Standard stuff here blah blah...
3's my Jester and muse.
Scarlett fidgeted with the ornate pouch at her side that served as a purse and it took the abuse silently. She wished Vladimir was sitting beside her but, as he had explained there would be photographers waiting at the door; it was best if he remained elusive. Liz would be waiting inside for her he said, but even then there was the short distance from the car to the door that was scaring her. 'Walk slowly. Wait. Breath. Appear to not care…' was what Liz told her to do and she was determined to do just that. Back at the hotel, with the dress designer, there were several pictures taken of her already. She wasn't sure why but when Mia, the designer, had explained the constructs of her dress it send a small panic down Scarlett's spine. The dress wasn't expected to survive its removal from her that evening on her return back to the hotel. When the key accessory piece was placed on her waist with a golden chain it almost sent Scarlett into a fit. The knife was not only an adornment, with its semi precious jewels and ornate sheath but it was her only means of rescue should she not be able to breath. The laced bodice she was secured in restricted her breaths and taking an especially deep breath wasn't an option once she was in it. It took three helpers to lace the thing on her tightly while a fourth crimped the ends of the lacing secure; it wasn't coming undone. With every breath Scarlett's chest would rise and her breasts accentuated. Mia showed her where and how to cut herself free if she absolutely had to and also explained that if she couldn't then the knife would need to be accessible by anyone else to save her. The pictures were part of Mia's payment; as a designer of the most accurate historical dresses she wanted a record of it. Scarlett fidgeted with the dagger to keep her mind off of the small fortune hanging around her neck; V didn't skimp on anything she had on that evening. She had accepted all of his decisions on her attire without question or hesitation; she was his date and meeting his standard of appearance, she felt, was her job that night. It didn't escape her why V had picked this style of gown for her; he meant for her to be tied up that evening, for him. She dismissed it from her mind but she would however bring it up with him when they were alone again. The car came to a slow stop and she waited for the driver to open her door and help her out. As she was told there was a wall of flashing lights and many photographers calling her to get her attention. 'Ignore them, don't care or give a damn, go slow and be mindful.' she hummed to herself as she did her best to rise as gracefully as she could out of her seat with the help of the driver on to the carpet that was laid out for her so her dress wouldn't get soiled. The cape that was around her didn't do much to shield her from the cold night air but it did prevent a decent picture of what she was wearing underneath; Mia had said her creation wasn't to be photographed in poor light so Scarlet held the cape around her as she slowly walked to the opened doors, eyeing the doormen sternly to let her pass quickly. A warm gust of air made her breath easier as did the sight of Liz. Liz looked as stunning as the day she met her if not more so. She flung the cape off her shoulders as soon as she was in the middle of the grand vestibule, as Mia had instructed, and she heard a round of gasps followed by scattered applause. "Designed by Mia." She recited the little bit of French she was taught and instructed to say before she went to her friend. Her cape was picked up instantly and taken away.
"Dear lord can you breath?" Liz shook her head. Scarlett had told her about how Vladimir was seeing to her dress but she didn't picture her friend would end up looking like a modern day aristocrat. The bodice of the dress was tight corset style that had meticulously folded fine silk at the top that draped over Scarlett's shoulders to serve as ornate sleeves. The design on the corset appeared to be a lace pattern that flowed down over the floor length skirt. "I'd never be able to pull that look off. Never. But you, I swear, you were built for it." Liz was stunned as she noticed the sheathed knife at her friend's side, resting perfectly on her flowing skirt at her waist below the tightly bound bodice. She knew what the knife was for. "Where do I need to cut if you faint?"
"Front or under ether arm. Not the back, it's secured on with metal clips so it wouldn't be bulky with a knot." Scarlett panted a little and then calmed her breaths. "The blade is curved with a flat edge on its back so it shouldn't cut me." It was getting to be a little much for her and they weren't even in the main hall. She never wanted to be beside Vladimir so badly just then. "Let's go in?" As she turned with Liz's arm hooked with hers they were stopped by security. Scarlett nearly fainted at the look he gave her when he noticed the weapon at her side. Liz sprung into action.
"Are you that unsophisticated that you don't know what that is? Tell me, will you take all responsibility and answer to the Brothers about why, should my friend lose her breath, that the one thing she was required to keep at her side is missing?" Liz hissed at the man who was twice her size if not more. "If you turn her away you would be fortunate to find work securing graveyards." She made her tone as deadly serious as she could make it. "Seeing as we are past our expected time of arrival I could look past you holding us up and not mention it?" Liz held her ground, she and Scarlett were getting in. "Should I call them out, the Brothers from inside and insult their hosts this evening because of your unfounded concern?" He was getting worried, she was breaking through. She whispered, "There will be no less than five undercover bodyguards watching her and I know for a fact that if anyone deemed unworthy even looks at her the wrong way they will be taken out." she gave him a nod. "Let us pass." He stepped aside and Liz pulled Scarlett along with her. Again, she hated using Scarlett's association with the brothers as firepower but she had only one real job and she intended to do it. They proceeded through a grand archway and stepped out onto the top of a great marble stairway that looked out into the Grand Ballroom. It was the place to be if you were anyone. From what she gathered from Scarlett, the partners that were hosting and paying for this was because they wanted to break into the French market and this was how they would do it; smooze anyone and everyone that mattered. "They said they would be waiting below. Don't worry, the steps are wide, shallow and not slippery at all." Liz didn't even dare look at the shoes that her friend was wearing for fear of breaking down into tears; she could only imagine how magnificent they were.
It took Scarlett a few seconds to find Vladimir and Stephan down below; the telling vacant circle around them except for the business partners was like a bullseye. "I see them, let's go." She wanted to run down the steps to get to him but Liz had a very firm hold on her.
"We get one shot at making an entrance," she whispered "we will make it count." Liz, even when she lived here wasn't part of high society but she knew their ways well enough to fake it like a pro. She took a path down the steps that would put them the furthest distance away from the brothers so they could turn as many heads as possible. She intended to make every male in the room see Scarlett, want to know who she was and to make it clear when she came to a stop that she was with one of the richest men in the room. "I'll go slow so you don't pass out and remember what I told you." She looped her arm around her friends and they proceeded down the steps.
Scarlett followed Liz's lead and held her chin up high and her chest out; not that she had the choice of what her chest did, the dress had that department taken care of nicely. She'd listen to Liz hiss at waiters to move and loudly clear her throat for others. All turned to look at them as they passed, mostly at her, she was from what she could tell the most well dressed for the occasion. Scarlett didn't care for their attention, she didn't need it and only sought one man's approval. By the time they reached the men Scarlett was almost out of breath. Liz handed her off to Vladimir who, when he saw her could only hold her fingers from afar to look her up and down several times before first placing a kiss on her hand and then drawing her in to kiss her cheek. 'Perfection.' he whispered in her ear. She secured her hand in his and she was determined to have it stay there the rest of the night.
