-Past-

"Good morning," a middle-aged man stands in the doorway, a laptop bag hanging over his shoulder. "You must be Mrs. Black," he smiles, obviously delighted the first face he sees is Delphine's rather than Mr. Black's.

"Cormier, actually," she corrects, shaking his hand and trying to smile politely. He steps inside and immediately looks around the area. "William is upstairs, but he's been expecting you. He'll be down soon. Make yourself comfortable," she leads him into the living room and sits beside him on the couch. She can just barely make out the sound of the mess Will is probably making upstairs.

"I'm sorry, I never introduced myself," he chuckles nervously. "I'm Benjamin Owens. I'll be conducting the residential investigation today. It won't take long. I just need to look over a minimal amount of Mr. Black's home office," he holds his hand out again and Delphine takes it gently.

"Just minimal?" she crosses her legs and rests her arm on the back of the couch, facing him.

"For now. If we find anything here or at the corporate offices that need to be looked into further, we may have to return," he explains, another smile stretching his lips as he dreams of the prospect that he finds damning evidence and is required to return to the large house with the pretty lady.

"What are you looking for?" Delphine asks, hearing William curse upstairs. Their guest also catches the slip, and she smirks knowing that Will is making an ass of himself already. It doesn't take much work. He just needs to be under the impression no one else is around.

"Just checking to make sure everything is in order," he answers vaguely.

Delphine thinks about William getting caught, going to jail. The satisfaction of watching him suffer his own consequences and having his confidence and pride knocked down would be absolutely joyous. She never thought about the idea of being without him. Divorce, sure, but not the actual absence of the man, for some reason the two parts being different and separate. When she thinks of divorce, only the trouble and expense come to mind. More difficult than it's worth. Having to argue for months or years with William, who would surely be very uncooperative. She's like property and he doesn't like relinquishing his rights to the social benefits she brings. A prison sentence would make a request for divorce quite reasonable. More reasonable than simply claiming she doesn't want to be married any longer or that she never wanted it in the first place.

She scooches closer to the man on her couch, an evil thought forming in her head. "Mr. Owens–"

"Benjamin. You can call me Benjamin," he interrupts, nervous with the new proximity.

"Benjamin," she smiles and drops her voice to nearly a whisper, "Can I tell you something?" The man nods vigorously. "My husband…I don't like him very much," she starts, keeping her gaze down for now.

"No," he answers in the same low voice, a sympathetic tone laced with delight as though he might have a chance to steal her away.

"Mm," she nods. "He's not very nice to me sometimes and…I know he cheats on me," she raises her gaze to his, puppy-dog eyes in place.

"Oh my," he gasps again. "Mrs. Cormier–"

"Please," she rests her fingertips on his forearm. "Call me Delphine".

"Delphine," he coddles. "What kind of man would do such a thing, especially to a beautiful woman like you?"

"That kind of man," she sighs dramatically and looks towards the stairs. "Maybe you and I could help each other?"

The fireworks in his mind are evident through his wide eyes. "Whatever you need," he practically drools.

"Well, what if I told you that I knew of some of Mr. Black's misdeeds regarding the company?"

"The record label? Oh, that would be unfortunate," he thinks about it with some amount of seriousness, not catching her drift.

"Yes, indeed," she lures his attention back to her damsel in distress act. "In fact, he's up there right now trying to hide… unscrupulous records".

"Is he really?" He asks in absolute shock. She nods with a pout.

"Listen, Benjamin," she grabs his focus once more, sensing her alone time is running short along with his attention span. "What if I gave you evidence that would be enough to charge him with something?"

"Oh, like what?"

"I don't know. Whatever he's hiding away right now, maybe a recording of some sort. I have much more access than you, and he talks freely about his embezzling to me. He thinks I'm this loving wife who hasn't a clue about his affairs," she adds in a reminder of her suffering.

"Would you really do that, Delphine?" He drops to a full whisper.

"Of course, Benjamin," she ducks her head down toward him, "It may be beneficial to your career and I'd do anything to free myself of him," she wishes she could cry on command.

"Okay, okay," he nods. "I think we can make this work," he tries to smile charmingly, but it just looks painful.

