The Blue Dress
Vermilion Kisses

Raven's lips were pressed into a thin, tight line as she stepped into his office, pushing at her hair and carrying a stack of files under her right arm. She looked a little disheveled, as if she had spent the rest of the afternoon pacing and pulling at her hair, very likely wondering how in the world she was going to talk herself out of this mess, only to discover there was no way out. In the end, she caved and was now standing in his office, fidgeting with the files in her hand.

"You found more of them?"

"They're from archival storage." She pursed her lips and set them down on his desk.

"Oh?" Jason smirked and reached for the brown, paper bag on his desk, pushing the stack of files to the side. "I see you finally managed to find the archives."

Raven blushed brightly and looked away. "That was uncalled for, Mr. Todd."

"I'm simply teasing, Miss Roth."

"It's not very funny."

"Teasing rarely is."

He lifted an eyebrow and watched her white teeth slip out of her mouth and begin to chew on her lower lip, her eyes still not meeting his own. The flesh of her lip turned red and swelled, and Jason found himself staring at her mouth as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world (and it very likely was). He began to wonder precisely what else he could do to make her mouth turn red, or what else those beautiful teeth could nibble on. He had a few ideas, and not all of them were totally innocent.

Forcing his stare away from her, he reached into the paper bag and pulled out their dinners. "Come on, I bought you dinner as an apology… shrimp fried rice, your favorite."

Raven looked into his face as her nostrils flared a bit out of agitation. "How did you know?"

"I called your secretary and asked politely, like a gentleman."

Raven rolled her eyes and snatched the pint from his hand with a sigh. "I would hardly consider you a gentleman. You're more like a rogue in a very bad romance story."

Jason paused for a moment, considering her words before he felt the laughter bubble up from the pit of his stomach. He leaned over his desk and laughed, looking into Raven's rather surprised face as she fidgeted with her hair and looked away. Chuckles still spilling from between his lips, he reached out and patted her hand. "I think that's a very accurate assumption."

Raven blushed and looked down at his hand, still covering hers as it rested on the desk. A moment of shocked silence slipped between them before they both pulled their hands away, looking around the office and anywhere other than each other. Jason stared out the window and watched as the last bit of sun was swallowed up by the darkness of night, listening to the silence outside of his office. It was just another reminder that they were here alone, just as they had been those few nights ago, when she wore that gorgeous champagne dress, and her hair curled around her shoulders, and-

"Are you going to stare out the window all night, or are you actually going to do research with me?"

Her voice pulled him back to the present, and he felt his stomach turn at the sight of her. She had plopped down in a chair, a file spread across her lap as she precariously balanced her food in her hand. Jason stifled a laugh and moved to sit next to her, reaching for a file from the stack and flipping through the pages. "So, what made you pull this particular year, Raven?"

"A hunch… I noticed some patterns that looked odd when I was going through some old reports. I thought it might be something we could look into at the very least."

"You just didn't want an excuse to go back down to the boil-"

"Mr. Todd." Raven put her pint of fried rice down and turned to look at him, cheeks flushed as she met his eyes. There was a moment of silence between them and she tapped her fingers against the papers in her lap, lips twitching just so as she contemplated what to say. Jason leaned back against the chair and waited patiently for her to either gather courage or clam up.

"You saw me… in a precarious position-"

Precarious indeed.

"-that is something that I cannot deny… in fact, I won't deny it." She smoothed her hands down the front of her shirt, as if she was trying to hold onto some control of the situation. "I was masturbating."

To hear her say it so blatantly, with that sharp, prim edge to her voice, only made the thought of her fingers buried in her core even more of a fantasy. The sight of proper Miss Roth disintegrating under her own touch, well, it was a damn near miracle he didn't lose himself right there. Jason clenched his hands on the arms of his chair and bit back a very inappropriate moan. Instead, he let the sentence tumble out of his mouth.

"To thoughts of me."

She blushed and looked away, but Jason continued, feeling lust and tension fuel his sudden indescribable rage. He wanted to yell and scream and do everything in his power to get her to admit it - to get her to say that she had the same damn feelings as him. That this… whatever existed between them was burning them up alive. He wanted to hear her say it, and he wanted to watch her break.

"You were masturbating to thoughts of me, Raven, admit it."

Her lips twitched and she met his eyes again. "I won't deny it," she repeated. "I was thinking of you at the time, yes."

It was a start. "And at the party last week? What about then?"

She closed her eyes and chewed on her lip again. "I wanted you to touch me."

"And?"

"Kiss me."

He bit back another snarl. "And?"

