I feel an arm around me as he holds me back from doing something I might regret. My anger is not enough to truly comprehend my disgust at seeing her. 

"Did you not learn your lesson when we had our last encounter? When I told you to stay the fuck away from him?" I don't even sound like myself; my voice has dropped an octave as I try to keep the conversation between us.

She smiles sweetly at me, folding her hands in front of herself. Her dress sparkles as she sways like a schoolgirl, so pleased with herself. My hands curl into fists, and Verando tightens his grip on me. 

"Nikki-"

"Don't. Call me. That." I feel like I'm fighting against iron as I try and take a step. A simple glare isn't enough, she needs to be struck down, she needs to be buried under this building and left to rot as she should have been back in our time. My body feels hot like I'm on fire as I fight to keep control of myself.

The building begins to tremble, a minor wiggle that causes the lights to flicker and people to squeal in surprise. Rats, all of them, if they would follow such a deplorable creature. 

"You are the reason the world is as it is, you vile, disgusting, cowardly-"

"Gentlemen!" The announcer greets with a broad grin. "Mistress, I see you're getting acquainted with Mr.Mercer and his... fiance, was it?"

"Husband." I seeth. 

She chuckles, taunting me, tilting her head so innocently as she gently fixes her bangs. She's toying with me for she knows I can not touch her here. 

"Yes, I've met Daddy before." She winks at us, and the announcer flushes, rapidly looking back and forth between the two as if trying to put it together. "It's a sex thing..." 

He coughs, choking on his startle. Verando rolls his eyes at her, not nearly as offended as I am.

 "Sorry, you know how blunt I can be..." She tries to explain, and he waves her off.

The man pats his forehead with a handkerchief, flustered with her honesty. "No, Mistress, you're fine. I er... wow. Daddy, huh? Yer an interesting man there, Mr.Mercer." 

Verando scoffs, not daring to release me. "I assure you, it's a curse rather than a blessing. I'm actually not feeling well, would it be alright if we postponed this gathering?" All eyes turn to Red who is now obligated to be understanding, for she is supposed to be the hands of God. 

I envision what she'd look like if she were all wet; if I could explode the sprinklers and melt the clumped-on makeup that hides her true rat face. 

Pouting, Red reaches over and touches his arm. Where he's calm and collected, I fight against his grasp to insert myself between them. Had he forgotten that she beat him? That she toyed with him for her own amusement when he didn't even want to be alive? The marks on his body were burned into my mind, how could I forget the broken being that stood before me at her own hand? 

"If you must go, I understand, Daddy. Just.. name the place and the time, it's money for my own function, I'm not inclined to take it back, and you've so generously donated your talents. Singing that lovely song, I could just eat. You. Up." She runs her tongue over her red lipstick and the announcer looks like he could burst from the embarrassment. 

A smirk curls onto his lips, she's digging her own grave with her behavior. From all I had heard, she was supposed to be the epitome of good and her behavior was less than the holy spirit she claimed to be. I imagine this man was watching his chances of ever having such a prestigious man play at his venue again slip right through his fingers. 

"Perhaps over the weekend, I'll have my people connect with your people."

With a wink, she blows him a kiss and twiddles her fingers as she disappears back into the crowd. The man to our side has torn the card in his hands to bits, clearing his throat as he stammers around for something to say to salvage this situation. "Mr. Mercer I do apologize for.. that is not how she- I'm so... please don't hold the club accountable for that. We have enjoyed having you here."

"Ban her, then!" I snap harshly, embarrassing my warlord with my outburst. 

"Stop." He growls at me. "Not at all, she is who she is. Maybe in the future, vet your fundraisers a bit better. I heard there is another up-and-comer who's done quite a lot for the city."

"The one who's working for the government? Don't you think that's suspicious as hell?"

Verando shrugs. "My money is on the one who spends more time with the public than making speeches on television... I'd say now that she has revealed who she truly is, she won't have my support any longer. I imagine if your patrons saw her behavior, they'd feel much the same. Just a thought."

He nods quickly, "No no, thank you for your feedback, Mr.Mercer! And Nicolas, was it? I do apologize for this unfortunate outcome. Normally, these auctions are very innocent. You can always choose to decline her offer?" 

