Judson Aaron Gray (_jag) wrote in 2145ic, @ 2018-07-25 16:44:00 |
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Entry tags: | judson, lucy |
Who: Judson and Lucy
Setting: Central Park, mostly in Judson's tent
NSFW!!!!!
Lucy hadn’t been out of the apartment for more than five hours and she was already lost. Traveling the streets, it just wasn’t something she’d done that much. The upper levels had walkways, which meant she never really had to learn the streets. Which was why she did a double take when she was suddenly staring at the edge of the park. She wandered that way, spotting a kid trying to reach for something off the back of a cart attached to a bike, but it was too tall for him. She hesitated then reached for the trinket, handing it over with a smile.
Only the moment she grabbed it, the guy on the bike spotted her. The kid took off, but before Lucy could, he had her arm, dragging her towards him.
Judson was doing his thing, which was basically nothing. He had cased a couple of places, looking for items to loot and sell, but he’d be going back later when it was dark, when he could see and others could not. For now, he was just walking through the park, heading back to the little hidden spot he had that his tent was at.
It was the noise of a squeak, a yell, maybe even a scream for help, but something caught his attention and he jerked his head around. A man had a girl by the arm and was dragging her. It was clear he was hurting her, but that was nothing new here in the park. People fought all the time and it was always best to stay away, to stay out of it. There was something odd about this one, however, and he continued to look on, coming to a stop. Stay out of it Judson, he said to himself. He made himself take a step back, to look away, but then he realized what had bothered him about the situation; she was in good clothes. High priced clothes. She was from uptop.
Shit!
He wanted to walk away, to just stay out of it, but it was clear this girl did not know how things worked here or what she was getting herself in to.
“Hey! Hey there!” Judson called out, heading towards the two. “Let her go! Take your hand off my girl!”
Lucy tried to hit the guy with her bag, but he was much bigger than her. Huge really. She kicked at him, sure that his smelly self was going to hurt her, or..worse. Would he kill her? Were her parents right?
She looked up when someone shouted, looking at a guy calling out to them, making a face. Girl? His girl?
“This thief if yours?” the guy demanded, his breath gross and his teeth even grosser.
“No, I just called her my girl for the hell of it,” Judson rolled his eyes. “Let’er go, asshole!” He looked at the girl, hoping that she would either play along or find another way to get herself out of this mess. “Babe, what’d I tell you about going around places like this? Huh? What’d ya do? What’d she do? I’ll make sure to handle this at home!” Meaning he’d punish her for whatever mistake she’d made.
“Handle this! This man grabbed me!” Lucy insisted, glaring at this boy, who as pretty as he was, was threatening her too. She stared at him for a moment. “I...I wandered off?”
Judson took a step closer and looked at the man, when he looked away to glance behind him-probably looking to make sure no one was coming up behind him-Judson took that moment to wink at the girl before putting the scowl back on his face. “Wandered off? Woman I told you what could happen if you wandered off! We are definitely going to have a talk about following instructions when we get home.” He then turned his attention back to the man. “What did she do? What did she steal? I see nothing that she may have taken!” He’d taken steps forward as he’d talked, close enough now that he could almost touch the girl and if he had to
fight he was in a good position to do so.
“Woman!?” Who was this guy to talk to her like that. But the wink...was he helping? She frowned, then looked away. She didn’t want to have a talk. Or want to know what all of that was about.
The guy glared at Judson, noting that he was closer. “She had her hand on my cart,” he said, pointing at Lucy and squeezing her arm harder. “You need to keep her on a better leash.”
“Do not back talk me, woman! You’ve already cause enough trouble!” Judson prayed she didn’t continue to talk back...or maybe she would and he could use that to his advantage.
“Mister, you can damn well bet she’ll regret whatever it was she did, I promise you that!” Judson felt as if he were getting through. “Hand’er over, I’ll make sure to take care of it all.” He held out his hand, his other hand rested on his hip where he could slip it to his knife if he needed to. “I can promise you she’ll never touch your cart again..or anyone else's at that!”
Lucy’s jaw dropped. How dare he. Who talked to someone like that? She wasn’t sure she’d be better off with this guy but at least he wasn’t as gross and he wasn’t currently leaving bruises on her arm.
The guy looked at them, then shook Lucy a little. “Keep her in check,” he said, then shoved her into Judson. “Get out of here.”
Judson instantly grabbed the girl, pulling her towards him and then grabbing her wrist. “I’ll do that!” He gave a nod of his head and then started to yank the girl away. “Come on, now, let’s get out of here. You’ve got a lot to answer to now. Why’d you break the rule? Why’d you wander off and do something stupid?” He was telling at her, acting as if he were angry just so the guy would believe it was under control and leave them alone, he’d let go of her as soon as they were far enough away. “Hurry up! Get those feet moving!”
She didn’t like him dragging her around, but at least she was dragging him away from that smelly guy. And he was holding on to her, which was kind of something else. She stumbled after him, glaring at him. How dare he. Really. She stumbled again and pulled at her hand. “Let me go.”
He ignored her protests and continued to pull her until they were far enough away, trees and bushes separating them from the other guy. When he finally let her go, he glared at her. “Jesus, you are in the wrong place. Why’d you go and do something stupid and touch other people’s stuff? You can’t do that down here. Maybe uptop they don’t care, but here they will kill you if you even look at their stuff wrong. And by the way? I just saved your damn ass!”
“The kid was grabbing for it!” she insisted. “I thought it was his!” She rubbed her arm, looking at the guy, then looking around. “How can you tell whose is whose?” she said. Because there really wasn’t a way to tell. Everyone’s stuff looked like everyone else’s. She looked at him, then back where she’d come from. No one likes anyone touching their things.” Which was stupid of him to think otherwise.
“You know what’s yours, right?” Judson shot back. “Then you know what isn’t yours, you don’t touch anything else and you don’t try to help a kid out, as you’ve just learned,” he pointed out. He took a breath and then let it out. “You shouldn’t be down here, people will take advantage if they learn where your from. If that man had noticed how well you were dressed…” he gave a small shake of his head. “Come on, I’ll lead you back home so you don’t get yourself lost or in trouble again.”
“That sounds horrible,” she said, then turned and glared at him. “How do you know where I’m from?” He was being terribly presumptuous. “For someone that helped me, you seem really angry,” she added. “Why did you help me if you didn’t want to?” She tugged at her bag a little, looking at him, then shook her head. “I don’t want to go home.”
