Chapter Text
‘Last round.’ Granny gave me a stern look over the rim of her glasses and took my empty whiskey glass and napkin from the bar. I shifted on my stool.
‘Another one please, Granny.’ I said, ignoring her scoff. I had eaten my dinner here, and stayed to read my book in peace. Dinner had turned into desert (Granny made the best tiramisu in town) and desert had turned into a night cap. The place emptied, the people of Storybrooke returned to their homes, the sleepy town leaned back in slumber. I smiled at Leroy as he waved to no one in particular and closed the door behind him. I never talked to any of them, but I enjoyed them. We all knew that we were relics of this town, our roots too deeply planted to not be part of it. All pieces of the same puzzle. Granny usually closed after the last guest had left. It would also happen that she lost her patience with the residents -or her granddaughter Ruby- and then she’d close the door at 8 pm sharp. Tonight was not such a night. The deepening wrinkle in her forehead might have suggested otherwise, but I could stay a little longer. For now.
From the corner of my eye I saw the dark figure of Mister Gold at the other end of the bar. He moved his hand, gesturing to his glass the same way I had done. I peered at him over my book. As if he had felt my gaze, he turned his head. He watched me as I was watching him, his sharp nose pointing in my direction, his dark eyes squinting. I never had the misfortune to cross his path before, but I knew who he was. I knew he owned most of the property in Storybrooke, and many people owed him their rent. I had bought my small house at the edge of the forest some time ago. My mind drifted as I tried to remember the previous owner, or even the year I had bought my house, but I got pulled back into the diner when the hostess firmly placed a clean glass in front of Mister Gold to pour him his drink. His attention drifted away from me and it broke the tension.
His face changed when Granny filled his glass. It was as if he tried to give her a smile, but he smiled as if his teeth hurt, and he winced when she huffed coldly at him. I tried to focus on my book. Now that I had become aware of his presence, and he of mine, I couldn’t help but sense the ambiance. He wasn’t watching me in the same way I wasn’t watching him: our faces turned away, painfully aware of the other.
‘Not a very generous pour.’ I heard him say. His voice sounded raspy as he talked to her in a hushed tone.
‘Don’t start.’ Was Granny’s instant rebuttal. ‘If you want to control how much whiskey goes in a glass, you open a diner.’
Mister Gold grumbled. ‘I don’t need to be in control of how much whiskey goes in a glass,’ he said, ‘I just don’t like being taken advantage of.’
‘You love bossing others around,’ Said Granny. ‘But that doesn’t fly here. My rent is always on time. You can enjoy your whiskey and then you can go.’ Gold cocked his head at being spoken to like that. For a second, I felt the authority of a man with too much power. He seemed calculative about his next move. Then the moment passed.
‘Thank you.’ He spat through his crooked teeth.
I exhaled softly in the rim of my book, eying the man across the diner. I traced the shelves behind the bar, ignoring the hostess and the wrinkle in her forehead that had deepened with every hour. I wondered what their history was. He clearly had no leverage over her tonight. I’m sure he was brewing on how to get it. But now, he sat on his stool, gazing into his glass, and his shoulders arched downward.
Granny sighed as she stepped through the door to her office. For a moment, the diner was completely silent. Reluctantly, Mister Gold turned his head to point his sharp nose in my direction again.
‘You live in that quaint little house at the edge of town.’ He rasped. He spoke softly, but with enough authority to make sure I’d heard him.
‘It is not for sale.’ I replied, eyes on my book.
‘Who said I was interested in buying?’
It took a while, but then I looked up. He was still staring at me, one corner of his mouth pulled back in a calculated smile. A golden tooth adorned the row of lower teeth. I noticed a charm you sometimes see in men used to get their way.
‘I don’t believe we’ve met.’ He continued. Cautiously, I put my book down, which Mister Gold took as an invitation to come closer. He left one stool between us when he took place next to me.
‘Now how can that be, in such a small town?’
‘I keep to myself.’ I said.
‘And why is that?’
‘I like it that way.’ Up close, his facial features seemed softer and his eyes were so dark I couldn’t even see his pupils. He placed one arm on the bar, his posture relaxed and attentive as he slightly leaned in my direction. I didn’t know what he wanted with me, but if the rumors were true this wasn’t someone who’d approach you just to have a chat.
He traced lines across my face with his gaze, as if he was looking for something familiar. As if he tried to pinpoint me as a puzzle piece and understand where this stranger fit into the whole.
‘Well I hope I’ve not disturbed your lonesome night out, dearie.’ He rolled his ‘r’s in the last word and downed his whiskey. Then he grabbed the cane next to his stool and stood up.
‘Pleasure meeting you.’ He rasped. He held out his hand. ‘Mister Gold.’ He said, as I took it. I didn’t expect he’d leave me alone so quickly.
‘Miss Winters.’ I replied. That charming, but discreet smile of his returned. He draped his matte black coat over his arm and he left without saying another word. The door creeped back into its frame. It felt as if a conversation had been lost between us right there, as if something should have happened.
