AN: Alright! I'll end the cliffhangage from last chapter. This one contains some slight romantic contact, so I'd like to warn everyone reading that whatever Io does in this chapter is purely a result of the blackmail. There's no actual mature content, but I figured I'd let you know so the romance doesn't seem overboard. Yep, it actually applies to the plot!
Io was still quivering when she crossed over the velvet ropes, clinging to her bare shoulders, her shawl sagging at her elbows. She was in a state of complete shock. Her whole world had just come crashing down, and boy did it come down hard. Everything around her seemed dimmed and faded, muffled and dizzy. She had to tell Rufus! Where was Rufus! But no…she couldn't. Deimos was too smart for that. He must have been tapped into every wire Shin-Ra had set up. She had no choice… Two lives were riding on her actions tonight…she had to get in and steal those codes. But how…but how…?
Io's steps faltered and she stopped in her tracks, her tearing eyes trailing over the crowd, looking for that head of platinum hair. Her insides turned as she spotted him. The thoughts of his bloody, bullet-ridden body made her shiver in fear. She didn't want to do this, but bloody thoughts spurred her on. She would rather be the one to deceive him than be the one responsible for his death.
Drying her eyes on the edge of her shawl, Io took the first trembling step toward the president. He was chatting idly with several businessmen, one of which she recognized as President Tuesti. He was dressed so beautifully—a professionally tailored white suit, free of wrinkles or blemishes, black vest and handkerchief. He looked like an angel standing there, his form outlined by the dim lights behind. She felt stupid intruding like this, but she resolved to push all distractions aside. Every time she felt herself falter, a sound or image would flash through her mind and impel her forward.
Her heart fell to the floor as Rufus's excited eyes fell on hers. "Io!" he exclaimed, meeting her halfway, placing a hand on her shoulder while the other clung to a champagne glass. "I'm so glad you could make it… You look beautiful." She felt herself stiffen as he leaned forward and placed a simple, yet affectionate kiss on her cheek. Io would have broken down and cried right then and there were it not for all the eyes suddenly falling on her. "I'd like you to meet my good friend, Mr. Reeve Tuesti." She followed his hand as he motioned to the tall, dark man standing before her.
No words were exchanged as the president moved forward, taking her hand gently in his own. He leaned down and kissed the top of it, his dark eyes twinkling with delight. "It is an honor to finally meet you, Io…" he spoke at last, his voice deep and powerful. "You look so much like your mother. It's amazing…" Io trembled at the mention of her mother. "I knew her well…she was my mentor for several years. She will forever hold a special place in my heart."
Claire…what would she think of her daughter now? Caught up in drug schemes and fighting to protect the lives of two innocent men… She felt embarrassed to even be compared to her mother. Io fought to smile up at Reeve, her trembling hand finally sliding from his grasp. Her eyes immediately fell to the ground. "It's an honor to meet you too, sir…" she muttered, wringing her hands as she spoke.
A deathly silence followed her words, much like every other time she opened her dumb mouth. Awkwardness plagued the air until Rufus spoke again. "Claire was a wonderful woman. She will never be forgotten." he held his glass in the air to the people around him. "To Claire Bellanger!"
"To Claire Bellanger," the businessmen echoed, clinking their glasses together.
Io spent the rest of the night on Rufus's arm, trying to participate in idle chatter with his friends and acquaintances… But her thoughts were strayed and she could never focus on one thing for too long. She guessed Rufus could see this, by the way he continued to probe her with questions in an attempt to include her in the conversations.
It wasn't until the music slowed and waiters circled around collecting the glasses before Io noticed how much time had gone by. The conductor of the orchestra took the stand briefly. "I'd like to invite all of you fine ladies and gentlemen to the final dance of the night. Gather round with your partner and enjoy this piece."
Io's entire persona changed with the music. This was her final chance of the night. Rufus placed his glass back onto a waiter's tray and immediately stretched out his hand to her. "May I?" he asked, bowing a bit. Io nodded, a secret smile spreading across her lips. She took his hand and instantly fit herself to him, closer than she'd ever been before, even during their kiss. She tilted her head into the side of his and clenched his hand tightly in her own, following his steps skillfully. The hand resting on his back began to wander—downward at first, then back up, entangling her fingers in his thick hair. Rufus responded by sliding his hand around her side a bit, his thumb pressing into her hip. She arched herself into him just a little, enough to make his steps falter for a moment.
