Power Play - Chapter 1
AN: And here is Week 5 of HBS and the start of a new multi-chapter fic, this one a Bucky x Reader story, cos I like to give you all some variety. This also strays into Soft!Dark! Territory, cos, you know… Mob! Bucky. Thanks @buckybarnesevents for the inspo.
I’ve chosen the prompt When I first met you... Electricity
Beta’d by @buckysbarne
Dividers by @firefly-graphics and banner by me. Pictures of Seb courtesy of https://sebastian-stan.com/
Master list | Hot Bucky Summer Master list
Summary: Waking up in a mobster’s house the morning after the night before was not how this was supposed to go…
Relationship: Mob! Bucky x Undercover Agent! Reader
WC: 2.3k
CW: Kidnap, Manipulation, Soft!Dark! Bucky, Alcohol consumption, Reader briefly believes Bucky will force her against her will (use of R word once), kissing, Russian Pet names as mangled by Google translate (all variations of sweetheart/darling except Pchelka, which is explained.)
Your head was foggy and your mouth grainy as you opened your eyes, blinking against the harshness of the late morning sun coming through the window.
“Good morning, Pchelka.” Strong fingers gripping your chin and pinching your jaw harshly, brought you out of your stupor, and you looked up at the owner of the gravelly voice.
“Did you sleep well? I slept like a log. I’m going to say that it was because of the connection we made last night.” He chuckled darkly. “Did you feel it, sladkiy? The electricity when I first took your hand in mine? Because I did.” His body shivered at the memory, and you felt a fission of fear travel down your spine.
His eyes were blue - cool and chilling - and you wished you were looking at them under different circumstances. Wished you were here with him under different circumstances, because although he was your enemy, you weren’t blind.
James Buchanan ‘Bucky’ Barnes. Revered head of the New York Mob, and so sinfully handsome it was no wonder that men and women swooned at his feet.
“Are you going to answer me, Pchelka?”
His brow was arched, amusement still playing at his lips. Challenging you to defy him.
“I’m not your ‘little bee’. And I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He let your face go with a snort that told you that he knew you were lying. Because you were. How could you not have felt it, when your slim hand had been completely engulfed by his when you’d been introduced? When he’d raised your hand, gently turning it to press a kiss to the fluttering vein in your wrist.
You should have known then that you were fucked. Should have called the whole thing off and got out of there.
But no. You’d decided that you had to stay - had to pull your big girl pants up, get a hold of yourself and prove to everyone else that you were capable of carrying out this mission. You wondered if your colleagues, your fellow agents, were trying to actually rescue you, or were they laughing at your ineptitude?
Barnes crossed to the far side of the room, a classic dark wood office with floor-to-ceiling bookcases filled with leather-bound tomes. Turkish wool rugs covered the wooden floor that matched all of the furniture. He picked up a decanter, poured a hefty measure of amber liquid into a matching tumbler and brought it up to his lips. You didn’t even realise that you were watching him that intently until he smirked.
He walked back over to you, power and grace showing with every move of his body. He sank into a crouch before you, dipped his finger into the alcohol and then painted it over your lips. Instinctually you licked it away, and the whisky burned on your tongue.
“They think you’re dead, by the way.” That got your attention, making you halt with your mouth part open, tongue tip still midway through catching the errant drops he’d applied. His finger returned to the glass, then back to your lips once again as you sat, stock still.
A sudden anger burned through you, and you tried to leap to your feet, but you hadn’t counted on the bonds that tied you to the chair. You struggled against them, hands curling into fists and feet ineffectually kicking as you let out a wail of frustration.
“Tsk tsk.” Barnes admonished you for your reaction as he stood and backed up to rest against the edge of his, no doubt antique, desk. “And here I was thinking you’d be more grateful. If you’d continued in that job you’d have died of boredom, milyy. Just think. I’ve actually saved you.” He took another sip of his drink, observing you and you wanted to shrink under his gaze - you had to look a mess.
Your evening gown, which had looked stunning on you when you’d gotten ready for this op, was now torn and filthy. Your nail polish was chipped, a couple of the nails torn, and no doubt your makeup was smeared across your face. Somewhere along the line, you’d lost your shoes, or had they been taken from you? Admittedly a lot of it was a blur and you’d also been unconscious for some time, only waking up once you were here, tied to this chair, a smirking Barnes looking down on you.
Conversely, he looked so put together it should be illegal. Last night he’d smouldered in a dinner suit, but this morning he exuded power and danger. His shirt was black, with two opened buttons, showing off the silver rope chain around his neck. His suit jacket and pants were also black but covered with a wide pinstriped check. He had a large signet ring on the pinky of his left hand, and silver and black onyx ring on the adjacent ring finger, and it was hard to take your eyes off them. His pants were tight across his crotch, leaving little to the imagination, and he’d finished off his outfit with a pair of patent black boots and a pair of blue-tinted sunglasses, perched on his head. In a nutshell, he was sex personified and you needed to get your head back in the game before you did something you’d regret.
“You’re deluded, you know that?”
“Focused, Pchelka. Not deluded. I didn’t get where I am now without knowing what I wanted and taking it. And I want you. I think you want me too.”
It was your turn to snort, and you didn’t bother to hide your derision. “In your dreams!”
