Not my characters, at least not the guy but he likes my girl so I'll get him into my clutches soon enough.
There was a point where Scarlett got bored during her posing; almost nodded off in her frozen state but then she had to remind herself that this was what V was paying her for. Her first day went well, he seemed to be pleased and she went to bed more relaxed than the night before but then morning came and on when the new item of clothing. This routine was repeated day after day for the first week until her stamina in holding a pose was grumbled about. The following day, via a note, she was informed that her morning would be spent doing exercises on another floor of the building and there was a plastic card and appropriate clothing provided. She wasn't sure what to think as she entered the elevator and tapped the card on the reader but the thought of not having her vision taken away was elating. Two hours later on her return, realizing that the card would only allow her to travel between the two floors she stepped out into the vestibule and went back into her room. There was food waiting and a note instructing her what to do. She had survived a week already so complaining about the rabbit food before her seemed petty. She washed up, ate and was waiting for him dressed and blindfolded in her spot.
He found her sitting as expected, still slightly flushed from the exercises. "Stand." She rose up a little shaky and he guessed she was fatigued. An earlier call to the instructor revealed that she did everything that was asked if her without complaint and only ever asked if she had been doing was correct. He'd reward her for her obedience to an extent. "Come, I've missed my view of you this morning." He lead her out and had her sit on a long wide padded bench and took a length of fabric from his pocket. "Hands out my dear." He placed it in her hands; she was confused of course. "I recall your objection to being bound but I would still like to create the illusion of it. In your hands is a small loop of material. You are to place your hands through it and twist one hand around so it twists in the center." He watched her comply to his instructions, pleased. "Now from this you can free yourself at any time you feel the need to and I'll still have the illusion I wish. Is this acceptable to you?" He watched her free herself and retwist the fabric. A small yes proceeded a small nod. He watched her posture collapse slightly. "You can free yourself S, if you feel at any time you're in distress." She gave him a nod. "Good. Now in this pose, if you happen to drift asleep there is no danger of you falling down. Lay back and put your feet up then hands above your head with your knees slightly bent and together." He watched her move as he instructed, knowing he was gaining more of her trust by how quickly she moved and settled herself. Vladimir only needed to adjust her wrists so they were on one another and bend her elbows so her arms were in a more relaxed position. "Lovely." He stepped back and circled her once to admire the view before going to his desk to tend to his work. He listened to her rapid heart beating slowly calm and then listened to it even out as she slipped into a slumber. He decided to remain at his desk and not approach her until she woke naturally from her nap; he wanted her to be easy around him and this would accomplish it. Carrying on with his calls and occasionally typing away at various emails or constructing contacts he continuously watched her; suppressing his want to claim her where she lay. She didn't stir much even when she woke up and only scratched her nose. When her stomach began to rumble he placed an order for her supper. Tonight she would get a nice steak as opposed to other nights he only let her have vegetables and very little meat at all. Her food arrived in a very timely manor and was set up; he noticed her registering the sound of it being set out and her soft swallows in anticipation. The attendant, specially selected by him didn't take notice of her; but remained on task and promptly left.
Scarlett realized she has drifted off but he had figured she would right; that was her hope so he wouldn't be displeased. She had caught herself when she woke up and rubbed her nose; she had wanted to roll to her side at that moment but remembered herself. The clicking of the keys on V's computer was what woke her initially, the speed at which he struck them was enough to make her mind question the sound it made. Then, the place void of any other sound, his voice speaking. It wasn't to a business relation; it was notably different, kinder. Family perhaps. She didn't suspect him to have a wife, at least she hoped he didn't as it would make her feel awkward. A mistress perhaps? If what Liz had told her was true he probably had several. But then again, why weren't any of them picked. She was mulling these things over when she heard him approach and ordered her to sit then rise. Her muscles had stiffened and she stumbled slightly and then felt herself steadied by his firm hands on hers.
