Kenzi had taken Bo to almost every store in the shopping district. Alexie had taken a nap and gone through two feedings before they finally decided on a simple, classic black cocktail dress. There was absolutely nothing to it other than the soft black material. The girls could breathe but were not too exposed. The half inch straps were more conservative than she usually wore, and the length came about mid thigh. The pen knife strapped to her thigh would not even be noticed when she sat down. The dress was just a piece of plain black cloth stitched together in a form-fitting manner, but it had almost cost her more than her entire wardrobe.
Kenzi had talked her into strappy high heeled sandals to match, which cost just as much. Bo hadn't walked in high heels like this in so long that she spent an hour once they got home just wearing them around the house. She needed to make sure she could run in them, if needed. Her outfit and the rings she bought had taken an entire briefcase from under her bed, and the sales people had even looked at her strangely when she opened a briefcase and handed them stacks of cash.
Bo kept her long hair down and curled the ends, making it bouncy and soft. Lauren loved when her hair was like this; her girlfriend's response was definitely going to be appreciative when she saw Bo. Any thoughts of fighting or the potential trap they were walking into would fly out the window when Lauren got a good look at her. At least, that was what she was going for. She wanted Lauren to know she was doing this for her; that despite her protests and having to reschedule her meeting with her client, she was willing to follow her anywhere.
As a final touch, Bo put on a small, silver heart pendant and matching small hoop earrings that Lauren had given her for Christmas last year. She had not really ever had a chance to wear them yet, so she was glad for the opportunity now. However, the one piece of jewelry she wanted to wear was tucked nicely in a box inside her purse, comingling with its partner box for Lauren.
Once she had picked out the simple bands and had them sized during their shopping trip, Bo had spent the day preparing what she would say and playing out several scenarios in her head. When she went to pick the rings up this morning, Bo smiled as she stared at them. The simple complexity of the platinum bands, since Lauren's skin had allergic reactions to gold, would be perfect for them. Lauren could wear it when working without ever having to remove it, and Bo could show the world that yes, a succubus was capable of monogamy. Plus, the ring would not break when she had to punch someone with that hand, even though she usually threw with her right most of the time anyways. The rings were built to be strong and beautiful. Bo couldn't help but think they were the perfect examples to showcase how much she loved Lauren.
Bo was so excited that she didn't hear the door downstairs opening, even though she could sense her girlfriend's presence. She only became completely aware of Lauren inside the house when her girlfriend was climbing the stairs. Bo walked to the mirror to smooth out her dress and check herself again. Since this would be the first time they saw each other big fight, even though they had talked on the phone, Bo wanted to make sure she looked perfect. Lauren's pleasured gasp told her that her earlier prediction of her girlfriend's appreciation was correct.
"Wow." Lauren came into the bedroom further to stand slightly behind Bo, who just watched the doctor in the mirror. "My god, you're beautiful."
"You're not so bad yourself." Bo smirked as she smoothed her dress one last time before turning to do her own ogling. Lauren's long blonde hair was pulled up loosely in a perfect combination of sexy and sophisticated. Her loose, mid thigh, light gray dress flowed off of her lithe body so well that Bo was jealous of the fabric that touched her skin. The wide belt across her torso hugged her curves, giving the dress and Lauren a feminine shape. Her necklace and earrings refracted the soft lighting in the bedroom, and Bo stepped forward to run the tips of her fingers along Lauren's exposed neckline, unable to resist touching her girlfriend. The woman even smelled amazing. Bo felt her eyes flash, but she didn't blink or become embarrassed at her obvious desire for the woman standing before her. "Dammit, Lauren. Why did you have to come in looking like that? Now I'm not going to be able to think of anything else all night but getting you home and out of this dress."
"You think I'll fare much better?" Lauren chuckled lightly, and Bo felt the previous tension from all of their fighting and angry sex had at least dissipated for the evening. There was a humming tension still there, but she suspected it was more from the anticipation of the dinner. "Shall we go? The car's parked outside."
"The sooner we do this, the sooner I can come home and completely ravage you." She sobered at the thought that it was probably too soon. While Lauren didn't have any visible bruises, that didn't mean they weren't there. "I mean that in a loving sense. I'm so sorry." Bo stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Lauren's back, placing a soft kiss on her girlfriend's lips. If she did anything else, they wouldn't make it to the dinner at all. "I've missed you."
"I've missed you, too." Lauren's smile transformed from lusty to happy to defeated. "We have a lot to talk about. We need to stop avoiding everything."
