The disorientation caused by the Mayor's words leaves the blonde complying with her demand as if on autopilot. It's only when she stands outside her car, dress in hand, that she stops for a moment and allows herself to think.
She's pissed at the brunette's phrasing; that the darker woman should think she owns her in any way. Yet, she also knows Regina well enough by now to suspect such a term is meant more to suit the Mayor's own psychology than to be expressed as a fact. She wonders briefly whether the Mayor's intent and interest should be considered flattering or offensively dominant and comes up with nothing save for the beginnings of a pounding headache.
Leaning her forehead against the side of the car in a way that she supposes must look quite bizarre, she relishes the feeling of the cool metal beneath her skin and tries to calm down. To chill out. A part of her wants to get in the car and drive off. To drive pointedly to the diner, find Ruby, and have an extra long, indulgent lunch with the young brunette. If she's lucky, Regina might even come to find her and play witness.
It's a sad day when your best idea of a comeback is to go out and eat lunch...
True. But she imagines that the Mayor would view the act as exquisitely offensive either way.
Pushing idle fantasies aside, she slips her keys back into her pocket. Had this been a week ago and their sordid game still at its height, she would probably be in her car right now, ordering an extra-large milkshake over the phone. This is now though, and she can't bear the thought of starting up that particular game of cat and mouse again.
Cat and cat.
"Miaow."
Oh great, talking to yourself. As a cat. This relationship is really putting you in a great place, Swan.
She sighs and pulls her head from the cool surface of the car. She studies the dress in her hand with a look of disgust and wonders why in the hell she's playing along with the Mayor's wishes. The woman is quite clearly a sociopath.
It would be no fun if she wasn't.
Oh god, what crazed breed of masochism is this?
Her fists clench angrily, but her mind reels with the image of herself and Henry halfway up that treacherous tree; giddy and laughing. She thinks of the way the brunette had shown up unannounced hours later; sure, full of spiteful comments, but underneath all that, simply to make sure she was okay.
She thinks of Ruby carefully applying pretty makeup, and of standing up to view herself in the mirror, thinking that this time - this time - she would win one.
She thinks back on the Mayor - in not so many words - calling her a whore.
Her whore.
Glaring up at the grand building, she sighs in distaste before turning her scowl back down to the dress in her hand.
"Fuck it."
She marches back up the stone steps to the Mayor's office.
After all; with lunch skipped, she may as well demand dessert.
Regina studies the younger woman curiously. Emma's jaw is set and her expression - while hard to read - is definitely one of unease.
"Come here, dear."
She beckons, pulling something from her desk drawer which she keeps hidden beneath the lip of the table.
She had suffered a moment of doubt when the Sheriff had failed to return after the first few minutes; worried the younger woman had finally tired of their shared emotional roller-coaster. She would have been hard put to be surprised should that have been the case. Emma is stubborn, but she can also be cold. Not in the same way as herself; not in a spiteful, malicious way. No, she can be cold in a way where she shuts down, and tunes out.
Constructs a ten-foot wall around herself and is responsive only in ice-ridden monosyllables.
Studying the Sheriff now, she imagines it was a close call, but Emma pauses for only a moment before trudging obediently over.
Regina imagines the younger woman trudges in such a way simply to irk her.
Play nice now, dear.
Emma raises a brow when she stands in front of the Mayor, taking a wary step back when the brunette raises her hands and she spies they are no longer empty.
"Hold still."
Regina commands, and the blonde opens her mouth to object, but curiosity gets the better of her and she remains where she is; studying the darker woman intensely until the soft silk of the scarf the brunette holds is placed gently over her eyes.
"Can you see?"
"No."
Regina makes a small noise of approval and moves behind the blonde to tie the scarf securely in place; careful not to snag her curls.
"There will be no pain, Miss Swan, and no danger to yourself."
She lays out the rules of their current game. Emma's breath hitches audibly and the Mayor ponders with cruel amusement that the peculiar tastes of the blonde may find the lack of teeth and a little heavy-handedness to be a negative thing. She smirks. After all, this is none of her concern. It serves her current intention no purpose.
Taking the dress from the Sheriff, she places it carefully on the desk to her side. She lets her gaze wander over the younger woman's attire with a small curl to her lip; noting the way the buttons of Emma's shirt remain half undone to expose the predictable flash of a white tank top beneath. She wonders if the Sheriff suffers from some peculiar strain of OCD when it comes to double-layering, and whether she herself might be at fault for some of the comments she'd made when the younger woman had first arrived about her penchant for sheer fabric and the subsequent promiscuous glimpses of her bra. Smirking, she finishes what she'd started; unbuttoning the shirt and biting back a chuckle when Emma jumps at her touch.
