#NOW IM GOING TO BED ITS NEARLY 2AM OOPS

[cursivebloodlines]

"Still, a bit extreme, don't you think?" Although on second thought, maybe not. Lydia was well aware of the importance of needing to be careful but even this seemed a bit like overkill. Besides, what was it he had said before? That if someone tried anything, he would know about it faster than she could even blink? Oh, and that nobody would even try anything because of his reputation. In different words and probably far fewer words but that was a reminder swirling around in her head. Did he really think people were pathetic enough to try and cause chaos on his wedding day? That being said, she supposed she could understand to a degree, given whatever he involved himself with. After finding out about her father, she'd never been the same since. Their relationship was rocky at best, and even Lydia knew she needed to tread very carefully around the man. At least Ivan was honest with her and she knew where she stood with him. If he caught her trying anything with him, she'd be dead. Heck, if she were a man, she would already be. They already had that conversation. But her father? Lydia knew he did not hesitate to stick a knife in someone's back, and she knew all it would take was a fraction of a second for him to turn on someone. He used people to his advantage, took what he could get from them to get ahead, and disposed of them when they weren't of use to him anymore, or a better offer came along. Whatever means necessary. He'd told her that to her face. The thought of him trying something today, his daughter's wedding day, had crossed her mind a couple of times but she dismissed it because he was too on board with the idea. Too eager. Which only made her unable to stand him even more. Encouraged her to stay as far away from the man as humanly possible. And she never even considered Ivan may have been concerned about him since they came up with the stupid idea between them and Lydia was forced - and very bitterly so - to go along with it. Deep down, though, she thought maybe somewhere, deep, deep down in whatever was left of his soul, he still loved his daughter but had the most peculiar way of showing it. That if it boiled down to it, he would not put his only daughter in jeopardy. To say she trusted him would be bullshit, though. Lydia didn't trust anyone, not anymore. Trust needed to be earned, and so far everyone proved time and time again that she could not trust anymore, no matter what.

His question about whether she could see her feet earned a laugh leaving her lips. A laugh! Was she actually laughing at something her husband said? Without any indicator of sarcasm or malice? That had to be a first for her today. Not to be mistaken for softening up for him because that wasn’t the case and would never be. At least, that was what she convinced herself of. She couldn't stand him or anything he stood for. Yet there were all of these filthy thoughts lingering in her mind, thanks to before. “No, not that I need to look at my feet but now I definitely can’t…Not with you and your big head blocking my vision.” A pathetic rebuttal, really. And a weak one for her. But it wouldn’t be Lydia if she didn’t come up with something or other. Or at the very least tried to sound like she was composed, put together. But this time, instead of it being spoken in the usual sour tone she had especially for him, it was more teasing and even playful. It was literally anything to distract her from all the other thoughts running rampant in her mind, trying to forget whatever that was back in the elevator. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't help but let her mind drift back to only moments before. God, this man was going to be the death of her. "Maybe they would. But now we'll never know because the hero of the hour is upon us. My two brain cells are eternally grateful." Quite possibly the nicest thing she had said to him this far. Were they...bantering? Such a peculiar feeling it was. She had grown accustomed to dishing out snide remarks and hearing sneering retorts in return. This? This was a bit different. Like they were actually joking. Like they were actually tolerating each other. Whatever. It meant nothing. She was sure it wouldn't take long before they were hurling insults at each other once again. With the buckles of her shoes removed, Lydia stepped out of them, letting her feet brush against the floor. Making no effort to put on the new pair.

Yet...the atmosphere changed once more. With a question from her husband's mouth, there was the sexual tension permeating the atmosphere once again. All that mental effort to sort herself out and shed whatever feelings she'd had back in the elevator, the attempts evaporated into thin air with a few mere words from Ivan. A wicked smirk graced the woman's lips as she carefully eyed him, considering her answer with a thoughtful hum, which turned into a quiet but audible gasp as his hand came into contact with her skin, brushing against her leg. Her pulse quickened, her stomach doing flips laced with both anticipation and excitement. "Need? Oh, I don't know - needing and wanting are two different things..." she teased, goosebumps rising against her skin at the contact. Growing impatient, Lydia needed him to do something - anything at this point. Preferably without interruption, but she was growing restless. How could she think straight when he was on the floor before her, his fingers exploring underneath her dress? His lips followed suit. "Ivan, please -" she let out a breath, breathing pattern growing heavier as his lips pressed against her thigh. Closer, but still not enough. And she was impatient. Lydia's eyes almost widened at the sound of her own voice, how needy she sounded - almost like she was about to beg him. But no, of course, she wasn't about to do that. She let her fingers brush through his hair, beckoning him a little more forward with a light push, adjusting herself so he was that little bit closer to where she so desperately craved him. "I think it's time you got that answer to your question back in the elevator," she murmured, her other hand reaching down to her dress, attempting to lift it up higher. His words echoed through her mind: If I lift up that dress, are you going to be wet? So bold, and if she were in the right mind, she would've ought to have slapped him for that. But at the same time, he had caught her off guard - and it didn't help how hot it sounded, coming from his mouth. She couldn't stop thinking about it. The what ifs. But hopefully, now she was about to get the answer to that question. Hopefully. "Now, preferably," Lydia added at the end, a signal of her impatience.

