Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Odalisque ❯ Chapter 23 ( Chapter 23 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any Bleach affiliates.

 

 

 

 

Odalisque

 

Chapter 23

 

Ichigo groaned softly and pressed his head into his pillow. He tossed his body to the side and brought his arm out to wrap around Rukia. He couldn't wait to feel her delightfully hot body rubbing against his. He couldn't wait to press his cock against her backside and have her feel his morning erection. He couldn't wait to feel her turning in his arms and gently caressing his skin. He just couldn't wait to drive into her while her body was still soft and warm from sleep.

 

His arm hit a cold pillow.

 

Again.

 

“You've got to be shitting me,” he groaned. Still half-asleep, he rolled over to the other side of the bed and grabbed the portable phone sitting on the nightstand. He scrolled through the memory list and blearily picked out a number. He pressed the phone to his ear and waiting for the ringing to cease.

 

A chipper voice on the other end of the line picked up and he felt like reaching through the phone and strangling it… her. “Hello?”

 

“You can't do that,” he muttered, rubbing a hand over his very tired face.

 

There was a slight pause before she answered him, “Do what?”

 

He scoffed and rolled his eyes to the top of his aching head. “Leave before morning sex.” He said it as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You just don't do that.”

 

“Morning wood huh?” She asked conversationally.

 

“No shit Sherlock,” he sighed heavily and sat up in his bed. “You just don't do that. It's not right.”

 

“Would you be surprised,” she said as though she were conversing about the weather, “If I told you that I didn't leave?”

 

He stopped mid-face rub and frowned, “You what?”

 

She chuckled lightly on the other line and said, “I'm in your kitchen. Do you smell the coffee?”

 

Ichigo made some sort of grunting sound in the bottom of his throat and he slowly allowed his sensory receptors to start working. He drew in a deep breath and blinked when he smelled the heady aroma of freshly brewed coffee filtering through the hallway and into his bedroom.

 

“Oh,” he muttered. “Okay, be out in a sec.”

 

“Alright.”

 

Ichigo took the phone away from his ear and began searching for his boxers. He couldn't believe that he just had a conversation—on the phone—with a woman while they were still technically in the same apartment. Damn, just how early was it? He looked over at his alarm clock and squinted at the glowing lights.

 

It was only quarter of five.

 

He felt like screaming. He hadn't even set his alarm last night! Did she have some sort of internal clock that told her to get up at this ungodly hour? Come to think of it, she did get up at around this time every day. It was probably just a habit of hers.

 

He slowly rose from the bed and dug out a fresh pair of underwear. He realized that the others were in the living room. Once he was partially covered he stretched all of the kinks and stiffness out of his body.

 

God she had done a number on him last night. They had screwed like rabbits for the longest time. One position after another, hour after hour, and climax after climax. She had even gone as far as to throw him on his back and suck him dry.

 

Apparently, Rukia knew how to beat her gag reflex.

 

He lumbered slowly into the kitchen and blinked into the soft lights she had turned on. The smell of coffee was fantastic in this ridiculously early morning. He stumbled forward and lurched slightly onto the counter.

 

“Good morning.”

 

He groaned and pressed his forehead into the cool marble of the island. “Shut up,” he grunted, “Why the hell are you up this early?”

 

She was sitting on one of the stools near the island clothed in the conservative gray dress she had been wearing when she first arrived yesterday. Her legs were daintily crossed and her lips were curled into a soft smile. She had a coffee cup in hand and was quietly sipping it.

 

“I'm always up this early,” she informed him with a smile. “You really should know that by now.”

 

“But Christ woman,” he sighed and lifted his head so he could put it on his chin, his tired eyes bored into her twinkling ones and he wrinkled his nose. “Didn't I wear you out enough last night?”

 

Rukia sipped her coffee once more and nodded, “Oh yes, you did, but I'll probably just go to bed early tonight.”

 

He blinked at her and stood to his full height. “You're leaving?”

 

She chuckled lightly and swirled her finger around the edges of the cup, “You don't expect me to stay here all day, do you?”

 

He gave her a pointed look, “I thought this `sex-whenever-we-want' and `no-strings-attached' thing worked both ways?”

 

“It does,” she sighed, “But only when our bodies are actually able to function properly.”

 

“I can function just fine,” he told her stubbornly. “Do you want me to show you?”

 

She rolled her eyes and turned in his direction. “Ichigo, I've got a limp. A limp from last night. Besides, don't you think we did enough of that only a few hours ago?”

 

“No.” He took two steps forward and pressed his hands to her hips. She wiggled slightly but uncrossed her legs with a small smile.