"Only me, dear."
"And that's supposed to help me relax?"
The younger woman growls, and Regina laughs, brushing at the blonde's lips and pulling away quickly when her kiss is reciprocated.
"Bitch."
Emma mutters, and the Mayor pouts, landing a hard slap across the Sheriff's backside to earn herself a surprised hiss before the blonde breaks into a grin.
"I thought you said no pain?"
"Shut up, you love it."
Regina snaps, and her eyes darken as the blonde lets out a low, affirmative laugh. Stalking around the younger woman slowly, she ponders briefly where to start.
Top or Bottom.
Deciding to mix it up, she lunges suddenly forward and rips the opened shirt quickly from the unsuspecting Sheriff's body; dropping it on the floor. The room is not cold in the slightest, but the blonde's arms break out in gooseflesh causing the Mayor to lick her lips eagerly.
Acting stealthily once more, she moves her hands to the younger woman's waist and loosens the blonde's belt with a few, firm tugs, delighting in the way the Sheriff reflexively sucks in her stomach. She runs her thumb down the zipper seam of Emma's jeans - earning herself another gasp - before guiding her fingers back up along this path slowly and firmly to rest at the button at the top. Fiddling this open, she pulls the zipper down before leaning forward and blowing gently across the smooth skin at the blonde's collarbone.
Tilting her head to come level with the Sheriff's lips, the brunette disregards her earlier promise and moves slowly forward to catch the younger woman's bottom lip between her teeth. With her fingers hooked inside the loops of Emma's jeans, she bites down - softly at first, and then with a little more force - and parts the blonde's jeans to expose a familiar V of lacy material. Pulling the Sheriff in towards her, she uses her strength to grind the exposed fabric against herself as she tastes the telling metallic tang of Emma's blood salting her lips.
Stepping back and admiring her handy work, she finds she suddenly understands everything that has happened since the day of the storm. How this all came to be.
Because this is what was on offer.
Emma licks at her lip experimentally, pink tongue flashing against scarlet beneath the purple silk of the scarf.
The Mayor holds back for a second, simply watching and waiting; wanting to catch the blonde once more by surprise. When she tires of simply observing the Sheriff, she lunges forward and finishes the job; ripping the younger woman's jeans roughly down her legs. She unties her boots and commands the Sheriff to take them off. Emma does as she's told, stumbling a little as her jeans pool about her knees and her balance is compromised by the scarf. Regina offers no guidance or support, but allows herself a small, appreciative smile when the blonde manages her task with no help. Taking the younger woman's hand in her own and guiding it to rest at her shoulder, she bends down and uses her free hand to rest against Emma's hip, holding her steady.
"Lift your right leg."
The Mayor tugs the jeans quickly free before demanding the Sheriff do the same with her left.
"Good girl."
Still crouched down low, the brunette leans in and blows softly over the thin material covering the blonde's sex. The twitch she observes at the Sheriff's thighs lets her know it was felt.
Toying with the hem of Emma's tank top, she smirks when the blonde automatically begins to raise her arms. With brutal speed, she rips down dampening lace and replaces the ruined fabric with her palm; grinding hard against the younger woman's heat.
"Shit!"
Emma's exclamation comes half as a surprised yelp and half as a groan, and the Mayor stands swiftly to capture its ending with scarlet lips.
The blonde's hands find her waist blindly and caress her sides through her shirt before sneaking playfully forward to cop a feel of her breasts. Regina moves back immediately, biting back the urge to laugh as the Sheriff's lips form a kittenish grin.
"Behave yourself."
She demands, and Emma sticks her tongue out childishly, yelping when the brunette lunges forward to nip at its tip. Pulling the blonde into her, Regina holds her flush as she peels up the scant fabric of the Sheriff's top, pinging her bra straps smartly as she moves over them.
"Hey!"
Grinning, the darker woman tosses the vest aside and moves her hand to the clasp that holds the Sheriff's final garment in place. Unhooking the teeth of Emma's bra, Regina lets it fall to the floor and steps back to take in the full picture the younger woman presents.
The purple of the scarf covering her eyes compliments the Sheriff's pale skin nicely, and the Mayor admires the way it causes her hair to tumble wildly underneath as though trying to escape. Pressing her lips softly against the blonde's bloodied mouth, Regina lets her hands roam teasingly over bare flesh; pulling her fingers completely clear of pale limbs before coming back for a surprise attack, forever changing her angle.