"I don't even trust my own shadow, princess" Ivan wasn't going to bluntly tell her that he didn't trust her father one bit. Her father looked like the kind of person who couldn't wait to stab anyone who presented a threat to his organization, no matter if they were allies and if he did it from behind. Ivan wasn't paranoid, he was just being careful. Especially if a dangerous man like Lydia's father was involved in the equation. He didn't care that he was married to the man's daughter, if Ivan had to guess, it made him an even bigger target because it had put him right under the man's radar. The fact that he was married to Lydia probably meant nothing to the man who hadn't hesitated to 'marry off' his daughter to a very dangerous man like him to begin with. That was weird cause, who would do that? but Ivan was glad he had gotten away with it without any conflict with her father after all. Even if they took her father out of the equation, the mere fact that she was married to him put her at risk. Just as Ivan had worked his way to the top with blood and sweat, he had left more than one unhappy person along the way. His wedding day would be a good day to get something done with all the attention on the celebrations. He made a mental note to have a talk with her in the next days. Lydia needed to be exactly aware of the danger she might be in. Well, she always had been due to her dad but now she was also married. Ivan saw no point in keeping her in the dark, smart as she was, knowledge was power in Lydia's case. She couldn't know everything or the dirty details but she needed to know she should have her eyes open. He needed her to understand the importance of trusting her instincts. If anything ever told her to get the hell out of a place, Lydia had to understand that she had to do that and then call her husband. With some luck she would keep her eyes open to anything that seemed strange and tell Ivan right away. Although something told him that she wouldn't call him cause she was just that proud and currently hated him that much no matter what her body said.

His fingers caressed her skin slowly. Her skin was warm, it was soft and Ivan could swear that he had the same scent of jasmine as her perfume. He rolled his eyes at her when he heard her "Yeah, sure, I bet you can" Her voice was full of sarcasm. Hopefully she could even see what color her shoes were. Ivan looked up to her and raised his eyebrows. "Can you even see your feet in this dress?" He replied with a mocking tone. If he were in her place, Ivan couldn't see his own feet. Mainly because in order to be able to take off her shows, Lydia needed lift her skirt and take off her shoes. Unless his wife was Wonder Woman, she would need help, and Ivan had known enough about Lydia in the past two hours to know that she was headstrong enough to risk a fall and break her neck rather than ask for help. the "I bet both of your brain cells would have a field day trying to bend down and find your feet at the same time you lift your skirt, sweetheart" He had every intention of sounding funny. At least if he was messing around he didn't have to think about how tempting she looked right now and the fact that for the first time since they were husband and wife, they were alone within four walls. Ivan ran her fingers through the buckle of one of her shoes and undid it before doing the same to the other. Ivan wanted more, he wanted to do something more than feel her skin on her fingers. If he had been up to it, he would have taken Lydia right there in that elevator without a problem. He would just stop the thing but he wanted to take his time exploring his cranky little wife.

"Do you have anything else for me around here, wife?" The tone shifted and now it was suggestive. That was a much nicer way for Ivan to ask her if she wanted something else from him. Something like his fingers or his mouth somewhere else. Now he knew for sure after the elevator thing that he wasn't the only one who was feeling all that sexual tension and heat when they were together. Also all that could be part of the flirtation that both seemed to have in that tug-of-war just married relationship. The position Ivan was in, still crouched in front of her, opened his mind to a universe of possibilities. Among them, doing something much more fun and satisfying for both of them than having to be eating dinner and greeting guests downstairs. In fact, if it weren't for face-saving reasons, Ivan would have no problem screwing everything up and staying in that bedroom with Lydia for the rest of the night. His fingers slid under her dress to just above her knee, caressing her skin and giving her a gentle squeeze "Or maybe you need something else from me?" His other hand moved up the fabric of her dress gently before exposing much of her legs and kissing the outer side of her thigh. It was a bold move but with everything that had happened in the elevator, Ivan hoped it would pay off.