Chapter 25: Drunken Empresses are Hard to Control
"Corvo it's really hot in here," I whispered just before the old man brought over two plates of meat and veggies and placed them in front of us. I'm not sure what the barkeep said, he was speaking incredibly fast, or at least that's what it felt like. Everything around me seemed to be happening faster than I could fully process.
"You need to eat. And it's hot because alcohol raises your body temperature," Corvo replied as he pushed one of the plates closer to me. I picked up my fork with clumsy fingers and stabbed a few vegetables before popping them in my mouth and chewing slowly. My head felt foggy and I had a hard time making my fork go where I wanted it, it seemed like every movement required much more concentration than it should. I wondered for a brief moment if I was alright, but just as soon as the thought came it had fleeted away. I ate slowly as I waited for the foggy feeling that was clouding my mind to go away, but it stayed the same. I watched Corvo take his second shot, and I reached over to my second shot glass and picked it up carefully, focusing on keeping my fingers from shaking; it felt heavier than it should in my hand, and I wondered why for a moment before Corvo broke the silence.
"Jessamine, I'm not going to stop you. But I believe what you're doing is incredibly unwise," Corvo warned before he took another bite of his food, staring me down the way my father would when he disapproved of my actions. If anything the look he gave me made me want to drink the whiskey that much more. I was tired of the men in my life always telling me what I could or couldn't do, I'd prove them all wrong if it was the last thing I did.
"I can do anything you can do," I replied pretentiously before swallowing the small mouthful of whiskey, coughing as it burnt my throat again. It was absolutely foul tasting and I wondered why men seemed to enjoy the drink so much, wine was much more enjoyable.
"No, you can't," Corvo replied sternly before taking another bite of his food. I felt my annoyance grow at his rebuttal, he wasn't any better than me just because he was a man...I'd show him what I was capable of this coming week, he'd be the one begging for once.
"Yes I can," I protested as I glared at him. He seemed entirely unimpressed at my attempts to defend myself, and for a moment I thought he wasn't going to push the subject any further, but of course he had to speak up.
"You weren't made to do everything I can, you were made to do everything I can't," He stated as I started eating again. He made no sense, did he even hear himself? Before I could continue to wonder over the meaning of what he just said I felt my head grow even foggier, and the increased feeling of fogginess pulled me away from my thoughts. I'm not sure how long I sat there in silence, slowly picking at my food as the temperature in the room continued to rise around me. Despite the feeling of the incredibly warm room being almost uncomfortable I had to admit that I felt marvelous; I felt like the world had a new glow to it, like I could do absolutely anything right now if I set my mind to it. I absolutely adored the feeling, it was almost like for once I didn't need to act reserved or be nervous about anything, because I knew everything was going to be fine no matter what. I glanced up at Corvo for a moment to see him staring back at me as though something was troubling him. The quick wonder of what might be worrying him flashed over my mind, but it was quickly replaced by a feeling of admiration that I had no choice other than to acknowledge. I couldn't help but notice with renewed vigor how attractive I found him, was he always this good looking? I sat there for a few moments, doing nothing but staring at him, admiring all the small details I'd never taken the time to properly appreciate before now; and after those few moments had passed I couldn't help but giggle giddily as I realized that the sexy man in front of me was all mine.
"Are you alright?" Corvo asked before he took a sip of his ale. I quickly forgot that he'd asked me a question as I lost myself in his eyes, how had I never noticed the slightly darker blotch on his right eye just under his pupil. I'm not sure how long I spent searching for any other irregularities I might have missed before, for some reason he was absolutely enthralling at the moment. "Hello? Are you still in there?" Corvo asked somewhat patronizingly as he tapped my jaw gently. His touch brought me back from my intense critiquing of his eyes, what did he just ask me? Oh, that's right; if I was alright.
"I'm feeling wonderfully perfect. I'm more than just alright you silly bear," I giggled as I grabbed my pint and took a few large gulps before Corvo pushed my hands, and the glass back down on the table.
"Slow down there. Are you drunk?" He questioned as he tried to pull his hand away from me. I reached out and grabbed him by his wrist, pulling his hand back over. Something had come over me and I felt like I needed to make it known that he was mine, I wasn't about to let anyone else lay a finger on what was mine. On top of the sudden territorial feeling that had just come over me I also felt a deep desire just to touch him, I wanted to feel his skin against mine. Once again it took me more than just a moment to realize that he had asked me a question that required an answer, and it took me longer than it should have to compose a complete sentence in my head, despite the simplicity of the words.
"Why would you ask that?" I giggled as I toyed with his fingers, bending and unbending them as I studied the way they moved. I liked how rough and calloused they were, and I started tracing my fingers over the rougher patches on his hands; everything felt so much more intense right now, every little dash of color and every new texture all seemed as though I was experiencing them for the first time.
"You called me a silly bear...and you're laughing for no reason," Corvo spoke up, pulling me from my daze as he pulled away from my grasp on his hand with ease. I couldn't understand why he was acting so distant, I thought he liked me. Why didn't he want me touching him? I wanted to touch him, I liked touching him. I noticed dimly through the haze in my head and my jumbled thoughts that he was staring me down with a slightly vexed expression. I couldn't understand what there was to be grumpy about; for the first time ever everything felt like it was perfect, the world just felt right, and I felt overwhelmingly cheerful.