He lifted an eyebrow as he looked at the woman and then laughed. “Seriously? Dressed in fine clothing like that and you think I can’t figure out where you’re from?” He had a keen eye for fine things and he knew she was not from the park. “I’m angry because I went against my better judgement and stepped into business that was not my own,” he sighed and then moved a hand through his long hair. “I helped because…” why had he helped? “Because you weren’t his to manhandle. Because I knew you didn’t know what you’d gotten yourself into. Because it was the right thing to do at the time.” Both eyebrows lifted when she told him she didn’t want to go home. “Okay...then where do you want to go?”
Lucy rubbed her arm again, looking at her shoes, then glancing at his. His were scuffed, worn in, and hers were still pristine, slightly dingy from the recent walk. She did glance up at him though, tracking the way his hand moved through his hair. He was handsome, when he wasn’t shouting at her at least. “Do you think I’m yours to manhandle?” She shrugged, looking around them. “I got lost.” Then again, she hadn’t really had anywhere she was going in particular. And she had a few hours at least until her mother realized she was missing. She’d turned off a lot of the tracking on her head’s up display, which was why she’d gotten so damn lost.
Judson snorted air through his nose in a half laugh type of way. “Hell no,” he shook his head. “I only said what needed to be said to get you away from him,” he shrugged. “I’m not gonna hurt you, just couldn’t walk away and let that man hurt you is all.” He cocked his head to the side and looked her over, trying to figure out how she’d gotten lost here. “You’re in Central Park, if that helps any,” he then said. “A place where people like you don’t belong. Where were you headed before you got lost?”
She tilted her head at him, frowning. “You...couldn’t let him hurt me.” That was something else entirely. She wasn’t sure she even heard him. “I know I’m in Central Park,” she said, trying not to roll her eyes at him. “You don’t know anything about people like me. And I wasn’t headed anywhere. Just...away.”
Judson laughed. “Oh, believe me, I know a lot about people like you,” he laughed again. They were righteous, sat on high horses, looked down their noses at people, and didn’t even give a thank you when you saved their lives. “So, then, you really aren’t lost you just don’t know where you are going. Just...away?” He teased her.
He was more than a little rude, wasn’t he? She glanced at him again, then tried to stand up straighter. “Just away. I don’t want to go back there. I’m no longer...like you think.”
“You don’t want to go back?” That sobered him up. Why in the hell would she give up everything she had to be down here? “Okay, so…” He looked around and then grumbled under his breath. God dammit! “It’s going to be dark soon, you can’t be waltzing around out here in the dark, alone. Just… follow me.” He turned and started to walk away from her, heading deeper into the park.
She frowned at him, then when he walked away, hurried up to catch him. “Wait, what, where are you taking me?” she said, holding on to his arm and slowing him. “I thought you said i shouldn’t be in here?” She gripped his arm, looking scared for a moment.
“You shouldn’t, but if you aren’t going to go back from where you came from, then where are you going to go?” Judson asked, clearly not happy with what has happening now. But he’d set this into action and now he had to follow it through. “You need to have a place to stay for the night, somewhere not out in the open, so I’m taking you to my tent. In the morning, you can go off and do what you want.”
Lucy dug her feet in, turning pink at the suggestion alone, holding on to his arm, and holding it. “Your tent?” she said softly, voice barely there. “Alone? For the night?” Because, wow, that was a lot and she was definitely burning up from the inside. Alone with a boy. Too much. Too fast. She looked around them, but couldn’t quite let go of his hand, because it was keep her from floating away.
Judson stopped, sighed, and turned to face her. “So you want to be left alone, in the dark, in one of the most dangerous places in the city?” He rose an eyebrow. “I’m not going to make you go with me, you do what you want, but if you are running away from home this was the worst spot to come to alone.”
She shook her head. “No, no I do not,” she said. “Not at all.” She hesitated then nodded. “We can go to your tent.” She’d just...re-group and start over again.
Judson gave a nod, turned, and started to lead the way again. He was out of sorts that he was even doing this and she had just ruined the night for him. He had had plans to hit a couple of places, but now… He was quiet as they walked, and before long they made it to his tent. It was a pretty nice tent, could hold several people, but he had it set up like a home as best as he could with a couple of worn out chairs, a mattress in one section and some blankets that hung in places to section off the tent. He ushered her inside and then grabbed a lantern and lit it.
“Home sweet home,” he murmured. “Make yourself comfortable and tell me what is so horrible at home that you ended up here.”
She held on to his hand as he led her around, sure she couldn’t find her way back after this. Then he let her into the tent and she...paused. She looked around, taking it all in before looking at him. “Do you live here with your family?”
“No, it’s just me,” Judson said, making himself busy. He went to one side of the tent and lifted the bottom of it to show a generator. He got it going and then there was light. He moved to flick on a lamp and then another. “Hungry? Thirsty?” He said, playing hostess because he wasn’t sure what else to do.
“Just you?” she asked, turning to look at him. “This whole space?” It was almost as big as their apartment, or at least close to it. It was huge. And all his. How amazing. She moved around it, then shook her head. “I brought snacks,” she said, patting her bag. “I’m okay.”
“Yep. Just me. All mine,” Judson said and fell into one of the ratty chairs. “It’s not the best, but it’s enough for me.” He watched her for a moment and realized he didn’t know her name or anything. “I’m Judson, by the way,” he said. “Will you tell me why you’re down here?”
“Wow,” Lucy said, sitting on the mattress. “I don’t think I’ve ever had any space that was just mine. Ever. I mean, our apartment had two rooms, but mine was mostly a closet. Or what people say that closets used to be like.” She looked around. “But it’s not all mine. I mean my bed is in there because my mother and father don’t think I should sleep in the same room as them, but they still keep their things stacked around me.” She looked up at him. “I’m Lucy. And I didn’t want to be there anymore.”
“I’ve been on my own since I was sixteen,” Judson replied. “I’ve had something of my own since,” he shrugged. “I haven’t had this tent for long, just a few months.” He didn’t tell her that the guy who had it before him died and he sorta just took it over. “The apartments up there are smaller than this?” That was not good. He thought they were roomier, definitely warmer. “So you just...didn’t want to be there anymore?” He lifted an eyebrow and shook his head. Tantrum. Maybe she had a tantrum with her mother and was doing that whole ‘running away’ bit but would go back.