He was back in front of you in an instant, his beringed fingers curling into the leather chair back, his face millimetres from your own.
“I don’t think I imagined how you trembled when you were in my arms, lyubimyy. When I led you around the dance floor and you felt as though you were made to fit in my embrace. I don’t think I imagined how you sighed and leaned against me as I spoke soft words in your ears.”
Heat burned your cheeks and you tried for some bravado.
“All an act, I assure you. As you know, you were my mark.”
His mouth broke into a feral grin and, for the first time, you were worried. Worried about what he had in store for you… and worried that you might like it.
“You keep telling yourself that. I don’t think you’ll be able to maintain that lie when you’re screaming my name later.”
“I didn’t know your name was Rapist.”
He moved one hand from the back of the chair to rest at the base of your throat, fingers applying just enough pressure to remind you who was in control here.
“Don’t insult both of us, Pchelka. When I take you, you will welcome it. Want it. You will be begging me to make you mine. And I think it will happen sooner than you think.” His voice was a hypnotic whisper, and you could feel yourself spiralling, enchanted by the power that he exuded from every pore, so when he kissed you, you were unprepared.
Barnes used the thumb of the hand he had around your neck to tip your chin up. His pink, sinful lips demanded entry efficiently and you were powerless to resist. His mouth explored yours, tongues tangling, and when he teasingly broke the kiss you were horrified to find that you were whimpering.
Your captor just continued to smile, animalistic and condescending.
“Electric, as I said. You betray yourself without even meaning too. It’s a good thing that I’m a nice man, and I’m not torturing you for information. You wouldn’t last five minutes.”
Feelings of anger, shame and embarrassment rose within you. He was right, god damn it. You weren’t cut out for this work. You knew it. He knew it. The people you worked with knew it. Backroom paper shuffling was where you excelled, but there was no way you could’ve turned down the opportunity for undercover work, because success would have meant a level of recognition and respect that you could never have hoped, to gain otherwise, even if the op was a classic, and somewhat demeaning, honey-trap.
You closed your eyes and willed the tears not to fall.
“Please, Mr Barnes. Just let me go. I don’t know anything. Nothing has happened here that can’t be forgotten.”
“Call me Bucky, lyubimaya. And I don’t want to let you go, or forget you. Stay here with me. Leave those narrow-minded idiots you work for. I would treat you with the respect you deserve. And you wouldn’t just be on my arm and in my bed, you would be by my side. You have useful skills that shouldn’t be wasted.”
Your eyes snapped back open and looked at him in surprise and confusion. “What do you mean?”
Barnes - Bucky - ran the knuckles of his left hand down your cheek, the coldness of his rings a balm to your heated flesh. Tattoos peeked out from under his sleeve, twisting and winding down his skin, and onto his fingers. Vines and flowers and thorns. Letters of the Cyrillic alphabet.
“You think that I would bring you here, to the seat of my power if I didn’t already know every… little… thing… about you? I know what your role was before you started this ill-advised op. I know where you lived. I know what cereal you like for breakfast and what your regular coffee order is. You’re always flitting too and fro, concentrating on work. Busy as a bee.”
You weren’t sure why you weren’t shocked, but you asked him all the same. “There’s a mole inside my unit?”
“Of course, Pchelka. There’s always a mole. Always someone who is more than willing to trade loyalty for power and money, or someone who is so desperate that they can be easily persuaded. Desperate people do desperate things, and tell themselves they aren’t really the bad ones, it’s just their circumstances.”
Both his hands had now settled on your waist, the size of them making you feel smaller than you often thought of yourself. Bucky himself was still on his knees, between your bound, spread legs, his torso virtually pressed against your inner thighs. You absently noticed that the knife you’d placed in a thigh holder was missing. No doubt Bucky or his men had found it almost straight away once you’d been rendered unconscious. You hoped it had been the man in front of you - the idea of being touched in such an intimate place by someone other than him was abhorrent. A part of you wondered why you didn’t think that him touching you was also horrifying.
“And which one do you think I am? Disloyal or desperate?” You arched your brow, trying to ignore the way his fingers were branding you through the satin of your dress.
“You, milyy, are a secret third thing. You are an intelligent woman, who makes decisions based on all the information available. It’s not disloyalty if you’ve been betrayed first. It’s also not desperation that would make you join me if I have no pressure point - no sick aunt, no cousin in debt to a loan shark, that sort of thing. If you joined me it would be because you wanted to. Because you saw the merits of such an action.”
You had to admit, his offer was tempting. You hated your job and you hated your co-workers. It was still a ‘boy’s club’ and all the inclusion and diversity training in the world couldn’t counteract the toxic masculinity that the job attracted. You hated that, despite putting up with this job for so many years, you were still living in a crappy apartment with too long a commute to work.. You hated that, despite the fact you never even got around to taking your PTO, you also weren’t making any decent deposits into your savings account. Okay, you weren’t quite living paycheck to paycheck, but you were by no means where you thought you’d be by now.
The long hours also meant little time to socialise, and the friends you’d once had, had all dropped away one by one as you’d cancelled one social engagement after another. This also meant that your love life was, as the song goes, DOA, and after a while, all the toys in the world failed to satisfy. Which also meant that the feeling of soft, expensive wool, encasing a warm, hard body, rubbing against your inner thighs was upsetting your equilibrium quite a bit.