"Good. So, what I think would be best is for you to go easy on him today. Make him feel like he has nothing to worry about," Delphine eases out of sympathy-land and heads for conspiracy. "He'll lower his guard. Get cocky".

"Oh, I don't know…" he looks down at his lap. "You could just be saying all this so that I ignore details that would get him in trouble. This could all be a trick," he explains cautiously.

Delphine tries for an expression between sad and offended and lets her body retract subtly, "If that's what you think, then you're welcome to just go search as thoroughly as you'd like".

"No, I'm not saying that's what I think," he defends. "It's just…people do that all the time and I just want to make sure…"

"That's right," she turns back to him, hoping it's not too dramatic or obvious, "You must have to be on constant alert for frauds. Very perceptive of you," she compliments. The whole act is getting a bit tiring, though.

"It's tough sometimes," he shrugs smugly. It doesn't suit him.

"Benjamin, why don't you do your search today however you like, I'm sure he's concealed whatever he needs to by now," she gets up and finds one of her business cards on the desk in the living room and a pen. "Let me give you my personal cellphone number. Give me a call when you're not too busy. We'll talk more," she bends over just enough to reveal the gap between her shirt and skin, but not enough that it's blatant, and writes her number on the back of the card.

"Absolutely," he clears his throat, trying to sound professional instead of thrilled.

"Here," she hands him the card and takes her seat next to him again. "Only a small percentage of the world has my number, so don't lose that or show anyone. That's just for you," she exaggerates. Most of her coworkers have her cellphone number, many of William's coworkers, clients, lawyers, just to list a few. Still, even a couple hundred people out of several billion is a small percentage.

"I'll keep it safe, Delphine," he smiles, tucking it in his jacket's inside pocket. "It'll be a pleasure working with you," he winks, causing Delphine to force back a chuckle, and holds his hand out once more.

Delphine shakes it, not entirely confident this whole scheme will amount to anything. If it doesn't, she'll be disappointed but not surprised. "I look forward to seeing you again, Benjamin". She lets her hand slowly slip from his as she gets up and walks to the bottom of the stairs, glancing back to smirk at her new partner. "Honey, Mr. Owens is here".

Present

The lounge is practically empty when Delphine enters. She usually arrives just before the live music starts, but today she's coming straight from work. She planned ahead and wore one of her more provocative outfits to the office – still within the realm of professional attire. She sits at her usual seat at the bar and orders a red wine. Cosima is nowhere to be seen and the stage is empty. It's a bit eerie.

Another ten minutes of quiet chatter and occasional patrons entering, and she finally sees Cosima rounding the other side of the bar. "Well, hello, Queen of Tease".

Delphine scoffs, "What's back there?" She nods her head toward the side of the bar counter Cosima appeared from.

"Owner and manager's office. The man can barely open a browser on his own," Cosima chuckles to herself. "You're here early," she takes the seat to the left.

"Well, I wouldn't want my talk with Benjamin to make me miss your performance," she shrugs, feeling more relaxed now that Cosima is here to flirt with. She tries to examine the brunette as subtly as possible, deep red skinny jeans, a black tank-top overtop a push-up bra, and an extra-large, navy button-up, collared shirt hanging off her shoulders, covering her arms more like a shawl would.

"Ugh, I forgot about Benji. He must be a heck of a guy if you're choosing his company over mine".

"Mrs. Cormier!" They both turn their heads and see the awkward man at the door, waving, causing most of the patrons to look his way. He doesn't seem to care.

"Oh my God," Cosima mumbles under her breath as they watch him waddle over to them. "That's Benji?"

Delphine shoots her a quick smirk and twitch of her eyebrow before greeting her new friend, "Benjamin," she holds out her hand and he takes it with joy. "What's all this Mrs. Cormier business?"

"Delphine, sorry," he glances at Cosima.

"This is my friend, Cosima," she smiles. He offers his hand with a large grin and Cosima takes it hesitantly.

"Will she be joining us?" Benjamin asks with hope in his eyes.

"Hm," Delphine looks Cosima up and down, evaluating the possibility. "I wasn't planning on it, but she can if she wants".

"Does she know what it's…uh…Is she a friend of your…" He stutters, then quietly to Delphine, "Is she one of the women he's been seeing?"

