There was nothing like a good dose of regret to start off the day…
At least that was what Regina was bitterly thinking as she tried to tame the way her hair had naturally curled during the night.
It was almost an impossible task to achieve without her flat iron, but taking in consideration that to get the lifesaving tool she needed to make it back to a room where Robin was already stirring, she decided not to venture anywhere near that area.
No, what she had to do was evade the man altogether for as long as she could, so in the face of that little inconvenience, she had to make herself presentable with what she had at hand.
In a way, it was silly that her, the always imposing and impeccable Regina Mills was acting like that because of a man, but what else was there to do? She was proud to a fault and damn it, she was really dreading the smug look on Robin's face the moment he laid his eyes on her.
The asshole was going to gloat! And having no choice other than to accept what she did, she was going to hate every second of it.
She could visualize it already: blue eyes sparkling, a sideways smirk that would definitely make her feel like slapping it off of him, and that arrogant aura that seemed to always emanate out of him in huge waves.
The worst part of it? That he was going to look damn hot as he did that. He was probably going to smell amazingly good too, and if he didn't shave and kept that interesting shadow that was sharpening his features, then he was going to have her drooling after him like a fool…
"Stop it," hissing under her breath, Regina put the hairbrush down, her eyes staring back at her own reflection through the mirror.
Thinking like this was what prompted her to act like a horny idiot the night before, so she couldn't go back to that. No, it was only because she let her imagination and her most impure impulses get the best of her that she was in that predicament now, a mixture of shame and embarrassment eating her inside out.
It was all her fault though, because who told her it was a good idea to get wild and dry hump the damn man as if there was no tomorrow?
Sure, she had been slightly tipsy, but not enough to lose all trace of coherency, so there was really no excuse.
She had been very aware of what she was doing… or at least at first, because she definitely never anticipated that things could get so out of control.
No. At the beginning, the competitive side of her took over and she did it all for the chance to win. In her impaired judgment, she had been sure they needed to keep appearances, so the idea of making Gold believe they were hitting it off didn't sound like a huge deal.
They could fake it for a few minutes and that was it. Nothing more, nothing less.
But then she felt him so hard and warm underneath her, and he was looking at her so intently while pressing her hard against him that something in her snapped.
It had been a long while since she got to enjoy a man in any capacity so yeah, drunk and ego tripping, she let her libido betray her.
She got all hot and bothered quickly enough, and then the next thing she knew, his damn cock was out and exposed.
He had felt so damn good right then and there that her mind simply short-circuited.
What could she say? If he had felt good to her with his boxers on, the contact of skin to skin had been simply mind blowing. That was how without thinking, she kept grinding herself against him, chasing her orgasm until she came.
He did too, all over her and fuck… that had been wrong in so many levels.
Robin was a coworker, one she didn't even like that much, so what she pushed to happen between them the previous night was mortifying her now.
Because yes, it had been her! He rode along and didn't even miss a beat when it came to having his sneaky hands all over her, squeezing and gripping her ass as if he had any right to it, but that only happened because she fucking provoked it..
"Good morning,"
Feeling her entire body tense with the sound of the raspy tone that Robin used to say such a simple greeting, Regina grabbed her hairbrush and resumed working with her locks.
She did it methodically, her eyes refusing to venture further than her own image.
It was the safe thing to do, because if she did something as simple as looking at him, she was going to end up staring straight into his curious eyes and nope, she didn't want that.
It was bad enough as it was, because as much as she was trying not to notice, Robin was standing right behind her, very much shirtless and probably looking to die for…
"Did you have a good night's sleep?"
Asshole! Regina thought as she heard the low rumble of his voice. He sounded almost as good as he probably looked and well, that wasn't a good way to start the morning. Luckily, she managed to keep her composure. A small victory, but at least it was something.
"No. Not particularly."
"I did. I had a very rewarding… sleep. In case you were wondering."
Regina didn't miss on the hidden meaning behind his words, but because she didn't want to give him the benefit of riling her up, she decided not to say anything. Instead, she tried her best to ignore him.
It was hard though, because as she finished with her hair and started to moisturize, Robin just remained there, a silent force behind her.
"Can I help you with something?" she asked when his presence started to make her feel antsy, her tone cutting and more than a little snarky.
"Well, now that you mention it–"
Before he could finish, Regina swirled around. It was an abrupt thing that definitely caught Robin by surprise. It made him clasp his mouth back shut.
"Listen, Locksley. What happened last night was strictly business. It was not personal, and it definitely didn't have anything to do with you as an individual. I want to win that final prize and at the moment, it was what we needed to do. With that said, I need you to keep your comments, thoughts, and any kind of opinion you have about it to yourself and not bother me with them. Are we clear with that?"
Arching an eyebrow, Robin scoffed, shifting the entire weight of his body to his left leg. "Crystal clear."
After her little speech, Regina breathed deeply in, watching as Robin remained there. He was as shirtless as she had left him in bed when she woke up, and he looked too damn good… with his hair carelessly going everywhere, his still sleepy eyes sparkling, and his boxers riding so very low on his hips he might as well take them off…
Snapping back to reality because this was definitely not the route she wanted her mind to go, the brunette's lips curled at the corner. "Then why are you still standing there?"