I open my mouth to speak, and he quickly puts his hand over it. "We'll think about it, it's been a long evening. If you'll excuse us." I fight against his hand, resisting the urge to storm the stage and fail. If they knew they wouldn't follow her; if they had any idea who she really was they would understand she's horrendously under-qualified. 

I plant my feet, and once he realizes that he's dragging me, he comes to a halt to give me a bewildered look. "If you don't walk, I'll carry you."

"I dare you. I'll scream." I threaten him. He stoops to pick me up, and I jerk backward, making an attempt to run only to have him scoop me up and throw me over his shoulder. "You asshole! This is so undignified!" I smack his back with the flat of my palm, and it doesn't have nearly the effect I was hoping for; he's too evenly muscled now, without a defect my smacks were quite useless.

 In retaliation, I lift his jacket and give him a firm smack on the ass. "Jerk!" 

With how the evening played out, there was not much surprise that I had to be carried away. People were giggling more than they were concerned for my well-being; maybe they figured if the man decided he wanted to take me home and kill me, they weren't going to stop him. 

I try to look as purposeful as possible though there's no way to not resemble a corpse when carried in such a manner. Once out the doors, he sets me down, and I punch him in the arm. "In what world do you carry me like that?!"

"When you act like a damned child. These people don't know Red; they think she's a hero."

"She's a damned prostitute, is what she is! Literally! She's doing- She's behind all this- this is all her!" I'm shouting now, my fists clenched at my sides. "Why are you not more upset about this?"

Running his hand through his hair, he shakes his head at me. "I am upset. Do you think I want to spend any amount of time with her? But if you let her know we are on to her, any chance of figuring out what she's doing goes out the window. Nic, we must play this game or we might never fix this." 

I throw my hands up at him, storming to the curbside and remembering the valet has our car. 

"This is the stupidest system for a car! Sir. Our car. Please." I'm fuming; nothing sounds right as the poor teenager runs to find it. "Never again. Next thing you know, someone from our past will have a hold of the car, and then what? Our identities? Copies of ourselves? Where does it end?"

 Wisely, he says nothing. There's nothing to say when I don't want to hear it, I don't wish to hear his explanations, of why he thinks she's here. I'm just angry and, frankly, terrified for him. The car pulls up and the teen hops out, handing us over the keys. Verando takes them as the poor youth scurries off, and I quickly jump in. I want to leave, to go home, yet I don't have a home. 

When I look up, I see that Red is outside the car, talking to him, and I feel that familiar heat building in me once more. I stand up as I shove the car door open and slam it behind me. On a warpath, I march towards the two and grab him by the elbow. "Come on, Randy. Someone forgot to take the trash out; it's best not to make it think it belongs here." 

She laughs at me, rolling her eyes. "You know, you might need me, so you should listen to Daddy and play nice. I could be quite useful to you when it comes to fixing this mess." 

"A mess you caused!" 

"Nicolas," Verando says shortly. 

"It's fine Daddy, I'm a big girl, and Nicolas can behave when he wants to. It's just a fight amongst siblings... big older sister, naive little brother." 

I am cackling like I've lost my mind; maybe I truly have. Never before have I thought so intimately how I would kill someone, how I'd love to that she ceased to exist. 

"Is that why you're calling yourself Corina? You truly are disgusting."

She smiles sweetly, "Corina is a pretty name. You don't own it, and the fact that you let your experiences control you after all this time is pathetic. How do you like time travel? You're very welcome, considering I figured it out. Saved your damn life, so I'll let you reflect on that until we meet again. I'll see you in a few days, Daddy. We need to talk."

"Red." He sighs, dismissing her as she walks away. 

I throw up my hands, walking to the car, and sitting down. "Can we go now?" I know I'm being harsh, but he's acting like she's a normal human being. She's from our time; she's not up to any good. Even if I hadn't told him the extent of her depravity and what I'd done to her to prove to her that her hands are best kept to herself, how could he even stomach to be around her? 

The sight of her alone was enough to bring me screaming back to the days when I was but a shell of myself. An abused victim who wanted death, who never wanted to see him again; I almost find that I blame myself for it because if it hadn't happened, then he never would have engaged in play with her. I slam the car door again, crossing my arms over my chest as I feel his eyes on me.

