Author: Sandra Pascoe

ASHblf: Norman Pitlock

Rating: FRAO - not just for the usual smut - be warned: this fic is a bit dark.

Disclaimer: The character of Norman Pitlock doesn’t belong to me - he belongs to the company behind the film "Royce"…and I’m just borrowing him for a brief time…

Notes: Okay…so I like Norman…do you have a problem with that?! Actually, this fic is dark and rough - it also explores what kind of woman would put up with a guy like Norman.

Dedication: To all Pitlockians out there - wherever you may be...come on - I can't be the only one, surely?!

Who was the most memorable man I’ve ever been involved with? Hmmmm, can I change that slightly? How about who was the most dangerous man I’ve ever been involved with? You see, I can answer that one quite easily. His name was Norman Pitlock...oh right...how dangerous can someone with the name "Norman" be? Laugh it up, people...but remember Norman Bates? So...you want to hear this or not? Okay...

I had been working at the Club for a couple of weeks when I took my first and admittedly quite willing steps into the world of Norman Pitlock. I knew him by sight of course…I knew all of them by then. He was part of this strange group that met regularly at the Club…and, of course, they all took great delight in chatting up the new bargirls. I didn’t like it but, thankfully, my insults were taken as humour and it became a sort of game, a challenge amongst them as to who could "win me". From their teasing I got the impression that Norman had never been very successful at this game…and I started to feel a bit sorry for him. He was an easy target for them because he always responded to their tormenting, always got himself wound up. He had a dangerous side - well, they all did really - but there were times when his eyes would get this manic glint in them and that would be when the others backed down and left Norman alone. I admit I found this intriguing…and…okay, okay, it was exciting as well. What did he look like? Well, he was tall, fairly good-looking…would have looked better with a different pair of glasses and more of a fashion sense, but you can’t have everything, can you? I did start to ask around about him...but no one seemed to know much. All I could get from the other girls was "Norman? He's fucking weird...you wanna stay away from him." That was the point though: I didn't want to stay away from him...quite the opposite in fact.

Anyway, this particular evening, Norman had taken one hell of a lot of tormenting from the others…he was starting to get that glint in his eyes and I decided to help him out. Little did I know what I was letting myself in for. I took more drinks over to them, enduring the inevitable groping and stupid comments. When I reached Norman, I put his drink down on the table. He glanced up at me, the irritation still in his eyes. I took a deep breath, leaned down and kissed him firmly. My first impression was garlic…Norman tasted of garlic…and I simply adore garlic...I can never get enough of it so I opened my mouth slightly, allowing him in if he wanted. Boy, did he want! His tongue swept into my mouth almost desperately…as though he thought I would pull back and run at any moment. I didn’t…I was enjoying the kiss too much…not to mention the stunned silence of the rest of the table. His hands rested gently on my hips, his thumbs tracing small circles but, of course, all good things must come to an end and, after a couple of minutes of thoroughly tasting one another, I pulled back. The slightly manic glint in Norman’s eyes had been replaced by one of arousal and humour…I was convinced he must have known why I did it. I kissed him quickly and chastely before indicating his drink with a nod of my head.

"It’s on the house, Norm," I said, trying to keep my voice even and not entirely succeeding. He nodded, running his hands briefly down my thighs before turning away nonchalantly and reaching for his drink. I made my way, slightly unsteadily, back to the bar and when I turned around the others looked as stunned as I felt. Who would have guessed that Norman would have been that good a kisser? For the rest of my shift I kept casting glances at him, discovering to my surprise and...yes, delight, that most of the time he seemed to be looking at me as well. It was no great shock then to find Norman waiting outside when I left the Club. He gazed at me with a completely unfathomable look in his eyes...it was piercing, hypnotic...I couldn't look away.

"Why?" One word...spoken softly...but with a veiled threat behind it. It never occurred to me to lie...I don't think I could have done whilst his eyes were studying me like that.

