| 14.3 | closing the deal

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❝You make me, you make me, you make me wanna make mistakes
Love how bittersweet it tastes
Hey, hey, hey.❞

Chapter Fourteen:
Closing the Deal
(cont'd)

"My little doodle bug?"

"No."

"What about sugar lips?"

"Hans."

The elevator opened up to our floor and I nearly ran out of it, wanting to escape this onslaught of a cute-but-not-so-cute nickname hunt. Hans, seeming to have caught my train of thought, wrapped his arms around my body from behind to stop me from doing exactly that. I groaned when he snuggled his face into the side of my neck, guiding us out while managing to tickle me into acceptance with the scratch of his stubble.

"Oh lighten up, will you sunshine?"

"Won't you stop?" I groaned, nearly back-handing him in the face with my bag. I jingled the keys in my hand, making it perfectly aware that I wanted to end this nonsense and go to bed.

It was late - somehow, following our beautiful albeit emotionally draining lunch, Hans decided to liven up the day by taking us back to National Harbor where we wiled away the time on his boat. It was quite a sight - watching the sunset and the palette of colors fill the sky with his arms around me. Compared to the gentle warmth that had spread through my heart then, all I could relate him to now was an octopus who just wouldn't unlock me.

I violently jammed the key into the keyhole and was just about to flick it to the left and barge into the comfort of our home when Hans, with sudden and unexpected flair, spun me around and pushed me up against the door.

"Don't be so cruel, angel," he smirked, his face mere inches from mine. "I'm just trying to find something that'll work for the both of us."

"I think we should go back to the old us. Remember when I used to call you a dick all the time? That definitely worked for me."

Hans grinned.

"Yeah, that was kind of hot."

He pressed closer to me and I found, with a thrilling jolt, that despite how long we'd been together now, every time he touched me still had the same effect as the first, if not more now. I blushed but gave him a stern glare, pressing my hands flat against his chest.

"Hans."

"Tris."

I felt him still grinning as he dipped his head and kissed the side of my neck. His tongue lapped at my pulse before his mouth fixed to the tender skin there, sucking ever so lightly but hard enough to make me moan.

"Hans."

"Yes, doll?"

His hands worked up the side of my body, resting near the underside of my breasts but not daring to venture any further. The things this man could do without even trying were ridiculous but it was utterly inhumane of him to put me to this torture - touching me, but not quite going where I needed him to. He was a dick, all right. A big one.

"Stop it," I whimpered, closing my eyes and tilting my head back against the door to give him more space to spoil me.

"Not until we settle this deal."

I tried all I could to shove him off me but the tantalizing effect of his lips on my skin had rendered my limbs useless. In fact, if it weren't for his hips pressing against my body, I would have fallen like a puppet to the ground.

"Please?" The desperation in my voice was quite evident and that's what prompted him to stop and stare at what he'd reduced me to. A wolfish grin begun to grow on his mouth, and it was smiles like those coupled with the roguish scar that cut across his right brow, that made him look more like a smug teenage bad-boy than anything else.

"Well," he brought his lips to my ears, "I can't say no to daddy's little girl, can I?"

I nearly died.

To my greatest horror, Hans noticed the way my face flushed and the involuntary bite of my lip. I didn't give him much time to make something of my overly flattered reaction to that name and twisted the knob behind me, causing us both to tumble into our apartment into what I hoped would be darkness. What I was met by, however, permanently scarred me. Because standing on the other side of the door, listening in to the spectacle that Hans and I had been putting up the whole while, were none other than the people I held dear to my heart, including (oh dear God) Hans' father.

"You should really sound-proof this place. Or get a thicker door," Tim murmured, looking as red as I felt. Rina, who stood by his side, turned her face away but by the shaking of her shoulders I could tell she was laughing. Hard.

"Are you kidding me?" Helena snorted, downing her flute of champagne in one second. Her eyes lit up like a mad - slightly horny - woman's as she wiggled her eyebrows at Hans and I. "That was the best porn ever." Turning to Jasper who was shaking his head to himself in disappointment, she held her palm open to him and wiggled her fingers. "Cash it in, Jazz."

My mouth fell open as I saw Jasper slip out his wallet and take out a mint green dollar bill. Benjamin Franklin looked as scorned as Jasper did when he slapped it into Helena's open hand, shooting us both a very defeated glare.

"What exactly were you two betting on?" Hans asked, sounding on the verge of laughter.

"On how long you'd be able to keep it in your pants," Jasper snapped. "Helena said you'd have your hands on her before making it to the door. I thought you'd have a little more self-restraint. Shame on the both of you."

The fact that my former boss and possibly future father-in-law were here to see this was enough to embarrass me for life.

"Surprise!" Helena hooted, passing her empty glass to Tim who looked like he needed the distraction. She stepped through the small gathering of pink people and crashed into me, her short arms enveloping my body in the tightest hug yet. Standing on her toes, she whispered, "And happy birthday, ya little minx."

"What now? Whose?"

Helena plopped back down and looked up at me with a wide, coyote-like grin.

"Yours, of course. You're twenty-seven and you're ripe, so let's get you good and drunk, shall we?"

She hooked arms with me and steered us away in the direction of the dining table which, I just noticed, was filled with unopened bottles of wines, packed gifts and delicious finger-food platters. It took me a while to realize that these preparations were all for me. I twisted around from our locked arms and looked at Hans. A gentle smile graced his features as he leaned against the back of the couch, little Nozomi settled and purring contently in his arms. My gaze flickered to Tim who was next to him, saying something that I couldn't quite catch but had the effect of making their faces break out into full grins. Hans and Tim...they had planned this to be a surprise, to catch me off guard.