"We shall see to that next time you go my dear; I hadn't realized you'd still be fatigued even after your rest." He waited for her to stretch slightly before he lead her to the waiting chair. He debated leaving her hands tied and her eyes covered, 'next time' he told himself, he was rewarding her now, not himself. Once he was behind her he easily slipped the twisted piece of fabric from around her wrists and uncovered her eyes. She gasped softly in pleasure at the food before her as he draped the linen napkin across her lap. "I hope I guessed the cook on that correctly for you. I understand medium rare is the preferred one." She nodded as she eagerly went for the fork and knife. He didn't like the scent of cooked meat, he didn't like how she smelled after she consumed it but it was necessary for her health. Last thing he wanted was her not coming back because of the food. He listened to her sighs with every new bite she took, not rushing her meal. "It's good?"
"It's perfect." In that moment, and in the next several, Scarlett let herself love where she was. The room, the food, the beautiful clothes she was wearing and the comfortable bed waiting for her a few hours away. Even her host was slowly becoming more agreeable to her. He stuck to every letter in their contact and never once brought up any 'maybe' items for her to decide on. Even all her 'yes' items he asked her permission every time. There was a healthy glass of red wine before her that her hand went past to take the water behind it.
"So you never consume alcohol at all?" He had thought it was only in social situations where she was nervous that she refused it. He liked when humans were drunk, they were a lot of fun unless they were too drunk. The effect on their blood was pleasurable; it thinned it out nicely. He listened to her heart pick up a few extra beats as she sipped her water.
"I've seen what it could do when I drink I get loopy. Very friendly and uninhibited…uhm my ex videotaped me one time, us together… " Scarlett felt herself starting to shake as she recalled finding the one and thankfully, only tape of it. "He threw me out into the street after I did that, to his trophy… he said he wanted to show his friends what a sweet ass he got to have whenever he wanted." Scarlett's earlier elation was short lived and she felt devastated all over again. His hand rested on her shoulder softly, his thumb making circles. She relived the the memory every time she was offered a drink and quite often for no reason at all.
"Enough of that memory S." Whoever he was, he was already dead, it would not be a pretty scene when he was found. "There will never be a drop of anything you dislike in this place S." The intimacy of the sharing of such a piece didn't escape him; he had been gaining her trust and this was the evidence of it. He also considered how difficult it was to be with him now, seemingly helpless. Was her financial situation that dire that she'd put herself through this now to get out of it; was his offer that un-refutable? "Are you happy here S, do you feel safe?" There was a nod. He leaned in so his lips were just touching her hair, commanding her softly. "Speak."
"Yes." She gasped and swallowed hard. "Very much so." What did he think of her now, his art being flawed. She should have known better to say anything at all, to make up an excuse that she was allergic but there was the medical section of the questionnaire that had her list them if any. There wasn't anything, she was perfectly healthy. She could have said she didn't like the taste of it but he had called her on all her little white lies so far and this would have been an easy one to spot if she fibbed. She then recalled how she could have said it was 'personal' and he then could of not pressed her further; she'd need to remember that should the situation arise again. "Will you be sending me off to exercise again?" The pink elephant with green stripes needed to be ignored.
Vladimir sat back up and removed his hand from her shoulder; she seemed to be collecting herself back up. "You will be attending three times a week and should you return the same amount then as well." He had desperately wanted to find out if she was going to return but it was too soon still he thought for her to have made up her mind. "You do know it's to make you stronger and flexible and nothing more. Your shape is quite agreeable to me, I don't want it altered in any way...although I wished your hair was a little longer but that is entirely your prerogative on how you wish it to be." Scarlett started eating again, not as enthusiastically as before. There was a little sadness radiating from her, he could tell now, having mapped out all her cue's. "There is a dessert today. I was very happy about you agreeing to your hands being secured and wished you to know how much I appreciated it." He noted the slight turning of her head and the notice of it. "Go on, you must be curious?" Another gulp; he liked her nervousness it made her blood rush.
