Love in Gotham

[wouldjakoindly]

"Don't forget ripping the 'do not remove' tags from mattresses and sliding down the freshly waxed banisters. It's just more work for me and Daddy." Her foot jerked a bit in his hand when he traced his finger across it - clearly ticklish there, but not too much so.

She was about to answer his question on where she was most ticklish when he bit into her knee and she laughed. It was a very sweet laugh, never forced or fake. "You're no billionaire playboy, Bruce Wayne, you're just a big silly clown, but damn if I don't love it." Her laughter slowly died down as she watched him.

"Where am I most ticklish, huh? Well..." One of her hands slid down to touch her inside thigh. "Howabout you work your way up and see if you can find all my most... ticklish spots?" The way she said it and her eyes twinkled was clearly an invitation for him to find more than her ticklish spots.

 

[tcost]

For a moment, Bruce propped his chin on Noelle's upraised knee, assuming a mock-thoughtful expression. "I'm not sure that ticklish[.i] is exactly the best word to describe the sensititvity there," he declared. "But if you say so.."

He leapfrogged ahead of where he had been, and lowered his head down to its proper place between her thighs, and began kissing his way up to the point at which her long legs came together. Perhaps he had been taking a bit too long about what he had been doing. Not so any more.

"A big, silly clown, you say? Well, I guess that I don't mind being called big, at least," he remarked, between quick smooches along the inside of her thigh. His fingers worked to break the trail ahead of his lips, and began to tease at her nether lips.

 

[wouldjakoindly]

"Not ticklish then," she replied cooly, with a hint of a smirk. "But excited... hot... can you blame me for being so eager?" She couldn't help herself - tasting him had made her exceptionally horny, and she had been able to get herself off the once with her own fingers. But having him touch her, taste it... it was unimaginably erotic, and while she didn't want to seem impatient, she was just about ready to jump out of her skin - if he'd just touch her, kiss her, right where she needed it most...

Noelle tried to keep her wits about her, to stay cool and calm, but the minute he began kissing her leg she started to moan, very softly. She watched him as he moved his way up, up, almost all the way... his touch made her body arch towards him, as she gently gripped her breasts, squeezing and teasing her nipples. Her legs rested comfortably on his shoulders as her hips bucked lightly.

"Yesss... ooh, that's it, touch me, touch me more... that feels soooo good," she breathed, writhing lightly on the bed, her dark hair almost like a halo around her head.

 

[tcost]

"I don't blame you at all," Bruce told her. He should stop teasing and commence with pleasing. And so he did.

His fingers slid between their fleshy obstacle and sought out her clitoris. He stroked it, be worried it with his fingertip for a moment, until he could get his face up there. And then he began to lick it, and then to suck on it lightly.

Meanwhile, the thumb of one hand slid its was into her pussy, slithering in and out only lightly so far. His other hand slid up and down along he outer thigh, making its way to her hip. He was perfectly poised, his body acting in perfect concord with the wishes of his mind. He had always been athletic, but over the past few years he had become, somehow, organically deft, and Noelle had seen this change more clearly than anyone.

 

[wouldjakoindly]

She felt a jolt of pleasure, almost like electricity, zap its way up her spine - Bruce knew exactly what to do to please a woman, but more importantly, he knew exactly what to do to please her. Fact was, she was a simple woman with simple needs. She had never needed anything fancy done to her to have a nice, big, satisfying orgasm. What Bruce was doing now was perfect, exactly what she liked.

Especially when he took her clit in her mouth, the little lovebutton quivering along with the rest of her pussy. Her face, ears, and neck were flushing a slight pink as her fingers curled into the sheets underneath her, grabbing onto them as if scared she'd float away if she didn't hang on to something.

Unable to find words - and unsure if she would be able to voice them anyway - she contented herself with making very pleased noises - soft whimpers, whines, groans and moans, her hips thrusting up lightly as he slid a thumb into her wetness.

 

[tcost]

To listen to Noelle now, to Bruce at least, was to listen to a sonata. The music rose and fell in time with the direction of the conductor -- that would be him -- and there was a bridge between two sections, which in due course melded together. And of course it had a beginning, a middle, and an end.

