"Thank you," Bruce said to Adriana as she removed hot rollers from her hair.
She turned around and looked at him, standing behind her as she sat at her vanity in their enormous bathroom. They were getting ready to go to an event.
"For what?" she said.
"For coming with me," he told her. "I appreciate it."
"Well...I'd rather stay here and chill at home with you and Arsenio," she told him. "To be completely honest. But you said we only have to go for a couple hours for you to get your award."
"Yes," he told her. "You look beautiful."
"Thanks," she smiled and pulled out another roller. Her hair was a few inches past her hips but with the spiral curls is was waist length. It was mid spring and she decided to wear a long purple and light blue gown with gold details around the waist. The dress was very flowy and had a halter top. The material looked transparent but there were so many layers that it maintained a classy level of modesty. Her heels were also gold, and she was wearing minimal natural makeup. "I'm almost done."
"I'll let the driver know we'll be down soon," he said and left the bathroom after kissing her softly on the shoulder.
She looked into the mirror and placed a couple of pale blue flower clips in her hair, pushing the long curls over to one side. After putting on her shoes and finding a matching clutch purse, she decided to also wear the gold Love bracelet that Bruce had gotten her on Christmas.
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"You resemble a mermaid," Bruce said to her as they sat in the back of the limo right before it pulled off.
"Hopefully in a good way," Adriana laughed.
"In the best way imaginable," he said and gave her a kiss.
"Mmmmm," she said mid kiss and then leaned back in the seat. "I'm so sleepy."
"Did you have a nap today?" Bruce asked.
"No...Arsenio was up at 4 a.m.," she told him. "He took a couple of naps but I used the time to go work out."
"You know you can take a nap and give him to Evelyn, right?" he asked her. "That's why we hired her."
"Have you even taken a nap ever when you're home with him? Even if she has him?" she asked.
"Hmm..." he said and tried to think.
"Even when you're tired?" she asked.
"Well...no I guess not," he answered honestly.
"Do you think we're overprotective?" she laughed. "We never sleep unless he's asleep."
"Yes," Bruce said. "We definitely are."
"Hm..." she said. "Well...Arsenio is nursing less...and I do have like 200 ounces of pumped milk in the freezer...and there's a mini bar..."
"Red wine?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Coming right up," he said and moved over to the vehicle's fridge and mini bar.
Gotham was alive that night, bright lights passed them on the street as the sun was setting. The sky was deep orange and she could see happy couples on the street, a man pass by them on his bike, a woman holding a baby outside of a bookshop that was closing up for the evening. Things were changing, and likely due to both her and Bruce's hard work as vigilantes. It was like Gotham had become a different city. A beautiful, peaceful one. Calm, safe, and with an unfamiliar warm and positive energy. People looked serene and comfortable. No one looked on guard, or on edge. It was surreal. In this moment...Gotham felt like a normal city.
"There you are," Bruce said and handed her a cold glass of red wine.
"Delicious," Adriana told him, after taking a few sips.
"So, is the music alright?" he asked and leaned over to kiss her on the shoulder again.
"Mhm," she said, still sipping the wine.
He kissed the side of her neck and caressed her thigh.
"What are you doing?" she asked, as she began to rapidly finish the second drink. It was some of the best wine she had ever had.
"Hm?" he said innocently.
"You.." she said and glanced down towards the front of the limo where she could see the small open window beside the driver's head. She lowered her voice a bit. "You want to have sex. Here?"
He looked down at her chest as if hypnotized and then looked back up, his gaze stopping at her lips.
"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," he said in a tone that made her laugh.
She reached over and slapped him on the arm. He snapped out of his trance and looked her in the eyes.
"Okay, yes," he said honestly.
Adriana looked over to the small window several feet away from them, and a few seconds later it was closing as Bruce had pushed the button to close the partition.
"He might hear us," Adriana said as Bruce took her glass and sat it aside.
"Definitely wouldn't be the first time he's overheard something in this limo, he's used to it," Bruce said absently and began to kiss her. He then stopped abruptly. "I mean...wow...I'm sorry, I just meant that...shit.."
"Yeah," Adriana nodded. "I know."
She knew she had this effect on people sometimes. They felt comfortable enough to say exactly what they were thinking, especially once they got used to her hearing thoughts anyway. But right now she couldn't hear Bruce's thoughts. His honesty didn't bother her.