‘Watch out for that one.’ Granny had reappeared behind the bar to derail my train of thought. She squinted at the door and I squinted at her.
‘What did he want from you?’
‘I don’t know.’ I said.
‘I wouldn’t entertain his advances if I were you.’ She said. ‘That man is-’
‘May I have the check please, Granny?’ she gave a stern look for interrupting her, but I wasn’t about to listen to the commentary of a nosy woman.
Only when I got up to get my coat, I felt the alcohol in my body. I brightened, feeling the rush, and took a deep breath when I stepped outside. I closed my eyes for a second and let my warm cheeks cool against the night. My book bag hung loosely over my shoulder.
‘May I walk you home?’
I turned around to find him again. Mister Gold, now inside his dark coat. I looked over my shoulder to see Granny peering through the blinds, so I approached him and took his arm.
I said him name. ‘What is it you want?’
When he looked at me I felt his breath against my face.
‘Your company.’ He said. ‘Just a few moments of your time. That is all.’
‘I’ve heard you make deals with people.’ I said. ‘That your attention always comes with a price.’
‘Not tonight, dearie. I am just walking you home.’
His arm felt strong and his body warm against mine. I had to admit that even though I felt wary, his presence was comforting. He walked with a limp and leaned heavily on his cane, but this did not hold him back in leading me – away from the diner and into the street – with confidence.
‘I’m not interested in dating, if that is what you are after.’ I tried.
‘Dearie,’ he sighed, ‘My heart already belongs to someone. I just want to get to know the only person I haven’t spoken a word to in the many years I’ve lived in this town.’
His use of the word ‘years’ shifted something inside me, and I felt a pang of a vague and unfamiliar sorrow. It crept up in my throat, but I couldn’t place it. I took a deep breath to get rid of it, to return to this moment, to him.
‘I didn’t know you were married. ‘ I said. That left him silent for a while. I looked at him and he looked ahead. His face had tightened.
‘I’m not… currently with her.’ He replied. His mouth curled into a grimace.
‘What about you?’
‘My heart belongs to no one.’ I said. ‘I like it that way.’
‘A loner in every aspect, then?’
‘Pretty much. I do enjoy people, but not so much… getting involved with them.’
‘Yet, you’re letting me walk you home.’ His tone was kind, warm even, but he held himself in a guarded manner. I didn’t know what would happen to that demeanor if he didn’t get his way. I looked over my shoulder. Granny’s diner was now at the end of the street, and the hostess still peering through the blinds.
‘My curiosity gets the best of me sometimes.’ I admitted. Mister Gold stopped walking, keeping me standing too as I was still holding his arm.
‘Is that so?’
I had always imagined him taller. He looked wide in his coat, but in his movement I recognized a slender posture. His hair was almost shoulder-length, grey streaks sprung from his temples, and flowed down in waves to blend into cedar brown. The way he looked at me then brought the term ‘beady eyes’ to mind.
‘You’d think my life would be mundane, the way I never seek out people. But all I do is deflect that what I expect will bore me. You don’t seem like someone who’d bore me.’
‘Is that a compliment?’
I gave him a sweet smile. ‘It really is.’ I replied. With that, I set us in motion again.
‘Do you have a first name?’ He asked me.
‘Do you?’ I said.
The streets of Storybrooke were empty by luck or design, and an alley appeared right around the corner. I felt a bit hazy with liquid courage but I remember I was the one to lead him into the alley, my hand pressed against the sturdy fabric of his coat. I didn’t press too hard, thinking of his injured leg, but he let me guide him until his back was against the wall. He said nothing, yet a grin crept over his face, his golden tooth reflecting the little light that reached us.
‘Mister Gold,’ I said. Then I waited, but his face did not change. There was a quietude in his eyes. Not one of peace, but the sort you find in the eye of a hurricane.
‘I do not want to make a deal with you.’
‘I never asked you for a deal.’ He rasped. His accent seemed sharper. I could feel his voice against my hand. I brought my face closer.
‘I think we can help each other in different ways.’ I said. ‘You told me that your heart belongs to someone, and I told you my heart belongs to no one.’
‘Indeed.’
My eyes were drawn to his parted lips, and I noticed he didn’t recoil when I drew even closer.
‘Then let’s say those are our rules.’
‘For the deal we didn’t make?’ His sounded calm, frustratingly so, but his hands opened my winter coat and wrapped around my back. His breath touched my lips.
‘It’s not a quid pro quo.’ I said, feeling the heat of this stranger’s body seep into my clothes. ‘I just want to use you.’
Mister Gold grunted, the mirage of his calm demeanor suddenly falling away. His fingers clawed into my skin and he licked into my mouth before our lips found each other. I grabbed his face with both hands, pressing myself against him, feeling a pang of relief and then a burst of desire. His kiss was hard and deep and I grabbed into the hair behind his neck. My chest burned against his. His pull made me lose my balance for a second, and he saw the opportunity to push his knee between my thighs. Mister Gold tasted like the smell of fire against a night sky, or of the earth after heavy rain. The physical attraction I had been so certain of all night now made us want to crawl into one another, had turned time on it’s head. His sweat pearled against my palms and steam rose from his heaving chest. I felt that I had known this passion he harbored within. I couldn’t wait to see what else I could extract from him.