Io bit her lip. She didn't want to do this… "I have to talk to you," she hissed into his ear, trying to maintain her cover. "In private." She gave him no time to respond, simply grasping his hand in hers and jerking him through the dancing couples toward the backside of the orchestra stage. Careful to remain hidden, she dipped across the velvet ropes once more and led him into the woods, all the way out of sight. She felt her stomach lurch with fear and unwillingness, but her face remained steady. 'last chance, Io,' her mind repeated. 'Now or never…'
Pursing her lips in fear, Io stopped running and turned to face Rufus, her face suddenly set with a totally different expression. She pulled his hand and jerked him toward the nearest tree, pinning him up against it roughly, but not enough to harm him. She trapped him there with her own body, pressing against his, pretending to breath deeply with new arousal. Rufus looked totally shocked.
"Io, what's going on?" he demanded, looking from left to right beside her, as if he expected someone else to come out and spot them. "What did you need to talk—"
"You know…" Io interrupted him, her hand walking itself up his shoulder as her eyes glazed with interest. "Ever since that kiss, I can't stop thinkin' about you…" She gently touched the side of his face and leaned her own in, grazing her lips along his jaw line teasingly. She moved up a bit toward his ear, releasing a soft, tantalizing giggle there. "I wouldn't mind another, you know," she whispered before reeling back just enough so that her nose grazed his. She could see the surprise in his eyes.
"Io, I…" Rufus stopped as he felt Io's tongue lash out and graze his lips. He shivered. Io immediately plunged in for the kiss, her eyes falling closed while Rufus pressed himself farther against the tree. She responded by letting her hands wander again, stroking his shoulders gently, running down them, taking his hand and placing it on the small of her back. She could feel him submitting, slowly but surely, and rejoiced that her plan was working. She felt his hand wander as well, and gasped through her nose. At last, what seemed like hours later Io pulled away, pretending to pant, although she probably could have been doing it for real now. "That was amazing…" she muttered hooking her hands up around his neck now, grasping into his hair. Rufus too was left breathing heavy, his mouth slightly moistened by her lip gloss. Io smirked just then, letting her hands slide back across his shoulders, giggling again as she suddenly began to sink, down, down to one knee, her hands stopping at his waist. He twisted as he felt her fingers reaching beneath his tuxedo jacket.
"Io…w-what are you doing?" he stammered, continuing to writhe away from her.
"What does it look like I'm doing, Mr. President?" Io giggled in return.
Rufus grasped one of Io's hands in her own. Her heart sank. Rejection ran through her mind, accompanied by a screaming image of Rufus's bloody demise. "We can't do this here, Io," Rufus gasped, pulling her back up to eye level now. "Listen, the party's almost over. I'll take you back to my office and we can talk about this before something stupid happens."
Io twisted her hand out of his grasp, scoffing as she turned around. "Talk, talk, talk!" she complained, rather loudly. "All you want to do is talk! Why don't you just act, Rufus?"
"Because I'm afraid what this could do…to both of us," he replied sternly, moving close to her. Nothing more was said for a moment as Rufus gazed at her, his eyes resolute and unwavering. Io finally broke her stare and scoffed again, folding her arms as she started off toward the ropes again. "I'll be waiting on the curb."
She walked briskly across the park as the final dance ended, listening to men and women say their goodbyes. She could hear Rufus's voice on the microphone as she finally reached the gates, quickly slipping out unnoticed. "I'd like to thank you all for coming and we hope you attend next year! Enjoy the rest of this lovely evening!" Applause filled the air and people began filing out to their vehicles. Rufus and Reeve were last to part, accompanied by several Turks. This was going to be harder than she thought.
Reeve immediately approached her and took her hand again, bowing respectfully. She did the same. "It was a great pleasure to meet you, Miss Bellanger," he said. "I look forward to seeing much of you in the future." He then turned to Rufus and gave him a great hug. "Good night, Rufus. Thank you for another wonderful ball."
Rufus nodded and tapped his friend on the shoulder. "You're always welcome, Reeve. Take good care of yourself."
