A/N: Let's turn the tables in this one, shall we? ;)
Caeca Invidia Est
Ran subtly glanced over to the all-to-familiar figure, who was currently standing with his back faced to her on the opposite end of the grand atrium. Dressed in a classic three-piece black tux with his hair combed back, he was looking especially dapper tonight, even from his current angle. It gave her an unconcealed view of his deliciously broad back; and his blazer stopped right on the edge of his hips, his tailored-to-fit trousers revealing his fine ass. Holding a glass of champagne in his left hand, he was cheerily chatting away with a group of police detectives. However, as she shifted her position slightly to catch the object of his enthusiastic chattering, unpleasantness settled in the pit of her stomach as her eyes laid on the voluptuous young woman.
Ugh. That clingy bitch.
Flaunting her very prominent curves in a seductive bold red plunge neck halter dress, the object of Ran's scrutiny was currently schmoozing Shinichi, clearly acting uncharacteristically excited for someone who was, and she quotes, "just curious" about his cases.
The youngest entrant in the TMPD detective squad- Matsui Mio, 23 was quickly putting a damper on her otherwise perfect night; notwithstanding the fact that she was standing under a soaring glass dome with a rich view of the beautiful starry sky and Tokyo's fluorescent night skyline in the middle of the majestic atrium of The Ritz-Carlton. It was a monumental event, marking the 150th anniversary of the TMPD and the department had decided to throw a grandiose party, inviting all their officers as well as eminent individuals closely working with the department. Which meant Shinichi was invited too, since Division 1 consulted him on practically every other murder case they hit a roadblock on.
Her eyes narrowed as she saw them laughing, as Shinichi regaled her with the stories of his impossible murder cases. Of course, you can't clap with one hand. It was Shinichi, who kept leading her on and giving her all his undivided attention. He had practically been talking to her since they arrived! She was flirting so boldly with him only because he was flirting back! Her blood boiled with rage as she felt a strong urge to march over and give him a taste of her karate she hadn't given him in so long. What was so interesting about that woman that he was ignoring her and an entire room full of people!? Was it because she looked sexier than her and on top of that, was the youngest detective in the TMPD?
Her lips twisted in disgust as indignation bloomed in her chest and she forcefully disengaged herself from peering at those two, turning her attention to Satou-keiji who, now she realizes, had been trying to ask her something for a while. Throwing one last glare in Shinichi's direction, she turned back to face Satou-keiji with a smile, apologizing for not paying attention. She tries to ignore Shinichi and his zealous unsolicited company as she busies herself conversing Satou and Takagi-keiji.
A shiver ran up his spine, and Shinichi quickly turned to check the source of what felt like a cold-blooded stare. His brows knitted as his eyes scanned the room, unable to find anyone who might be looking at him. There was Ran, but she was standing with Satou and Takagi-Keiji, seemingly busy in a conversation. He shrugged, thinking it was probably a figment of his overactive imagination.
"Is something the problem, Shinichi-kun?" A female voice brought his attention back to her.
"Ah no, it's nothing Matsui-keiji" He turned, smiling sheepishly at her.
Even though he said that, there was indeed something off. Not with him, but with Ran. She looked so happy when they arrived at the party earlier, with her arm looped around his and a brilliant smile plastered on her pretty face. But something had happened within the last two hours. Whenever his gaze drifted to her, she always seemed busy talking to others, not paying him any heed and her smile no longer reached her eyes.
And then there were those annoyed glances she passed at him, when their eyes did meet across the room from time to time. He didn't understand. Had he done something wrong? How was that possible; he'd hardly found a chance to even speak with her since they arrived! It had to be something else.
"Oh please Shinichi-kun, call me Mio-chan! You don't have to be so formal, we're literally the same age!" She said, flashing him a coquettish smile.
