Chapter Text
Morning comes faster than Rey can handle and she groans, all of her problems immediately taking up space in her thoughts. The thing is, by texting Luke, Ben bought himself time alone with her. And Rey can’t help but wonder how he had intended to use that time.
She can admit it - it was a botched mission. She stares at her phone, at her messages, for far too long. How did Ben know their shorthand? And more importantly, why hadn’t Luke changed his shorthand since Ben learned it?
Rey walks around her small apartment, biting her nails and running over the facts. Given everything that happened, she considers Ben’s text to Luke a blessing.
In the made-up reality where that text is true, she’s fine and she didn’t get the package, but everything is chill and nothing horrifically embarrassing happened. She didn’t immediately fail or try to give Luke’s nephew a blow job or put her skull through said nephew’s nose.
Rey decides not to correct the record and leaves Ben’s false “all clear” message to remain as fact. For now.
Next issue.
Ben knows her address and either vaguely or explicitly threatened to pay her a visit in the near future. This is, however, why Rey rents furnished studios. This is the exact scenario for it, and she was right to be paranoid and her hard work and diligence is paying off.
She will move and then everything will be totally fine.
Rey opens her closet and starts taking down the empty cardboard boxes with a slow exhale. Her whole body hurts as if she had been tensing every muscle at once for days and the ache of her hand screams for some Tylenol 3 and a glass of red. She glances at her clock - it is nearly noon.
She’s going to fix this. But first, alcohol.
She leaves the apartment with a twenty and as she turns to lock the door her heart stops.
Hanging on her doorknob is his tie. Dark and unforgiving, draped over the handle in a warning. It’s creased from being used as a bind around her wrists. Her body temperature drops before a fever-like heat hits her.
He was already here. Rey glances around the hallway before deciding to toss the tie into her apartment - as if its very presence was a sign of guilt.
Fuck.
🍆
Twenty-four hours pass with no sign of him.
Maybe the tie was it, he sent his message, and now she just needs to steer clear. Rey can’t actually bring herself to do anything with the tie but stare at it, now tossed on her kitchen counter as she tapes up the last of her boxes.
It burns a hole through the cheap vinyl covering of the counter and straight through her skin. Through the membrane of her brain and into her dreams that night where everything is black and red and she can’t move.
🍆
Rey goes for a run, a small routine act that soothes her the second her shoes hit the pavement. The sun is just rising, and the cool morning air is almost hopeful in her lungs.
On mornings like this, it is easy to focus on the endless space in front her. It’s shocking how quickly she forgets what she leaves behind with every step on the pavement. The sunrise begins to paint the world pink as she jogs past the familiar city landscape.
Shops begin to open and Rey focuses on a bakery across the streets. A waft of fresh bread makes her stomach growl and she nearly gives up her run for a warm croissant. Out of the corner of her eye a dark blur behind her catches her attention. Stopping at a crosswalk, Rey jogs in place, scanning the streets around her with a frown.
Luke’s voice is in her ear, “It’s not paranoia if you’re right.”
Rey bites the inside of her lip before the lights change and she takes off at a steady pace. Rounding a corner, her senses spike as her shadow follows too close behind her.
Don’t ignore your body. She tells herself. Don’t ignore your body -
Rey abruptly stops and spins on her feet, a nearly empty street greets her and she sets her lips into a line. She stares for too long, limbs tingling. A warning without reason. Clenching her fists, Rey takes off, not nearly as fast as before, her momentum completely skewed. As she approaches another corner her ears strain. The softest impact of her shoes hitting pavement seem to echo around her. Almost as if someone is running in time with her. Matching her cadence. The hair on her neck stands on end and she turns without stopping, jogging backwards for a few steps, her eyes searching every surface for proof.
“I have mace and I’m dying to find out if it’s really extra strength or if that's just a marketing ploy.” Her voice floats over the concrete and pavement. No one replies.
As she begins to move, an older woman across the street stops and squints in her direction.
“Are you talking to me, dear?” The woman adjusts her glasses. Rey lets out a deep breath, her blood rising.
“No, sorry, no,” Rey shakes her head as the woman puts on her glasses, “I was just talking to myself.” She calls out, huffing as she takes off, heart in her throat.