Vladimir had been aching to see Scarlett the moment he had left her in Mia's care; he had been waiting to see his vision of her dressed like this for weeks since she accepted the date. Now she stood beside him and he felt truly invincible. Stephan had already voiced his approval of her when she came into view and they were both watching the women when they descended the steps and weaved through the crowds to get to them. Vladimir could feel his brothers pride as Liz, through her arrogant stature, manipulated people to clearing a path for them. They had all been waiting of course, the rumours of the brothers bringing ladies with them had everyone curious about who they were what they looked like and how they were like. Vladimir had learned from Scarlette that Liz had spent a small fortune on her own gown for the night and he made sure his brother knew it too, 'once in a lifetime' Scarlett had mentioned to him and he admired her appreciation for the importance of the event. Scarlett's fingers gripped his tightly and he caught her looking at him when he dared to glance at her. He made sure to set her between himself and Stephan so he could always keep her in his sights when he was speaking with him. His business partners were more smitten with Scarlett than ever and for every attention they gave her she politely accepted but was unmoved. She had told him that Liz had instructed her 'to be a snob' to everyone but them and he approved of it. The French were a strange bunch when it came to social behaviour and how they acted. His fingers found the delicate stem of a flute filled with sparkling orange juice off of a tray being offered. He gave it a sniff then handed it over to Scarlett who took it without hesitation. His partners quickly learned then that she only took from him no matter how much they pressed her. Vladimir's pride surged as did his brothers at the women at their sides. "Having fun?"
Scarlett was doing her best to pay attention to a conversation she didn't understand, look around a magnificent room filled with all sorts of people dressed to perfection and still remember to breath when Vladimir whispered in her ear. "It's all very overwhelming." A waiter passed and she set her empty glass on it. She knew she didn't need to worry about being safe but with ever eye on her she still felt like a target. "Are they pleased with the turnout, everyone seems to be so happy so far." She recalled that Vladimir had invited the leaders of the French coven, as he called them, to come to this event and she was still nervous about being 'talkative' with Yvette. She did catch herself admiring how he looked in his tux, he was insanely attractive in it and she was seriously debating with herself if she could ask him to wear it more often for her.
Vladimir translated her question for their hosts and they gave very affirmative responses. They had translators with them there so they could mingle around to the many guests that they wished to get to know but at least two of them stayed with the brothers. Vladimir noticed that the wives, although they had their own translator, kept to themselves and still prefered to gossip about him and Stephan. He felt Scarlett squeeze his hand then release it. She was on the move to do as she was told to prior by him. Liz was motioning to join her but Stephan held her arm to stay with him; her dedication to her friend was admirable but Scarlett had a task to complete for him. The task Vladimir had given her that night was to pose around the grand room and capture attention. It would all be photographed for Mia who had spent the last few weeks slaving away on this dress for him and he knew he would need that human's talented services again. Vladimir brought his partners attentions to Scarlett as she moved slowly to her first spot by the fountain. Many moved away from her, intimidated by her beauty mostly, others just to be in a better position to watch. She first sat down on the wide marble ledge and then turned to lift her feet on to it as she set her hands behind her to lean back. The dress wasn't making it easy but Vladimir saw how determined she was to do it. A camera flashed several times before she slowly started shifting her position. 'This is her art, is that right?' Vladimir's associate asked and he gave a nod. "Yes. It's the perfect setting for her." The partners gave their approval but he was sure that they would have rather seen her 'art' like the the first time they saw her. Scarlett then laid herself down completely and closing her eyes; the flowing gown, even though it was off to the side kept her legs covered, the people around her grew silent as there were several more flashes of a camera. Vladimir knew how ridged the top of her dress was and how she wouldn't be able to right herself easily. He was a second away from moving towards her to help her up but her eyes popped open just then and her hand raised and she snapped her fingers at a nearby guest and curled her finger at him to have him come over and help her up; more flashes. Her execution was flawless in getting up and allowing the man the honour of kissing her hand gracefully. A few applauded as she wandered off and out of his sights.
'Be bold.' was her instructions and she was determined to be exactly that. Once her eyes opened after the round of applause Scarlett felt her ego surge and the thought clicked in her head; she could do anything she wanted just then. With a snap of her fingers she was helped up and was off to slowly explore the place. Pausing at columns, leaning on them, and peeking around them all made the flash bulb go off and brought on many approving looks and raised glasses. When Scarlett came upon the balcony and she saw the view; a cascade of dimly lit trees that outlined a perfectly symmetrical garden with manicured hedges she stopped to admire it. The photographer called to her softly, 'Madam, ici' she looked directly at him with the little grin on her lips, fingertips on the rail the flashes went off feverishly. She turned, posed, turned again, then was off to find another place. She wandered into another room, prompted by the smell of something sweet and happened on the grand buffet that was still being set up and where there were fewer people gathered. The head waiter motioned for her approach so she did; he appeared to be allowing her to take anything she wished but she refused. There was no way she imagined she could consume anything but air that night but she did take the sight of the food in with her eyes. There was some talking behind her, a woman's voice so she turned slowly to see Yvette and suddenly felt like she could faint.
Yvette had been watching her mentors human gallivant around the place in such a different manner from what she had been introduced to that she allowed it to proceed until she could quietly intervene. "Having fun Scarlett?" The few humans that were in the room were lingering about finishing their task of preparing the table. Yvette looked Vladimir's human over as she stood in silence; she looked as delectable to her as the table of food to the humans. "Please do speak little one."
Scarlett looked around to see that the photographer had left and there were only a few people around. She bowed her head slightly and edged over to the woman. "I was doing as I was told and yes it was fun." She swallowed hard. Yvette was even more spectacular to witness in full light and Scarlett felt bad looking as good as she did just then as she didn't want to offend the immortal. "Are you?" Scarlett kept reminding herself that this vampire was considered to be a friend but she was having difficulty weighing the balance between being desperate for her approval and acting like her equal; both scenarios being as equally bad to her she thought.
Yvette smirked, 'doing as I was told' as Vladimir had wished her. A well trained human as well as a pretty one she thought. "I am. This is quite the venue to be hosting such an event in, must have cost a small fortune." The woman before her started to calm down. "Come," Yvette took Scarlett's arm. " let's go find a quiet spot to chat. Your feet must be tired." She lead the human out of the room, though a hidden door, down a corrode to a small sitting area. "It helps to know every square inch of a place." Yvette recalled watching it be built so many years ago and had visited it quite frequently.
Scarlett wasn't even sure they were in the same building as the room she was lead into looked somewhat neglected. The vampire let her arm go and went over to a small couch that was covered with a sheet and pulled it off so they could sit somewhere where it wasn't dusty. The simple courtesy did little to settle Scarlett's nerves; being away from Vladimir and alone with another vampire was scaring her.
"Sit human." She obeyed and Yvette sat near her. "Do tell me what my oldest friend has told you about me?" Yvette spotted the humans shoes and marveled at the exquisite taste her friend had in their selection.
