12-11-2022, 05:12 AM
She was right. He did want her. The desire flushed his cheeks and gave steady weight to the rise and fall of his chest, but he reaction of the body was soon contained, packaged away safely so that it could not be used against him. Adrian’s convictions would see him through to the end of an age such as its strength. He allowed himself the indulgence of a woman and all that came with it on a partially regular basis. He had no want for company, and he had no interest in more than a passing interlude. He was the one to leave before falling asleep. He did not call again. He did not give pursuit where it was clearly a lost cause (rare as that was). There was no giving away of hearts nor threat of losing his focus, but for all his creed, Adrian was still a man.
He wanted Natalie because she walked a line of rejection and enticement. He enjoyed the game while it lasted, but was ready to move on to other playable fields if she did not so much as make a small advance. He wanted her to come to him, and she when she did, she found a receptive partner. She had to give a little to get something back, and in Adrian, she would find that the return would be more than she ever expected (as partners or lovers).
Her whispered confession rent a pleasant chill down his spine. Like ice dousing hot stone with steam. He did not grab her shoulders as his thoughts tempted him to do. Nor did he snatch the back of her neck and push his tongue greedily into her mouth. He did not move much at all but to allow her freedom to explore what she found so desirable, and there was much to enjoy, but while she did, the memory of her fingers pressing the small of his back and the heat of her nails tracking his scalp remained fresh for his enjoyment. Just as he found pleasure in her, she clearly felt the same for him. The remnants of her lipstick was smoothed away, but her cheeks were still flushed with the grazing of his cheek. That was the most thrilling of all.
She laid careful rules that might as well have been writ by Adrian’s own hand. It was a rare woman that separated business from pleasure, willing to cut the latter loose at the first threat of a rising storm. He would do the same; he had done the same. He was no chivalrous hero. He was predictably selfish, and any honor he had was only extended as far as it served his interests.
“Hm,” was his only murmur of a response as she peered one last time into the shadows of his eyes. Even his response was contained thoughtfulness now that their moment was bottled back up. He remained behind after she departed.
The little ball of light hovering above was Adrian’s companion in her absence. He craned his neck upward to study it, wondering how long it would persist now that its maker was gone. She had conjured it so easily. Meanwhile, alone, Adrian let his eyes close while he tried to sense the feeling that came infuriatingly rarely, but he soon found the serenity of closed eyes to be a meaningless exercise, and instead opted to stare straight into the darkness. Shadows swayed with the soft pulses of the orb above, and it was into their taunting dance that he reached out. The barest of sparks flickered in the intervening space, but as soon as it seemed he gripped the power hiding within the shadow it was gone completely. His jaw locked tight, frustrated again, and he vowed to make progress on this helplessness at first chance.
His gaze studied the orb once more. Now that Natalie was gone, its power seemed to be fading, a sad remnant hanging on for life, but the hue was enough to give him one more opportunity to study their surroundings. The building really was in terrible shape. If it was going to function as a place of safety for the daughters of Moscow’s powerful, it would need fully transformed. The leverage they could wield over untold circles was infinite. Combined with Adrian’s unique ability to influence others through their dreams, he could get quite creative with expansions in the future. He scrubbed his chin thoughtfully one last time, but unlike before, he had no audience to stop the stupid habit.
He pulled out a wallet and used the time to take some interior scans for future renderings, and on the return walk to the car, he had the information sent to his designers for initial drafts.
He slid into the back seat, wallet tucked away by then, and regarded Natalie.
“I want 50% of whatever this becomes,” he said, nodding toward the window. The offer was generous, but fair in his consideration.
He slid nearer then, thoughts shifting to the other half of their deal. If there was a driver to the car, he was undisturbed by the presence of a employee as witness to their building tension toward intimacy. The drink of his gaze fell to the pale stem of her legs, then. The hem of her dress lay short over the top of her thighs. It was there that he placed his palm, grazing with agonizing anticipation upward from her knee.
This time, his husky whisper was laid upon her ear. “I can’t promise to not distract you, but I can promise you will enjoy it,” he said just as he touched his lips to curve of her neck and closed what remaining distance existed between them.
He wanted Natalie because she walked a line of rejection and enticement. He enjoyed the game while it lasted, but was ready to move on to other playable fields if she did not so much as make a small advance. He wanted her to come to him, and she when she did, she found a receptive partner. She had to give a little to get something back, and in Adrian, she would find that the return would be more than she ever expected (as partners or lovers).
Her whispered confession rent a pleasant chill down his spine. Like ice dousing hot stone with steam. He did not grab her shoulders as his thoughts tempted him to do. Nor did he snatch the back of her neck and push his tongue greedily into her mouth. He did not move much at all but to allow her freedom to explore what she found so desirable, and there was much to enjoy, but while she did, the memory of her fingers pressing the small of his back and the heat of her nails tracking his scalp remained fresh for his enjoyment. Just as he found pleasure in her, she clearly felt the same for him. The remnants of her lipstick was smoothed away, but her cheeks were still flushed with the grazing of his cheek. That was the most thrilling of all.
She laid careful rules that might as well have been writ by Adrian’s own hand. It was a rare woman that separated business from pleasure, willing to cut the latter loose at the first threat of a rising storm. He would do the same; he had done the same. He was no chivalrous hero. He was predictably selfish, and any honor he had was only extended as far as it served his interests.
“Hm,” was his only murmur of a response as she peered one last time into the shadows of his eyes. Even his response was contained thoughtfulness now that their moment was bottled back up. He remained behind after she departed.
The little ball of light hovering above was Adrian’s companion in her absence. He craned his neck upward to study it, wondering how long it would persist now that its maker was gone. She had conjured it so easily. Meanwhile, alone, Adrian let his eyes close while he tried to sense the feeling that came infuriatingly rarely, but he soon found the serenity of closed eyes to be a meaningless exercise, and instead opted to stare straight into the darkness. Shadows swayed with the soft pulses of the orb above, and it was into their taunting dance that he reached out. The barest of sparks flickered in the intervening space, but as soon as it seemed he gripped the power hiding within the shadow it was gone completely. His jaw locked tight, frustrated again, and he vowed to make progress on this helplessness at first chance.
His gaze studied the orb once more. Now that Natalie was gone, its power seemed to be fading, a sad remnant hanging on for life, but the hue was enough to give him one more opportunity to study their surroundings. The building really was in terrible shape. If it was going to function as a place of safety for the daughters of Moscow’s powerful, it would need fully transformed. The leverage they could wield over untold circles was infinite. Combined with Adrian’s unique ability to influence others through their dreams, he could get quite creative with expansions in the future. He scrubbed his chin thoughtfully one last time, but unlike before, he had no audience to stop the stupid habit.
He pulled out a wallet and used the time to take some interior scans for future renderings, and on the return walk to the car, he had the information sent to his designers for initial drafts.
He slid into the back seat, wallet tucked away by then, and regarded Natalie.
“I want 50% of whatever this becomes,” he said, nodding toward the window. The offer was generous, but fair in his consideration.
He slid nearer then, thoughts shifting to the other half of their deal. If there was a driver to the car, he was undisturbed by the presence of a employee as witness to their building tension toward intimacy. The drink of his gaze fell to the pale stem of her legs, then. The hem of her dress lay short over the top of her thighs. It was there that he placed his palm, grazing with agonizing anticipation upward from her knee.
This time, his husky whisper was laid upon her ear. “I can’t promise to not distract you, but I can promise you will enjoy it,” he said just as he touched his lips to curve of her neck and closed what remaining distance existed between them.