“Some are. I mean, some are bigger. Ours is bigger, but none of it is mine. I have a corner in the bed and everything that’s really mine in this bag. And some clothes.” Lucy sighed and rested her hands on her knees. “I don’t. I don’t...I’m tired. Do you..who tells you what to do?”
“So your apartment is bigger but….how old are you?” Judson was confused. If she lived with her parents, then it was her parents place and she had a bedroom. Or a closet. Whatever. He was confused. “No one tells me what to do. I’m an adult, I do what I want when I want.”
“Twenty,” Lucy said. She sighed and nodded. “I want that.” Which was definitely something she didn’t have. Everyone told her what to do, what to be.
Twenty. Good. At least she wasn’t a child. That would have been bad. “You want what? To not be told what to do?” He furrowed his brows. “Well, you definitely came to the right place for that. Out here, you live by your own rules.” But he didn’t think she’d make it out here on her own, she was too innocent, too fresh. Like a newborn. “You can have the bed tonight. In the morning you can figure out where you want to go. I’m sure you’re family is going to be searching for you, so you may want to let them know you’re okay before they start pointing fingers at people like me kidnapping you or whatever.”
“I wouldn’t tell them you kidnapped me. I mean, you saved me.” Lucy pointed out, but looked around then back at his bed, realizing she was sitting on it and getting up immediately. She shouldn’t have done that. “Does everyone live by their own rules?” she asked, trying to change the subject from his bed. The bed she’d just been sitting on. Sheesh.
“And most likely they wouldn’t believe you,” Judson sighed. “But do what you want. Either let your parents know you are alive, or wait for them to find you…” he shrugged. He didn’t care. “Out here, yes,” he nodded about the rules. “I mean, sure, there are rules that everyone follows, but we are all pretty much left on our own out here to survive. Because we don’t have anyone really enforcing rules and laws, it can get pretty crazy sometimes. Dangerous.” He thought it funny how she jumped up from his bed. There was another chair for her to sit in if she wanted, or she could stay on the bed. Again, he didn’t care. “You might do better in Midtown,” he then said. “Buildings to stay in, but it can still get dangerous there, too.”
“I turned off my HUD,” she explained. “They can’t track me.” She bit her lip, then wondered if she should be telling them she was never coming home. She did leave a note. Well, a message that would go out early. “Dangerous, how so? I mean, I’m fine with danger.” Not really and her voice wavered a little. “What makes it so much better than here? I mean, you live here right?”
“You what?” Judson sat up a little straighter. She was serious about this whole not going back home thing. She didn’t want to be found. “Just, you know, danger,” he shrugged. “Muggings, people attacking other people, theft, drugs, it’s just...you can’t trust people down here, or Midtown. People will hurt you, use you, especially if they know you are from uptop.” She really had no idea what she was getting herself into. “And I live here because I’m a little bit aways from people. And it’s just me, I don’t need to provide a home. As well as I like living by my own rules and fuck the mainstream and all that shit.”
Lucy tilted her head at him, curious look on her face. “So, I shouldn’t trust you,” she pointed out. “You’re going to hurt me and use me.” Except he didn’t seem to believe that. He didn’t seem to even own it. He’d helped her, then brought her back to his place and...well he’d been horribly nice for someone that couldn’t be trusted. She nodded, looking around his place. “I think you’ve done well. For the...ignoring the mainstream.”
Judson laughed and ran a hand through his hair, pushing it from his face. “No, you shouldn’t trust me. And no, I’m not going to hurt or use you, which I know sounds false after what I’ve said, but…” he shrugged. He wasn’t about to tell her he was, indeed, a criminal, just not in the business of hurting people. Looking around his tent, he shrugged again. “Thanks. I guess? This is the nicest place I’ve lived.” He’d lived in some really bad places. “So, Lucy, what are your plans? Where are you going to go?”
She looked at him, head tilted to the side. “So I shouldn’t trust you, but I should trust that you won’t hurt me?” She wondered if he saw his circular logic. She moved, sitting in the other chair and looking over at him. “I don’t have a plan. I mean, I didn’t get that far. I just know I don’t want to go home.”
“I know, it doesn’t make sense,” Judson said and then shrug. “You have choices here, though. I’m not keeping you here, I haven’t touched you.” And he wouldn’t. He was a thief, not a rapist or abuser of any kind. If she wanted to leave, she could, but it was a scary world out there, especially at night.
“No, you’re not.” Though that didn’t mean that he wasn’t going to block her way out if she did try to leave. “You haven’t.” Which was something that gave her pause. She thought of his hand on her wrist and wondered how she felt about that. It wasn’t a bad thing, him touching her, but she supposed he didn’t mean touching in a good way.
He sat quietly for a few moments, unsure what else to say. “Are things really that bad at home that you had to run away?” He then asked, maybe a little too bluntly. But it was his nature, to just ask outright, to not beat around the bush or to worry about feelings.
For a second Lucy winced, looking down at her hands and not him. “Yes,” she breathed softly. “I...I can’t be perfect. Not anymore.” She was missing out, missing life. “Mother would be mortified if she knew I was here, with a boy, alone. I should be practicing or studying.”
Judson frowned and scratched behind an ear. “You’re an adult, with a mind of your own, and…” he shook his head. It wasn’t his place. “Well, you’re free to do what you want here. Practice, study, sit and stare at trees all day. Whatever.” He wasn’t about to tell her what to do.
“But I wasn’t there,” Lucy explained. “I was, but...I did what she said.” There hadn’t been an option to do anything otherwise. “Trees? Are there a lot of options for trees? I mean, most of them aren’t around anymore are they?”
“So you were feeling more like a robot than a person?” Judson asked. “You might find a tree or two,” he shrugged. “Figure of speech, really.” He picked a thread from his pants and then looked around the tent. He was feeling slightly awkward, not knowing how to carry on the conversation. Maybe he could give Rez a quick word and tell him he had a girl in his tent, a runaway, and didn’t know what to do with her. “So, you managed to run away, so what is your plan now? Any friends? Anyone that can help you?”
“I didn’t have time for friends. Or really anyone to help me,” she said, getting up and pacing a little. “I didn’t have anything but school and learning and the plan for me and it was starting to make me insane.” Her voice pitched up, louder and faster than she’d been there before.
