Steel Hearts - Patchwork Princess Ch. 01

"Hey, Dean and I are going for a drink at the Three Monkeys. Want to come?" Nicky asked brightly as soon as Holly had answered.

"No, I meant it when I said tomorrow's big day at work. So why don't you make a date for the weekend or some reasonable time, and I'll come then," she laughed. "It's already close to midnight."

"I need to redefine boundaries with Dean. We haven't been close over the last few years. So I'll be good and not drink much," Nicky said. Then she coaxed, "I would be on my best behaviour if you came with us."

"I can't you know how I get if I don't get enough sleep. Five hours is my minimum, and I am barely going to make that now," Holly scolded her best friend.

"Fine. But that means you're in charge of waking me up tomorrow if you want me there for whatever is happening that you can't miss," Nicky said petulantly.

"Just come in when you can. You can have a pass after tonight," Holly sighed and ended the call. She was tired and cold and couldn't wait to get home. But she looked in the rear vision mirror and swore there was a fucking motorcycle following her car. With all of the strange things that had been happening to her lately, she wasn't sure if she should worry or if one of the guys from Dean's MC had decided to follow her home and make sure she was safe after being in the fight club.

The bike slowed as she pulled into the secure parking of the building where she had an apartment. She loved this building because no one could get to her door without a key to work the lifts or announcing themselves to reception. Of course, if she planned for friends to come, they just called her directly, or she gave them a temporary keycard. Still, she liked the security of the building, which was why she had purchased the apartment rather than living in the lovely little house her Nana had left her. As the elevator opened on her floor, she put whoever had followed her out of her mind and let herself into her apartment.

Letting her mind run over the evening's events one last time as she had a quick shower, she decided to put some distance between herself and Dean. No way did she want to get dragged into that life again. Holly put on a soft rock playlist from Spotify and climbed into bed. After a lifetime of madness and mayhem occurring every night of her childhood, she could no longer sleep without any noise at all. She smiled as Red Hot Chili Peppers came to life with Scar Tissue, and she closed her eyes only to see the image of Teddy she had tried so hard to ignore tonight.

Teddy had been her first big crush and the guy she gave her virginity to, but she couldn't let him back into her nicely ordered world after all that had gone down, and she wouldn't. Everybody who knew about their past was gone now. She wasn't even sure Nicky knew or remembered, although she seemed to remember a lot from that time in their lives. Still, they had all been teenagers then, and now they were grown-ups making adult decisions like leaving the past in the past.

Half an hour of tossing and turning later, Holly got up and grabbed her favourite book and began to read, letting herself fall into the fantasy world she loved until sleep claimed her. She woke up with a sore neck and a drool-stained book from where it had fallen against the corner of her lips as she slept.

*****

Back in his room at the Doss house, Teddy blew out a breath and closed his eyes. She was protected in that building. She had secure parking and reasonable security measures were standard in that place. She would be fine for at least one more night. Tomorrow he would get details about this stalker Nicky had told them about in a rare slip of the tongue where Holly was concerned. Or at least she had confided in Dean about the creepy stalker messaging Holly, which was why she seemed so nervous tonight. He wouldn't leave her alone and defenceless again. It was the excuse he needed to give in to his desire to see her again and rekindle what they once had and the dreams they had created together.

Their parents had pushed them together, hoping for the alliance their marriage would bring to the two families. But, instead, they had been more than happy to play the part of young lovers. He smiled at the memory as he stretched out on his bed, allowing himself to indulge in the memory of Holly that haunted him the most. She had been the perfect princess of an Irish-Australian family, but more than that, she had been perfect for him.

The memory was vivid, as if it had happened yesterday. The image in Teddy's mind played as, with the strength born of youth and enthusiasm, Teddy had carried Holly over the threshold of his bedroom. His house was empty while the New Year's celebrations continued at the O'Connell house down the street. Placing her on her feet, he bent his head to kiss her softly and sweetly. They had planned tonight for weeks, and he could feel himself harden just at the thought of what they were about to do.