"I don't think so," Delphine chuckles, not quite understanding how he made that leap. "Cosima, have you been sleeping with Will?"

"God, no," she scoffs.

"I don't think she likes him much either," Delphine explains. "Benjamin, why don't you find us a booth somewhere in the back. I'll get you something to drink. What would you like? It's on me".

"Uh…Old Fashioned, please," he nods with a smile and scopes out his seating options. The two women watch him walk away, looking wildly out of place in his wrinkled grey suit.

Delphine orders the drink and smirks at Cosima, "Still your drink of choice?"

"Not anymore," Cosima rolls her eyes. "Do I want to know what this whole thing is about?"

"You're welcome to join us, but you'll have to endure my very nice behavior towards Benji," she pays for the drink when it's set in front of her.

"I think I will join you," Cosima shrugs and follows the blonde to the booth Benjamin has reserved. "But I may have to tap out if things get too…nice".

Cosima follows Delphine, sliding into the booth next to Mr. Owens. "Oh, thank you," he says when she hands him the beverage. "Are you sure it's okay to talk here?"

"It's ideal since I'm usually here on Fridays. Less conspicuous, don't you think? Plus, I don't think either of our coworkers would come to a place like this," Delphine peeks at him over her glass of wine, taking a graceful sip.

"I suppose…" he tries to make himself comfortable but sitting in tight quarters with two very beautiful women isn't likely a common occurrence in his life. "So, on the phone you said you haven't gotten the chance to find anything yet. I brought a few of our sample documents that might help you know what to look for, depending on what we're dealing with," he digs through his laptop bag and pulls out a thick folder, handing it to Delphine.

"I'm just nervous he's disposed of anything incriminating," she looks through the pages, recognizing their formats from her own business. Cosima readjusts next to her, seeming uncomfortable as well.

"It's possible, but just the absence of paperwork would rise suspicion, too. Unless he's a professional or very clever, he's more likely to keep what's necessary and hope nobody notices discrepancies. Fraud and embezzling require organization and people often keep copies of what they're deviating from," Benjamin seems more relaxed in his own conversational territory.

"Neither professional nor clever sound one bit accurate. I can still try bringing it up in a conversation. Would a verbal statement be admissible in court if it's an amateur recording?"

"I'm not sure. That's not my department," he answers in a defeated voice.

Cosima's attention starts to wander with the conversation growing heavier. She watches the front door occasionally swinging open, people finding a place to sit or stand, and eventually Madi and Jeremy enter when it starts getting later, Jack nowhere to be seen. She tries to ignore the flirtatious interruptions to their conversation, coming at frequent intervals. Cosima wonders why Delphine hasn't just kissed him yet. The thought makes her mad.

A woman with dark hair walks through the door, holding it open for a few people behind her. It takes her a moment, but Cosima recognizes her. "Hey, Delphine," she nudges her arm. The blonde looks to her. "Isn't that your sister-in-law?" She nods in her direction.

"Oh, mon Dieu," she cringes, seeing Alexandra, and then William behind her. They both look around until they decide on a booth near the front door – fortunately the farthest seat from Delphine and her company. "Cosima, is there any chance we could use your sad excuse for a backstage room?" she points between herself and the wide-eyed man.

"Yeah, yeah, of course," she agrees, sensing the urgency. Cosima gets up and leads them both to the side of the stage and into the hallway. She opens the door and they're all honored with a full view of Jack's bare ass and a petite brunette whose eyes enlarge twice their size when she notices the intrusion. "Sorry!"

"Cosima, what the hell?" Jack turns his head, lucid enough to avoid flashing them all with his exposed crotch.

Cosima just slams the door shut without responding, "Shit, shit, shit, shit".

"Maybe a different room?" Mr. Owens suggests timidly.

"Yeah, actually there's a much better location for what seems like a private meeting," she breathes out and leads them all further down the hallway.

"Are you alright?" Delphine asks, noticing Cosima's temperament shift.

"Mhm," she responds curtly. "Just a…bad history with that girl. This way, through here," Cosima opens a door at the end of the hallway, leading to another hall – a little cleaner and less grungy.

"What's this…" Delphine follows her as she tries opening each of the doors in the hall, finding most of them locked.

