Chapter Text
“You have got to be out of your fucking mind! You really have no integrity, do you?” Dahlia snarled, staring at Evra. The dark green dragonborn leaned across the large conference table, mirroring her rigid body posture. She was trying so hard to control her fury. “How is getting rid of a whole department to make way for some other arbitrary department any solution!?”
“I didn’t say I liked it, just that I could see where he was coming from.”
Holton, the CEO, their boss and her newly ex-fiance was nowhere to be seen. The only communication the two figureheads of the company had with him was a text.
Dahlia scoffed. “Of course you can see where he’s coming from, he’s green-lit every idea you’ve said out loud.” Eighty percent of those being hers. She’d realized too late that Holton had stolen them and brought them to Evra. The fact that Evra had passed them off as his was unfortunate.
“For fuck’s sake, Dalhia, the ideas were good. It’s not my fault you can’t handle a little competition. You know you can’t be in this business with a sensitive ego. You're playing with the big boys now.”
It felt like she’d been slapped. She’d been Holton’s partner since they’d both started the company. Most of it had been her idea and somehow through the years, she’d let Holton take it all away from her. Evra didn’t even seem to know she had half shares with Holton in the company. She straightened and looked down at her notes. Her beaten up journal full of years of hard work, all meaningless now. She’d been promised to always be an equal, but now no one even knew she was co-owner.
The anger and sadness swelled up inside of her. She took her journal and threw it across the room at him. Papers flew everywhere, the hard book hitting the wall, just barely missing Evra. She watched all her years flutter to the ground. They could have it all.
Evra flinched, blocking some papers from hitting his face. “Are you out of your mind!?”
“Apparently I am! Do whatever the fuck you want to do! Suck his dick all you like, you’ve done it for a year now.”
He glared. “You've been in his shadow for years, using his tail skirts for your fame! Why are you surprised by this?”
She gathered up her bag, scoffing. “I'm not surprised by him. We've been together for eight years. What I’m surprised by is how quickly you've sold your soul to him.” Dahlia went to the door. “Don’t expect me to be the one to tell the department they're fired and explain why their hard work and loyalty meant nothing after all these years.” She left.
The rage burning inside her was heavy and all consuming. She had tried to put some things right before she resigned, but her ex was bitter about the break up and knew this move would hurt her. It had only taken him two days before he began lashing out via texts.
While she was getting ready for her Mother’s charity gala, she made phone calls for all the people who were about to lose their jobs. She’d have the last say, even if it was quiet and unnoticed. And after the gala, she’d be gone, her finger prints fading away from everything she’d carefully created. She'd never be seen in this city again or by anyone she knew from it.
Dahlia was even giving her mother an unknowing parting gift. She did not argue with her mother’s choices for what Dahlia was to wear or how her hair was styled. She wanted her mother to have a little peace before everything fell apart. The announcement of her breakup with Holton would be wide-spread and shake a lot of foundations. And the shame of Dahlia disappearing with no explanation would be a worse embarrassment. So for now, she just smiled and sipped her champagne as the hairdresser and makeup artist got her ready.
The gala was packed as always. Anonymity hung in the air as everyone was required to wear masquerade masks that would actually hide their identity. She leaned against a wall in her silver ballgown, with black accents that really were quite elegant. Her mask was an ornate, silver and black piece, that even, as predictable as it was, was beautiful. She drank her third glass of champagne, knowing her mother hated how much she’d had already, but she was allowing this one small luxury, otherwise she wouldn’t be able to get through the night
“You look quite amused for someone not socializing.” A dragonborn in a deep blue tux smirked. His mask was a duck with blue and green iridescent feathers that matched his deep green scales. He looked familiar, but his charming smile captured her in such a way that all familiarity was gone.
She shrugged. “It’s not my sort of thing ever.”
He leaned sideways against the wall, framing her. “If it’s not your thing, then why are you here?
She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Obligation.”
The dragonborn hesitated and then nodded. “Same. I got bullied by the host.”
Dahlia grunted. “Yeah, she’s good at being a bully.” She watched her mother step onto the stage and address the crowd. “Speak of the devil…” Her words had a mix of spite and amusement to it, which she blamed on the champagne and anonymity of the night. She no longer needed to save face to keep the peace.
Her mother, the only one with a see-through mask, spoke into the microphone. “Good evening! Thank you for participating in this year’s charity drive! The drinks are free and available all night! Just don’t get too incapacitated, otherwise you won’t be able to sign those checks!”
“For fuck’s sake,” Dahlia laughed under her breath. She knew that crack about drinking was directed at her. She took a deliberate sip.
“You really don’t like her,” the dragonborn mused.
“I think she’s as fake as they come. She does these just so she can be in magazines and have the clout from an angel’s ass.”
He laughed.