Judson didn’t move but only to shift in his seat and watch her. No friends. No one to depend on. At least he had family to teach him how to survive before they tossed him into the streets. He had friends, or at least people he could partially depend on so he wasn’t entirely alone. He generally didn’t give much for feelings, but he felt bad for Lucy. “And what was the plan for you?”
“High school, college with multiple degrees, awards and honor societies where they could be found. Music, possibly a postgraduate degree, likely med school or law school depending on how well I do on the either the LSAT or MCAT.” She paced with each one, going back and forth. “And then probably a marriage, maybe arranged, because I don’t have time to find a boyfriend or ...girlfriend? If that’s a reasonable thing.”
“Boyfriend or girlfriend are both reasonable, but you don’t already know which you would prefer?” Judson asked with a raised eyebrow. She was a pretty girl, one he might have charmed from the beginning if they had met in a different way. Then he decided to ask her a question he was sure no one had ever asked her before. “If none of that is what you wanted to do, then what is it that you really want to do? What is your plan for yourself?”
“Thought about...no,” Lucy said, shaking her head. “There wasn’t time.” She looked at him, then felt her cheeks go immediately warm. He was far too cute to be talking to about these sort of things. She opened her mouth to answer the question, then shut it, then opened it again. She held her hands up, then looked around, then back at him. “I don’t...know.”
Judson caught the way her cheeks turned pink and he smirked. Cute. Too bad she was so innocent or he may have tried to get her to his bed and give her a taste of what it was like to be with a man, see if she liked it. “You don’t have a clue at all what you want to do? No plan you may have made for yourself? All of this,” he waved at her. “Being here, is all spur of the moment. You broke and so then you ran, with no plan at all?” What was he going to do with her.
She sighed and dropped into the chair hands in her lap. “All I could think about was getting away. I mean, I have ideas. I want to sleep in. I want to do things I wasn’t allowed to. Stay up late. Eat ice cream. Dance. Go out. Drink.”
“Well, I can help you with all of those things,” Judson said with a small laugh. “But I’m more concerned about where will you stay, what will you do for money, food, et cetera,” he admitted. “Tonight, though, you don’t have to think about anything,” he said, sitting forward. “You can do what you want. I have alcohol, if you want to drink?” Mostly, he had his own moonshine that he made himself.
“You can?” She looked surprised, not expecting that kind of answer. There were other things too, things she thought of when she looked at him, but she just bit her lip on those. “I have credits,” she explained. “And food. I told you that.” At his offer she bit her lip again, looking at him. “You do?”
What the fuck was he doing telling her he could help with things? Was he losing his fucking mind? “I think that I can,” he offered a smile. He needed to stop offering her his help. He didn’t mention that using her credits might can be tracked and that the food that she had wouldn’t last forever. Instead, he got up from his chair and went over to his tiny kitchen area. Pulling out a mason jar full of clear liquid, he then poured it into two smaller cups and went back to where she sat. “I do!” He grinned and held out a cup to her. “Take a sip.”
She eyed the cup, then took it, sniffing it before making a face. “Are you sure about this?” she asked, but it was mostly to herself. She figured he was, but she wasn’t sure about herself. She took a tentative sip, then coughed. The liquid burned hard, lighting her throat on fire. “What is this...why?”
Judson sipped at his, closing his eyes against the burn and then he watched her. He laughed when she took her first sip. “It’s my own, personal type of moonshine,” he grinned. “A little strong, but it does the trick when needed. “You said you wanted to drink, soo…” he waved at the cup. “It gets better.”
“It tastes horrible.” Lucy made a face, but took another sip, smaller this time. It didn’t burn as bad, but she wasn’t sure if she actually swallowed it or just let it drop down her throat. “Where did you learn to make moonshine?”
Judson laughed. “I’m still learning,” he replied. “Believe me, this is much better than some of the jars I’ve done before,” he chuckled. “I’ll find the right recipe soon enough.” He needed to make it smoother, maybe a little sweeter. “You’ll find more out there that is much better than this.”
Lucy took another small sip, feeling her cheeks get warm. “This is fine,” she said, not ready to go wander ‘out there’ and find something else. Not when well, this was fine. He was right, it got better. And she took another sip. “I can help,” she blurted. “I’m excellent at chemistry.”
Judson looked at Lucy. “I bet you are,” he snickered. He wasn’t about to accept her help. He’d been on his own for years now, figuring things out on his own, surviving on his own, that he didn’t need anyone’s help. He definitely didn’t need any help from a rich girl from up top. But she was pretty and he had been too alone recently. “Let’s not worry about it right now, next time I make a batch though I'll let you help.
Lucy missed the comment, not sure what it was, but she giggled with him anyway. “You should. I could definitely help,” she said taking a bigger gulp from her cup. “What should we worry about now?”
It was moments like these, where after the girl was good and comfortable that Judson would make his move. Of course, he’d promised her he’d not lay a hand on her. If she made the first move, he might go with things, but he thought she wouldn’t even know how. He gave an internal sigh and kept to his chair. “At the moment? Nothing. Have a good time. Relax. Rewind. Do whatever it is you want to do.”
She considered what he was saying, looking into her cup which was weirdly empty. Her cheeks felt flushed, but she didn’t feel anything else. “I don’t know what I want to do. Or how to relax.” She was terrible at this sort of thing. This was why she’d run away. Normal people, they knew how to do things. She just struggled and flailed around a lot.
“Give the alcohol some time to work, and you’ll be relaxing,” he chuckled. “Want more?” He got up and grabbed the mason jar that held the moonshine, refilling his own cup and then waiting for her response. “If anything, this stuff is going to knock you right out and you’ll get a good night’s rest.”
“Yes,” she said smiling at him, holding out her cup. She felt warm and floaty. “I don’t want to sleep. I want to stay up late. And not sleep in the chair. I mean, you’ll be here. Should I sleep in a chair? Or a bed...your bed.” She covered her mouth with her hand and giggled again.
He poured her some into her cup and then went back to his seat. Her giggling was actually kind of cute and it made him smile. “Then you can stay up as late as you want. Your rules, remember? You’re in charge,” he gave her a nod and sipped at his drink, only his sips were more like bigger drinks than sips. “You’ll sleep in the bed. I’ve got another sleeping bag I can sleep in.” So, he sorta had a heart he guessed. He was gonna let the girl sleep in his bed and he take the floor; he’d slept in worse places anyway.