Then, as if he knew exactly what he was doing to you, his face dipped closer again, his breath, tinged with whisky, fanning over you.
“Imagine how it would feel, Pchelka. The power. The pleasure. You’d want for nothing. Every need would be met. Every whim indulged.”
It was your turn to shiver and as your eyes fluttered closed again you heard him chuckle.
“You want it, don’t you. You want me and everything I can give you. It’s okay to want those things. I want things as well. I want you, lyubimyy. I’ve waited a long time for a Queen.”
“You don’t know me…” Your denial was whispered, and even you didn’t believe what you’d said.
“But I do. I know exactly what you need...”
His lips captured yours once more, but this time you didn’t even pretend not to respond. You drank him in as though he would quench your thirst and you only remembered your bonds again when your body strained against them. Your knees managed to dig into his waist though, and you felt him smile against your lips.
His hands slid from your waist, to one wrist and then the other, freeing them. You threw your arms around his neck, not even trying to get away. In any case, your ankles were still bound.
Your fingers brushed over the short hair on the sides and back of his head, the strands prickling your skin. His own hands were now cupping your face as he continued to kiss you, and you knew what was going to happen. You were falling under his spell.
Chapter 2
Tag list: @jobean12-blog @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky @tuiccim @sidepartskinnyjeans @flordeamatista @bodeckersdiamonddoll @goldylions @luxeavenger @wheezy-stucky @doasyoudesireandlive @chemtrails-club @seitmai @peaches1958 @pono-pura-vida @writing-for-marvel
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8 • Savoury Encounters | YLGSE
Pairing: Mob Boss Bucky x Baker Reader
Summary: Getting your mind off the Mob Boss proves harder than it looks, a welcomed distraction comes from a new staff member downloading Tinder but will the date go well?
Word Count: 6.5k
Warnings: Swearing, NSFW, love bombing, betrayal, swearing, slightly horny thoughts, Mob Boss Bucky, Mob Business, stalking,
A/N: Thank you all for reading, I am never going to get over Seb’s look for the Sharper premier, it was everything I never knew I needed so I had to use the picture!!
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After the late-night kitchen rendezvous you needed to get your mind off the mobster, anything to help stop yourself over analysing why you had been incredibly turned from your last encounter & why you kissed him back whenever his lips had touched yours, you weren’t willing to give him a pass on his behaviour, but your lips really couldn’t deny that you wanted him.
A welcomed distraction came in the form of MJ, Peter’s wonderfully obtuse girlfriend who needed a job & just like her boyfriend she was way too smart to be working for you, however you snapped up her offer of assistance like it was gold dust. The sheer relief in having two such capable staff members meant you could actually leave the bakery during day light hours, finally return home at the end of the day & attempt to sort out your life somewhat.
Having Peter around really didn’t help your attempts to build you walls back up when it came to Bucky, especially with him constantly talking about the mobster paying for his tuition & what a good guy he was for doing it, thankfully MJ having been caught up with everything that happened between you would steer his enthusiasm back to less touchy subjects for you.
You appreciated her unwavering stance that you could do better, most evenings she opted to stay after Peter had done the deliveries to sit with you as you prepped for the following day, helping when needed & meddling in your love life when not. Tinder had been downloaded to your phone after three days of her working in the bakery, she’d sit & swipe, let you dictate messages & ignore others on your behalf as though she was your dating fairy god mother.
Bucky wisely kept himself scarce, as requested the gifts stopped, a polaroid of the Mobster handing over a big novelty cheque to the children’s hospital arrived, you couldn’t help the smile taking over your face & perhaps keeping it on your desk probably wasn’t the best idea but he looked so grumpy & ridiculous in equal measures. Of course the flowers kept arriving, those were non-negotiable, but you didn’t much mind, it kept the bakery nicely topped up & your living space full of the joys of spring even if you didn’t quite feel it.
With business running smoothly you finally had time to focus on the absolute state of yourself, you decided to have an afternoon away from the bakery to indulge in a well needed manicure & haircut, annoyingly when it came to pay, Bucky had somehow already taken care of it, you wondered if you should you text him to say thank you? Another welcomed distraction to keep you from reaching for your phone was the Pilates class you had booked in an attempt to fix all the tension & knots in your muscles from the last few weeks of stress.
When you arrived at the studio the session was completely empty, there was just you & Sage your instructor which suited you just fine, she was expensive but the best, a one on one lesson felt like an absolute treat & she graciously tailored the workout to your ailments seen as though it was just the two of you.
After about 10 minutes of adjustments & stretches you heard the door to the studio open, you were concentrating on your manoeuvre with your leg high in the air supported by the stirrup, in warriors pause with your face angled down holding your core tight to stop you slipping.
The sight of two large feet appeared in your peripheral vision, they almost looked comical in the Pilates socks with the toes all separated wiggling under your gaze, you didn’t mind sharing the session of course, but they were standing far too closely for your liking, you kept your head down minding your business until the familiar scent hit you, it was unmistakable; spice, woods, peat, James.
‘Bunny.’