"Well, the lounge is attached to the restaurant on the other side," she points toward a door at the other end of the hall. "And these are their, like, conference-slash-event-slash-presentation rooms. Here," she finds an unlocked door. The room is smaller with a table in the center and a projector system. Benjamin appears to feel more at home in this environment anyways. He ambles in and takes a seat at the chair farthest from the door. Delphine goes to follow, but is pulled back by the brunette, "Wait".

"What?"

"What's this all, uh…why don't you want to see your sister-in-law?" Cosima stutters.

"Because the person we've been talking about – the one with potentially incriminating records – is her brother," she explains.

"Will?" Cosima whispers. Delphine just nods. "Okay, I'll let you guys do your thing and I'll keep an eye out in case she saw us fleeing back here". She's starting to remember the beginning of the night when Ben first arrived. They were talking about Will, but Cosima didn't put the pieces together.

"Thank you," Delphine says in the most genuine voice Cosima's ever heard her use. She smiles in return and makes her way back out to the bar and her bandmates.

Setting up is just as mind-numbing as having to clean up afterwards and her friends seem to notice a change in her mood. Jack is still occupying the backstage room, but Jeremy and Madi are caught several times giving her funny looks. It isn't until minutes before they're supposed to start that Jack joins them. He barely glares in Cosima's direction. She's too distracted to care.

Delphine is trying to get her husband in trouble somehow, but for what? Looking for documents, recording conversations, it all seems so intense. Yet Delphine appears unfazed by it, as she does everything. Cosima can't help picturing her in that black pencil skirt and slick blazer. She forgot that Delphine has a real job – someplace where she's important and official. Cosima wonders about how different Delphine must be at work. She can't possibly be the same mysterious, flirtatious, sexy woman she presents herself as at the bar.

Feeling the anxiety creep up on her, just thinking about Delphine in that locked room with someone else makes her jittery, Cosima decides to check up. She doesn't make it far before Madi calls her name, "Where're you going? We're on in, like, ten seconds".

"Uh…you guys start without me. I need to go check something," she looks back over her shoulder at a scowling drummer.

"Well, how long will it take? We can wait," she suggests unenthusiastically.

"I really don't know," Cosima keeps walking. "Just start without me, it'll be fine. You guys have done whole shows without me before – recently even".

Madi stutters a protest but decides it's useless. Cosima is already swinging the door at the back of the hallway open. She's startled when she almost knocks Mr. Owens over with the back of the door. He's standing in the hallway, looking lost already. "Hey, what, uh…" Cosima tries to figure out what he's doing.

"We're finished and Mrs. Cormier told me that I should leave first and try to not be seen on my way out," he explains nervously.

"Well, why don't you go out the restaurant's exit?" she nods her head toward the door at the other end of the hall. He glances back and forth, evaluating his options. It's dizzying. "Okay, Ben," she holds his shoulders, keeping him still. "Go through that door, past the bathrooms, and out the main entrance. I've done it several times before, no problem, and you don't really look like you're there to cause trouble. You'll have to go around the block to the front if you parked in the lounge parking lot, but you have no chance of being seen this way," she nods when she's done and he gulps, obviously not used to the pressure of the whole escapade.

"Thank you, miss," he tries to smile, and it makes Cosima chuckle. He doesn't seem to take it the wrong way, walking to the door with the same smile. He turns to wave goodbye before disappearing. Cosima wastes no time in finding the room she left Delphine in.

"So," she greets, closing the door behind her. "How'd it go?"

Delphine glances up from the small stack of papers Benjamin left with her. "Fine," she grins. She's sitting at the end of the table, ankles crossed since her skirt is too tight to cross her legs comfortably. Cosima finds herself staring.

"Is this what you wear to work every day?"

"Not exactly," Delphine examines her outfit. "I chose something much more revealing today, but it's not too far off from what I usually wear".

"I can't decide if the skin-tight red dress is sexier or this ensemble," she leans against the wall and makes a show out of her gawking. "So…why is your husband the target of the fucking-over?"

"If I'm to leave him, I'd like it to be dramatic," the blonde gets up and leans against the table in front of Cosima.

"And divorce just wouldn't do?" Cosima lets her eyes explore the full display of professional Delphine.