Once again, Bruce took his time. Not too much time, she had already warned him about that once. But neither did he hurry. He tried to make this the perfect rendition of the piece he was playing, using her body as his keyboard, her voice as his instrument.

One finger, then another, replaced his thumb, and explored the tunnel as deeply as it could reach. Soon enough, the delicacy could only go so far here, and his light touch grew more rapid, and in time more forceful. He only wished that he could put another digit there.

 

[wouldjakoindly]

Words finally managed to escape her, in a breathy gasp, a soft little sing-song. "Oh god, oh Bruce, oh GOD." She tried to be quiet, she really did - who knew if Alfred could hear into the room if he passed by or not? - but she had always been vocal about almost anything. Now was no different.

She could feel, low down in her stomach, a tightening - it crept lower and lower as she got closer and closer to her edge. Where Bruce felt like a composer, she felt like canvas, being filled with sensations like paint. Pinks and reds as her blood raced through her like fire, as a feeling began to bloom deep inside of her. Her mind was an odd mix of fuzzy grey and pleased gold, the gold trickled down her spine and moved like his fingers, in and out, in and out, faster and harder.

Then white, white light, and multicolored stars across her vision. Her back arched off the bed, her toes and fingers curled, the beginning of a crescendo of pleased moans was only muffled by her managing to wrench her hand over across her lips. She continued to thrust her hips, riding her orgasm out, feeling the afterglow beginning to hug her and wrap her in a warm blanket.

"Bruce... ooh, Bruce..."

No matter what happened later on, no matter that her heart belonged to Oswald, in this moment she was his woman and she only had eyes and heart and body for him. She smiled sleepily - the warm, comfortable feeling would soon drift into an excited jumble of production and nerves; she always got rather jumpy and excitable after their passionate meetings.

 

[tcost]

Just as he knew what Noelle needed, Bruce also knew when to stop. It was what he did after he stopped that was different today.

He stood up, off of the foot of the bed, and she could hear him pull a kleenex from the box. A few seconds later, he laid down beside her, and wrapped her in his arms. It would be a blessing if they could both fall asleep together now, though Bruce didn't really believe in blessings.

Prayers did no more good than to help you figure out what it was that you wanted. If you were to get what you wanted it this life, you had to find a way to get it, and then you had to act on that understanding.

If things didn't work out with Oswald, maybe she would come back. If not, he would have to learn to live with that. It was a hollow, lonely feeling inside.

 

[wouldjakoindly]

Noelle had been starting to drift into a cozy doze when she felt him stand from the bed. Roused slightly, she opened her eyes and was about to turn to see what he was doing when she heard the sound of a tissue being pulled from its box. She stayed still, suddenly unsure of just about everything.

But when he slid in next to her and pulled her close, she didn't pull away, she didn't tell him she needed to pack. She placed her hands and forehead on his chest, feeling his warmth and his heartbeat.

She didn't know if anything she said could make this moment better - she didn't know what he was thinking, she wasn't psychic, but she could feel his sadness. She wanted to make it better. It was a hard choice, if she could make everyone happy that would have been the perfect situation - but it was a Catch-22. She knew leaving was going to make Bruce unhappy, they had grown up together, they were as close as could be. It wasn't like she was celebrating the fact that she was leaving.

All she knew to do was to make things as easy as possible. So, despite Bruce's belief in blessings, Noelle simply closed her eyes and was soon asleep in his arms. She could pack tonight or early tomorrow - being with Bruce right now was most important.

 

[tcost]

Bruce Wayne was his normal self again by the time that Noelle was ready to leave. He insisted that he be the one to carry her luggage to the car, he was much younger and stronger than Alfred.

Her father would pack up what she had left behind and drive it over in a few days. Noelle would want time to settle in at the Cobblepot Estate first.

Bruce kissed her goodbye in just the same way that her father had. The two men stood side by side as they watched her drive away.