 

“Ichigo,” she said, “You do realize that the phrase, `all good things come in moderation' would apply to this situation?” She placed her hands on his chest and held him off slightly, even though her fingers were flexing on his bare skin. “Perhaps we should just hold off until… next week or so.”

 

He blinked once before raising one eyebrow and shaking his head, “You've got to be kidding me. I will not make it to next week.”

 

“Well, Ichigo,” she sighed, feeling his hands rubbing her skin through her thin dress. “Perhaps we can make arrangements or something.” She swirled her finger around his nipple and smiled softly, “But right now…” she smirked and bent to press a kiss to his collarbone. “I need to get home, take a shower, and go meet Momo for a bridesmaids fitting.”

 

He groaned and buried his head in her neck. He inhaled deeply before bringing his tongue out and licking her pulse insistently.

 

She sighed and moved into him just a bit more. He could tell that even though she was tired she was still more than willing to be with him again. She sighed and turned her head to the side.

 

He could feel himself growing inside of his boxers and he grinned into her neck.

 

“How about,” he began, whispering softly, “We go and take a shower right now?” His hands found the end of her dress and he began to slide it up her legs. He touched the inside of her legs and found them sticky with the residue from their entire night. He grinned when he slid his fingers up and felt her lovely wet curls. His mouth widened even more when he realized that she had forgone wearing underwear.

 

Ichigo raised an eyebrow and snickered, “Were you expecting this?”

 

He hoisted her up and she immediately wrapped her legs around his waist. Her arms hooked themselves around his neck as he slowly kissed her mouth. She groaned fitfully as he teased her tongue with his. His lips slid against hers and she moaned when his teeth nipped at them. He broke away after a few seconds and Rukia blinked when she realized that he had set her against his sink counter in the bathroom.

 

Rukia's mind returned from its slight daze and she grinned. In one smooth move she hopped off of the counter before turning on the faucets to the shower and testing the water with her hands. “I might have expected a bit of this.” Rukia sighed and slowly pulled the dress over her head. She stepped lithely into the shower and pulled the curtain back, giving him a fantastic view of her body being splattered with hot water. “And I don't really know about this. Will you let me leave afterwards?

 

His only answer was to grin at her. He pulled off his boxer shorts and within the span of three seconds he was inside the shower and fully erect.

 

His hands were around his waist and his lips were on hers the moment the water hit his head. Rukia moaned into him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She immediately opened her mouth and sucked his tongue into her mouth. She shuddered relentlessly as his warm and salty skin rubbed against hers. She playfully bit his tongue and then groaned when his knee parted her legs.

 

She ripped her mouth from his and shook her head. “Don't even think about it,” she whispered, arching her body against his and rubbing her breasts into his waiting hands. He playfully tweaked her mulberry nipples and squeezed the ivory flesh. She gasped and dug her nails into his flesh. “You need to wash me first.”

 

“Wouldn't it be better,” Ichigo gasped, sliding his cock to the bed of curls in the front of her. “If you got dirty first and then washed off later?”

 

Rukia's leg slid up, as if on its own, and hooked itself on his buttocks. She groaned and raked her nails down his muscular back. His biceps bulged as he lifted her up by her ass and steadied her back against the wall. Rukia's spine slid against the slick and cold marble and she let out a sharp scream when he rammed himself into her.

 

“Oh fuck!” She shouted, grappling for any type of purchase on his head and tightly gripping his hair.

 

He reached one hand down and, as he roughly thrust into her, ran one finger across her pussy. His hot fingers flicked and numbed her glorious clit as she moaned and groaned. Rukia's eyes dilated and she grappled for any part of his body that she could hold onto. He grinned slickly as he pulled his cock out of her and instantly replaced them with three calloused fingers. Rukia threw her head back and let out a wild shriek. His mouth closed over hers and his tongue violently invaded every crevice of her hot orifice. She jerked up and down as he brought his fingers in and out of her tight pussy.

 

After several minutes of viciously pounding into her with his fingers he released her and slammed his cock back inside. Each pass he made brushed against her engorged clit. She screamed into his mouth and almost cried at the intensity of it all. He rammed into her so hard and so fast that Rukia could feel herself slipping against the edges of her own consciousness.

 

“Shit! Ichigo!” She screamed in ecstasy as she came. Her body was racked with convulsions and her pussy constricted to the point of extreme and heady rapture. She clung to him desperately and breathed with increasing difficulty.

 

The feeling of her searing walls rippling against him was all it took to make Ichigo come. He let loose a ferocious roar and spilled himself entirely within her. He thrust wildly several more times and she wondered whether or not she'd be able to hold herself up inside of Ichigo's slackened grip.