Maybe if you didn’t acknowledge him he wouldn’t actually be there? It wasn’t a good plan, but it was all you had, you weren’t so lucky of course & you felt his finger hook under your chin lifting it up to face him, there the pools of ocean were, staring at you hungrily, the crystal blue eyes you had missed … not missed, nothing’d … you nothing’d him.
Despite the socks, the sight before you was frustratingly hot, his usual suit was replaced with a black skin tight muscle tee, giving you the perfect view of his tattoo’d arm & firm abs, the basketball shorts however, were far too loose for your liking, surely Pilates should have a lycra only policy, for safety reasons?
‘Kind of concentrating here James.’ You voice strained as you worked to hold the machine steady, one slip & you’d fall flat on your face.
‘Can see that Sugar, just wanted to see those beautiful eyes.’
Sage came to your rescue slapping his arm away from you & ordering him to his area, you shot him a warning look, so that he would behave around the instructor, the last thing you wanted was to be banned from the only exercise you could stand. He positioned himself on his own apparatus, of course he was a natural & needed very few adjustments compared to you & of course he stared constantly at you making no subtleties about adjusting himself in his shorts when you happened to glance over, chuckling to himself as you rolled your eyes.
Coming to the end of your session you could almost forget who was next to you, once you had managed to block out his very audible grunting, did it turn you into a feral mess? Yes. Would you let it bother you? Also yes, but it wasn’t going to make you crumble, until he started to talk to you.
‘How’ve you been sweetheart.’
‘Fine.’
He chuckled at your very sharp response, he didn’t miss the subtle clenches & the imperceptible gulps after every groan he let out, you were flustered & he was going to make sure to capitalise on it, ‘Heard you finally have another pair of hands.’
‘I do.’
‘Working out for ya?’
‘Yep.’
‘Your hair looks nice.’
Your head shot to the side to glare at him angrily, he surrendered his hands, ‘Just sayin’, glad you’re taking care of yourself.’
‘Would have got a colour if I knew you were paying.’
‘Go back Sugar I’ll make sure there’s an appointment free.’
You cursed yourself for the corner of your mouth betraying you by almost smiling, he just looked so enthused & eager to please. Doubling down you stopped what you were doing folding your arms in somewhat of a huff ‘What you doing here Bucky?’
‘Working out, been in a few scuffles lately, really thrown out my balance.’
You rolled your eyes at his excuse, ‘& conveniently we so happen to be in the same place at the same time, all alone too;’
‘I hadn’t noticed.’
‘Sure you didn’t.’
‘What can I say, when you’re in the room all I can focus on is you.’
Damn he’s smooth.
‘Shame the same can’t be said for when I’m not in the room, hmm?’
The cockiness faltered on his face at your dig, then a little smirk right in the corner of his mouth appeared, he loved you challenging him & that you weren’t afraid to stand up to him. Dismounting his apparatus, he wiped down his glistening face, then approached crouching down in front of you, clutching your face as was customary when he was within touching distance.
‘I can’t begin to convey how sorry I am for that Bunny, I know I can’t take it back, but I can certainly show you that it will never happen again.’ The sincerity in his eyes captivated yours & his tongue darting out to wet his lips thoroughly had you in a trance. He stood you up & wrapped his arms around you in a tight firm hug, it felt incredibly comforting after a few weeks of feeling so unsettled, despite him being the one that caused it all a win was a win & a hug was a hug & he was so good at them.
It felt incredible to have you in his arms again, he was trying to be patient & give you space but the thought of you in your Pilates outfit, bending over, stretching was too tempting to pass up so he booked all the slots in your session that were free, then got Clint to pay off the others so he’d have you all to himself & now you were here, in his arms. He could easily take another step & kiss you, but he didn’t want to push his luck & told himself you would make the move when you wanted it, it wasn’t fair on you to get so serious so quickly.
Instead he kissed your temple softly & with a ‘I’ll see you soon Bunny’ slipped out the studio.
Discombobulated, that’s what he made you, from afar you could keep your composure, but up close you melted & then cursed yourself for it, why did he have to smell so good, why did he have to look so perfect all the time & why did he look even hotter with cuts & bruises?
All you were doing was getting him out your system, a simple dinner date with a Tinder match you had been talking with, or more accurately MJ had been talking with so there was no need to be nervous. Micky, … no Mike sounded & looked nice enough, but you just weren’t feeling it, cursing yourself for being hung up on someone who you shouldn’t be, you needed a pallet cleanse because said some set your body on fire whenever you thought about him, surely that would stop eventually, right?
You waited outside the restaurant for him to show up, your dress was cute, not too slutty not too boring, the perfect first date outfit you had picked out the day before, an outfit that Bucky somehow paid for. You didn’t quite know how he managed to orchestrate paying for literally anything you had to buy since the ménage à trois on his lap in the club, it was slightly impressing you at this point that whenever you went to check out you would be told the item had been paid for courtesy of Mr Barnes, groceries, coffees, tampons all bought & paid for by James.
You felt guilty he was buying your outfit for a date & even more guilty for wearing the emerald necklace but damn it, it went with everything & you know what fuck him, it serves him right. Your feelings towards him were a rollercoaster most of the time & you were beginning to own it, if he wanted to waste his money on you, so be it.
