The Blue Dress
Chapter Twelve: I Have Confidence in Red

She had a whole night to think.

She tried to think about every possible way she could get out of their appointment but all that would do is stall the inevitable meeting and damage the integrity of the case, which was something she refused to do.

She had a whole 24 hours to think. To think about what happened in his office and on his desk. To think about what happened in the boiler room and the file room. A whole 24 hours to think about…them.

She replayed each memory out like a movie in her head, pouring herself over every detail, trying to find something, anything, to possibly counter his moves and defeat his charms. The way he looked at her like he wanted to possess her, the way he gripped her hair and pulled her into a kiss in the file room, the way he grabbed her shirt and kissed her in his office, and the way he didn't hesitate to touch her when she guided his hand there- she went through every single detail. His whispers echoed over and over again against the walls of her brain as she brought forth the memories to the front of her brain.

"It's just one of my…headaches…"

"Fuck it all…"

"Raven…"

And then, she had an epiphany: She didn't have to beat his charms… He had to beat hers.

With that thought in mind, she threw on her red wiggle dress and went to work with her head up high and breezed through her work until it was time for her appointment with him.

She came into his office at exactly five thirty, ignoring his smirks and his hungry eyes and dove straight into their work. Any advances he made towards her, she promptly disregarded and when he would come near her, she would linger in the spot just long enough to have him think that he had her cornered but then, scurried off to the other side of the room. It was actually quite amusing, watching him try to peg her down.

Silly man…

"I think I finally have something," she said as she fingered the pages of the book in her hands, leaning against his bookcase.

"Will it nail this case to the wall?" He asked from one of his arm chairs, looking up from the files in his lap.

She smiled pridefully as she held out the book to him. "Oh, it will crucify it."

Raising an eyebrow, he sat up and took the book in his hands, reading the open page before him. She crossed her arms as she walked over to his desk and leaned against it, waiting for him to finish reading the page.

"This is brilliant," he smirked, his eyes still scanning over the words. "Absolutely brilliant."

She snorted. "Of course, it is."

Looking up at her, he smirked and closed the book with a satisfying snap before standing up and walking over to her. And it was then, she decided that now was the time to invoke the second part of her plan.

"Feeling cocky, are we?" He said, throwing the book on his desk.

She hummed in thought, standing her ground. "I prefer to call it, confident."

He chuckled as he stood in front of her, crowding her body with his. "Good… Cause I'm pretty confident that this is going to work too."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Mr. Todd," she nodded.

She noticed the muscle in his jaw move as his brow arched at her use of his surname. "Again with the formalities?"

"Old habits die hard, I suppose," she licked her lips, purposefully.

"Evidently," he murmured, taking a step closer. "You've been keeping distance from me-

"When, Mr. Todd?" She toyed, mentally enjoying the little twitch in his brow.

"Tonight."

"How so?" She tilted her head slightly to the side for him to clearly see the bruise he had made on her neck. She watched him take a deep breath at the sight.

"Don't think I've noticed that every time I come near, you run to the other side of the room?" He took another step closer. She could smell his cologne now, he was so close to her.

But she had to keep her head about this. Just for a little longer…

"I'm not running away now," she smirked dropping her hands to the desk and leaning more on it, her chest sticking out. "Am I, Mr. Todd?"

She watched his eyes darken as his tongue darted out to lick his lips. His hand came up to the collar of her dress, tugging it to the side to reveal that dark mark he left there. His thumb rubbed lightly along her skin, setting the nerves under her skin aflame. She closed her eyes to the touch and savored the feeling.

"Can we please drop the formalities, Raven?" She heard him whisper.

Opening her eyes, she tilted her head up to him, her lips only inches from his. She squared her shoulders, pressing her chest against his. She could feel his body shake as he tried to keep his resolve but she knew it was breaking. She could see it in his eyes. A small smirk danced on her lips as she let two words sneak passed her teeth.

"Make me."

She barely had time to blink before he surged forward and captured her lips in a searing kiss that shook her world. But she was ready for him. She kissed him right back, a few quick and heated pecks to begin with, but when he nipped her bottom lip, he took advantage of her small gasp. His tongue was hot in her mouth, talented and silky against hers. Her fingers grasped at his neck and fingered his hair as he pushed his entire body onto hers, his hands on her sides and his thumbs scraping the sides of her breasts. One of his hands moved to her throat and she barely moaned when his fingertip grazed the sensitive and tender mark that lied there.

She nibbled and sucked and licked as much of his mouth as she could, losing herself as he ran his tongue over her bottom lip. His lips left hers to suckle hungrily at her neck, and the moan she released this time was louder and clearer when his hot breath teased the wet trail of his kisses.

She bit softly at his ear as he lapped at her throat, running her tongue just under his lobe while her hands began their slow descent down to his trousers. She pecked at his jaw, tasting his masculine scent on the tip of her tongue, when his lips came back to hers. He was rough and feral and she matched his intentions, sighing when he pushed her harder against the desk, she almost sat down.

It was frenzied now. Her teeth grabbed his lower lip, dragging them, as her hand pulled masterfully at his belt and zipper, dipping under the hem of his boxers to the hardened length that resided there. She felt him shudder, breaking the kiss and looking lustfully into her eyes. She looked at him with half lidded eyes as her fingers glided over his sensitive flesh, exploring the muscle slowly until she wrapped her fingers around him. She felt his fingers bite and curl into the flesh of her hips as she slowly moved her hand over him picking up the pace, with shallow breath sliding over her skin with every move, .

Letting out a guttural sound, he reached for her lips again, kissing and sucking at her with such blinding pressure, it made her see stars. She moved her hand faster over him, feeling him rattle against her as he tried to keep his head. His hands traveled down from her waist to her hips, lifting her up and seating her on his desk before sliding his hand underneath the hem of her skirt again.

"Raven…" he whispered her name like it was a precious secret as his lips moved back down to her neck.

She licked and nipped at his earlobe, moving her hand quickly over him. Just a few more seconds…

Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!

Her phone sounded, snapping her back into reality. She slipped her hand from his pants and found his shoulders, pushing him away from her and climbing off the desk as if nothing happened. She ran over to her phone and shut off the alarm.

"Raven?" she heard him call, breathlessly. She pressed her lips and resisted the urge to laugh.

"I have to go. I have another appointment," she answered, plainly, gathering her things.

"W-What?," he breathed, still bewildered from their kiss. Good…

"I told you days ago that I had another appointment today but you insisted on meeting today," she reminded, turning to face him. "So I pushed it back to accommodate but now I have to go."

She made for the door but he blocked her way. "Let me go."

"There is no appointment, you're just running away again."

"I am not running away," she fought. "I have some place to be, now move."

"You don't have another appointment. Admit it," he pushed.

"No."

"Admit it."

"I have a date tonight!" she shouted.

He grew silent, staring at her with those green eyes. His mouth open and closed as he tried to find the words to say. She watch the apple of his throat bob as he swallowed. "I…you…what?"

"I have a date with Mr. Logan, if you must know. Now if you'll excuse me," she pushed past him and towards his door, stopping briefly to look over her shoulder at him. "Have a good night… Mr. Todd."

And with that she walked out of his office to the elevator with her head held high. After all this time of walking out of his office, feeling flustered and embarrassed, finally she was able to walk out with confidence. Her plan had worked, emerging as the victor of this newfound game they were playing. She had won for once, with only a distant sounding voice in the back of her head wondering how this could all possibly bite her in the ass.