The tall butler had a tear in his eye, but there was no hint of it in his voice. "You're gping to go out tonight and beat some number of thugs to bloody pieces," he stated with no humor. "I'll he here with the first aid kit, waiting for you. Try not to get yourself too badly injured."

Bruce just nodded, a bit numnly. In a day or two, he would be mostly all right.

 

[wouldjakoindly]

"You know I can carry - they're not that heavy, Bruce, I - fine then, carry it all. You're the big macho man." Noelle had said it exasperatedly as she tried to (teasingly) wrestle her luggage away from him as he carried it to her car, finally turning to her father and shrugging.

"It's not that far away. I'll visit lots. I promise," she had stated quietly to the both of them as they kissed her and she kissed them. With a little wave and a forlorn smile, she got into the car, started it, and was off.

Once out of the site of the Wayne Manor, she had to pull over for just a minute to get a tissue out of her glove-box and stop the tears from clouding her eyesight. She wasn't even moving to a different city, but she would miss them.

No one had seen her panic in her bedroom after she started packing, wondering what to wear. She didn't want to look too casual, but she didn't want to look like she was just stopping by for business. She had finally settled on wearing a simple but nice dress shirt, black slacks, and high heels, and had even twirled her hair up in a bun - not a severe one, but one in which strands hung down along her neck and cheeks and forehead.

All the way to her friend's estates, she cursed herself for choosing the outfit - now she looked like a businesswoman. But the outfit fit her nicely, especially the way the slacks hugged her legs, and the way the heels clicked when she walked. Even her hairstyle - and she hadn't worn it this way in a long time - was fetching.

She slowly pulled into the long driveway of the Cobblepot Estates, taking a deep breath and feeling a swarm of nauseating butterflies beginning to flutter in her stomach. Should she take her luggage with her, leave it in the car? Should she act like he had never left?

How much had he changed? On the phone he hadn't sounded very different, but "you never knew a man until you lived with him".

She ignored her luggage for the time being and got out of the car, making her way up the stairs to the doors. She stood there for a long moment, purse at her shoulder, wondering if she should quickly bring out her compact to check her make-up. She had just put on a little, some blush and a bit of eyeshadow and lipstick, but she desperately needed to do something with her hands, to ignore her nerves.

Reaching out, Noelle firmly pressed the doorbell and stiffened a bit, fiddling with the strap of her purse.

 

[tcost]

They hadn't set any time, after all, and still Oswald Cobblepot sat there watching the clock. Sooner or later, Noelle would get here, and he would welcome her, and that would be that. He was absurdly nervous, he'd known that he would be absurdly nervous, but having known it didn't seem to have helped very much at all if it even helped one little bit.

He wore a black blazer and dark grey pants -- charcoal, the saleslady had called them. He wore a sweater vest, light yellow cotton, which he fancied looked a little bit like a waistcoat. For this occasion, he even wore a necktie, with very narrow indigo stripes over the black silk. He wanted to look presentable to Noelle, and she always seemed to admire what Bruce Wayne wore. Except for the sweater vest, Bruce might have worn this outfit.

The doorbell chimed, and Oswald flew out of his chair and hurried over to the door, plucking it open and blinking at the sunlight. The smile that formed on his face was as warm as the sun itself.

"Noelle, Noelle, it's so good to see you. Come in, come in. Please." He stepped back, and pulled the door open for her. "I do believe that I have rarely, if ever, been so glad to see anyone in my life."

Embracing her seemed too forward. He fretted that she would never go for the outfit; she looked smashing, formidable, in the clothing that she had chosen herself. He even liked the hairstyle, though it would not do for her position; well, maybe it would? He just stood there and beamed at her. He did remember to close the door.

 

[wouldjakoindly]

Noelle recalled how anxious she got in high school on test days. Despite the fact that she studied and made good grades, she still always got nervous when there was a test. She would fret and worry herself into a slump, and until the moment she handed in the test, she couldn't relax.

When the door opened and she saw his smile, she felt like she had handed in her test - the butterflies left just as quickly as they had come, and she smiled back just as warmly, stepping into the manor.