"I figured you could use some help," I replied. The second the words left my mouth I knew I had said completely the wrong thing. I barely had time to draw breath before I found myself pinned up against a wall, Norman's face perilously close to my own, his eyes wide, intense and dangerous.

"Help?" He hissed at me. "Help? I don't need help...I never need help...understand?"

He shook me slightly as though to underline his point and I nodded. It was finally beginning to dawn on me that maybe I should have left well alone. Well, I mean there I was, in a deserted back alley with a guy who was, if not unbalanced, then damn close to it. I think that was what Norman was waiting for - he was waiting for the fear to enter my eyes. Once he saw that, he smiled slightly and his lips descended on mine in a hard, deep and bruising kiss. It was intense…really intense…and I loved every second of it. I tried to pull him closer but he growled, bit my lip slightly and pinned my arms to my sides. I squirmed and wriggled against him, I had rarely felt so turned on so quickly and, to be completely honest, I would have happily fucked him right there and then but we were interrupted. His friend, Gribbie, came outside looking for him.

"Inside, Norm," he said and Norman pulled away, still gazing at me with that intense look in his eyes. "You can bring her in if you fancy sharing her with your friends."

Norman smirked and shook his head slightly.

"Be right there," he said, waiting until the other man had gone back inside before stepping back and releasing me.

"Norman…" His hand came up and covered my mouth.

"Go home," he said softly. "Go straight home…we’ll continue this at another time."

Norman released me and went inside without a backward look. I went home but my head was spinning - what had I done? I was only a step away from getting involved with a dangerous and unbalanced…what? What was he? What did he do? I fell asleep that night with the questions still running around in my head and woke the next day with no answers…just more questions.

I spent the day in a complete haze...unsure what to do...veering wildly between the two options I could see ahead of me. First of all, I could simply not go back to the Club...find another job...in a different part of the city...well away from Norman Pitlock. That was one option. The other was to go back tonight...which would mean continuing this...whatever it was...with Norman. The sensible thing would have been for me not to go back...but, you see, I WANTED Norman...I wanted to become Norman's. Oh yeah - I wasn't kidding myself. I knew how these things worked. I knew that I would become Norman's property, answerable to him in damn near everything...and I was finding that very intriguing...very exciting...very arousing. So, a few hours later, I was making my way back to the Club for my next shift. I was early - I was hoping for some time with Norman before my shift started - and I often wonder if things would have turned out differently if I had arrived at my usual time.

The alley behind the Club wasn't deserted this time...there were a couple of drunks and the odd junkie floating around. I ignored them, concentrated on where I was going, deliberately avoided any eye contact with them. I was almost at the Club when I felt a hand on my shoulder and I was spun around. I found myself face-to-face with a youngish, raggedly dressed man whose red, wild and unfocussed eyes told me all I needed to know. He was high on something, his jerky movements only adding to the fear that was building in me. Don't antagonise him, I was thinking, don't upset him or you'll end up dead. He pushed me back and I stumbled, almost falling but two hands suddenly steadied me. Norman stepped in front of me and his fist snapped out, sending the other man flying backwards. He hit the ground with a very satisfying thud and, to my surprise, Norman began walking towards him. Oh god, I thought, he's going to do that man some serious damage.

"Norman," I said shakily. Norman turned to look at me and, by this time, I was white-faced and trembling. He forgot about the other man, or so I thought, and came swiftly over to me, holding me close, his hands running up and down my back.

"You’re going home," he said and I opened my mouth to argue…quickly closing it again as one of the unwritten "property rules" came into my mind. You don’t argue or answer back. As I pulled back, I nodded, sighing with relief at the flash of approval in Norman’s eyes. I trusted that he would make it right with my boss and allowed myself to be meekly led back down the alley. Norman hailed a cab for me, speaking in low and dangerous tones to the driver, before ushering me inside.

"I’ll see you later," he said softly. "I’ve got to meet the guys."

As the cab pulled away, I tried not to be too obvious as I watched Norman out of the rear view window - it was with a great deal of relief that I saw him go into the Club via the main entrance and not go back down the alley.

