NOVEL WEB Arc Three. Chapter Seventy-Eight. Frisky Business
"You don't get it, do you?" Felicia asked Peter. Gwen and MJ were both out and left Peter and Felicia sitting having a cordial but awkward breakfast. Liv was still sleeping. Her wounds were healing nicely, but her nightmares were just as tiring. Peter had left her wrapped in a blanket in his bed.
"No I don't,” Peter was slowly losing patience with Felica. He didn't mind that she seemed to be mainly tolerating his presence. He knew that she was probably finding being in the warehouse weird. It was one thing to sleep over, and another to be in the same building as your girlfriend's boyfriend. This morning, however, there was a bug up her ass about something.
"So, rather than being a bitch, explain it to me."
He wasn’t mad at her in particular but since she’d gotten here she’d spent more time with Gwen than with him or MJ. He couldn’t decide if he was jealous or just pissed off she seemed to be making no effort to mingle with the group.
He couldn't blame her though. Having to escape her home, she wasn't exactly rich and had no access to either money or clothes. As MJ was roughly the same size, she had at least had something to wear. With no cash or cards, she would be stuck borrowing money until she could get to the bank safely. The agents in her home meant they knew her identity. Life was not looking great for Felicia, so Peter was cutting her some slack.
“Fine." Felicia took out a plastic bag, it had one of Gwen's black-label cream samples in it and Peter shrugged,
"So?" He asked her. The cream made their sex lives better, even if he was already involved, and they had started using it as lube.
Gwen had made up several different strengths, this one was black, the strongest. She made white, green, blue, red and finally black. Each one in increments of ten per cent strength, from thirty all the way to fifty.
Stronger than that and the girls found themselves being stunned into unconsciousness. It stopped being a pleasure and started being a poison at that strength. Even Peter felt his eyes and throat burn with the higher level strengths. Liv had been fine but Gwen needed to use one of her clean rooms to clear out the air before they suffocated.
"So, this can make you a ton of money, why aren't you doing anything with it?"
"Well, because FDA approval takes a year. Then after about, oh, ten years of trials, they rubber stamp it. Right after they make sure it doesn't rot your brain or give you super cancer or something."
"Super cancer?" Felicia pulled a face, "Pete, it's fine, it's a natural hormone and pheromone. Gwen tested it, Gwen did lots of science stuff, if she says it safe, then it's safe."
"Yeah, I know. We do use it. The problem is the FDA won't take the ‘my symbiote girlfriend says so’ proof and give me approval."
"You know, Gwen said you could be dumb sometimes," Felicia shook her head and sat down, "book smart, street dumb she put it. Well, I'm book-dumb but street-smart. I don't care what the chemical formula of Cheese Whiz is, but ask me to pick a TR-15 or bypass an XJ47, then I can. I also have some connections that'll take this for a good price."
Peter raised an eyebrow, "really? and would you like to explain that?"
Felicia sighed and shrugged. "My dad, he isn't a coach, he's a famous thief, and he trained me to be his replacement when he retired. So yeah, crooks, bank jobs, crime sprees, I'm your gal, and uh yeah, hookers and whorehouses." she said it casually as she made herself a coffee, adding in several large spoons of sugar. Huntress craved the energy and since she’d been bonded, she had started to need to eat several large meals each day.
Peter raised an eyebrow, "and you were going to tell us when?"
"Never. You think I want to be creeping along rooftops at night? I want a normal life, a wife, kids, maybe, and a house, not bank jobs and crime lords, but since dad went missing I've got no choice."
Peter shrugged, "it's your life, Felicia, so back to the cream."
"A lot of places, maybe off the book places will take this, anything to make the girl's life a bit easier."
Peter clenched his fist, "easier huh?"
"Oh for fuck sake give me credit. No, I don't do work for the real scumbags. Crack dens and rape joints are off my books."
"You have a list of crack dens?" Peter's eyes lit up, why stop muggers when he could break up the big places, and they usually had a lot of cash as well.
Felicia rolled her eyes, "yeah, I do. I'll write a few down for you but this," she spun the container on the table, "this could make money for next to nothing?"
"That good huh?"
"You don't get it, Peter. I'm a lesbian, like, if every guy dropped dead right now I wouldn't be that upset." Felicia paused for a moment, "well, my dad, and I guess you but this? Even now I can still smell it and Gwen sealed the tin and the bag. Huntress is going nuts and all I want is for you to bend me over this table, rip off my panties and go balls deep to pound town. For a whore who's tired but needs one more john for enough cash to feed her kid, this is gold. It's not pretty Peter but you could make money and do some good."
Felicia had hoped to appeal to Peter's sense of justice. He always rooted for the little guy, or well this time gal and looking at him he was deep in thought.
She sighed though, "lost you at crack den huh?"
He shook his head, "nope, balls deep to pound town actually. Crack dens sound like a poor second." Peter took a deep breath, "we can't manufacture this, Gwen would need to help. Get her approval, get her help, and then yes, but we have more pressing issues."
Felicia guessed what he meant and slid over to him, sitting on his lap, "so, will I press or will you?"
