"I hope the twins treated you kindly last night."
Cinder's voice floats from behind a changing screen, and Emerald stiffens immediately. News travels fast around the club, but usually not this fast. Emerald bites her tongue, waits for Cinder to fill the silence in that effortless way that she's perfected over the years.
"Their more… brutish tastes are easiest to become acquainted with after a few more encounters." The changing screen folds, painted valleys and daubed flower gardens disappearing into an accordion-like snap. Cinder tilts it against the wall next to her and makes eye contact with Emerald. She's changed from her usual red dress to a silk robe that trails behind her. She purses her lips at Emerald.
"Cat got your tongue?"
"N-No, no, I'm sorry, I was just thinking." Emerald stammers, blinks dazedly. "The twins were fine; I'm a bit surprised is all. Did you hear us in the bar?" Cinder laughs, thin and sweet, waves her hand to dismiss Emerald's worries.
"The club has many secret places that I didn't even know about before we brought Neo in." Cinder's smile puts Emerald slightly at ease, but the fox like anticipation in the other woman's eyes is predatory, sharp.
Neo.
She came as she pleased, and all the shadows that she fell in step with offered enough protection that she became Cinder's eyes and ears before long. Emerald shuddered at the thought of the woman lurking while Melanie and Miltia pressed their mouths to Emerald's collar.
"I always thought that Melanie and Miltia would take especially well to you. You're easy to get along with once the ice is broken." Cinder runs a hand through her hair, settles on the arm of the couch that Emerald perches on.
"Thank you, ma'am."
A hand stretches across the nape of Emerald's neck, thumbnail sinking into the flesh below one of her bones. Cinder's close enough to smell, lily pure and smoke tinging all of her features.
"You know, Emerald, I have many weaknesses." Cinder's purr comes out throatier than normal. "Would you like to know two of them?" Emerald suppresses a shiver when Cinder's other hand braces her shoulder.
"Of course."
"The first is beautiful women," Cinder's nails dig into Emerald's skin and she keeps a whimper from escaping in her throat. "The second… is wanting things as soon as they're made unavailable to me."
Emerald blinks rapidly, unsure if Cinder's said what she thinks she's heard. "Ma'am - "
"I'm quite the fickle person, Emerald. I'm a woman in all senses of the word, you could say." Cinder's laugh is shy of amusement. "And I hope that you can forgive my primitive emotions, but it seems that you will always be more beautiful to me after the twins lay their claim on you."
Emerald closes her eyes as Cinder kisses down her neck, a wet path of lipstick marks down to the halter collar of her top.
"A-As soon as you have me, then you won't want me anymore?" Emerald whispers breathily. Cinder hums when she reaches Emerald's throbbing pulse, fingers tilting the other woman's jaw to angle her head slightly.
"Give it a chance." Cinder presses Emerald down against the couch, slips her a brief kiss.
"You never know what could happen.