"And what?" She stood up and stared down at him, her eyes flashing with emotions that neither of them could fully say. It raked across their souls like little flecks and sparks of passion, words and feelings that were better left alone than shoved in between them, open for interpretation. Raven pushed at her hair, a few of the neatly placed strands curling around her face as they fell free from her severe bun. "I won't say it, Jason. I refuse to jeopardize the case because we have this between us. I won't put all of this work at risk because-"

"Because what, Raven?" Jason's hands were gripping the armrest so tight it threatened to break underneath the force of his emotions. "Because we want to fu-"

"Stop." Her breath was coming in little gasps and she glared at him, cheeks flushed, lips trembling. "I can't… I don't…"

Growling low in his throat, Jason stood up and grabbed the front of her shirt. Without any warning, he pulled her lips to his own and silenced her with an earth shattering kiss. The sound of his breath dancing over her skin was enough to make his entire resolve disappear. He wanted to keep his distance from her, wanted to keep things professional, but he couldn't. He couldn't bear the thought of her giving up the fight, or her backing away from this. No, he wanted them to both suffer. He wanted them to burn together.

He nudged her mouth open and dipped his tongue inside, tasting the saltiness of her food mingling with something sweet and forbidden, like dark chocolate. Little pants and moans escaped her mouth and the back of her throat as her shaking hands tangled in the dark tresses that framed his face, pulling him even closer to her. He growled and tightened his hands on her hips, pulling her body tight against him as his mouth continued to ravish her own. Kiss after kiss until everything melted into a haze of heat and groans, curses gasped out between bites and licks.

Raven grunted as his lips trailed down the column of her neck, nipping and biting until he pulled the collar of her shirt aside, sucking on that little blue mark vigorously. He couldn't stop himself from marking her again, from tasting her flesh in his mouth and hearing those sweet, little moans escape. From letting the entire world know that she was his.

This woman.

This damnable, ridiculous, horrible, spiteful, gorgeous, terrible… woman. She drove him insane, but he wanted her. Oh, how he wanted her.

"Jason…" Her words were soft, a little plea for something she couldn't name.

He grunted at the sound, releasing her neck from his mouth and falling back into the chair, bringing her body with him. She was warm and soft, and everything about her turned him on. The smell of her shampoo, the way her chest pressed against his, her kisses. It was all like a sinful dream meant only for him. Raven gasped and fell into his lap, her hands wrapping tightly around his neck as her legs straddled his thighs, her skirt riding up around her hips. He could feel the bite of her garters digging into him, and it did nothing but urge him on, his hands sliding down the curve of her back to the warm flesh of her ass.

"Jason…" Her cry was no longer that of a plea, but more of a beg. "Please…"

He licked up her neck, tightening his hold on her as he pushed his hips up towards her own. Raven took the hint and began a slow, hard grind against his body, gasping as he moved in time with her. She mewled and her head fell against his shoulder, kissing up his neck to his ear. She nibbled at his lobe, her tongue darting out to taste him.

"Raven…" His eyes slid closed and he moved a hand into her hair, fingers tangling in her hair. She nipped at him again and he gasped as her hips continued to push against his own, her pace slow and steady, like a dance. He grunted and leaned his head to the side, letting her feast on his flesh with nips and bites, taking him from this moment into a pure, unadulterated bliss.

"…Jason said he had the files for the project. I'll go check with him real quick and then we can go."

"Sure thing, dude."

Raven's eyes jerked open and she stared in shock into Jason's eyes. "Oh no…"

Faster than either of them thought possible, Raven was suddenly back in her arm chair, cheeks flushed and eyes bright as she pulled the file across her lap. Her stare flicked up toward the door, watching as a bulk of a man stumbled in with a laugh.

"V-vic…" Jason, ever smooth, reliable Jason, actually stuttered. Embarassing. "Hey, what's up."

"Hey, dude. Nothing really, I just need those files for the Harwood case. You still have them?" He seemed completely oblivious to the tension swirling through the room.

"Yeah. Bottom drawer."

Raven took a deep breath and stood up, picking up what few things she had brought in. Without another word to either of them, she darted out the office practically racing to the elevator. Jason stood up and chased after her, ignoring Vic's confused stare and low whistle. He didn't care what kind of rumors went around the office, he had to get to her.

"Tomorrow, Raven!" he called after her. "We have another appointment tomorrow."

She turned around and looked into his eyes, stumbling on her feet. She looked beautiful, her cheeks flushed, her hair a mess, her lips swollen, and that gorgeous blue bite shining on her neck like a medal of honor. It was more than just a want, Jason needed her. All of her.

"I- I have another appointment."

Jason bit back a snarl, holding onto his anger as best as he could. He had to be patient, he had to wait for her. "Bullshit."

Raven's lips twitched. "I…"

"Tomorrow," Jason repeated, turning on his heel and walking back to his office. "Don't be late."