(TW: Sex Work)

It wasn't the first time he had been forced to listen to his best friend in the other room with a woman. It was one of those "unwritten perks" that nobody ever mentioned in school when he went through years of guardian training. He did his best to ignore the sounds of grunting and moaning that was almost all too clear on the other side of the of the wall. He tried to immerse himself in his book, imagining the pictures those words were designed to bring to mind but they were replaced by dark hair and almond skin, eyes the color of chocolate with gold flecks that could be seen even in the low light of the club. She had been wearing a short leather skirt and a red top, the scars on her neck showing almost proudly where they were layered one on top of another after years of service.

Those clothes were certainly scattered across Ivan's floor now, though. He didn't want to imagine what was hidden beneath them, especially since she was out of his hands and in those of his charge and friend. It was impossible with how her cries were now rising in pitch and frequency to the point where Dimitri couldn't focus on anything else. While sheer will could keep him from acting on what his body desperately wanted him to do, he shamefully couldn't deny that parts of him had responded to her desperate pleads just moments before.

He wiped his face, brushing the guilt and sweat from his brow as the suite finally started to quiet and he could begin to read once more in peace. Perhaps he expected her to stay longer than ten minutes after their tryst but as the door opened, with her fully dressed and a bandage pressed gently to her neck, she gave him a tight smile.

"He's asleep. Passed out pretty quickly." Her previously uncomfortable smile morphed into almost a smirk, like some private joke that she held within herself. "Figured he didn't need me anymore so I'd head home. It's starting to rain."

His head turned sharply towards the window where the sound of water was beating a loud and steady rhythm against the glass. It wasn't even a light drizzle at this point, but a full on downpour. The fact that he had been so distracted by Ivan and his conquest to notice something as simple as the weather was beyond unprofessional. It was practically irresponsible.

"Can I call you a cab?"

"I'll walk."

She had to be kidding, and when he told her so, she just scoffed at him.

"Honestly, I'll be fine." She fingered the cash in her purse, frowning slightly. He didn't dare ask what was wrong. "I know you guardian types are over protective and whatnot, but I can take care of myself. I nearly completed my own training. I'll be okay."

"It's the middle of the night and it's pouring. Please, for my peace of mind if nothing else, let me call a cab."

"Fine, but you're paying."

"Whatever it takes."

He caught her scowl as he looked up a local number for a cab company, but he still smirked, satisfied that he had won their little battle. They answered quickly but denied the request almost as fast.

"What do you mean no?"

Her brows furrowed with worry at his tone as the conversation finished.

"The roads are flooded. Apparently, the river has already taken out part of the bridge and there are warnings to stay inside."

"It hasn't even been that long since..."

"I know, apparently the storm hit quickly."

As if to emphasize his point, a flash of lightning flooded the room with light and the booming sound of thunder followed a moment later. She sank down into the chair, her face falling into her hands. Her subsequent curses made him start to wonder if cash was so tight that paying for a cab, much less a hotel room for the night, was out of reach. What would she have to do to make up the cost of something like that?

He knew the answer was snoring just 15 feet away in the other side of the door.

"Hey, we have some space here, you can take the extra bed if you'd like."

She peeked at him through her fingers, the red paint slightly chipped at the edges. "Huh?"

"You're welcomed to the extra bed. You can stay here. If you want to, that is."

"Where will you sleep?"

"I'm mostly on duty all night. I'll get some sleep in when the sun rises but as long as there is a threat of attack, I need to be on guard."

She looked at him with a bit of skepticism. "I don't think there's been an attack in this city since I moved here. I'm sure you'll be okay."

"I can't take that chance. Seriously, you can take the bed, it's no problem."

She didn't appear comfortable sleeping with a practical stranger sitting in the other room though, so she readjusted herself on the other side of the couch instead. "No, I'm fine. I'll just wait here if that's okay. How long have you been a guardian?"

His book hit the coffee table with a small thud before he crossed his arms and fixed her with a stare that didn't bother to hide his annoyance. It would be significantly easier to ignore her if she was sleeping in the other guest room. "I'm twenty-seven so just about ten years now. How long have you..." he hesitated, trying not to let his eyes move to the scars on her neck or the most recent wound that Ivan had left. "...lived here."

"Almost four years. I was about to start my senior year when I was kicked out of school. No family, no friends, no place to go. I tried to make a decent living doing something legitimate but you only have so many options at seventeen, you know? Especially when you aren't given all the proper paperwork."

He cursed under his breath and when she questioned the language barrier, he brushed it off. The alchemists hadn't even bothered to set her up with a GED or anything. Hell, she may not even be on their radar for all he knew. Wouldn't be the first time a so-called blood whore fell through the cracks and those in authority insisted that they couldn't do anything about it.

"Are you doing okay then? Eating? Have a place to say and all that?"

