HERE WE GO...A BIT OF X/A LOVE

''Do finish that salad if you want that dress back'', he jokingly reminded her, his vicious gaze once again fixed on the rise and fall of her amazingly sculpted breasts. She was a sight to see….

''You really enjoy seeing me naked huh ? she inquired, giving him a half smile that magically melted the tension between them though .

''You have no idea…..I'm telling you, whoever invented clothes was a damn fool. It bet it was a very ugly looking lady …..Probably an extremely envious one, too…''

''I'm pretty sure it was a man '' she challenged while pensively chewing on a strawberry . ''Some jealous bastard who didn't want all the other males to stare at his gorgeous wife and who most likely feared some real competition …..A lame coward if you ask me..…''

''Bros before hoes, Sweet. It was definitely a woman '' he laughed , barely ducking the slice of apple that she had thrown his way. ''What ? You know I'm right. Men would have never stooped that low, not in a million years!'' he added , pointing at his leather outfit only to make it vanish into thin air a second later . ''Women on the other hand…..''

''Should I feel impressed?'' she made sure to interrupt his ranting- sounding anything but- but instinctively arching an eyebrow at his perfectly chiseled chest. He looked like a surreal, expertly carved marble statue…

'' More like blown away by my flawless physique'' he playfully responded, as he subtly made a few more slices of fruit appear in his Princess' bowl. Way too preoccupied with finding a proper comeback to that overly arrogant line, she failed to notice that tiny detail, of course.

''Flawless huh ?''she taunted, one corner of her mouth lifting in a grin.''Is that what you tell yourself when you look in the mirror every day ?''

''Hey …don't mistaken me for Dite . That's her department . Plus, it's not my fault that I was born pretty ….'' his answer came on such a high pitched ,gay like tone that Xena instantly burst into laughter .

''I swear you are the cockiest son of a bitch I have ever met in my life !''

''You have a very dirty mouth for a twenty year old….I should definitely spank you more often -that would teach you some manners…'' he remarked, his intense gaze piercing the distance between them, eyes burning like torches at the slow motion scene that began forming inside his overly imaginative mind..

''Oh yeah ? What else do I need to learn …?''. She was being ironic this time.

''Don't worry . I have it all planned. By the time I'm through with you, you'll think twice before you grace me with an answer…''

She couldn't help snorting at his statement ….he was obviously delusional ….

''Beg your pardon, my Lord'' she mockingly uttered, but secretly loved the tantalizing condemnation in his voice. How in Tartarus could he be so devilishly charming and freaking irritating at the same time ? He always, always got to her, regardless the content of their conversation- and now, as an unnecessary and irrefutable proof to support her pervious line of thought, when the War God got up from the table and headed towards her, casually taking a bite out of a juicy, bright red apple, she just couldn 't help herself- she nervously pursed her lips, her already rapid heartbeat accelerating on the spot.

He was unnervingly casual about it, no sign of shame flashing on his ultimately seductive face. As much as she hated to admit it, he was indeed perfect and that striking confidence vibrating through his each and every pore only made him even more attractive and hard to ignore.

''You really enjoy seeing me naked huh?" he sensually whispered against her ear, a hint of amusement in his voice as he finally got in front of her , pressing the apple against her lips, indirectly forcing her to take a bite, which she did , without hesitation, her gaze locked with his as she did so. As she ''accidentally ''brushed her lips against the tips of his fingers ,he could feel his self control slip as if it hadn't existed.

Just as he let the delicious fruit hit the floor, ready to grab her waist and move her on the table instead- legs wide spread while his tongue was supposed to take her to Olympus and back for the next few minutes, highly determined to act on all those repressed desires - her emotionless voice pulled him brutally out of his reverie.

''So uh…..I've been thinking…''she started, making herself bit more comfortable on that chair while slowly lifting her leg (pure torture really) from his belly towards his torso, drawing a set of mysterious symbols with her toes on the surface of his skin….

She was toying with him, he immediately realized, but that didn't bother him, not one bit. On the contrary….The mere chance of seeing her gradually getting rid of all those stupid inhibitions when it came to their relationship and slightly opening up to him was bound to offer an immense satisfaction. That meant that she was at least unconsciously willing to put that unfortunate incident with Amytis behind her….A bloody miracle, that's what it was!

Without giving it much thought, he instinctively started caressing her ankle before his wanton lips began scattering hot, wet kisses in its immediate vicinity.

Despite her completely different intentions, the Warrior Princess' cerulean moons were soon glazed with lust, and as his hand began to slowly descend towards the back of her knee, his hypnotizing gaze demandingly holding hers, she could feel her nipples harden and her blood racing like flood waters towards an overflowing dam….

'' You were saying…..''he uttered, and, spellbound as she was – caught in her own little trap, one might add- it took Xena a moment or two to react….