"I know." Bo knew she couldn't hold everything in anymore. She hated that she had managed to hurt her girlfriend, in any manner. All of their fighting lately; it was worse than the fights they had after everything settled last year and it finally registered what she had done to Lauren's family. Kenzi was right. Lauren had forgiven her; the woman really did manage her crazy well. "For now, let's tackle this extremely, extremely uncomfortable dinner."
"We may get lucky. It might just be one extremely instead of two." Lauren smiled, and Bo loved the playfulness behind that smile. It meant she was definitely going to get lucky tonight. The succubus in her marvelled at the idea. "Let's go, or we'll be late."
"You lead, hon. This is your dance." Bo grabbed her purse from the bed and wrapped her hand around Lauren's bicep, allowing her girlfriend to lead her to the car parked outside. The Aston Martin was ridiculously nicer than she imagined; she had only ever seen pictures on the Internet and in movies. She understood what Kenzi meant by overcompensating now. "Damn, Lauren. We're going to look like we murdered James Bond for his car."
"Well, you do look like a Bond girl." Lauren opened the passenger side door and helped Bo climb inside. "You are pulling off the femme fatale look tonight. Quite well, I might add."
"I aim to please." Bo smirked, sending a spark of energy to her girlfriend and loving the glazed reaction. Lauren closed her eyes and shook her head, obviously fighting for her control, before shutting Bo's door and practically leaping around the front to quickly hop into the driver's side. "I get the feeling this car will look like my junker in comparison to the other cars where we're going."
"Most of the patrons there will probably have drivers, so we won't see many cars anyways." Lauren put the car in drive. The feeling of the engine's smooth humming against the seat caused Bo's eyes to widen in reaction. "And I love your car."
"I get why your Gram loves this car so much." Bo had to fight her impulse to moan out her pleasure during the ride. Maybe the simple dress was not the way to go after, all, especially since her black silk bikini underwear were not adding much additional protection. Lauren just responded by looking over at her with a knowing smirk. "Or why you picked this particular car."
"Something wrong, dear?" Lauren just continued with that knowing smirk, as she shifted gears again. Bo pushed back in her seat, just letting herself enjoy the sensations. This was now going to be called the Sexmobile; her poor yellow Camaro would have to settle for a new nickname.
"I think you don't want to make that dinner." Bo closed her eyes and willed her succubus nature to just take a backseat. The problem was the lack of backseat in this car. How could she talk Lauren into a side of the road sex pit stop if there was hardly any room to move here? For such a sex-magnet vehicle, the design wasn't made for very good movement inside, which was a damn shame.
Bo laid her left hand on Lauren's exposed thigh. Her girlfriend just smiled even bigger as she moved her hand from the gear shift and pulled Bo's hand to her lips for a kiss. Lauren kept their fingers entwined before moving their hands back to the clothed part of her leg. Bo smiled in response, allowing this comfortable, loving atmosphere to charge the rest of the ride. Bo had never really been to this part of the city, but she did enjoy the view outside her window. It was almost as beautiful as the view inside the car. Lauren really was magnificently breathtaking.
"We're going to be a little early, but that's actually a good thing with my parents." Lauren mentioned on the phone last night that her parents would not show up until at least five minutes and no more than ten minutes late. It was a power move Bo was willing to allow them, if it meant they felt more comfortable. If they felt more comfortable and in control, the likelihood of an open attack diminished, too.
"I'm assuming this is a valet place. Do we have a few minutes to pull over on the side of the road somewhere close?" Bo clutched her purse, wanting to approach the rings subject before they had to enter where they were going.
"Bo, I'm not sure that's a good idea, as appealing as it sounds." Lauren's smirk was quite appealing itself. Bo sensed the woman's reaction at what she thought was that side of the road sex pit stop, and she had to calm her own breathing to stop her eyes from flashing at the idea. The enclosed space of the car was overcharging her senses with Lauren scent and energy.
"I don't mean for sex. Well, I mean, sex is definitely…" Bo took a deep breath, hoping to convey her seriousness. "I want to give you something before we get there. I should've given it to you back at the clubhouse before we left, but I was a little preoccupied with how yummy you look."
"Everything okay?" Lauren looked concerned, but she did pull over to the side. There were barely any cars passing, and there was a golf course beside them, so they had to be close to their destination.
"I hope so." Bo waited until Lauren put the car in park and turned towards her. "I love you, you know that, right?"