"I'm not drunk. I'm happy," I drawled as I watched him cross his arms in front of his chest. I could tell that he was still sullen, but I still couldn't bring myself to fathom why; he should be happy, I was happy...maybe he just needed to drink more. I lost myself in my dimly rambling thoughts as I forced myself to focus on finishing my food; however it wasn't food that I wanted, I wanted more alcohol. I liked the way it made me feel, I hadn't felt this good before it and I didn't want the feeling to wear off, I wanted it to last forever. My thoughts slowly drifted away from the alcohol and back to Corvo, he still seemed miffed but it was easy to overlook his grumpy mood when there was so much of him to admire. I watched with rapt attention as he busied himself with rolling up the sleeves on his shirt, I watched in a sort of haze as he slowly revealed one forearm, then the other. I couldn't help but stare at his lightly tanned skin, dusted with hair. I wanted to reach out and touch; I wanted to feel those small hairs against my fingers, they looked so soft, but before I could reach out he had moved away. I watched the muscles move under his skin as he lifted his pint to take a sip; I watched his lips purse around the glass and I couldn't help but want those lips on mine instead of on a glass.
"You're much too cute to not be having sex with me," I drawled between bites of food. Corvo choked on his ale at my sudden admission, splurting some of it back into his glass before coughing loudly. Half the tavern was watching us keenly, and I couldn't help but wonder why.
"Jessamine. Quiet down. You're literally yelling," Corvo scolded me as he placed his glass back down on the table, staring me down with what looked to be contempt.
"Stop telling me what to do Corvo! I'm my own person!" I retorted angrily. I wasn't about to let him ruin my good mood just because he felt the need to be grumpy. I deserved to feel good once in a while and he would just have to get over it.
"Excuse me?" Corvo challenged, his voice low and annoyed. Part of me wished I could tell what he was thinking, but he was already so hard to read when my head wasn't foggy. I chose to ignore his challenge as I picked up my ale and sipped on it quietly. We sat there in silence for a long time after that. The whole time my thoughts drifted from Corvo to more alcohol, to a few of the strange men at the bar that kept glancing over at me, and then they would finally drift back to Corvo once again, restarting the cycle. It felt like an eternity before the old man running the bar came back over to check up on us.
"Is there anything else I can get for you, your majesty?" He asked with ease, clearly not noticing the tension between Corvo and I; either that or he was purposely ignoring it. Slowly the meaning of his words caught up with me, and I giggled softly as he cleared the dishes from the table.
"Oooh, I like that. Your majesty," I stated solely to myself, feeling the way the words rolled off my tongue. I enjoyed the way they tasted in my mouth. "Corvo, why don't you call me your majesty?" I inquired curiously as I stared over at him to find him just as grumpy as he had been earlier. I knew that I was the one bothering him but I didn't exactly care either, it was his job to put up with me.
"Because you consider me your equal and therefore it's not necessary," He growled, his voice leaving the annoyed zone and entering the angered zone. Clearly what I'd just said struck something inside of him; part of me wanted to see how much more I could annoy him, the other part of me wanted him to loosen up. But mostly I just wanted to pin him down on the table and kiss him.
"Well, maybe you should start," I noted sourly, attempting to match his tone of voice. I ignored the offended look he was giving me, instead choosing to turn my attentions to the barkeep. "I need more of this," I told the old man as I pointed to the empty ale glass he held. He had just started to nod his compliance with my wishes when Corvo spoke up.
"No. She doesn't. I'm cutting you off, you're drunk," He ordered gruffly, as he stared down the old man who looked as though he wanted to get out of the middle of our small squabble. I felt annoyance bubble inside of me immediately, Corvo wasn't my father and he definitely didn't get to make me live my life in any other way than I wanted to live it. I brushed my annoyance towards Corvo away momentarily as I noticed the old barkeep was trying to get out of our way; if he left while things were the way they were right now I wouldn't get any more ale, and by the Abbey did I want some more. I reached out and grabbed the old man's arm sloppily, and he stopped in his tracks immediately.
"Don't listen to him, he's just a bodyguard. I'm an empress," I cooed as I stroked down the length of his arm. He looked concerned and confused as he looked from me to Corvo, and then back to me, clearly trying to decide who's orders to follow. I glanced over at Corvo to find him glaring back at me, jaw clenched and hands balled into fists on the table. The old barkeep seemed to sense that something inside Corvo was about to snap, because he quickly brushed my hand off his arm and walked away.
"I have tolerated this enough your majesty," Corvo growled as he stood at the table as glared down at me. He reached out and took my arm in his hand before pulling me up from my seat with ease. "I'm taking you back to our room," He growled as he began to pull me from the booth. I felt another rekindled wave of annoyance build inside of me, he had no right. His only job was to keep me out of danger, not to father me, or stop me from having a good time; he wasn't about to ruin my night.
"You don't own me, Corvo. I own you," I stated firmly as I pulled my arm from his grasp with a bit of a struggle and sat back down at the table firmly. I stared down at the table top for a few moments before I dared glance back up at him. He glared down at me with what I could only describe as a mixture of shock and fury, and for a moment he did actually scare me. He sat back down slowly and deliberately, and even through the haze I was in I could tell that he was forcing himself to keep his composure.