"Wow...I really just ruined the moment," he said and sat upright.
"Well," she said. "Hearing about your husband's previous...conquests...that took place on this very seat...not exactly the biggest turn on."
"I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am," he said.
"I know," she said and looked at him. His eyes begged for forgiveness. "Fine," she said.
"Fine?" he asked.
"Fine, we can have a quickie," she said and rolled her eyes with a smile.
"Oh," Bruce said and glanced up at the ceiling as if thanking God. "Bless you," Bruce said while exhaling and grabbed her to kiss her.
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Adriana had another glass of wine before they left the limo. She wasn't fully prepared mentally for the type of event they were heading to, since the red carpet that they stepped out onto was unexpected. Bruce was expecting it though and he seemed totally at home and comfortable as cameras flashed around them non stop. Adriana found it a bit dizzying and felt like she could barely see anything. She just held onto Bruce's hand, pausing and standing beside him as he stopped several times for pictures before they went into the event.
She realized she had no idea exactly what the event was but she knew that Bruce was receiving a humanitarian award. She hadn't paid much attention when he was talking to her about it. All she did was agree to go since he made it sound pretty important.
Once they were seated, she and Bruce finally spoke.
"This is...a really big event," she said.
"I told you," he said and kissed her cheek. "Only one this year, I promise."
"It's okay," she said.
"Bruce, good to see you!" a voice said behind them and Bruce turned around and stood to hug a tall slender man with a very petite blonde woman.
"You too, Astor," Bruce said. "This is my wife, Adriana."
"Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Wayne," the man said and took her hand gently. "This is my wife Brielle."
"Hi," Adriana said and Brielle gave her a small wave.
Another couple came over to their table and Adriana watched as Brielle hugged a redhead who was a bit taller, and absolutely stunning. She looked familiar, and Adriana wondered if she had perhaps seen her in a movie or on TV.
"Bruce," the redhead said and gave Bruce a long hug as the man she was with began to talk to Astor.
Adriana sat and tried to look away as the woman's arms roamed Bruce's back and she began to giggle ridiculously. Adriana picked up the glass of champagne that a sever had just poured for her and swallowed it quickly.
"Uh, Gigi," Bruce said and took her upper arms and moved her back so that she was arms length away from him. "This is my wife, Adriana."
Gigi looked down to where Adriana was sitting and gave her a smile. A very catty smile.
"Hello," she said and looked away very quickly and turned back to Bruce. "It's been forever."
"It has," Bruce said and moved back to his seat, surprising Gigi with his brevity.
The small crowd around their table began to disperse a few minutes later and Adriana felt like she needed to use to restroom.
"I'll be back," she said and tried to stand up.
"Should I go with you?" he asked, seeing that she was tipsy.
"No," she said and leaned onto his thighs with her hands to push herself up. "I'm fine. I'll be right back."
"Okay, beautiful," Bruce said and kissed her hand before the left.
Adriana found herself swaying a bit as she walked and realized that she didn't know where she was going. She looked around at people talking and laughing, enjoying themselves before the event officially started. She saw a woman standing nearby her engaged in conversation and tapped her on the shoulder. It was rude to interrupt and Adriana felt the three drinks she had made her forget her manners.
"Excuse me, do you know where the restroom-" Adriana said, trying not to slur her words. "Oh.." she said as the woman turned around. "Oh my gosh-"
Adriana was stunned to be in the presence of a celebrity.
"I believe it's over there," she said and pointed to an open hall a few feet away. "You're Bruce Wayne's wife, aren't you?"
"Yes," Adriana stammered, nervously, wondering if she was drunk enough to hallucinate or of she was in the presence of a celebrity.
"Nice to meet you," she smiled and squeezed Adriana's hand. "Oh, excuse me."
She walked of and Adriana rubbed her eyes gently as she went over to the bathroom. She looked in the mirror and noticed her makeup around her eyes was a bit smudged, likely due to her activities with Bruce in the limo. After cleaning it up a bit with a makeup wipe she went into one of the stalls. The door was large and wooden and went all the way down to the floor and the walls were lined with burgundy and gold brocade wall paper. It was a beautiful bathroom.
As soon as she closed the door she heard familiar giggling. It was Gigi.
