or lube on your muse : luca + yasira
✩˚｡⋆SPICY PROMPTS
( @heatthens ) / yasira & luca
yasira couldn’t stop thinking about luca. no matter what she did, he lingered somewhere in the back of her mind. it started with him seeing her at work, her pulling him back to one of the vip rooms. after that, it felt like something that had been going on for months. he’d travel for work, and she slowly started texting him. keeping things casual, wishing him good luck before games sometimes. she didn’t know how to admit she wanted more than that. she was nervous. didn’t want to push too far and scare him off, didn’t want to risk anything at work.
and eventually something in her shifted. that part of her that held back started to fade. there was something about his patience that got to her. the way he never pushed, the way he let the tension build slowly. but honestly, she was tired of not getting what she wanted. that’s why she found herself up late texting him.
yasira: when are you coming back home?
yasira: i want to see you… somewhere more quiet this time.
yasira: my place?
she tossed her phone onto the bed, immediately feeling out of her mind for actually pressing send. maybe it was too forward. maybe she was doing too much. she almost convinced herself to ignore her phone completely -- until it buzzed. right away. her eyes widened, heart racing as she slowly picked it up. he agreed. instantly. only took a few minutes. now it felt real. holy shit. he said he’d be home tomorrow night.
the next night, yasira caught her reflection in the mirror, a little shocked at how long she’d spent getting ready. the makeup, the lashes, the tiny skirt -- she was making a point. she had this whole plan in her head, how she was going to show him exactly how much she wanted him. when he showed up, she barely gave him time to step inside before pulling him in, her voice already light and flirtatious. “how was your game?” she asked, tugging him closer. “how was the flight back?” her fingers hooked into his shirt as she walked him backward toward her bedroom, hardly letting him kick off his shoes. “did you miss me?” she asked and loved hearing him tell her yes. luca looked a little thrown off at first, like he was trying to keep up, but he adjusted quickly, letting her take control of the moment. “are you exhausted? do you have any energy for me?” her tone softened, almost hypnotic.
when he asked what had gotten into her, she didn’t hesitate. “i’m just...tired of waiting. i want you.” and she knew she had made him wait. all those times he’d touched her, and she never gave anything back. not like this. she led him to the bed, pulling his shirt over his head slowly and paused. wow. she realized she’d never actually seen him like this before. it caught her off guard, heat pooling low in her body. “don’t want to make you wait anymore.” her fingers trailed down his torso before she pulled her own top off, letting it fall.
she pushed him onto the bed, climbing over him immediately, straddling his lap. luca didn’t hesitate, sliding her skirt off, her thong following after. her lips crashed into his, and god -- it felt good. better than she expected. she’d denied herself that for too long. her hand slid down into his sweatpants, tugging at the fabric, feeling the hardness beneath it. she let out a small breath, squeezing him, loving the way he reacted. “take this off,” she nearly begged. “i want to make you feel good.” she barely paid attention while he undressed, already leaning toward her bedside table. when she settled back onto him, they were completely bare, skin to skin -- and that alone nearly unraveled her.
yasira slid down his body, luca propping himself up on his elbows to watch her, her eyes never leaving his. “you ever try it before?” she asked innocently, almost too eager. “it’s lube,” she told him. luca immediately cutting her off, joking that he didn’t need help getting her wet. she rolled her eyes, laughing softly. “not like that. i mean -- on you?” he looked confused. “it’s flavored,” she added, shrugging. “strawberry. my favorite. i just thought maybe we could…” her voice softened, trailing off. “have a little fun. here -- just try it.”
she placed a small drop on her thumb, bringing it to his lips. he hesitated, curious but unsure, and she liked that about him. that he was willing. that he let her have some fun. “just.. ” she paused, pressing him gently back into the mattress. “lay down.” her hand wrapped around his length slowly, savoring the weight of him. she let a few heavy drops fall over the tip carefully, watching his reaction to the coolness. her expression flickered, something more mischievous now. both hands moved over him, slow at first, then more deliberate. he only got harder beneath her touch. “more?” she asked, adding a few more drops.
“i want to taste you,” she whispered, hovering just above him. she lowered her mouth slowly, the sweetness of the strawberry hitting her tongue instantly. she liked it. yasira hummed softly, feeling him react beneath her, her eyes lifting to meet his, heavier now, full of need. she pulled back briefly, spitting lightly over him before taking him back into her mouth, deeper this time. her eyes watered slightly as she adjusted, her pace building as she found a rhythm. the lube mixed with everything, dripping from her lips as she moved faster, more confident now. her chest tightened when she noticed how much he was enjoying it, the way he spoke, guiding her, reacting to every movement.
when her nose brushed against his pelvis, she could feel it -- he was close. his legs tensing, his hips shifting with urgency. her free hand moved beneath him, squeezing softly, pushing him further. her gaze stayed locked on his, even as tears blurred her vision, makeup running down her cheeks, her mouth messy with everything she’d built between them. she didn’t slow down. if anything, she pushed harder, more intent, like she wanted all of it. to milk every drop.
and when he finally broke, she stayed there, taking everything, swallowing it down as the sweetness lingered on her tongue. yasira hummed softly, encouraging him, drawing it out as long as she could. her body reacted to it, heat pooling between her legs, her own breath uneven as she finally pulled back.
luca reached for her, brushing her hair from her face, taking in the mess she’d become and how much she seemed to love it. yasira fell back onto the bed beside him, both of them catching their breath. but it didn’t last long. he shifted over her, hovering now, the lube in his hand this time. yasira narrowed her eyes playfully.
my turn.
and she laughed, parting her legs without hesitation, ready to give him anything he wanted.
