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"It's not stalking, it's not stalking, it's not stalking." This was the mantra that Greg was repeating to himself as he paced on the street outside Tori's apartment building. He had made the decision to pursue her, to actively stake his claim on her rather than just sitting back and waiting for her to come to him. No one could deny the chemistry they had with one another, the previous night had demonstrated this. But then Greg also had to take into account that she had been damaged from her previous let down. If he was honest, he hoped that this really was her reason for leaving and not because he was a lousy lay. He hoped that if she took the time to see him again, he could show her that not all men were like that, and that although he was prone to moments of idiocy, for the most part his heart was good.

It turned out that she was easy enough to find. Google was amazing for that, and having read her website and testimonials, it was also easy to see she was pretty good at her job. He found it interesting that she would choose to arrange weddings, given what had happened, but whatever it was, it seemed to be working.

Once he found the address, he took a deep breath and made his way out hoping he wasn't making a massive mistake, but also very much looking forward to seeing her again.

Which led him to be pacing, like an idiot outside her mansion block. He gave himself one last pep talk and jogged his way up the stairs and buzzed the buzzer resolving to himself that he was doing the right thing.

***************************
Roni had been in full tirade for about twenty five minutes now. As I looked around the room, I found it created an interesting tableau. Carrie was perched open mouthed on the sofa, watching Roni's temper in fascination, Mike was rubbing his hand over his head back and forth as he always did when he was anxious about his wife throwing a wobbly, and I was flicking through Marie Claire wondering if I could justify a new pair of shoes. I was startled out of my reverie of the beauty that was Gucci by my sister screaming,

"You're not listening to me!"

I put down my magazine and faced my sister folding my arms, "As I told you at the beginning of this soliloquy of yours, I will not respond to you when you shout at me about something that doesn't involve you."

Roni stamped her foot, "But it's not right, I found him for you and you don't even have the decency to tell me about it?"

She pointed at her husband, "Mike knows", and then gestured dismissively to Carrie, "She knows." To which Carrie raised her eyebrows at being spoken to in that way - it seemed that we had forgotten that Carrie was a paying customer, but it didn't matter as Roni continued, "And yet I have to find out that my sister has had sex for the first time in two years from the person she did it with."

At this new piece of information my eyes widened, "Greg told you I slept with him?"

"No, he told Mike and Mike told me."

All eyes turned to Mike who raised his hands placatingly, "Now hold on a second, Roni. Vic, he wasn't gossiping - to be honest, the poor guy was worried that maybe he'd fucked up or something and once I told him about Luke..."

A stunned silence filled the room.

"You told him about Luke?" Carrie gasped

Roni gasped at me, "You told her about Luke?"

I sank back onto my sofa. These people were beginning to give me a headache, it was like some kind of farcical soap opera.

Carrie shook her head at Michael, "I'm not sure you should have told him about that, that's Tori's history that she should tell when she's ready."

"What do you know about it, and anyway who are you?" my sister demanded of Carrie

Mike sighed, ignoring his wife and responding to Carrie, "I know, I know. It's just that he's a great guy, and I really don't think that he would do anything to hurt her, you know?"

Carrie nodded and shrugged, "I suppose."

Taking advantage of the sudden distraction, Roni grabbed me by the arm and turning to the rest of the room announced,

"I would like to talk to my sister alone,"

She dragged me into the kitchen and sat me down heavily at the table and then made her way to the opposite side so that she was facing me. I looked at her steadily. My sister was beautiful. All of her features made complete sense on her face. It was as though she got the best from each of our parents which made her physically almost perfect. It had been awful growing up with her, not least because she was completely aware of her beauty, but because she was arrogant with it. Don't get me wrong, I loved my sister, and would kill for her, but Jesus she could be a bitch.

Happy to be back in charge, Roni tilted her head to one side and used the patronising tone she usually reserved for shop staff and waiters,

"So, how are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling fine thank you. I would really like it if you lot left though so I could go have a shower and wash the sex off of me, but somehow I can't see that happening."

Roni rolled her eyes, "Don't be crude. You could at least have told me you were going to go out with him."

"What so you could have advised me about what to wear, where to go, what to say, and how not to embarrass you and Mike? Give me a break Ron. It was just easier to go out and have a nice night with a nice man with no fuss. He was lovely and I had a lovely evening, but what happens from here is no business of yours."

"No, I wish you had told me as it shows that you are getting better and I couldn't bear to see you so broken over Luke."

"Well Luke was none of your business and neither is this so why don't you just leave it?"

Roni narrowed her eyes at me, a sign of open combat,

"You're just ungrateful, that's all it is. I just want you to remember that if this works out, it's only because I found him for you. And I still think you could have made things work with Luke you know, if you'd only changed-."

"Changed what?"