"You do not own me," Corvo growled, his voice low and dangerous as he sat across from me once again. I swallowed somewhat nervously as I stared back at him, for the first time in a very long time I felt slightly concerned about my well-being. However just as the feeling of anxiety set in the old barkeep was placing my new pint down on the table, and I felt it wash away as Corvo focused his attentions on the man who had directly disobeyed his orders. The old man scampered off without a word, and I had no doubt that it had to do with the clear animosity between me and my Lord Protector. I focused on ignoring Corvo as I sipped at my ale quietly. My attention span had shortened significantly from all the alcohol, and I couldn't help but lose myself in my thoughts as I watched the people at the bar. I wondered about each one of them momentarily, who were they, why were they here, where were they going? I made up a different story for each and every one of them, making a little game of it, but eventually I lost the drive to continue with the little game. I was halfway through my pint when I glanced back over at Corvo; he was still watching me with annoyance, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared me down. Why did he look so mad? Who'd gotten on his bad side? He scowled as he noticed me staring at him and I immediately realized that I was the one he was mad at.
"Why are you being so mean?" I questioned, my voice coming out much more slurred than I expected. He seemed annoyed and then shocked that I'd spoken to him.
"What?" Corvo asked, his voice still angry. What had I done to make him mad? I tried to think back over the last few moments but I couldn't remember anything after my second shot, it was all just blank.
"You're being mean and grumpy. What did I do to you?" I asked boldly as I sipped at my ale. I was honestly curious, I doubted anyone other than myself in this bar could have bothered him so thoroughly and still be breathing.
"You are not doing this to me," Corvo sighed heavily as he ran a hand through his hair annoyedly. I glowered at his response. What did he think I was trying to do to him? I just wanted him to talk to me, and to stop being so grumpy, and to kiss me already. I damn well needed a kiss, and if he wasn't going to give me one I'd...well, I had no idea what I'd do but I'd figure something out.
"Doing what?" I questioned. He must have been able to hear the clear confusion in my voice because for a moment I saw his face soften, but just as quickly as it had softened his hardened annoyance rose up once again.
"Making me feel like the bad guy after everything I've tolerated tonight. You've insulted me in every possible way, you're the one who should be feeling bad. Not me," He growled dangerously as he leaned forward, clearly trying to put me on edge. And I had to admit, for a moment it worked, Corvo was capable of being scary when that was his goal. After another swallow of ale my prior inhibitions fled, I absolutely loved this stuff, it was liquid courage.
"Oh...I'm sorry," I stated softly as I looked away from Corvo's face and at the table. For some reason the dull woodgrain pattern thoroughly distracted me until Corvo spoke up once again.
"What are you sorry about?" He questioned, clearly wanting me to admit exactly what I'd done wrong. I glanced back up at him to see that although he was still annoyed I was starting to get on his better side. I swallowed nervously as I tried to recall what exactly I did that had made him so incredibly bothered by my presence, however once again I couldn't remember anything except for a few moments ago and the beginning of dinner.
"I - I can't remember..." I stated softly as I watched Corvo's scowl return to its full strength. I couldn't help but feel guilty, I didn't mean to hurt him...or at least if I had I was regretting it now. "I forgot what I said earlier. But I'm sorry that it hurt you, I didn't want to hurt you," I said lamely as I looked away from him and back at the table before taking another sip. I felt a small seed of sadness grow inside of me quickly as I traced the wood grain beneath my fingers. I didn't expect Corvo's forgiveness, apparently whatever I'd done had been quite serious. I silently worried over what I might have done. I quickly wondered if I had broken things off with him in my haze and I swallowed sadly...what if I'd pushed him away for the last time? I sniffled softly before taking another small sip of my ale, I forced myself to hold back tears for a few moments until Corvo's hand covered mine gently.
"Jessamine. Please stop drinking," Corvo requested. His voice no longer angry, instead he just sounded tired and slightly remorseful. I glanced up at him reluctantly, worried about what I'd see; however, he appeared to have let go of whatever I'd done earlier. He stared at me calmly as he pulled his hand away from mine.
"Alright, just let me finish this one," I sighed as I lifted the glass to my lips once more, I didn't want to waste good ale. I was beginning to find that I was quite fond of the stuff. Corvo pushed the glass back to the table before I could take a sip though, and when I opened my mouth to protest he spoke up once again.
"Jessamine. I'm not asking as your Lord Protector, I'm asking as your partner. Stop. Please." He requested, his voice slightly desperate. I quickly noticed that the calmness he had shown a few moments ago had turned into concern, and I couldn't help but wonder why he was concerned about me; I felt great if you didn't count my still partially crushed feelings. I stared back at him in silence for a few moments before I got lost in his eyes once again, I'm not sure how long I was staring into their depths before a thought struck me.
"On one condition," I stated giddily as I thought of my new and wonderful plan in my head. Corvo stared back at me in silence as he waited to hear my terms. "You have to give me a kiss," I finished with a broad smile as I stared at him. The slight smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth didn't escape me even in the state I was in.
"I'll give you a kiss when we get back to our room," He offered as he reached out to take my hand once again.
"No. Right now, otherwise no deal," I ordered as I lifted the glass to my lips with my free hand. I quickly watched Corvo's recently found good demeanor turn back into slight annoyance as he lifted my hand from the table and brushed a quick kiss against the back of my hand. I couldn't hide the obvious shiver his chapped lips on my skin gave me, and I didn't want to hide the happy smile that spread across my face. But I wanted more than just that...I wanted much more.
"Nope. Not on the hand, on the lips," I stated firmly as Corvo glared at me for a moment.
"Jessamine we're in public," He growled quietly over the table as he reached out to pull the glass from my free hand, I pulled away with ease though, taking the glass of ale with me. I was purposely taunting him and he knew it, but I'd be damned if I wasn't going to get what I wanted from him.
