"No one ever fell in love gracefully."

~Connie Brockway

Ivar looked up when a knock sounded on his office door. His secretary, Idunn, poked her head in. "Mr. Lothbrok, Ives Jensen is here." Ivar's smile was downright sharklike and he pushed back from his desk.

"Thank you, Idunn. Please hold all of my calls until I return. I should be back in an hour, 90 minutes at most." She nodded at him, standing back as he passed her. Ives was sitting next to Idunn's desk, his leg bouncing. Ivar could see the sweat beading his brow and his eyes shifted from side to side. Good. Ivar wanted him on edge.

"Ives! How wonderful to see you! Thank you for agreeing to meet me for lunch on such short notice." Ivar extended his hand to his father-in-law and gripped tight, reveling in the wince that crossed Ives' face. He swept his free hand out in front of him and let Ives lead them to the elevator.

Once inside, Ivar pressed the button to take them down to the lobby. A town car was waiting for them at the front entrance. Ivar waved Ives forward and the man hesitated for only a second before he got into the car. As soon as Ivar was inside, the car began to move.

Ivar wasn't taking him far. He didn't even really plan on Ives staying long. His motive was simple.

"Did you enjoy the party?" Ivar adjusts his shirt sleeves, tugging them down past his blazer. He looked up. Ives was still sweating, his hands clasped tight in his lap. He kept glancing from Ivar to the window and back. Ivar smiled, baring his teeth.

"Ives," The man looked at Ivar, his eyes staring somewhere between his forehead and his chin. "Did you enjoy the party last weekend?" Ivar asked again.

Ives cleared his throat and wiped his palms down the tops of his thighs. "It was very...eventful." Ives said, avoiding Ivar's gaze. Ivar hummed and looked out the window, watching the cityscape pass by.

"I saw you had to be escorted out." He turned his icy gaze towards Ives. The man had gone pale, the circles around his eyes standing stark against his face. He shifted against the leather beneath him, his sweaty palms squeaking against the seat.

"Was that what you meant by...eventful?" Ivar said. He kept his tone light on purpose. He wanted to keep Ives on edge. He wanted the man to sweat.

This man had caused harm to his wife, a woman he had recently admitted he loved.

Ivar was a possessive man. Things, people that he cared about were important to him. If they were hurt or damaged in any capacity, Ivar saw fit to take action. He'd broken bones, bought properties, demolished houses, even killed for lesser crimes than what Ives had done to Aaline. He felt it was his husbandly duty to remind Ives of what he was capable of.

"My wife hasn't divulged to me the details of your conversation last weekend but I do know this." Ivar readjusted in his seat, leaning forward. He lowered his voice and stared at Ives with an impenetrable gaze.

"I know that she has sworn never to speak to you again. I know that is a difficult promise to keep but she's done a reasonable job at accomplishing that goal." Ivar took a deep breath and sighed, twisting the band on his left hand around his fingers.

"I know that my wife refused to have you walk her down the aisle. I know that she wouldn't dance with you at our wedding. I know that you have been invited to social gatherings as a courtesy, strictly because you are on the board of Jensen Construction. If I made up the guest list, you would forever be removed from attending such functions.

"My wife has told me what you've done." He looked up at the trembling man before him. Ives had tears in his eyes. Excellent.

"The pain and suffering you have caused her. Now, the only reason you are not dead is because of the deal you made with my father. Our marriage in exchange for your life and your company. A reasonable trade, in Ragnar's eyes. But not in mine."

Ivar studied Ives for several seconds. The man was vibrating against the seat, his body ready to hurl itself out of the moving vehicle at a moment's notice. Ivar suspected the only thing keeping him contained was the very real threat in Ivar's eyes. The man would stay seated until Ivar had expressed himself.

"If it were up to me, you would die slowly and painfully so that you may know just an ounce of the pain my wife has felt because of you. Your body would never be found and no one, absolutely no one, would miss you."

Ivar sat back and cleared his throat, rubbing his hand over his mouth, collecting himself. Ives was crying now, tears streaming down his face freely. Ivar rolled his eyes and pressed a button on the console next to him. The car came to stop. He looked at Ives.

"My driver has been instructed to take you home. And you will be returned home." Ivar could see the man relax just enough to no longer appear pale. He couldn't have that.

"But know this, Ives Jensen." The man looked up and met Ivar's eyes with an astounding amount of courage. "If you ever speak to my wife again, if you even think about speaking to her, looking at her, visiting her, I will find you, I will hurt you, and I will kill you."

Ives looked like he was going to vomit so Ivar jerked his head once and the man leaped from the car and onto the sidewalk. As soon as the door was closed, Ivar felt the car move beneath him and he pressed the button to roll down the partition. "Cafe Italia, please. I'm craving something red."

.

She had been at lunch, enjoying a nice outing with Torvi and Lagertha when her phone started to ring. It was her father so she sent him to voicemail. On her way back into the office, she listened to it and was surprised to find a long, detailed message about how Ivar had threatened his life if he so much as looked at her again.

She wasn't sure how to feel, at first. Astonishment at her father's bravery, for one. Not many people were threatened by Ivar and then blatantly disregarded his threats. It was a surprising amount of bravery from Ives.