Matsui-keiji had literally been hogging him since they arrived, persuading him to share the details of all the famed murder cases he'd solved. Normally, he'd be more than willing to talk about them, except she already knew. She told him she was a huge fan of his work and had read up all his case files first thing after she got into the TMPD. Why would she want him to repeat everything; the files were already as detailed as you could get. He asked her as much, and she just shrugged and told him that she wanted to hear about them from him. He supposes she's just enthusiastic. He got those occasionally. The kind of fans who would want to hear about his cases first-hand from his mouth, despite having read about them in the papers. Although, he could really use a break now. He wanted to go and check up on Ran, in order to find out what was the reason behind the sudden shift in her demeanour. Those irritated glances she's been passing him were getting to him now. But every time he tried to excuse himself, Matsui-keiji would pose another question at him. And he would get busy answering, losing track of time. He had to find a way to get away without sounding rude.
His eyes land on his champagne glass, which he realizes was almost empty now. Sensing an opportunity, he looked up at Matsui-keiji and gave her a hesitant smile.
"This Laurent-Perrier is exquisite. Do you mind if I go and get a refill?" He said, lightly shaking his glass in front of her.
"Why, of course not, Shinichi-kun! But do hurry! I still need to ask you about the murder-suicide case of Nakamura Group's chairman and his wife!" She grinned, waving at him.
"Sure!" A lie. He was done talking to her for the rest of the night.
He quickly made his way across the room to where Ran was standing, who was too engrossed in conversing with Satou-keiji to notice him approaching her.
"Oh Kudou-kun! Where were you? We hardly saw you since the party started." Takagi-keiji piped up as Shinichi came to stand beside Ran.
"Yeah, Megure-keibu was searching for you." Satou-keiji added.
"I got held up by the other detectives" He gave them a sheepish smile. Turning his head slightly to look at Ran, who was looking anywhere but at him, he continued. "I hope Ran didn't get bored."
"Haha, don't worry! Ran-chan is having a good time thanks to yours truly!" Satou grinned at him. "Right, Ran-chan?" She playfully winked at the younger woman, who returned her smile appreciatively, and continued to entirely ignore him.
"Oh, that's right! The champagne here tastes pretty good! Why don't we go get another round, Takagi-kun?" Satou said, turning to Takagi.
"Oh! I was just about to ask you the same!" Takagi said, leading the way for her. Shinichi mentally thanked them for leaving and giving him a window to speak to Ran properly.
"Then, I'll come along!" Ran said, following the duo.
'What?' His dumbfounded gaze landed on Ran, who had disappeared from his side in an instant, practically running away from him.
"Me too!" He blurted out, finally regaining his composure, and chased after her retreating form.
"Hey! What's wrong?" He asked her in a hushed voice.
He finally caught hold of her at the bar. Takagi and Satou were a little ahead of them and he jumped at the opportunity. He grabbed her hand in order to stop her from walking away.
"What makes you think something's wrong?" She said curtly, finally turning to face him.
"Well for starters, you've been frowning an awful lot for quite sometime and it all seems to be directed at just me!" He aired out.
She blushed. So, he had noticed all those angry glares she'd been giving him after all. Nevertheless.
"You're imagining it" She responded, and walked away, shaking her hand free of his grip.
"Wait! Ran!" He started to follow her but a voice stopped him short.
"Shinichi-kun! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" Matsui Mio's shrill voice echoed as she frolicked towards him, avoiding the guests in her path with practiced ease.
Shinichi inwardly winced and forced a smile on his face as he turned to her. "Matsui-keiji"
"You thought I would let you off the hook so easily, Tantei-san?" She smiled teasingly at him. "I'm not done yet! I've got loads of stories that I want to hear from you." She winked at him flirtingly.
"I understand" He cursed under his breath. Her timing was ridiculously impeccable.
He noticed Ran walking away from the corner of his eyes. He sighed. He'll have to look for another chance to talk to her.
Thirty-odd minutes had passed since the young detective intercepted him at the bar and she was still going on non-stop. He'd completely stopped talking several minutes ago and was just responding briefly to her questions now, hoping that would give her a hint that he was no longer interested in the conversation, but she still found some drab things to talk about. It was like she was actively trying to stop him from leaving. Why was she doing that though, he had no clue.
It was then that he spotted a familiar black dress maneuvering through the crowd and making its way to the exit of the hall. His eyes lit up. Now was the opening he had been looking for the entire evening.
"Excuse me for a minute Matsui-keiji, I need to head to the restroom" He smiled at her and deposited his champagne glass on a nearby table.
"Oh sure!" She smiled back and he swiftly scoured across the room, hot on his pissed girlfriend's heels.