"Thank goodness," Holly sighed as she kicked off her high-heeled shoes. "I wanted to be sexy for you tonight and had planned to keep them on until you at least saw my new lingerie, but my feet were killing me," she hummed happily as she curled her toes into the carpet. "Can you help me with the zipper?" she asked, turning her back to him.

"Sure," he agreed, stepping forward and lowering the zipper to reveal her back's soft skin, feeling all the blood rush downward from his brain. The material went slack, and she let it slide from her shoulders, revealing her breasts barely contained by a tiny bra to the mirror on the side of the room. "Fuck," he breathed like a caveman who could only grunt the obvious as the dress's skirt was pushed past her hips to reveal suspenders and stockings.

The image in his brain froze at that moment. His beautiful, perfect princess, looking sexier than he could ever remember her being. He could barely remember her in a bikini though he had seen her wear one more times than he could count. This image, however, was indelibly imprinted on his mind. As he pushed past the moment again, he let his hand stray into his boxers as the same feelings of desire assailed him. He may be older and more experienced now, but Holly still held that sort of power over his libido, as she proved tonight when he had been all bust speechless when he saw her.

Blowing out another breath, he recalled the image of her revealing herself to him little by little. The bra had gone first, and he had filled his hands with those beautiful mounds of flesh, feeling the hard nipples press against his palm. It wasn't as if they hadn't fooled around at all, but this was the first time he was getting free, unfettered access to her delicious body, and he bent his head to suck a nipple into his mouth.

"Oh, yes," Holly moaned softly and stroked her fingers through his hair. Then she dropped her hands to start on the buttons of his shirt, which he gladly helped her with before tossing it aside. They stood facing each other, their hands exploring each other.

While he felt confident and enjoyed her breasts' soft, pliable flesh, her touch on his chest was light and tentative as it trailed lower towards the fine hairs above his belt. She looked up at him at that moment with a look of desire he had never seen before or since. It was a look he wanted to see again, more than he could say. It was a look he had wanted to get used to seeing every day, if not more often than that.

Her fingers went to work on his belt and left it hanging from the belt loops as he helped her with the button of his pants. She stopped him before he could unzip the pants himself. She pulled the zipper down very slowly, brushing her fingers against his hard cock, and biting her lip so deliciously as she peeked up at him again.

"I've felt this thing in my hand and pressing against me so many times, and now I finally get to see it," Holly whispered. She opened his pants, and her eyes went wide. His eager cock had pushed through the fly of his boxers and was now exposed to her hungry eyes. "Oh, it's even bigger than I imagined."

"How often did you imagine it?" Teddy teased her.

"All the time, lately," She smirked as her fingers wrapped around his hard flesh. Her cool fingers feeling so good, he closed his eyes and groaned in pleasure, not realising she had sunk to her knees until her soft lips pressed a kiss against the tip, and he felt her incredible wet tongue slide down the length of his cock.

"Oh fuck!" He gasped.

"Am I doing it wrong? Did I hurt you?" she asked, concern for him written over her face.

"You couldn't do that wrong. You're amazing," Teddy breathed, his voice going husky.

She lowered her head, sucking him into her mouth, and bobbed back and forth. It felt so good, and he was glad he had waited for her to be ready as he looked down at her taking his cock between her perfect pink lips. Tingling rose in his balls, and he warned her how close he was to coming. Instead of stopping, however, she sucked even harder. Finally, the girl of his dreams sucked him dry and swallowed it all in an act he could barely believe she would perform for him. He hoped, of course, but the reality was much better than any of his fantasies.

He pulled her up into a tight embrace. Her bare chest pressed against his, and his cock was already beginning to harden again. He pushed her onto the bed, pulled her panties down to expose her pretty pussy, and looked at her beautiful pink folds in wonder. Then, inhaling her sweet scent, he kissed those delicate folds, his tongue snaking out to part them. He took his time, his tongue exploring her clit and opening in equal measure, and she squirmed in pleasure, making the cutest whimpering sounds he'd ever heard. He'd watched enough porn to know what he was doing leading up to this day, but the reality was far, far better than any fantasy he'd had about it.

