Birdcage Ch. 05

He took a deep breath in before he spoke again.

"How is your head?"

Joni almost laughed in his face. Why the fuck would he care? She gritted her teeth and nodded her answer. Would he also keep up the charade of lies that the doctor had fed her?

"I'm lucky you were there."

"You're mistaken. The doctor said this would happen."

Joni gritted her teeth harder. She was done with the bullshit today.

"Yes...what fantastic luck that 'Cassidy' was there to rescue me from my 'fall'. Strange though since 'Cassidy' has never shown any interest in keeping me safe before. In fact quite the opposite. How strange that..."

"...Joni." 4's tone was an ominous warning, and she paused for a moment as she considered her next words.

"...I know what I saw."

4 stood abruptly, and Joni held her breath as he brushed past her. She turned to watch him sit at his computer, typing out for a moment before returning to her. He sat in the chair at her side, his knees almost touching hers as he angled close. She could see the bags under his eyes now, and the scruff of stubble at his chin.

"Joni. I don't have long before they reboot the cameras. You can't tell people what you saw. They'd have your head and mine for what happened."

"Did...did you kill him?" Joni leaned in closer, anticipation rising in her at his honesty.

4 scoffed.

"No. He wishes. He's halfway across the world, and won't say a word unless he wants the footage from his room sent to the media...look, I helped you. Please just take it for that and forget about it. This is too dangerous now."

"What's too dangerous?" Joni looked down at his mouth as he edged closer.

"Someone has already put an offer in...I can't stop that...Fuck, while I'm at it, I'm so sorry for what I did to you. I'll never forgive myself. But you have to trust that it was a necessary evil. I can't explain right now. I fucking hated myself for it."

"...An offer?" Her brain stumbled over the rest of the words.

"For you...your sale...I'm sorry. I fucking tried! But this goes far above me." Joni watched him crumble, his head falling down into his hands in defeat.

She reached out her hand and grasped his, pulling it away from his face. She didn't give herself a moment to worry about the rest, there would be another time for that. Right now she was focused. He looked up at her with knitted brows, his eyes searching hers desperately. Without a second thought Joni leaned herself across the rest of the distance and brought her mouth down on his.

Fire bloomed in her stomach, scorching her veins. He enveloped her in his arms and consumed her, his tongue pressing urgently into her mouth and dancing with hers. His hands wrapped further down around her thighs and he pulled her into his lap, the evidence of his desire pushing impatiently into her thigh. Joni's mind was blissfully blank, the space filled with nothing but him in that moment, just a single crushing need.

"Stop." 4 wrenched free, pushing Joni away and back into her own seat. He dragged his fingers through his ruffled hair and sat back whilst Joni caught her breath. He darted his eyes up to the corner of the room once, where the camera angled down at them, and then his gaze moved to his feet.

"I think it's time you get back to your dormitory. You'll be working tomorrow. I'll explain more on that when I'm able."

His tone was clipped again. The stony mask pulled back down over his features. Joni could almost question if that had really just happened, or if she'd had some fever dream after her bump to the head, but the taste of spearmint lingering on her tongue told her it did.

15 minutes later and Joni landed in her bed. The room was cool and quiet, with 23 other dark blanketed figures sleeping peacefully in their beds. She tucked herself under and tried to calm her racing thoughts. She needed to find a way to speak to 4, there was clearly a lot more than needed to be said, and she was still confused by his intentions. He had said he had 'tried', but tried at what? Joni couldn't be sure. And he'd saved her from that brute in 103#. He had clearly wanted her, she could see that for herself, but what would that mean? He'd also beaten her bloody, and Joni was desperate not to forget that. He'd said he had needed to...but how? There was a raw honesty in his voice and something made her trust him. A smaller voice in her head called her a fool. Her headache from earlier came back with a vengeance; her temples throbbing.

Her sale...the memory of those words dawned on her, but she tried to put them aside. Her head may have exploded if she tried to think about one more thing tonight. She turned over and took a calming breath in, as the memory of the spearmint tingle on the tip of her tongue sent shivers down her back. When she closed her eyes it was only his that she saw, the icy chill gone from them, and replaced by a fierce lust. Her belly warmed at the memory of his hands on her thighs, gripping as if his life depended on it. The pained look on his face as he had pushed her away. The warmth in her stomach sank lower, and Joni pressed her thighs together under the blanket, feeding the fire.

the friction was delicious, but she ached for more. She let her hands trail down under the blanket, but as she did, Marnie in the bed next to her stirred. Joni stilled while she waited for her to settle, and when she was quiet again, save for the gentle snoring, Joni slipped out of the bed and padded barefoot towards the bathroom.

Splashing cool water down her neck, she looked back at the flushed reflection in the mirror. Her lips were a plump pink and she pressed her fingertips against them, feeling him there still.

"What the fuck am I doing?" She muttered to herself, patting her face dry on her dress.

She moved into one of the cubicles, quietly turned the lock and sat down on the closed lid of the toilet, dragging her hands through her unkempt hair. She felt an uncomfortable need deep in her pelvis; an itch left unscratched. Joni tipped back her head, letting it fall against the wall, and that was when she spotted the camera in the top corner of the high ceiling. She had known it was there, known they were watched at all times here, but now it was only his gaze she felt. She saw him sat behind his desk, the fluorescent white light of the cctv monitor illuminating his features, his mouth slightly open and his eyes on her.

Her hands pressed to the flushed skin of her neck, and moved down, rolling over her hardened nipples. The rough material of her dress grazed over her delicate skin and brought out a ripple of goosebumps down her arms. She pictured his large warm hands as she palmed her breasts firmly, feeling his lips tracing ghostly kisses along her collarbone.

She sunk her hands lower, down to her thighs, and bunched up the hem of her dress, until she could reach to tease her fingertips through the dark patch of curls there. The hair was damp with her desire.

She spread her legs wider and closed her eyes tightly, seeing him. His face pressed into the crook of her neck, his firm body anchored to hers, his long digits rubbing soft circles around her inner thighs. She hissed as she delved deeper between her folds to find the spot that made her toes curl. She was needy now, soaked, and slipping over her clit over and over, her lower lip tightly between her teeth.

She saw his clenched jaw, the focus on his face as he brought her closer to the edge, his thighs pressing hers apart wider still. The pressure built and her breathing came in short shallow gasps as she let the sensation encompass her entirely.

"Yes...yes." Joni whispered. She rubbed with three wet fingers now, frantically against her cleft, using the other hand to toy with her nipple still. In her mind, he was right there with her, egging her on, begging her for more.

As the pressure built to dizzying heights, she slowed, circling her clit languidly to draw out her orgasm. It rose up on her like a slow flood, rather than a crashing wave, starting at her toes and stroking its way up her legs. She slumped back as it reached her head, shuddering silently, mouth agape.

As her breathing slowed she looked back at the camera, angled directly at her now. 'Let them watch' she thought. 'It was only for him'.