She smiled, liking how it sounded. She watched her mother, pretend to be a saint. She continued, leaning conspiratorially into her new friend. “She hates donating money to charity, it’s why she makes others do it. Wish she’d just quit lying and do things she actually cared about. She’d be in magazines all the same.”
That got his attention and he looked at her sideways. “Do you act like yourself in public or around others?”
The question stung. She swirled her champagne. “I used to until very recently.”
“What happened?”
She eyed him, curious as to why he wanted to know, but it didn’t matter anymore who she talked to. She’d be gone after tonight. “Got a new coworker a year or so ago. Don’t know why, but he was a real condescending jackass to me all the time. Which sucks, cause I almost thought we’d have made a good team the first day we met.” She sighed and took a sip. “I’m sure my ex-fiance had something to do with it. Every idea I had somehow came out of the coworker’s mouth before I could even do anything. My ex would just say it’s a competitive business and I needed to toughen up. I should have known it was just his way of stealing my ideas.”
“Damn. How’d your ex take being dumped?”
She snorted. “He fired a whole department I created when we first started. I’ve spent all day getting them new jobs. They’re the only reason the business got where it was, I couldn’t just abandon them.”
“That’s noble of you.” He smirked.
She laughed. “Shut up. It’s not noble, it’s just what felt right. I had the connections and ability, so I used it. The business was my idea anyway, so I'm responsible for them, my ex just used his connections to get it going. In any case, I’m still going to get the last laugh. After tonight, I’m sending in my resignation, so we’ll see how long it’ll be before my ex begins to panic without all my ideas to fall back on.”
He raised his champagne glass. “Cheers to the new life, then.”
She delicately clinked hers to his. She drank the champagne, watching her mother speak, blissfully floating on her perfectly curated cloud. “And here’s my cue, she’s about to announce the auction to buy a dance partner. It was nice talking with you.”
He hesitated and then straightened. “Would you hate it if I bid to dance with you?”
She laughed. “I wouldn’t hate it, you’ve already made my day so much better.”
“And now, we’ll begin the dance! All those in the auction for the audience to win a dance with them, please come to the stage!”
She took her place on the stage, not hoping for anything. Sure, the dragonborn had offered, but that didn’t mean anything. The others before her were auctioned off to fairly decent prices, almost all being sold for one-thousand five hundred dollars. When she took center stage, the bidding war went fast, sky-rocketing well past those that had gone first. She looked into the crowd, shocked, and found three people, one she didn’t recognize, on was her ex and the third was the dragonborn. Her mother recognized Holton and tried her best to let him win the dance with her, but the dragonborn persisted.
Dahlia began to grow nervous at the amount the two were bidding against each other, leaving the third man in the dust. She wondered what the price to dance with her was to Holton.
“Ten thousand!” The dragonborn called, a five thousand dollar jump. Holton hesitated and Dahlia perked up, hopeful. Her mother sighed and gave it to the dragonborn.
She met him at the bottom of the stairs, taking his hand. “I can’t believe you bid that much!”
He smiled, leading her out to the dance floor. “You’re well worth it.” He danced with confidence, making perfect circles with everyone else. “So, what’s your next step once you’ve quit your job?”
“A graphic design gig on the coast. They’re small and have good ethics. It’ll let my ideas be mine again and I’ll never have to come back here. What about you? What do you do besides being a handsome, mysterious stranger?”
He laughed. “I’m glad you think I’m handsome and mysterious. I do a little of this and a little of that. Mostly, I like meeting intriguing women.”
“Let me know if you find any.”
He twirled her, out of step with everyone else. She ended up pressed against him when he pulled her back. “You don’t think that fits you?”
She laughed again, feeling light and more like herself than she had for a long time. “Why would it? I promise you, I’m not intriguing. I’ve made sure of it. I’m boring. Just me and the cats.”
He hummed. “I think you’re more interesting than you give yourself credit for. Like I bet you have more than three cats.”
“Six, two of them are a bonded pair. That’s not intriguing though, that just means I’m terrible with relationships and need to compensate to care for something, or so I’ve been told.”
He dipped her. “I don’t think so. You take care of six animals. That takes commitment. You probably just haven’t found the right person.”
She was brought back up. Her mother moved into her sight, coming to direct her to Holton after their third dance. She’d finally started having a good time and didn’t want to ruin it.“Wanna find somewhere else to dance?”
The dragonborn turned in the direction she’d looked and nodded. “Is she really going to try and steal you away after I paid so much to dance with you?”
Dahlia nodded. “You weren’t in her plans.”
He grinned. “I’d love to go somewhere else.”
Before they left, they stopped by the buffet and piled food onto three plates. She laughed with delight as they escaped, thankful to have avoided her fiance and mother. They walked along the quiet halls of the hotel, the music drifting into silence before he turned to Dahlia. “I have more champagne in my hotel room, would you like to go there?”