Lucy took another sip, then frowned over her cup at him. “Wait. In a sleeping bag? On the floor.” She looked down at the floor and then shook her head. “You can’t sleep on the floor!” That was horrible. He’d be uncomfortable and he wouldn’t be able to sleep.
“Why not?” Judson asked, an eyebrow arching. “Believe me, I’ve slept in worse places. The floor for a night won’t be a biggie,” he shrugged. “I could sleep in the chairs, pulling them together or something, but the floor would be better,” he shrugged again. “Don’t worry.”
“But it’s your bed! I can’t do that. You don’t even know me!” She bit her lip, sipping on the cup again. “Or seem to like me that much.” She felt weird, him being so nice to her when he didn’t seem to like her.
He gave a small wince at the not liking her remark and he sighed. “I’m not used to saving damsels in distress and I am generally alone...so, it’s not you,” he tried to explain, wondering if it was believable. It was true for the most part. “And you coming from uptop, running away, just adds danger to the whole thing. I try to stay under the radar, blend in. So I’m just out of sorts. You can have the bed.”
“They aren’t going to hurt you. I don’t even know if they’re going to look for me,” Lucy said with a sigh. She looked at him, then tilted her head to the side. “Alone?” That didn’t make sense. He was too pretty to be alone.
“They’ll look for you,” Judson nodded. Rich folk didn’t let go of their children so easily. They were their...shining stars. “Yes. Alone. I like it that way,” he looked away, down into his cup and then took a drink. “I don’t have to worry about anyone but myself, makes life a little easier.”
“Seems lonely though,” Lucy said with a shrug of her shoulders. “And someone as cute as you are shouldn’t be alone.” She didn’t even realize she’d said it out loud. “I can see how that would be easier.”
“It is what it is,” Judson said, mimicking her shrug. “I’m fine with how things are in my life.” Unlike her, who was very upset by her life that she had to run away. “I’m left alone and I leave others alone, it works out pretty well, for the most part” Was he lonely? He didn’t think so, but it was all that he really knew.
“But you’re alone,” she said moving closer to him, dragging her chair with her. “You’re too handsome to be alone. You have to have a girlfriend right?” He had to. She was probably beautiful. Or a boyfriend. He’d be gorgeous too.
Judson laughed, watching as she drug her chair closer. “No, no girlfriend,” he answered. He’d tried that a time or two, but it never stuck. It was easier to have one night stands, or something that didn’t last too long. “I’m single,” he said. “It’s just my life. And, apparently, you’re alone, too.”
“No? Why not?” Not that it was a bad thing that he was single, that was good right? She reached for his hand, touching it then pulling her hand back. That wasn’t right. She shouldn’t do that. “I am. But I’ve always been. At least in my mind I’ve been alone.”
“Why don’t I have a girlfriend?” Judson asked, watching as she reached out to touch them and then thought better. “Because past experience is that it’s too much trouble. Not really bad experiences, just...haven’t been ready to settle, I guess.” And everyone wanted to settle. If a girl could find a husband, then their parents had one less mouth to feed. “Being alone here,” he touched his head, “has to be worse.”
“Too much trouble? To have someone to wake up with? To kiss and to love? How is that too much trouble?” That sounded wonderful in her mind. “It’s tiring. And isolating. I mean, there was always someone in my space and I was never alone, but I was never with anyone.”
“There is a lot more to it than that,” Judson said. Of course she was on the romantic side of it. “One day, you’ll understand. I just haven’t felt the need to settle or be tied down.” He didn’t want to get in to it, to disillusion her about relationships and how nice they could be. “You’ll find out a different kind of being alone out here. No one in your space as long as you mind your own business. And a girl as pretty as you won’t have any trouble finding some to call your own if you want.”
She shook her head. “I can’t see it being like that,” she said. No, it seemed so much better. “Maybe you just haven’t met the right person yet.” She smiled at him, wondering if she could be. Except she said that part out loud, all those thoughts. “You think I’m pretty?”
The alcohol was talking. He was pretty sure some of the things she’d just said were meant to be thoughts, only, but she’d said them outloud. Amused, he sat forward in his chair, his elbows resting on his knees as he looked at her. “Yes, I think you’re pretty,” he murmured, really looking at her. Maybe the alcohol was working for him, too. She was pretty, and the type of girl, if he had a type, that he would hit on. “You think you’ve got what it takes to be the one to change things for me?” He gave a smirk as he watched her.
That was a lot to take in for Lucy. She blushed a dark red and she bit her lip. “Maybe. Depends on what you need,” she said softly.
Judson’s eyes zeroed in on how she bit her lip and he inhaled, thinking how much he might like to bite that lip himself. He chuckled, though he could tell the air around them had changed somewhat. “I honestly don’t know what I need,” he said quietly. He wanted to point out to her that he was a stranger, that she knew nothing about him at all, but he didn’t want to make the mood. In fact, he wanted to see how far it would go.
She caught the way he looked at her mouth and without knowing why it made her breath catch in her throat. Yeah that, that was something. Something she had read about when she snuck books that weren’t assigned for school. “Something to think on,” she said softly. Then she reached out, touching his hand and running her fingers over his.
“Maybe,” Judson agreed. If he ever did want to settle down, he’d need to know what it was he was looking for. “Or maybe it will be one of those things that I don’t know what I’m looking for until I find it,” he gave a small smile. That was a thing, right? He’d heard of other’s saying they hadn’t even been looking, when they found what it was they wanted. Who they wanted. Or needed. His eyes never left hers when she touched him. Instead, he let her do it and felt the goosebumps cover his skin and travel down his spine as he found he liked her touch. It took all he had not to reach out to her and pull her into a kiss. But man did he want to. He turned his hand over and grasped her hand, holding it for a moment before then bringing it up to his lips and kissed her hand instead.
Oh. Ohhhhh. Lucy’s cheeks burned harder when he took her hand, and her breath gasped when he kissed her hand. That was new. Like a burn on her skin that felt good more than bad. “I’ve never…”
“...Been kissed?” Judson smiled. “Considering you’ve never had time for boys...or girls...I would imagine you haven’t,” he pointed out. “Would you like to be? To have your first kiss? Because I wouldn’t mind being your first at all.”