 

He panted like a dog as he slid out of her and dropped her to her feet. Her legs barely supported her and she had to keep her arms around his neck in order to keep on her feet.

 

They clung to each other as they stood underneath the stream of hot water. Rukia slid her hands around his body and then rubbed her cheek against his chest. He was so warm… so wet… she loved it.

 

“Mmm,” she sighed, she slowly detached from his muscular form and leaned against the walls of the shower. “Now are you going to wash me?”

 

He grinned, grabbed a bar of soap, got on his knees, and slowly spread her legs.

 

*~*~*

 

“You're walking with a limp,” Momo noted blandly as Rukia came into the dressmakers shop and shifted her purse from one arm to the next.

 

“I am,” Rukia returned with just as much enthusiasm. “Now, where do I need to stand?”

 

A very old, very wrinkled, and very deaf woman sidled up to Rukia. She didn't even notice until the walking, human-sized, raisin was only a few steps away from her. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt warm and sagging skin on her palm. She whirled around and blinked wildly at the woman. She, in turn, squinted at Rukia and gently escorted her to a small podium. Momo was standing on an adjacent podium wearing only a slip. Her great-grandmothers dress was hanging beside her and Rukia could only assume that they were seeing if—after a few weeks of hard work and watchful eating—she would fit into the dress.

 

The wrinkled old prune stood up next to Rukia and began to wrap a tape measurer around her entire body. Her butt, her hips, her waist, and her bust were all significantly and disturbingly violated by the old lady's wandering hands as she measured and tied.

 

Rukia raised her arms, lowered them, and turned in countless circles, all under the watchful gaze of her best friend, who was standing quite still, analyzing Rukia's body as she twirled.

 

After nearly ten full minutes of quiet speculation Momo nodded her head once, tapped her finger to her chin, and narrowed her eyes. “You got laid last night.”

 

“Momo, please, not in front of Grandmother Time.” Rukia sighed, not even bothering to put up much of a fight or to refute the statement.

 

“She can't hear worth a shit.” Momo said breezily, waving her hand carelessly, “And I thought it was Father Time.”

 

“Is there anything in the rules that says it can't be a woman?” Rukia demanded softly, she snorted in derision and chuckled theatrically, “Anti-feminist.”

 

“Am not,” she laughed in return. “So… same guy?”

 

“Of course,” Rukia said as she waited for the Old Lady in the Sea to bring her a few bolts of violet fabric.

 

“When did go? I thought you were spending the day with Byakuya?” She asked in a suggestive tone.

 

“My ass of an older brother decided to tell me that I needed to get married soon, have children, and so on and so forth because he wanted to make a will.” Rukia said matter o'factly while Momo's mouth dropped completely.

 

“He said what?” She gaped.

 

“You heard me the first time.” Rukia told her, not breaking her verbal stride as she held up the fabric so the prune sticking pins into her skin wouldn't miss as much. “So, I was depressed and angry and all I wanted was sex. Since Kurosaki was free and I had already had a taste of his exquisite blessings I decided to take a chance and go for it.” She paused and winced as a needle made contact with her epidermis. “We went at it several times during the night and then this morning in the shower… twice.”

 

“Sweet Jesus woman,” Momo muttered in awe. “I didn't think… I didn't think…”

 

“I was such a sex fiend?” Rukia finished, smiling at her own friends assumptions. “Well let me just tell you Momo, Ichigo Kurosaki is without a doubt the best of the best when it comes to that particular department.”

 

“Good lord,” Momo shook her head and pressed a hand to her forehead. “I'm just glad that I'm so in love with Shiro, because if I weren't… well, I'd just have to see if your statements were true.”

 

“Get in line,” Rukia told her, turning and wincing when she felt a pin stab her thigh, a thigh which was already bruised due to Ichigo Kurosaki's rather rough treatment last night. “We've come up with an arrangement.”

 

There was silence between them for a moment. Rukia brought both of her hands up to her head and started trying to fix her hair.

 

Momo's response was slow and a bit wary. “What… what kind of… arrangement, Rukia? What kind?”

 

“Sex with no strings, of course,” Rukia told her, running her fingers through her silky locks. She had never used dandruff shampoo before but Ichigo did. He had rubbed it into her scalp as he fondled every other part of her body and she had to admit… she did like the way her hair felt and smelled.

 

Momo spoke up after another long moment and her voice sounded agonized. “Rukia… please tell me you didn't.”

 

The woman in question flinched when she felt another pin enter her leg and blinked a few times at the sound of her friend's pained voice. She turned to Momo and saw the young woman frowning worriedly at her, biting her bottom lip, and wrinkling her nose in an earnest fashion.