"Wowwww..." she heard another woman say. "I'm not even surprised."
"I am," she heard Gigi say.
"Whatever," the other woman said.
"Bruce is here," Gigi said. "Looking better than ever."
"I saw him. He's here with his wife right, didn't he get married?" her friend asked.
"Yes," Gigi said as if bored. "You know that's not going to last."
"Why do you say that? Don't they have a kid?"
"I don't know, do they?" Gigi asked. "Google it."
"Yup," the other one say after a minute. "One child, based on Wikipedia. Like seven months ago."
"Did they use a surrogate?"
"How am I supposed to know? Oh wait, there's pics of her pregnant. They got married like right after they had their kid."
"So you know it's not going to last," Gigi said. "He only married her because she was smart enough to get knocked up. He's a single billionaire, if she didn't do it someone else would have."
"You mean you?"
"Maybe," Gigi said. "I love Bruce. He's great in bed, handsome, rich...what else could I need? He adores me too."
"He's not a single billionaire though," the other voice said. "He's got a wife. And apparently no prenup."
"What? That can't be right-" Gigi said.
"It's right here-"
"Ugh. Well he got his wealth way before they were together so I doubt she's going to get much when they split. Why the hell wouldn't he get a prenup? That doesn't sound like him."
"You know that shop they said she busted up was some type of witchcraft place. Maybe she cast some type of voodoo on him-"
"Even if she did, she doesn't have the voodoo like I do," Gigi said. "Bruce and I are going to hook up tonight and he'll realize what he's missing."
"With his wife here?"
"No, I will call him later tonight. He's probably bored with her, I mean she's not even that pretty," Adriana heard Gigi say.
Her friend was quiet for a second.
"Really?" her friend's voice asked.
"Mmm," Gigi said in an annoyed tone.
"She looks good though," her friend said in a nonconfrontational tone.
"I saw her, and like I said," Gigi said. "Bruce is going to leave her for me. She's probably boring and dry, I can tell...Bruce doesn't like that..he likes excitement. He loved it when I would dress up in costumes-"
"Like what?" her friend giggled.
"I was a nurse, a teacher, a lost schoolgirl-" Gigi said.
"Okay I get the point-"
"That's what kept him interested. I'm telling you I know just what he likes and I'm sure she doesn't," Gigi explained. "He loved to roleplay. And he loves feet. No one takes better care of their feet than I do."
"So you're going to call him?"
"Oh yes," Gigi said as they left.
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"You're quiet," Bruce said and kissed Adriana as she pulled out her toothbrush. They were at home and in the bathroom again.
"Yes, just tired, sorry," she said.
"Did something happen?" he asked and placed a hand on her lower back.
"I think I met Oprah," Adriana said.
"You think?" he asked a laughed a little.
"Maybe I had too much to drink," she said and shrugged.
He smiled and kissed her on her cheek as she began to brush.
"I love you," he said.
"Uhhuhutoo," she said while brushing.
When she was done she went to see Arsenio, who was sleeping peacefully. She wasn't sure if he would sleep through the night, but for now he looked content and sound asleep. His hair felt silky smooth under her fingertips and she leaned down to kiss him. Evelyn, his nanny, was asleep in the fold out bed in his nursery beside him and Adriana pulled a blanket out of the small closet in the room and draped it over her.
When Adriana returned to her and Bruce's bedroom, she noticed him standing by the window and staring down at his phone. He appeared to be texting.
"Hey," Adriana said softly and noticed that she had startled him. His phone screen went dark and he turned to her.
"Hey there," he said.
"He's sound asleep," she said.
"I know," Bruce told her. "I saw him when you were in the shower."
"Oh," she said and took off her robe. They looked at each other quietly for a few seconds and somehow the moment was very awkward, for no reason at all. She ran her hands through her hair and went back into the bathroom and shut the door.
All that she could think about were Gigi's words. Maybe she was boring? But how would Gigi know anything about her or whether or not she was boring? Maybe she could just tell..maybe she knew exactly what Bruce loved and Adriana didn't look the part. Adriana shook her head and thought about the past few months. She rarely put herself together or wore makeup. Maybe she wasn't making enough of an effort? Maybe she needed to wear a costume?