Reeve nodded. "I will," he assured him as one set of Turks led him away. The others, only consisting of Rude and Elena, led both of them toward a black limousine waiting for them a little ways down the road. Rude and Elena asked no questions when Rufus announced Io was coming along. They opened the door for both of them and quickly moved to the front.
Io slipped in first and leaned herself against the tinted window, all the while Rufus grasped a wine bottle and two glasses. "Here," he offered, pouring her a glass and handing it to her. She sniffed it, smirked, and downed the whole thing in one gulp. Rufus raised an eyebrow as she placed the glass down onto the bar again. He poured her another before sipping on his own, and she finished this one almost as quickly. Rufus watched as she let her hair down and slid off her shawl, tossing the glass away carelessly. She sighed and ruffled her ringlet curls, opening her glowing eyes to gaze across at Rufus. He returned the gaze sheepishly, eyebrow raised as he continued to sip calmly from his wine glass.
Even though an amorous smirk was plastered on her features, Io felt like bursting out in tears on the inside. She had to stop feeling guilty…she had to start thinking about getting those codes. Her plan had been to seduce him and leave him in the night, to steal the codes before he had a chance to wake up. But the more and more she thought about it, the more and more she wished she hadn't chosen that medium. Maybe she should just knock him out… But Deimos had set up cameras and microphones all along the limo. He surely had them inside too. Maybe she should tell him before they entered the building… But if Deimos's snipers spotted her doing anything less than groping him, they would surely expect something. After all, Deimos himself had suggested to approach the situation this way, and if she'd learned anything under his guidance, it was to listen to whatever he said.
Swallowing her doubt, Io brought her charming facade back out, smiling as she slipped her foot up and around his ankle, gently sliding her bare toes along his pant leg. The look on his face was that of pure agony, as if he wished to respond but couldn't. Pursing her lips, Io moved in and pressed her body against his side. He flinched again. "You look a little tense, Rufus," she whispered, gently touching her fingers to his chest. She walked them up to his tie and slowly began to loosen it. "Why don't you let me help you…relax?"
Rufus gave no reply at first, but she felt him tense up beneath her hand. Shooting a sidelong glance toward her, he simply lifted his glass to his lips and took a large swallow. Io watched the muscles of his throat working, smirking as she moved closer still, landing her moistened lips the nape of his neck. She worked her way up to his ear, gently taking the edge into her mouth, nibbling on it for just a moment. She then took his diamond stud between her teeth and gently pulled, causing his head to tilt away and a sigh to escape his parted lips. Io's blood coursed faster through her veins at the sound. Her plan was working…slowly but surely, it was working.
Suddenly, she felt Rufus shift his body away from hers, causing her to frown. "Io," he grunted, placing his wine glass down. "Can't we talk about this first?"
Io scoffed. "You know? You talk too much, Rufus. You just love to hear the sound of your own voice. I bet you talk during sex, too. You practice your speeches and recite your daily schedule. When are you gonna just do something, huh? You're too busy talking to notice a good thing passing you by!"
Rufus was astounded. He blinked wildly, his mouth hanging slightly agape. Where had that come from? For the first time, it was Rufus who was left speechless.
Io crossed her arms over her chest and waited for a rebuttal, all the while praying that this reverse psychology worked on him.
At last, Rufus spoke. "I'm just afraid, Io," he said calmly, slowly inching toward her again. "I'm afraid of what this could do to our reputations. I mean, if Reno were ever to find out—"
"Reno won't find out!" Io barked. "Reno doesn't even have to know I went to this party." She stopped shouting and sighed. "After that kiss, I thought you wanted me." That was a total lie. She had thought the exact opposite then. "But now you're sending some really mixed signals. What do you want, Rufus? Me or your reputation?"
Rufus sat in silence for a moment, his deep eyes searching hers for what seemed like forever. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He stopped, worked his jaw, and then suddenly lunged forward, pressing his lips furiously to hers. He consumed her mouth ardently, pulling her body close to his. Io was surprised by his sudden acceptance, but remembered soon after that this was a good thing. She barely had to act at all for this to play itself out.
