Author's Notes:
Special Thanks to ale_nena for contributing ideas and her usual constant support!
Setting: Misthaven non-magical modern AU. The society and political system will be based on a combination of modern countries, with a probable bias toward the American system as I am an American. However, all characters are fictional and resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidence.
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Cora rode the elevator up to their suite, ignoring her husband as he stood next to her.
Finally, when they stepped off, Henry said, "Cora, will you please talk to me?"
"Why?" she asked as she walked around to the bedroom.
"I don't understand why you're so upset!"
"So you said," she deadpanned as she sat down on the bed and pulled her shoes off.
"Cora, please-"
"Henry," she warned, "I have nothing further to say."
"I did not mean to upset you," he shot back, "But I will not apologize for protecting my family!"
"Oh please," she scoffed as she stood from the bed, "You know this isn't about protecting anyone, it's about you wanting to be in control."
"What?" he asked, "Cora, that's absurd!"
"Right," she answered skeptically, walking into the closet, "That's why you sent two of our employees across an ocean without so much as consulting me?"
He deflated, "Well...yes. I do that on purpose because I knew you'd argue and I wanted them arrive as quickly as possible. Afterall, our daughter's safety was at stake too! I would think you'd care about that!"
Pausing as she stood from putting her shoes on the rack, Cora slowly turned to him with a cold look, "So that's what this was really about then? I might have known."
"What?" Henry asked, "Cora, what are you-"
"Enough!" she hissed dangerously, "I am not going to talk about this any more. I'm going to take a shower and when I get out I'm going to bed."
He sighed, "Cora-"
She ignored his plea, however, stepping past him into the bathroom and closing the door firmly behind her.
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"So I don't know if you can tell, but I added a little bit of lemon zest to the custard," Kronk bragged as he dug into a slice of the cream pie he'd spent the day baking.
"Uh huh," Mrs. Fa nodded, sampling a bite, "It's nice and tart. You did good, kid."
Beaming proudly, he continued to eat. The two looked up, however, as the doors to the kitchen opened and Ruby slid in. She was wearing a little black dress and holding her heels in her hand. Turning around, she stopped, looking alarmed.
"Oh!" she gasped, "Hi."
"Hello to you," Mrs. Fa groused, "And where have you been?"
"Oh just...out," the young woman answered, shifting back and forth on her stockinged feet.
"Hmm," the cook hummed doubtfully.
Before she could say anything further, though, the doors opened again and Mrs. Lucas and Marco walked in, chuckling about something.
Looking up at her granddaughter, Mrs. Lucas quickly dropped the arm of Marco's she'd been holding, "What are you doing here?"
"Well…I," Ruby stammered.
"Are you just getting home?" Mrs. Lucas demanded, "It's almost midnight!"
Her granddaughter sighed, "Granny, it's my day off!"
"Yeah, well don't think you get to sleep in tomorrow!" the older woman snapped, "I expect you get your duties done on time as usual!"
"I will, Granny," Ruby rolled her eyes.
"And don't sass me!" Mrs. Lucas barked, "I thought you'd gotten over staying out all night and running around with every man who smiles at you!"
Ruby bit her lip, looking away.
"You know, Ruby, if you wanted to go out a little earlier on your next day off we could go for ice cream," Kronk offered, "I found this new place a few miles up the road. They have an amazing rum raisin."
"I can't" Ruby answered, "I'm lactose intolerant."
Mrs. Lucas looked over at her skeptically.
"Oh, that's a shame," Kronk answered, "Well maybe we could go to the fair instead. They open this weekend!"
"Kronk," Ruby said gently, "I really don't think that's a good idea...we work together."
"Right?" he asked, looking utterly confused.
"We could hang out as friends though?" she offered weakly.
"Well yeah," he large man laughed, "That's what I meant! None of the guys in security want to do things like that!"
"Since when are you lactose intolerant?" Mrs. Lucas demanded.
Ruby looked at her, lips parting.
A few moments of pregnant silence filled the air until Marco cleared his throat and changed the subject, "I heard that the person who made the bomb threat against Mr. and Ms. Mills was caught?"
"Oh yes!" Kronk perked up, "Razoul told me all about it. Apparently Mrs. Mills was pretty upset that Mr. Mills sent him and Drake to Arendelle. He said they went at it right in the limo!"