“Any of it.” Lucy looked at him, knowing she wanted to. But how did he feel? “Do you want to kiss me?” Wasn’t that the point? To kiss someone that wanted to kiss you?
Judson chuckled and then set his glass down. With the hand that was holding hers, he pulled her up to her feet as he stood to his. With his free hand he rose it to sweep hair from her cheek, tucking it behind her ear before then cupping her face to turn it upward. He never answered her with words, mainly because he’d said previously he wouldn’t mind being her first. Secondly, because what he was about to do would be answer enough. He caught her eyes for a brief moment, and then he lowered his head, stooping every so slightly, and catching her lips with his.
She set her cup down as well, letting him pull her up. Her look was confused, even as he brushed her hair back and tilted her chin up. She was confused right up until he kissed her. It made sense after the fact, but leading up to it, she had no idea it would happen.
Then he was kissing her and she let her eyes fall shut, trying to answer, moving her lips against his in what she hoped was the right way.
Judson let his eyes fall shut as he kissed her, moving his lips over hers in a soft and gentle way. There was no tongue, not for now, not when this was enough to get his blood going. He moved the hand that he held to go to his waist, his wrapping around her own waist and drawing her nearer. The kiss went on for a few moments longer before he made himself break it, pulling back just enough to look into her eyes. “How was that?” He asked, a smirk set on his lips.
She went with him, gripping his shirt and holding on to him as tightly as she could. She chased the kiss when he pulled back, but when it didn’t continue, she blinked up at him, speechless for a moment. “Good,” she eventually murmured. Really good. Amazing. She wanted to do that again. A lot.
Judson gave out a small chuckle, and not being able to help himself, he kissed her once more. A short kiss, nothing like the first, but a good chaser. “I’m glad you liked it,” he said, still holding her close. “You’re really good at it, too,” he smiled. But what now? He’d kissed her, and wouldn’t mind continuing, but then that could lead to something else and she was slightly tipsy if not drunk.
“I am?” Lucy stayed pressed against him, because he hadn’t pulled away and she wasn’t about to. She kind of wanted to kiss him again and was already pushing up on her toes a little to do as much.
“Mmhmm,” Judson hummed out. He might have pulled away then, might have stopped everything right then. But it was possible that the alcohol was affecting him more than he’d realized and so when she went up on her toes, practically begging for more, he was kissing her again. This time it was much more heated, his lips pressed against hers a little harder, and then his mouth opened and his tongue slipped out to graze along her lower lip that she’d been biting earlier. He wanted to taste her fully.
Lucy’s skin felt like it was on fire. She pressed herself as close him as she could get, fingers finding their way into his hair. She tugged just little when his tongue licked at her lips and gasped enough to open them.
Judson was slowly losing his mind and his control over the situation. The tug of his hair had him groaning into her mouth and the moment her lips parted, his tongue delved in to slide against hers. She tasted of his moonshine and something else, something sweet. Something innocent, perhaps. His fingers itched to touch skin, but there was no way unless he hiked up her dress, which was something he wouldn’t mind doing. Instead, he decided to move his hands and pull at her cardigan, sliding it from her shoulders and down her arms; once it was far enough away, his hands touched the warm skin of her arms, sliding upward before moving to her back.
That groan. That was...intoxicating. She let go of him only to pull her cardigan off and then she was reaching for him again, both hands in his hair. Everywhere he touched her heated her skin up, and set off warm tingling sensations between her legs.
Before Judson knew what he was doing - let’s face it, all thoughts have flown out the window..there were none - he was moving to lift Lucy, having her wrap her legs around his waist. Then he was on the move. His hands slid along the backside of her thighs and then grabbed ass as he walked them to where his bed was. Gripping her tightly, he moved onto the bed, laying her in the center and hovering above her. He broke the kiss for them to get settled and then kissed along her neck one hand sliding along her thigh.
Lucy squeaked when he lifted her, amazed he could do that. Then he was carrying her, and she was grabbing on to him. He was still kissing her, which was amazing and completely distracting from the fact that he’d moved them, then laid her on the bed. She blinked up at him, confused for a long moment, then he was kissing her neck and honestly she let that distract her. She wound her fingers in his hair, keeping him where he was. The tingling feeling between her legs was stronger and complete with a sticky wetness to go with it.
Judson continued adorning her bare skin with his kisses, looking for the right spots that would make her squirm and as for more. He moved his body to where he was slightly to the side of her, one arm holding him up, and then his other hand moved to push the skirt of her dress up, fingers trailing along the smooth skin. When they hit fabric, he paused just for a moment before moving his fingers and lightly trailing them over the fabric of her panties between her legs.
Lucy responded just like he wanted, shuddering and shivering at certain places, little noises and gasps at others. Then his fingers brushed over her and she jumped, back arching. That turned the tingles into sparks that rolled across her skin and for a moment she shook.
Judson groaned at the way she reacted to him and her response urged him to move further. His fingers then moved to the top of her panties and then his hand slid inside, fingers sliding through her folds and wetness, and he groaned again and his mouth nearly watered. He wanted to taste her there, too.
Oh, oh, oh. Lucy’s eyes bolted open even as her back arched and she moaned. That was insanely invasive and insanely wonderful feeling. She whimpered and gripped his arm, pulling at him. “Jud…”
The moment Lucy said his name and gripped his arm, he stopped, his arm moving to pull his hand away from her panties and he lifted his head. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly, his tipsy brain trying to catch up. “I’ve gone too far.” But man did he want to go further, he wanted to taste her...he wanted to be buried deep within her.
Lucy bit her lip and looked at him, shocked that she felt empty once he stopped touching her. “No,” she murmured, shaking her head. “Don’t…” Don’t what? Don’t stop? Don’t apologize? She leaned up to kiss him, pull him closer.
Judson was confused. Don’t what? But before he could ask, she was kissing him again, pulling him closer. He moved over her and settled his hips between her legs and pressed himself down into her, groaning. There was little to no room inside his jeans now. “What do you want?” He asked, lifting his head up. “Because what I want is for you to be without clothes on so I can kiss you all over.”
She groaned and gasped against his mouth. “I...I think I want that,” she mumbled. Because that did sound amazing. And he felt amazing, just his hips pressed against hers. She rocked up a little chasing that friction and was more than shocked at the jolt it sent through her.