A subtle cough brought you out of your internal debating about the Mob Boss & you were met with your date stood in front of you, he was handsome enough, shorter than his profile let on & shorter than you would usually go for, but he had a kind smile & generally nice presence about him.
‘Wow, you are a knock out, they’ll be asking me how much I’m paying for ya.’
Your eyes went wide at the insinuation.
‘…. Not that you look like a hooker, just you are way outta my league.’
He was practically red as a tomato as he continued spluttering out words, you’d stop him, but you were speechless & not in a good way.
‘… not that there’s anything wrong with hookers, you just aren’t one … that I know of.’
You giggled, more so out of awkward pity than because it was funny, MJ was getting a text at the first possible second you could send it & if it got any worse you’d hit code red for Wanda to ring you with an emergency.
‘Relax, it’s fine, I knew what you meant.’ You gestured to the door, ‘shall we?’
He powered ahead letting himself through the door & barely kept it open for you as he walked into the restaurant, by no means were you old fashioned & expected men to open doors for you or even a staunch feminist who insisted on opening them yourself, but if you’re on a date you thought you should at least make sure you keep it open, otherwise it’s just rude. You brain was fighting the urge to compare & contrast him to Bucky, a man who literally sulked when you opened a door for yourself once before he had chance to hop out of the car & do it for you.
Still, you gave him the benefit of the doubt, maybe he was nervous & didn’t realise you nearly face planted the glass, the restaurant was a quaint Italian family run business, they were always your favourite type of places with the best kind of food, so you loved the suggestion & of course looked ahead on the menu to decide on what you were having. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the memo & when the waitress came to get your drink orders he swooped in & decided you were both having the set menu with water.
Your shoulders slumped & you knew this would be a long night, how the hell could MJ think you would be compatible with the guy who ordered the set menu? You’d happily pay the bill if it meant you got the garlic rosemary ravioli & a nice glass of wine, maybe you should have offered before he opened his stupid mouth.
Bucky had been sat watching the entire night, from the awkward meeting outside where he was sure he called you a hooker to the absolute cheap skate option inside, you were lowering your standards for him so he was on the brink of threatening to break the guy’s fingers to make him reach into his dust filled wallet & treat you how you should be treated. Instead, he took the high road, telling the waitress on her way to the kitchen to ignore what the chump ordered for you, he was self-aware enough to acknowledge that he was doing the exact same as your date by ordering your food for you, but after countless conversations he knew you would skip the starter, pick the ravioli & have two deserts plus a crisp white wine to compliment the main.
He settled the bill with a generous tip adding a full bottle of wine extra for top ups, you look like you would need it with Mark, the accountant who made less than you, played squash every Tuesday & masturbated to missionary porn once a week. Peter had run a background check on him despite trying to protest that you’d be mad at him, all that came up was a parking ticket when he was 19, the only thing he was guilty of was having the audacity to message you, he was far too tame & vanilla for you, you needed fire.
You were already bored with the very dull conversation on offer when the waitress approached, she practically slammed a glass of water by him & then your eyes lit up as a very full glass of wine was placed gently in front of you.
Your date almost looked incensed at the mistake like it was the end of the world if you had a glass of wine, ‘She didn’t order this, we’re not paying for it.’
You scoffed at the we’re, if we’re paying for it, you better believe I’m going to be drinking it pal.
The waitresses very sour expression towards him turned almost gleeful as she said ‘I believe the bill has already been settled.’
Your blood ran somewhat cold, not chilly enough to forgo tasting the drink sat in front of you of course, but your eyes darted around the restaurant over the glass as subtly as possible until they landed on a pair of azure ones staring at you, their owner looking mightily pissed off. Your face muscles were working overtime to stifle your smile as you enjoyed the crisp fresh cold delight you had been served, you didn’t know why he was there, or how he knew you were there, but you were going to find out, was it weird you were looking forward to shouting at him?
The waitress added with a smirk, ‘Your meal has been changed to the à la carte menu.’
Mike looked angrier & angrier at you, like you had secretly switched his choices to the expensive ones, ‘Why, what is going on, who the hell switched it?’
You took a big swig of the liquid in your glass for a bit of courage before dabbing the corners of your mouth with your napkin & getting up from the table, ‘Excuse me for a second will you, just need to wash my hands before we eat.’
Walking towards the bathroom you knew you would pick up a shadow on the way, were you even mad? You didn’t know the honest answer, the dullness of the date certainly had taken an interesting turn & there might have been a sight thrill running through your veins at the prospect of another encounter with the Mob Boss but on the other hand him showing up everywhere was entering stalker territory & that needed to stop.
You didn’t even have time to berate him before he pinned you against the wall, ‘Him? Really Bunny?’
‘Don’t fucking start Bucky, what the fuck are you doing here?’
‘Making sure you’re being treated properly; you wanted the ravioli right?’
He looked so smug as he leaned in, practically connecting your mouths as you were pressed into the wall & that magnetism you felt pulled you to the brink of just surrendering to it, you wanted him to just take you at this point, you could feel your whole-body pulsing from the anticipation. The waitress stood watching & you didn’t even care, he could have fucked you against the wall & you’d let her watch if it meant you could have him at that very second. What was wrong with you?
You nodded, noses brushing & despite you trying your best to not encourage his crazy behaviour you threw him a bone, ‘thank you for the food & the wine.’