Scarlett tried to pay all of her attention to the immortal woman before her whom, as she could guess, would be able to read her much like Vladimir easily could. "He said you are a lovely person who likes beautiful things and places." Scarlett settled her fingers down on her lap and tried not to fidget with her dress. "He wouldn't tell me your story because he said it was up to you if I deserved to hear it or not." She didn't want to ask Yvette to tell her, it'd be arrogant she thought and she just watched the woman to make sure she didn't upset her. As a friend she didn't think she was in danger but she also didn't want to upset the peace that the brothers had with this coven.
Vladimir waited for Scarlett's return only to watch the photographer's flashes get further away and then disappear. When he saw the photographer again and then vanish through the exit he got very concerned. "I'm going to go look for her Stephan." There was a soft chuckling behind him that was so quiet that even Liz didn't hear it.
"Don't bother. I'm sure my wife has her hidden away somewhere if not out of Paris by now." The brothers turned to see Henri; one pleased to see him, the other shooting daggers from his darkened eyes. "She's perfectly safe old friend...Yvette mentioned a pay back for my bachelor party." Henri looked over to the woman on Stephen's arm. "This must be Liz." He circled around them, ignoring the hosts of the event to take the woman's hand to kiss the back of it. Though the filtered lenses he saw the Romanian crest displayed on the woman's lapel behind the setting of the largest diamond in the brooch she wore. "My lady, a pleasure." He liked the royal blue of Liz's dress; it reminded him of his mother's eyes. Turning to Vladimir and the rest of the company. "Not to worry friends, she just wanted a bit of time with another woman to talk as she only has me most of the time, and I'm so dull, so this is a rare treat for her."
Vladimir wasn't impressed by having his Scarlett removed from his company, unannounced, but should she be returned to him, intact, he wouldn't make an issue out of it. "All the gods hate me." The men laughed and it was only Liz that showed some level of concern that her friend was not in their company. Vladimir debated sending Liz off to find her friend but it appeared Stephan wasn't so eager to let her go until she had been properly introduced to Yvette; Romanian coven crest on her or not.
Yvette watched Scarlett take in the forgotten room that she had them hidden away in; one that was well away from prying eyes or straying ears. She took out the pesky contacts from her eyes and looked around herself, it had been a few decades since she had been in the spot. Not much had changed thankfully. "When this grand place was built there were a series of hidden rooms strategically incorporated into the structure where the upper crust of society could steal themselves away for a few hours to rest from dancing or tuck themselves away with a lover or two. Not many still exist today. As they are found they are torn out or made into storage closets. It's quite sad really, I've enjoyed many a deadly kiss in them." Scarlett didn't fear away from her, it was a promising sign. "I watched this place being built so long ago and I will see it fall to nothing one day and it will make me sad I guess." It was a good thing this human wasn't so bothersome with questions but without them she would have little to pry into. "Tell me, what did you think of my little coven?"
Scarlett was still mulling over the thought of such an exquisite place falling to nothing. She wondered how many places, monuments have been built that Vladimir had seen just that happen to in his lifetime; how empty it suddenly made her feel. "Well, um they are all very handsome men and it's good to see that they have the wisdom to have a woman in charge." She hoped the compliment sounded sincere, prayed really. "How long have you and Henri known each other?" Fair Scarlett thought, get her talking about herself and hope the focus stays off of her.
Yvette decided that this woman had been in Vladimir's presence long enough to know of all their talents and practice proper behaviour, it was clear. As a woman, even a faulty human one, she knew her superiority to men. "I think the two new ones think the same of you human, but my husband only has eyes for me and would never offer you such a compliment." Scarlett's head gave a nod; she knew her place. "My Henri and I have been together for three hundred and thirty five years now, I met him a few years after I woke, after I met the brothers." There was interest in the human's eyes just then at the mention of her master. She decided to grace the mortal with a bit knowledge. "When I woke to this existence I was alone, quite literally alone and found myself wandering about mastering my new talents. It was a year later that my creator, as he called himself, came to find me. He was a hideous creature, malformed and missing teeth. I tired to fight him off but even with my great strength I was nothing to his abilities. That's when the brothers found me, us, I was trying to get away from him and he was determined to make me his bride. It was Vladimir that severed his head from his body and it was Stephan that calmed me down and convinced me that they meant me no harm. They gained my trust immediately by sharing their knowledge with me and answering my questions." The human was hanging on every word. "They were such incredible lovers, so vigorous." Not a flinch from her. "Are you not shocked?" The human shook her head and by all signs wasn't.
If it had been a week ago such a thing would have disturbed and upset Scarlett but since of her learning of Vladimir's imposed celibacy, she in that moment, decided that as far as she was concerned she didn't care what or who he had sex with to that point mattered to her. "Not at all. Vladimir has an extensive past that's made him into the incredible person he is today. I'm sure he's done many things that might still shock or upset me." Yvette stared her down, Scarlett knew the inquisitive look. "About a year ago I saw him feeding from a woman that he was still... inside of…" She was still curious it seemed but that was all Scarlett was willing to tell. "I wouldn't flatter myself to think I have any say in his actions now or an opinion of what or who he's done in the past."
When Yvette first met the brothers she quickly recognized their wisdom but never had she assumed that even they were capable of taking a human and bringing her into the knowledge of them without the intent of changing her. Or where they? This one was so settled in her responses that she knew she had to be careful to not upset the brothers now just in case her fate was rebirth. She continued with her tail. "They left me shortly after and said I could send for them should I need their aid. Time passed and I recalled the farm where I once lived and went there only to slaughter all of my family. It was unfortunate but in the long run I saw it as necessary. I stayed in my home and drove away everyone that came calling by placing a sign on the gate and door and all around the place saying that the plague was present and they should keep away. It worked for some time, I replaced the signs as needed but I didn't realize that the taxes on the place weren't being paid." Yvette shook her head at her mistake. "It was Henri that came pushing in the door one day and I called out to him that there was death present and he should go. He called back to me and said I should leave 'his' house so he could fumigate it properly and then move in. I refused. He did realize that there was a young, determined, woman present living there and I think that interested him enough to the point where he didn't call the police to have me removed and attempted to draw me out himself. He left food at the door for me and he watched from a distance to see if he could catch a glimpse of me taking it." Yvette snorted. "I spent a good deal of time watching him waiting for me to appear. I watched him come every day to repair the barn and stock it with animals and then start a garden and tend the fields. He slept in the barn at night and that's when I'd go watch him sleep. He was a heavy sleeper as a human. He would work so hard tending the place during the day that at night he would lay down and not move until morning." Yvette paused and savoured the memory of her laying with him for those few moments where she truly didn't feel so alone anymore. "One day he came pounding on the house door and announced that he was going away for a few days and he expected me to feed the animals in the barn. Then he threatened me that if, when he returned, if he found any of them malnourished or missing he'd call the police to have me removed. It was an awful situation but I managed to do it, feed the beasts. I didn't want to be removed from my home and I rather liked having him around keeping the other humans away. It was four days before I saw him again, I was on the road home from feeding when I saw him. I stopped and found a path so I could meet up and walk with him. It was nice to be able to talk to him, not though a door. He didn't know it was me, or so I thought, when he told me he had gone to see his patents and a young woman whom they wished for him to marry. He told me that she was very pretty and had an extensive dowry but he felt that she wanted to live in a manner that didn't suit his own. You see Scarlett, he liked his solitude from the world and high society, he was a farmer at heart and marrying her would see him living in the city only. It wasn't until we stopped at the turn in the road to the house when he let on that he knew I was the woman living in his house." Yvette grinned. "He asked to see my face that had been hidden the whole time and I refused, my eyes of course being the reason. He then asked if he could be let into his house as it was getting cold at night and I agreed. He went to the barn and noticed I managed not to kill any of his creatures so he let me stay. I let him use my brothers room. Not a long time had passed when his parents showed up demanding he marry or they would cut off his allowance. He refused but didn't tell them of me living there. I heard it all and when they left I left a small pouch of gold coins for him to find when he woke. I had money Scarlett but I didn't have the means to spend it so I collected it. That winter was a harsh one for humans but Henry kept my home warm and me company. I would go off to feed when he slumbered and collect food for him for when he woke. It was when he asked me where I went off to at night, footprints in the deep snow tipping him off, that I unveiled my eyes to him. He knew I wasn't normal for some time so he wasn't as shocked as I thought he would be. He then told me he knew who I was and called me by name. He said he had learned the history of the house and its occupants when he bought it and that if I truly did have the plague that I'd have died long before he had gotten there. I told him what had happened to me and he still wasn't shocked. He said everyone thought I was dead. I told him I was." Yvette paused, the moment was still so vivid. "We fell in love over those winter months and then we started talking about our future together. I knew what I had to do and Henri understood the sacrifice he would need to make."
