:)) TOO SAPPY?
" I would have never guessed the God of War was into friendly chit- chats…" she bit, barely restrained fury reverberating off of her every word, arching a defying eyebrow at his imperious need to show her that he was the one in control – or at least that was what his tightly clasped fingers around her neck subtly told her.
Well… this time she was adamant about proving him wrong though, for she was sick and tired of him constantly meddling into her affairs, always watching her every step- as if she were one of those bloody incompetent generals who couldn't do one thing right- always lecturing her whenever she didn't stick to some damned plan, whenever she did things differently from what they had initially discussed…
" I'm into a lot of things…" he replied in a darkly suave tonality, as his other hand moved slightly upper, his thumb brushing lightly the side of her breast, and successfully managing to distract her for a brief moment.
" I'm sure you are… " she growled, trying to stay angry at him, but her distraction only seemed to reach scandalous proportions when she felt his hand fondling her breast now, and she could have sworn it was her bare skin he was touching. She tried not to gasp when, casting an eye at her own body, she noticed that her leathers had changed into what must have been a backless, long chiffon gown, the deep V neck of which offered the God perfect access to her chest. The double lateral slits of the accursed thing, only gave her even more the impression that she was close to naked in his arms….
" …..Why don't you cut the crap though and tell me what exactly it was you were doing back in that village?" she said, finally turning around to face him, making sure to push him as far away from her as she could, suddenly offended by the fact he had been cleverly trying to divert her attention from his unpardonable mistake, by recurring to the sexual effect he knew he had on her.
"What do you mean?" he innocently asked, cocking his head lightly to the side, his mouth curling into an amused grin that nearly reached his steely eyes.
"You son of a bitch! You had no right, Ares!" she exploded this time, unable to control herself any longer, blood racing through her veins now …Every single sound he uttered only seemed to irritate her beyond words- and what disturbed her the most was not even the fact that he had made her look like a fool earlier in that village but more like the fact that she wasn't even half as angry as she should have been at him…..
At this point, she would have been delighted to smack that wicked smile off his face but at the same time, her incredibly uncooperative brain kept repeating like a mantra just how sexy he looked wearing it- and that was bothering her terribly.
"Excuse me?! No right?! I'm the God of War, Honey! I can kill whomever I want, and I sure don't need anyone's permission to do it…It's one of the many pleasures this job has to offer , if you will..." he retorted, brazenly fixing his longing gaze on her generously displayed breasts- the fine fabric of that so called dress did a terrible job in covering them up properly- and his rich, powerful, manly voice along with the desire burning in his eyes only sparkled some even more illicit sensations inside her.
She contented herself nonetheless with gritting her teeth and snarling at his casualness.
" …Not if that means having my army ignore my orders and giving them new ones!"
The Olympian couldn't help himself. He just had to chuckle at her frustration. Without taking his eyes from her, he closed the distance between them again, making sure to stop just a few inches away from her tantalizing body, lifting her chin up with one finger and leaning in enough so that when he spoke, she could actually feel the force of his words pouring from his lips.
" You probably mean….my army…." he emphasised, walking past her as soon as he was done talking.
She angrily grabbed his arm, keeping him in place. Oh, how he loved it the Bastard, to toy with her like that!
"No. I mean my army given the fact that I'm their overall commander."
"And who exactly do you serve ?" he inquired, glancing at her over his shoulder and briefly wondering what on earth had that woman done to bewitch him to the point that he found even her outraging insolence, attractive…
" My own interests of course. " she tried to sting, but to her boundless surprise, she didn't quite get the reaction that she had anticipated at that straightforward offense, the one reaction that would have finally allowed her to release all that pent up fury boiling inside her ever since her men had taken that freaking village that morning.
"As much as I share your youthful exuberance- and I do, I really do…. let me refresh your memory…." he started, on such a patronizing tone that her body turned even more rigid the very following second. She was going to beat the crap out of him soon and she was going to enjoy every minute of it. " You see, my gorgeous Warrior Princess, you work for me…that pretty much means that you answer to me. So uh… whatever choice I make regarding our battle plans, you will have to learn to respect it and live with it too, without making a fuss about it. It's as simple as that…" he concluded, a cup of wine materializing in his hand as he began heading towards large leather sofa placed a few feet away from them, casually kicking aside the stunningly embroidered velvet pillows scattered right about everywhere on the floor.
" Well if I give up commanding your men, you can stick those battle plans up your ass! " she screamed behind him, grabbing a pillow and throwing it at him as hard as she could, right when he was about to take a sip of wine.