She looked practically offended at his sudden interest. "Yeah, I can take care of myself, Comrade. Thanks for the concern."

"I was just asking. Believe or not, there are good people in the world. Not everyone is out for themselves."

"Is that why you haven't even bothered to ask my name?"

Ivan had moaned out two names repeatedly, and assuming she didn't go by "oh, baby" he could only assume that her name was Rose. It almost seemed too feminine and gentle for her, until you remembered that a Rose was known for its thorns as much as it's velvet petals.

"Rose, right?"

My guess earned me a small, pleased smile and a handshake. "Rose Hathaway."

"Wait, as in..."

"Yeah. I'm related to her. She's my mother."

He could feel his jaw dropping but he didn't know if he was impressed or sympathetic to the weight of that reputation. Either way, he was speechless. He knew better than anyone that parentage didn't necessarily mean much but the Hathaway name had a pretty long line of amazing guardians behind it. Apparently, it was ending with the woman in front of him.

"Yep," the leather creaked as she leaned back, slipping her hands behind her head and kicking off those uncomfortable looking heels, "one of the greatest guardians of this generation...and I'm her biggest disappointment."

"Oh, I'm sure she doesn't think that."

"No, she made that pretty clear. Told me face-to-face, even. Actually, it was one of the few times we ever spoke in person, so at least there's that."

Was there even a reply to that? There definitely wasn't a proper reply to what she said next.

"You know this isn't a two-for-one deal. Ivan paid for me, not you. I do have guardian discounts if you're interested though."

"Oh! No!" She scowled at his immediate and horrified reaction. "I mean...no, thank you. I appreciate it but I'm not like that."

"Like what? You don't have needs?"

"No. Well, yes, but I don't tend to use the same..." he glanced at the door where Ivan was still sleeping, "services that my charge enjoys on occasion. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer to have some connection with a girl before we get together."

"And when was the last time that happened?"

Nothing else could have condemned him more than the sound of his silence and the rain outside.

"That's what I thought." She laughed and smacked his shoulder. "So about these so called 'connections,' what do you need? Three dates? A proposal? A full marriage?"

"No. Marriage isn't exactly in the cards for guys like me."

"Preaching to the choir. Enough about me, though," she continued, "what about you, oh mysterious Guardian of the Old West?"

"Excuse me?"

She kicked his well-worn paperback with her toe.

"Oh." he chuckled, "That."

He told her about how his mother gave him his first western and how he had been hooked ever since. He told her about how his younger sister, Vika, used to tease him just like she was doing now.

They talked for another hour about life in their respective academies. How he was pretty much the perfect student who graduated at the top of his class (no surprise to her) and how she was frankly shocked that they didn't kick her out long before her senior year with all the antics she and her friends got in.

"Yeah, and I was actually slated to be the Dragomir Princess's guardian if you can believe it."

His eyes widened for a moment, but he quickly hid the reaction behind a mask. For all the sharing and confessing they had done that night, what had led to her being expelled had seemed firmly off the table. He didn't want to push too far, but if she had been preparing for such a prestigious position then she should have been very skilled. They wouldn't waste that potential unless there was a serious, perhaps life-threatening, infraction.

"Shame what happened to her," he tentatively explored, "I'm just glad they found her after being held captive for weeks by that crazed Prince."

"Yeah, and it looks like she'll be in that hospital for psychiatric help for even longer." Lightning cracked, highlighting the shadows in her eyes. "Seems like they are spending more time and effort over who gave the anonymous tip that led to her discovery than why she was captured in the first place." The room must have dropped a degree or two when her arms crossed in front of her. A deep, frustrated sigh finally relaxed her shoulders but she still stared at the blank wall ahead of them. It was almost enough to make him question her investment in the drama on the other side of the country but he didn't want to have that wrath turned on him.

Instead, he brought the topic back to safer waters until she was smiling again. He liked her smile. She asked about where he had been with Ivan as his charge, becoming more enthralled the further the distance. He asked about all the places she wanted to eventually see. Somehow the conversation moved easily from one topic to the next without any more awkward pauses or unnecessary platitudes.

Before long, he realized he had been sharing more than he had with anyone in a long time. And it felt good. It felt really good to simply be himself without having to worry about being strong, or intimidating, or aware of every detail in the room. He could focus just on her.

"So..." she faltered, losing the confidence she had shown all night, "do you think we have a connection? You and I?"

"What do you mean?"

She shifted slightly so that her bare knee touched his leg, and only then did he realize that they had been gradually moving closer to one another all evening. It was a surprise, but not nearly as surprising as her cool palm on his cheek and her warm lips on his own.