Scarlett reached for the dish that had a tall roundish dome on it and slid it carefully close to her. Usually her meal was set out fully before her to see but this had been concealed and she didn't want to seem nosy in lifting the dome before it was time. She knew she didn't have a reason to be afraid of what was under it, everything to date had been impossibly delicious. There was a small bowl of pudding. "Oh pudding. Oh.. I can't accept this."
Vladimir reached around a stiffened Scarlet, keeping out of her view to fetch the ring of gold and shimmering stones. He was at the edge of his seat behind her as he then reached with his other hand to remove the dome that was covering the dish from her hand to set it down. "I believe, the proper response is thank you. " He then though she'd never had received a gift before; not a nice one anyway. "H'm lets see, which hand." He settled on her left one, she being right handed he hoped she'd wear it even after she left him. He wanted to cover her in diamonds and nothing else but she wasn't there, not yet.
Scarlett could only ponder what a gift meant. Did he expect more from her now or was this just a way of softening her up to say yes to a 'No' item. "Thank you." She took note of how his hands looked, how they felt, how they handled hers ever so carefully and quickly they moved to fasten the chain of gold around her wrist. He was odd, not in his general looks but his coloring; it was faded. His hands disappeared quickly and she was just left looking at her gift. The stones caught the light like nothing else that she had ever seen. Crystals? No, he didn't strike her as being someone who would half ass a gift. They were diamonds but she had never seen such that were made to look flat disks that still had all the usual facets. "It's beautiful." How she could go back to her meal was questionable but to keep her eyes unshielded she made herself pick up the little spoon that was on the dish and have her pudding that turned out to be a lavender custard.
Vladimir brushed his lips on her shoulder before sitting back so Scarlett could finish her meal in peace. With the first mouthful of her desert the shock of his little token gift melted from her. He then was rewarded with the most delicate of sounds of her pleasure with every following spoonful ;they would add to his mental library of her that he could draw from as he desired. When she finally wiped her mouth and took a final sip of water and sat with her hands on her lap he drew out the blindfold and secured it on her. As he stood her up and tucked the chairs out of the way she pulled her hands from his and awkwardly stepped forward feeling for his body to then embrace him for a moment whispering 'Thank you.', before pulling away. The action caught Vladimir off guard, not that he was but it was completely unexpected. He had to resist embracing her; she might have not wished it. He lead her back to the bench she had been previously on and had her placed in the same position; her reward for her gratitude. "Just for an hour or two more my dear S, then I'll see you to your room for the evening." she gave him a nod and settled herself in effortlessly. He returned to his desk to occupy his time with watching her and tending to his work. It wasn't long before she needed to be put to bed; sadly not how he wished to be doing it.
Scarlett, once she was sure V was out of her room took the blindfold off and looked at the bracelet on her wrist more carefully; there was no clasp to remove it. 'Odd' she thought and tried to recall how it was placed on her but it was now a blur. The clock by her bed read eight o'clock but it was too early for bed and her earlier nap remedied the exhaustion from the earlier workout, rather stretch out she had. She stripped out of her clothes and showered for the third time that day for lack of anything better to do and then spent the next hour braiding her hair to leave in for the night so it'd be wavy in the morning. Her next outfit had been set out for her, another evening gown, so she wanted it to look a little more interesting when she put it up. She did on occasion listen to see if she could hear him next door but there was nothing for several hours. It was only when she had gotten into bed did she hear a woman's voice and not a few moments later a steady thumping sound. It took her a second to realize what V was doing only to clutch the sides of her pillow to her ears only to let it drop down to listen. Scarlett's eyes went to her clock to watch the minutes tick by. The woman was clearly enjoying it and the thumping only stopped for a second only to start back up again. Five, ten, thirty minutes ticked by and there was no end it seemed until the woman screamed out then fell silent. Scarlett wasn't sure if she was relieved or felt some sort of jealousy over what she had heard. It did leave her flustered as it always did when she heard such things; she considered the contents of her night table. V had been though in supplying her everything she might have needed and may have wanted to make her stay more easy. She knew she wasn't going to fall asleep now in this state so she slid the drawer open and found the little device that would easily slip on to her finger. She had one at home for such a need so it didn't take long for her to bring herself to the edge and over. She passed out almost instantly into a heavy slumber.