 "What?"

"Drop your attitude. Right now." 

I scoff. "Right. Just take me home."

Taking a slow breath, his hands flex on the steering wheel. "Apologize for your behavior. You're acting like a right brat."

I can't help but gape at him as if he had any grounds to scold me for my behavior after what I had been through and the pain this woman had caused us both. "Excuse me? Apologize to me! You're acting like a complete jerk! She is using my sister's name! She is calling you Daddy! She practically fucked you with her eyes, and she beat the hell out of you in our own time! Do I need to go on?"

"The majority of these things sound like my problem." He starts to drive, knuckles white from his grip. "I told you we need information from her." I wait until we arrive in the driveway; the awkward silence between us builds like a dam fit to burst. I feel as though I'm being choked, a heavyweight sits on my chest, and it's begging to come out. I have to tell him I can't live like this, I can't be in purgatory with my feelings for him. "Have you calmed down? Can we talk about this like adults?"

"Now you want to talk? Your problems are my problems, asshole!" It's all coming to the surface now, and I can't escape it; it has to come out. "I still love you, and you're about to go on a dinner date with the devil herself! I don't want you to, I don't want you to be anywhere near her, and you're acting like it's no big deal!" 

I'm shouting now, unable to control my voice, unwilling to silence myself. 

"Do you understand how hard this has been for me? How much it sucks that you fucked Anuetta, and I have to find some way to forgive you for that?! I shouldn't have to forgive you, Randy. You shouldn't do shit like this! How do I know you're not going to sleep with her? Or have her beat you again?"

Verando grits his teeth, closing the front door behind him. "You have no idea how important she could be to our cause. Nic, we don't have to like her. We have to get on with her until we have an idea of her plans." He laughs at me, and I feel myself threatening to teeter over the edge. 

"I could have just lied. I was trying to prevent this! She said if I had sex with her, she would take her own life, and make it a suicide. I was trying to keep from having to kill her. Naptalion was looking for any reason to put me to death to get rid of me, and you were too busy planning your wedding to talk about it. It would have worked if I hadn't forgotten that bloody sword! Is that what you want?"

I grab a decorative pillow from the couch and throw it at him, making him roll his eyes at my attempt. "I'd rather you had killed her and gone to gallows for that than fucked her! How am I supposed to forgive you?!" It keeps surfacing, a corpse that just won't sink, infecting the beautiful pond we were trying to build. 

I throw another pillow, and he grabs my arms, locking his burning gaze on my eyes. "The fact that I put up with your horrid attitude should prove that I love you. I should take you over my knee and spank you for acting like a child! If you can not forgive me, then stop torturing us both and go home, Nicolas!"  

I grab his jacket, yanking him down to my level to crush my lips against his. "I must forgive you because I'm chosen never to live without you; it doesn't mean I can't be pissed off at you." 

He spins us around, shoving my back against the wall roughly as his lips find me, and I taste the wine on his tongue. 

"You are absolutely insufferable." He hurriedly pulls my jacket off, tossing it as I fight to undo his buttons, shoving it off his arms the moment they're free. 

"Egotistical bastard." I knot his tie around my hand, pulling him forcefully to my height as I grab a handful of his hair and claim his mouth. He lifts me off the ground, and I grunt as he slams me against the wall with his body, making one of the various paintings fall to the floor with a loud bang.

"Spoiled brat." He retorts, biting my lip. I shove off the wall and cling to him, causing him to stumble backward, taking books and a lamp with him off the end table before subsequently, falling to the ground, and I'm shocked that landing on him didn't hurt more. 

I take advantage as I straddle his hips, hiding my amusement at his startled face. My hands hurriedly find the seam of his button-down, and I forcefully pull the pieces apart as buttons fly around us. I make a surprised sound as he flips us, forcing me onto my back and pinning my hands over my head as he kisses my neck. 

"God you're driving me nuts." He sinks his teeth into my neck and I flinch, arching up into him.

I buck my hips against him, shouting obscenities as I fight to get purchase against his hard form. Shredding my shirt in half with his hands, I take the opportunity to attack his pants and fight with his belt. We pant together in between insults, as fighting turns into desperation. 