‘Will always take care of you sweetheart, I’m letting you have your space Bunny & letting you have your fun but know that I’m not happy about this. I think you enjoy torturing me, I told you you’re mine.’ He closed the gap & finally connected your lips in a heated exchange, you should have pushed him away, you should have stopped yourself moaning into his mouth & clutching his face in your hands, but you didn’t, you allowed him to take over until you finally pulled away.
‘Crashing my date isn’t giving me space.’ You gestured to the table raising your brow ‘& you call that fun?’ You slipped out of his grasp & walked back to your date without so much of a glance back in his direction knowing he wouldn’t be far behind.
There was no way in hell Bucky would let you have the last word after that scorching kiss, that pathetic cheap skate you were with needed to know you were off limits so he was hot on your tail weaving through the restaurant, the satisfaction of seeing Miles’ face freeze in fear was more satisfying than it would be killing him.
With not so much of an invite he pulled out a chair & sat down next to you at the table, ‘Enjoying yourselves?’
Glancing towards him you gritted your teeth, yeah, the date was boring & you’d never see him again, but you didn’t want him getting himself killed for saying the wrong thing, ‘Bucky, be nice.’
‘Why? Wasn’t behaving back there was I Bunny?’
You swiftly elbowed him in his side.
‘Who’s Bunny?’
Bucky clenched his jaw that the imbecile dared speak in his presence, ‘The stunning woman you somehow think you’re good enough to go with on a date with, doesn’t she look beautiful tonight? Forgot to tell you earlier Sugar, the dress, the hair, the necklace, exquisite.’
‘Ye-yes she does, still don’t understand the Bunny.’
As monotone & menacing as possible he spat out, ‘Her bakery is called Honey Bunny’s Bakery.’
‘I – I didn’t know.’ You closed your eyes at that admission, you’re on your own Miles, told you about 3 times.
‘You didn’t know it was called that or you didn’t know she had a bakery.’ It suddenly felt like an interrogation, you wondered what was wrong with you for being so attracted to his absolute dominance over another man.
‘th … the second one.’
He fully turned to you, ‘Jesus, I’ll say it again, him really?’
You were trying not to smile at the incredulous expression on his face or the inflection in his voice, ‘Enough James, leave us to our date & I will see you soon.’
‘Music to my ears gorgeous.’ He leaned down pressing a kiss on the top of your head & you couldn’t take your eyes off him as he left with a panty dropping wink.
You turned back to Mike, the awkwardness even more awkward than ever, silence hung over you both before you spoke up, ‘Sorry about that, just ignore him’
‘Spend a lot of time with Mob Bosses?’
‘I aim not to, he can’t take no for an answer.’
‘Clearly. How do you know him?’
You sighed, you came on this date to try & distract yourself yet somehow were now being questioned about him, ‘It’s a long story.’
The waitress was back handing him the pate starter, you shuddered at the thought of eating it, thanking the food gods for Bucky switching your order.
He suddenly looked smug & it didn’t suit his face at all, ‘Didn’t even bother to get you a starter.’
You nodded, ‘mm-huh, he knows I wouldn’t want one.’ You resisted crossing your arms in an annoyed huff for thinking Bucky didn’t know you well enough to order you one, why were you so defensive about him all of a sudden?
‘So he knows you well?’
You shrugged, yes, ‘No, not that well, he just pays attention.’
‘Well you’re missing out this is incredible.’
You didn’t do a good job of hiding the disgust on your face at him calling meat paste incredible, as he crunched it through his teeth on the French toast, each to their own but really? MJ was officially fired as your dating fairy godmother.
The rest of the date was as dull as dishwater, he was just so bland & you noticed the judgemental eyes when the two desserts landed on the table that Bucky had ordered & you subsequently devoured. You felt like slapping him across the face with the fact that you own a bakery, you make desserts for a living so of course you like to try as many as possible for inspiration & you didn’t need him assessing your figure like he was calculating some kind of equation about cakes eaten to the power of body weight divided by age in which she’ll let herself go, ugh.
Standing on the sidewalk in the brisk air you were planning your getaway, ‘Thanks for a nice night’
‘Hmm yeah. Look. I’ve been thinking it over & I think it’s best if we leave it here.’
You weren’t at all bothered at the thought it never seeing his boring ass again but pretty pissed that you didn’t get to tell him that first.
He must have thought you were struggling to comprehend it as you seethed internally, ‘Yeah I mean I don’t want to end up missing a finger or be found in the Hudson. Your Bucky Barnes’ girl.’
‘I am not his girl. Don’t listen to him’ why were you sounding like you were desperate & wanted another date, you absolutely didn’t but didn’t want him to have the final say, you wanted to be the dumper not the dumpee.
‘Who gave you the necklace?’
You rolled your eyes, ‘Him. Why does that matter?’
‘Look you’re nice & all but just not work the risk, maybe if you were a bit more interesting you would be, but you aren’t.’
He practically ran away down the street, You. We’re. Pissed & needed to shout at someone, there was only one person on your radar that very moment.
You flew in his office, not bothering to knock or to be welcomed in, there was a drink poured waiting for you & you were on the brink of throwing it at him, instead you downed it, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand as you gasped & grimaced from the taste.