Judson quickly moved, lifting her so he could pull at her dress and searching for a zipper just in case. It was a feat in itself to get it off, struggling with the garment. Had they been standing it would have been much easier. Eventually, with work from the both of them it was off. He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the side, before finally looking at her. “I find it hard to believe that no one has ever wanted to touch you,” he murmured and then lowered himself over her, pressing lips to her clavicle.
She tried to help, but she was a little light headed. What he was doing, what she was doing, it was all so bad but she really couldn’t help herself. It felt too good to be bad. Under the dress was nothing but practicality, a black bandeau strapless bra that was more function than pretty, and black boy shorts, nothing special either. For a moment she was self conscious, at least until his shirt came off. She reached up to trace where the bars of his tattoos went around his bicep, following her fingers with her eyes until he kissed her again. “No one’s ever noticed me.”
Judson lifted his head and looked her straight in the eye. “I notice you,” he said and then went back to what he was doing. He kissed along her upper chest until his fingers grabbed the fabric of her bra and pulled it down to free her breasts. Then he was lavishing attention to both her breasts, a tongue circling a nipple before sucking it into his mouth. A part of him wanted to skip it all and go straight to where he wanted to be, but there was the other part reminding him that this was her first of everything and to let her enjoy it. And he did. He wanted her to squirm before he moved on.
He did, didn’t he? The realization was a little punch in the gut, a reminder that he had in fact noticed her. Enough to keep her safe, to bring her here to touch her the way he was. Her breasts were small, but that didn’t seem to stop Judson any. His attention to them had her moaning, back arching up off the mattress to get closer to his mouth. Both nipples hardened, almost painfully, and each touch of his tongue sent sparks lower. She worked her fingers into his hair, tugging just a little, not to pull him away, but more to show how much she liked it.
The sounds she made was music to his ears. He got off on pleasuring women, to have them squirm and moan and even call out his name. Sex was good, but to get your partner squirming until they begged for it was better. When he thought her breasts had had enough, he started to kiss down along her abdomen, his tongue twirled in her belly button before he proceeded even lower. When he reached the border of her panties, he breathed against her and then grasped the fabric at each side and slowly pulled them down until he could pull them off and to the side. Then he was kissing up her thigh, his lips nipping at her skin until he reached her center. He pushed lightly on her legs to make her open up more fully for him, and then his mouth was on her, his tongue dancing lightly over her folds before slipping between them.
Lucy shivered as he moved down her stomach, laughing a little at the way he treated her belly button. She wondered if she should hesitate when he took her underwear, but the alcohol she’d had had lowered her inhibitions enough to make her curious, needy, and desperate to see where this would go. When he pushed at her legs she opened them, confused and about to protest but he’d moved on and she forgot what words were. She’d been wet for a while, but his mouth against her did the final trick, hips canting up without her permission as she moaned, louder than before.
Judson ran his tongue along her slit, downward first and then back up until he came into contact with her clit. There, he swirled his tongue around it slowly, before sucking it into his mouth, repeating his actions twice before sliding down to tease her entrance. He could taste her, her wetness coating his tongue and he moaned against her, fighting the urge to hurry her along. He went back to her clit and gently attacked it once more, his eyes glancing up her body to watch her reactions, in his pants he throbbed, wanting to be unleashed, but he had to tell himself to wait.
There was no stopping the rush of noises, the moans, the groans, the tugging on his hair and the way she shuddered under him. His mouth on her clit sent sparks through her entire system, leaving her shaking and crying out torn between pulling away from the onslaught of passion and pushing closer into it. Her head was thrown back, short nails digging into his shoulder as she gasped, feeling like she was racing towards something, but not sure what it was.
And then, suddenly, she was there. It felt like light burst behind her eyes, the shudder of passion burning through her. She arched, cried out, then fell back with a whimper and tears in her eyes.
Judson continued through sucking on her clit, even when she finally hit her orgasm he helped her ride through it until there was nothing more. He rose his head and looked at her, a satisfied smirk on his lips, then he was moving to take off his jeans and boxer briefs, dropping them to the ground. He reached for a condom from a drawer by his bed and tossed it on to the bed before he crawled over her again, touching his lips to hers and pressing himself against her. He was hesitant, because he knew it was her first time and though the alcohol infused brain wanted to continue on, his conscious wanted him to wait. “Are you okay?” He asked her, brushing hair from her face.
Everything was a little hazy as she watched him undress, but maybe that was for the best. She wasn’t thinking of how strange it was, or what they were doing, only on how perfectly put together he was, the perfect lines of his body that dropped down to parts she’d never seen on anyone before. She might have blushed if she wasn’t already flushed, but then he was back and she could focus on him. She licked at his lower lip, chasing the different taste, startling a little when she realized she was tasting herself. “Yes,” she breathed, hips canting up into his. “That was…” there weren’t words. How did she describe it? She couldn’t. Vocabulary left her.
Judson smirked and nodded his head. “I know…” Later he may tease her for her lack of words, but for now he was keeping them in this moment. He moaned at the feel of her sliding against him and his brain pretty much short circuited. He rubbed against her once more and then reached for the condom and quickly put it on, if not he may lose his mind entirely and go without one. “Are you ready?” He pressed himself against her once more, not yet entering her.
Lucy looked up at him, stroking his face, taking all of him in. She still wasn’t sure what had her doing this, but feeling him against her, hearing him moan because of her, how did she stop? She bit her lip, then nodded. There was a chance she’d regret it later, but right now? She didn’t want to stop.
Judson barely let her finish the nod, he centered himself between her legs and then slowly started to push inward, filling her. She was so tight, that he groaned out loudly at the feeling. It was like a tight glove, almost too tight, but damn did it feel good. He watched her face, wanting to make sure he wasn’t hurting her especially when he felt the moment of obtrusion. He shifted his hips quickly forward to literally tear past it and then he was completely in and going utterly still. “Are you good?” He asked, not moving yet. She was so tight that he had to gain control of himself or lose it all right there.
Something felt entirely...wrong with it. But it wasn’t all bad. It was an aching kind of feeling, her nails digging into his shoulder and holding on tightly as he moved. She winced when he pushed past the obstruction, but didn’t cry out even if she had to close her eyes to get through it. Then he stopped and she had to breathe through her nose as she tried to get used to the feeling. It took a moment, but the ache started to fade a little, then she leaned up to kiss him, desperate for a little distraction.