Scarlett, completely fascinated with what she was being told stayed completely silent and only nodded when it was appropriate. Yvette, still lethal, was becoming more like a person to her than an immortal. The depth of feeling she had for her tail was like it had just happened the other day, not over three hundred and thirty years ago. Scarlett had never thought of Vladimir being dead; he was as living to her as she was. There was a key point she then noted as Yvette paused, they had all been attacked thus far; Henri saw 'it' coming.
"I couldn't do it. I wanted to, I tried with others but I failed." Yvette sighed. "I sent for the bothers to come help me and when they arrived they weren't convinced that Henri deserved such a gift. They said they needed to test his heart to be sure and took him away for several days. When they returned with him he was in an awful state and he clung to me. The brothers said they had to be sure that he was fully committed to me, loved me as he claimed. He did. They didn't want to see me upset should he leave me. That night I started the process of bringing Henri over. The brothers let me do it and stopped me from killing my love by pulling me off of him and keeping me away." Yvette's eyes found Scarlett's, eagerly listening to her. "I was too young to have that much control, even with someone I loved so deeply not to take it too far. The brothers waited with me for him to wake and protected me from him until he got his bearings. We see them every few years now, always grateful for helping us be together." Yvette looked around the old room and longed to see its revival rather than its eventual demise before she looked back to the human who was respectfully waiting to be allowed to speak. "So tell me, how long have you and Vladimir been lovers?"
Scarlett froze slightly but remembered to keep her wits about her. "We aren't lovers."
Truth, distressed, but truth. "Why not?" From what little she had seen of them together she was positive that there was some intimacy between them.
Scarlett wasn't ready to be questioned about hers and Vladimir's relationship but then she thought 'who am I kidding'. "It's me." Scarlett considered that this woman had just shared something so intimate with her that she felt obligated to explain herself further. "I'm not sure it would work between us, we are so different and, " She could feel herself getting flustered and reminded herself to breath. "he, I mean I'm a speck in his lifetime… what can I honestly offer him?" It wasn't a question but an honest sentiment that was bothering her and it wasn't something that she couldn't exactly open up to Liz about.
Yvette wondered where her friend had found such a human that was so well put in her place. She almost felt sorry listening to her torment over something that was such an easy thing, love. "When Henri and I first made love I nearly killed him. Now that's a complicated situation on many levels but Vladimir is an ancient and when I say that I mean it as a compliment. He has been around long enough to know what he wants and is completely capable of getting it. Tell me, how did you two meet?"
Scarlett felt ashamed telling Yvette what she was before meeting Vladimir, her then and her now were two completely different people. "He found me at work, serving tables, I was a waitress. He came in to the place, sat down in my section and asked me who I was." Scarlett shrugged. "I realized that he had meant something more deeper than what was on my name tag. I didn't know and I got scared at not knowing. Not that I had to answer him, it was beyond what was expected of me as a waitress but I was afraid of facing him, and him being able to see right through me." Scarlett had time to reflect on that one moment, hours of posing for him with nothing but her own thoughts to fill the void of silence.
"What did you think of him when you first saw him there?"
Scarlett recalled the moment. "Tall, slender fingers. Handsome despite how much he had himself covered up. He also said he was waiting for someone but no one showed and then he was gone." Yvette was grinning at her but Scarlett was timid to ask her why. She would have to remember to ask him if there was someone coming to meet him or if it was just an excuse.
"From that, to you with him now. That's quite the leap in how far you two have come. Why is that you suppose...I suggest you reflect on that." She got a nod and it was sufficient. Yvette was now convinced that her mentor had found his mate and that the human did in fact love him back but fear was a terrible thing and so was lack of trust on her part. "Do you trust him Scarlett, with your life?"
Scarlett thought back a few weeks ago when she was clinging to him on the the mountain they were on; how when he leaped he held on to her and cradled her when they landed. "I do, I have. He saved me from bleeding to death after I was attacked, he didn't even touch me while I was laying there, covered in blood."
Yvette's eyes grew. "So close…. Such control. Don't you see it?" She sat back almost exasperated at the thought. The venom gathered in her mouth at the thought of something so delectable being spilled out and so easily taken. She watched the human ponder what she said. "I should get you back before, well, let's just say his patience gets tested."
Scarlett was lead out the way they came and when they arrived in the room with the buffet table she glanced at it longingly as Yvette lead her back to the grand ballroom. Mostly everyone had moved to where the food was so the grand ballroom wasn't so crowded where the brothers were still waiting for her. She noticed Henri then but would only feel settled when she was back beside Vladimir. She also noticed three women had taken up shop near the brothers. Liz looked pissed but was managing to keep herself in check. Vladimir looked angry. She felt her blood boil suddenly at the women who, as she could guess weren't standing there being completely innocent; she hissed at them and then heard Yvette say something to them which she didn't understand. They scattered like scared birds. Scarlett wasn't sure how long she had been gone from V but still managed to give him a little smile as their hands came together. He had turned to her and his other hand was cupping her chin with his thumb on her cheek and his finger rubbing the back of her ear. Scarlett sighed softly; her relief was tangible. She whispered, full well knowing the others with incredible hearing would hear. "You were right."