He stood in his all-black outfit, the turtleneck with the tailored suit was a lethal combination, without the trench coat he had on earlier you could see the shape of his physique better & with his beard growing out wonderfully he looked the sexiest you’d seen him. You suddenly regretted coming, being alone in his office wasn’t the best idea especially when just the sight of him made you want to get down on your knees.
You powered through those thoughts, ‘This is my actual life, not some fucking movie James, you need to accept that I said no & stop whatever it is that you’re doing. The paying for everything, showing up everywhere, threatening my dates, it’s got to stop.’
‘No.’
‘It’s not a question. We’re not children James, you can’t just pull my pigtails for attention & expect me to come running.’
He reached out to pull you closer, ‘You into that sort of thing Sugar, I can tug on your hair til you’re screaming.’
‘Don’t.’ You managed to keep him at bay, arm’s length, arm’s length, arm’s length.
‘Come on Bun, give me a break, I see someone with my girl I’m not going to sit & do nothing especially when he’s not treating her right, did he call you a hooker?’
‘Firstly, I’m not your girl, so don’t even go there, & the hooker thing was because he was nervous & insinuated people would think he paid for me, that wasn’t even the worst bit.’
‘What did he do?’
‘Said I wasn’t interesting enough to take the risk of being with me, like I’d waste my time on him.’
‘I’ll fucking kill him.’
‘No, you won’t. If you hadn’t have turned up, I wouldn’t have gone on another date with him, he wasn’t good enough for me.’
‘Well, we can all agree on one thing, don’t pretend you didn’t like me happening to be there, switching your food & our kiss.’
‘So, you just happen to be there? hmm why were you even there & the truth, you couldn’t have seen him call me a hooker from inside the restaurant.’
‘Ok, don’t get mad, I’ve been having a couple of my men keep tabs on you, just so I know you’re safe.’
You stepped further back from him, mind in overdrive trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle that had been bugging you all week, it suddenly all made sense, ‘That’s how you kept paying for my appointments & clothes.’
‘Gotta say Bunny it took a lot not to lose it knowing I was paying for a dress for a date with another man, in fact, take it off so I can throw it in the fire, you’re not wearing that again.’
‘Don’t you even dare try & say something like that to me, did I ask you to buy it for me? Jesus what is wrong with you? One day you’re nice & normal & then the next a stalking possessive weirdo.’
‘It’s not stalking if I don’t do it personally Bunny.’
‘Of course it is you idiot, you’re telling me you’ve never stopped by & watched me at work?’
He stepped closer, eyes darkening as he yet again pulled you into him, brushing your hair behind your ear, leaning in, ‘Of course I have.’
‘See stalker.’
‘Oof you’re smart, just making sure you’re safe, can’t sleep if I don’t know you’re safe, you really shouldn’t take the subway, let me get you a driver.’
You shook your head again fighting yourself not to smile, ‘How can you say such nice things & at the same time be so widely inappropriate.’
‘You drive me crazy Sugar.’
‘Ditto.’
Your mouths found each other, frantically devouring one another like they were your last moments on earth, hands roaming around, feeling like he was too close yet not close enough, you needed to leave before you gave in completely.
His face looked pained when you pulled away, chasing your lips with his to taste you that second longer but you managed to evade them shaking your head & returning to your senses. ‘I should go.’
It felt like déjà vu seeing MJ bright eyed & bushy tailed waiting outside the bakery to hear the gossip from your date & as much as you were trying not to, you were missing Yelena. MJ & Peter were a literal god send & incredibly fun to work with, their dynamic complimented yours completely but sometimes, you needed someone to boss you into doing tasks you were avoiding or someone to tell you to get a grip.
‘So, how’d it go?’
You crouched down to unhook the roller shutters, straining as you wiggled the latch whilst explaining your catastrophically disastrous evening to the person somewhat responsible, ‘Let’s see, he insinuated I was a hooker, ordered the set menu & water for me, Bucky showed up & reordered my meal but there was wine that time, he both annoyed & impressed me that he got it spot on, so that bit was fine I guess, then when I went to shout at him, he pinned me against a wall, kissed me, paid for the meal, then made it clear to Miles ..’
‘Mike.’
‘Yeah Mike, that I was his so stay away & then the guy, who was the worst by the way proceeded to tell me I wasn’t worth the hassle then ran away. Literally took off down the street as fast as his shorter than advertised legs could carry him.’
She grimaced as you finished off rattling off the disastrous evening, ‘Jesus.’
‘Yeah, then I stormed into the Mob Boss’ office, shouted at him, he told me he stalks me in not so many words, we kissed again, I left & here I am.’
Just as you finished your rant you opened the door to the bakery, squinting in the darkness you could see something wasn’t right, your foot hit something not quite solid not quite soft, blindly feeling for the panel you turned on the switch & illuminated the bakery.
The entire floor was covered in bouquets of flowers, on every single surface there was a floral display of some sort, every type of flower available to man upon your initial assessment, somehow amongst the chaos you could tell there was a disproportionate amount of your favourite flowers compared to the rest.
‘I don’t think we need to guess as to who did this?’
You laughed, ‘Clearly Mikey’
‘Mike.’
‘Yeah him. Jesus, definitely not Bucky.’