"Really?" Mrs. Fa asked interestedly.
"Yeah. It was so bad that Ms. Mills told them off and refused to ride in the back the rest of the way!" he said, looking scandalized.
"Hmf, I'm not surprised," Mrs. Fa grumbled, "That woman can be impossible!"
"I wouldn't worry too much about it," Mrs. Lucas said, sliding into one of the chairs at the table, "I've worked for this family ever since President Mills was alive and there's always been threats off and on. Nothing ever comes of it."
"I hope you're right," Ruby frowned.
"Don't worry, Ruby," Kronk said, "The security team is on it. We won't let anything happen to anyone in this house!"
"Thanks Kronk," she smiled kindly, "Well...I think I'll be off to bed."
"Be sure to take a shower!" Mrs. Lucas called after her, "I won't have you coming to work smelling like a brewery!"
With another eyeroll, Ruby padded out of the kitchen, leaving the four to finish off Kronk's pie.
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Upon arriving home, Regina's first stop was the outer kitchen to see what was in the fridge. After surveying the selection, she grabbed a bottle of sparkling water and an apple.
Like her mother, she left her suitcase in her closet and went straight to get cleaned up.
She opened the shower door, but, before turning on the water, decided instead to go for a little luxury and take a bath instead.
She ate her apple as the bathtub filled, pitching the core into the trash as she shut off the water, shed her clothes, and lowered herself into the tub.
Settling back, she sighed and sipped her water, giving her some relief from the lingering dry feeling from the long flight.
After letting herself relax for a few minutes, she set her water aside and picked up a razor. She rested her leg on the edge of the bath while she shaved, then lathered up her body with a loofah. After a quick shampoo, she conditioned the ends of her hair and used the detachable nozzle to rinse it all out.
Finally, noting that her toes were starting to prune, she pulled the stopper to drain the tub and stepped out.
Wrapping up in her bathrobe, she sipped the last of her sparkling water as she stepped out of the bathroom.
With a sigh, she crouched in front of her suitcase and opened it up to start unpacking. She dropped the dirty clothes into the hamper and started putting everything that was still clean away. After hanging up the last of her clean tops, she reached inside to get out her shoes and undergarments but paused when she caught sight of a familiar silver box.
That morning in Arendelle, she'd angrily shoved it into her suitcase before hurrying downstairs to catch their ride to the airport. If she'd had her way, she'd have left behind, but, as usual, her argument with her mother had worn her down until she couldn't even bother to fight back.
Shoving the box under her arm, she scooped up her underwear and tossed them into the top drawer of her dresser, and the box into the bathroom trash.
After squeezing the majority of water out of her hair, she selected a lotion with a clean floral scent. As she massaged it into her legs, she couldn't help thinking back to the lingerie in the trash below her and feeling second wave of rage at Hans' presumptuousness. The son of a bitch had spent an entire day sexually harassing and insulting her, and the creepiest part was he apparently thought she'd been harboring some sort of attraction to him ever since the one semester they knew each other at university!
What a ridiculous assumption! She'd been dating Daniel back then and he knew it, not to mention it had been five years. Was he really so full of himself that he thought she'd pined for him this whole time or was he simply used to women falling at his feet because of his money?
Probably it was both.
With a scoff, she set aside the lotion and picked up her toothbrush. A quick glance at her phone told her that Robin would probably be arriving soon, so she hastily brushed her teeth.
She laughed to herself as she imagined Hans' reaction if he knew the kind of man she was actually sleeping with.
Her eyes twinkled as she thought about that self-important fop finding out that she chose her tattooed ex-con bodyguard over him.
Suddenly, a wicked thought jumped into her mind. After rising her mouth and putting her toothbrush aside, she bent over to dig the silver box back out of the trash.
Peeling back the tissue paper, she was again greeted by the neon pink babydoll. She lifted it out of the box. As she did so she noticed that it came with a matching thong. Pushing down her disgust, she took of her robe, stepped into the panties, and then shrugged the babydoll on, tying the miniature ribbon that held it closed at the front.
The color was too bright for her complexion, making her look washed out, and it was probably a size too small. Definitely not the most flattering intimate wear she owned, but the garment itself wasn't really the point. The point was where and who it came from, and who'd end up seeing her in it.