''Remember our little deal back in Babylon ?''

Despite himself, the War God frowned. There it was, that accursed name again…

''You mean the one about the dark ambrosia ?'' he nervously laughed, aware that it was obviously not what she had in mind .

''That was not a deal. That was a proposition '' she acidly corrected.

''For which I'm still patiently expecting an answer….'' he casually reminded her, biting his lower lip in the process.

''All in due time . Actually I was talking about the one with you offering me free access to your mind ….'' she clarified, and the way she said it only made Ares realize that as always, his intuition had been perfectly correct. She was indeed up to something. Needless to say, that intrigued him beyond reason and measure.

''I'm fairly sure I used that line while referring to your dirty little mind ….''he retorted, utterly fascinated by the endless possibilities that such opportunity presented..

''Still interested ?''

''Anytime, anywhere, Honey.''

She took a split second to process his comment and not to take it too literally, making complete abstraction of the absolutely enslaving inflexions of his voice, silently reminding herself the reason behind that overly erotic performance.

''So uh…..how does it work exactly ?'' she lowly inquired, while her other leg found its way to his shoulder much to the War God's delight- who was by now hopelessly hooked by his Princess' unexpected brashness.

Without waiting for a second invitation, he slowly leaned forward, casually bracing his hands on both sides of her backrest, so close that he could feel her fruity breath on his lips…The tension in her muscles was unbearable by now….

The undeniable hunger gleaming in the God's eyes was beyond stimulating. One short, decisive move and his cock would be filling her to the rim, fucking all nasty ides out of her head …..And yet, after that unfair, bitter ending she had served him the previous night, he was well aware that such momentary pleasure was to be avoided….There were just too many unknowns for his liking. So instead, he decided to enjoy whatever she was willing to offer, without crossing any lines….

''Given the fact that practice beats theory, I'd rather show you….''he replied, his gaze stubbornly refusing to leave her now flushed face though.

''Are we still talking about the deal ?" her bewitching murmur left her lips while still doing her best to keep her cool….

''You tell me ….are we?"' he simply returned the question, cocking his head slightly to the side….-the intention of a kiss maybe…..or not…

As always, she didn't appreciate the instant reaction of her eternally treacherous body but she did tremble in anticipation….Will he…wont't he…..?

Just as she was about to take things one step further though, probably sensing her indecision, he gently lowered her legs and before she knew it, he was pensively seeping on a glass of wine, a few steps away from her …

''Want some?'' he inquired, already knowing the answer to that question.

''No, thanks ….'' she somehow mumbled, barely finding her voice, completely baffled by his unexpected reaction. Literally speaking, she was so taken by surprise that she didn't even notice that they were not naked any more, that he had somehow materialized a dark blue satin gown on that illegally tempting body of hers, while he was wearing his usual leathers.

''So, about that mind reading thing….how does it work ?"she finally decided to ask, just to break the awkward silence.

''I wouldn't precisely call it mind reading….'' he contradicted, silently wondering again what it was that she was planning…..''I'm not a psychic, Xena …It's more like allowing someone to access your memories….One can only observe events that happened, that you lived at a certain point in the past …..We can easily do that by using our connection if we have each other's consent.'' he made sure to specify.

''Does that mean that you will be able to do it all the time ?"

''No. Not without your permission anyway…''

''And if I want you to stop ?''. She sounded worried.

''Well I guess we already know the answer to that one'' he muttered, gulping down the rest of the wine and placing the glass on the table once he was done. ''So …shall we?"'

''Sure ….''

''Want me to be your Guinea pig ? Have you thought about what you'd like to access?''

''I do have something in mind, but….you first. I need to see the whole process for my self …..'' she stated, offering him a weak smile. She was visibly nervous.

''It's fine by me…..Come here …." he invited, extending her a hand.

Without further consideration, she offered him her hand, and moments later, his palms were tenderly framing her temples, a sweet, delicate touch that sent her heart flying again and, as if on command, adrenaline spiked through her body as soon as he placed a chaste kiss on her half parted lips.

''Don't be nervous . I don't want to invade your privacy too much….Just wanna understand a couple of things….''

''What things?...''she immediately questioned, feeling even more nervous than before.

''Patience Princess. You'll see soon enough . Now close your eyes for me , will you ? And keep them closed.''

She did want to add something, but way before she had that chance, a blinding, sizzling blue light flashed through her brain, and she soon became the invisible spectator of her own memories, her body completely paralyzed under the effect of his godly powers.

Two seconds later, she had no clue what so ever that what she was seeing in front of her eyes was not real and that Ares was right there by her side…..It was as if somehow, that information had magically vanished from her consciousness. For her brain, whatever was happening there, was as convincing as the air she breathed.