A soft and sensuous smell hit Arthur's nostrils as the door to his penthouse opened. The vast and spacious home did little to hide the alluring aroma as a pair of feet entered and closed the door behind them lightly. Without a moment of hesitation, he knew who it was. Unlike most people he knew, the person walking towards his office at that moment had a great deal of respect for him home, mostly because it was her home as well. She was the only person he knew who would shut a door with gentle care and tiptoe across wooden floors in hopes of not disturbing him. Her mission failed though. He was easily distracted that day and just knowing she was there, just mere feet away from him was enough to make him close his laptop and push the piles of paper away.
Most found it hard to believe he was a romantic at heart. Heck, most found it hard to believe he was anything. His lack of showcasing emotions tended to give people the impression that he was a muted robot. Ariadne had changed all that though. Grinning, Arthur leaned back into his black and white office chair and brought his hands out in front of him. The light gripped an ongoing beam from the gold band on his finger and it shone instantly. For a moment his mind went back to that monumental day a year and a half ago. Back to his wedding day. It had been spring here in Paris, where he and Ariadne wed and now lived. A large park had been rented out on their behalf, a wedding present from Eames, and his bride had walked down the aisle as white petals fell from the tree and a caressing breeze danced around them. That day was unforgettable. It had taken a long road to get there no doubt, but looking back he could easily admit that he would go through turmoil and hell for the woman he called his wife.
"Lost in thought again?" Ariadne stood at his door, watching him, amused before stepping into his quarters. It was almost a routine. She had to catch him during one of his internal ramblings. She never asked what he was thinking of though, which was surprising considering how curious she naturally was. "You're gonna get grey hair if you don't stop that."
Sneaking up behind him, she wrapped her arms around his neck, causing his heartbeat to quicken before he felt her lips press against his cheek. He had ached for this type of contentment with life for so long. He never imagined it would come in the form of a quirky, architect student who at some points seemed like the complete opposite of him. Than again, he never really had a female in mind when he had imagined his future. His feelings for her had been a somewhat shock, yet made perfect sense. She was independent and focused, something he deeply admired. At the same time, she loved company and being social. She got along swimmingly with their co-workers Eames and Yusuf, yet she demanded her own space when tuned into her work. She was, in some ways, the best of both worlds.
"I'll start worrying about grey hair when I hit thirty, thanks."
Grabbing her arms, he brought them to his face before pressing his own lips to the top of her hands. His lips lingered on the diamond placed on her left hand as he pressed a single kiss upon it and than her gold band. He remembered the awkwardness they had endured when he had first brought up the subject of marriage. She had just graduated from university and had a part time job with an small up and coming company. She had denied help from him and Eames as far as getting her work with big league companies. She demanded that she wouldn't leave the team and wanted a job that wouldn't be so time consuming or heavy. Life had been steady for them. Their relationship had progressed at a good rate and before he knew it, they were spending so much time at each other's homes that they practically lived together. Arthur couldn't remember what had made his mind snap in that direction but he had awoke one morning with the sinking realization that while Ariadne was still young, he was edging closer and closer to his thirties. He had to start focusing on settling his life down. Looking back now, he had to chuckle at the memory. He had been a decent 24, then, with a flexible job and an income people could only wish for.
Either way, he had dropped subtle hints to Ariadne over the span of a month. Things grew tense and awkward. He later learned it was because of her fear of a broken relationship. Divorce was her nightmare. Needless to say, after a speech that he was sure could have melted the coldest of hearts and a dinner that had somehow itself grown cold during his talk, Arthur had bent down to one knee and asked to make an honest woman out of his girlfriend. Fast forward and there they were, penthouse in Paris, a career together and taking everyday as it came.
"How was lunch with your friends?" Twirling his chair around, he grasped her from around her waist and pulled her onto his lap. He couldn't help but smile at how well she fit against him.
"It was good. It was almost surreal finding out what everyone's been up to since we graduated." Her eyes stared off into the small window behind him. "Can you believe its already been two years?"
He nodded. "Two years and I'm sure your ahead of the pack."