His tongue slowly circled the fleshy nub of her clit, and her thighs tightened around his head. Fingernails went through his hair, and he continued to eat her out. He reached up to grab her incredible breasts and massaged them. Her nipples were even harder, and he could feel her breathing become ragged before her whole body trembled, and she let out a long whine like a banshee as she came, her taste flooding his senses.

He lifted his head and grinned when she started to complain until she saw him climbing over her. Their bodies were aligned, with the tip of his cock resting at her opening. This was what they had wanted and planned for tonight. She looked at him with eager, nervous eyes, and he pushed his hips forward, groaning at her hot, sleek tightness. She stiffened below him, and he slowed his movements wanting her to be comfortable but also wanting to push past that known barrier with as little pain for her as possible.

"Do it," she whispered and closed her eyes tight.

Without wanting to prolong the moment too much, he thrust hard, burying himself as deeply as he could before pulling back and pushing into her again. He repeated the motion twice more until she cried out, and he stilled as the walls of her pussy squeezed his entire length. Then, in small movements, he began to pull out a little way and push back in as she held him tightly, her face buried against his neck. Small moans started to escape her lips as he continued the small movements, and he felt her relax below him again.

"Fuck me, Teddy," she panted into his ear lewdly. He knew everything would be okay from that moment on, and he couldn't help the smile that spread over his face. She was trying to put him at ease with the crude, dirty talk which always made him laugh coming from her mouth. He began to use more force, and she moaned louder for him. His thrusts turned into a pounding, and her moans turned into hot loud whimpers of pleasure.

The bed creaked beneath them as they lost their virginity and their final inhibitions with each other. Teddy's groans grew louder than hers as waves of pure pleasure washed over him. Holly released a last series of high-pitched mewling moans in counterpoint to his groans before collapsing back onto the bed with him.

"That was amazing," she giggled, her breasts moving up and down with her heaving breaths. She leaned over to kiss him, and their tongues danced across one another. Hard nipples brushed across his bicep as she rolled to lay her head on his chest. Her pussy rubbed against his side, and he pulled her leg up so that her thigh rested over his cock, rapidly regaining his stiffness.

Teddy groaned at the image of him and his perfect princess frozen in his mind. He threw the towel he had jacked off into toward the bathroom, where he could dispose of it down the laundry chute in the morning. He needed to try to sleep while he was sated with memories of her and the best night of his life, bar none. Tomorrow he would start his campaign to win her back. Now that he had seen her again, he couldn't walk away again, even when he knew he should.

*****

Carter almost always arrived first each morning at the coffee house, Simply Beans. It was close to the store she and Holly had built from a dream and became the morning meeting place for the four friends who worked to keep their business afloat during the Covid crisis. When she walked up to the counter, the owner smiled widely.

"Same as usual? We've got a new breakfast slice if you're game?" He offered. He held up a plate that held a square that could be described as a quiche but without the pastry crust. "It's zucchini and carrot, no bacon or ham," he tried to tempt her, knowing she was vegetarian.

"Sure, make it four and just tell them it is the new breakfast slice, no details about the vegetables in it," she laughed lightly. Then, after settling the bill, she took the number from the counter and took her usual position at the table near the window to wait for her friends.

"Hey, Carter," Vanessa came in next and slumped into a chair at their table, knowing Carter would have ordered for them even though it was her turn to pick up the tab.

"Still having trouble sleeping?" Carter asked.

"I need to move. I know I do, but my apartment is just so handy to everything else in my life that I keep thinking I can get over all the noise in the adjacent buildings," she sighed. "It hasn't been so bad lately, but I left my good earplugs at the Crystal Cave. I'll get some more this afternoon," she said with a yawn.

"Caffeinate me," Nicky said as she slumped into a seat at the table, looking like she hadn't slept much.

"You two are the worst," Nessa reproved them but smiled as Angelo brought their coffee to the table with the breakfast slice.

"Tell me that is not some tasteless vegetarian crap you are trying to feed us," Nicky grumbled, uncaring of Angelo still standing beside the table.