To say he felt refreshed after his encounter would be a lie. He was, for a few moments following the falling silent of his partner's heart but it was shattered when he heard what his Scarlett was up to. He spent the entire time the soft buzzing was sounding with his ear to the dividing wall between them fighting the urge to break through it to assist her efforts. When she fell into her slumber he then again fought to go in to inhale the scent in the room but stopped himself; he had a matter of a corpse to be rid of. He had to go out again to find another female to take out his aggression on, hopefully he could find a blond, and have her come to the same fate. He was back home in a few hours and cleaned up all evidence of the encounter and made sure the bench S was on the day before was spotless as well. The morning light soon came and Vladimir found S where he'd hoped, dressed and blindfolded waiting for him. There was no evidence of her activities on her as far as being flushed or especially relaxed but he, as he only could, detect the light scent of it. His thoughts went to the laundry hamper; he'd be back in the room soon enough. "Did you sleep well S, I was concerned that the exercising yesterday was a bit much."
"I slept very well thank you. It wasn't too much at all." She told herself she did because it was the truth.
Vladimir had her rise and set her down on the bench that he had moved a little closer to his desk in the spacious room. His hand lingered on her right hand, his finger feeling the pad of her index finger; his thoughts lingered as the woman before him tried not to stir. "Good because my guest last night was not aware there was another so nearby and was quite loud I'm afraid." He watched her gulp.
"It didn't bother me." Again she told herself it was the truth, she wasn't bothered at all, it was a relief on a few levels even. One, that he wasn't resting his hopes on her that she'd have sex with him and two, that he wasn't above finding a whore to do it with. There was a glint of a grin on her lips; she wasn't his whore and she knew that he understood and respected that.
"Good to see you in good spirits then." He lifted her right hand to his lips to kiss the back of it first and then move it slightly to flick his tongue on her forefinger. Scarlett's blush was rapid in its rising and the sight of it nearly made him laugh if it wasn't entirely flattering to her complexion. "I will be using you today," her heart, still was racing slightly "for a conference call." he was likng int a bit too much and had to remind himself over his time. He released her hands. "You were on this yesterday and seemed comfortable being so, so you are back again. They will see you over my shoulder so I want you to move around on it, sit, lay back and do whatever you wish as to distract them as best as you can. They will be able to see all that you do behind me." Her slight head tilt seem pensive. "Do only what you are comfortable doing S, these men are supposedly hardened businessman and I want to throw them off slightly and I believe a beautiful blindfolded blond would do just that. Get comfortable and you will know we have started when you hear their voices." Scarlett gave him a nod and 'Okay' Vladimir took a step back and watched her sit, almost patiently to begin. In a second he was back at his desk, his prize from her room in hand and folded neatly below his screen and out of everyone's sight. With a few pushes of buttons his screen lit up and several boxes, including his own with Scarlett in the background came up on his screen. He had donned his coloured lenses as did his brother, Stephan, in one of the squares. They gave each other a nod and he then observed Stephan's eyes find Scarlett in the background.
Scarlett listened, 'Brother, you have truly outdone yourself.' she realized that she was correct from the other day when he was speaking on the phone and had guessed that he did have family. This family V did business with so it captivated her interest and curiosity; she wanted to do well for him. 'Lets see if you can put this deal to rest and add to our empire h'm?' V replied, 'We will do our best brother.' His voice was so soft and reassuring, more so than it had been before with her; she rather liked it. She also wondered what the stunt on her finger was earlier. Liz had reassured her that her room was hers and she would have compete privacy so she brushed it off as a fluke of some sort. More voices came on over the speaker so she listened to what she suspected were greetings in different languages and then heard V's voice speaking in the same foreign language; she was in awe. In that moment she wanted to do well, help V win this whatever it was and be pleased with her.