Glancing in the mirror, she ran the back of her hand across her belly along one of the open edges of the babydoll. Sliding her eyes closed, she let herself imagine it it was Robin's instead.
She shivered as she imagined him tearing the expensive silk fabric from her body before looping her legs around his waist just as she'd dreamed the previous morning…
Suddenly she was jolted out of her fantasy by a knock at the door.
In her musings, she'd lost track of time. Her hair was still a little damp, but she quickly ran a comb through it and put on some lipstick, shrugging on her robe as she hurried to answer the door.
Ideally, she'd have had more time to get ready but she couldn't leave him standing out in the hallway. It was past the time when the housekeeping staff would be coming through, and there were no security cameras on the floors where their private rooms were, but him standing outside her door was still a risk.
Opening the door, she quickly ushered him inside and shut if firmly.
"Hi," he said.
"Hi," she said back, accepting a kiss as he leaned over to meet her lips. He pulled her to him, deepening the kiss and she happily let him. When his hands moved to the tie on her robe, though, she stepped back.
"No, no," she smacked his hands away, "Not yet. I have a surprise for you."
"Oh really?" Robin asked.
"Yes," she teased, opening the tie herself before turning with a laugh and fleeing toward the bedroom.
He chuckled, chasing after her. Inside the bedroom he caught her, but she ducked away, dodging around him to close the door behind them and lean against it. Meeting his eyes heatedly, she opened her robe and let it fall to the floor.
"Wow," he commented, looking her up and down.
She laughed, "I take it you approve?"
"I certainly have no complaints," he answered, stepping toward her.
She grinned, playing with the edges of his jacket as he slipped his hands beneath the edges of the babydoll and around to the small of her back.
They swayed together, exchanging soft kisses until she finally pulled back with a contented sigh, "So are you just going to look all night?"
With growl, he slid his hands down to grip the globes of her ass before stopping down to lift her up. Spinning around, he carried her over to the bed. The way he was holding her was just the edge of painful, and she might see bruises come up in a few days. The thought was naughty in a way that made her insides flutter.
Too quickly, however, he gently set her down on the bed. Laying back, she pushed herself up to lounge on the pillows.
After toeing off his shoes and tossing his jacket on the floor, Robin crawled toward her, loosening his tie.
She gasped as he grabbed under her knees and used the leverage to pull her down the bed toward him, positioning himself between her legs.
"You know, I still owe you how you teased me in the car," he purred as he kissed up the side of her neck.
"Mmm, I did a little more than tease," she responded, closing her eyes.
"Yes you did, you cruel woman," he answered.
"Cruel?" she pulled back, "I didn't hear you complaining at the time."
"Yeah, I guess not," he shrugged, "But that doesn't mean I'll just go easy on you for payback."
She moaned and he lifted his head to claim her lips.
His hands were all over her, sliding up her sides and over the sensitive skin at the top of her stomach to tease and pinch her nipples through the pink silk. She gasped against his mouth, allowing his tongue to slip between her lips dueling with hers.
When they finally had to pull apart for air, her hands flew to his belt to undo it and lower the zipper on his pants, as he undid the buttons on his shirt and tossed it aside.
Opening his fly, she reached inside to grip his quickly hardening cock.
With a growl, he grabbed her hands and pinned them over her head, "Not this time."
Another moan escaped her throat at the action. Letting go over her hands Robin went back to gently kissing down between her breasts. Her arousal ramped up with each nip and kiss until she was squirming and breathless. As he reached her navel, she felt him slip his thumbs under the strings at her hips.
Just as he was lifting them up, she groaned "Rip them!"
He paused, glancing up at her to make sure he'd heard right. Looking into her eyes, however, he didn't see any hesitation.
"Robin!" she protested, "Come on! Tear them off!"
"I don't think you'd thank me for that, Love," he answered, remembering when he'd discovered the outrageous amount her underwear cost. With that, he carefully slid the flimsy garment down her legs and dropped it over the edge of the bed.
Regina sighed in frustration at his careful, overly gentle actions. With a huff, she sat up, untied the front of the babydoll, and pulled it off her arms. Haphazardly tossing it aside, she laid back down and said, "You need to lose some clothes, Locksley."