Ran exited the atrium and headed to the restrooms located on the opposite end of the lobby. Too occupied with her own thoughts, she failed to notice Shinichi following after her. Just as she was about to turn in the direction of the women's restroom, he catches her. Gripping her arm tight; in fear she might run away again; he tugs her in the other direction, towards a secluded section of the hallway, away from prying eyes.
"Shinichi! What the hell?" She admonished, struggling against his iron grip as he tows her along. "I need to use the restroom. Let go of my hand!" She vainly tries to wiggle out of his grasp.
Ignoring her protests, he pins her against the wall once he reaches an ideal spot and stands in front of her, caging her between himself and the wall. Their location was shielded from the public view, and surprisingly didn't even have any CCTVs.
"Tell me what's wrong and you're free to go" He states unceremoniously.
She yanks her arm out of his, and crosses her arms in front of her defensively. "I already told you! There's nothing wrong! Why are you making such a big deal out of it!?" She cuts out bluntly, keen on wanting to leave this conversation.
Shinichi's brows furrow and he takes a step towards her.
"Ran…" He says softly as he lifts one hand to tentatively rest it on the side of her upper left arm, and slowly glides his palm in a reciprocating motion, in an attempt to calm her down. The touch of his warm hand against her bare skin eases some of the tension from her shoulders.
"Tell me please" He says imploringly this time, with a tinge of concern in his eyes.
Ugh. She hates it when he looks at her with those eyes. It's the look that makes her hate herself whenever she behaves crudely with him, which, to her credit, was very rare. Although she hates him even more for this, because he knew that look always works in his favour! But not today. She wasn't going to melt when it was clearly he, who was in the wrong. Nevertheless, her arms uncrossed as an automatic reflex to his actions and came to rest on her sides. She needed to control her body's natural reactions to his touches, and hence she did what she always does in order to avoid getting affected by his physicality- avoid his gaze.
In hindsight, he could see her stance slackening but when she didn't say anything, he ventured further.
"I know you're mad at me." He slid his hand further down her arm to hold her hand. "But why? You were so happy when we arrived at the party. What happened in between these three hours that you refuse to even talk to me?" He prodded, gently stroking the back of her hand.
That got her to look at him.
Seriously? He is going to pretend he doesn't even realize what he did wrong!? She isn't playing ball.
She snatched her hand back. "I told you nothing's wrong. Instead of wasting your limited time on me, why don't you just go and throw yourself in the arms of Mio-chan and serenade her with your mighty detective tales?" She taunts rhetorically, the name of the latter spilling from her lips, as if it were poison.
Shinichi's eyes widen as realization strikes his head. His lips quirk in a smile and his eyes glisten with a strange twinkle.
"Ran, are you jealous of Matsui-keiji?" He asked and she noted the very obvious teasing tone in his voice.
She scoffed in disbelief. "Oh please, don't flatter yourself. Why in God's name would I be jealous!? It's your life, you can do whatever you want."
Even though she wasn't looking at him, she could flagrantly sense his trademark smirk settling at the corner of his lips.
With the way she was constantly avoiding his gaze, Shinichi realized he'd hit bullseye. He had to admit though, Ran looked especially adorable when she was jealous. With her lips pouting, brows frowning and her gaze directed anywhere but at him, Jealous Ran was his personal favourite spectacle. His smile only grew wider.
And that really irked her. She didn't want this conversation in the first place for this precise reason. She knew seeing her like this would give him the upper hand and would only serve to feed his cockiness. She prepared to run away, roughly pushing him on his chest to shove him aside.
However, he doesn't budge. Instead, he snakes both his arms around her waist possessively and pulls her closer, his smirk never faltering. She shrieks, caught off-guard by his sudden action, and her hands automatically land on his chest to accomplish some distance as her eyes widen in surprise. She looks up at him, opening her mouth to protest, but he uses that exact moment to drop his head and catch her parted lips in a long kiss.
She squeaks as he dives, taking in her lower lip and caressing it gently with his. However, she was still mad at him and hence, she tries using her hands on his chest to extricate herself from him. But then, he just lowers one of his hands holding her waist to her hips, grabbing a cheek to bring their lower bodies even closer and then moves against her in an excruciatingly slow motion. Ran's eyes impulsively shut and her throat vibrates with a muffled moan. Goosebumps raise on her arms and the hands that were placed on his chest to get rid of him, fist into the material of his perfectly ironed shirt instead and she stops struggling in his arms.