Vladimir kept his eye on the screen, on these men that would bring him and his brother more money, and with that more power. Once introductions were done and the proper traditional wishes for long life and great fortune were completed they got down to business. Him and Stephen took turns speaking to the group of men who were being stubborn about terms when he noticed Scarlett start to shift her positions. She was slow at first but then he noticed that all their eyes were on her and there was hesitation in their words. Scarlett from her seated position raised her arms up and pulled out the few pins in her hair, turned sideways to let it down and shake it out slightly, tilting her head back so her chest was out slightly and then ran her fingers through it. All but one of the men were silent and then even he too quieted down when she stretched her arms back and lay down, the motion slow and seductive. Another man started speaking about labor issues to which Vladimir replied something to the effect of they should be given sliding ruler pay raise according to their output and so forth but the group refocused and heatedly disagreed. "You ask for a meeting and then refuse to put forth any ideas of your own and turn mine down. Gentlemen, lets not waste our time as we have much more pleasant things to be doing with our time h'm?" Vladimir watched Scarlett's hand that was resting above her head sweep down over her throat, to which she raised slightly, only to move down over her chest to give it a soft rub and then move down to her belly. Vladimir kept his composure calm despite what she was doing and he had thought that she was done for now but her hand moved down to where the gown was still draped over her bent knee to tug it up and expose her legs. "We are here to make money are we not gentlemen? To be able to enjoy the finer things life has to offer?" There was more arguing and Stephen took over, reasoning that their offer was more than fair and that they were attempting to not do their part in order to get more from them. Vladimir tried to remain calm, not because of what was being discussed but what was happening behind him; Scarlett was being ruthless and it was that what he first saw in her that captivated him. Her fingers were gliding up and down her leg, almost as if she was waiting, listening to see if she needed to do more. Stephan had them calmly talking, offering allowances to ease their concerns. That was when something clicked in her and she turned so her back was to the screen, she only glanced towards where the camera was to give it a smirk and run her tongue over her lip before turning away. Vladimir knew she was faking it, making it look like she was pleasuring herself. "I'm growing tired of this gentlemen. Accept our terms or this meeting is over. My brother and I, I'm sure, will be able to find others that will accept our proposal without this much hassle." They were curious, they didn't want to be cut off from the show and started making exceptions and wishing to discuss the finer points of their concessions. The lessening of the angry voices slowed Scarlett's motions down and Vladimir imagined she was getting bored from the stifled yawn he heard that looked like she was stifling a cry. Stephen heard the yawn and smirked, his head shaking ever so slightly so that only Vladimir noticed. Vladimir hit a button so his microphone was cut off from them all. "We are almost done S. You are doing exceptionally well." Her head turned to him.
"Good because I think I need a washroom break, I forgot this morning." She felt genuinely bad and she realized that her misstep was not a timely thing at all. "Is there any furniture between us?" She'd make him get off the call, his brother could continue for him and it would be alright or else the alternative would be worse and he'd fire her for sure.
"There is nothing S. I'm putting my microphone back on now." He was now intrigued but needed to take over speaking so he focused on that. He started going on about rates of return based on global rates in the men's language when he noticed Scarlett turn on to her back, she seemed to be gathering her courage and getting her bearings. Was she going to… He started to speak slower as she rose up, adjusted the material of her gown and inched over to him. There were no rules in place against her touching him and he realized she must have recalled it. Vixen. He'd need to be the picture of calm for everyone he told himself when he noticed her hand reach up and touch the back of his chair. Scarlett moved more quickly once she had spanned the distance and his own pace in speaking picked up. Her heart was racing and she was nervous. Her hand slowly reached down to his shoulders and then over to behind his neck; she looked gorgeous doing it too but he kept speaking. It was the soft breath at his ear that made him pause.