She shook her head in disagreement. "You'd be surprised." Watching her closely, he noted as she sucked her cheeks in, no doubt biting her inner flesh. "I'm just glad they're settled and happy. It was nice to take a break from all this to relax and catch up." Her eyes finally left the window and came to peer down at him. "You should probably familiarize yourself with that word. Relaxation." A small grin tugged at her lip.
"I'll consider it once this assignment is over and done with." With a firm team of four, the world of extraction and inception continued for them, Eames and Arthur sharing the responsibilities of team leader.
"You say that now, but as soon as this job is over, you'll be in talks with other clients and before you know we're back at it again."
He frowned at her words. "You make it sound like a bad thing. I thought you enjoyed what you did."
She sighed and looked away momentarily, focusing her attention once more on the mirror at the end of his office. "I just think you, we-" she clarified, "-should take some time off from working. Honestly Arthur, the last time we forgot about extraction and dreams and actually enjoyed ourselves was on our honeymoon. It's been far too long."
Tingles of awareness shot through Arthur as her words sunk in. She was right, as usual, and for a moment he was thought and speechless. She had a point. Taking a break really wasn't in his agenda but his personality was to blame for that. He was a persistent person who needed to keep busy at all times. Before Ariadne, he wasn't sure what to fill free time with. But as a married man, he had to accept the responsibilities placed on him. Responsibilities like keeping her happy.
"Okay," he gave in. Pulling her closer to him, he allowed her lay her head on his shoulder before wrapping his arms around her firmly. "We'll take some time off after we're finished with this extraction assignment." Although they had a hefty line up of clients, Ariadne was being sensible and thinking about their sanity. It was about time he followed suit. "Did you have any plans on where you wanted to go or you wanted to do?"
She tensed in his arms. "We'll worry about that when this is all over and done with," she mumbled into his shirt, wrinkling it up slightly as her lips pressed against it. The old Arthur would have been more than annoyed with that action, but the newly renovated point man was just happy to have her this close to him.
Stroking her hair back, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head before she got up. "I'm gonna head down to the warehouse. I need to check over some details."
Standing, she leaned over and his hands instantly snaked around her neck to bring her face to his. Their lips collided in what should have been a simple goodbye kiss. Instead, passion erupted between them. Passion so thick, they could lap at it and spread it out. Her lips parted, giving him the entrance he craved and his tongue joined hers in what quickly became a battle of dominance. Her taste filled him, intoxicating his lungs as his tongue wrapped eagerly around hers. Holding her head firmly against his, Arthur's free arm wrapped around her waist and attempted to pull her back onto his lap. Unfortunately she wasn't having any of that. Slowly breaking away, she pressed a lingering peck upon his lips before she retreated out of his office. She left in the same manner she came in, quietly and carefully as Arthur sat back in his chair. Slowly catching his breath, he couldn't help but wonder what it was that his wife was keeping from him.
Ariadne stepped into the familiar warehouse, her comfortable sneakers making her steps silent and almost unnoticeable. Almost.
Eames looked up from his notepad to give her a grin and a nod before crossing off whatever it was that he had written. Yusuf nearly always resorted to the back station, making it just about impossible for him to hear whatever was happening in the front. She was sure that was how he liked it. He wasn't too fond of distractions. Her own station was set next to the window, which suited her because of the effect of the sun's rays. She always felt that it gave a special touch to her models. Resorting to her table, she flopped down on a chair and analyzed the scene before her. A grand casino. A large exterior and darkly colored interior gave off the illusion of a Las Vegas vibe, something much needed for their mark; a conman who was about to have his secrets stripped of him.
Placing that layer down, she turned to her nearly finished model of equally dark night club. This one was taking more time to construct, especially since she had little to no experience on what clubs were meant to look or feel like. Despite massive research and ions of stories from Eames, she still wasn't satisfied with her work. Groaning in mere frustration, she tightened her scarf around her neck and stood. She got busy re-sketching an outlook, not bothering with the outside considering the mark would remain indoors the whole time. The DJ booth was created first, followed by a narrow but long bar. The dance floor took up a lot of space as she drew that in, and then a flight of not so obvious stairs heading upstairs to private quarters. That's where she stumbled. What were these rooms or halls meant to look like? They did they all resemble one another or simply differ on the importance of a person? Running a hand through her hair, she looked up from her sketch book to find Eames watching her with enjoyment.