"He'd need a better reason than 'I don't like you' if he were to agree in any civilized capacity," she smirks smugly watching Cosima watching her.

"Just tell him the truth: You met an irresistible tech nerd and can't stay away long enough to satisfy your duties as a wife," she shrugs. "Easy".

"Irresistible?" Delphine saunters the three feet forward to stand in front of Cosima. She humors her even though her plans for abandoning her husband are based on a random opportunity and have nothing to do with Cosima herself, she's sure of it. "I suppose you must be just that alluring for me to keep returning," she doesn't give the brunette a chance to respond, pressing her whole body against her, trapping the smaller woman against the wall, and kissing her deeply. The kiss is reciprocated immediately, and their tongues meet once again, a natural rhythm building between them as though they've been doing this for years.

Cosima loses herself gradually as she feels no approaching end, no pulling back at the brink of their boundaries, no hesitation and no resistance. However, the very familiar feeling of warmth building inside her core only reminds her of the last time Delphine riled her up. She reluctantly pauses the kiss, resting her hands on the blonde's waist, "I don't think I can keep kissing you for much longer without feeling the sting of blue-balls when you eventually leave before anything happens," she pants.

Delphine nods, thinking about it while Cosima tries to calm herself down. "So, if a kiss doesn't lead to sex, you don't want to kiss at all?" She asks in a tone Cosima can't quite place.

"At the moment, kind of," she drops her gaze, not wanting to confront whatever emotion Delphine is displaying.

"Okay," Delphine replies, clutching Cosima's chin and delicately forcing her to look back up. "If that's what you want," she places a gentle peck on herCosima's lips. However, before her Cosima's heart has the chance to plummet with disappointment, Delphine applies more pressure against their bodies, recapturing Cosima's her lips. And Cosima kisses her back, of course, even after just refusing her. How can she not?

Only a few seconds go by before Cosima feels one of Delphine's hands sliding from her neck, slowly down her chest, over her stomach, and to the waist band of her jeans. She unbuttons them and pauses at the zipper, waiting for permission. Cosima nods without subtly and Delphine's hand is quickly finding its way past her underwear. The brunette exhales sharply when she feels Delphine's cool fingertips warming themselves through exploration.

They both hear the muffled sound of the show starting in the lounge and Delphine moves her lips to Cosima's ear, nibbling while she whispers, "Shouldn't you be out there?"

"I told them to start without me, but I don't think I'll make it at all," she breathes in response with Delphine's hand still working against her sanity.

"I can stop?" Delphine suggests without stopping.

"Even if you completely vacated the premises right now, I wouldn't be able to do anything on stage," Cosima pushes Delphine's blazer off her shoulders. The blonde removes her hand from Cosima's pants just long enough to let the garment fall to the ground.

"I feel like a bad influence," she admits between kisses. "Won't your friends be mad at you?"

"Eh, Jack already kind of hates me, Jeremy doesn't care, and Madi is just always a little mad at me for one reason or another," Cosima nearly loses all the strength keeping herself upright when Delphine's hand moves further into her pants, discovering depths she's only felt in herself.,

Urgency seizes Cosima and she pops each tedious button of Delphine's blouse open and pulls it up from the tight grip of her skirt. Refusing to remove her hand again, Delphine lets the white fabric hang off her shoulders. Cosima doesn't seem to mind. She moves to the prison of a skirt and her hands search for whatever contraption is keeping the woman so securely bound. "Don't bother," Delphine mumbles, only a few seconds into her hunt.

"What?" Cosima breathes, the blonde's lips moving back to her neck. "What? No, why?"

She giggles against Cosima's jaw, "Judging by the number of women I've seen you leave here with, I need far more practice than you. No offense," she explains. By now, Cosima is amazed at her stamina. Delphine should be out of breath, but her voice is just as smooth and sweet as usual.

"Ah," she smiles, "You aren't jealous, are you, Delphine?" She knows the woman isn't – she seems so secure with herself, confident beyond any vulnerability – but just the thought of it sparks a small bit of joy in Cosima, so she teases her anyway.

