Chapter 50

"Have you had any trouble in the town?"

Aura shook her head, focusing on fastening the fresh bandage she had just wrapped around Rufus Shinra's arm. "No…" she told him softly. "Nothing has happened to me…" she thought of Reno's face and the slowly healing wounds he had suffered. "There's been nothing…"

"Why do you suppose that is?" the man asked mildly, and Aura gave a light shrug.

"Honestly? No clue." She sat back on his desk, doing up the lid on her jar of ointment. "I mean, they know who I am… Maybe they think I don't know anything or that I'm not worth the effort."

"Or maybe they just haven't seen you."

"Could be, yo."

"But you don't think so?"

"Not really." She looked at him. "Think they're waitin' for something."

"Like what?"

"I dunno." She set the jar aside, "I'm not paid for workin that stuff out."

Rufus gave her a sharp smile. "Do you want to be?"

"No." Aura looked flatly at him. "That's what you have Reno and the others for."

"They haven't worked it out yet."

"I'm sure they will." Aura frowned when Rufus dragged his chair closer to the desk, preventing her from getting off it.

"Maybe…" his voice was cold silk and Aura clenched her teeth when his hand was suddenly on her leg, sliding upwards.

"Get your hand off of me." Aura said steadily. Rufus tilted his head thoughtfully, his hand continuing what it was doing. Aura went to shift her knee away but his hand suddenly tightened, holding her in a surprising grip. "…Sir…" When he looked up at her, Aura froze. Rufus Shinra's eyes were chips of ice, and she was suddenly afraid to so much as breathe.

"Have you reconsidered?" he purred.

"Reconsidered what?" she forced the words out. Both of his hands were on her now and Aura sat straight, her spine rigid as she looked at him. She watched him get to his feet, his hands moving up her thighs. "Who's better…"

Aura shook her head "Don't…" she murmured, "Don't do this to me again…"

"This is the deal you made…"

"No."

"Yes.

Aura tried to shift away but Rufus' grip became vice-like. "Don't…"

"It doesn't sit well with me…" he told her, his voice silky again, "That you would think Reno is more skilled than I…"

"Get over it, yo." She jumped when one of his hands took hold of her face as he stared at her.

"Reno's smart mouth gets him into trouble all the time…" he growled, "I suggest you watch yours."

She slapped his hand away from her face. "No. I don't care who you think you are. You can't just…" she broke off when his hand came back and wrapped around her throat. He squeezed.

"I think you've forgotten who I actually am." He leaned closer. "I don't just think it."

Aura took hold of his wrist, trying to pry his hand from her throat, but she couldn't shift him. He loosened his hold a few seconds later, but didn't let go. "I don't understand." She breathed, "Every day I come in here, trying to help you…"

"Yes, you're quite good at your job."

"Then why…"

"It seems you need reminding of who I am."

"I really don't."

His eyes hardened and Aura's breath caught in her throat in a way that had nothing to do with his hand. "I'm not going to hurt you…" he told her, his tone saccharine. "I'm just going to prove a few things…" the hand that had been on her thigh shifted and began lifting the hem of her skirt. Aura shook her head.

"No…" she tried to pull away. "You can't."

"I can and I will." He leaned into her, his face barely an inch from hers. "And you're going to sit there and let me…"

"Not likely."

"It is." He replied, "If you want Reno to come back from patrol."

Aura stared at him and he smiled at her. "What?"

"You heard me." His hand moved under her skirt and Aura flinched. "Don't worry…" he told her, "You'll enjoy it."

"No…" she gasped when his hand went between her legs and she felt his fingers curl as he rubbed her. She gasped again when his hand tightened around her throat and he held her in place, his face still only inches from hers, watching her as his fingers continued what they were doing through her underwear. Aura felt heat flood her, and knew that her face was beginning to flush scarlet, both from the shame of what was being done to her and the fact that her body was responding.

Aura blinked back tears, not knowing what to do. She wanted to punch him in the face, that was what every instinct she had was screaming at her to do. This was Rufus Shinra, however. She wouldn't walk out of the room alive if she hurt him in any way. She knew that. His threat about Reno also rang in her ears. Aura had no doubt that if Rufus decided on it, Reno would be dead by the end of the day. "You swore you wouldn't…" her voice was barely more than a whisper now.

"I changed my mind."

"You can't…"

"You keep saying that." His voice was hard, "This only proves to me that you don't understand who I am."

"Maybe you've not noticed." Aura snapped, "The world has changed." She shoved him hard in the shoulder, enough to push him back a step away from her and she straightened her skirt. "You changed it. You nearly destroyed it." She glared at him, "So maybe you don't understand who you are anymore."

"I… am trying to make amends for that…" Rufus' voice was more gentle now and Aura got off the desk, pushing him back further to his chair.

"Maybe start by not raping people."

"I wasn't going to…"

"Get a dictionary." Aura crossed her arms. "What you just tried to do to me was rape. What you did to me last time… was rape."

"You agreed."

"You made me!" Aura could feel the heat of anger beginning to burn inside her. "That's rape!" she shoved him again, "You knew I didn't want you and you forced me into that situation! You knew exactly what you were doing and you knew that I had no experience with that." She pushed him back into his chair, "You decided that my first experience was going to be rape!"

"I had not intended to hurt you." He replied, his tone low. Aura snarled.

"You didn't consider me at all." She pointed a finger at him. "Just like right now. You think of only yourself. Your ego. The fact that you would force somebody into that because you don't like being told that you're not the best? That is psychopathic!"

Rufus tilted his head, "Yes…"

"Not news to you, then?"

He shrugged, "That thought has crossed my mind before."

"Think it's pretty spot on, yo."

"You would have liked it."

"No." She replied. "And that is so far from relevant."

"Is it?"

"What in the name of Shiva." Aura muttered, turning away and then looking back at him. "Let me make this abundantly clear." She took several steps toward him until she could look down at him in his chair. "You are never allowed to touch me." She said each word slowly and clearly, "I will never want you."

"What makes you think you could stop me?" his voice was measured and Aura blinked and looked at him. "I could throw you down and have you right now and you wouldn't be able to do a thing to stop me."

Aura's mouth went dry, knowing that he was probably right. "You could fucken try, yo."

"I…" Rufus looked away from her and shook his head.

Aura moved away and picked up her things. "If you try that again, I'll quit."

"Won't that be an interesting day?"

"Sure." She replied, moving for the door, having decided that she was being dismissed and was free to go and have some lunch. "That'll be when Reno comes to kill you."

"We'll see…" Rufus mused, and then when Aura had turned the handle on the door, she heard his voice again. "He really can't be that good a fuck."

"He is." She said, opening the door before striding out.