Her chest tightens, an undeniable feeling of awareness seeping through each breath as she picks up her pace. If someone is following her, she’s happy to give them a workout.
Making a sharp turn, Rey darts into an alley, heading in the opposite direction. The relentless beat of her heart is all she can hear as she sprints towards the other end. Paranoid or not, her peaceful morning alone is ruined.
As she approaches the mouth of the alley, she slams straight into a wall. A wall that breathes. Before Rey can catch her balance she feels a hand grip her mouth, and her back is pulled tight against a large, immovable body.
“Don’t scream.”
Rey is already screaming. The sound muffled by her throat and a massive hand. His grip on her tightens, and she catches the scent of him. Ben. She doesn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified.
“Let’s go for a jog, shall we?” He nearly whispers it, and Rey relaxes slightly.
“I’d like to propose a trade,” he continues, walking her back into the shadow of the alley, gently almost, “the package in exchange for information.”
After a beat he removes his hand and steps backwards, giving her the space to turn around and face him without restraint. He’s wearing jogging pants, slung low on his hips. No shirt. A fine glean of sweat covers his skin and his chest rises and falls in time with her own heavy breaths. His nose looks broken from her headbutt, and she takes pride knowing she marked him.
“Did you run here?” Rey asks before she can think better of it.
“I think that part is fairly obvious.” His reply isn’t sharp - it's tentative. He has earbuds hanging around his neck and she suddenly can’t think of anything more interesting than to know what he’s listening to right now.
“Let’s keep moving.” He jogs a bit on the spot and eyes her. Her brain short circuits a bit.
“Together?” She sputters out the world’s most unnecessary question.
“Together.” He replies, and the hair on the back of her neck stands on end. Okay. Okay.
She follows his lead with caution and within a few blocks, they hit a park, with winding trails for normal people to do normal things. The cover of trees makes it a great spot to relax, escape the sun...or be murdered viciously. As for what Mr. Muscle has in mind...it’s a toss-up, really.
When Ben slows to a walk, Rey follows to keep in time with him, watching his every move with a racing heart. She can’t keep her eyes off of his towering form. Partly because he might try to kill her in the woods, and partly because he is so hard to look away from.
“I think a trade is fair, don’t you agree?” He starts and drains his water bottle, beads of water or perspiration run down the cords of his neck and Rey rips her gaze to the tree line.
“I think a trade implies I would be willing to work with you, and it also implies I have something worth trading.” Rey begins walking ahead as he finishes his water, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he catches up to her without effort.
“You do. Have something worth trading.”
Rey swallows and glances at him. There is nothing but Ben and a thick blanket of trees. He sure knows how to find deserted spaces. “Blindspots” is what Luke calls them.
“The way I see it,” Ben presses on, “is that you lost your opportunity to get the package without my help. I’ve moved it, but I am willing to give it to you.”
“In exchange for what?” Rey asks quickly.
“A name, but you don’t need to worry about that yet.”
“Oh, is that so?” Her clipped tone seems to draw a smile from him, maybe the first one she’s seen grace his features with its presence.
Rey takes the right side of the forked path, and the trail winds deeper into the trees. After a few feet, she pauses, leaning a hand on a tree trunk to pull her leg up into a stretch. Only now does she take into account her running shorts and sports bra - she suddenly feels oddly exposed.
“I’ll come to you within the next few days with the information on a job Luke did a while back. I need you to tell me the name of the person who hired Luke.” Ben steps next to her, but avoids her eyes.
“You assume the client gave their real name?”
“That doesn’t matter. I just need to know the name given.” He looks at her then, past his long nose and straight into her. She sniffs in response.
“I’ll think about it.”
As Rey turns on her heel to walk away from Ben (and the tree, and the trail, and the city, and possibly the planet) - a sharp tug on her arm pulls her back into his orbit, his eyes biting as they hold onto her.
He clicks his tongue, “You know, there is something I still can’t figure out. Maybe you can help me.” She glances at the spot where they are connected, his hand wrapped neatly around her wrist, too tight to be comfortable.
“And what’s that?” Rey answers, stepping closer, meeting his stare with defiance.
“What would you have done,” he leans closer, shifting them around the tree, her back meeting the bark with a sharp wince, “if I hadn’t stopped you.”
Stopped her?
