OTA

[hollow_moon]

He liked spring. There was still a chill to the air most days at the moment, but you could see nature slowly waking from its slumber, even here in the heart of the city.  It brought the wolf inside him nothing but joy, and left him with an itch to be outside in the sunlight, roaming and exploring. He'd have to plan a trip to the country soon, somewhere he could really roam wild...

For now, however, a jog through the park would have to do.

Dressed in running shorts and a t-shirt, Valentine alternated between jogging and sprinting. Moving slower where there were crowds, then taking off at top speed along empty stretches of the path, the man didn't stop until his heart was pounding hard and he knew he needed a break. Slowing to a stop, he stretched out and caught his breath, before drinking from the water bottle that he had strapped to his hip.

"Sorry, didn't mean to stop in the centre of the path," he said, stepping out the way when he realised someone was attempting to get past him.

Comments

[harrowgate]

"A second date," Felix all but purred, catching Valentine's gaze. He seemed about to say something more, but their ordered dishes arrived before he could, and Felix sat back again, re-filling his glass whilst lunch was served.

Once the wait staff had withdrawn and Felix was curiously toying at his risotto with his fork, he noted, "Somehow we don't seem to have gotten as far as family names. Did you prefer it that way?"

[hollow_moon]

"Hmm?" Val replied, taking a bit bite of his steak, then chewing and swallowing.

"Oh, sorry. I thought you'd caught mine already, though maybe I never gave it. I suppose I don't bother usually, there's not many Valentine's in London after all... It's Collingwood, Valentine Collingwood."

And while Valentine himself stayed out of the press these days, his family was well known none the less. All that wealth meant a family full of headline makers, 'it' girls and guys, well publicized charity work, and plenty of a-list friends.

[harrowgate]

"I must have been distracted." Lunching with the most well-known names in London was part of Felix's everyday life; indeed, it was a bit of a relief to know where he stood, socially speaking. The Collingwoods weren't the sort of family that appeared on the Mirador's client list, but Felix nonetheless knew of them.

"Valentine Collingwood," he rolled the name on his tongue, tasted it along side the wine. His lips curved thoughtfully, pleased. "Certainly a delectable mouthful. Do you prefer it gasped, whispered... screamed?"

[hollow_moon]

"Why not all of the above?" Val grinned, laughing softly as his eyes lit up with warmth. "Go on then, what's your full name, darling?"

[harrowgate]

"Felix Harrowgate," he responded. It wasn't a well-known name; Felix was practically anonymous in the city at large, unless one spent an unhealthy amount of time on the society pages and blogs. There, his name appeared frequently beside Shannon Teverius, as the tempestuous couple who at times provided social embarrassment for Stephen Teverius, the Home Secretary.

Otherwise, he was no one -- to anyone who wasn't a wizard.

"And I prefer begged."

[hollow_moon]

"Oh, I never beg, Felix- Though I have been known to howl," Val grinned, digging into his own meal with a hunger that was hard not to notice.

[harrowgate]

Felix's attention to his lunch only extended so far as its ability to give him some energy for what promised to be a very vigorous afternoon. His lips parted in a smile as he caught a tiny breath. How long had it been since he'd taken an aggressive man to bed? More often, he would tempt and tease until his admirers would do anything to please him, but Valentine wasn't a man to be toyed with. Even an hour in his company told Felix that much. "You're quite the wolf," he murmured, a touch breathlessly.

[hollow_moon]

"Mmm, you've no idea," Val laughed once he'd swallowed his mouthful. "I'm a nice wolf though, I promise," he grinned.

[harrowgate]

Felix was much enamoured of metaphor. "That's a shame," he answered, unable to quash a smile. "Because I'm a very badly-behaved lamb."

[hollow_moon]

"Oh?" Val replied, raising a single dark brow. "And just how naughty are you, lovely?" he asked quietly, a wicked smile pulling at his lips.

[harrowgate]

"Willful, disobedient... even cruel," Felix confided in his low, breathless purr, eyes alight with heat as he held Valentine's gaze. "A very black little lamb. I recommend a firm hand. And more than a little restraint."

[hollow_moon]

Val wasn't heavily into that sort of thing, but he was game to play anything really, and he smiled brightly as he offered a nod.

"I'll keep that in mind, darling," he replied, chuckling softly as he spoke.

[harrowgate]

Watching Valentine from beneath veiling lashes, Felix allowed a faint curving of a smile before dropping his gaze again. The other man's dark eyes and wolfish smile ignited a slow, anticipatory heat in Felix's blood. Would he want Felix tempting and smoky, or hungry and hot? He couldn't tell, and the intrigue was fairly maddening.

Eventually Felix had abandoned what remained of his meal for what remained of the bottle of wine, and the slow burn of the dark cabernet smoldered through him.

[hollow_moon]

Val was a simple creature, and though he was pleased to know his bed wouldn't be empty later, he was fully focused on his meal until the moment his plate was clear. Only then did his mind wander.

"You're not worried I'm some sort of serial killer then?" he asked with a teasing grin.

[harrowgate]

"Should I be?" Felix asked, brows lifted, as he toyed with his glass in his graceful pale fingers. "I don't think serial killers typically invite their prey to lunch," he added. Either his confidence in himself was enormous, or he had very little sense of self-preservation. Perhaps both.

[hollow_moon]

"I bet some do," Val said thoughtfully, giving it all a bit more consideration than it really deserved. "Hunters like to toy with their prey after all."

[harrowgate]

Felix flashed a brilliant smile. "Luckily, I'm not prey."

At least, not any more. He had been so, once. Never again.

[hollow_moon]

"Really? Because you look delicious," Val purred, offering that charming grin once again as he finished his meal and gestured for the check.

[harrowgate]

Felix finished off the rest of his wine, more than ready to abandon lunch for somewhere much more private. "Taste for yourself, and find out," he murmured invitingly.

The wine made him feel warm and sultry, his eyes heavy and his mouth soft as he paid his own bill and rose from the table. He lifted an inquiring brow to Valentine; they certainly weren't headed for Felix's.

[hollow_moon]

"Alright then, little black lamb. Come back to mine. I'll make you the most exquisite tea you've ever tasted, and then perhaps we;ll find our way to the bedroom," Val replied, with the casual ease of a man who made that offer often.

[harrowgate]

How could Felix resist such a gracious invitation? The promise of tea, the perhaps, left him faintly bewildered, though. Really, Felix had expected a short walk, a shut door, and an immediate ravishing. Generally, men who wanted to take him to bed weren't as interested in talking to him as Valentine seemed to be. How perfectly unusual; he was on uncertain ground.

Felix gave Valentine a thoughtful look, then inclined his head, and followed the other man's lead out of the restaurant.

[hollow_moon]

Valentine didn't hesitate to offer the other man his arm as they walked, always a gentleman, even when he'd been on the prowl.

"Do you live locally then?" he asked. "My home's just up the road."

[harrowgate]

Felix tucked his hand under Valentine's arm, only lightly touching while still accepting the gesture. What else was he to do? This man only became more and more inexplicable. "Not nearby, no. I confess, it was only chance that brought me to this part of the city today. Or," he allowed, with a slight smile, "perhaps not mere chance."

[hollow_moon]

"Fate," Val supplied cheerfully, leading them along towards his rather large home. "Or perhaps the tide pulled you this way."

[harrowgate]

Felix suppressed a shiver at the idea, but even his minute reaction was communicated through his hand on Valentine's arm. "Not the tide, surely. I've never even been to the sea. But if you think we might be fated to meet, well, who am I to argue, darling?"