"Regina..."
The Sheriff's voice is lower now, hoarse, and from the flush to her cheeks and the occasional tensing of her stomach, the brunette suspects she may be well and truly aroused by their current little game. Dipping a finger between her legs just to make sure, she chuckles at the younger woman's obvious excitement and raises her hand to Emma's mouth, running her finger pointedly over bruised lips before the blonde takes the hint and licks it clean.
"Very good."
Taking the dress from the table, Regina unzips it carefully before brushing a finger playfully across bare ribs, causing the blonde's arms to jerk up reflexively.
"All the way up."
Emma does as she's told, feeling the soft material of the dress settle around her shoulders and leaning forward slightly to help the brunette get it up over her head. Once accomplished, she lowers her arms tentatively, not quite resting them against her sides as the Mayor pulls the fabric into place.
Brushing aside the blonde's hair and laying it over her shoulder, Regina bites at the exposed skin of her nape before pulling the zipper up slowly. Giving the dress one final once over, she walks around to face the blonde and takes her hands firmly. Pulling her gently until Emma clues up and allows herself to be led across the room, Regina comes to a pointed halt and turns the blonde slowly with a guiding hand to her waist.
The brunette observes the two of them in the room's large, floor-length mirror as she stands behind the blindfolded Sheriff; one hand clasped to the younger woman's waist while the other plays with a strand of silken gold. She studies Emma's reflected image intently; the way the coral hue of the dress offsets her pale skin prettily, and the way her bruised lips remain curiously parted as she awaits whatever the Mayor has in store. Gently removing the scarf from the blonde's eyes, Regina waits while the Sheriff blinks to adjust to the sudden brightness before taking in her reflection in the mirror.
Emma raises a brow; reflected eyes finding Regina's gaze curiously through the glass, and the brunette offers her a slow smile. Moving so that she stands almost completely hidden behind the blonde, Regina wraps her hand more firmly around the Sheriff's waist, caressing her stomach through pink fabric and moving her lips to press against the younger woman's throat, murmuring into her hair.
"I'm a woman who likes the finer things in life, Miss Swan."
With that, the hand at the Sheriff's waist begins inching lower.
"I like to surround myself with nice things. Pretty things."
Skilled fingers skim playfully over the silk that hides the blonde's heat.
"It gives me great pleasure..."
Using her spare hand, she quickly shucks up the younger woman's dress so that the other can disappear beneath soft fabric.
"But what I don't like, Miss Swan, is sharing those pretty... Pretty things..."
Emma's eyes widen as she continues to watch herself in the mirror; Regina's fingers slipping sweetly over her heat as a hand sneaks up to cup her breast and hot lips press maddeningly at her throat.
"Because, you see, when one finds themselves in the possession of something really, truly... Pretty... The thought of anyone else playing with her, with their... Dirty... Sticky... Fingers..."
The Sheriff clamps her eyes shut as the Mayor increases the speed of her fingers below the cover of her dress; biting down on her lip until she garners flesh blood.
"...You are mine to play with, Sheriff, if that's what you want, but I'm not a woman willing to share, so tell me... Who else will you let play with you the way I do?"
Emma lets out a small cry as perfect teeth bare down hard on her shoulder; willing herself to ignore the brunette, to refuse Regina the pleasure of giving her what she wants. The only problem with that is that she, too, will be denied what she wants.
And really, what's the big deal? It's not like there's anyone else in this shitty town you're actually looking to fuck. To play around with. Just tell her what she wants to hear. Tell her you're not about to go off and fuck the next person you talk to. That you have lunch with.
It should be that easy, but the blonde is hard. She despises exposing her belly - her throat - on instinct, and the very fact the Mayor requests her submission - her vulnerability - is reason enough to fight her.
She tells herself this as she moves her hips to get the brunette's fingers to enter her at a better angle.
Regina grins as she watches the blonde's inward battle play across her face in her mirrored image.
"Open your eyes."
Emma shakes her head, so close now that her inner muscles are beginning to flutter tellingly.
"Listen to me. Open your eyes."
Green eyes fly open as the Sheriff falls forward with a cry, legs shaking, and the brunette catches her easily, pulling her close.
"... No one."
The blonde whispers.
"What was that?"
Regina smirks as she feels the younger woman's heart beating frantically beneath her palm. She regards Emma's reflection carefully; the blonde's eyes once more closed as she murmurs quietly into chestnut locks.
"No one. Just you."
Guiding the Sheriff around to face her, the brunette kisses her gently, her hands losing themselves in messy gold.
"Thank you."