Vladimir nodded in understanding. Satisfied his Scarlett was undamaged and calmed down as he turned back to the group and his ego insanely inflated at her display of dominance over him. "You missed quite the event. Our partners will be aiding our friends here in getting their products distributed in to the Asian markets. It will be a very profitable partnership for both I'm glad to say." Yvette looked pleased; their alliance was now further strengthened.
Scarlett continued to keep very quiet and thought about what her new acquaintance and her talked about. It turned out that Henri was still a farmer of sorts, he had several farms that were independently managed and they grew everything from vegetables to herbs and even ginger. They also had dozens of wineries. Scarlett thought it was interesting that not only did he continue to do what he seemed to love but he was making their fortune by feeding people. Scarlett recalled what Yvette said about the man not likening high society; something that they were in at that very moment and she wondered if it was more palatable to him now. She noted how they looked at her now compared to the night they met her and how they were also watching Liz. They didn't watch her friend as much as they did her, unnerving just the same but Liz didn't have the same status as she did and that made her worry. Above everything, now that she wasn't so afraid of them now she did notice how happy they were together even after all this time that they were together. It was touching and their solidarity to each other and it, oddly enough, gave her a sense of hope.
Vladimir noticed one set of Asians switched to another on what seemed like a timetable of sorts. Stephan kept the conversation going for them and Liz did her best to engage their hosts on many topics. They seemed to appreciate her interests in them he thought, and he noticed how careful Liz was not to get too deep inquiring about their personal information. Vladimir was just content being with Scarlett again; the steady rhythm of her heart keeping time for him and making a monotonous evening otherwise bearable. He, amongst all these humans would have prefered to have her at his side but it was the failing of her biological nature that took her away from him again for a another short time; this time it was in the more settling company of Liz.
Once they were out of earshot Stephan spoke. "I swear I thought she would have killed them with her bare hands if given half the chance," Vladimir gave him a nod. " and I was quite certain that Liz would have helped to hold them down for her." Stephan smirked. "Now that is something I'd prefer to see over them trying on clothes on each other." He chuckled as Vladimir gave him a stern look but kept quiet.
The woman easily made their way through the thinning crowd to their destination of the restroom. Once their hands were washed Liz noticed the room to the side of the place where only women seemed to be congregated, and there were seats. Liz was glad she didn't need to do much posturing to get them a place to sit; but by that point no one contested their status. "Well what do you think of this?" Liz propped up her chest to show off her gift from Stephan. "I've never seen this style anywhere, I wonder where he got it?"
Scarlett had been admiring her friends broach all night. "It's perfectly stunning and he didn't buy it, he designed it specifically for you. Like my bracelet, there is only one." Scarlett smirked as her friend was taken back a bit. She liked finding out about such small details about the brothers and knowing all the attention to detail they liked to personally take. "I'm sure he's like his brother and went all out with the best diamonds money could buy, and platinum."
Liz's head just shook. "No. I can't believe that." But the calmness of her friend sitting across from her made her consider that it was the truth. "I'll need to give it back then, it's too much." She was suddenly exasperated. "Do you think it means anything?" She examined it closely but only noticed how much finer it seemed to her now.
Scarlett gave a shrug. "I can ask if you want, but what if it did, would you really be interested only to have him turn you down as you say guys like him do?" Liz frowned and sighed. "But, if he's anything like his brother he probably already knows all about that. I just found out that anyone that comes into contact with me has to pass a security check, like my translator." She thought about all the staff Vladimir took on to prepare her food and tend to her recently; it was quite the undertaking he took to keep her content, spoiled even.
"I need to give it back. I'll give it back." Liz sat back and notice how very few women would even come near them. "Okay, I think I'm ready. Let me see your shoes."
Scarlett laughed and pulled up her skirt to show her friend her feet. The shoes she had on were two inch sling backs with a laced body and open toe. "These are the most comfortable things ever Liz. It's like I've been walking on a cloud all night. I never want to take them off." It was the least of the items she had on that wasn't making her nervous. "I should tell him tonight Liz, I can't stand it anymore." Her friend just nodded, understanding what she meant without any further details. "I think it will be fine, I mean, what's the worse he could do?" The thought of what Vladimir could do above the the law gave her a chill.
"It will be fine Scarlett. No one who has seen you two together would doubt how he feels about you, his body language has been screaming it all night, especially when you were wandering around and then went off with Yvette. He wasn't happy about you not coming back so quickly but then Henri said you were with Yvette and that made him slightly not as pissed. My god that woman is gorgeous and her dress is stunning. What did you two talk about?"
Scarlett was quiet for a few seconds; mostly considering what Liz had said about Vladimir being distressed about her not with him, secondly, what she should share about the immortal. "I think she was just keeping an eye out for her friend and making sure I wasn't some tramp out to hurt him or take his money. Uhm, she told me how they met and Henri's love of the country...stuff like that. Could you believe those women?" Scarlett huffed angrily.
"Oh I know! They showed up when you had just gotten out of sight and I wanted to go to them and ask them to push off, you know, but Stephan must have picked up on what I was going to do, or something, and he didn't let me budge from his side." Liz huffed. "I was so pissed." She smirked. "Yvette told them, I hope I got this right, 'Go fuck off to the other room and feed your ugly faces.' " Liz laughed. "I'm going to have to remember that one. She said it so smoothly that if you didn't know the language it would have almost sounded like a compliment. I like her already and her husband is such a gentleman, they seem so perfect together."
Yvette had been listening in to the conversation since it started from out of sight and then returned to the group of men. "They are just resting their feet boys, no need to send out a search party." She was tempted to join in at the little sit down the humans were having but after have hearing Scarlett's limited details of their conversation and Liz's solidarity to her friend and admiration of her and Henri there was nothing more she needed to know. The brothers were very mindful in selecting their company it seemed. Yvette settled into Henri's side and engaged in the conversation as it suited her. Not much time had passed before the two human women returned and did the same as she; standing by their men. Yvette hoped that, in time, she would have their company to speak with as they seemed to make the brothers quite happy in their limited human abilities.
The hours must have ticked by unknowingly before Scarlett felt the onset of being even slightly tired. The conversation with the various partners and investors bored her to no end but she did her best to seem interested by keeping her attention to what was being talked about and translated. Wealth was everywhere in the room and not one person there passed up the opportunity to speak with the brothers to help further theirs. She considered how common all of them would look to her in a more less formal setting and then she wondered how they would perceive her if she wasn't at Vladimir's side and her waiting on them as their server. 'How did she get there, to be at this man's side.' she considered. Even after the multiple opportunities she had to leave him she decided to stay with him despite his nature. She did trust him with her life and then considered what Yvette had told her about his ability to control things; it was more than him using his money to ply people into doing what he wanted. She'd be a simple person to think if it was just that. 'Such control.' Yvette said when she was telling her of her attack. Then, it came to her mind of when she first heard the man on his dates, the minutes passing and several outbursts of pleasure from each of them before he took his meal. 'That was never to be your fate.' It started dawning on her what Yvette was telling her, she herself nearly killed Henri making love to him, but the ancient at her side now had managed the necessary control. More time passed and Liz let two yawns slip when the the brothers excused themselves for the evening and they all slipped out of the place without one flash bulb being set off in the process. She felt herself fall into a state of quiet at Vladimir's side in the car. They would be back at the hotel soon and it made her all nervous at how she should approach him on what was on her mind the whole night.
