The rest of the world, what little of it they had been paying attention to, completely disappeared in their consciousness. Complete focus on one another, in this small room.

Even once she completely enveloped their thumb, Avicia didn't stop. Past the knuckle and partway down the fleshy part of their palm. Her lips pressed firm, suckling on him as she writhed her tongue against the digit. The sensation jolted down Kahdreg's arm, forcing them to choke down a light moan. They jerked forward, barely managing to keep their mouth from making contact with the gentle slope of her shoulder.

The warm puffs of Kahdreg's panting breath teased against Avicia's skin, making her lips twitch with a smug smile. Their fingertips pressed firmly into her cheek, wanting more. It wasn't enough to hurt, but definitely a noticeable pressure. Which excited Avicia, just a little.

When her lips began their slow retreat, gaze burning into Kahdreg's face, the orc couldn't do anything but watch her from the corner of their eye. Their core churned with lewd heat and carnal instincts, clashing against the Kahdreg's resolve.

Finally, finally, the suction of her mouth pulled free of them. But she kept their thumb on her lower lip. Her attention flickered along the length of their body, lingering a little longer at the bulge between their legs before slowly returning to their face. As Avicia spoke, the ridges of Kahdreg's thumbprint grazed against her sensitive skin. "I'll keep that whole initiating thing in mind."

The orc only faintly nodded, swallowing noticeably. Their face burned from the heat inside and out, and their chest stretched the bodysuit with every deep inhale. Part of them realized Avicia had been showing off. 'Oh, look at how much of you I can take! Too bad it's just your thumb, huh?' And, maybe, warning them just how bad of a temptation she could be.

"I'm going to change back into my clothes." Restraint meandered back into her thoughts and Avicia didn't waste time pulling away. Kahdreg's reactions remained burned in her synapses. Already, she could feel the itch of wanting more of it. Which wasn't going to happen, she reminded herself. Pushing passed Kahdreg, she returned to her side of the room where her clothes still sat in a pile. "Turn around and don't peek."

Unable to start up their verbal faculties, Kahdreg just nodded and gave an affirmative grunt before turning their back on Avicia.

Even as the two retreated to far sides of the dressing room, heat lingered behind them like a phantasm. Both remained keenly aware of the other as they undressed and re-dressed, their thoughts replayed every little moment that had just come to pass.

The rest of their time together passed in agonizing quiet, from checking out to arriving at her door. Awkwardness ushered them quickly through a parting of ways, with scuffing feet and gazes that wandered everywhere except each other. It wasn't until Avicia found herself inside her apartment, back pressed to the door and hearing Kahdreg's departing footfalls, did the intensity of everything slam into her. Covering her face, feeling the lingering heat in her cheeks, she groaned.

They weren't even a full day into this scheme...

---

"Avicia?"

She jumped at the sound of Elyon's voice, wide eyes turning to face the elven script supervisor who had just brought her back to the present. Avicia had retreated to one of the darker corners of the stage lot for a fifteen minute break while the crew prepared for a set change. It made drawing Kahdreg's attention less likely.

"Yes?" She smiled sweetly at the elven woman. In the dusty, darker parts of the stage lot - where cables or additional equipment was shoved until it could be used - Elyon seemed displaced. Everything about the script supervisor was precise and clean. From the way her deep rose-brown skin seemed to shimmer to the way her silver-white hair never seemed to be a strand out of place.

"Is everything okay? You seem a bit..." Elyon waved their thin hand in the air, as if looking for an appropriate word. "Distracted."

"I'm fine!" Avicia nearly bit her tongue, realizing the words came off more as a squawk than anything calm. She shot Elyon an awkward smile and shrugged. "Just a lot on my mind."

"Is that so?" One of Elyon's eyebrows arched high, a slight smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Like Kahdreg?"

"Why would you ask that?" Avicia shot back, unnerved by Elyon's perceptive look and ghost of a smile. The more she spoke, however, the more a betraying warmth seared her cheeks. "I mean, he is. He's my boss, after all!"

Smooth. Totally not obvious, at all. She wanted to groan at herself.

"I meant he's been in curiously deep thought, as well." The elven woman raised her hand to her mouth, knuckles pressed to her lips, hiding her growing grin before a litany of giggles finally trickled forth. "I'm sorry. Kahdreg already explained the situation."

Avicia's eyebrows ticked upward, before she slightly narrowed her gaze. "He did?"

"Yes," smiled the elven woman, shooting Avicia an amused look full of intent. "They did."

Tension in Avicia's shoulders relaxed a little, but wariness still lingered. She wasn't sure if Kahdreg had explained the situation, in its entirety, to the elven woman or only gave her a light explanation. Just as Avicia was about to open her mouth to ask what Elyon needed, another voice shot through the area.

"Elyon! Go double-check the set. Wardrobe should be done in about fifteen so-" Kahdreg looked up from his clipboard, pausing in the action of giving orders. He halted, his eyes flickered from script supervisor to personal assistant.

Avicia's shoulders hunched, heat licking at her face as she felt amusement radiate from Elyon. The elve's eyes danced from Kahdreg to Avicia and back again. It wasn't until the script supervisor nearly skipped to the director that Avicia realized something. Had Elyon specifically sought her out just to lead Kahdreg to this dark little corner?

"I'll take that," Elyon gently coaxed the clipboard from Kahdreg's hands.

For a moment, the director in Kahdreg reared up. His attention snapped to Elyon, returning to his demanding tone. "Remember to check the props. I don't want an incident like last time. And make sure the-"

"I know, I know," sighed Elyon with a roll of her eyes. "I'll take care of it, like I always do."

She turned to set off back to set, flipping through the information on the papers. Though, a grin still teased at her lips as she left the two alone.