"Oh, god, Bo, what did you do now?" Lauren's dejected and guarded expression told Bo that she had not gotten off to a good start.
"No, nothing. Well, nothing bad, I don't think. It depends on what you think." Bo clutched her purse tighter, trying to decide exactly how to approach this. "I love you, and I'm in this for the long haul. Our very long haul together. We're in this together. I just want you to know that."
"I do, Bo." Lauren's expression and body language softened again. The obvious relief showed on her face. "I love you, too."
"I know, which is why I want everyone to know that. Not just fae who can read our bond." Bo unclasped her small purse and pulled out the two boxes she had in there. They were comingling with the brass knuckles that Kenzi had thrown in there earlier and her lipstick. "I want all of the world to know that I belong to you."
"I…" Was this a bad idea? Lauren looked like she was going to panic. This was a bad idea. "That's…"
"I know you're not really keen on the whole wedding idea, but we are already bound together. I know that doesn't mean we're really married in the traditional sense, but…what if we let it be?" Bo opened one of the boxes, the lights of a passing vehicle reflecting the platinum inside the box. Bo kept her eyes on Lauren, trying to read her girlfriend's reaction. All she felt was love and surprise. When Lauren finally made eye contact and stopped staring at the ring, Bo relaxed. Then, Lauren surprised her and pulled the ring from its case and placed it on her finger before pulling Bo's face in for a sweet kiss. It was better than an "I do" any day.
"I never thought about wearing rings, but I'm definitely not opposed to the idea." Lauren kissed her again, and Bo knew she would have to touch up her makeup before they went to find their table at the club. "I'm yours, Bo; completely."
"I want to be completely yours, too." Bo put her own ring on finally, loving the feeling and spark of energy she felt just by putting on a simple metal band. "I was thinking I wanted to try just being with you, for everything."
"What about when you're away or when I'm not around and you're injured?" Lauren only voiced questions Bo tried to answer herself. "Don't get me wrong; I love the idea, but we should be realistic. I'm fine with our arrangement now, Bo. Honestly, it doesn't bother me."
"I would still like to try, if you don't mind." Bo was realistic. She knew she attracted trouble like it was a popular children's toy that couldn't be kept on a shelf during the holidays. Still, she did want to try. She could learn to be more careful so that she could wait to let the doctor heal her. Lauren's energy had some sort of magic restoration power. The brilliant doctor had finally discovered what made them glow after making love, and it was because Lauren's hybrid biology coupled with Bo's succubus biology made their energies and bodies react in sync with one another. When adding that extra ingredient of slow lovemaking instead of hurried passion, their dormant restorative energies surfaced and physically melded together and showed their love for the other. Lauren had explained it all in that geeky science manner that Bo loved, but all Bo needed to know was that it meant they were perfect for each other.
"I don't mind." Lauren smiled before pulling Bo's left hand to her lips again; this time, she made sure to kiss the ring on her finger. "Thank you. This is…amazing."
"Full disclosure?" Bo watched as Lauren pulled the car back in gear and drove the little bit farther to the country club's entrance. "I may have wanted to show off when I met your parents, to let them know I'm yours. I could've waited until another time to approach this, but I wanted them to see just how serious I am about you."
"I'm sure they're already aware, Bo." Lauren always said her name in such a way that made Bo want nobody else to ever say her name again. "We're definitely early. We can order drinks at the bar, if you'd like, while we wait."
"Liquid courage level or drunken idiot level?" Bo teased. Lauren just rolled her eyes upwards in amusement as she pulled into the valet area in front of a ridiculously large and lavish building. How many spouting fountains did one place need?
"Full disclosure?" Lauren turned to her one last time before getting out of the car. "I may have wanted to show you off to the people in there; not just my parents. These rings? They're beautiful." Lauren smiled one last time before taking a deep breath and opening her car door.
"Here goes nothing." Bo allowed the young valet to help her from the car, wishing it was her girlfriend but accepting the offered hand nonetheless. It was not particularly easy to get in and out of this car when wearing this dress and her new heels.
When they walked inside, Bo's first reaction was that she felt severely out of place. She immediately felt like she had overdone her makeup a little, even though she had done the bare minimum, still making sure to emphasize her eyes. She had never seen so many designer handbags or clothes; not even in the stores that she and Kenzi had perused. The dress she was wearing now was the most expensive piece of clothing she had ever worn or owned, and that included the leather section in her closet. Lauren had dressed, fully prepared, but Bo felt extremely unwelcome and out of place in her new attire. Nobody really noticed her, but she still felt like every eye was on her and not because of the usual succubus power reasons. She easily accepted the drink Lauren handed her. It was some cocktail that she downed too quickly, feeling more nervous now that the actual event was upon them.