For a moment, she was just quiet, looking at him, into his face. He hadn't changed, had he? And neither had she really - even in high heels, maybe because she didn't wear very high ones, she still saw eye-to-eye with him, not gazing down at him like a lot of people had.

She wanted to hug him. Tell him how badly she had missed him, how glad she was to see him and be there, that she'd be here for as long as he needed. Instead, she reached out, gently putting her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm so happy to see you too, Oswald. It's been too long." She wasn't admonishing him for practically disappearing off the map when he went to college, she didn't blame him for that. "I'm sorry it has to be under such sad circumstances. How are you holding up?" She didn't want to keep her hand on his shoulder for too long - she was hired help after all - but she was reluctant to pull away. She contented herself by sliding her hand down his arm a bit and then pulled her arm back to her side.

 

[tcost]

He would have put his hand on hers, but, too quickly, she slid it down his arm, and then pulled it away. He wanted to hug her, or at least to touch her.

What he really wanted to do was to make love to her, of course.

"Tolerably well," he answered her. "Much, much better now that you are here. Noelle, I have missed you so. I am so glad you came. You have no idea."

He was being too honest, he could drive her away. She had changed so little -- some of the baby fat was gone, that was all. They were still of a height, he didn't have to peer up at her. She was just so perfect, perfect for him.

He flapped his hands and gestured toward the parlor. "No need to stand. When you're actually working you can do all of that you want. For just now, let's sit down and catch up. Can I mix you a drink? Have you had lunch yet? Is there anything you need?"

The unbelievable thing was that she seemed just as happy to see him as he was to see her. This was all going to work out.

 

[wouldjakoindly]

But his stark, earnest honesty struck her as nothing more than sweet. Something occurred to her - nothing had changed between them. There was still that spark of something wonderful. She told herself that, if the opportunity arose, she would take it. Would tell him how she felt. She wanted to do it now, to pour her heart out to him right here. But she didn't - there would be time, at least she hoped so; and besides, it was too early. Her courage faltered as quickly as it had flared up - maybe the spark was something only she was feeling.

What she could feel from him was nerves - but that wasn't very unusual. Even four years ago, he had been quiet and nervous. She almost laughed - not at him, never at him, but it - he - was just so damned cute - but simply smiled.

"It's just me, Oswald," she assured him quietly. "There's no need to impress me, and you don't need to be so nervous - we're already friends here. I'd love to catch up. I'm really interested in what you've been up to." And she meant it.

She followed him into the parlor, letting her eyes take him in - just once, a smiling and non-judgmental appraisal. "It's good to see you're still a gentleman." A pause, and then gently, "Handsome, too."

 

[tcost]

Oswald snorted, and aimed an index finger at her, even as he indicated the sofa with his other hand. "Now, Noelle Pennyworth, you don't need to butter me up. You've spent your entire life living with Bruce Wayne. Bruce is handsome, on the order of a Hollywood star or a Greek god. I have mostly regular features and nowhere near so square a jaw."

He bent his head down a little bit, so he could regard her from beneath his eyebrows, the way he probably looked at most taller people. When he raised his head up again, after that admonition, he smiled again and once more looked at her squarely.

"You, on the other hand, are the most beautiful girl in the world. You always have been."

He was thin, almost too thin. His arms and legs were just a little bit too long for his small torso. He had always been cleanshaven, and that had not changed. There seemed to be no sign of the frequent cough he had had as a sixteen-year-old.

 

[wouldjakoindly]

Noelle sat primly, regarding him with a quirked eyebrow as she crossed her legs. When he was done, she simply... shook her head.

"Now, Oswald Cobblepot -" she shot right back. "If you expect me to take that compliment - which is completely unfounded, unless you've managed to see every girl in the world, and if so, I congratulate you - then you take mine."

She leaned forward, suddenly reaching out towards him, taking his tie in her hand - straightening it easily. She had done it for Bruce a million times, it was just an automatic reaction on her part.

"A Hollywood physique and a square jaw isn't the last word on attractiveness, you know." Noelle leaned back, crossed her arms, and inspected him thoroughly. She again reached out, this time tightening his tie a bit. She knew just when to stop so that it didn't choke him. "I'd only suggest putting a few good, home-cooked meals into you - I bet you haven't been eating well."