The kiss was hesitant, unsure. It only lasted a second, barely registering as a touch, before it was over and her eyes darted from his face to her lap in shame. Her fingers fidgeted together as if she didn't know what to do with them. While her kiss was over way too quickly, the moments afterward seemed to drag forever.

He stopped those twisting hands, bringing them towards him until her body followed. Those hands, that hair; both were so soft. So were her lips. He kissed her slowly until both of their insecurities washed away and left only pure desire.

"Rose," she nipped at his jaw and ground down on his hips as he spoke, making it hard to think. "Roza, you don't have to do this."

Pure regret flooded his system when she pulled back. There wasn't the relief he had half expected in her expression, but rejection. Well, that and a bit of the anger he had been trying to avoid earlier.

"I know I don't have to Dimitri. I want to. For the first time in a long time, I want to."

And like that, every question about right or wrong, yes or no, duty and honor and sacrifice flew out the window. He became selfish. He became greedy. And damn it, he fell in love with this beautiful girl, if only for the night.

He thanked God that Ivan was a deep sleeper as he carried her her across the room and especially when the door to the spare room hit the wall. Her legs were still wrapped around him and even though the bed was only a few feet away, he was seriously considering taking her against the wall. Her fingers tore into his shirt as she tried to pull it off before he had even set her down but he was no better with his had already up that tiny little skirt of hers.

The errant thought that St. Vladimir's Academy had truly wasted some promising talent ran through his mind as they sparred to pin the other. She was very good at distracting him, however, and she eventually won their little sparring match. Her victory was acknowledged with a smile and rewarded handsomely.

Her body starting to smoothly slide down his, making his heart race a little more with every inch she made. As much as it enticed him, he stopped her and brought her face close to his again. The furrow in her brow asked the unspoken question.

"I love the thought of your lips around me," he replied, "but I need to kiss you. I need..."

She seemed to know exactly what he needed, even when he didn't. As their lips played again, her fingers wrapped around him instead. He groaned. It had been so long since he had felt anyone else's touch. Those small, deft hands, working him with such vigor...it was enough to nearly send him over the edge.

His salvation was to focus on her instead. His own hand, so much larger and so much rougher, slipped between her legs until he found that little spot and could distract her. He circled her clit, feeling so much more inexperienced and unsure of himself, but quickly swelling again with pride as he watched her eyes close with a breathy, "Oh. God. Oh, fuck."

He nibbled at her earlobe, loving the way she wildly bucked against his hand. He sped up and slowed down, adding and releasing pressure to measure her rapture and find what pleased her most. Once he discovered her weakness, he used it: not against her, but for her. This wasn't a battle but a harmonization. They moved together.

He could feel the moment she peaked and he watched in awe. It wasn't some loud, screaming declaration. She came quietly, tucking herself into his body and shaking as he held her through it.

That was the sexiest thing she could have done for him.

His cock was hard against her and the second she seemed clear minded enough to realize it after her orgasm, she appeared eager to return the favor. She rubbed him in earnest while reaching over to grab her skirt.

Before he could question what she was doing, she pulled a thin packet from a nearly hidden pocket. He tried to sputter something about being clean, but she stopped him by flipping her hair over her shoulder to reveal the scars on her neck.

"Remember?" His eyes darted between the blatant bite marks (especially the still-fresh one) and her face. "I can pretty much guarantee that no matter how many people you've slept with, I can tack on a zero."

Six...he'd been with six women before Rose. That would mean sixty or more for her.

There was a part of him that wanted to stop everything right that second – not because he was disgusted by a number of men she had been with. Absolutely not. It was the fact that she needed to do so just to survive. She deserved better. She deserved more than people using her. And there was a part of him that wondered if he was any better than all those other men.

She already knew him well, though. She didn't look ashamed or hurt or angry when he pulled away a tad. All she did was pull him back with a gentle kiss.

"I want to be with you, okay?"

He nodded, knowing that there was no way she could be saying that to placate him when there was so much sincerity in her eyes.

"You're different. I promise. I choose to be with you, Dimitri."

"I choose you too, Roza. I choose this." His fingers traced a line from her eyes, down her cheek, neck, breast, and waist until his hand was resting right against her hipbone.

"Then kiss me. Show me."

And he gladly did. He kissed every part of her face that he could reach until he felt her sheath him entirely in the condom and then he was pushing apart her legs.

He couldn't help but take a glance at her spread out before him, shifting more on the sheets every second he denied her. Her thighs were so perfect when he ran his palms down that hot flesh, and he gladly accepted the invitation her moan provided.

Pressing into her was even more than he could have imagined. Tight, hot. It was a reminder of just how long it had truly been and it made him wonder, no, certain that this was different than any thing he had ever felt with anyone else. He couldn't think about that now, though. All he could think about was that exact moment. And the next. And the next.

The way she sighed when he filled her completely. The way hummed at his first thrust. How she grabbed his ass to pull him closer.