Then she felt a steady heat that began to simmer in her belly. It started in her stomach and steadily moved down between her legs. She felt her face and chest flush and ringing began in her ears. It wasn't until she felt a dampness between her legs that she realized she was aroused.

Ivar had defended her. He had threatened her own father with bodily harm if he tried to see her. For a man to go to such lengths, he had to possess some kind of feelings for her. She had to take a steadying breath to control her heartbeat.

Rage was the next thing she felt. How dare he! Did he think she was incapable of taking care of herself? He watched her train. Even trained her himself. He saw her physically subdue Ives at the party last weekend and he had the nerve to threaten her father? After everything he knew?

She hardly remembered asking her driver to turn around and head to Ivar's office. She didn't even remember getting there. The next thing she knew, she was stalking up to Idunn's desk. Idunn stood up at her sudden approach. "Is he in there?" She spat. She didn't wait for Idunn to reply before she shoved the doors open. "Did you threaten my father?" She pointed an accusing finger at him, ignoring the stunned faces of the two men seated in front of him.

Ivar was in the middle of a business meeting when his wife slammed through his office and started shouting at him. Her long hair flowed behind her like a cape and her eyes were ablaze with anger. Her face was flushed in her ire and he could see the snarl forming on her lips.

She had never looked more beautiful than she did right at that moment. He could feel his own anger rising to the surface and he stood carefully from his chair. "Gentlemen, I apologize for the interruption. If you wouldn't mind stepping outside for a moment." Ivar ushered the two men around his seething wife and locked the door behind them. He turned back towards Aaline, his mouth drawn down in a thin line and glared at her.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing? I'm conducting an important business meeting with high-value clients and you just storm in here demanding things. Who do you think you are?" He stalked towards her and invaded her space. They were nose to nose and Ivar could feel the anger seeping out of her. If she were a cartoon character there'd be steam coming out of her ears.

She narrowed her eyes at him and huffed. "I'm your wife, Ivar. Did you, or did you not, threaten my father with bodily harm if he tried to contact me again?" Ivar glared down at her just as fiercely. He sneered and moved around her body, leaning against the edge of his desk before he answered her.

"I did. As you stated, you're my wife, anything that displeases you displeases me. I didn't like the way he touched you the other day and I felt that he needed to know it. Besides, you're not on speaking terms with him anyway so I don't see how it matters what I did or didn't say to him."

Aaline marched towards him. "He's still my father, Ivar. It doesn't matter if I'm speaking to him or not. I'm the only one who gets to threaten him." Ivar snorted and rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. Aaline eyed the way his biceps stretched the fabric of his jacket. "I mean it, Ivar. Don't speak to him again."

Ivar straightened and stared her down, the fire in her eyes igniting something deep in his gut. He felt the blood rush from his head down to his groin and he nearly moaned at the heat reflected in her eyes.

"I don't remember asking you who I can and can't speak to. I can threaten him as many times as I want. I could even kill him if I wanted to." Her hand snapped out faster than he could catch it. His head swung sharply to the side and he could feel the sting up through his temple.

He jerked back around to stare at her and opened his mouth to retort when she was on him. Her lips smashed against his and he tasted blood. Whether it was his or hers, he wasn't sure, but the taste lit something inside him and he moaned.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself fully against him, aligning her body with his. She could feel him hard against her and she whimpered. Ivar knotted one hand in her hair, gathering it in his fist and pulled. She gasped and arched back over his arm. He moaned against her lips, driving his tongue against hers and memorizing her taste. She dragged her leg up the outside of his and rested her knee on the edge of his desk.

Ivar groaned and released her hair, bunching her skirt up in his fingers and exposing her core. She pushed against him, knocking him back against his desk. There was a clatter as something spilled out over the desktop.

Ivar licked deeper into her mouth, exploring her. He felt drunk, his movements were stilted and slow like he was moving through molasses. Her skirt was pushed up to her waist and he trailed his fingers up the inside of her thigh. He groaned when he felt the heat of her. She was already soaked through her panties.

Aaline shivered as Ivar traced his fingers up her leg, dancing over the sensitive flesh. She gasped when his fingers met her core. She rocked forward, pushing his fingers harder against her, and Ivar moaned. She threaded her fingers through his thick hair and felt him shiver. She smiled against his lips and felt his answering grin.

She brought her hands down to his shoulders and pulled on the lapels of his jacket. Ivar dipped his fingers past the line of her panties and groaned at the wetness he felt. He stroked his fingers over the slick dripping from her. She clung tightly to his shoulders, whining low against his lips.

She jerked away from him at once and rubbed the back of her hand against her lips. Ivar glared at her, infuriated when he heard a knock on his door. He rolled his eyes.

He stalked forward and yanked it open, the hinges squealing dangerously. Idunn jumped when he snarled at her. "What?" She pointed shakily towards the two men standing behind her.

"They said they have another meeting at 3:30 and it's 2:30 now. They said there's still a lot to discuss and they'd like to be on their way." Ivar turned when he felt Aaline press gentle hands to his back. He shifted and watched her squeeze around him and the door.

She turned back to him and stood on her toes, pressing a quick kiss to his lips before disappearing back the way she'd come. He stared after her before turning his eyes back to his clients. He huffed and pushed the door open, letting them pass.

He'd never been so sexually frustrated in his life.