"Nothing," she shook her head, "Nothing at all."

And with that as a parting shot, she pushed back her chair on my tiles, which she knew I hated, and stalked her way back to her husband. I lay my head on the cool marble of the table, wishing I was anywhere else, listening to what seemed to be a bang and a muffled curse and then silence. Blessed silence. I was surprised not to hear Roni expounding on my ungratefulness at the top of her voice to Mike which was what she normally did when she was pissed off with me.

I lifted my head and looked over my shoulder, it was very quiet out there. I got up from the table and made my way back to the lounge to find Carrie hopping from foot to foot wringing her hands, Mike walking around in circles like a dog chasing his tail, Roni holding her hands to her mouth in shock and Greg, well Greg was lying on the floor with blood spurting from his nose.

********************************

Greg had had embarrassing moments. There had been the time that his rugby team mates had stolen his clothes after they had gone skinny dipping and forced him to hitchhike naked and then there was the time when he was seventeen and finally got the love of his life home after a party and then vomited on her from having drunk too much vodka. But as far as he was concerned, there was nothing worse than having made a gallant effort to find the woman who he desperately wanted, only to be assaulted by her sister's massive designer handbag containing the new very expensive pair of Jimmy Choo shoes that she was hiding from her husband.

And now here he was, sitting on Tori's sofa with ice on his nose, a burgeoning black eye and her rubbing the back of his neck. Everyone had made a fairly rapid disappearance from the flat once the blood had started to flow, leaving Tori and Greg with each other and a whole lot of tension.

He cleared his throat and took a breath to start a conversation but was beaten by,

"I sure know how to entertain don't I?"

Greg laughed and winced as his nose jolted, he wondered if it was broken.

She winced with him,

"You must think I'm really rude hey? Leaving like that."

Greg turned to her, "Not rude, I was just worried that maybe you didn't enjoy yourself with me. I had a great time, I just wanted to make sure you did too."

He watched Tori gnaw at her lip and realised that she did this was she was either nervous or turned on. If he was honest, he was turned on just looking at her, but wanting to get everything out in the open, he decided to just brazen it out.

"Listen, we weren't very smart last night, you know protection and all that. I wanted to make sure you were ok, that's why I'm here. I'm not stalking you or anything"

Tori laughed delightedly, "Don't lie, you've been staking out my house for weeks."

He nodded, "Damn it, caught . What gave me away? My night vision goggles?"

Tori laughed again, and then furrowed her brow, "Why wouldn't everything be ok? What you mean - oh, don't worry. I'm on the pill. Funny, Mike mentioned something about you thinking you may have knocked me up but that was overshadowed by the approaching Fury that was my sister. Isn't that a horrible term, 'knocked me up' - just awful."

While Tori thought through the negative connotations of pregnancy slang, Greg heaved a sigh of relief and was interested to note that there was a hint of disappointment in his heart also. Would it have been so bad if she had his child? Was this something he wanted? He wasn't sure, he was being ridiculous given they had just met - wasn't he?

He touched his nose tentatively, and took the towel away. The bleeding had stopped pretty much and there was just a dull ache. He felt ridiculous.

"Hey, I should go, I think I've finished bleeding all over your floor now."

Tori turned to him, "Oh, well you don't have to you know. You can stay and have some lunch if you fancy it, I was going to cook anyway."

Unsure if she was just being polite, Greg fell back on his manners instilled from childhood,

"I couldn't ask for that - I don't want to keep you from any plans you may have."

Tori shook her head, "I insist, besides we should keep an eye on you just in case you die or something."

Greg raised his eyebrows, "Thanks very much Miss Grayson, that's reassuring."

"I'll have you know it's Ms Grayson thank you very much - now, do you eat pasta?"

She winked at him and pushed herself up from the sofa to make her way to the kitchen. He reached up his hand to catch hers before she left and she turned back to him with a question on her face. He pulled her gently and she stumbled onto his lap. He whispered in her ear,

"You know, although I was lonely waking up this morning, I'm glad you left me something to remember you by."

Tori furrowed her brow, certain she had picked up everything until he slid his fingertips from her shoulder down her arm and she felt her wetness seep its way down her legs due to the absence of her underwear. She bit her lip again, but Greg was delighted to note that this time it was coupled with her eyes darkening. She wanted him again.

He raised his face to hers, sliding his hand up her skirt along her leg and kissed her gently, tracing her lips with his tongue and listening to her breath quickening. She lifted her hands to run them over his brown hair and to pull him closer to her in order to deepen the kiss, rubbing her legs together, embarrassed at her lack of underwear and desperate to scratch the heat that was pooling in the base of her belly. Greg continued to kiss her, revelling in her enthusiasm and the warmth of her skin. He nipped at her neck and listened to her moan quietly. He watched her chest rise and fall faster and faster as he slid his hand up her skirt and reached her wet pussy then watched her bite her lip and close her eyes as he slid his fingers into her welcoming heat.