And the way she looked at him. Any moment she wasn't closing her eyes and completely lost to her own ecstasy or kissing him hard as she tied her fingers in his hair, she was looking right at him. And he couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was absolutely beautiful and he didn't want to forget a single moment.

The magic of their moment was nearly broken by his own insecurities. He questioned if she was actually being satisfied as much as he was. She was so quiet. Breathy sighs and small whimpers, but oh so quiet. It was such a huge contrast to how he had heard her before.

It wasn't until her back arched up and body tightened around him, her lip firmly between her teeth while her nails dug deep into his biceps that he realized...there was no faking this. There was no faking this feeling – physical or emotional – between them.

And that thought was enough to push him over that final edge, that final thrust, that final moment when he felt like he lost himself to her.

Afterward, they just laid there with their foreheads touching, breathing in one another until their hearts stopped racing. Her thumb brushed the stubble on his jaw back and forth, soothing both of them. When he finally worked up the motivation to move away, it was only with the utmost remorse.

"Would you like -"

"There's some wipes in my purse."

It was a jarring how she cut him off. She didn't even seem to notice though, already gathering some of her clothing from around the room. He left but he didn't reach for her purse. Instead, he grabbed a warm cloth and one of the small bottles of water from the mini fridge.

When he returned, her clothes were set up on the dresser and she was sitting on the bed wearing his shirt. That icy worry he had felt just moments ago melted instantly when he mimicked her sleepy smile.

She winced for half a second as she used the wet cloth and that was all the reminder he needed that she had been with two men tonight. For all he knew, maybe more.

She did what she had to to survive. She was a victim of circumstance, but she didn't seem like a victim. She was strong; confident in who she was. She had made the best of what she could. There was a huge part of himself wanted so badly to save her, but like she had told him with that flippant grin, 'guardians are so protective,' and he was, especially of her now, but he realized that she didn't need saving. She was more than capable and would build her own life on her own terms. Something told him that if he tried to "save her" it would only end up badly for him. She didn't want his pity. Perhaps he could, however, give her his comfort and trust.

So he slipped back into bed, tucked her into his arms, and held her all night. He may not be able to save her, but he could shield her from the horrors of the world for one night. Her fingers linked with his just moments before he fell asleep.

The next morning, the spot next to him was cold and empty. No note. No sign. Nothing to indicate that they had ever been together. She was gone.

Making the bed and wiping the last sign of what might have been, there was no way he couldn't be bitter, angry even. He was so worried about being the one to use her, he never even considered for a moment that he was the one being used.

He did his best to shed those feelings as he walked out and saw Ivan eating an apple, feet up on the table.

"Dimitri! I was just about to wake you up, man! I haven't seen you sleep in this late since that bender way back at the Academy." He ripped through another bite and grinned. "Not that you don't deserve it. You work too hard. We really should get you laid."

Ivan laughed at his own joke, and while Dimitri would have humored him any other morning, it stung today.

"Whatever. I don't even care." The coffee in his cup wasn't nearly strong enough, but glaring at it didn't fix the issue.

Ivan shoved the room service folder towards him, looking like the cat who caught the canary. "Order up, man. You must be hungry. We gotta go soon anyway."

Flipping through the options, he asked the question without thinking. "Should we stop by a feeder?"

"No man," Ivan chuckled, "I'm good. That Rose girl last night was amazing. Full deal and everything."

Dimitri's eyes closed and he nearly bit his tongue with how quickly his jaw tightened.

"And did you hear her?" Ivan continued "'Oh! Oh! Don't stop! Oh, Ivan! Oh God! Yes! Yes! Harder! Ahhh!'" Ivan mimicked the high pitched cries Rose had made with him, each one getting louder as he rocked the table to match the cadence his bed last night.

Dimitri felt ready to snap. He couldn't take it anymore. His friend's flippancy, Rose's rejection - it was all too much.

But then...he remembered. He remembered the way she bit her lip. He remembered the way she pulled him so close as if somehow she thought he'd run away. He remembered the way she fell apart beneath him; not with a scream, but with a sigh. He remembered what was real.

He remembered how they had fallen asleep with him holding her in his arms and how tightly she held his hand.

That was real. She was gone now, but for a little while, they had enjoyed something real. It was a luxury that neither of them could ever truly hope for, but they had found it together...

"Anyways," Ivan broke his revelation, "I got an email and it turns out I'll be doing business over here quite a bit. At least several times a month for the next few years. I've already texted Little Miss Rose and told her I'd pay extra if she made herself available to fit my schedule. Damn girl is totally worth it." He gave a sly wink. "Who knows, maybe I'll see if she wants to take on my guardian too."

The smile Dimitri had been holding back finally spilled onto his lips. He'd see her again. "No...I think I'll be okay."