When I arrived home, I had a couple of stiff drinks to settle my nerves. I hadn’t been quite as overcome as I had appeared - I wanted to distract Norman from hurting the other guy too much - but I was still a bit shaken up. The evening hadn’t gone exactly as I had planned but I still felt that I had taken a major step with Norman. I had passed one test…how many more until I could be certain that I was completely Norman’s? Following a wonderfully relaxing bath, I was lying full-length on the sofa, dressed in a comfy robe and with a bottle of wine within arms reach. I was flicking impatiently through the various television channels, looking for anything that was marginally interesting, when a news item caught my eye. A man had been found dead in an alley…it sounded too familiar and when a picture of the dead man flashed onto the screen I felt my heart sink. It was him…the guy who had accosted me outside the Club. Norman, I thought, it was Norman…getting revenge on the guy for touching his property. I did think about calling the Police…honestly I did…for all of about five seconds. I even looked at the phone…but that was as far as it got. You see, another of those "property rules" flashed into my mind. You know nothing…you see nothing…you hear nothing - only what you are told. So, I settled myself into the sofa and calmly continued flicking through the channels as though nothing had happened.

"Good girl," his voice made me jump and I sat up, turning to look behind me. Norman was lounging against the wall, hands in his pockets, a slight smile on his face. I smiled back, getting to my feet and moving around the sofa to him. As I moved closer, Norman reached out a hand, curling it around my neck and dragging me to him. We picked up right where we had left off in the alley - I immediately found myself pinned up against the wall...but this time, my hands were free so I made good use of them. I had pushed his jacket off and was starting work on his shirt when Norman stopped me. He stepped back, pulling at the belt of my robe and I quickly shrugged out of it. He put a finger up, warning me, telling me to stand still and then he gently and slowly ran his hands over me. That was a surprise...I never expected Norman to be gentle. It was absolute agony standing still...I wanted him so badly it damn near hurt. When Norman's hands came to rest on my shoulders, I waited; half-expecting what Norman wanted me to do. I wasn't disappointed. A gentle pressure was all it took and I dropped to my knees in front of him. I glanced up once, the look of anticipation in his eyes was the green light I was waiting for and I reached out, gently caressing the surprisingly prominent bulge in his trousers. He pushed himself forward so I quickly unzipped him and gently eased his cock out. I figured that Norman wasn't the kind of guy who wanted finesse so I took him in mouth without hesitating. His hands came down to clutch my hair and his moans told me that, as far as this went, I was right on the button. It wasn't long before I could feel him getting close and he hauled me to my feet, kissing me roughly. He then pushed me towards the sofa, bracing my hands on the back of it so that I was bent over. By this time, I was practically shaking with anticipation...needing and wanting him so badly that it was a wonder I was still standing. When he entered me, it was brutal...he took me hard and fast...it was rough...and it was glorious. His hands were all over me, gripping so tightly that I had bruises on my shoulders and hips, clawing and scratching my back and pulling my hair so hard it was a wonder he didn't pull handfuls of it out. The pain and pleasure mixed into one intensely incredible feeling - I no longer knew where one stopped and the other began. I came screaming his name and Norman wasn't that far behind me. We both slumped over the back of the sofa, Norman's weight on me surprisingly comforting. For long moments we stayed there, both of us breathing heavily and, after a while, I started to feel the aches and pains; damn near every part of my body was hurting in some way. I shifted slightly, trying to ease the discomfort and Norman pulled out of me and stepped back. I straightened up slowly and turned to face Norman, who was watching me impassively. His fingers traced the redness on my shoulders and arms before he looked into my eyes once more. There was no hint of an apology on his face and, to be honest, I never expected there to be - in fact, I think I would have been disappointed if he had apologised. Norman reached out a hand and gently cupped my face.

"You're mine now, understand?" He said softly. "Mine."

I nodded without hesitation, unable to help the smile that crossed my face. Finally I was where I wanted to be. I belonged to someone...no, not someone...Norman...I belonged to Norman.