"I need to use the bathroom. I was going to ask you about giving me a moment, but then you went on with your little speech and I didn't want to interrupt."
Feeling her cheeks start to burn, Regina rolled her eyes and walked away. She forgot all about standing her ground, because she really didn't want him to see the effect he was having on her. Damn him.
"Thank you, you're so very kind." Catching the sarcasm in his words, Regina had to fight hard against the urge of turning around and flipping him off.
She didn't. She had more grace than that and even though she lost some of her credibility the night before, she was going to cling to the little of it she had left. She also needed to make the best out of the situation, and acting all immature just because she was mortified was definitely not the way to go.
No, she needed to play things smart. She wanted to win this, and whether she liked it or not, she needed to be on good terms with Robin to do that.
They were playing pretend they were a couple, so she couldn't walk out of that room feeling cranky or sending him dirty glances.
It was with that in mind that she took a deep breath, walked to bed and started to flat iron her hair to perfection, focusing on that and not on the fact that she could hear him going about his business in the bathroom.
Despite her resolution not to be annoyed, this made her groan, as the closed space was not helping her keep this man out of her nerves. Luckily, she managed.
"There was a note with the instructions for the day on the nightstand," Regina said when she heard him finally turn off the shower. It took all her willpower not to look his way. "It was over a couple of shirts we apparently have to wear. They are hideous."
"All of that was just there?"
Failing in her intentions of not looking, Regina ended up lifting her gaze, catching the way Robin walked out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel around his waist.
Out of pride, she didn't let her eyes linger much on him. Instead she just put the note back to where she found it and started to put her sneakers on.
"Anyway. We have to be at the dining hall in twenty minutes, so get dressed quickly."
Robin didn't say anything, he just grabbed the horrible forest green shirt Gold left for them and smirked in that infuriating way of his.
Regina didn't particularly like it, as she had a feeling that he was enjoying this a bit too much, but there was not much to do in that regard.
At least he was pretty quick and they were able to arrive on time for breakfast with the rest of the group.
Now, much like the previous night, the table was filled with small chat, and Regina didn't really have the stomach for it…
"Good morning, how is everyone today?"
At the sound of Belle walking into the room and greeting them in such an enthusiastic manner, Regina rolled her eyes, pushing her unfinished plate with scrambled eggs and bacon to the side.
What could she say? She didn't like cheerful people in the mornings, nor did she trust them.
"We had a terrible night," Mary Margaret went ahead and said in an annoying tone. "We spent half the night without electricity, and we couldn't sleep with the room being so hot."
"I have to agree on the last one," someone else said, and when Regina lifted her head, she saw that it was Zelena. "The walls are too thin and we could listen to the way… well, let's say that I can attest that nobody had much sleep last night, if you know what I mean."
At the implications of Zelena's words, Regina scratched the side of her neck a bit too harshly, her nails scratching along their way.
Not like she was the only one with a reaction, because from her vantage point she could see Mary Margaret blushing furiously, David coughing into a napkin, Tiana getting busy drinking her coffee, and a nervous Naveen running a hand through his hair. Chad was just smirking while Robin… well, he didn't look affected in any way.
"Are you going to finish that?" her fake boyfriend asked in his heavy accent and well, now she could detect that even though he didn't physically react, his voice was dripping with amusement.
Unfortunately, she couldn't call him out about it, so she just shook her head, watching as he dragged the plate to him and started to eat her food.
"I have to admit that the electricity issue is something that caught us by surprise. I mean, we've been having some issues with it as of late but nothing that lasted so long. With that said, Mr. Gold sends his most sincere apologies."
"Will he be joining us today?" Regina decided to ask, because she was now oddly curious to meet this man.
"He will be joining us at dinner. Until then, I'm happy to announce that we will have our first two challenges right after breakfast."
"Ah! I'm so excited! What are we going to do?" Mary Margaret asked, almost jumping from her chair.
"So as you know, what Mr. Gold and his bride are trying to find is a team that can transmit the kind of love and commitment they want for their marriage, but it's also important for this duo to work as a unit in every aspect of their lives. That's why in this first challenge, each couple will be assigned with the biggest shared responsibility of them all."
As if in cue, four members of the mansion's staff walked into the dining room, each one carrying a small basket. They brought them straight to the table before uncovering the contents.
"Well shit," Zelena snorted, patting her husband's arm. "We are so screwed!"
"Babies!" Mary Margaret yelped, and Regina couldn't help but to close her eyes and internally cringe.
"That's right. These right here are your babies and you'll have to keep them fed, clean and comfortable as you go through your first challenge: The Maze."
"Let me see if I get it, we'll have to take care of these fake babies and go through a maze?" Naveen asked.
"Yes, I will explain the rest of the details when we are out on the field though, so let's try to hurry a little."
Humming because this was starting in the most ridiculous way, Regina pushed her back against the chair and turned to Robin. She got even closer, her intentions talking to him without anyone else listening. "You'll have to take the doll. I mean… I can't keep a plant alive even if my life depended on it."