"Hey, girls. Hi Angelo. Yum, this looks great, thanks!" Holly said, taking the last chair at their table. "Oh dear, looks like we'll need a second round to go in a few minutes, Angelo," she laughed at the two friends looking worse for wear this morning.

"What's got you so chipper?" Carter asked, more interested in the one happy friend than the two miserable ones.

"Well, Halloween is always one of our biggest days of the financial year, and I think I have an idea on how to make it even bigger for us," Holly said smugly. It was true that more and more of the American obsession with the holiday was making it to their country. Between the influence of American television and kids needing no excuse to indulge in anything involving treats or parties, the holiday gained momentum every year. However, the people who did not celebrate the holiday still far outweighed those who did in Australia, particularly in their city.

"Wait just a minute!" Nicky raised a finger. "How do you look like that when I feel like a garbage truck put me through its rinse cycle and spat me out?"

"Unlike you, I went home after the fight," Holly said haughtily. "You went to a party with people we haven't seen for a decade and probably won't see again." At least if Holly could have her way, they wouldn't see them again after last night.

"Why were you watching a fight?" Carter asked, her brow creasing into a frown. "I thought that after the big battles, we were all steering clear of that misogynistic bullshit." They lost friends and family during the underworld wars. The battle between the rival criminal outfits that dwelt in the sprawling town that crossed the border between two states along the eastern coastline was finally ended by Federal police. To this day, fewer than half a dozen survivors of that time know what had started the war between two factions that had escalated to encompass every outfit on the coastal strip and several from other states.

"Dean," Nicky answered. "Dean was fighting, but he is okay, and I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh no, that ship has sailed, my friend. So, you will explain to us why Dean was fighting in the cages because there is no way he qualified for a legal fight!" Nessa piped up, entering the conversation at the sound of Dean's name.

"He found out about Eric and challenged him," Nicky said softly, grateful now that Holly had forced her to tell their other friends when she was assaulted. The four of them were close, which would have been a more significant betrayal if she hadn't told them about Eric and had to divulge that information now.

"Eric! Like the big brick shit house, Eric?" Nessa gasped. "And you're sure he's okay?"

"Yeah, he stayed at my place last night, and he was still alive if in a bit of pain this morning," Nicky explained with some remorse in her voice. "Eric's not so okay, which I admit makes me feel pretty good right now. Not that Dean fought, but Eric might think twice before beating another woman." The friends nodded their agreement and lapsed into silence as they tasted the breakfast slice with varying degrees of satisfaction and sipped at their coffee.

"So, Dean is with an outfit now?" Nessa asked quietly, hating the thought he would get caught up in the gangland warfare that seemed unavoidable in their lives.

"Actually, no," Nicky said. "I'm not sure exactly how it works, but Teddy got Dean, Scott, and Kris out from the outfits we knew, and now they are running legally with the Steel Hearts. They're involved in cage fights but not much else that's illegal. Teddy convinced Scott to join them rather than getting forced into one of the bigger outfits because of his name, and the other guys went with him, including Dean."

"So, it was Teddy that recruited them?" Even Holly was surprised by that information.

"Medusa too. I'm not sure what leverage he had to pull it off, but they are staying aligned with the old guard while not being recruited, and it's working for them. Of course, they have their own agenda, but they weren't letting much out last night despite my awesome interrogation skills," Nicky smiled crookedly and took a large slurp of her coffee.

"You have to find better ways to interrogate people than Truth or Dare Shots," Nessa laughed. "You're not as good at that game as you think!"

"But that's where I get the best information," Nicky complained.

"It's also where you blurt out all our secrets," Carter said solemnly. "Luckily, we are open books these days and know better than to tell you anything truly secret."

Holly cringed, thinking about her strange texts and how much they were beginning to worry her and her friends. Then, taking a deep breath, she considered who Nicky had been drinking with and frowned. She doubted any of them would care enough about her to do anything, so she didn't have to worry if Nicky did say something. Even Dean, who she knew cared about her, wouldn't be concerned if Nicky drunkenly said anything. It's not like whoever it was had done anything more than send her some super creepy messages, which were disturbing but not threatening.