Life with Norman was certainly different than anything I had previously experienced but I found it comforting - it was as though I fitted somewhere. I felt at home, felt that I belonged. Of course, there were rules...Norman's rules. If I went anywhere I had to tell him where I was going...even if it was just down to the store. When his friends came around I had to make myself scarce - ensure there was enough beer and scotch and then disappear. I spent many happy evenings crashed out on the bed, watching television and simply relaxing whilst the guys played poker or did an assortment of other things downstairs. I was never to question Norman about anything - if there was something I needed to know then he would tell me. There were other rules, of course, but those were the main ones...the ones you dared not break. Did I ever break them? Well, yes, I broke one. I moved in with Norman the very next day, the day after that first teeth-rattling fuck - I had also quit my job at the Club because Norman didn't want "his woman" serving drinks in a bar. Anyway, a couple of days after I moved in, I broke rule number one: don't go anywhere without telling Norman first. You see, that morning I woke before Norman - and he looked so peaceful and relaxed that I was loathe to wake him. I had some shopping to do...Norman's cupboards were woefully bare of essentials like food...but it really never occurred to me that I should tell Norman. I was only going shopping, after all...how could that hurt? Well, when I got back with the groceries, Norman was awake, dressed and waiting for me. He didn't need to say anything at first...the expression on his face told me I was in trouble...serious trouble. He took the groceries from me and placed them in the kitchen...he then turned back to face me. For long moments, he simply stared at me as I finally realised precisely what I had done.

"Norman..." I started to explain and took a step towards him.

"Don't," he said, holding up a hand. "You broke the rules, didn't you?"

I lowered my head, not able to look into his accusing eyes and then I nodded.

"Look at me," he said softly and I took a deep breath and raised my head. His hand snaked out, gripping my throat and he pulled me close, his eyes staring unblinking into mine.

"It's the first time you've done it...and it will be the last," his voice was soft and menacing. I tried nodding my understanding but his hand was gripping my throat tighter and tighter. It got steadily harder to breathe...the blood was pounding in my ears...everything was swimming around in front of me. Norman was talking but I couldn't hear what he was saying...it got more difficult to see him...and then gradually everything around me went grey.

I don't know how long I was out but when I awoke I was lying on the bed...alone. It took me a little while to gather my thoughts and get myself together before I got up. As I passed the mirror, I stopped and lifted my head. My throat was sore and I could clearly see the imprint of Norman's hand on my neck. I sighed with relief - I had got off lightly...probably because it was my first "offence" and Norman had obviously been in a good mood. I wondered briefly if he still was but then figured that my exploits had probably brought it to an abrupt end. When I entered the lounge I saw Norman sat at the table, tinkering with a large tangle of wires and assorted other bits of pieces. He raised his head, smiling briefly at me, before turning back to what he was doing. I felt the relief flood through me and I was aware of Norman watching me as I walked into the kitchen to sort out the groceries. I was only about halfway through when Norman came into the kitchen...I didn't turn around...didn't speak...I merely continued with what I was doing. I was waiting to see how Norman would react. He stepped up behind me, running his hands up and down my sides and kissing my neck. I turned around and he immediately began kissing me passionately, his tongue thrusting into my mouth. I thanked my lucky stars that Norman was obviously one of those guys who punished and then let the subject drop...he obviously believed that I had learned my lesson. Anyway, he took my hand and led me back into the bedroom where he did something that really surprised me at first: he was gentle and loving. Of course, as time went on and I got to know Norman better I realised that he did have a gentle, loving side - he never showed it very often to anyone other than me but it was there all the same. So, I was pretty much amazed when Norman gently peeled off my clothes and laid me on the bed. For a brief moment, I wondered what punishment he'd come up with for me...but my fears were laid to rest when Norman quickly stripped and joined me on the bed. He traced my body with his hands, his touch light and gentle, before kissing me. I pulled him closer to me and felt him smile against my mouth. He broke the kiss and lifted his head to look at me.

"You don't have to be in such a rush," he said, amused. "We've got all the time in the world."