Satisfied with his tie, she leaned back into the sofa and hopefully patted the place beside her. "Tell me about college."

 

[tcost]

"Oh, I eat all right. But one of your duties will be cooking, and for that matter doing the grocery shopping. So you can make sure that I eat more in accordance with what you think I should. If I get fat, I'll make you exercise with me."

His manner might be fondly brash, but he was inwardly goggling at how assertive Noelle was. The way she played with his tie just charmed the hell out of him, and made him fantasize about doing other things with her. He hoped she didn't realize that.

He took the indicated seat, leaving no room between them. "College was okay," he said. "Lots of fascinating stuff to learn. There wee mean kids, just like in high school, but fewer of them and it was a good deal more impersonal. I learned a lot, especially about programming and mathematics. A little in the way of business law, and the usual liberal arts. And Russian. I learned to speak Russian."

He patted her knee. "You used to wear skirts. What have you been doing that might not meet the eye, these past four years? Are you seeing anyone?"

There was the big question, or at least the first of them.

 

[wouldjakoindly]

Noelle couldn't help it now. She tilted her head back and laughed. She had missed this, missed him, and was glad things just seemed back to normal now. "You've got yourself a deal, honey. I need exercise anyway."

She didn't mind the closeness at all. In fact, she loved it. She wanted to lean against him, put her arm around him. Along with these simple, almost innocent thoughts came another: she wanted to feel him on top of her. More than that: inside of her.

She felt herself blushing, her skin suddenly hot. She tried to ignore it as she listened to him. "I know you were thinking about going into programming. I never thought you'd learn Russian though - would have pegged French as your language. You'll have to say something nice in Russian for me soon."

When he touched her knee, she uncrossed her legs so that their legs were touching gently. "Oh, I still wear skirts. Just not with heels or I trip." She chuckled lightly, thinking about his questions. "Nothing's really changed. I graduated high school with good grades. Bruce offered to put me through college - I could have gotten grants too - but I decided why bother? I like cooking, cleaning, doing housework. I don't need a degree to do that."

His second question made her pause a bit longer though. Seeing anyone? Well, no, not technically. There was Bruce, but the thing between them wasn't official. Serious, maybe, but not in the way of a steady relationship.

"No, I'm not." She looked at him very closely now, a smile on her face but something - worry, maybe? - flashing through her eyes for a moment. "And you? There must have been some nice girls at college."

 

[tcost]

"There were many nice girls in college," Oswald returned calmly. He suddenly didn't seem so nervous any more. "I tried getting involved with three of them, one at a time, of course. But it never worked, because I kept comparing every one of them to you, and no one could measure up to that. And it's not just that you're the most beautiful girl in my world."

He took a deep breath. "I have a maid's outfit for you to wear. If you're willing to do that. Would you like to see it>"

 

[wouldjakoindly]

Noelle wasn't sure what to say. Her eyes widened and she felt herself blushing badly. He had compared other women to her? He really thought she was the most beautiful?

As if it wasn't obvious, she replied nervously, "Oswald, you're making me blush..."

She was about to try to laugh off what he had said - tease him about getting his eyes checked. But when he mentioned a 'maid outfit', everything she wanted to say stalled and then died in her throat.

Her eyebrows raised as she looked quietly at him a long moment. She knew - at least, she thought she knew - that she should be a little offended at the idea. Maid outfits were for perverts, or adventurous couples looking to spice up their sex life. But she wasn't offended. In fact, she rather liked the idea - liked the idea of the way his eyes would widen and drink her in if she was in that sort of costume.

Her tone of voice was almost - not quite, but almost - the low purr she used with Bruce. "Of course, Master Cobblepot. Whatever you'd like."

 

[tcost]

His face already expressed delight at her blush; when she agreed to the idea, and addressed him as Master Cobblepot, and in that consciously sexy voice, Oswald actually came to believe in the idea that his greatest dream was coming true. He stood up, and beckoned to her, looking down at her from the momentarily greater height.