Lauren looked at her lack of etiquette; she appeared amused and her energy was loving, but Bo felt guilty for drinking like she was at the Dal or any number of honky tonk bars. She felt more comfortable in those environments, so it was odd to see Lauren feeling more comfortable in this one. It only made sense; this was how her girlfriend had been raised. She didn't even need directions to get to this place.
"We can be seated, if you like. Since my father just took office, I imagine they will have him in a private area." Lauren sipped her martini glass, openly ogling her. The sexual energy was not hidden, and Lauren knew this. This was her girlfriend's manner of marking her territory in this place. "They'll be here any minute."
"Yay." Bo was not as enthused as she sounded, and it was obvious her girlfriend knew this, as well.
"Hey, I won't let anything happen to you." Lauren rubbed her soft fingertips down Bo's exposed bicep. Bo relaxed and tensed at the same time. "My mother won't do anything here, Bo. Tonight is about her trying to really get to see your weaknesses."
"You're my biggest one." Bo had to extend that to Kenzi and Alexie, but she knew her girlfriend understood this without her having to say it.
"That's one she already knows. She knows your reputation, and she wants to preserve hers. This is more her way of saying, 'Hey, I can scare you.' She won't try anything directly. None of them will." Lauren placed her hand on Bo's back and guided her towards the hostess area. Bo just followed, as her girlfriend guided her. She would need that guidance if she was going to survive tonight. She wasn't scared that Mrs. Lewis would try anything; she was worried about meeting her in-laws for the first time. It was actually the first time she had ever had to do this in an adult situation.
"Thank you." Bo took the initiative as the hostess guided them to an open area that was away from the rest of the patrons. She moved over to pull out Lauren's chair for her, more so she could access the exposed skin behind her neck than anything. She sat down in her own chair as the hostess left them at the table alone. "Even after all this time being together, you never talk about your family. Is there anything I need to be aware of?"
"Not that you probably don't already know or suspect." Lauren grabbed at her menu and stared at it, but Bo could read the anxiety in the outwardly collected doctor. "I guess I can warn you that I used to be a bit of a daddy's girl. Well, I wanted to be a daddy's girl. He still didn't have much to do with me, though now I realize it was more because he wasn't really allowed to."
"When we start our own family, you are going to be one helluva mom." Bo sighed longingly as she stared at Lauren. She was doing a good job of fighting her primal instincts right now because her anxiety at meeting the Lewises was controlling her thoughts. "Lauren, I… I want…about what's been wrong with me lately."
"I talked to Gram, and I know what's wrong. We are definitely going to need to talk." Lauren was so brilliant. Bo trusted her girlfriend to figure out the problem and come up with a great solution. They needed it so that they could survive together. Bo did not ever want to hurt Lauren again. The sex part felt good; the emotional part and the implications behind the violent sexual ministrations were shitty. "It'll just take more time than we have right now. Just know that I love you, and we will figure this out together. I'm sorry I bailed on you the other day."
"We should talk about that, too." There was never any type of sex that Bo didn't like, especially when it involved Lauren, but there was a line that should never be crossed, despite her potential and ability to cross it. Bo wanted their sexual encounters to only ever be beautiful and amazing. They could even have angry sex again, if needed, as long as it didn't culminate or escalate to that degree again. If Bo wanted to be more than her species, she would need to start showing it. There were still control issues, and whatever Lauren had solved about her, Bo hoped it would help. Their sex and love life depended on it. The doctor was extremely vanilla, and while still adventurous in the bedroom, Lauren was still uncertain about things. Bo liked the idea of getting to spend the rest of her long life teaching and exploring those things with her girlfriend.
"Bo, eyes up here, babe." Lauren sounded amused, and Bo didn't even realize she was staring at Lauren's chest. She made eye contact again and shrugged without any apology. She was not ashamed to openly ogle her girlfriend. "Like I said earlier, we have a lot to talk about. If we're going to survive this long haul together, then we're going to have to learn to stop avoiding and letting things fester."
"Can it wait until morning, though? I'm not kidding when I say I plan on getting you out of that dress later." Bo let her eyes wander one last time over Lauren's body and enjoyed the blush and spike of energy her action caused. Lauren didn't get to respond as the previous hostess ushered in the rest of their party.
