Merlin hates this.
Cenred's eyes are too probing, his hands too wandering. It was bearable when they were sitting at the counter, where he could feel Arthur's gaze on the back of his neck. Merlin is even willing to admit that he had been enjoying it… making Arthur jealous that is. It was almost hilarious when Arthur stomped over, looking ready to murder someone, and pretending Merlin was his. (Merlin most certainly does not wish it was true, thank you very much).
But now, on the dance floor, with Cenred's body pressed to his, he feels claustrophobic. He does catch Arthur's eyes, and laughs at the appreciative look he throws him, but then he remembers what he has to do and the smile slips away. Taking a large gulp of air, he steels himself.
Let's get this over with.
He turns around, and puts his hands around Cenred's neck, pressing in close. He is a handsome man, someone whose attention Merlin may even have enjoyed if he didn't know the man was also a ruthless criminal. And if- a traitorous little voice inside Merlin's head whispers- his heart did not already belong to another. When Cenred's hot breath tickles his ear, he tries his best to not recoil in disgust, instead smiles and dances with a little more zeal.
"Your boyfriend is watching you," Cenred whispers.
Merlin pauses, refraining from turning around and looking at Arthur. He is afraid he would smile and give the whole game away.
"Good," he says instead, smirking.
"Trying to make him jealous, are we?" Cenred laughs, and Merlin realizes he can roll with this a lot better than pretending to hate Arthur. He chuckles.
"Do you mind?"
"No, Not at all."
"I thought so."
"You know what would make him more jealous?" There it is. Jackpot. Merlin shakes his head naively, not fooling anyone. "Let's get out of here." There's the same warm and wet breath ghosting on his skin and Merlin tries to refrain from cringing. He needs to soldier on for a while longer.
He has a beguiling smile firmly plastered on his face by the time Cenred moves away. He nods.
As he links his arm with Cenred's he can tell he is being watched. He assumes its Arthur and walks away, knowing the man will come to the rescue if he takes too long. He just hopes Cenred is taking him to his suite.
Luck is on his side, and Cenred escorts him directly to his floor. Merlin is infinitely glad they did not try breaking into the place. They go through half a dozen security checks, some of them complex enough to rival MI-6. Finger print and retina scanners, body heat detectors, voice sequences recognitions and many others. Cenred looks at him after every one of them, as if expecting him to be impressed. Merlin tries to rearrange his expressions into something like awe. If he fails miserably, Cenred doesn't call him out on it.
Once inside his room, Merlin is immediately backed into a corner, the man looming over him.
Uh-oh.
He had not anticipated that. Well, technically he had not been expecting to get this far, but now that he is here, he doesn't know what to do. Cenred looks almost predatory.
"Pendragon boy doesn't know what to do with you, does he?" Merlin wonders if Cenred really think it's seductive to talk like this.
He tries to laugh. It comes out nervous.
"He tries to treat you very properly. But that's not what you want. You want a man… not a simpering idiot." And alright, that's enough.
Merlin pushes away, but Cenred stalks him, backing him towards the bed. Merlin allows that, because it's still a better place than being trapped against the wall.
He sits on the bed, looking up at Cenred from under his lashes. He is already here, he shouldn't be playing the part anymore. But there are probably guns around that Cenred can pull out if he expects foul play. Hell, he can just break Merlin like a twig by his bare hands, or strangle him. Merlin really doesn't want to be strangled.
"You got me," Merlin shrugs, "Arthur isn't like you."
"No he is not."
"He is so ridiculous. Always getting me into situations that I don't want to be in, always being a right Prat. Being completely cavalier towards my safety but also treating me like a delicate flower at the same time." Insulting Arthur comes easy, there isn't even a single lie here.
"You deserve better."
"Which is why I am here," he says, a little ego stroking goes a long way. He pulls the pen out of his pocket, playing with it nervously.
Cenred comes and sits next to him. When Merlin looks at him, he bends, trying to reach for a kiss.
"You know, all things considered, and despite everything, I can tell you aren't a bad lover."
"Hmmm." Cenred isn't even really listening. Merlin can tell.
"And I am sure you will be pretty good in bed. You don't leave your partners unsatisfied, do you?" Merlin is blabbering. He is prone to doing it when he's nervous.
"No I don't." The man is so close now that his face is a blur.
"Which is why… I am very sorry about doing this." Merlin winces, pulling back a bit, the needle of the pen quickly but firmly pressed into the man's side. It's there and gone. Cenred probably didn't even notice.
"Shut up, and let me kiss you." Cenred is slurring now, and Merlin tries to dodge, backing away, moving farther back into the bed. Cenred follows him, caging him in the small space. Soon his back is firmly pressed against the frame, nowhere to move, and Cenred is over him, bending down for a kiss. He lets out an undignified squeak, caught in the trap. Cenred grins, leaning down. Merlin closes his eyes, resigning himself to the situation when he suddenly feels Cenred sag, the whole weight of his body pressing on top of Merlin's. It makes all the trapped air leave his lungs in a huff.
About bloody time.
Merlin lies there for a while. Gasping because of the adrenaline, his head spinning because of the sudden relief, and his body still stuck in its fight or flight mode. Then he pokes Cenred's arm a few times to see if he is still awake- just to make sure. He isn't. Thank God. Hastily he pushes the body off him and gets out from under it. He stands up and straightens his clothes.
Okay, back to mission now, and then leaving as soon as he can. Before Cenred wakes up and raises hell. That gives him a few hours, to get the data, and then get the hell out of Esseter. Hopefully, Arthur would have the jet ready.
He looks around, trying to figure out where the safe might be. If he is right, it must be in the bedroom. He spots a large painting and almost laughs. Typical. Merlin takes off the painting- its heavy and he has to struggle not to drop it. There is definitely a safe behind it.
Quickly he rummages inside his pocket, taking out Arthur's ring that has laser inside the gem -he had borrowed it for this very purpose- and cuts through the lock. There's no alarm at that, and he is grateful for Cenred's self-assuredness.
He opens the safe and blinks. It's almost empty, except for a file inside it. Bingo.
Merlin takes it out, and contemplates how to take it with him. Someone will definitely notice him leaving the place with a large file in his hand. His mind is made when he hears footsteps and a feminine voice activating the security system. Trying not to panic, he turns on his tiepin camera and quickly goes through the pages, one after another, scanning them. He means to get back into bed with Cenred and pretends to be asleep before whoever is outside comes in.
He throws the file back inside the locker and takes off one of his cufflinks- it's an atomizer; if he can't take the blueprints back to England, the least he can do is destroy them. He tosses it inside too and slams the door shut. Just when he is trying to put the painting back, the door to the bedroom opens and a woman clad in all black, her blond hair flaming around her face, comes inside.
She is holding a gun.
"Well, look at that. Little Pendragon sent a bird to do all his dirty work." Morgause grins. It looks terrifying.
Merlin gulps.
He is so fucked.