"Had you turned me down, I would not have presented this particular outfit to any other prospective maid," he said. "It was designed expressly for you, and made according to my specifications. I think that I got all the sizes and dimensions right."

Smiling somewhat fiercely now, he went on. "Most likely, I would have come up with another maid outfit, maybe something sexy, depending on the woman. But this was imagined with you in mind."

As soon as she rose to join him, he was ready to lead her upstairs.

 

[wouldjakoindly]

Noelle didn't stand immediately. She sat there, looking a little surprised again - the blush wasn't dying down. Now she was sure she should be a little offended or... or something. Not only did he want her to dress up as a maid, but he had had one made, specifically, for her. Her brain should have been warning her to get away, and get away fast.

She took a deep breath and rose from the sofa, managing to get a bit of her redness under control. She was still pink though. "No need for another maid around here..." She licked her lips, thinking about how she had called him 'Master Cobblepot' - as a tease, nothing more, but she had honestly liked saying it, and she thought he liked hearing it.

And so what if this was his little perverted fantasy? She could humor him - more than that, she wanted to.

"I'll take care of everything, Master Cobblepot." She again placed her hand on his shoulder, keeping it there as he led her upstairs.

 

[tcost]

"I should say -- although I think that you probably realize this, I should still say it, explicitly -- that I have come to the conclusion that I am not a completely normal man in terms of my.. appetites. That said, I don't think that my tastes are all that unusual, either. Just not typical. Not vanilla, though I never have thought that that expression did any justice to the flavor vanilla, which I like rather a lot."

Oswald looked back over his shoulder at Noelle as she followed him upstairs, her hand on his shoulder. The mansion, while sprawling to include eighteen bedrooms after the last expansion, had originally been laid out with an eye toward the convenience of the master of the house. The stairs led up to a corridor, and the corridor led to the master bedroom at the far end, and opened at either side of the end to two adjoining bedrooms, each connected to the master suite by connecting doors. It was to one of these connecting rooms that Oswald led Noelle.

The room itself was tastefully decorated in maplewood furniture and a deep carpet of dark green; the walls were paneled in maple as well, not the modern style but a classic one. The bed was four posted and canopied. But the thing that drew the eye was the dress dummy.

On the dummy was the outfit. The skirt was very short, but it was pleated, not the normal choice for a maid's outfit; it was black, probably cotton or some polyester blend. There was a little cap that sat on a nearby countertop along with a set of heels, not too high but a little higher than the pair that Noelle was wearing now.

The top was a black leather corset. It had little pouffy sleeves attached to it, in the same fabric as the skirt was made from, but the rest of it was leather, and it was fastened closed in front by a series of short, criss-cross leather laces. The front was designed to push up the breasts, but otherwise to leave them uncovered. Bare, Minoan style.

"There is a blouse to wear under it," Oswald said quietly, "if you want to. Noelle -- Noelle, you deserve to know what you're getting into, with me."

 

[wouldjakoindly]

'His appetites'. That was a funny way to word it, if only because it made her blush again - she imagined yesterday's tryst with Bruce, except now Oswald was the one between her legs. It almost made her miss a step on the stairs, but she caught herself just in time.

How many times would she end up blushing today? How many times would she imagine him touching her, stroking a hand up between her thighs, against her chest?

Well, the first question was answered almost as soon as they stepped into the bedroom - the decor was what first caught her eye, it was beautiful, tasteful. The carpet matched her eyes.

Her gaze at first passed over the dress dummy, then quickly returned - a double-take, almost. She just stared at her, her lips slightly parted, for a moment. Then, finally coming to her senses, she took her hand from his shoulder and stepped over to it, touching the skirt, examining the high heels.

He told her there was a blouse. Yes, she would need the blouse. She wouldn't feel comfortable going around the place bare-breasted. She cared for him, and even knew that she wanted him very badly, but going around with... with her breasts just... just hanging out...

Noelle glanced over her shoulder at him. "Yes, I should know... tell me what I'm getting into." Her tongue came out, ran around her lips. Not slowly and erotically, but not quick and nervous either.

"And tell me you don't want me to wear the blouse."