Vladimir just kept glancing over to Scarlett; he went over the entire evening in his mind and he couldn't place anything that would have upset her, outside of the time she spent with Yvette. She must have said something to upset her. "Are you sure you are fine," She trembled beside him, "your heart is racing and at this rate you will pass out." He was getting very concerned. "What is upsetting you Scarlett?"
"I'm just. You tied me up. This dress, you tied me up." Scarlett looked up at him; his lips were slightly pursed and then he smirked.
"Smart girl. I was wondering when you would have figured it out." She wasn't as amused as he was. "I gave you a way out Scarlett. I know you don't like being bound without an escape. It's by your side, I made sure you had a way out, without me." She was still silent for a short time.
"I figured that much out but I'd like to know why you did it, why pick this dress over something else?"
"I had a feeling you would realize that you were confined but not one soul at the gala, even if they realized it too, would know the real reason why I wished you this way. You see, our hosts already thought you very desirable. The strangers that were there have just discovered your beauty but it's only I that really appreciated your sacrifice tonight. You yourself said you were excited to go with me to that thing without seeing or knowing what I would dress you in. There must have been a huge doubt in your mind as you were being laced up for me if it was really worth it. I didn't lie about wanting to avoid the cameras but there was the option of bringing you with me when I snuck in. I wanted you to be brave and show courage in coming to me in that awkward dress in a stressful situation, much like the courage you showed when you met Yvette and Henry that night, or when you woke up in a strange country after your long sleep." He gave her a moment to take in what he had just said not because she was lacking in brain power but because by every physical indication she was still quite distressed. "Everyone at the gala knew you were the most beautiful woman there, the most beautiful woman that they have seen in a very long time. I was so proud to have you on my arm Scarlett but I was infinitely more honored that you overcame your insecurities, fought them, to be there beside me. I've never been so flattered in my entire existence and impressed." He himself needed to know that when it came to him that she would be brave, trust herself to him, and that it was never a bad decision to do so.
It was a test. He tested her but he was testing her against herself. She kept trying to keep her breaths frequent enough so she wouldn't pass out but not too frequent that she hyperventilated. Part of her was angry with him but, she knew that this is the man that never did anything without a reason and there was a deeper meaning to even the explanation he gave her. She needed to focus. She knew, he knew that she wanted to be with him but after hearing his reasons for putting her through all that it became all too clear. "You wanted me to realize, myself, how much I wanted to be there standing beside you."
"Such a clever girl and no one knows it but me." The warmth that filled him was pure pride in her now. She deserved to be at his side and only she would be the only one to remove herself.
She was stricken speechless just then. She had been listening to her heart for some time now demanding her to fess up on how she felt about him. He must have known how she felt, even Liz saw it right away. He helped her out of the car and into the waiting elevator in the underground garage. He must have known there were photographers waiting for their return at the entrance of the hotel and he wanted to circumvent them. She was glad, she had had enough of being seen today and wanted quiet of their room; their refuge. Only their doorman greeted them and once inside the room all evidence of what had happened in the place that day to prepare her had been removed. She headed towards the bedroom as her head swirled with what to say to him. Her hand fumbled for the knife at her side; she needed out of the dress but it fell from her grip back to her side on its little chain. "V?" He was quick to appear at the door of their bedroom. Scarlett held up her wrist for him to notice the bracelet, his bracelet she still had on. "I needed to keep this as a reminder. I didn't want to ever forget you, forget how without even knowing anything about you, even if you didn't think or feel the same way about me, that I liked you. Liked you more than I should've at the time. Loved you. I wanted a constant reminder that no matter who I would meet that they would never measure up to you." Scarlett couldn't help but feel her heart throbbing in her chest. She needed out of the dress. Her hand went for the knife, taking it out of its sheath. "I know now there's no one I trust more than you now."
It was barely a whisper as he was discarding the lenses from his eyes but he heard her and when she came back into his sight he saw her in such distress that it upset him. He listened to her ramble; her composure was remarkably calm despite the turmoil that he could sense going on inside of her. He was taken back by her telling him she loved him; back then. Had he known. He blamed only himself, his arrogance in bringing his victims back and tormenting this woman with what he did to them by making her listen. Vladimir was still internally debating, what sounded like a million voices inside of his head, on weather or not if she still felt the same about him. He could have sworn that she still did feel for him based on everything that had happened to that point, at least until that day, but then he saw her going for the knife at her side and tell him that she was the only one she trusted. He had to know for sure. He had her in his arms, his fingers around the handle of the knife with Scarlett's arm up on his shoulder; the blunt tip of blade was hooked under the top releasing lace just under her arm. Her face was turned away from his and her other hand was securing the top of her dress between them. He kept his other hand on her back to hold her steady. Scarlett gasped as he cut one after one of the laces allowing her to breathe more normally and he stopped as the last lace was cut; she was freed. "Do you still?" He tossed the knife away; he didn't want the sharp blade anywhere near her anymore even if it was in his hand. She couldn't even look at him when she slowly nodded and whispered a 'Yes'. Vladimir reeled in his hope; she didn't exactly seem excited to tell him. Why should she be, he put her through enough that night that would have put anyone off. He drew her in closer but not so much that she needed to release her hold of the bodice of her dress that she was clinging on to. "It may have not seemed so but my desire for your affections, so I could return them, has always been present." His fingertips hooked under her chin and carefully guided her eyes to look at him. "You magnificent creature, I don't deserve to be able to love you but I do." He removed her arm from his shoulder and kissed the back of her hand. "I'll let you get ready for bed in peace, you must be exhausted." He released her fully and left the room, closing the door behind him. He went to his desk to reflect. The sounds of her dress slipping off her body were tormented him something awful. She could still leave him he reasoned, she had every reason to do so and those were outside of the ones of what he was. All the gods hated him, he was convinced now; he had lead a less than stellar existence as an immortal and it was all coming back to hurt him the best and most effective way it could. He stared down blankly at his desk, the computer screens came to life with just a few taps on the keys, he needed to distract himself just for a few moments from the woman in the next room whose heart was still pounding away relentlessly. She loved him. He knew, although not evident, he knew. He had thought that it was her desire to please him so she could retain the work he had hired her for; an easy job he thought, one that she would want to keep. It was more than that, he saw it now. He realized how he appeared to her back then; arrogant, selfish and indulgent of women. Scarlett's wanting to please him may have started out as her wanting to retain her job as 'art' for him but then something happened; she started liking him. Could she have said something then that he wouldn't of taken advantage of; he would of, easily but she knew his nature with woman and stayed silent. She guarded her feelings as vigilantly as he did his and continued to do so but then her obedience was one of her wishing to please him more. Her insistence of him asking her for the 'maybe' item of a kiss; her quick response to it. He should have seen it then, he should have realized it was then that she herself admitted the truth to herself about how she felt about him. He should have realized that she desperately wanted to be with him but it wasn't necessary the fear of his nature that was stopping her, rather, the fear of him rejecting her. ' I'm an idiot.' Vladimir thought and it was a human female that made him realize how blind he was. How much easier was her mood when she learned of him not being with another woman since the night she saw him at Jenna's neck. He had thought it was because of everything else he had told her that evening but it was that one fact which had made the biggest impression on her it seemed. It possibly may have encouraged her, convinced her enough to finally tell him how she felt. It was her instinct of survival that prompted her to guard her feelings so violently; he saw that now. She had told him from the start that she was used and rejected by a male, so cruelly, that she shut down. "I am an idiot." He whispered. In her way she had been telling him all along how she felt. Showing him just as much as he was showing her. Vladimir heard her slipping into bed so he finished off the last few emails he was also responding to; double checking that none of his thoughts about the woman had manifested itself into words before he hit send button. Everything was switched off and he wandered over to the bedroom door; his footsteps felt heavy. He didn't like the sensation of uncertainty in any situation and this one was by far a critical one. She still loved him, he reasoned and that shouldn't have changed because of a dress. With a finger he pushed the door open and was at the side of the bed looking down on her back, nestled in the plush coverings. "May I join you?"