"So?" I questioned loudly. Was he embarrassed to be seen in public with me? I didn't think I was that repulsive. After the initial sting of his rejection wore off I stared him down for a few moments, I quickly grew tired of the staring contest though and I lifted the ale to my lips once again. Before I could take a sip though Corvo's hand darted out lightning fast to take the glass from my hand and pull it out of my reach. I immediately tried to retrieve my glass, he wasn't allowed to steal from me, that was mine.
"I don't think so," He stated as a response to my attempts to retrieve my drink. He ignored my attempts to take back my glass before he started drinking it in front of me.
"Hey! That's mine," I protested as I reached out with both hands to steal it back from him, he pushed me away with ease as he finished the glass and set it down on the table with a loud thunk.
"Now it's no ones. Come on. I'm getting you to bed before you manage to get yourself into trouble," He ordered firmly as he stood up and placed a few coins on the table. I was partially just glad that he didn't seem to be mad at me anymore, and also partially annoyed that he'd stolen the last of my ale; it was mine, not his. Before I could begin to think about his anger or my own sadness over the loss of my drink, the light glinting off the shiny coins he had just placed down was distracting me.
"Shiny," I whispered as I reached out to grab one when Corvo stopped me and pulled me out of my seat, my head spun as I stood there holding onto his arm for support. I felt dizzy and slightly nauseous, and I wondered for a moment if I was going to be sick.
"Not yours," He told me sternly as he started to walk away, and I focused on walking fast enough to keep up with him. Why was he going so fast? My stomach was doing flops inside of me, and I was so dizzy I kept stumbling and leaning on Corvo heavily for support.
"Slow down," I complained as I almost tripped, just barely recovering in time to regain my footing. Why wasn't Corvo helping me? He was acting like I didn't need his help. Maybe I didn't deserve it after whatever I'd done to him earlier, he was probably still angry even if he wasn't showing it.
"I am going slow," He replied as we made it to the foot of the stairs. I took one step before losing my balance and falling backward. I fell into Corvo, and he sighed heavily before he picked me up, carrying me up the stairs and to our room. I giggled softly as I buried my face in his chest; he smelt so good and his shoulders were strong under my hands, I didn't want him to put me down. I felt his grip on me lessen just before I heard the sound of a door unlocking, I glanced up from his chest to see him carrying me into our room. He laid me down on the bed gently and I giggled as I tried to keep my hold on his shoulders, but he pulled out of my grasp with ease, I pouted silently as I watched him close the door and lock it. My head was incredibly foggy and I felt like I was missing part of myself, I didn't worry myself over the feeling for very long because Corvo was walking back over quickly. I felt another wave of nerves build up inside of me, not like before though; these nerves weren't scared, these ones were needy. I just wish I knew what it was they needed.
"I like you a lot," I murmured softly as I watched Corvo take off his vest and tie. Why had I never taken the time to fully appreciate all the small things about him I was finding so alluring right now? Just watching the way he moved made me needier in some unknown way.
"I know, that's kind of the whole reason we're out here to begin with," He replied impassively as he started to unbutton his shirt. I swallowed dryly as I watched him continue to undo the buttons with expertise, slowly revealing inch after inch of smooth taut skin stretched over muscle. Even through my hazy wonderment, I noticed his emotionless tone of voice, and I wanted to know why he seemed so off.
"Do you not like me too?" I questioned as I felt another wave of sadness build up inside of me...Corvo didn't like me. That could be the only reason why he was acting so distant, nothing else made sense to me.
"I love you. Go to sleep," Corvo ordered as he pulled off his shirt and laid it on top of the dresser. I smiled happily at his admission as all the sadness I felt just moments before fled, so he did like me. And if he liked me that meant I could persuade him to make love to me, and kiss me; I needed a lot more kisses than I had been getting out of him lately.
"You have a nice body," I whispered as my eyes roamed his rear side greedily. I took in the thick cords of muscle running down his back and the small dimples right above the hem of his trousers. I was surprised when Corvo spoke to me, I didn't realize he had heard what I'd just said.
"Jessamine. Sleep." Was all he said in response as he kicked off his shoes and pulled back the blankets before laying down next to me. I tried for a moment to contain myself, I wanted to be good for him...but more than that I wanted to feel him on me. And I recklessly decided that I was going to do what I wanted tonight, it was my night for the taking, and I was going to take everything that I wanted.
"Mine," I growled as I pounced on his chest, nuzzling into him and trying to hold him close against me through the blankets. I managed to place a few sloppy kisses down his neck before he decided to speak up.
"You're drunk please go to sleep," He pleaded, and I ignored him as I tickled him sloppily. He pushed me over and pinned me down before leaning down and kissing my forehead. I giggled at the show of affection, I wanted more of that...I wanted that, but all over my body.
"I love you. However, you are drunk. Please don't push me, because I'm not that strong right now. Just go to sleep," Corvo requested before he pulled away and laid back down on his side of the bed. I huffed softly as I realized that he was still trying to push me away, I was tired of being pushed away. I wanted him, here and now; and I was going to have him if it was the last thing I got.
"Corvo...I wanna do stuff," I whined as I traced a hand down his chest and abdomen, his skin firey against mine, he grabbed my arm before my hand could travel further than his navel.
"Stuff like sleep?" Corvo questioned, clearly exasperated with me, he pushed my arm off his body with ease and rolled over on his side so his back was facing me.
"Stuff like sexy stuff. Corvooo. Do sexy stuff to me," I pleaded as I shook his shoulder, and when that didn't work I nibbled on his ear.