"In a minute," he answered, nudging her knees open and laying down onto his stomach, "I do still owe you for the car…"
With a grin he nipped the inside of her thigh before placing a wet, decadent open mouthed kiss over her sex.
Gasping, she arched her back.
He kept his kisses and licks gentle in a way that was a bit exasperating. Gripping the back of his head, she pushed herself hard against his mouth.
With a groan, he slid his tongue up to her clit and suckled it into his mouth.
"Yes, yes!" she breathed, her legs quaking as she came against his mouth, his lips holding tightly onto her clit, drawing out the pleasure.
Finally, she pulled his head away from her, falling back onto the mattress.
She lay gasping for breath as Robin slowly made his way up her body.
Holding his weight off her on his elbows he rumbled into her ear, "Better?"
"Uh huh," she nodded as she opened her eyes to look up at him.
With a contented sigh, she wiggled underneath him. His breath caught as he held her still by her hips. Swallowing hard, he asked, "What time do you have to be up tomorrow?"
"Early," she said ruefully, "I probably need to get to sleep by one at the latest."
He looked over at the clock, noting that was in less than two hours, "Well let's not waste the time then."
She laughed, pushing his pants and underwear down over his ass as he fumbled for his pocket.
"Wait, wait!"
"Nightstand," she said, scraping her nails up his back.
Leaning over he opened the drawer and found an unopened box of condoms. After they'd come to an understanding a few weeks ago, he'd stocked up and was pleased to find that she apparently had as well. Given what happened after Unity Day, he wasn't sure that she was as enthusiastic about this relationship as he aws. However, she did seem to be.
Rolling off her, he took his pants the rest of the way off and took a condom out of the box. Returning it to the nightstand, he let Regina pull him back onto the bed.
He fumbled to get the condom packet open as she teased his erection in a very distracting way. He saw her grin to herself as he finally tore it open. Rolling it on, he grasped her thighs and spread them wide open so that he could crawl between.
"You are such an evil woman," he growled.
"Shut up and fuck me!" she ordered, gasping when he abruptly slid inside her. He paused for a moment to let her adjust, until she urged him to move with a squeeze around his waist.
Supporting himself beside her, he pulled back and thrust in. She was still oversensitized from her previous orgasm, and they were both very worked up. Neither was doing to last long.
Moving one hand between their bodies, Regina rubbed her clit, sending herself quickly over the edge again.
As she came down from her peak, she remembered not to stop moving. Helping support her hips, Robin thrust into her a few more times as she nipped at his ear and held him tightly to her.
With a gasp and moan of ecstasy, he found his release.
Pull out, he rolled over onto the other side of the bed to avoid crushing her.
Lying side-by-side they slowly recovered until Robin finally pushed himself up, walking to the bathroom to dispose of the condom.
Clearing her throat, Regina sat up as well. Getting out of bed, she retrieved her robe from the floor and wrapped herself up in it.
As she got it tied, Robin emerged from the bathroom.
Catching eachothers' eyes, they both smiled sadly.
"I should get dressed."
"Yeah," she nodded, "I'm going to use the bathroom. I'll be right out."
She emerged from the bathroom just as he finished buttoning his shirt. He tucked it into his waistband and shrugged his jacket back on.
As he picked up his tie from the floor, she walked over to him, "Let me."
Taking it out of his hands, she looped it around his neck and slowly tied it. Adjusting his collar around it, she smoothed down his jacket and checked him over. He looked as if nothing had happened, except for a red mark that was forming on his neck.
Initially, she was alarmed to see that she'd given him a hickey, but there was also something very exciting about it. Knowing that people would see her mark on him.
As she finished tying his tie, they quietly walked together to the door. Stopping, they looked at each other again.
"Goodnight," she said softly.
He brushed his hand across her cheek and kissed her deeply. Breaking away he whispered across her lips, "Sweet dreams."
With that he slipped out the door, softly closing it behind him. Left alone, Regina took a breath and made her way back into the bedroom.
Hans' gaudy lingerie was still littering her carpet, so she scooped it up and shoved it into the bathroom trashcan again. Hanging up her robe, she put on a pair of pajamas and crawled under the covers.
She hadn't gotten quite the revenge she'd wanted, but she'd still ended up spending the night with her sexy bodyguard so she considered it to still be a win.
Snuggling down into the covers, she flipped off the light and fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.