Chapter Text
Sandor Clegane was bored out of his mind. There was nothing worse than providing security for a spoiled brat. Especially this spoiled brat. Joffrey Baratheon was a sadistic little jerk. He should know. He’d been looking after him for years. He’d just gotten worse and worse. The way he treated people was appalling. It was hard to believe that he’d ever managed to get a girlfriend much less someone as nice as the red-haired Stark girl. He was glad when she had finally come to her senses and dumped him.
He had been thrilled when the little shit had started university five years ago. He was in graduate school now. Sandor had to watch over him a lot less often. He mostly was assigned to his mother, Cersei Lannister. It wasn’t exactly enjoyable. She could get quite high-handed and snippy sometimes but it was still better than having to be around Joffrey.
He mostly had to follow Cersei to and from work at Baratheon Enterprises where she was the CEO. Of course, there was also shopping trips on the weekends and the occasional party or fund raiser. Thankfully, she mostly stayed home on weeknights so if he was scheduled for the evening shift he had a lot of time to himself. He did have to carry her up to bed every once in a while when she drank too much wine but she didn’t weigh very much so it really wasn’t that bad.
Unfortunately, the kid was home on summer break from school and was working as an intern at his family’s business. Sandor and his co-worker, Meryn Trant, got stuck escorting Joffrey to a stupid dinner party at the Blackwater Bay Hotel. He knew he should be watching Joff but Sandor entertained himself by admiring the young ladies instead.
Most of them were very attractive. Some of them were highly intelligent, serious-minded, motivated young women but others were vapid, self-centered princesses. A few of them were sweet like Joff's younger sister, Myrcella, but others were nearly as vicious as Cersei. Most, if not all of them, were in Joff’s social circle and in their late teens to their mid-twenties. They were the spoiled daughters of the extremely wealthy. He did like to look at them though. They all had spectacular designer dresses and sexy heels. He liked to look at their legs.
After awhile, he noticed one of the servers as she moved around the room waiting on tables. There was something about her that had caught his attention. She was a rather petite girl with striking dark eyebrows. She had thick, shoulder-length, wavy brown hair and her legs were excellent. She was toned to perfection. She was wearing a staff uniform consisting of a crisp, white dress shirt and a black skirt. She was very nicely shaped. She turned suddenly and he got a better look at her face. He realized she was the youngest Stark girl. Her Northern grey eyes were partially hidden behind a pair of black, thick-rimmed eyeglasses. Her eyes skimmed over him as she appeared to be looking for someone.
It gave him a jolt. He felt a little funny for checking her out. What in the fuck was she doing here working as a server? He remembered the last time he saw her was about five or six years ago. He thought she might be about three or four years younger than Joff. She had been a real handful as a kid. She had grown since he’d last seen her. Well, she hadn’t really grown all that much taller but she had filled out in all the right places.
Sandor’s observations were interrupted by Meryn Trant. They began to argue over who was going to get stuck guarding Joff if he decided to take one of the young ladies for an overnight tryst somewhere. Sandor was extremely annoyed. He didn’t like to work beyond his shift but it seemed to happen more often than not when Joffrey was involved.
He’d stepped behind some potted ficus trees in an alcove to fight more privately with Trant. After a minute of two, he casually looked over his shoulder to make sure some girl wasn’t slapping Joff’s face or trying to gouge his eyes out. Joff was clustered in a group with his sycophantic entourage. Suddenly, Sandor saw the Stark girl slip around unnoticed behind Joff, cause a diversion and unclasp the gold chain he was wearing and slip it from his neck as easily as taking candy from a baby.
She unhurriedly glided away toward the double doors of the dining room. Sandor was intrigued. After she’d made it through the doors, he quickly followed after her. He looked around the spacious foyer and toward the outside doors. He didn’t see her anywhere. She could have left the hotel but he didn’t think she'd gone that far. He turned right and strode down the hallway toward the ladies room.
Arya was well pleased. She’d taken back what was theirs. She couldn’t believe how stupid Sansa had been. She’d cried her eyes out and admitted she’d given Joffrey their father's prized gold direwolf pendant and chain. Sansa had recently split up with Joff and he had threatened to have it melted down into scrap because he was so spiteful.
Arya was glad he was so self-absorbed that he hadn’t even noticed that she'd been stalking him. Of course, someone like him would never pay attention to the staff. The Hound had noticed her earlier but she doubted he remembered who she was and she was sure he wouldn’t recognize her anyway even if he did remember her. For some reason, the Hound had looked away guiltily when she'd glanced his way. She had been surreptitiously watching him while trying to decide when to make her move.
She just hoped that Sansa and Joff were finished for good. She hated to think that they might get back together and Sansa would be foolish enough to give the chain back to him again. She was counting on Joff being too lazy and too arrogant to make much effort in trying to reconcile with her sister. She would be pissed if she had to retrieve the chain for a second time. Arya smiled to herself. It had been so easy. She slipped into the restroom to call Sansa but she couldn't resist taking the time to admire the pendant. She remembered when her mother had given her father the exquisite piece of jewelry on their wedding anniversary. Now they were both gone. She rubbed her thumb over the fine gold filigree.
She was standing at the mirrored vanity when she heard the door open behind her. She glanced up into the mirror to see the reflection of the person who had entered. It was Clegane. Shit! She should have left the hotel when she had the chance.
His eyes were on hers in the mirror when he quietly closed the door behind him. He silently walked across the room until he was standing directly behind her. She supposed they didn’t call him the Hound for nothing. He’d tracked her as well as any dog.