"I swear on the Outsider...I will sleep in the other bed if you do not stop," He growled. He sounded annoyed and I huffed grumpily, I wasn't about to take no for an answer, I wanted him and I was going to have him dammit. I clumsily pulled my shirt off my body, earning a quick glance from Corvo. "Jessie...what in the void do you think you're doing?" Corvo sighed heavily as he tried to help me back into my shirt.
"You're sleeping with me whether you like it or not tonight," I grumbled as I struggled against his attempts to clothe me once again. I wasn't going to take no for an answer, the only appropriate answer I was going to accept tonight was a yes.
"That's it. I'm sleeping in the other bed," Corvo growled as he stood up and took a single step before flopping down on the other bed with a tired huff. I glared over at him for a few moments, he wasn't allowed to do this to me, he wasn't allowed to ruin my fun. Finally, I decided to stand up, I found that my legs were somehow more wobbly than they were before. I held onto one of the bed posts to keep me steady, and as soon as I let go and tried to take another step towards Corvo I fell onto the floor clumsily with a loud thud. The floor was cold and hard but at least it didn't hurt, and it was only a moment before I felt Corvo's hands on me.
"Dammit Jessie. What's gotten into you?" Corvo asked as he helped me up off the floor and laid me back down on the bed I'd just tried to leave. I huffed loudly as he pulled his hands off my body, I wanted him to touch me.
"I just wanna make love to you. Why won't you give me what I want?" I complained loudly as I tugged at his silky hair; I wanted to run my fingers through this hair while kissing him, and I wanted to do that right now.
"Jessamine. You're drunk," Corvo sighed heavily as he freed his hair from my grasp after a few moments of prying my hands away. I'd taken a few silky strands with me and he glowered at them briefly.
"So? What does that matter?" I grumbled loudly as I held onto Corvo's forearm with my best death grip, I wasn't about to let him escape.
"I refuse to take advantage of you," He replied, his voice steely with determination as his dark eyes bored into mine. It took me a moment to realize what he was saying. And I forced myself not to laugh, he sounded so silly; I knew what I wanted regardless of whether or not I was drunk.
"You wouldn't be," I stated after the few moments of silence it took me to figure out how I could respond in a way that would persuade him to do what I wanted.
"Yes, I would be. You're much too drunk to be able to properly consent to anything, verbally or otherwise," Corvo growled as he pulled away from my death grip much easier than I expected him to. I pouted as he turned away from me. He really was serious about denying me what I wanted...
"Please just sleep in the same bed as me then," I begged as he laid back down on the other bed. He sighed heavily for a moment before sitting up and staring me down with the same steely gaze as before.
"Are you going to behave yourself?" He questioned firmly as he stood up and walked over to the corner of the bed I was on.
"Yes, I promise," I answered quickly. It seemed to be what he wanted because he flopped into bed next to me before turning his back to me and pulling the covers up over his body. I laid there quietly for what felt like an eternity. Finally, I couldn't hold back any longer, I wanted him and dammit I was going to have him.
"Cooorvooo. You promised me a kiss," I whined as I trailed my hands up and down his arm.
"No, I didn't. I offered one as part of a deal, a deal that you rejected," He replied gruffly as he shook my hand off with ease, bit it was only a moment before I was clinging to him again.
"I don't care. Kiss me," I whined pitifully as I shook him sloppily by his shoulder.
"No," He replied gruffly as he brushed my hand off of him once again. I pouted for a long moment before trying once more.
"Corvo. I order you to kiss me," I slurred as sternly as I could manage in the state that I was currently in.
"Once again, no." came his gruff reply. I huffed angrily, he wasn't allowed to say no. He was only allowed to say what I wanted him to say.
"This is treason you know. I could have you punished for disobeying orders," I threatened as I shook him by his arm once more.
"Threaten all you want, I've already given you my answer," Corvo growled before scooting further away from me, leaving more cold and empty bed between us.
"Dammit Corvo," I remarked angrily as I crossed my arms. "You know I could go find someone else who would be more than willing to kiss me," I threatened before I attempted to get out of the bed, he rolled over and stopped me with ease though, pinning me down by my shoulders before giving me a quick kiss. It was too quick, I wanted a real kiss, something passionate and caring, this one was clearly forced.
"There. Happy now?" Corvo asked, his voice full of fatigue.
"More," I giggled as I squirmed under his hands. It may not have been the kiss I wanted from him but it had been better than nothing, and now that I'd gotten him started maybe I'd be able to pull more out of him.
"No. Go to sleep," Corvo grumbled grudgingly as he rolled over once again, his back facing me.
"I want you..." I whined as I grabbed a large handful of his butt in my hand causing him to flinch for a moment before he relaxed, he was clearly trying to ignore me. "Why don't you want me? I thought you liked me," I whimpered sadly before rolling over. I didn't have any alcohol to soothe me after his most recent rejection, and I couldn't help but sniffle sadly as I felt a tear roll down my cheek. It seemed as though Corvo could hear my little breakdown though because once again he was rolling over to console me.
"Jessie. Stop crying," he requested softly as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled my side tight into his chest. The slight show of affection made me giddy, but I refused to acknowledge it; he had made me sad, he wasn't going to fix everything just by hugging me.
"Why should I? It's not like you care, you don't even like me," I sniffled as I struggled to get free from his arms to no avail.
"I love you. You know that," Corvo sighed heavily before brushing a kiss against the top of my head. I felt a small spark of hope grow inside me at his sudden show of affection, and my prior giddiness that I'd forced away returned. After a few moments I calmed myself down enough to finally stop sniffling. "You are the first drunk person who I've ever seen go from angry to flirty to sad in the span of an hour," Corvo noted, more so to himself than to me. And I didn't bother to respond to the small statement, I wouldn't know how to even if I wanted to.