After Vladimir had left the room and Scarlett got herself ready for bed, she felt not so much numb as she did taken back by all that she was feeling at that moment. A big part of her wanted to break down crying, thankful that confessing her love for him was over quickly but another part of her just wanted to get mad at the man who had put her through one of the worse trials of her life. How could he have doubted her intentions in her wanting to be with him. 'You have to tell them, they don't get hints.' Liz had told her but she then realized that she was hinting to him all along and he might have been getting frustrated with her, she not having figured her feelings out herself, so that's when he intervened. The tears were threatening to come again as she stepped out of the fallen dress at her feet. At what cost did he go to to have her come to this revelation, he wasn't so unlike any other man, he just wanted to know and it was his years of existence that aided him in sorting out a way to get her to resolve it, herself. He was so much better at this than she was Scarlett thought, she also thought that she should, in light of him reciprocating her feelings, just tell or ask him what was going on inside her head without being afraid and to avoid another 'tight dress' situation. She picked the dress up off the floor and set it down on a chair, it had more than earned its worth that night as far as she was concerned. She looked at the ridges the boning of its structure had left on her body; they would be gone by morning but not by the time V would be back in there, she hoped, he'd be back in there to hold her until she fell asleep. The diamonds around her neck, how she adored them for making her look the part that he wished her that night; she very carefully took them off and set them in their waiting holder. The cluster of stones from her ears found their place beside the necklace and her own simple earrings went back into her ears. She left her hair as it was, she didn't feel like starting something so tedious just then with all that needed her attention inside of her head. She went to wash up quickly and then when she was back in the bedroom and she put on a pair of the sheer underwear that Liz had insisted she buy and nothing else. It was a conscious decision. She, for one didn't care if he saw her sleep naked and for second, she just wanted to be free from having anything around her body that night. A very small part of her was curious to what V would do should he find her that way; if he bothered to return. She slipped in between the sheets and just breathed, breathed deeply. Tomorrow would be different. Scarlett wasn't sure if she would know how to deal with it, what would happen or where they would be going from that point forward or if there would be any changes at all. There were sounds of typing in the other room and it made her smirk; it was one of his sounds that had her captivated in wonder for hours in his presence. It soon stopped and she heard her door being pushed open and then him behind her asking if he could join her. After all that drama over the last more than twelve hours he was still holding true to his set habits. "Yes." She heard clothes being removed and the tug of the sheets being pulled back ever so slightly as to not uncover her and the bed dipping in response to his weight. His hand found her waist, there was a pause, and then she felt his fingers tracing up her back and then back down to her waist and over her hip only to feel the thin band of the underwear she had on and then back to waist and around to her belly where she felt him tug her in closer to his body. She could feel on her back and tush that he was in his boxers and what passed as a his night shirt, a t-shirt.
Vladimir's mouth opened and closed several times; he was baffled at what to say if he was to say anything at all. It would be a long night for him to be laying there beside his beauty in such a state of undress. The depressions he felt on her skin from her dress didn't go unnoticed either; they would fade but it wasn't the issue that was weighing on him. "Are you warm enough Scarlett?" There, he addressed her state and if anything sounded concerned for her. It was a very valid question as well as he would not be able to provide her any warmth. Scarlett nodded and whispered a 'Yes'. He was settled on that respect and noted how alert she sounded. "Are you in any pain from the indentations?" She shook her head. She was so close to him he could feel her rapidly beating heart radiate through him; his fingers stretched out over her stomach. He then realized that she hadn't eaten, or had a chance to since lunch time; yes he was desperately trying to distract himself from the bare flesh beneath his touch. "If you are hungry we can order something up for you?" She shook her head and he then decided that a more direct approach would be needed to sort out the issue. "Isn't it customary that a kiss goodnight be given, or at least offered after a date? I ask because it's not the sort of customs I've kept up on."
Scarlett could feel herself smirking at the questions being asked of her and it had occurred to her that she was playing games with him; a cruel one. She didn't care, he deserved it and she reasoned that in knowing his character around her, how he kept her on a pedestal when no one was around she knew he would be cautious in trying not to offend her now. She knew what he was after, she wanted it too but in light of the trial she had been through that night she did feel that he would have to work just a little bit for it. "I think it is, are you asking for one?" Her head shifted a little so she could see him looking down on her from the corner of her eye. She kept a firm hold of her arms protectively around her chest. She could see him, the light streaming into the bedroom from the main room was sufficient to see a great deal of things but it wasn't enough her her to make out his expression.
"I am asking for one Scarlett. I know I'm being very bold in asking for one but I didn't want you to feel as though I'm neglecting my date duties to you." It was taking everything in Vladimir's will power to hold himself back from taking her; her submission wouldn't be as sweet to him if he did. He could easily tell, from the tone in her voice that there wasn't any hint anger towards him but she did reveal that there was as sense of play; she was being ruthless to him and he liked it, loved her even more for it.
Scarlett hummed as she pondered the request, not for stalling for time but to make him wonder if she was going to let him. "Well, I don't know Vladimir, your kisses are very tempting but all the same very dangerous. They make me feel things as you are well aware and leave me so breathless." His hand on her stomach was nudging her to turn to him but she was hesitant to allow the motion so easily.
She was playing with him; he knew it now but he still fought himself to not force her into his will. There was still a chance of refusal but with what was said, and his growing need, he decided that he needed to be more bold. He released a breath near her ear then expanded his chest as he pressed himself against her. "Those are not the lips I wish to kiss my love." Her body froze, she comprehended his intentions. As much a Vladimir loved her teasing he loved challenging her. With a quick look he saw her eyes fixed open and her lips parted; she was set back by the request and seemed perplexed with how to answer him. If she would let him he'd be sure to linger there for as long as it would take to scream his name, or anything.