 

“I did,” Rukia told her, “We decided on no strings sex.” She tried to turn towards Momo but the damn prune wasn't letting her move a single muscle. “Listen, it's not a big deal Momo. We both came to an agreement that we like having sex with each other and that it would be nice to have it often. So, whenever either one of us feels the need to have someone else in the room while we jack off then we just call each other up and that's that.”

 

The look Momo gave her could have sunk the Titanic.

 

Rukia took a small step back on the podium and frowned, “Why are you looking at me like that? It's not like we're doing anything wrong.”

 

“You are doing something wrong, Rukia,” she told her in a scolding voice fit only for mothers or nuns. “You're doing something very wrong.”

 

“I don't see it that way.” She defended assertively.

 

“Listen, Rukia,” Momo bit her lip once again and shook her head, “I was in a situation like that once. This one guy, Izuru Kira was his name, I went on a totally no-strings-attached, random sex… binge, I guess you could call it.” She paused and allowed one of the attendants—another wrinkled prune about five years older than Rukia's wrinkled prune—to start taking her measurements. Rukia listened attentively while Momo continued talking. “It went on for a couple of months and after a while I realized that I was in love with him.”

 

“Oh,” Rukia said quietly even though she already knew how this ended. She remembered Izuru Kira and the many hours Momo had cried about him during their college years.

 

“Then I found out he was sleeping with other people,” Momo continued, “Not just girls but guys as well. Apparently he was bi.” She shrugged and raised her hands to poof up her bun. “Who knew?”

 

“That was when you went to get tested for HIV wasn't it?” Rukia asked, even though she already knew that the answer was yes.

 

“Yeah…” Momo sighed and twisted dreamily in the angled mirrors. “But my point is, Rukia, sooner or later, you're going to get in too deep. He'll be seeing other women—because you know that's his reputation—and you'll be left wishing you could have fantastic sex again.”

 

“What if it's the opposite?” Rukia demanded. “What if I leave him first?”

 

Momo just snorted, “Please girl, don't even get me started on that.” She shook her head and sighed, “Guys like that don't get dumped. They're the ones who always do the dumping.”

 

“I'm not one of those women who stands around crying because of some guy,” Rukia told her acidly.

 

There was a slight pause before Momo muttered something. Rukia turned to her and frowned, “What did you say?” She asked, genuinely curious to what her friend would have to say in response to that.

 

Momo looked to the ground once before swallowing, drawing in a deep breath, and looking over at her friend. Her eyes were wide and deep as she said, “You did… once.”

 

Rukia immediately went rigid and turned her head away. “That was different.” She said, her voice was icy and cold.

 

“I fail to see how.” Momo said, apparently getting up enough gumption to actually talk to her friend about this. It might have something to do with the fact that Rukia couldn't escape because of Granny Smith over there.

 

“I was in love with him,” Rukia told her bluntly, “And he lied to me. He was married.”

 

“And he's different from Ichigo… how?”

 

“With Ichigo I know exactly what I'm getting and I know exactly what we have. I get sex and I give sex. There are no emotions involved and no complications. We don't go on dates so we don't have to worry about who pays for what or if we go dutch or whatever. There are basically no expectations other than great sex. It works for him and more importantly it works for me too.”

 

Momo started picking dirt out from underneath her fingernails. “How will you two work in the office now? I mean, can you actually look at him without wanting to rip his clothes off?”

 

“I've learned to reel it in,” Rukia shrugged, “We just keep away from each other as long as we're in the office.” She grinned softly and felt a snicker rise from her throat, “Who knows? Maybe we'll end up screwing on my desk… or his, doesn't really matter to me. The only ones who would see us would be the birds floating by the window.”

 

“Kinky desk sex,” Momo nodded in appreciation, “I like it.”

 

“Psh!”

 

The tiny squeak came from below Rukia and she frowned when she saw the woman taking her measurements shaking her head. Had the Old Bat actually heard all of that? Did she have some sort of hearing aid or something?

 

“You young girls today,” she chastised in a voice as old as time and as cracked as a mosaic. “Always having relations before you're married. When I was your age I had already had five of my nine children!”

 

Rukia rolled her eyes and wondered if she had been stabbed with the pins on purpose and not by some accidental fluke.

 

“Sex this, sex that, sleep with this person, sleep with that person,” she shook her head and let out a high-pitched, disgusted, snort. “What you need isn't sex, it's a sense of morals young lady!” She tsked Rukia several more times before sticking her once again.

 

“Well morals have changed since the seventeenth century,” Rukia snipped back, “I'm not going to spend the rest of my twenties spitting out babies. I'm going to have some fun.”

 

“Like that song!” Momo chipped in, laughing.