"Then shut up and take me." I snap back, whimpering as he snarls against my ear and grinds his hips so deliciously against mine through our clothes.

In a final push, I manage to shove him onto his back, landing on my hands and knees over him. As I sit on his bare hips, I grasp the tie and give it a hard pull. He swallows against it as I brace with my other hand on his chest. 

"If you ever cheat on me again, I will adopt the Chinese method of servitude and turn you into a damned eunuch. Do you understand?" He nods, and I pull him to me, forcing him to prop himself up on his elbows as I kiss him. My hands tangle in his hair, giving it a firm tug that produces the most sinful moan. 

His hands reach my pants, shoving them down around my knees, and I leave him momentarily to slide them off. In nothing but my torn shirt, I straddle him once more as I rake my fingers down his abdomen. 

"Wait." He tells me firmly, and I practically whimper against him. He dodges my lips, pressing his forehead to mine. "I'm coming right back. Give me a moment." Sliding out from under me, he departs, and in my worked-up state, I follow after him. 

"What're you doing?"

He produces the bottle from his nightstand. "You'll thank me later. Modern conveniences, darling." It makes me pause, watching him slide out of his pants and shoes. I kick my shoes off and move to return to him as he attempts to fold the pants. Knocking them out of his hands, I shove him back onto the bed and climb on top of him. Straddling him once more, I wet my lips hungrily as my hand clutched his throat to pin him beneath me. 

"What's a man have to do to get fucked around here?" I manage, my voice rough.

Amid all that rage and passion, he thought about me. He wanted me to be comfortable; he wanted to make it the best it could be for me. I snag the bottle out of his hand and apply it to him; when I return to him, it's slower, more deliberate as I melt against his lips. As he deepens the kiss, I roll onto my back and pull him with me, sighing breathlessly as he kisses down my jaw, towards my neck, and ends on one of my nipples. 

My fingers find his back as I arch towards him, raking my nails down the muscular plains, my body on fire and pleading for release as he torments me, "We will continue this later." I panic at the thought, clinging to him, pleading with him not to leave me like this, and he chuckles as he kisses my forehead. 

"I meant your punishment for your behavior. You're not getting away from me that easily." 

My heart skyrockets at the thought; I almost encourage him, yet as he fills me, I cry out, reconsidering my stance on demanding to be had. It'd been so long, my body was tense, and tight, I whimpered as he placed one hand on my knee to keep my legs spread while he filled me. 

"I can't-" I manage, breathless. 

Melding his body with mine, pressing against me with every thrust as he keeps my leg firmly hiked toward my chest, I'm exposed and vulnerable to him as he uses me. I sink my teeth into his shoulder, scratching him, biting him, screaming for him with every merciless stroke. 

"Endure, because I've reached the end of my tolerance when it comes to this body. You're mine, every damn inch of you." He exhales against my ear, moaning against my neck as I feel him shiver against me. "You feel incredible."

It was as if all of those 6 months were being laid out before us, here and now. I take everything he gives me, wanting him closer, deeper, harder. "Don't stop." I manage, rolling against him, submitting to him as he clings to me, my body tangled with his.

But, as he moves, I build in an entirely new way. A participant, a lover, a partner, he meets my gaze to watch me as I climb, and I find I can't look away as I writhe beneath him, rocking back to meet him. 

"Marry me." I plead with him. 

"Nic-" He manages, agonized as he meets my gaze. 

"Randy please.. just marry me. In front of everyone- in front of the world I want you to be mine." I cry, groaning with each stroke as I squirm beneath him. I was so close, my body was on the edge of what I could take. 

"You're so damn drunk.." He sighs, burying his face in my neck. "I'll do whatever you want, I belong to you. I always have, I always will." He admits as he quickens. I finish as he speaks, shivering as he follows close behind me, we lay in a heap of two spent bodies, and I try and come to terms with my current state of euphoria. 

As he regains some semblance of self, carefully he rolls off of me to lay beside me, working to catch his breath. "Why don't you ask me again in the morning? In case you change your mind."

"I won't change my mind. But I'll ask you every day... every day until you believe me."