It all made so much more sense to me now. Why Tim had insisted that I get out of the office, today of all days, and how Hans had been suspiciously free from work. They wanted to make this day all about me, and they sure delivered.

As the night ventured on, I started to let go of everything that had been building in my system. The stress, the pressure, and the other burdens that came along with leading an independent, adult life. Among the company of affectionate friends and soon-to-be family, I couldn't help but feel reborn - the number twenty seven not an indication of my growing age but a reminder of how many more dreams I had left to fulfill. My eyes flickered to Hans who stood across the room, chatting with Rina and a smile graced my lips at the sight.

He was my new dream. The rush of warmth and the emotions that churned within my chest, utterly devastating me since the moment we had first met had settled but not quite enough for me to look at him without feeling it again. I loved him so much that it hurt.

"What'ya looking at, tootles?" Helena's voice piped up from my side. I didn't have to answer. She followed my gaze and snort-laughed. "Stop mentally bedding your man and dance with me already. Remember that night in Paris? That was wild. We should-"

"I love him."

My sudden declaration stopped Helena's monologue of our past exploits. Tearing my eyes away from Hans, I smiled and looked down at her, cheeks flooding in heat. Her mouth twitched, fighting a sarcastic retort no doubt as she cocked an eyebrow at me.

"Enough to want to carry his children and continue his lineage of beautiful Euro-American babies?"

"They would be beautiful, wouldn't they?"

Helena's mouth fell open and she sputtered as she set down her plate of food on the table behind us.

"Wait. You're kidding."

My grin widened at the expression of the utter shock on her face. It was a long time since I'd evoked that from her, and boy, was it satisfying to see it. I lifted the glass to my lips and took a long, drawn out sip. Helena took this as a confirmation and gripped my forearm, her nails digging into my skin.

"I get one, right?"

"Get what now?"

"A baby." She shot me a pointed look. "You know Jade and I...well, we can't. And your offspring would be a pure delight to take in. Imagine the beautiful horror we could create of your child."

The picture of Helena as a mother, let alone to a child I'd given birth to, was terrifying. She was right. She'd create a nightmare.

"You do know Hans hasn't even considered marriage, right?" I said skeptically. "It's not like it's on his mind. I'm just saying I love him a lot that-"

"Marriage is open for discussion? Yeah, I get that. But I'd say with that dirty old man over there feeding it in into his thoughts, you have a great shot." Helena tilted her head over at Hans' father who was sneaking up on his son from behind, face lit up with the kind of color that told me he'd had too much to drink. She did have a point.

"No, but seriously. Put my name down for one of your babies."

"You're still on that?" I laughed, shaking my head. Helena smirked but didn't say much more as we both watched Mr. Blythe ambush his son from behind with a roar of a laugh. Hans turned and caught his father, eyes wide in surprise before crinkling in affection as he helped his dad down onto the closest chair, muttering something about him drinking too much.

"They sure are awfully chummy now, aren't they?"

I smiled.

"Yeah. They are."

As if sensing that he was being talked about, Hans looked over at us at that exact second. He mouthed something to me that I couldn't make out, before sighing and making his way over but not before making sure that his dad wasn't going to do something stupid in his drunken stupor.

"I think it's time we wrap this party up," Hans said, sounding a little tired as he came to a stop in front of Helena and I.

"The party just got started," Helena complained but her whine fell on deaf ears as all Hans did was throw her an unsatisfied glare before settling his attention back on me.

"Tris?"

One quick look around had me agreeing with him. Despite it being my birthday and despite the majority of the guests being in their late-twenties, hence young enough to party their asses off if they wanted to, everyone was behaving quite mellow. It looked more like a formal family gathering than anything as nothing quite out of bounds happened, much to Helena's dismay.

Rina was falling asleep on Tim's shoulder, both of them sat on the couch, and Francesca looked as if she were in conversation with a sleepy-eyed Jaden just to keep him awake. Not to mention Mr. Blythe who, judging by the soft snores arising from his corner of the room, sounded just about ready for bed.

"You're right," I sighed, ignoring the immediate groan from Helena. "Everyone looks beat."

"Fine," Helena grumbled from my side. She angrily munched down on a spring roll, maintaining angry eye contact with both Hans and I as she did it before dusting off the crumbs on her hands and jabbing me on the chest. "But you and I are going to party like there's no tomorrow later this week." She jabbed her thumb at Hans' and declared, "And he's not allowed."

"Right, as if Tris will agree to something like-"

"Deal."

Hans' mouth fell open as Helena and I shook on it. It didn't help when she brought up indirect references to our wild adventures of the past as she strutted toward the middle of the room and declared the party's end. Hans didn't say much as everyone else followed what she had started and wished us their goodbyes and final, heartfelt wishes for my birthday. Helena was the last to leave. If it weren't the cloud of alcohol she carried with her, the taste of her goodbye kiss sure confirmed that she was 200% drunk.

"Happy birthday, part-time lover," she whispered into my ear, giving me a final peck on the mouth before turning to a stiff, displeased Hans with a grin resembling a hyena's. "And good night to you, mandork."

"Ha!" Hans' deathly glare made me cover my laugh with a cough. Mandork. That nickname was going to stick for sure.

"Don't you drink too much tonight. Biology might fail you and we don't want those swimmers of yours slowing down now, do we?" Helena nudged him with her elbow a couple times, cackling with her head thrown back when she received a blank reaction. I steered her out of the apartment, and gave her a quick hug at the door way before shutting the door on her overly coy expressions, only to turn and face Hans who was staring me down with his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face.

_____

Song: Mistakes by Tove Styrke

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