 

The old prune just shook her head and stabbed Rukia with another pin.

 

Rukia turned her head over to Momo and tried not to think about the blood that was now flowing down some parts of her legs. “So, Momo,” she began, ignoring another jab, “What are your plans for the week?”

 

Her friend tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips together, “Well… let me see… I've got to talk to the caterers on Monday, I'm going to be going to the gym with you on Tuesday, on Wednesday Toshiro and I are having dinner, and on Thursday… ah, oh, right! I'm having lunch with Sosuke Aizen.”

 

Another pin stabbed Rukia, but this time it was her own fault. She swiveled over in her friends' direction and gaped. “You're doing what?”

 

Momo laughed nervously and fiddled with the cuticles on her nails. “Ah… I didn't, uh, tell you about that… did I?”

 

“You did not.” Rukia's mouth was open and her eyes were wide. Her best friend was having lunch with her boss? What the hell was going on?

 

“Well,” Momo started, flipping her hands out as though she was getting ready to tell a long and complex story, and—lo and behold—she was. “I was going out of Gotei Corp. the other day and all of a sudden, right when I'm about to get on the elevator, your boss steps inside! He told me he had just come from a meeting with Mr. Yamamoto so it was like completely coincidental.”

 

Her gaze darted over to Rukia and she grinned nervously, as if she was trying to gauge her friends' reaction from her stone-like face. “So then we started talking about the company and about my job and he asked me how I liked being your secretary—although he used the word assistant, how bourgeois is that?—and I told him I liked it very much. Then he told me that his own assistant was going to be leaving him soon and that he'd like some recommendations on who to pick. So I told him I could write a few down for him but he told me that he wanted me to tell him in person. So, we agreed to have lunch to discuss his possible future secretaries!” Momo drew in a huge breath and clapped her hands together. The old lady down by her ankles glowered at her but Momo didn't seem to notice.

 

Rukia just blinked at her—and winced when another pin was jabbed into her.

 

“So it's nothing romantic, Rukia,” Momo chided her, laughing lightly in an attempt to dissuade the horrified expression from Rukia's face. “It's just a business lunch. You have no need to fear what you and I talked about the last time I met your boss.”

 

Rukia snorted weakly and pressed a hand to her forehead. It was suddenly blazing hot, “Sure,” she muttered, “Yeah, of course, just business…”

 

Momo looked at her dubiously. “What is it?”

 

A low groan escaped Rukia's throat and she exhaled deeply, “Just… if he asks anything about me, my personal life, my business life, my family life… you've gotta know not to tell him anything.” She whipped her head over to Momo and silently pleaded with her eyes. “Please, Momo, if… if he does, and I'm not saying that he will, but if he does ask can you just tell him you don't know?”

 

Momo frowned at her and cocked her head to the side, “Why would he ask about you when he's going to lunch with me?”

 

Rukia turned her gaze to the ground and swallowed, “Aizen is going to become one of my two big bosses when I get promoted. If he finds out anything that can be used against me… well, let's just say that I might not get the position that I deserve.”

 

Momo raised an eyebrow, “You think he'd use something personal against you in order to get you out of the business?”

 

“It's happened before,” Rukia muttered dryly, “Not to me, of course, but to others… especially women.” She looked pointedly at her friend and clenched her teeth, “You have to swear, Momo, swear on your great-grandmother's wedding dress that you won't say a word about my relationship with Ichigo Kurosaki to anyone. Not to Aizen, not to anyone at Gotei Corp., not even to Toshiro.”

 

“I can't even tell Shiro?”

 

“Momo,” Rukia began, a hint of pleading in her tone, “He works for Yamamoto, if he let it slip then my entire future could be ruined. You know how tough this business can be on women. Who do you think would be poised to take the fall? The young, dynamic, smart, charismatic man or the woman who has all the brains and did all the work?”

 

Momo bit her bottom lip again, “I see your point.”

 

“Just please…” Rukia said quietly, “If he says anything that could even hint a connection to me I want you to clamp up immediately. You know nothing.”

 

“I know nothing,” Momo repeated, “Got it.”

 

Rukia allowed a large sigh of relief to escape from her lungs. She looked over at Momo and smiled softly, “Thank you Momo. You don't know what this means to me.”

 

Her friend just snorted and rolled her eyes, “Rukia, of course I know what this means for you. It's your life. I know more about your life than you do.” She paused and grinned sneakily, “And even though your life is more screwed up now than I could have ever imagined I wouldn't want to be the one to throw another monkey wrench into it.”

 

Rukia glared at her friend and tossed her head away. “My life is not screwed up.”

 

“Denial is one of the steps dear, we just need to get to the rest.”