The rush of her memory collides with her confusion until she relives the moment as if it were happening now in real-time. Rey, staring up at him from her knees. The way he pulled her up by the hair, stopping her from - oh god.
Does he think he can embarrass her? Two can play that game. She swallows down any remaining shame or pride within her.
“Oh, well that’s simple,” her faux-confidence sounds pretty believable in an audience of leaves, “I would have unbuckled your belt, making sure you could feel the heat of my mouth through your pants,” the fact that she’s not breaking eye contact is a miracle of the universe, “unzipped your jeans as slowly as I could, until I could feel how badly you wanted it -”
The space between them disappears and the air in her lungs tightens. He studies her, the slightest smirk on his lips as if he could read her mind. As if he knows she’s never been more full of shit.
“And then what?” He’s close enough that she can feel him, and she’s both delighted and scared by the length of him hardening against her. A rush of warmth floods between her legs.
As if she would let him call her bluff now.
“Well, I’ll be honest, Ben,” she rolls her wrist out of his grip and lets her fingers trail up the length of his arm, “I was so hoping you’d help yourself to my mouth, but if you needed encouragement,” she lifts her hips away from the tree and into his body. She is rewarded with a hiss, and she’s never felt more powerful, “I would have taken your cock out myself. Dragged my tongue over the length of you, giving you just enough -”
“You know, I recall you singing a very different tune, face down on that mattress.” His voice is low, scraping against her veins with every syllable.
So, it’s a standoff then. She doesn’t miss a beat.
“Oh. You don’t roleplay on the first date?” She asks, donning an innocent look. Ben huffs at that. He’s confused now, she can see it. She can also see he’s not content to leave any stone unturned.
“So you wouldn’t have minded then,” he presses into her, “if I had kept you pinned to the mattress. Pulled your pants down over your incredible ass and helped myself to your tight little cunt instead?”
Rey takes an unsteady breath, his voice shooting straight through to her throbbing core. The image in her mind of Mr. Muscle fucking her into oblivion makes her numb with want. One of them is going to have to stop underestimating the other.
She opens her mouth, voice clear and assertive, “It would be a relief to finally get fucked by someone who knows how to take what he wants.” Jesus Christ, what is wrong with her.
She watches him watching her and he works his jaw in thought. She can feel the twitch of his cock against her with each beat of his heart. He’s been blessed with great genes, she will give him that. Her entire lower half is on fire and the need for friction - any amount - is beginning to take over.
Suddenly, as if they had just been discussing the weather, Ben switches gears.
“Go about your routine. I’ll see you when I’m ready to trade.” He steps back and the loss of him nearly knocks her off balance.
“How will I know you want to talk?” She asks, relieved one of them had the wherewithal to end whatever the fuck that was.
“I’ll find you.” He gives her a final look before he puts his headphones back in and takes off down the trail. He sounds too certain of that for Rey’s liking.
Well, shit.
Rey kicks at the tree's roots for a solid minute, willing her body to chill out. She’s worked herself up enough that she might explode if the wind changes directions. So she opts for a slow walk out of the forest trail, out of the park, back to her running route and finally to her apartment.
And because Ben all but told her as much, she opens up her phone and removes the battery the second the door closes. A tracking device stares back at her. She blinks at it for a few seconds, her mind weighing options.
She could end this now. She could take out the tracker. Tell Luke what happened.
So there is really no justification for placing her phone battery back into place and setting the phone next to his tie, which she folds and stands in front of until the throbbing between her legs can no longer be ignored.
Swearing, she steps out of her shorts and falls onto her bed, her hand already between her legs.
All she can hear is Ben’s voice, heavy and raw in her ear, “So you wouldn’t have minded then. If I had kept you pinned to the mattress.” Even the slightest touch of her fingers against her sensitive folds feels like lightning up her body.
“Pulled your pants down over your incredible ass and helped myself to your tight little cunt instead?”
She comes so fast she’s almost sorry.
Fine. If Ben wants to keep tabs on her, she can let him. The thought of it sends a thrill through her body. Was he looking at a little GPS dot on a map somewhere? Wondering if she was getting off to the thought of him? Because she’s certainly wondering about him . If the state he left in was any indication, it is more than a possibility.
When he comes for her, she will be ready.