He laughed and shook his head. He was surprised she'd even suggest it, "later” and Felicia bit her lip but nodded,
She knew she’d been avoiding him but it wasn’t that she didn’t like him. She was crying out for him to just take her, to thrust himself into her and she even ended up talking to Gwen about it. Her advice was to just accept it and go fuck him. She would even join them if she wanted to. It was difficult to admit that she liked anyone, let alone a guy. Her father drilled a ‘no attachments’ rule into her and she was struggling. That triggered another rule ‘no weaknesses’ and she found herself alone again. She wanted to reach out to them but was fearful she’d lose more in the process.
"Get a list of the worst places and the best ones. With Aleksei dead and a gap, we need to move fast. If you've got contacts with the underworld then use them, find out who's taking over and you and I'll go hunting."
That sent a bigger shiver up her spine than the thought of Peter ravaging her later on. She had to deal with some of the worst shitbags around. Her dad called it training, but she called it trying not to get raped by a scumbag. Now she could go and make them pay for all the shit she had to endure.
All afternoon they worked. Peter printed off a map of Hell's Kitchen and Felicia worked on marking in all the hotspots she knew. The businesses that Aleksei had run as well as the syndicates and gangs that worked in each territory.
"I'm not going to take over if that's what your thinking Felicia. Being a criminal is a whole lot different than being a bit more violent than Spooder-man. A broken wrist is more of a deterrent than a slap on it. These," Peter motioned over the pin-covered map. "These crack dens and whore houses where the really nasty shit happens, that's doing more."
“This is freeing the ones that want out and giving the ones that don't a fighting chance. We send a message Fel, a message that Venom runs the streets and not to fuck with him." Peter continued, pouring them both coffee. Staring at maps all day was tiring. Making a list of places to hit and then ordering them by Aleksei's list was giving him a headache. There was defiantly an order, and some places were worse than others.
"You want to clean the streets up but not take over? You can't leave things like that you know. Even you know that nature abhors a vacuum. We take out the big guys and another big guy comes in to take over. Hell, I bet right now someone’s eyeing up the junkyard and Aleksei’s crew. It doesn't work like that Peter." Felicia said, moving over to him and looking at the list he had made.
"It's not about taking over, it's about sending a message. It’s fine, sell drugs, run a whore house, we don't care. Screw with the neighbourhood and you get hammered. Plenty of people do crazy shit and no one's any the wiser. Just 'cause some asshole with a bible says it's bad doesn't mean it actually is. So no, scumbags get taken care of, crooks with low profiles get to stay in business."
Peter didn’t want to start policing the shitbags of New York. As long as they kept their crime off the streets and nobody got hurt, he was happy. Happier that they had found some common ground.
"Wow, you know I never thought that I'd hear that from you. I figured you'd be the scumbags must pay kinda guy. Not the practical thinker." Felicia grinned at him, and slid next to him, bumping her with her hip. "Not just a pretty face then huh?"
"Aww shucks, you think I'm pretty?" Peter smiled and winked back at Felica, who laughed and bumped him again. This time though, he slid an arm around her. The first thought was to stop her from bumping him again, but his hand slid over her ass and he left it there.
She had thought she would flinch, or stiffen at his touch, but instead, she leaned into it. "Seriously though Pete, you know what you're getting into right? I mean, some of these guys are packing, and not in a good way. Assault rifles, heavy-duty ordinance. Once we start you are declaring war on some of the meanest nastiest shitfucks in New York. Hell ask Gwen who her dad doesn't touch, ask her who her dad can't touch and I bet it's these guys.”
Felicia pointed to a piece of paper with a list of names on it.
“Each of these assholes will come for you. Each of these assholes will make it their job to stay in business and be the last one standing. This is starting a war, Pete. We can win it but you don’t seem to get that it’s going to be messy and someone needs to be there to clean it up."
"We can't take everyone down, we can only make them aware that operating in my city is bad for business. To let them know Venom doesn't care if you pay a hooker to paddle your balls or snort coke off a whores ass. Sell crack outside a school or kidnap a kid for the sex trade and you'll find your outsides getting an airing." Peter stepped away from her, looking her up and down with a serious expression on his face.
"If you want to do the clean-up after, then go right ahead. I’ll help but I can’t be too connected. I want to try and stay legit, my name can't be tied to this, the warehouse can’t be tied to this." Peter leaned back and stared at Felicia, there were lines that should never be crossed. The innocent paid when the guilty played was all he could think.
Felicia shook her head, "I don't think you get it, Pete, I really don't. This won't be a game, they'll take the first hit and come at you with guns blazing next time. Venom will be a target even if you don’t want him to be, they’ll come for you."
Peter shifted into Venom. "Then they will suffer."
He towered over her and Felicia felt two emotions as he stretched open his maw. She and Huntress both felt fear, he was a predator and one they knew had evolved since they last fought. He was also her mate.
Gwen made her feel warm and happy. Peter and Venom made her feel hungry. Restless unless her enemies were ground beneath her heels. An animal lust, destroying her enemies and being ravaged atop a tower of their skulls.
The fear was overcome by the instinct, the want for him, the primal part of her brain that said mate with him. Huntress screamed at her to have him inside her. She growled and swept the maps off the table.
Peter was about to chastise her, but she growled at him. Leaping onto the table, she spread her legs as Huntress bared her before him. He moved, his own pants gone and in one motion he was inside her. There was nothing but pleasure, and promise of the hunt after.