"Divide and conquer," Robin replied in the same low tone and Regina wasn't sure if it was in her mind, but did he get closer than what was necessary? "I hope you are good with mazes then."
Regina cringed, not sure if this was a good moment to mention that her sense of direction was completely off…
Luckily, she didn't have to admit such a thing, because before she could open her mouth, Belle started rushing them out of the mansion. She took them to the back gardens, where she was apparently ready to talk about the challenge.
"So this is what's going to happen: each team has a baby and it will be your responsibility to look after it. At the same time, you will need to put your heads together to get out of the maze. Now, we have different starting points so each couple will go in alone; meaning that you will only have each other to get out. Once you solve it, you'll find a boat and you will have to paddle your way right to this spot." The woman said as she pointed at the huge lake in front of them.
"You can't be serious…" Mary Margaret said in indignation and despite her own spirits sinking a little at the size of that lake, Regina couldn't help but to smirk.
It was just too satisfying to see her stepsister starting to get worried.
"The winner will be determined by the amount of time you get to finish the maze and then get back here and of course, by the level of distress you cause your baby."
"Oh my God this is so bad," Zelena gasped, her blue eyes sparkling with her amusement.
"It is not that bad so come on, it's time you are transported to your starting points."
With that said, Belle guided them to a couple of golf carts and much to her chagrin, she apparently wanted them to share…
She was going to protest about the lack of space because there was no way they could all fit, but then she saw Robin climbing in the second cart and she knew she was doomed.
The only good thing was that he got in the one with Naveen and Tiana, so at least she wouldn't have to ride with Mary Margaret.
"Well this looks a little tight," she said in her most amicable tone, but she had a hard time spitting it out.
"It's actually perfect, darling, come on." Arching an eyebrow and with his lips curving in a smirk, Robin pointed at his lap.
Regina couldn't lie, right in that moment she wanted nothing more than to slap that smug smirk out of his face, but at the same time, her lower stomach started to tingle.
What could she say? She was only human and the memory of what happened between them was back at making her feel edgy.
He probably knew this, and that was why he was challenging her with the blue intensity of his eyes on her.
Not like she was going to let him have this over her, so reciprocating his smirk with one of her own, she bit her lips and walked to him.
What happened next went by so fast that Regina didn't even know how she moved to do such a thing, but before she could really think about it, she was climbing into the cart and yeah, sitting on his lap.
Sure, she tried doing it without creating too much contact, but she was still over him and she really didn't know what to make of it.
"So a maze, huh?" Tiana said. She was sitting over her boyfriend too, so at least Regina wasn't the only one in that predicament.
She doubted the other woman felt as antsy as she was feeling though…
"The real question is: much money does a man need to build a maze in his back garden?"
This was Robin, and he asked that in the most casual way. He also shifted a little, and as she tried to fake a smile, Regina couldn't help but to at least be content that he was not touching her.
"Definitely a lot,"
After Tiana's short reply, nobody else said a thing. They just rode through a dense forest.
Regina took that moment to focus, trying to relax and put her mind in blank. But just as she was trying to think of anything but the man underneath her, the cart gave a sudden stop and she was jerked forward.
If it wasn't because Robin grabbed her, she would have definitely fallen off.
"What the…" She hissed as the chauffeur jumped out of the cart. She barely noticed what was going on though, as all her senses were focused on the fact that Robin's hands were settled on her hips.
"First stop is for the yellow team so here's your baby. Now just follow the signs and wait for further instructions."
"Okay. Let's try to pretend this is not weird at all," Naveen scoffed as both him and his girlfriend climbed off the cart.
When they were both on their feet, the man who drove them there gave them the fake baby and got back to the cart.
He drove away soon after, getting deeper and deeper into the forest.
As this happened, Robin never took his hands off of her and damn the man, because even through the fabric of her clothes, his touch was burning her right to her very core.
This made her pulse accelerate, because the truth was that it was not a simple touch. Sure, it started as him holding her, but after a while Regina could feel the pad of his thumbs venturing up and up until it was tracing random patterns on her sides.
He explored her sides, the hollow of her waist, and she could even feel him tracing the edge of her bra…
For reasons, this made her think of the way he had been looking under her shirt the night before, probably getting an eyeful of her breasts. Then she thought of his breathing brushing against her mouth, his erection sliding between her folds, and on how his hands had felt touching her. Kneading her ass, venturing closer between her legs…
But no, this was not the way for her thoughts to drift, so turning to the side so that she could take a look at his face, Regina pushed his hands away. "You are enjoying this, aren't you?"
Bursting out a laugh, Robin's eyes narrowed. "Me? Not at all. I'm just holding you so you won't fall. You on the other hand…" He pointed with his fingers at her and then to him, his intention to indicate the fact that she was still sitting over him even though there was space for her to sit by his side. "So, enjoying yourself?"
"Ugh!" Regina groaned, sliding to his side while trying to act as composed as she could.
Luckily, they were close to their damn starting point so they could be over this once and for all…
TBC