Her brow quirked in mischief. “Just champagne? You’re not looking for anything else?”
He grinned. “Well, dancing, obviously, but I’d love to do more, if you’re willing.”
“Why the hell not? Masks stay on, though. Let’s not ruin a good thing.”
“Agreed.”
His hotel room was bare, save for a small travel bag. She set her food on the coffee table and looked at him. He put the livestream of the gala on his phone and set it down, pulling her into his arms. They forgot to speak or flirt while they danced, enjoying the solace of each other. She’d always hated dancing and now she realized it was the dance partner she hated. He was very good, leading without overtaking her and compensating for any step she missed.
When the music stopped, he turned it off. She sat on the couch, her dress poofing around her. She was used to this and smoothed it down. She crossed a leg over the other and leaned forward to grab some of the food.
The dragonborn poured them a glass of champagne and handed one to her. “To strangers?”
“Sure.” She clinked his glass and sipped from hers.
They fell into conversation, easily bouncing through topics like they’d been friends for years. Slowly, their food was all eaten.
Dahlia smiled. “I’m glad I met you. It’s a nice way to end the night.”
He set his champagne glass down. “Me too.”
She set hers down and moved to sit on his lap, her dress billowing out around them. His smile widened. His hands moved under her dress to feel her thighs. She kissed him. He squeezed her thighs as he kissed her back, exploring her with his tongue.
She hummed happily, thumbs feeling his clavicle.
“I want to go first,” he said.
Her brows rose. “You do?”
He nodded, licking her neck with his long, pointed tongue. “I don’t wanna miss how good you taste.”
She laughed. “Alright, if you want to.”
He picked her up, startling her. She clung to his neck. He set her on the coffee table, swiping the champagne glasses and empty plates off with his arm, sending them clanging to the floor miraculously in one piece. She gasped and laughed, gaining the smile that had warmed her all night.
“You wearing anything that’ll take more than thirty seconds to take off?”
“No.”
“Thank fuck.” He disappeared under dress, throwing her shoes, stockings, and panties around the room. He maneuvered her dress further up under her so it wouldn’t get messy, then pulled her legs onto his shoulders, tucking them between his neck and shoulder spikes. He nipped her thigh, sucking a bit before moving down. His tongue was warm, lapping at her clit in a way that instantly had her toes curling.
“Holy shit!” she breathed.
He drank her in, tasting and savoring her. He was slower than she thought he’d be for how excitedly he’d gotten down there. He was taking his time to get her to her orgasm. It was wonderful agony. She was getting loud, even through her best efforts not to.
She shuddered and came, her eyes rolling to the back of her head. He didn’t move away light she thought he would, instead dipping his tongue into her to fuck her with his tongue. His thumb rubbed her clit, shooting her back into a mass of moans and pleasure. Her thighs closed around his neck, hips rising as she moaned loudly. She gripped the edge of the table, feeling her hair loosen and come undone, but her mask stayed in place.
His tongue curled and thickened in ways she’d never felt before. A low rumbling vibrated from his throat and she lost it again. Her juices spilled on his face, making him moan. He switched positions with his tongue and finger, inserting two while his tongue vibrated against her clit. She lost track of how many times she orgasmed on him. The table was wet, his whole front had to be soaked, and yet he wanted more.
She finally had to pull away, her body too sensitive to keep going. “Wait… I need… Fuck!” She was trying to catch her breath.
He stopped and kissed her thighs, taking the time to fix his mask. “We can stop.”
“What about… about you?”
“I don’t need anything. This was perfect.” He gently nipped the inside of her leg again.
“Seriously?” Her chest heaved as the tingling in her body calmed.
“Yeah. You were fucking beautiful and addicting. I could do that all night.”
She laughed. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“Hell no,” he laughed. “Sure, they’re fun for the time, but I haven’t been that addicted before.”
She smirked. “I bet you say that to all the girls as well.”
He nipped her harder in response. She laughed again. He straightened, mask still on and looked down at his shirt, completely drenched in her fluids. She covered her face, embarrassed. He began to take it off. “Don’t be shy about it. It means I did good.”
She sat up and scooted back so as not to get her dress wet. She moved to the couch, crossing her legs. He tossed two towels onto the coffee table and she began to clean it up. He busied himself with taking his jacket off and then working the buttons of his tux. She paused to watch him undress, liking how his scales moved as he did so. His shirt was cast to the side as well as his undershirt.
His torso bare, she took it in. She’d always loved dragonborns and the way their bodies were shaped, so she was glad to get a good look. He put his dirty clothes on the small table and grabbed a new pair. She caught a glimpse of a mark from a missing scale. As he turned to her, she could see it was heart shaped with a tattooed arrow going through it.