They continued to stare at each other in the mirror. Gods! He was even bigger than she remembered. It wasn’t just that the top of her head was only mid-chest on him; he was just so much more substantial than her. She might be able to defend herself if she had to but it could go very badly. He looked entirely capable of doing some serious damage.
“Let’s have the chain.” He said calmly. His right hand came up and he held his palm up near her shoulder.
Arya wasn't about to give it to him. Before she could think twice about what she was about to do, she whipped her hand under her skirt and slid the chain down the front of her panties. She then held up both hands and shrugged. “What chain?”
She watched for his reaction carefully while standing on the balls of her feet ready to move in case he went after her. To her amazement, he snickered.
He looked almost friendly. “Are you serious?”
She tried not to return his smile but she couldn’t help herself. Her lips turned up of their own accord.
He put his hands on his hips. “Why did you take it? Does it have something to do with your sister?”
She turned around to face him as she looked at him with surprise. “You know who I am?”
He nodded. “Of course I do. You were a royal pain in the ass when you visited the Red Keep."
“No one was supposed to notice me here. Did I do something to draw attention to myself?”
“No, Girl. You didn’t do anything to give yourself away except for pretending you were a server. That was decidedly suspicious. You don't usually see too many heiresses waiting on tables.”
Her eyebrow shot up. “I still don't understand.”
“It's not that complicated. I recognized you. I saw through your little disguise.” He reached out and took the thick glasses off her face. “Are these really yours?” He held them up to his eyes and looked through them. They were clear lenses. They weren’t prescription eyewear. “No, I thought not. No one would wear glasses this ugly.”
“But why did you look at me in the first place? Are you really that thorough at your job that you look at every single face in the room?”
He snorted. “No. If you must know, I looked at you because you’re pretty.”
Her mouth fell open. “What? But I’m not . . .”
He scoffed. “Don’t be stupid. You most certainly are.” He sighed and tucked the glasses into her front pocket. “Tell me about the chain.”
He had thrown her off balance. She bit her bottom lip. She decided to take a chance. “It belonged to my father.”
His face became serious. “Your sister gave it to Joff?”
She nodded.
He shook his head. “She shouldn't have done that."
“If he had any decency, he would have returned it to her.”
“He's not known for his decency."
"Are you?" She asked.
"Not really, no."
Arya frowned. “It would be best if you would just let me keep it.”
“Alright, alright.” He thought for a moment and then he gave her a smug look. “If I let you keep it, what are you going to give me in return?”
Arya’s dark brows rose indignantly. “What do you mean?”
“Just what it sounds like.” He lifted his good eyebrow and looked at her meaningfully.
“Oh.” Did he want money or . . . ? Gods! How far was she willing to go? “What do you want?” She blurted out. She could have bit her tongue. She was an idiot.
She watched him with discomfort as he looked up at the ceiling and rubbed his chin as he pretended to think it over. Then he looked back at her with a teasing little look in his eyes. “A kiss.”
“What!” She blinked rapidly.
“A kiss. Surely, you know what that is.”
“A kiss between you and me?” She asked incredulously.
“No, between you and Joffrey.” He said sarcastically. “Of course between you and me!”
“On the lips?” She still couldn’t believe it.
“Yes!” He barked. She was making him mad.
“Open mouthed or closed mouthed?”
“Forget it!” He roared.
She could see he was angry and embarrassed. It was probably best if she tried to salvage the situation. “I’ll do it!” She said as if she was accepting a dare.
Her words calmed his ire. He looked at her suspiciously. “You will?”
She was amused when he suddenly seemed uncertain. She nodded. “Yes. Let's get this over with."
He frowned. “You could at least pretend you’re not disgusted."
She rolled her eyes. Seven Hells! Here goes nothing, she thought as she reached up and grasped the lapels on his jacket and pulled him down to her until they were face to face. She studied his deep brown eyes and she experienced a surge of confidence. She could do this. She was sure of it.
She slowly pulled him forward the last few inches until their lips met and she gave him the softest whisper of a kiss. She pulled away and looked at him with a triumphant smirk. She wasn’t sure what happened next. All she knew was in the next instant his hands were on her arms and he yanked her back to his lips and when she gasped in surprise he used the opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth. When her tongue finally came into contact with his it was as if she’d touched a live wire.
A sudden heat which started low in her belly inflamed her and she moaned into his mouth. She let go of his lapels and pulled him to her by his shoulders and then wrapped her arms around his neck. He groaned in response and his arms found their way around her. Their tongues fought for dominance and then he quickly took over and kissed her hungrily as if he could barely control himself. She thought she might combust from the amount of heat he was sparking inside of her.
Sandor didn’t understand what was happening either. All he knew was that while most women were repulsed by him and would have pushed him away by now, that’s not what she was doing. It was if she couldn’t get enough of him and she was clinging to him as if she wanted more. He wondered desperately if she’d let him shove up her skirt and fuck her on the vanity. Damn his Kevlar vest. It was in his way and he couldn’t feel her against his chest. He could have died from the frustration. He groaned again as she ran her fingers through his hair.
There was a sound of someone talking just before the door opened and two women walked into the restroom. He’d had enough time to push Arya away from him but just barely. The women paused in mid-sentence when they saw him in the ladies room.
Arya quickly side-stepped him and went for the door. She stopped and turned to look at him one last time. He looked back at her with an intensity that was startling. She turned and fled. No one ever accused her of taking the chain or brought it up again. Arya had to assume the Hound had kept her secret.