Greg struggled to find a comfortable position on the sofa, his dick was so hard. But he wanted to take his time this time with Tori, to make sure he imprinted on her just how much he wanted her and how beautiful he thought she was. He slid her skirt up and lowered his head to join his fingers when he was interrupted by the shrill tone of the telephone.

Greg felt Tori tense and then sit up as though out of a trance. She looked beautiful; tousled and flushed and embarrassed and horny. She smiled at him sheepishly and ran across the room to the telephone to answer it. Greg sighed heavily resigning himself to the fact that the moment was lost, this thought was confirmed once the conversation was finished and Tori turned to him,

"So, carbonara ok?"

****************************

It was ridiculous. Even the way he ate was sexy. Greg was doing wonders for my culinary ego as he was slurping up my spaghetti carbonara as though he had never eaten before. I in the meantime was having difficulty eating because every time I put something in my mouth, I was wishing it was a random part of Greg's anatomy.

Greg startled me out of my thoughts by pushing his now empty plate away and rubbing his belly,

"Happy?" I asked him

"Absolutely," he grinned back. He slid down in his chair getting comfortable and looked around the large lounge.

"Have you just moved in?"

"No, I've been here about two years now."

"Oh? So how come-"

"How come everything is still in boxes? Because I just never got around to decorating."

I realised that my tone had become quite sharp. Not least because I had raised my voice, but also because Greg had raised his hands as in, don't shoot me, I'm just the messenger.

I bit my lip,

"Sorry, it's still a sore point to even hear his name mentioned."

Greg leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and staring down at his empty plate,

"Do you still love him, is that why you ran out on me?"

My surprise at the question stilled me into silence, and I think Greg took that as positive assent because the next thing I knew he had slid back his chair across my tiles - why won't anyone lift their chairs - and was making his way to the hallway to pick up his jacket. This spurred me into action,

"Where are you going?"

He spun back to me, a fierce look on his face,

"I think you're lovely, and would love to take the time to get to know you. I think we could have a great time together. But I don't want to be second best. I want to be the one that you want, because God knows I want you but it wouldn't make sense for us to try and start anything if you're heart isn't in it."

Well I think this was the biggest speech Greg had made in the thirty seven hours that we had met. I watched him watching me with his lovely blue eyes piercing mine and I realised that holding myself back from my life meant that I could possibly miss out on this very nice and very hot man being mine, if we got that far. And if I was to get rid of Luke and the murky shadow that he left in my mind, I would just have to throw myself into whatever it was that Greg was offering.

I was no good at taking the first step, had never been - except for last night and that was the chocolate fondant's fault. But I recognised that what happened now was important not just for me but for Greg too.

I stepped closer to him and looked up to him, god he was so tall, and placed my hands on his chest, hoping he would take over as he had the night before, but no, nothing. I grasped his shirt into my fists and pulled him closer to me whilst pushing myself onto my toes and praying that he didn't push me away because that I really couldn't take.

I pushed my lips on his, his familiar taste whisking me back to the night before, and moaned when his hands came around my waist and he pulled me even closer to him.

**************************

Greg was glad to be the first one awake, she couldn't leave him this time and anyway they were in her flat. He watched her sleep and smiled to himself. He was very happy that this had happened. He knew they were going to have to talk about Luke and whatever eventually, but surely by them doing this meant that she was moving on?

He looked back down at her and found that she was watching him too.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself."

He leaned down and kissed her gently and pulled away running his finger down her nose.

He could see her thinking,

"What's the matter?"

"I was just thinking of how smug Roni's going to be when she knows we're seeing each other." She paused and sat up in the bed pulling the sheet with her, "We are seeing each other aren't we?"

Greg grinned at her, "You try and stop me!"

"Right, well then it means that she will be ultra smug - shit!."

Greg pulled her into his arms, "Why does she take such an interest anyway - what's her problem?"

"I think it's guilt. She feels guilty because she introduced me and Luke, and then encouraged me to continue seeing him and because she was the last person he spoke to before he announced that he wouldn't be going through with the wedding."

Greg frowned, "So did they know each other before then?"

Tori matched his frown, "I don't think so. I think he was just her little sister's boyfriend. When we got together, Roni had not long married Mike. But to be honest, Luke really was more Roni's type than mine. He was successful and sexy and arrogant - completely her type. But somehow he found his way to me. I've often wondered what would have happened if Roni hadn't been married. Maybe she would have ended up with him instead and saved me a shitload of money and heartache! Anyway, it's all water under the bridge now so can we stop talking about him?"

Greg nodded and then all thoughts of Luke were swept away as Tori burrowed her way under her sheet and took him in her mouth.