 

*~*~*

 

Ichigo sat with his family on their traditional picnic blanket—despite the fact that the weather was cooling and that autumn was nearly in full swing—and pointedly ignored everything they were saying. His eyes, instead, were trained on the little kiosk that sold everything from water to ice cream. His eyes were carefully scanning the trees and trails in front of it as well, just to make sure.

 

He settled back into his seat and wondered if Rukia would be wearing next-to-nothing again today. He doubted it, since the weather was something to be taken into consideration, but he could still hope. Maybe a stray breeze would come by and she'd get a chill. Maybe then her nipples would harden from their spots inside of her sports bra. Maybe she'd pass him by and turn to him just so he could see…

 

Ichigo shuddered at the thought. That would make his day. He swallowed dryly and tried to steady his breathing so his family wouldn't become suspicious. He didn't want to have any more, ah, little problems.

 

Friday night had been absolutely, completely, erotically… perfect. Damn, Rukia had been so ready, so accommodating, and so hungry for everything that he had to offer it was almost criminal. Even when his body was spent and he had nearly no energy left in his system he still found himself wanting to be thrusting inside of her, pushing her, pleasing her, and making her scream. Ichigo grinned at the recollection; she really had screamed last night. He remembered it perfectly. It must have been on their third go-round or something because her pussy was so tender from the repeated fucking that she had to throw a pillow over her face in order to hide her shriek of pleasure.

 

He shifted uncomfortably on the blanket and realized that he didn't really care if his family saw him like this. He just wanted to see Rukia. He bent down and checked his watch one more time and realized that he'd be seeing her soon. So, while gritting his teeth and steeling his mind, he zeroed in on the kiosk.

 

He had only to wait a few more seconds before her tiny body came running out through the trees. He grinned immediately when he saw her tight running shorts but had to frown slightly when he saw her long sleeved, turtle-necked, athletic shirt. Although he did have to admit… it was pretty tight.

 

Finally, he turned to his family, “I'll be back in a minute. I have to see Rukia about a file.”

 

Before any of his siblings or his parental unit could say a single word he was up and walking down to her. She had just passed the attendant three dollars when he pulled up behind her and grinned.

 

“Hey Rukia,” he said as casually as he could.

 

She grabbed the two bottles as though she was barely aware of his looming presence. He had to frown at that; not thirty hours ago he had had her completely naked, had been gnawing on her pussy, and had been making her come again and again and again… yet now she had the audacity to ignore him. Or maybe it wasn't audacity. Maybe it was just… gall.

 

“Hey Ichigo,” she said conversationally. She turned to him, flashed him a quick and disapproving smile, and then began walking into the trees.

 

He followed. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He demanded, stuffing his hands into his pockets belligerently.

 

“Absolutely nothing,” she said, not breaking stride.

 

He cut in front of her and began walking backwards when she wouldn't stop. He noticed that she still had a bit of a limp from the other night.

 

“Well you're acting like just a bit of a bitch,” he told her sarcastically, as plainly as he would tell anyone else that the sky is blue.

 

She gave him a sharp look and wrinkled her nose, “The way I act, Kurosaki, is none of your damn business.”

 

He raised an eyebrow at that.

 

She immediately stopped and bent down. It was only then that Ichigo realized he had nearly run over Momo Hinamori. He blinked twice as he looked down and tried to fight off a small grin. She was lying down on the gravel-dirt path, breathing as deeply as she possibly could—without hyperventilating—and motioning for Rukia to pour water into her mouth.

 

“Oh Momo,” Rukia snipped, “Stop being so theatrical. You can drink your own water.” She tossed the bottle onto Momo's stomach and it merely bounced off of her and onto the ground. Ichigo had to let out a small snicker but he turned his head in order to protect a bit of the woman's dignity.

 

Momo, however, didn't seem to find anything amusing about her current situation. She huffed angrily, rose into a sitting position, and wildly grappled for the bottle of water. Rukia was already drinking from hers and Ichigo was watching with intense interest as her breasts rose and fell with each swallow.

 

He heard a large gasp come from below and saw Momo, who was nearly completely pink in the face, still attempting to control her breathing. He smirked down at her and she held out a hand. Ichigo sent his down and she reached for it. In one tug he managed to pull her completely off of the ground.

 

She just jerked her hand out of his, glared at him, and stuck her nose in the air. She took several more calming breaths before gritting her teeth and snarling, “You couldn't have given her more of a limp? Honestly…”

 

Ichigo's eyes widened and he immediately turned to Rukia. She simply turned her head away and continued drinking from her water. He gave her a dirty look and growled, “Who else did you tell?”

 

“Please,” she scoffed, “Like I have that many friends.”