She was a tired mom and a hardworking vigilante. She looked into the mirror at herself and slowly pulled her hair up. The bathroom exit into the walk-in closet was behind her. She went in and found the only wig that she had. Long and black. Shade.
She pulled it on, and looked at herself in the bathroom mirror again. She went back to the closet and found a red pleated skirt, which she never remembered buying. It must have been something that Harri left behind that Alfred assumed was hers. She pulled it on and then grabbed one of Bruce's Ralph Lauren dress shirts that he wore to work. After tying the front into a knot she found her only pair of black platform heels and put them on.
Makeup was not something she was in the mood to put on. She had just cleaned her face.
She went back into the bedroom and turned the lights down. Bruce was sitting at the small desk he had there behind a partition in the bedroom,and turned around to look at her. He looked her up and down for a moment, not quite confused or excited.
"Hey there. I'm..." Adriana thought aloud. "Samantha...the slutty cheerleader."
"Are you now?" Bruce asked and squinted, still confused.
"Mhm," Adriana said and smiled. " Do you like it?"
"Come here," he said and rotated in the spinning chair he was sitting on.
She walked over close enough to stand between his legs. He placed his hands on her hips and looked ahead into her eyes.
"So..." he said. "You want to tell me why you're...a slutty cheerleader? "
"Don't you like slutty cheerleaders?" she asked. "Or maybe I could be a nurse?"
"Am I sick?" he asked. "Do I need nursing?"
"I'm just trying to...excite you," she said and rubbed his shoulders.
"I know," he smiled. "I was going to wear this shirt tomorrow."
"Really? I'm so sorry-" she said.
"I'm joking," he said and gave her a little squeeze. "Tell me why you're doing this."
"No reason," she said. "Nevermind...it was silly. I just felt like I needed to do something for you."
"You're sleepy," he noticed. "And so am I. You don't have to do anything but relax."
"I don't want you to be bored with me," she blurted out.
"Adriana," he said and leaned back, frowning slightly. "Why are you thinking about something like that? I could never be bored with you."
"You could though...eventually," she told him. "I'm just me..and you're used to...I don't know. Variety."
Bruce stood up and held her hips again. "If I wanted variety...I could hold you like this," he said and then slowly waked around her and held her from the back, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Or like this."
"Bruce-" she said.
"Or.." he said and walked around to the front of her and picked her up quickly so that her legs were wrapped around his waist. "Like this."
"You know what I mean," she said but her words were stopped with a kiss.
"Or perhaps," he said and walked with her over to the bed and laid her down gently. "There's many ways I could take this.."
"But Bruce.." she said as his lips found her neck.
"Take this off," he said and touched the dark hair. She reached up and pulled the wig back and let it fall onto the mattress. "I want you, just like this."
"You don't miss..." she said and rested her fingertips on his chest. "Having your pick."
"No," he said. "I regret having my pick."
"Really? Why?"
"Because, it's going to haunt me for a long time. Even tonight...I have an ex that won't stop texting me. She thinks we will get back together even though I'm married," he said.
"Gigi," Adriana asked.
"How did you know?" he asked and moved to resting on his elbows for support. "Are you hearing thoughts again?"
"No," she told him. "I just heard her talking about wanting you back. In the bathroom."
"I knew she would behave this way," Bruce said. "I could see it so clearly in her head. She's a transparent one. Clear as glass...especially with...well, you know. With what we did before we went to the event. My mind was sharp and clear, I could see right through her. She's very insecure."
"She said that I wasn't that pretty...that she was prettier and gave you more excitement-" Adriana said.
Bruce huffed a short laugh and then he rolled off of her.
"So...I guess you disagree?" she asked,
"Everyone disagrees, baby," Bruce finally managed to say. "Even her current man. He was practically breaking his neck trying to watch you walk away when you went to the restroom. I didn't even have to turn to look at him to see it. Saw it crystal clear."
"Oh..." Adriana said, now wanting to laugh too. "So that's who was just texting you?"
"Yes," Bruce said. "I've let her know I'm not interested."
"I love you," Adriana said, and turned into her side and placed a hand on his chest.
"And I, you," he said, gliding his fingers down her forearm.
He turned his head to the side and she laid her head down onto the bed. They looked into each other's eyes for a while in silence. They didn't have to say anything. It was as if they were communicating without words.
Adriana felt that she was growing to love Bruce more and more each day.
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