Kahdreg watched Elyon retreat back into the din of workplace chaos. Once she was fully gone, silence returned to the little forgotten corner. Uncertainty and silence hung heavier in the air with every passing moment.

The tension stifled Avicia. In an attempt to escape, she pointed the way Elyon went, smiling awkwardly up at Kahdreg as she tried to sidle by him. "I should really be-"

"Wait," he said, holding up a hand. "We should talk."

Avicia gave a forced laugh. Trying to ignore the flush of her face, she waved her hand lightly to dismiss any worries. "What's there to talk about?"

Before she could breeze past, Kahdreg caught her by the elbow, his grasp gentle and delicate. The air in her lungs locked in place, her attention shot to his face. The heat and weight of his hand sent prickling sensations through her and roused the memories of the weekend. She swallowed, trying to ignore the images dancing just beneath her thoughts.

"Avicia." Her heart hitched as he used her first name. Not a common occurrence while at work, but things had changed. The quiet way he said it didn't help her pounding heart. He further surprised her by leaning toward her, pressing his forehead to hers. "Please."

For a short beat of time, Avicia couldn't answer Kahdreg. The weight of his head pressed gently against hers, his eyes closed as he took a deep, sighing breath. She swallowed, letting her eyes traced over Kahdreg's features - closed eyes, lashes against his cheeks, the slope of his nose, the crease of the scar at the corner of his lip - before finding her voice. "What do you need, sir?"

At that, Kahdreg's lips twitched, a wry grin curling at the corners as his eyes cracked open. Her heart stuttered, just slightly, at the expression, warmth in her cheeks threatening to turn her face pink.

In Kahdreg's head, he mused over Avicia's continued use of sir - and her initial use of xir - for himself. A subtle delight seared through him every time she said it. Then again, just his name being on her lips caused a slight jump in his chest. Not to mention the irony of her

Whatever he found amusing, he didn't share with her. Avicia noticed a stiffness bled into the smirk as he replied, "Kallinaera called me yesterday."

Oh no. A chill coiled in Avicia's stomach. When she'd suggested they return the lingerie and spend the proceeds, she thought the siren would be too embarrassed to ask about the scanty underthings. Apparently Kallinaera knew no shame.

"She had mixed up the gift bags and the lingerie was hers," Kahdreg continued before Avicia could say or do anything, straightening from his stoop. A disappointed chill dropped into Avicia's stomach as he gave her space.

With a roll of his eyes, Kahdreg sighed and pushed a hand through his hair. Memories of the call from last night flickered through his head. Her dangerously sweet tone shifting to something more barbed and annoyed as she realized what had happened. Thinking of it still gave him an unsettled feeling in his bones. "She was pretty peeved."

"Oh, no." Though the pressure from his head leaning on her lifted, a different weight pulled at Avicia. The faint unwanted thought of Kahdreg being irritated with her wriggled into being.

Almost careless, he gave a single-shouldered shrug. "I explained what we did and offered to pay her back,"

"But-"

Kahdreg held up a hand, a frown creasing at his lips. His stomach dropped a little, recalling the siren's words and request. "She decided to ask a favor instead. That I attend her birthday party."

"Oh," was all Avicia could think to say.

"About a month from now, we'll be on a cruise."

The furrow between his brows deepend and, faintly, Avicia wondered if Kahdreg was considering the strain of such a favor. Or was his expression a visual representation of his frustration with her and her childishness?

"Oh," Avicia repeated, feeling untethered and trying to gain footing. A cold and unpleasant feeling coiled at her core, not quite enjoying the thought of Kallinaera alone with Kahdreg. Especially not out on some party yacht in the middle of the ocean. Though she knew he wasn't interested in the siren right now, could that change with the right atmosphere?

Not that she could do anything about it. He'd already agreed to the favor. And it had been her fault he had to agreed to it. If only she hadn't been spiteful under the guise of intentional obtuseness.

She couldn't meet Kahdreg's gaze, her eyes wandering off and focused on the wires and other maintenance gear in this dark corner of the studio. Guilt and personal displeasure sobered Avicia's attitude.

Her body language - averted gaze and slumping shoulders - spoke enough to Kahdreg for him to pick up on her discomfort. He waited a beat, to see if she'd voice her discontent. It didn't take much to realize she was off-put by the thought of him with Kallinaera, though whether it was jealousy or concern for his wellbeing was another question. Though Kahdreg shamefully hoped it was a little bit of both.

When she didn't speak up, he added, "By we, I do mean you and myself."

His addition brought heat across Avicia's cheeks as her gaze shot to his face. There was a little tilt to the corner of his lips - try as he did to hide it - as he watched her surprised expression. It only made her heart jolt a little harder.

"If you need me, Mr. Vidaroc." She raised her eyebrows, wondering if the emphasis on his name would serve a reminder to their present setting, ie their place of work. Not really somewhere to be gabbing about their faux personal lives, right? She tried to ignore the heat crawling over her face, embarrassed at being caught in her worries. And visually enough for the orc to realize, apparently.

He couldn't help the slight chuckle as he bent closer to her, again. Without thinking, his hands went to her arms, lightly grazing his palms over her skin. "Such a chilly response."

She froze in place, prickles crawling over the back of her neck. Despite the heat of his palms ghosting over her forearms, goosebumps rose along her skin. The warmth of him mingled with the scent of faint aftershave, frazzling her senses, almost making Avicia miss his next words. "And here I was trying to reassure you, since you seemed upset."

Drawing back at the - correct - assumption, Avicia sputtered, "I wasn't upset!"

"Oh? And what were you?" He continued to grin, eyebrows jumping up slightly with curiosity.