"Really, love? It can't be that hard to construct a night club. For Merlin's sake, they're everywhere." Standing, he made his way over to her table, his notebook long forgotten.
"It's kind of hard to re-create something you have no experience from. Do we have to go over this again?" Grabbing a hair hand, she tied her locks in a ponytail, taking them away from her face as she stared at the sketches. "What am I doing wrong?"
"Well first off, you're missing a lounge area. You've got a bar but folks are going to need somewhere to sit and drink."
Her hand instantly drew in round tables, as small covered candles illuminated them. Her eyes instantly drew up to Eames as if signalling him to continue.
"You should probably include a balcony. Put those prestigious beings up there to stare down at the rest of us." He grinned, as his hand pointed over a spot on her sketch book. "Right there." She instantly did as she was told. "Throw in some bathrooms; make sure they're fancy and comfortable. You'd be surprised at people attempt to do in there." A wink was sent her way as Ariadne shuddered.
"Now, you're missing one last thing. Where in the bloody world are the strippers?" She nudged his side with her elbow, hitting hard toned skin before he laughed and pulled away from her.
"What about these rooms up here?" She frowned at her book, almost waiting for it to drawn itself in.
"You'll figure those out." His advice was blank as he stared distracted at her casino model. "Your scarily good at this."
"I'll take that as a compliment." Despite being a grown woman, she stuck her tongue out at him before placing her sketchbook in the corner. "I actually, um, wanted to talk to you about something."
Eames' eyes twinkled with excitement. "Oh, Ariadne. Are you going to confess your love for me?" Gripping her hands, he placed them on his chest. "I feel the same way, my dear."
"Eames!" She gripped her hands away, glowering at him as he chuckled at her reaction. "Be serious for a second?"
"Alright, alright." He leaned against a table opposite of her as his arms crossed over his chest. "Trouble in paradise with mister Arthur?"
At the mention of her husband, she mentally smiled. Trouble? No. Frustration? A little bit. Their conversation from earlier replayed in her mind. They needed more time together. More alone time. Time to just get away from everything and focus on one another. The thought of the two of them spending alone time went well with another idea that had been planted in her mind earlier that day as well. She shuddered involuntarily.
"Not trouble, no." She fumbled to explain her situation properly. "There's something I want. Something I desperately want, but I'm not sure Arthur will give it to me."
"Arthur? Deny you? The world would have to come to an end for that to happen."
She almost smiled at his honesty. Although her husband had proven to be the keen provider, she knew in this case he would be hesitant. But after seeing her friends for lunch that day, she knew there was nothing in the world she desired more than this. In the long run it would make him happy, just as her. The only problem was getting him to agree along to start with.
"I had this idea of taking a two week vacation, maybe head down to Cannes." Her right hand nestled over her wedding band lightly, tracing over the gold metal. "With a purpose."
"A purpose?" Eames didn't bother hiding his curiosity. "Who does a vacation with a purpose?"
"I want to come back pregnant."
The forger was silent for a good five seconds. The only sound was the muttering of Yusuf in the back as he combined and mixed chemicals. And suddenly, Eames' eyes grew wide and a large grin took over his face.
"So your telling me that you want Arthur to drop a little seed in there?"
"Well...kind of."
"That shouldn't be too hard. Just walk around in a bikini. If he's man enough to marry you, than he's man enough to sex you."
"I don't want to take any chances." She was surprised at how confident and in charge she sounded.
"I beg your pardon?"
"One time won't be enough." There was no denying how amused Eames was with this conversation. She could only imagine how red her face at that point. "I need the whole trip to solemnly be about…conceiving a baby."
"This is just brilliant!" Eames laughed deeply before controlling himself. "Alright, alright. Let me do the roundup. You're going to take Arthur to Cannes for fourteen days of non-stop, consensual sex?"
"Yes."
"That lucky bastard."