It took every ounce of courage Scarlett had to make it that far but she couldn't stop now. She told herself that Liz would find her dates and that it'd be fine, she'd get by. She lowered herself down, well aware of the possible view she was exposing, paused for a moment then whispered in not so much of a soft voice. "Now. I need to now." She felt V swallow hard, despite the rigidness of his neck. "Please." She realized it sounded like she was begging for something other than her intent and it was bringing her to tears. She righted herself and took a few steps back and turned her back on him. Everything behind her was tuned out as she focused on trying to suppress her urge to rip the blindfold off and race to the bathroom.
It took Vladimir a moment to cut off the video feeds to the meeting, sweep Scarlett up in his arms and deposit her a step outside her restroom. "Count to one then un-blindfold yourself." She had already taken a breath in and he was outside her door. The vision of her leaning down beside him, what he saw, felt and heard replayed in his head. He'd need to go out again after dark, the urges were too strong to be ignored. He heard the tap being turned on and then, the most sobering sound in his life, she was crying. Had he done something wrong, his attentions tuned in to her sobs and the broken words they contained. It took a good five minutes for him to piece together that she thought she had failed and cost him the deal when she was supposed to be helping. He took a few strides over to his desk to see a note from Stephan 'I trust you got your pet to the bathroom before she soiled the carpet.' Vladimir growled, he wasn't amused one bit and read on. 'They agreed to our conditions and expressed the hope that we could meet with them face to face next time with your friend in attendance, of coarse.' "I'm not sharing her with those swine." He picked up the phone to call him. "There will be no meeting her unless they are willing to give me their souls." There was laughter.
"Clam yourself, I told them your treasures are rarely seen in person and that it was a great honor to them that you allowed them to see it, her, at all. I swear Asians are so riddled in their pride it's too easy sometimes. Is that her I hear now, what did you do to her brother?"
"I did nothing to her, she thinks she failed." She had calmed down somewhat but he'd give her a little more time.
"Will you allow me to meet her or will she not survive long enough?"
Vladimir wandered back over to her door to stand beside it so she could hear him speaking, to hurry her collecting herself. "I will allow you to meet her in person if she allows it, such a thing is beyond our understanding so it is entirely up to her, should she decide to remain with me." There was more laughter on the other end and he was about to hang up when he heard her sit and say she was ready. He walked in to see the remnants of her flushed eyes from the edge of the blindfold and her holding herself. "S, my brother wishes to meet you. I can assure you," He made a point to sound incredibly firm. "he will not lay one finger on you or I will personally rip his hand off." She nodded. "When can we expect you brother?" Vladimir glided his fingers along her chin to lift it up. "We will, rather, I will see you then." He pressed the end button on the cell and pocketed it. "Stand." Scarlet continued to hold herself as she rose up. "Are you ill my dear." Her head shook and her chin drifted down but his figure rose back up to prop it back. "You have no reason to be upset, your performance was flawless." His hand dropped down to her arms and unwound them from around her body and stepped into them. He was close enough to feel her heart beating on his own chest and smell her hair. "You transcended all that I have ever expected from you today, I'm beside myself trying to decide if I even deserve to ask you to return to me, if I am worthy of your time." She shrugged softly, realizing how close he had gotten but she didn't move. "Why did you think you did badly."
V's voice got softer and more tender as he spoke, it made the little hairs on the back of her neck tickle. She had realized how close he had gotten to her and rather than be alarmed she found herself wanting the contact, if anything, to reassure her nerves that everything was alright. "I shouldn't have talked to you like that, in front of them. After I said it I realized I was telling you what to do and I thought they might think you were weak and that it would risk your deal." She felt his hand on her shoulder, drawing her into his chest. His head was shaking and he gave a huff.
"Those men dream of having such a woman of your beauty, your caliber command them in such a manner that didn't involve some trinket they desired. I can assure you they were all in wonder as to how I could have been talking to them for as long as I was with you right there." He mused at her performance as it replayed in his perfect memory.
Reviews. I like them. Be wordy with me and I will be with you in the next chapter but I can't promise...its up to them up there how much they choose to share with m.