Delphine moves her mouth to Cosima's ear again, nipping delicately, "Hm, yes. Very," she answers. Cosima can't seem to register the admission. It's far from what reality would suggest. Maybe Delphine is kidding. "And I'm not the jealous type, Cosima," she continues. The shock is almost enough to make Cosima forget about Delphine's palm sweeping waves of friction against her with every push and pull of her fingers. Almost.

"What?" is all she can seem to say.

"I guess you are an exception," she shrugs, forcing her leg between Cosima's to assist her exhausted arm. "You can feel special if you'd like," Delphine moves back to her lips, absolutely thrilled with the dominance she feels every time Cosima's eyes squeeze shut or her throat forsakes her struggles at silence.

The whole activity is new to Delphine, but she finds it much easier than she thought. Though she's well-acquainted with her own body, Cosima's is still unfamiliar terrain. Physically, it's a bit more work than with William and the fact that she has Cosima pushed up against a wall rather than using the gravitational leverage of a bed doesn't help. However, the satisfaction significantly outweighs the effort. She's no stranger to power in the bedroom, but as much as she hates to admit it, if William wanted the power back, she wouldn't be strong enough to protest. Claiming authority over Cosima feels like winning a fairer battle, even if it isn't Delphine's physical strength that makes the brunette submit.

Finally, Delphine's calm breath breaks, feeling the throbbing pressure clenching at her fatigued fingers. The nails digging into her shoulder and waist fuel Delphine enough to endure through the finish line. Cosima bites her lip, but it does little to mute anything.

Finally, Cosima's head falls back against the wall behind her and she pants, drained. Delphine takes her time to remove her fingers, focusing her attention on Cosima's jaw, pecking softly.

"Jesus Christ, where did that come from?" Is the first thing Cosima can think to say.

"What?"

"Like, that didn't particularly seem like a first-time thing, you know?" She takes Delphine's hand and wipes the moisture off her fingers.

Delphine shrugs, lifting her head to smile at the brunette. "Should I say thank you or sorry?"

"Did you watch porn?" Cosima asks, not sure what answer she would prefer.

"No," she sighs, shrugging her blouse back over her shoulders and re-fastening the buttons. "I did ask Anne for advice, though".

Cosima shakes her head to herself. "Who the fuck is Anne?"

"A coworker," Delphine takes a seat at the table, turning the chair to face outward.

"Is she gay?" The blonde just nods. "And another thing – what happened to you not initiating things so you wouldn't have to lie? Like, you wouldn't kiss me, but you've shoved your hand down my pants twice now".

"Should I not have?"

"I definitely didn't say that," Cosima pushes herself off the wall and makes her way to Delphine's lap, straddling her comfortably. "You just seem a little inconsistent is all".

Delphine's hands move across the woman's thighs and up to her waist, "It's hard to restrain myself when I have an irresistible…tech nerd alone in a room". She stretches to cover Cosima's neck with kisses, determined to leave her mark.

"Well, I think it's all a bit unfair, don't you?" Cosima's head lolls to the side, allowing Delphine whatever she wants.

"What?" she mumbles against Cosima's skin.

"When you don't feel like restraining yourself anymore, you just push me back against something and go at it," she starts to explain. Once Delphine hums a slight response, Cosima combs her fingers through her blonde hair, grabbing two fistfuls once she's tangled deeply enough, and pulling back, detaching the woman from her neck and forcing the smallest gasp from her. "I want you. When do I get to have you?"

"When I have enough hands-on experience to contest you," Delphine smiles and bites her lip.

"Oh my God, can you just not handle being second best at something?"

Before she can answer, both women hear the sound of Cosima's band wishing everyone a good night. Their set apparently cut short. "Will you be in a lot of trouble?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Cosima grabs her wrist and holds Delphine's hand up, still slightly moist from their pastime activities, despite Cosima's efforts. "If I go out there smelling like sex, it's nothing new. If you go out there smelling like sex, it might give your sister-in-law ideas".

Delphine forgot that she didn't really mention her husband also being here tonight and Cosima wouldn't recognize him. She doesn't particularly want to build that bridge tonight, so she doesn't bring it up. Cosima leads her to the bathrooms to wash up. When they finally enter the lounge area again, the band is busy packing up and Delphine spots her party at the bar. The women go their separate ways with a side glance and a smile.