 

He grinned wickedly, “At least you're honest about that.”

 

Her elbow came swift and sharp and Ichigo grunted in response. “It's true!” He growled and she merely turned her nose up at him.

 

Ichigo shook his head and narrowed his eyes at her. Damn, all of that preparation and waiting just for her to act like the stuck-up bitch she really was. Oh well, he really shouldn't have expected anything more. Her bedroom persona was just for that… the bedroom. The hard shell of a woman that was out here was merely to protect the real Rukia from the cold harshness of the world.

 

The Rukia who actually had cares, had fears and uncertainties… the Rukia who laughed and screamed and felt guilty… that was the real Rukia. These outer expressions she put on were merely for show.

 

Of all the people that knew Rukia… he probably was the only person who actually knew her. He knew what she liked and disliked about sex, he knew the faces she used when she was pleasured or when she was itching for him to give her release, he knew the sound of her soft chuckle, and he knew what he could do to make her scream. Granted, most of these things dealt with sex—well, all of them really—but that didn't stop them from being true. He knew a great deal about her and when he took the initiative to piece together what he knew about her from her office life—her love of Chappy, her habits, and her unnatural and unhealthy obsession with coffee—he actually knew a great deal about her.

 

He doubted even her brother knew her as well.

 

Ichigo swallowed and wrinkled his nose to give his body something to do. He didn't want to start thinking like that. This was a no-strings-attached thing, right? They were only in this for the sex. Neither one of them really cared about anything other than that. He knew that Rukia didn't. Rukia only cared about having orgasms as frequently as she could.

 

Granted, that was what he wanted as well but at least he was taking the initiative to realize that she might not be as badass as she wanted to seem.

 

Plus, because they had made that deal he hadn't even looked at another woman in that way. Not that he didn't have tons of options available, but really, why should he do the work if he could get what he wanted for free?

 

He rolled his eyes at the thought and instead turned to Momo, who was still trying to regain the ability to breathe. He nudged her slightly and she looked up at him with frustrated eyes.

 

“I'll make sure she can't even walk next time,” Ichigo told her in a cocky voice.

 

Rukia's head snapped in his direction and she immediately balled her hands into fists. “Unless you want your dick sawed off in the middle of the night with a very rusty knife I suggest you be a bit more realistic.”

 

Ichigo snorted. “Realistic? You wanna talk about realistic? How about the fact that you left my apartment with only half of your left leg working properly.”

 

“So I was down a bit,” she raised her hands angrily, “Doesn't mean you'll get me to go all the way down.”

 

“Oh I believe we've already gone past that point,” Ichigo said with a wicked smile. “Going down, that is…” he turned his head to Momo and raised an eyebrow at her completely astonished expression. Her mouth was open, her eyes were wide, and her eyebrows were curled into fine arches. “Several times in fact.”

 

Rukia snarled at him and immediately grabbed Momo's arm. She tugged her astounded friend away while she was still looking back at Ichigo like he was some sort of god to be venerated. “Go screw yourself Kurosaki.”

 

“Not by myself, thank you,” he said just as conversationally as ever. He quickly walked over to her side and began to trot next to her. “But with you in the room I'm sure I could.”

 

“Not anytime soon you won't.” Rukia griped.

 

His smile flattened and he glared at the profile of her furious face. “So what, we go back to the whole prostitute thing? Am I just your personal sex slave now?”

 

She whirled around and planted her feet onto the gravel path. Her eyes were staring directly into his and her teeth were bared in a furious growl. The hand that was currently wrapped around Momo's arm tightened and the young woman winced as her skin pinched painfully.

 

“Unless you want half-assed sex,” Rukia ground out, “I suggest you wait until a better time. Because let me tell you, when I don't want it I don't want it. You will leave unsatisfied and I will leave in an even worse mood than when I arrived. So deal with it.”

 

“Fine,” he snapped, “But if you're not going to hold up your part of the bargain then maybe I should see if someone else is interested in my particular talents.”

 

Rukia let out a humorless laugh. “Oh, talents, is that what you call them?”

 

“You seemed to appreciate them.” He accused in an angry tone.

 

“Sure,” she waved her hand dismissively and shook her head, “Sure, feel free to spread your little talent around to as many women as you see fit. Just make sure that you don't contract some sort of disease.”

 

“What is it with you and diseases?” Ichigo burst, “It's not like you can get them walking down the streets!”

 

“But you can get them from other partners!” She hissed, gripping Momo's arm tighter and tighter as the poor woman tried to escape her iron grasp. “And I'm sure you have plenty of those on your speed dial.”

 

“Be happy to know that you're one of them Sunshine,” he growled with as much venom in his voice to match that in hers.