At her gesture, the God stopped dead in his tracks, but, as if nothing notable had happened, he didn't turn around to look at her. Instead, he absently wiped away from his chest the spilled, crimson drink.
"You know as well as I do that you could as well stop breathing the moment you try something like that!" he threatened while carefully listening to the rest of her little speech about how useful those peasants might have been.
" There was no need for all those people to die! Women and children, Ares! All of them completely defenseless, and for what?! "
"You would have ended up crucifying them anyway…" he remarked, taking a seat and making himself comfortable, draping one leg over the armrest as usually and just enjoying the show….She was like a volcano, boiling with rage, passion and sexual tension and …..all the right ingredients that turned her into the ideal woman- at least in his vision.
" Not all of them! I could have sold them as slaves in Corinth, make some money to buy new weapons for the soldiers ! " she contradicted, in an even higher note now.
"Since when do you need money to have weapons made? Just make a list, I'll give you everything you need….." he said with a laugh, taking a mental note at the absolutely fascinating way in which her chest was rising and falling from all that useless jabbering, and no matter how hard she tried to ignore him, she just couldn't help feeling uncomfortable at the lecherous way in which he was looking at her. There was no doubt about it, in his mind, she was already naked, riding him on that leather sofa. He could as well kiss that scenario goodbye though, she told to herself, narrowing her eyes at him.
"And that doesn't answer my question, by the way! Not to mention the fact that you completely undermined my authority in front of my troops!" she continued, glaring daggers at him.
" You don't need to worry about that; those soldiers will obey you. They know that the minute they betray you, their heads will be decorating their own spikes- on the road from here to the Aegean Sea….." he explained, finishing his wine and throwing the goblet over his shoulder. It must have landed somewhere at the back of the room, but no sound was heard. "As for your question…."
"Don't tell me you actually have an explanation for that too….." she spat, quirking a perplexed eyebrow at him.
" Let's just say that I don't like to see pain in your eyes….."
His line left her speechless of course. She hadn't seen that one coming….The chances of him ever admitting that out loud, had always been close to zero, at least from her point of view…
" Pain?" she somehow managed to mumble, a small voice in her head finally reminding her that she was supposed to feign consternation at his words….Too late…" No thanks, I'm fine….." she added, with a frown once she noticed his extended hand, inviting her to take a seat by his side, only to fold her arms across her chest and throw a contemptuous glare his way when without a warning, he vanished from sight.
Right when she was about to start cursing his name again though- like she usually did when she was angry with him and he disappeared on her without a word, she felt the ground being swept from beneath her feet and the next thing she knew, her back was hitting the floor, or better said, the soft pillows covering it while Ares' heavy body trapped her there.
She immediately jumped at the rare opportunity to slap him, and she did it with such visible and vibrant satisfaction that any man would have returned the favor just for the sake of wiping that glorious smile off her face, but instead of acting on impulse, the War God settled for patiently grabbing her wrists, and pinning her arms above her head, making sure she didn't flinch a muscle this time.
" Why do you let them get to you like that, huh? They're just peasants, Princess…. worthless scum that could never appreciate your unique talent, let alone understand the importance of the goal you're fighting for." he whispered, as if making sure that no one else could hear him- despite them being the only ones in that room- while lovingly caressing her cheek with his free hand as he spoke.
"What are you talking about?"
"No need to deny it. I saw you…Just like I saw the hurt in your eyes when they started shouting those things at you…"
" Hurt?! Have you lost your mind? I've heard people addressing me similar thoughts a thousand times before in every city or village I've conquered….Why would I feel hurt? Plus…the truth shouldn't really offend anyone….."she answered, looking away as the acid words left her lips.
" The truth? And just what truth might that be? " he asked, certain that he must have misinterpreted what she had said.
" This truth " she bitterly retorted, rolling her eyes at him. " They might have phrased it harshly, but they sure nailed it…."
The God started at her for a few, endless seconds, refusing to admit that he had heard her right….Was she saying what he thought she did? All of the sudden, that gloomy perspective made his throat feel unusually dry, the frantic rhythm of his heart being swiftly commanded by an entirely different feeling…revolt….
"Have I ever treated you like a whore by any chance?"
She didn't say anything, but the moisture present at the corners of her eye was all the answer he needed.
" Seriously, Xena….?! " he asked, utter concern creeping in his strangled voice, and he mechanically let go of her wrists as if any touch could have meant something that shouldn't have….