"Do you really love me?" I asked softly, as he leaned over me and wiped a tear away with his thumb before pressing another small kiss to my lips. I couldn't help but smile, regardless of how small or short this kiss had been at least it had been genuine.
"Yes," he replied as he rested his head on the pillow I was using, still holding me close even though I'd stopped crying a bit ago. I smiled and then giggled softly, he said he loved me. And after a few moments all feelings of my former rejection had worn off and I was once again vying for a more passionate show of affection.
"We should make love," I muttered as I freed one of my arms from his embrace and poked his cheek with my finger a few times. He sighed heavily as he stood up and walked over to our bags, he walked back over to me carrying something I couldn't see in the dark. He pinned my hands above me and I giggled as I squirmed under him, he wrapped something around my wrists and it wasn't until he pulled away that I realized that he'd just tied me up. Not what I was expecting him to do to me for my first time, but then again I guess you never really knew when it came to Corvo.
"Go to sleep," he mumbled as he laid back down and pulled me into him, holding me the way he had been just before I'd attempted to persuade him to make love with me again. Despite the closeness I felt another wave of rejection build inside of me, he really wasn't going to sleep with me...I tried to talk to him a few more times, but he was either asleep or ignoring me, so eventually I decided to close my eyes and drift to sleep as well.
THE NEXT DAY
I woke up slowly, the light pouring into the room from the window making my eyes and head hurt as I blinked. I tried to stretch but something wasn't letting me move my arms. I looked down to see that I was tied up, and I instantly felt a little sicker than before.
"Corvo? Nika?" I yelled for them and immediately regretted it as my ears rung. Not only had my attempt to call for help only caused me pain, but it seemed as though neither of them were around because nobody responded. I instantly worried if something had happened last night and I'd gotten lost from both of them. If Corvo wasn't here who would have tied me up? I looked around somewhat frantically until I noticed Corvo's spare jacket hanging on the bed post where I'd put it last night, at least I was in the right room, now if only I knew where they were. I tried to struggle against the rope that was binding me, but even though it wasn't particularly tight it was well tied, and there was no way I was getting out without help. I'm not sure how long I laid there, staring at the ceiling and trying to ignore the pounding in my head and the sick churning feeling in my stomach while I waited for someone to either come get me, or come find me.
"Corvo?" I asked, swiveling my head around too quickly as I heard the door to the room open. I ignored the pain that the movement caused as I watched him walk in before shutting the door behind him.
"I see you're awake…finally," He stated as Nika jumped up on the bed and started licking me. I batted her away clumsily with my tied up hands until she went and laid down on the floor, then Corvo sat down on the corner of the bed before grabbing me around the waist and pulling me over to him.
"Why am I tied up?" I questioned as he kissed the top of my head and reached for my wrists.
"Oh, you don't remember? We made love last night, truly amazing…well at least for me. It must not have been that good for you if you don't remember it," he whispered into my ear as his fingers worked away at the knots tying my hands.
"We made love and I don't remember…" I trailed off completely disappointed. That's when I realized that maybe Corvo had been right all along, I should have listened to him and let him make it memorable for me. Now I'd never even remember my first time...How could I be so stupid?
"I'm joking. We didn't make love. I just wanted to see your reaction," He chuckled as he freed my hands and stood up, taking the length of rope with him and tucking it into one of our bags.
"Why would you lie about that!" I yelled before immediately regretting it as my ears rung. I covered them quickly in hopes that it would make the pounding stop.
"Because I knew I could get away with it," He replied as he held out his hand for me to take. I pulled my hands away from my ears and took his hand, letting him pull me up with ease.
"Why did you tie me up?" I inquired as I waited for my equilibrium to figure itself out, I felt off balance and sick. I just wanted to go back to sleep and escape this new pain.
"You wouldn't let me sleep. You were very…flirtatious last night. It was distracting," He answered as he waited for me to get me bearing before letting go of my hand. Distracting, what was that supposed to mean?
"I don't really remember much of last night," I admitted quietly as I stared up at him, hoping he could shed some light on whatever may have happened.
"That's probably for the best. We weren't exactly on the best of terms last night," Corvo admitted as he scratched the back of his neck and stared down at the floor.
"What does that mean?" I questioned as he sat down on the other bed in the room and looked up at me.
"You were rather insulting last night," Corvo started as he watched me flop down on my back next to him. He turned to face me, "Tell me, do you really feel as though you own me?"
"What?" I asked, what would possibly make Corvo ask that?
"You heard me," He answered as he leaned over me, resting his hands on the bed on either side of my head. "Last night, you quite blatantly stated that you own me. I'm not a pet Jessamine, and I'm not a slave either. I almost just left you down there after you said that," He explained as he stared down at me. I was speechless for a moment, I could hardly believe that I'd said that to him.
"I - I'm sorry Corvo...I didn't realize that I said something like that to you. And no, I don't think that I own you...I'm sorry that I said that," I answered slowly. I felt quite bad, I didn't realize how un-ladylike I had acted last night.
"It's alright. You were quite drunk," Corvo replied as he continued to stare me down.
"Corvo. Why didn't you leave after I said that?" I questioned softly as I ran my hand down his jacketed forearm for no other reason than it provided an excuse to look away from his smoldering eyes. I wouldn't have blamed him if he did, I probably would have left if I had been in his position.
