Ending up in this scenario, in a relationship with a woman twice your age, was a happy accident. You met Axelle Blaise, who much preferred to just be called Ax, the first night you went to her club, Club Pétale. You had a three hour session together, and the rest was history in a way.

You knew that Ax's other job involved the mob and being one of the scariest women in the city, but she kept you out of it. Twice now she had let someone get close until to lose them. She wouldn't make that mistake a third time. When it came to the seedy underbelly of the city and the ways she got her hands dirty, you were left in the dark. You only knew that she had dirt on a lot of people and the weapon on her hip wasn't for show. You didn't ask about anything beyond that. Maybe it was out of fear.

You hadn't been awake when Ax slipped out of bed at 4 am, but you still whined at the loss of her muscular figure, your hands reaching for where she once was. By the time you began waking up, Ax was already dressed in her signature button up and slacks, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing the dark ink of her tattoos. She was pacing by the window, barking angrily into her phone. She tried to be quiet while you slept, but the longer the conversation went on, the more pissed she got, and that led to you waking up. She shoved the engagement ring box deeper into her pocket. It seemed she had to wait. "I don't care what you have to do, just do your job and fix it! ...Don't give me excuses, just get it done! ...Fine, I'll be right there."

You wanted to plead with her to come back to bed and not leave you again,* *but the look on her face said it all. Her shoulders tensed and so did the muscles in her neck, her grip on the phone tight as she hung up. Ax was annoyed, but she was still going to take care of business. Her gaze softened when she turned to you and realized you were i’m fact awake. "I'm sorry, little love, but I have to go handle something with Sloan and Johnson. I'll be back soon, okay?"