There was an audible click in Scarlett's head and movement in her heart. She was torn between letting him or just asking if he just wanted to make love. "Yes?" No. That sounded like she wasn't sure, she was sure. "I mean yes." She let Vladimir's gently nudge on her tummy to turn her on to her back; she was still clutching her chest protectively. He already looked so sinful to her that she was questioning herself as the object of his desires. 'My love.', that sounded so good to her that she had forgotten or even didn't know what that meant to be to someone; the words, they were only for her and it made her melt. This was not someone, she reasoned to use any words without fully weighing out their meaning and intent. This was also the man, the immortal, that had lived for over two centuries and in this very moment in that existence loved her, only her. If that wasn't enough to send her into overdrive it would have been his hand moving up her torso to dislodge her arms from around her breast to find her hand and kiss her wrist only to move himself over her to give her one last look, as if to say 'Trust me.' before dropping his lips to her neck to start peppering a trail of kisses down her throat, over her collarbone to between her breasts. He paused for a moment and licked the spot over her heart before proceeding down to her navel. Scarlett's uncertainty grew exponentially as she felt her panteis being removed, no, more like torn from her body with a notable tug; he was going through with it, his teeth were dangerously sharp and that was making her very nervous. It was then when she heard him, it was a groan of approval, she made a similar sound when she was eating something especially good; she clued in that he, despite being under the covers could see clearly and she wanted to pull away from him. No sooner than did she think of jerking herself away that she felt his arms coil around her legs and his lips on her sex. "Oh god." It was barely a whisper but she heard him chuckle as his tongue parted her folds and licked through them leaving a trail of tingling venom in its wake. Scarlett's eyes rolled back and her other arms that were cradling her breast fell limp to her side; Vladimir's cold tongue on her heated core was just too much to put up any resistance to. Scarlets quick ragged breaths gave way to held ones that he was quick to startle her out of plunging his tongue into her core to tickle her walls only to deposit venom in its departure. More sucking, licking and tugging of V's lips on her skin edged her closer to her undoing; her hands were fisting at the sheet beneath her. Vladimir growled softly and Scarlett, being so close to her undoing, felt a sudden burst of adrenaline shoot through her and her hand went to his hair to pull at it forcefully as if to stop him from hurting her. There was a chuckle as V's lips kept on moving over her plumping folds; he wanted her hands on him so she kept them there. For a moment she considered uncovering him so he could breath but recalled the vampire didn't need to, nor did he need to rest and that made her brain go fuzzy with the idea of him remaining there for some time. That did it for her, she felt herself falling into an abyss without any intention of saving herself from the plummet. Vladimir's arms gripped her legs tightly and she felt him dive inside of her and further her decent and it made her grip at his hair and cry out a haggered version of his name. She was still panting when he appeared from underneath the covers at her neck. "My god wow." Her palm was on her forehead when she felt his kisses on her throat. She needed him inside of her again, not because she was nearing a decade of abstinence but because she wanted a tangible connection with him, only him. "I want you V." His kissing of her neck didn't stop so she turned her head making him stop to look up at her. His eyes were darkened; he was just as emotionally charged as she was but it took Scarlett a few moments more, as well as her resisting to ask him if he even wanted her. By all indications he did, but she then realized that he didn't' need any instruction but rather he wanted her to ask him directly. It was getting more and more difficult as the seconds ticked away and she was coming down from her earlier high.'Be bold.', he told her and she thought it was only for her posing around the room that night but then she quickly realized that he wished her to be so in general. "Make love to me." The few words were difficult to get out but she was glad she did. "With me." He smirked at her; in another setting such a gesture would have been something to fear, stuff of what nightmares were made out of but in this case there was none of that.
"My beauty." Vladimir could have been happy enough to have kissed her neck until she had passed out; he was almost sure she would've after having tasted her arousal and made her wither. He was glad he was wrong, thrilled actually. His beauty was was laid out beneath him asking for him for his love, not sex or for him to give her another deep kiss, but love. In his centuries of being with women they had always thought they were having him in that sense but he never reciprocate the emotion; he was only after the gratification and the following feast from a vein. There would be no feast. There would be no self gratification. He was settled that his reward of gratification would only come if she was satisfied but even then he knew that this woman was capable of setting him off so easily that it was only hers the would make him stop. He hovered his lips over her's, both their eyes watching one another's anticipation build before he pressed his lips to hers. His ridged form, unwavering stone like nature gave way to a flowing organic form that moved with her body. He had felt a similar effect when he had first kissed this woman; his body took from her her nature of movement and felt weak while still being strong in every sense. He had to keep his evil nature in check again, it was pestering him for a taste, a quick nip of a nearby vein was all it wanted; such a small request that was too simple not to satisfy. There was a pause in his lips, one she didn't even notice as he pushed his thirst aside. Moments before, as the blood raced by his ears while his tongue was tasting her he had to do the same; the torment was almost painful. He was determined to satisfy not his, or her, desire for rapture but that one that had been gnawing away at him for centuries, a companion. She was not going to be brought over that night or any night in the foreseeable future. Love, just love was on the agenda now and this stunning creature that was accepting him as he was without any illusions interfering and clouding her perceptions of him was going to have his love in the only way he could offer it. As his lips were on hers, amongst the myriad of thoughts going through his brain, he was also removing his boxers enough to free himself of them; they were torn and tucked away off to the side and when his hand came back on to Scarlett's leg, bending it at the knee so he could position himself over the woman and nudge his organ inside of her. There was a moment when his beauty pulled her lips away from his ever so slightly as her body tensed at the feel of him imposing himself into her body, a held breath, a soft groan and then her lips returned to his more feverish than before. Her flesh around his member was hot and pulsating with every beat of her heart as well as slick and inviting him to go deeper. Every inch he pushed inside of her was giving him even more reason to lose himself and let his nature take over. He did release himself inside of her, she was too potent of an element for him to contain his lusts. It only took a lick of her tongue on his, a soft muffled moan or a hand on his skin, nails scratching at him to release his seed deeply within her. He kept up his careful and calculated movements of his hips with a little distance between their bodies as not to crush her fragile form. It wasn't long before Scarlett herself erupted underneath him, her body crushed up into his and she cried out his name again. His body was fast to respond, a more powerful flow of his seed escaped him than he had ever experienced made him growl ravenously as his body ceased in place. He had to breath, he needed to to let the feeling finish taking over him only to see his love's eyes roll back and her form fall dead. It was the grip of fear that broke the spell over him as he listened to her erratic heart beats settle into a slow and steady rhythm. She was literally spent. Vladimir caught himself for just a second wishing she was immortal so they could continue making love but it was Scarlett's peaceful serenity in that next moment that stopped his want to breach her veins. A new torment overtook him now and he felt that it would take a substantially longer time to find its resolve.
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