‘Now seems like a good time to see if you can get him to pay for my tuition too, the man has got it bad.’
‘I’ll see what I can do.’ You laughed trying to wrap your mind around what you were looking at & how you could deal with it. ‘What the fuck, what the fuck are we meant to do with all of these flowers? There’s barely any room to move.’
MJ stood working out a path she could take to the counter knowing turning the coffee machine & making you one was the priority while you got your plan sorted in your head, ‘You don’t seem very mad, I can see your smile trying to escape, don’t pretend it isn’t.’
‘It’s not from happiness, I am freaking out right now.’
‘How did he even get in?’
‘Peter?’
‘No, he tries not to tell him anything when he rings everyday to check on you.’ MJ slapped her hand across her mouth like it was some sort of secret, of course he did. You had thought maybe Peter was the one telling him where you were going all the time, so that he could ring ahead & pay but after the conversation the previous night you knew differently, maybe they were still watching.
‘I guessed he was a mole the second he turned up the day after Bucky had his lap dance.’
‘What we gonna do with all these? there’s no room for customers.’
You stood tapping your head, as though a plan would formulate by magic, ‘Ok first things first, we run a promotion free flowers with every coffee if people want them, I’ll update the sign outside. Ring Peter, he can deliver some to the hospital & to the old folks place who order from us a lot, we’ll keep a few in here but the majority can go outside the front for people to take & then I’ll take a few for upstairs.’
‘On it boss,’ her phone was at her ear instantaneously as you slowly tried to create a path to any areas you needed.’ When you managed to gain entrance to your office the biggest bouquet sat on your desk with yet again another note & black velvet box.’
‘Bunny, I didn’t mean to upset you by, in my own way trying to keep you safe & taken care of. It’s not my intention to stalk you or make you uncomfortable, I know you don’t want me to come by & visit so it’s my way of making sure you’re ok & to spend that minute of time I wish I could with you, it’s my little moment of peace in the day when I get to look at your beautiful face. Every single petal on every single flower can’t even represent how sorry I am. I will make sure you are always safe, but I will try my best to not cross anymore boundaries when doing so. Please accept these earrings to go with your necklace, don’t think I’ve not noticed that you wear it every day & that very thought keeps my heart beating.’
You wondered how a man could be so entirely sweet one minute & then wildly inappropriate the next, like there was some dark entity within him that came out at night or whenever you challenged him, yes it was hot, but it gave you whiplash most of the time. He was just so intense & it was addictive because you should have been overwhelmed by it all & want to run the other way, but you could feel a part of you fighting out all reasoning & logic to just go with it.
You shook it off, he may be breaching some walls you’d erected but you couldn’t help being pissed off at the extra work of clearing up the shop would take, plus prayed that none of your customers had a pollen allergy, they’d go into anaphylactic shock the second they walked through the front door.
A hectic morning later you finally had some respite, your customers thankfully lapped up the freebies on offer with their orders, you saw fresh faces once word had spread & the number of bouquets had reduced drastically. You slipped out once it had quietened down & plucked a particular bunch off the side, you didn’t visit his grave often, you were surrounded by him everyday enough, talking to him when it got that bit too quiet at night but if ever there were a good excuse it was today.
Of course, Bucky had already been, or whoever flower bombed your existence on his behalf, there on your father’s headstone sat a huge bunch of sunflowers, you were quickly learning that you really couldn’t escape the Mob Boss but is a man who goes to such lengths to prove himself someone you should be escaping?
The smile on your face was the first time you probably had ever felt an ounce of happiness stood there, of course you wish your dad was around to tell you to get a grip of yourself & that he wasn’t good enough for you, but he’d say that of anyone. You found a headstone that looked a little neglected & took the time to remove some of the old flowers & moss that had grown setting down the surplus bunch in your hands, taking a little moment to look over the name & details of who you were giving the flowers to before you headed back to the bakery.
Bucky had stopped by to hopefully drop in when it was a little quieter, he loved that you changed your sign & gave away most of the flowers, everyone said it was a bad idea, but he didn’t care, he knew it would brighten your day a little at least. Somewhat expectedly you nipped out to the graveyard not far from your business, he may have spent a moment with your dad when he lay out the flowers, promising to look after you, to be better & the man you deserved. The smile on your face when you saw them made him almost get out & cash in on the good will but sitting in his car, he realised he didn’t need to, knowing you appreciated the gesture & paid it forward for someone else’s absent loved ones was enough. Before you could spot him, he started his engine & drove away, having been completely micro focused on every expression on your face, your body language & his general fixation on you he was oblivious to the two men in an unmarked car watching him, watching you.
They had seen the day unfold having heard from some sources that the King of Brooklyn had found his Queen, the abundance of flowers & him showing up confirmed the rumours, now all they needed to do was be patient & wait.
Your day was finally coming to a close, you had sent MJ & Peter on a delivery run, the odd customer was floating about & you were fine cleaning around them hoping they’d get the hint that you were closing soon, as you were taking stock of supplies underneath the counter you heard the bell ring, you popped your head up to tell whoever it was that you were closing, but you noticed the empty bakery save for the two gentlemen in pinstripe suits making their way over to you.
A/N
Thank you for reading!! Let me know what you think will happen!!
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