 

She sucked in a breath and clenched her teeth together. Ichigo just glared at her. His arms were crossed, his temper was high, and for the love of God he could not figure out why she was so mad at him.

 

“Why the hell are you so pissy all of a sudden?” He demanded vehemently. “You were perfectly content yesterday morning.”

 

“I'm aware of that,” Rukia snapped, she brought the hand holding her water bottle to her forehead and pressed the cool plastic against her skin. She drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Ichigo's eyes flickered to her arm and noticed that the grip she had on Momo's limb was lessening a bit.

 

She slowly looked up and Ichigo and then over to her friend. Momo, at the first sign of weakness, had ripped her arms out of Rukia's grip and was now rubbing it delicately with her fingers. She had a full-on pout going on and Ichigo even thought he saw some tears glistening in her eyes.

 

“Hey Momo,” his eyes turned back to Rukia as she spoke in a voice that was completely different than the one she had used a minute ago. He saw her body twist slightly as she turned to her friend. “Can you give us a minute?”

 

She was out of there without a single word of protest. Ichigo had to raise an eyebrow at that; he knew of Momo's deep love of gossip about other peoples' social—and sex—lives.

 

The moment Momo was out of sight of the trees Rukia swiveled back to Ichigo and planted her hands firmly on her hips. She sighed softly and the brought one of her hands up to soothe the ache in her forehead. Her bottom lip was caught between her teeth and he could see one of her temples throbbing.

 

“Ichigo…” she said in a voice that was terse and serious. She didn't raise her eyes to meet his even though he would have preferred it. “I'm sorry, I guess… that was a bit harsh.”

 

“A bit?” He snapped and then scoffed, “Ya think?”

 

“Shut up,” she commanded him, “I'm attempting to be nice.”

 

“Half-assed attempts,” he muttered and she just glared at him.

 

“I'm not mad at you,” she said clearly, narrowing her eyes as if that would signify that she was being completely honest. “I'm not, really, I would just prefer it if maybe you kept our… ah, agreement under more discreet circumstances.”

 

He raised one eyebrow and then the other. “You what?”

 

She turned her head to the side and shifted her arms so they lay across her chest. “I would just like it if you would not announce it in public. I'd really like our little thing to stay in the bedroom…” she paused for a moment before looking straight at him and finishing, “Where it belongs.”

 

“You're ashamed,” he stated bluntly.

 

She returned the comment immediately. “It's not that; it's simply that I do not want it to get out any further than it already has. If people at work find out it will be horrible. You know how these things go. With your reputation you could be… ah, slandered and with my reputation I could be… what's the polite word for it… ah… discredited.”

 

His jaw fell open in near disbelief. “So this is a sort of twisted protection thing?”

 

She shrugged one shoulder and winced, “I guess you could think of it like that. Not to mention if anyone ever did find out… other than you, me, and Momo—yes, I've told Momo, couldn't you tell?—then my family would come down on us like fucking ton of bricks.”

 

“Sex-without-strings isn't accepted in the Kuchiki Honor Code?” He mocked sarcastically.

 

She just glared at him, “No. It's not.”

 

“Fine.” He grumbled, “I guess it would be beneficial to both of us if we just… kept it on the down low.”

 

“Excellent terminology.” Rukia affirmed dryly.

 

“Well it's true.” He spat.

 

The two stood there, staring at each other like they'd want nothing more than to just stab daggers into one another's spines, and slowly gritted their teeth. It was such a different pose than from they were only a few hours ago—locked in passion, tumbling along on a bed, and desperately trying to reach completion.

 

With an air of finality Rukia stuck out her hand and offered it to Ichigo. “Deal.” She demanded. It was not a question.

 

He stared at her proffered hand for a minute before considering his options—if I don't agree then I won't get sex, if I do agree then I get sex—and begrudgingly stuck out his hand as well.

 

Their fingers wrapped together tensely and they stared at each other for a long moment before Ichigo nodded and said, “Deal.”

 

 

 

 

(A/N: Sorry for the late update. Homework has been killing me but other than that college life if great! :D

 

A shout out to marislily who finally got me to move my ass and update. This one's for you.

 

Also, another reason for the late update is that I've been writing like crazy. This fic is almost 500 pages long. I might even get to 600 before it's finally over. I swear, this fic is totally epic. As in, lengthy epic. Ugh, gave blood today, need to sleep… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

 

Remember, if you don't like my story then it wasn't written for you.

 

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS REVIEWED!!! PLEASE CONTINUE TO REVIEW! I T REALLY KEEPS ME GOING!

 

PLEASE REVIEW!!!!! ;D )