As I unclenched my fist from his hair, I firmly pressed down on his thigh and rolled my hips to let him know where I wanted this to go. Our kiss slowed and I pulled back until he had to lean over me to press his lips to mine, then break away, then kiss me once more. I felt the coil of desire in my abdomen as I deliberately moved over his leg. Then, I pressed my hip against his erection. He let out a shuddering breath, teeth blinking.
‘Would you use me for good or for evil?’ he said softly. He looked at me through his eyelashes. It seemed he peered for the answer in me, but I saw his forehead, and then is crown as he bowed his head and nuzzled into my neck. His hot mouth left wet spots on my skin, cooling rapidly against the air.
‘For pleasure, Mister Gold.’ I replied. ‘I’d be using you for pleasure.’
And so he held me tightly around the waist as we walked to my home, quickly despite him needing his cane. Every time he had to use his bad leg he grabbed me tighter and we swayed from side to side, and forward with determination.
Inside, I stepped behind him to take his coat, which he let slide from his shoulders. His hand was on me as I hung it on the rack, the other on his cane, his lips in my neck again. Catching his arm, I guided him towards the stairs, but two steps in I felt his warm hand slip from mine. I turned to see him look at me with hunger in his eyes, grasping the bannister to keep his balance.
‘Please carry on, Miss Winters.’
I walked in front of him, backwards, removing my shirt, giving him something to look at. He inhaled deeply when I dangled my bra in front of him, like a beast searching out its prey. I kept out of his reach, backing away into my bedroom. Back on level ground, Mister Gold regained his speed and he swung his cane to the side as he entered the room too. He growled, pawing at my naked back, caressing his fingertips over my collarbone. There was a thrilling hunger in his kiss. Something came loose within him, it seemed. His fingers felt sharper as they bore into me, his body tensed as he drew me closer. His tongue was demanding, but I answered gladly, pulling his shirt up and clawing at the fabric. Not fully recovered from the climb up the stairs, he started losing his breath. His defense weakened and his kisses shortened, until he tore himself away to breathe.
The sound of rushing blood in my ears eased, and I regarded the man in front of me, giving myself a moment to look at him. To look at where I had gotten him. I saw thunder inside him. Unbuttoning his shirt, starting with the top button, I traced the lines down his neck and stopped halfway to kiss his chest. Mister Gold’s hands were softer now, and he ran them up my arms.
‘I may not look the part, but I can last as long as I desire.’ His voice was clouded with lust. When I looked up, his pupils were blown wide. I inhaled, lips parted, leaning closer. He closed his eyes in anticipation, but I whispered against his mouth:
‘You look the part. That’s why I chose you.’
I walked him towards my bed until he hit it with the back of his knees and he was forced to sit. His eyes fell to my breasts, but again I laid my hand on his shoulder to push him down, back against the mattress.
‘Hmpf…’ he sighed. ‘You chose me, eh?’
I stepped out of my jeans and underwear and straddled him, shivering as his hands found their way back to my naked skin. I caressed his temples, weaving my fingers into his hair. His eyes closed at my touch. It stilled me. I had not known him before today. And now he was here, under me, and he showed himself when he rested his cheek in my hand.
When his eyes opened again, something was shining behind his long lashes. He enjoyed my fingertips at his scalp, my lips on his neck and jaw. When we kissed again, a newer, deeper desire arose in me, and his firm touch – at my sides, arms and down over my buttocks- made it sing around in my body. Our tongues met in a slow, wet dance as I continued undressing him. I was aching. I could feel it when he cupped my vulva and my heartbeat pulsed against his palm.
‘Miss Winters…’ he gasped, pressing a finger between my lips. I held my breath as he carefully moved up and down, not touching my clit or my entrance on purpose, slicking his fingers with my heat.
‘Keep going.’ I begged, pressing my lips to his chest. Immediately, he pushed inside. I clung onto his shoulders as he found exactly where to touch me, curling his fingers against my inner walls. I pushed back, rolling my hips over his hand, but he had a grip on me, his palm rubbing against my clit, touching all of me. Grabbing at my hair with his free hand he drew my mouth from his chest. I saw his mouth, open and tensed, his gold tooth shining, hot breath breaking through. I saw his jaw, strained, his brow pulled down. His eyes were depthless and demanding. I had to look at him. I had to hold his gaze as his strong fingers moved inside me, fast and with devastating control.
‘Mister Gold!’ I exclaimed, my breath staggering. The rhythm of my hips grew uneven and I writhed against his hand as I felt my end approaching. Somewhere before my eyes rolled back, I saw his smile of smug contentment, and then the release of my orgasm burned through me, barely subsiding as he did not yield his finger’s offense.
‘That’s the first one.’ He said.