Her mind went blank. She recalled office girls gossiping about Evra and his damned heart shaped scar with the exact tattoo on it. In the exact location.
She could feel her world turning black.
“Are you okay?”
She looked at him, with the same dark green scales and voice she recognized now without a doubt. “Evra.”
His previously relaxed posture froze. Time stood still as her chest tightened.
He took a step forward. “Dahlia, let me explain.”
Her eyes screwed shut, fists pressing into them over her mask. “You knew it was me!” She shook her head. “Of course you did. I’m so stupid!” Her voice was shaking. Everything was crumbling around her once more.
“You’re not stupid. Please, just hear me out.”
She shook her head. “I am stupid! I can’t believe-!” She groaned and stood, looking desperately for her things now. “Just had to gain the last victory!”
He sat down on the coffee table, taking his mask off. “That’s not it at all. Yes, I knew it was you by the way you said obligation, but,” he sighed. “I don’t know, I was dumb. I wanted to apologize in some dumb way for how shit I’ve been to you.”
She laughed, pained and furious. “You’re full of shit!” He pointed to her panties, on the floor half under the couch. She hated that she could see his whole face now. The face who’d just been so intimate with her.
“I looked through your journal as I was picking it up. I didn’t know he was stealing your ideas. I knew he was a womanizer and a tool, but I didn’t realize he was also sleazy in that way.”
She put her panties on, keeping her dress down so he couldn’t see.
He looked at the ground and rubbed the back of his neck. “I should have looked more into the ideas and I’m sorry I was a participant in something that hurt you. I’m sorry for all the times I hurt you.”
Her chest was too tight now. She wanted to leave. She was a complete fool. She should have recognized him.
“Dahlia. I will back you one hundred percent to sue that piece of shit for stealing your ideas.”
She looked around for her stockings. “I don’t give a shit about what he does anymore.”
Evra frowned. “He shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it.”
She glared, finally looking at him. “I’ve been jerked around by the two of you enough for one lifetime. I just want to live in peace and not feel like an idiot.” She found her stockings, shoving them in her purse. She now needed her shoes.
“You’re not an idiot.”
“You knew it was me almost right away! We’ve been stuck together for a year now. Holton’s made a show of pitting us against each other and then making us spend the weekend together like a sick fuck. I should have known it was you!”
Evra shrugged. “You’d never seen me smile or heard me laugh.”
Dahlia went back to looking for her shoes. He saw one under the coffee table and picked it up and held it out. She took it from him.
“I’m sorry for everything but tonight, Dahlia. I wish we’d known each other like we did tonight.”
“So do all the office girls you’ve supposedly been with,” she murmured.
He sighed, dropping his face in his hands and resting them on his knees. “I’m not talking about sex, Dahlia. Sure, I loved it, but if I had the choice, I’d take the conversation. You laughing. I don’t want Holton to accomplish what he’s been trying to do and keep us apart.”
She scoffed. She wanted to snap back at him, but it was true, he was a pawn in this just like her.
His voice was soft and almost broken when he spoke next. “Did you enjoy the conversation we had? The dancing?”
She stopped and pulled her mask off so she could rub her face, no doubt smearing her makeup. “Of course I did, Evra! I told you so! It was the best night I had in… Probably ever.” She felt the tears welling up in her eyes. This was too much for her.
“Is there any way we can work through this? Anything I can do to make it up to you?”
She frowned through blurry eyes. “You’re really serious about this? We’ve spent a year being horrible to each other and only one night being kind.”
“You never screwed me over. You could have and I deserved it. You may have called me names, but you never messed with the genuine work I did that wasn’t stolen from you. We work well even when we hate each other, imagine what we could do when we actually get along.”
“I don’t want the corporate life. I’m not helping another man start a company based off my hard work.”
“I’m not talking about that either. I don’t care what we do, I just… I just want to do it with you.”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She shook her head. “I can’t do this. Not right now.”
He nodded. “Alright. Can I call you in three months?”
“Sure, whatever. I’m sure you’ll forget about me by then.” She huffed. “I can’t find my other shoe. Just sell the pair when you find it, Mother bought them for like fifteen hundred.” She set the pair she did have on the table.
“I’ll help you-”
“No, my room’s two floor’s up and I was going to sell them anyway. This dress too.” She left.
Evra sighed. He’d fucked up royally, but she wasn’t completely opposed to the idea of giving them a shot, even if she thought it was a joke. He wasn’t one to joke around when it came to his goals and now he had many when it came to Dahlia. Three months would give him ample time to send Holton to the cleaners. And give her time to settle and hopefully heal enough to give them a new beginning.
He got on the ground and looked under the coffee table. On its side, way back, lay Dahlia’s lost shoe. He grabbed it and set it next to the other one on the dining table. He had work to do.