*Present*

Steven grimaced as he looked at the blackish and purple bruise to his left side through the mirror; the knuckle duster really dug in. Still, he had worse.

"That's a nasty one, Biscuit."

Sucking in his breath hurt, but he couldn't help it. Her voice came out of nowhere. He turned around and saw Connie, already getting some comfrey cream and bandage wrap from the first-aid, a neutral look on her face. She signaled him to raise his arms so she could dress his damage.

He shivered at the touch of Connie's meticulously callous yet very soft hands as she rubbed the cream on the bruise... Being ever so careful to cover every inch. He nearly purred at the heat of her hand. She started wrapping him with care and tenderness she hardly showed. Making sure it wasn't too tight or uncomfortable. When she was done securing that it would stay, she offered him a kind smile and a stroke of his cheek with her right hand; one he allowed himself to nuzzle into, kissing her palm as he did.

"My Bisky." 

The velvety tone of voice made him gulp In a bad way...He knew that tone...She killed people using that tone.

"M-My rein-Ahhgh!!" 

He groaned in pain as he felt her vice-like grip on his bruise. He looked at her face; the same smile was there, but her eyes were burning in rage.

"Who the hell told you to damage 'Shangri-la.' Does my bar look like a fight club!? Do I have an arena or a ring somewhere I don't know about?"

Steven grimaced as he clenched his fist to withstand the pain.  "Ugh, I'm sorry! Sorry please let go-ho-ho!"

Connie sighed as she released her hold on him feeling bad about what she had done. She rubbed the back of her head as she got his shirt, vest, and tie. She stood behind him as she placed the shirt over his light tan body, having him slip his arms through the sleeves, tapping his shoulder to have him face her so she could button him up.

“So you went and talked to Sam yourself, huh?” Connie teased as she buttoned him from the bottom up.

“As if you weren’t aware, were you watching the whole time?”

“I always have an eye on what’s mine.” Connie gave a slight smirk as she looked him in the eye, black meeting brown. She buttoned the second to last button before flipping up his collar and getting the tie, earning a disapproving groan from Steven. 

He hated ties.

”Shut it...So? What'd you think?”  Connie threw the tie over his shoulders before bringing it against the collar, starting to Windsor tie it. 

Steven shrugged, exhaling in annoyance. “Think I should have hit Sam one more time…As for our visitors, "Steven smirked darkly as he slipped his hands into his lady's back pockets, squeezing her. "Maybe we should give them a welcoming party...We got their location, after all...The old Cookie cat factory near the pier."

"Isn't that sweet?" Connie chuckled before pulling him closer to her by his tie, the same smirk on her face. "Can't wait till I finish?"

"Hey, you grabbed me first, on my side..my bruised side."  He gripped her a bit harder, kneading her bottom, making her shiver a bit." Just returning the favor… Eye for an eye and all that jazz."

"You messed up my bar, Big baby."

"Your baby."

She rolled her eyes as they shared a kiss. Her eyelids dropped shut as she let him melt her, hands stroking his cheeks and pulling him even closer as tongues twisted around each other. Breaking the kiss only to reunite as she made him guide her to the table in the center of the room.  Letting out a little giggle as he sat her on the table and stood between her legs, palms on her thighs, rubbing them and evoking a snarl from the woman.

"YoHo...I know that sound."  Steven teased as his kisses moved and trailed from her lips to her neck, becoming nibbles along the way, making her moan as he unbuttoned the first two buttons of her shirt to sink his teeth into her collarbone, sucking and licking into her brown skin.

"So I'd guess this part of ...ah…. Damn...Of your apology for...Hmm, UUMMMM.." Connie couldn't finish, losing herself to his mouth, the stroking of his thumb on her inner thighs. Which was why she was thankful when the phone rang...Bringing her back to a more clear mind. Reluctantly, she moved from him to check the phone... It was Sam...

"No...Not yet." She scoffed as she let the phone ring out. With a sigh, she fixed her shirt., smiling as Steven held her from behind..and felt his...Charisma...on her ass. She nearly was put into a trance again when he started with the kisses again.

"Hey... Later ok...At your place." She turned, giving him a tender kiss and a little suck upon his bottom lip. "For now...We got to get a team ready."

Steven smirked at the tone of voice and sneer on her face. Dark and elegant. Civil and criminal. What he expected from his queen. He nodded as she got his vest and placed it on him. Gripping it by the sides, she pulled him in for one more kiss, catching him pleasantly off guard with a  sweet "Chu", she broke the kiss, sniggering at his love-struck stare.

"That was for doing a good job. Now go fix your hair while I gather some others for the welcoming..and farewell party." With a sinister yet sweet smile,  Connie took out her cell and dialed the first person on her list, walking out as she did.

He watched her go, paying attention to the sway of her hips until the door closed. He smirked as he turned his attention to his hair. Fishing a comb out of the back of his pocket and ran it through his hair, back and fro, until it returned to its ordinarily slick do.

"Alright. Spinel, Lars, Amethyst, and Garnet are on their way there." Connie announced as she walked in wearing the coat of her three-piece suit, completing her outfit.

Steven whistled before shaking his head with a smile.  "Called the extermination squad, huh? Well, that's what they get for trying to make moves in secret."

"No...If they just try to be snakes, we would've rough them up, but they try to pull shit in my bar;  even worse, they bruised your side and blacked your eye...I'm also not with the drug dealing shit." Determination and slight sadism in her voice as she slipped on some black mid-finger gloves. "Now, now we gotta make an example out of them...You about ready?"  

Steven nodded before following behind the shorter woman, who was just about withering in pleasure a few moments ago; now wore a devil's smile on her beautiful features and a grave glint in her eyes. While Steven didn't mind it, he did prefer her to be a bit brighter.

"Hold on, Mi Reina."

Connie stopped for a moment turning back to him only to have him steal one last tender kiss from her. She squeezed his hand to keep from moaning.  He broke it, looking at her now gentler smile and now burning eyes. 

"nāṉ uṉṉai kātalikkiṟēṉ...Damn punk." 

"Love you too, Reina."

The two shared a small smile before stepping out into the world they were accustomed to. Ready to once again do whatever needed to obtain wealth, power, and prestige. To do whatever needed to protect what was theirs. A world of criminals, violence, civility, elegance, and family. A world of Mafia.