"Because I knew if I just left you down there unattended something would have happened to you. Especially in the state you were in. I wasn't about to let you get yourself hurt just because I was upset with you," Corvo answered and I looked back up at him.
"Thank you," I stated lamely. I didn't deserve the amount of loyalty he gave me, and a wave of guilt washed over me at the realization.
"Another question. Do you feel that I'm inferior to you?" Corvo asked.
"No. Of course not!" I blurted out as I sat up, and he pulled himself away from me accordingly. I sat up too quickly though, and my head spun and my stomach churned inside of me. I took a few moments to compose myself before speaking once again. "Did I say that to you too last night?" I questioned softly as I took his hand in mine and rubbed the back of it slowly, once again more for the distraction from looking him in the eyes that it provided.
"Well, not exactly in those words, but yes," Corvo answered as he stared down at our hands. He glanced back up at me after a moment.
"I'm so sorry Corvo. I would have never said those things to you if I wasn't drunk...I don't think I'll be drinking again for a while..." I admitted ashamedly. I couldn't believe everything I'd done to this poor man last night. My admission seemed to humor him at least a small bit because I quickly caught onto the small pull at the corner of his lips that always meant he found something amusing.
"It's alright. I understand, your majesty," Corvo stated, the small pull at the corner of his lips turning into a full-blown smirk.
"Would you stop that! You know how I hate it," I complained as I let go of his hand and stood up. I almost lost my balance before feeling Corvo grab onto my arm and hold me steady.
"But that's how you wish for me to address you from now on is it not?" He questioned good-humouredly as he stood up behind me, releasing my arm from his grasp. I turned to see his smirk widening.
"No! Wait...I told you to refer to me as your majesty..." I trailed off as I stared at the ground. What else had I told Corvo last night? Part of me wished I could go back in time and stop myself from ever taking that first sip of whiskey.
"You're quite arrogant when your drunk. Your majesty," Corvo replied a small smile on his face.
"Seriously Corvo! Stop. I redact whatever I said last night," I explained exasperatedly, as I stared up at him.
"Alright then...princess," Corvo replied as he stepped closer to me, purposely invading my comfort zone. Normally the closeness wouldn't bother me, but given how horrible I was feeling, and the events of last night come to light it put me on edge just a bit.
"Are we ok?" I questioned quietly as I looked up at him.
"I'm not holding any grudges if that's what you mean. I understand you weren't exactly yourself last night. I only brought it up because I had some...uncertainty regarding whether or not part of you meant those things or if drunk you is just an asshole. You'll be happy to know it's the latter," Corvo stated boldly as a large smile spread across his face.
"You ass," I stated as I stepped forward and grabbed him in a hug, pulling him tight against me. He returned my hug with ease, and I reveled in the warmth and steadiness of his arms around me. I stood there in his embrace for much longer than necessary before Corvo finally broke the silence.
"You should probably get ready, we have to make it to Potterstead today," Corvo reminded me as he let go of his hold on me and I forced myself to reluctantly pull away. He was right though I needed to get ready, judging by the light coming through the small window I had already slept in. As I stepped away from him I couldn't help but remember what he said earlier, he said that I had been distracting last night...what had he meant by that? I continued to ponder the meaning of his words as I walked over my clothes bag and pulled out a fresh outfit, black again, as always. I was still incredibly aware of Corvo's presence, and his eyes on me, and I felt much too exposed to change peacefully; especially since everything I'd just found out about last night. I wasn't sure why but it made me feel almost self-conscious.
"Corvo…may I change?" I asked as I turned around to see him standing where I left him watching me keenly.
"Where's all the hesitation coming from? You were all too eager to get undressed with me last night," He replied as he took a few steps forward and buried his hand in my hair. He kissed me softly and I lost myself in him with ease, it was always too easy for me to lose myself when I was with him. He pulled away sooner than I would have preferred before walking away and grabbing his bags. "I'll meet you downstairs." Was all he said before he slipped out of the door, letting it drift closed behind him.
I sighed heavily before pulling off my clothes from yesterday, I shivered as the cold air touched my bare skin. How did Corvo control himself? If he ever tried to seduce me I doubted I'd stop him, I wouldn't want to. Yet apparently even with me throwing myself at him last night he still brushed me off with ease, I couldn't help but wonder if he was really all that attracted to me if it was that easy for him to say no. I knew that it would be almost impossible for me to say no to him. I finished slipping into my fresh clothes before shoving my old ones back in my bag and buttoning it up, I leaned close to the window to see that it wasn't snowing, but there was a nice layer of white coating everything. I decided to pull on Corvo's extra coat before grabbing my bag and leaving the room, Nika following after me like she always did. I had a slightly difficult time making it down the stairs in my state of disarray, but with a little help from the hand rail, and a lot of unnecessary cursing I made it to the bottom without an incident. I stood at the bottom of the staircase for a few moments, looking around and not seeing Corvo anywhere in the room. It was still crowded, but not nearly as crowded as last night, and apparently everyone was still unused to our presence as they all stared at me critically before Corvo walked in from outside. He walked over to me and took my bag before resting his hand on my back and leading me over to an empty booth, letting me go at my own slow pace.
I was silent throughout breakfast as I let Corvo order for both of us. I traced patterns on the tabletop with my fingertips until the food arrived, and every time I glanced up at Corvo I noticed him staring back at me keenly. I was nervous about everything that would be happening this week, and everyone in the room staring at us, and I was worried that Corvo might not like me as much as he led on.