Shinichi takes that as his cue to deepen the kiss, languidly running his tongue to trace the inner part of her lower lip and then upper lip, as his other arm starts gliding the side of her stomach in a deliberate slow motion. Her heart rate accelerates as her senses are flooded by him- the intoxicating smell of his cologne, the invigorating heat of his face and body; and the delicious taste of his silky tongue assaulting her. She could hear her blood pumping in her ears as she felt long fingers delicately ghost over her breast. Her breath hitches and her kiss becomes sloppier. Her back arches subconsciously, pushing her torso to him. He goes down the same trail and then back up again, repeating his movements until a whimper of protest escapes her lips, and she could feel him smile over her lips. Damn, he knew her body so well.
He groans in her mouth and then stops teasing her, instead taking his arm to her back, idly running it through the length of her spine in a soothing wave and uses his tongue to further taste her mouth. Under her palms placed on his chest, she could feel his heart beating in sync with hers. She rolls back her eyes in pleasure, enjoying the feel of his tongue, his lips and his hands over her highly-sensitive body, each touch leaving fire on its wake. Her knees went weak and her limbs felt like jelly as she tried to control her body's reaction to his kiss.
After a full minute of thoroughly enjoying her taste, he slowly ends the kiss. His lips separate ever so slightly from hers, still lingering heavily, and he slowly opens his eyes to tenderly gaze at her face and observes that her eyes were still closed. She opens them gradually, and he notices her dazed look, with her pupils dilated, still reeling from their secret little make-out session.
His lips groove in a smirk, and he says in a low husky voice; "Still think I'm attracted to her?", the puffs of his warm breath mingling with hers.
With his lips just millimeters apart from hers, the vibrations of his voice sent shivers down her spine and her eyes snapped open further, staring at him in a wide-eyed state. Her cheeks bloomed with an intense blush as she realizes she's been caught completely off-guard by his totally unexpected highly intimate gesture. In the public nonetheless! They were just meters away from a hall filled with hundreds of police officers they knew! What if someone saw them!? Gosh, that would be the embarrassment of the century!
Damn, how does he always manage to kiss her this stupid!?
Extremely flustered, she hurriedly tries pushing him off her using her palms on his chest; but he doesn't let go this time either, just releasing a hearty laugh, the kind which indicated that he got her bad, as his hold on her waist tightens, making her tingly all over.
At this point, she has totally given up and is looking anywhere but at him.
"Ran" He drawls, laughter lacing his tone.
She doesn't respond, trying her best to not meet his teasing gaze.
"Ran, look at me." He repeats, this time slightly more serious than before.
She finally looks up at him, albeit hesitantly, her face still flushed from their little make-out session.
"You know there's just one woman for me, right?" He holds her gaze as she sees a mélange of emotions swirling in his eyes- love, passion, possessiveness and desire. The goosebumps make a comeback, materializing on her arms in an instant. Her face heats up, and she finds herself unable to look away, entranced by his gaze.
"By the way, you know what I've been thinking ever since you showed up in this dress?" His eyes languidly rake up her form, taking in the way her black backless bodycon dress accentuated the contours of her hourglass figure and how her tank neckline stopped short just above her chest, her ample breasts teasing him through the slight cleavage visible from his vantage point. She shudders at the intensity of his gaze.
"What?" She asked in a small voice.
He gave her one of his sexy conceited smirks as he dropped his voice a few octaves before saying, "That how badly I want to get you out of it."
Blood rushed to her face and her jaw dropped in disbelief. She pushes him harder this time, desperate to get away before he sent her hormones into disarray.
He chuckles and lets her go this time, loosening his hold around her waist. A mile-wide smile stretches across his face, as he watches her scurrying in the direction of the restroom.
A/N: Happy New Year guys! Here's a little new year present from me, because me loves some good ShinRan fluff! XD
So, I realized this series is titled Art of Seduction, but they haven't even shared a proper kiss yet? XD So, I decided to change that ;)