Disclaimer: Inception does not belong to me.
"I just..." Ariadne swallowed, and looked at Cobb, her face still crumpling slightly. "I don't know what happened. When he and I first met..."
Cobb nodded, sympathetically. They were sitting together in the lounge - she had dressed herself in a pair of jeans and loose fitting cotton top. She swallowed, and looked at Cobb again.
"When he and I first met, I thought he was a gentleman," she confessed. "He seemed so-"
"Suave?" Cobb asked, nodding. "Polite? Calm?"
"Yes," she mumbled.
"Well, he does appear that way. But Ariadne - I've known Arthur for a long time, and I sometimes think it is an act. An act to get what he wants."
She looked at Cobb. "You mean-?"
"Arthur is something of a ladykiller," Cobb said, bluntly. "I think he resented me being married, as it meant I couldn't support him in some of his...ways."
Ariadne blinked, her eyes narrowing. "Please go on."
"Well, I've been working with Arthur for nearly eight years, and I was married for the first five of those," Cobb said, carefully. "He felt that Mal and the kids were a tie, a chain. He told me that he had no intention of ever tying himself down, he could not see the point."
Ariadne's jaw was tightening. She nodded.
"He's pretty contemptuous of relationships," Cobb continued, his voice soft and almost hypnotic. "He likes to conquer."
Ariadne nodded, her face crumpling slightly.
"He does..." Cobb trailed off, as though afraid of saying the words out loud.
Ariadne leaned in, more closely. "Sleep around?" she whispered.
"Yes," Cobb responded, gently. "I think when he was seeing you, there were a couple of others he was interested in."
Ariadne felt her hands begin to shake. Cobb reached for them, and clutched them.
"But, trust me, it is his loss..."
She looked up, directly into his eyes. Without hesitation, Cobb began to pull her close.
"So," Arthur said, smiling. "How about we head to my place?"
"I'm not..." she paused, looking up at him. "I'm not sure. I mean, this is our first-"
"Oh, come on," Arthur said, gently, leaning in more closely. "Please, you have to trust me. I'm not going to take adavantage of you."
"You're not?" she asked, looking at him almost hopefully. He shook his head.
"No. Trust me. Come on."
Without hesitation, she slipped her arm through his, and they began to leave.
"Cobb..." Ariadne breathed. He pulled away slightly, as their lips had almost touched. "Cobb - Dom- we-"
"I'm sorry," Cobb said, shaking his head. "It wasn't appropriate of me to do that." He bit his lip. "I'm intruding now, I should leave." He began to get up, reaching for his coat.
"No, wait!" Ariadne said, quickly. "You did order food for us. And I appreciate the company." Her fingers were still partially wrapped in his. "Please, stay."
Cobb smiled, and began to sit down. "If you insist."
"This is a great place," she said, appreciatively. She turned and smiled at the Point Man, who was showing her the views from his expensive, modern apartment. He nodded. "Thank you. But-" He took her arm - "I know of a place that has an even better view."
"Really?" she was leaning in close to him. He began to move towards the main bedroom, guiding her there. When they reached the doorway, she froze.
"Oh, Arthur, I thought you said-"
"Don't be naive," he said, softly, pulling her close. "You should have realised-"
He was beginning to push against her, his mouth at her neck. Before she could try and move, he'd pushed her down onto the bed, pinning her with his weight.
"Arthur, please-"
"No, I don't," he muttered. "I don't."
As he held her down, a feeling of power overtook him.
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