FIVE HOURS LATER
It was mid-day by the time we reached Potterstead, and my headache and nausea had long since subsided; only thanks to Corvo forcing me to drink more water than I could comfortably hold. I was delighted by the small snowy city in its quaint atmosphere, I also noticed that the townspeople were either incredibly friendly or unfriendly with no middle ground. We stopped outside a small storefront, and I waited for Corvo for a few moments while he ran inside to grab a few things, while he was inside two children ran up and played with Nika for a brief moment before their parents called them back again. I wished that I lived in a city like this, it seemed peaceful, Dunwall was always hectic and bustling. Corvo came back shortly as promised, carrying a decent sized package; I considered asking him what he'd gotten, but knowing him he'd probably just provide some vague or challenging answer. He mounted his horse and lead us out of the small city, we only rode for another twenty minutes or so before I saw the tiny secluded cabin. It was definitely charming, nothing like any of the buildings in Dunwall and I much preferred it and it's quiet seclusion to the tower. Here there were no prying eyes or nosy guards, I absolutely loved it.
"We're here," Corvo noted the obvious as he dismounted and walked over to me as I got down off my horse.
"It's lovely," I replied just before he pulled me into him and kissed me senseless. It was much too easy for me to lose myself in him, his warm lips a stark contrast from the freezing air; his body strong and stable against mine, I loved everything about it and every moment that it lasted. I was thankful that this kiss lasted much longer than the one he gave me this morning, after last night I needed some reassurance that he wasn't just putting up with me because he had to.
"You should go get the place set up a little bit, I'm going to take care of the horses," He said softly as he pulled a key from his pocket and handed it to me before turning away. I let out a long shaky breath as I made my way up to the cabin and let myself in, the door creaked open as Nika ran inside and started exploring. It was dark as I made my way in, it looked like there weren't any light bulbs in the place either, it must have been built before whale oil; I made my way along the walls opening the curtains covering the windows as I went, letting in as much natural sunlight as possible. The cabin was fairly small, a bedroom with a bed about as big as mine back in the tower, the living room had a singular large couch a fireplace and a coffee table; the kitchen, a stove a sink and some decent counter space, and the dining room had just a small two person table.
I started digging through the cupboards finding pots, pans, and blankets before finally stumbling upon a stockpile of candles and matches. I grabbed an armful and started placing candles on every available surface; countertops, tables, dressers, the lips of windows. When night came we'd need a decent amount of them lit in order to actually be able to see anything. Finally, after I'd covered the house in candles I lit a few of them to light it up a bit more. However much of a fire hazard they may be they were quaint, and they lent a certain amount of romance to the atmosphere.
"Setting up some mood lighting are we?" I jumped as I heard Corvo speak up from behind me, I hadn't even heard him walk in. It was occasionally unnerving how silent his footsteps were...just traits of his old career I assumed.
"It was a little dark…"I replied as I turned to see him place our bags on the floor by the door.
"I got the water heater going if you'd like to go take a bath. I can take care of everything else," He offered softly before leaning in and kissing me again, but in the back of my head I kept wondering why he never had any trouble pushing me away when I wanted him. The worry had been consuming me ever since I thought of it this morning, the worry that I wasn't what Corvo actually wanted.
"Corvo, are you attracted to me?" I asked softly as he pulled away from my lips. The moment the words left my mouth I felt incredibly relieved and worried all at the same time, it was an odd feeling. He was silent for a moment, staring me down with a puzzled expression, he was probably wondering where all of my recently found self-doubt had come from.
"Immeasurably. What makes you ask that?" He replied just before pulling me tight against him. It was impossible for me not to relax into his grip, he was just so soothing to me.
"It's just, it's always so easy for you to brush off my advances…like last night. And if you made advances at me like that I wouldn't want to ignore them," I answered softly as I buried my face in his jacket, focusing on the smell of leather and coconut that emanated from his coat.
"I don't want to ignore your advances either. And it's not as easy as you think for me to just brush it off, I've had more internal battles than I can count over forcing myself to try and be a gentleman with you. This whole time I've been trying to change for the better because that's what you deserve; being a gentleman is unnecessarily tiresome," He explained before pulling himself away from me, making me look him in the eyes. "If you actually remembered last night, you'd recall that I asked you to stop trying to seduce me because I'm not strong enough to tell the both of us no any longer," He whispered before leaning down and kissing me once again. Why did he have to be so perfect? Why did he always know exactly what to say to somehow wedge his way deeper inside my heart? I pulled him tighter into me as I kissed him back with much more enthusiasm than he was showing at the moment, he chuckled softly as we pulled away from each other.
"We're alone now…you don't have to be a gentleman any longer," I whispered against his lips as I held him close, running my hands through his hair and down his back. I wanted him to pin me down and teach me everything I didn't know about love yet. Regardless of how much I wanted that my body was still thrumming with nervous energy; I knew what I wanted and I knew that I wanted him desperately, but I still couldn't stop some small part of me from being scared of the unknown. Before I could focus on my nervousness enough to let it take over my mind unwillingly Corvo was already speaking up.
"Yes, I do. Because it's what you deserve."
A/N: Alas, a new chapter! I apologize for the delay everyone! I know my length of time between updates had a few of you worried I'd given up but I haven't! The delay was just a mix of this chapter being the largest one yet at 10.5 K words, college work :P and I'm moving into a new house so I can live closer to my grandparents since they're starting to need daily checkups now, so I've been busy packing up boxes. I'll try to get the next update out sooner, however, no guarantees since I'm still in the middle of the move. As always, thank you to YagamiRaven, GhostAssassin1993, 99danas, and Caldwin for your reviews! I always love feedback!