Judson took the kiss as an affirmative. He kissed her back, making it deep and longing, and somewhere in the middle of it all he started to move his hips. Slow at first, taking it easy, he moaned into her mouth. “You feel so good,” he murmured between kisses before breaking and trailing his lips along her jaw to press kisses beneath her ear.
The kisses helped, the deepness, the need in it. It distracted her from the pain, and then he was moving and her body seemed to react better than worse. That she felt good, to someone that knew, that was crazy. She twisted her fingers in his hair when it started to shift from feeling weird to feeling good and whimpered.
The whimper, the feel good whimper, was exactly what Judson needed to hear. He felt her relaxing in a way that accepted him and had her starting to enjoy it. His thrusts sped up slightly, from shallow to longer. He kissed along her neck, then back to her lips in another heated kiss. She felt so good, that he found himself wanting to take longer with her and was unsure he could go much longer all at the same time.
Oh, that’s how that was supposed to feel. Her body relaxed and then his movements picked up and it switched from feeling okay to feeling, really, really good. She lifted a leg to wrap around his thigh, groaning when the angle changed and felt even better. When he kissed her she slipped her fingers in his hair and held him there, falling into the feeling of that as well.
“That’s it baby,” the words came out in a rush of air when she wrapped a leg around him. The new angle gave him even more and he groaned out and sped up. Sweat was starting to lightly slick his body and his breathing had become more ragged as he fought off the overwhelming sensation to orgasm. He wanted to wait, just a little bit longer, he wanted her to relish in how this all could be for her. He didn’t know why that was important to him, but Judson wanted her to enjoy it all.
The praise was so much, the pet name. It was like something out of a book, out of a movie. She pressed up with her other leg, planting it on the bed and moving towards him, rocking up into his movements without realizing she was doing it. It felt good, no, better than good. It felt like a real connection, like she was suddenly no longer alone. She moaned, feeling the warmth pooling in her belly, radiating from every inch of contact.
“Oh...fuck…” Judson let out in a low, almost growl. She was moving with him, something he had not expected for her first time. Apparently Lucy was acting on instinct and man he loved it. For a first timer, he had to admit she may be a better sex partner than he had had in a long time. His thrusts were harder and faster now, the two of them coming together in a way that he hadn’t thought possible. He felt something, deep within him, but he had to push it away to focus on what they were doing. But something gave root, he thought, something that he may not be ready for. He dropped a kiss to her lips. “We’re almost there,” he murmured, more to himself than to her. He would get her there first and then join her, that was how it was supposed to be.
That must have been a right thing, not just because it was good to her, but him as well and she did it again, meeting his thrusts as best she could. She nodded when he spoke, holding him against her. She wasn’t really sure what there was, but she had to agree that they were rushing as something, something she was terribly close to. She whimpered, trying to move with him more chasing...chasing...And then she wasn’t chasing, she was falling off the edge, groaning and shuddering, clenching around him as she came.
And then she came, orgasmed. Her body clenched around him, and he gasped out. Two quick thrusts later and he was chasing her orgasm with his own, calling out unintelligently as he did. He pushed them through the rolling waves, gasping for air until it all started to subside and there was nothing left for either of them to give. Judson fell against her body, his sweaty forehead resting against her shoulder as he continued to try to breath.
“Jesus fuck…” he mumbled and then rose his head. “That was…” this time he had no vocabulary of his own and instead he kissed her. A few seconds later and he pulled himself from her and rolled, the condom came off and he tossed it into the trash bin that was nearby before finally falling into an exhausted heap on the bed. “Fantastic…”
She felt it. She felt his reaction and the pressure of it made her gasp, eyes wide. It was more than just a connection. It was something so much more intimate than that. She stroked his hair when he collapsed against her, wanting to keep him there. He moved though, kissing her first, but leaving her and leaving her empty all at once. She watched him when he fell back against the bed, unsure of what to do. “Yes?” she asked, touching his arm. Was it okay to move in close? She didn’t want the feeling of him with her to go away, but she wasn’t sure what came next. It was all new territory for her.
Judson reacted when she touched his arm, instantly moving to grab her and pull her close. There, that was better with her snuggled into his side like that. “Yes.” He said. “Are you okay? Need...anything?” She’d been a virgin, she was probably sore. Would aspirin help? “I think we’ve decided on who gets the bed tonight?” He started to grin. “We’ll share it.”
That was much better. She tucked herself against his shoulder, tracing the dark skin around his nipple with a finger before nodding. “Okay.” She didn’t need anything. She might rethink it later, but right now, he felt the right kind of warm. And she nodded against his skin. “I think sharing is okay.” At least if he was going to stay close to her, then she was okay with that. “You don’t mind?”
Judson shivered as her finger traced around his nipple and he brought his other hand up to capture hers and lay it flat over his heart. If she weren’t careful, he’d be raring to go in a few short minutes. “No,” he said, staring up at the ceiling. “I don’t mind.” But did he? No, it wasn’t the first time he’d had a girl actually sleep with him in his bed. But there was something else that was troubling him. Something had happened between the two of them. They had just met, didn’t even know last names, but he was sure something had grown between them while they’d had sex. He just didn’t know what it was.
Lucy looked at her hand under his, pressed against his heart. It was a curious sort of thing, feeling the thump of his heartbeat under her fingers. “Are you sure it was good?” she asked, voice soft, barely there.
Judson tried to glance over at her, moving his head but all he could manage was a kiss to the top of her head. “Yes. Positive. It was better than good. More. I think it has to go to top place on the list of favorites,” he chuckled. “Don’t worry over it, or over think it. You did fantastic, Lucy. Felt fantastic. Try to get you some sleep, then we’ll figure out what to do about your situation tomorrow.”
Top of the list of favorites. That was quite the compliment, but she was still a little anxious about it. What did that really mean? Were there that many more that she had to share him with? She didn’t want to think on it and when he told her to rest, she let her eyes close. She’d deal with that tomorrow. “You’ll be here?” she asked, gripping at him for a moment, not wanting him to leave.
Judson squeezed an arm around her, comforting her. “Yes, I’ll be here. It’s my place, remember?” He chuckled. “Stop that brain of yours. Accept things as it is. Stop looking for a thread to pull at.”
She turned to kiss his shoulder and nodded. “Sorry,” she murmured, but once she closed her eyes, sleep tugged at her pulling her down into it. He’d be there when she woke up. That was all she needed for the moment.