"No, you haven't…" she reassuringly stated, finally meeting his gaze and resting her hands on his chest. Unconsciously, he sharply exhaled a breath that he didn't know he had been holding all this time…
" …..but still…." he insisted, his palms now framing her face , forcing her to look at him, and once again that night, he could swear his heart had stopped beating while waiting for her answer.
"Just ….take me back to camp, I still have a million things to do till nightfall." she diverted, wanting to avoid an blunt answer while also trying to get up, an attempt that the War God made sure to block the instant she sketched that gesture.
" Nothing that Darphus can't take care of , all by himself…" he specified, his voice soft but determined. There was no way he was letting her leave that place without cleaning things up.
" Oh please! I don't trust that conniving worm as far as I can throw him! I'd rather be there, make sure that everything is done by the book." she insisted, obviously feeling completely different about continuing their conversation.
" Your soldiers know how to set camp, Xena. Your presence there is not required tonight. …But still…." he stated again, on the same tone as before, thus letting her now that there was no way in Tartarus he was going to drop it…
She just gave him a quizzical glance as if she had no idea what he was talking about.
"Really?! Do I need to drag it out of you? "
" And do I need to spell it out for you?! I mean look at me….!" she said, obviously hinting at their position.
In response, he just made himself even more comfortable between her legs, making sure that between her pelvis and his groin there wasn't one single inch of space left.
" I am looking at you…." he answered, and Xena could have sworn that she had never seen him that serious before…
" And what do you see, huh?" she spat, once again, trying to push him away, even more infuriated if possible.
This time though, he shoved her brutally back down the pillows, a bit offended that a similar though could even cross her mind…
" A Goddess….an amazing woman with a potential and an ambition to match my own….an unsurpassable beauty- as stubborn as a mule one might add- …..By the way, if you were actually fishing for compliments this would be a good time to tell me, you know, cause I could go on forever…I have a pretty rich repertoire…"
Forgetting all about how furious she was supposed to be- both with him and with herself- the Warrior Princess burst into laughter…He was the only one who could paint a smile on her face even when things looked at their worst.
Seeing her happy and laughing, the War God's soul was suddenly invaded by an unexpected feeling of peace and joy…an unusual warmth that filled him on the inside like nothing else had done it before….
Without saying another word, he just captured her mouth in a hot, hungry kiss that sent their bodies ablaze from the second their lips touched, a wild, sweet madness that compelled her to arch against him, panting with blind need.
About a minute later, just as she was about to lose herself completely under the drugging effect of his tongue, he finally ended it all as abruptly as it started, aware of the fact that one thing would just lead to another….and then to another….a monumentally bad move given the nature of their previous conversation.
With an overly elegant gesture that had nothing to do with what they had been doing just earlier, he got up and offered her his hand, helping her to her feet and carefully adjusting her dress once she was standing….
The Warrior Princess just started at him as if he had gone crazy…
" So uh….what do you want to do for the rest of the evening? " he began in the clumsiest way imaginable, while searching his brain for activities that didn't involve him fucking her savagely till sunrise….." Would you like to have dinner somewhere or….go for a long…..long walk….Or you could ride me…we could ride….horses….." he stammered, looking almost embarrassed for it.
He was definitely going nuts, he said to himself when she once again started to laugh…But by Chronos, that genuine smile was the most captivating thing he had ever seen…..
" Dinner sounds nice…..I'm pretty hungry actually….." she answered, realising that she had eaten close to nothing that day and it was already sunset.
" Great…..! Do you have a place in mind? Or wait….wait!….Let me….I know the perfect location…." he eagerly said, pulling her into his arms and holding her tight. If he had ever given her the impression that she was meaningless to him- despite of the fact that in his opinion he had done the exact opposite thus far- he was going to do anything in his powers to fix it….As for the speech that he had prepared about how important it is for leaders to build a high stone wall around their heart in order to avoid suffering and remorse...that was put on hold for an indefinite period of time...There would be other moments...
XXX
Back in the valley, the Warrior Princess' army had just finished setting camp. Everything was in its proper place, every tent, every horse, every chariot, and the men were lazily starting to light campfires.
Away from the others, and careful not be overheard by curious ears, Darphus and Theodorus were having a chat of their own.
" …..I don't know Darphus, if Xena were to find out about this….I don't even want to think about it…"
"She won't be returning tonight. Ares will keep her busy, I can guarantee it. "
"I don't like this….."
" You just go and do what you have to do…..If by any chance Ares gets bored with her cunt and brings her back before midnight, I'll simply tell her I sent you scouting or something…."
" Don't even think about not watching my back Darphus….because if I go down, I'll make sure I pull you along with me.."