Well, that definitely set the tone: slow and gentle. I explored his body as much as he explored mine. It became a challenge for me to find his more sensitive areas and I discovered, to my delight, that Norman really loved his nipples being fondled...he simply couldn't get enough of it and I was only too happy to accommodate. We were there for ages, touching, tasting and learning about one another before it gradually became more passionate, more urgent. This time when he entered me it was completely different - not rough or brutal but slow and loving, punctuated with kisses and caresses. Norman kept the pace slow - which was something I certainly wasn't used to and when I tried to urge him on he merely smiled at me...that strange little smile I had grown to love. Norman picked up the pace when he was ready to and not before and soon he was pounding into me. This time when I came Norman was holding me, whispering softly and kissing me gently. Not long after, it was Norman's turn and he came hard, gripping me tightly and burying his head in my neck. We lay there for ages afterwards, not talking but tenderly touching and kissing.

You see, that was one of the many enigmas about Norman - he would sometimes do things that appeared totally alien to his nature, surprising and delighting me. Of course, life with Norman did have its downsides. There was his temper for one thing. Sometime he would just flip and lose it completely. Oh, not with me - I had learned my lesson and I followed the rules to the letter...I never gave him an excuse to lose his temper with me or punish me again. It was usually other people, other situations that would irritate Norman and when that happened, he would have to do some damage. I could read it in his face and I would calmly disappear into the bedroom, listening as all hell erupted downstairs. I would emerge when all the noise had died down - usually to find the place looking like a mini tornado had been through it and Norman slumped exhausted on the sofa. When that happened, I didn't even consider cleaning up or trying to get some semblance of order out of the destruction, my first priority was always Norman. Soothing, caressing and kissing him would help lift him out of the depression that his outbursts always left him in - and if I did it right, it usually led to incredibly hot sex sessions which was always of the good.

Another downside to Norman - and I considered this the most important one - was when he disappeared for days or sometimes even weeks. You see, from what I could understand, Norman worked for the government in some way and this led to frequent and indeterminable absences. I hated it...I hated him not being there...I never felt whole without Norman. His presence was so important to me that I felt lost and alone without him. I lived for the days when he returned, walking in nonchalantly as though he'd only been out for five minutes. I would throw myself at him, engulfing him, usually shaking and trembling with relief. Norman would always laugh at that but he would hold me close as well, not letting go until I did, so I don't think he was entirely immune.

Therefore, in a way, I guess it was inevitable. You see, the last time he went away he never came home. He had been in a foul mood for a couple of days, something had happened at work I think and he had been swearing, cursing and beating hell out of damn near everything. He even shot the television - some Senator guy was on the news spouting about something or other and Norman drew out his gun and calmly pulled the trigger. It took me ages to clean all that glass up. Later that night, Norman went out to meet his friends...when he came back he told me he would be going away again. He didn't know how long for but it was to be the last time - he would do this one last job and then we could retire somewhere hot. I didn't want him to go - it all felt wrong - but I knew better than to say anything. We made love for hours and then when I awoke in the morning Norman had gone. It was only a couple of days later that I got the call...some government idiot telling me that Norman had been killed in a helicopter accident abroad. They were all dead...all of his friends. They had been in the same unit or something. I didn't really take it in - I couldn't believe that Norman would never be coming back...it just wasn't right. Anyway, I fell apart - I was a complete and utter mess...I wouldn't leave the house...one of the neighbours used to come by and check on me, make sure I was eating and so forth. One day though I realised that Norman would be very disappointed with me...this would have been the last thing he would have wanted so I tried to pick myself up and go on. I'm still trying.

What did you say? I'm free of Norman? I can do what I want? Yeah...right. Funny how people who say that think that it's some kind of universal cure-all. You say I can do what I want...but you never, ever ask what that is, do you? Oh, you really want to know, do you? Well, I want Norman back...I want to belong to him again...I want to be his...I want to see that smile again...feel his hands on me. I don't want to be free...I never wanted to be free. Why would I want that?