Io returned his kiss for some time before he pulled away, breathing deeply, lips smeared with gloss and eyes glazed with desire. She guessed that she looked the same way right about now, but she wasn't complaining at all. Rufus was a beautiful man, and to share such a passionate moment with was not something to whine about at all.
Heaving a sigh to steady her breath, Io twirled her fingers in his platinum hair and smirked up at the man above her. "Now that's more like it," she complimented, leaning up for another kiss. They were stopped midway through however, by the slowing of the limo. Io could hear the front doors opening and immediately slipped out from beneath Rufus, tossing her hair and fixing her smeared make-up. She pulled her shawl back on just as Rude opened the door, taking the hand he extended to her. Io nonchalantly stepped out onto the curb and immediately clung to Rufus as he stepped out after her. She failed to catch the curious gaze Rude and Elena exchanged behind them.
By the time they reached the top floor, Io had already removed Rufus's jacket and unbuttoned his vest, and had now begun work on his shirt. She'd pulled it untucked, letting her hands wander his strong sides while he kissed her roughly, pressing her against the side of the elevator. She hiked herself onto the bar and locked her legs around him, letting her hands run through his hair as he leaned toward her throat now, biting and kissing it. Her eyes opened long enough to notice how close they were to their floor. "Rufus," she gasped, pushing him away. "We're almost there."
He nodded as the elevator dinged, letting her slide down off the handrail, grasping her hand now. Io giggled as he led the way swiftly down the hall, bursting into his office unhesitatingly. He dipped to the left and slipped into the first doorway he came to, revealing a grand bedroom hidden inside. Io smiled. The bed was huge!
She let go of Rufus's hand and reached up, taking his loosened tie. She spun him around by it and backed him to the bed, pushing him down onto it, immediately coming down atop him. Grabbing the edges of his shirt, Io ripped the two sides apart, causing the buttons to pop off.
"Holy shit!" Rufus gasped as she pulled the shirt off of him. "You don't waste time."
Io smirked and crawled down him a bit, kissing the edge of his collarbone briefly before moving downward. She touched his chest, stopping suddenly at the feel of skin rising where it shouldn't rise. Opening her eyes, Io's brow furrowed at the sight. A long, gnarled scar ran down his alabaster chest from the edge of his pectoral all the way across his abdomen to where his navel began. She traced it gingerly with two fingers, both of them fitting on the ridge of skin. Io could feel Rufus shivering beneath her touch.
"What is this…?" she whispered, totally forgetting her prior mission. One of Rufus's hands came down to fit atop hers, the other curling into her hair as he pulled her up to eye level again.
"Diamond Weapon," he replied, his eyes glazed with memory.
("Sir! A mass of high-density energy is headed toward Midgar!"
Rufus stood in silence, leaning over his desk, watching the bright lights approaching him from the distance.
"Mr. President! Do you read? You must evacua… Hurry! Weapon is… Sir…!"
He narrowed his eyes as the golden rays of light approached. He wasn't ready to die. The explosions rattled the building, causing the ceiling to collapse on itself. Glass flew everywhere. He covered his face and waited. A pain seared down his chest, another on his shoulder blade. He wasn't ready to die. He felt the floor above come crashing down atop him, his mind screaming, his mouth silenced. He wasn't ready to die. He heard the shouts of rescuers, fading into his ears… He wasn't ready to die.)
"It took them a week just to get the shrapnel out," he explained to the woman laying atop him. "Another three days to stitch it up without damaging any vitals."
Io ran her hand along it one last time, causing Rufus to tense. "Amazing…" she gasped, her eyes raising to search his own. "It's beautiful."
Rufus chuckled, reaching up to touch the edge of her face. He ran his fingers across her scar and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Not nearly as beautiful as yours."
Io's face flushed with color, leaning in for another kiss to stifle her embarrassment. From that moment on, she no longer thought about the blackmail, getting "those codes," or even about Deimos. She thought of Rufus and only Rufus.
Just three beautiful scars on two beautiful people, sharing one beautiful night…together.
AN: Holy shnikes that was longer than I thought it was gonna be… Sorry for all the mushy romance crap! I'm trying to hold back, but I had to do something to finish off this blackmail thing. It will get better from here, trust me.
If you have a problem with this chapter, don't flame. Message me and we can talk like civil people. REVIEW PLZKTHNXBAI.
