commanderalonso‌:

He’d asked for the beverage for the comforts of routine, having her hands keep busy with something and keep the girl’s thoughts from straying towards needling into questions they both knew the answers wouldn’t make sense. Yet once the scent of warm milk and cocoa wafted from the kitchen Val’s stomach reminded him it had been the previous night he’d last stopped to eat something.

There was something endearing in the way she went back and forth spitting sentences from which Valentine could only guess the thought process that led to each. That’s why he didn’t stop her right away.

“Thank you.” Eventually, the Commander reached for the tray, essentially putting a stop to her wanderings. “Kneel, Charlotte, and tell me when the last time you submitted was.”

Lottie paused, her hands still in position as he took the tray away from her.   Watching him for a moment she gave a slight nod at the instruction and dropped to her knees.  His question though was a lot tougher.  She closed her eyes for a moment and thought back, a slight shudder at the memory of the ridiculous scene she had endured and come out of feeling barely better than she had at the start.  “It was about two weeks ago, he was cute but didn’t really have a clue.”  Looking up with a smirk she laughed, “I bet you could have taught him a thing or two.  He didn’t even insist on title or rules.”  She might have been laughing but anyone even scratching the surface of Lottie would know that she craved rules and obedience.

commanderalonso‌:

Valentine followed the girl into her apartment, stopping in the hallway after her. He took his jacket off, and the cold along with it the toed off his shoes.

“No.” The Commander agreed quickly with a narrow smile. Valentine had spent some time in here prior and with plenty of his watchmen going through Charlotte’s things looking for just about anything that could be used against her and her family. “I’m not here to do a search and even if I was I’d need a warrant to make whatever I find here legal in court. I think your lawyer is very familiar with that loophole.”  

This too was a loophole. At any other time, he could be a man of the law, even here, but not now. Now could be absolved if it wasn’t put on record, then who can tell it ever happened.  

His brows tipped up a little as if to ask if she had any more questions to ask, any more fears that he could shake off. “Show me your living room, then make something you prefer to drink when it’s cold. Tea, cocoa, coffee – anything. Then come and kneel by my side when you’re done.”

Lottie could see the moment he understood her reservations and she knew as well as he did that Spencer would tear strips off him if he attempted to bring any charges based on this visit.  She gave a slight shake of her head at the unspoken question, in some respects she was quite happy to be at home and when he finally left she didn’t have to face some awkward journey back to her house and not quite feeling 100%.  

“My living room is just down here at the end of the hallway,” she said as she lead the way.  Opening the door she let him in and paused for a moment before nodding as if to confirm the request and left again.  Hanging up her coat and taking off her own shoes as she reached the hooks in the hallway she grabbed her purse and took it with her to the kitchen.  Putting on some milk to heat up for cocoa she checked her phone and then busied herself with preparing the two drinks.  Lottie places the mugs on a tray and since she hadn’t eaten since lunch and doubted he had either she put some cookies on a plate too before she carried the tray through.

“Here you go….  Do you need sugar?…..  I didn’t bring any…..  Do you want some?…..  I brought cookies though.”   Each time she went to kneel she remembered something else and jumped back up, her desire to do this right and please him suddenly making her uncharacteristically nervous.

commanderalonso‌:

There was a moment where Valentine wasn’t sure she’d agree, a hesitation in her despite the obvious need to submit. He waited it out, breathing out a sigh when Charlotte gave in.

“Alright.” Val gave a jerky nod. He could justify it all in his head later when he had the time. He could justify it now, even – making the scales of what’s owed between them even. The little slip of paper in his pocket had tipped them some and now he set them fair. He closed the door once the girl took her seat, and when he moved into his own Val went through the same procedure of pulling the belt over her. When the heater hummed to life, his fingers tingled with the numbness from the cold easing away.

“Close your eyes, I’ll tell you when we’re there,” Val assured her, leading the car into the pouring traffic. Half an hour later as dusk was starting to settle onto Verona, he finally reached the front of the girl’s building. “We’re here.” He touched a hand over Lottie’s shoulder, “Show me your apartment.”

Lottie’s stomach flipped as she slid into the seat, a huge part of her screaming loudly to stop whatever madness she was thinking of and get away from him but the simple actions of him closing the door, belting her in, the simple order already had her slipping under and she had to trust him  These thoughts continued on the periphery of her consciousness as she felt the car stop and move off again, turn corners and speed up again.  She didn’t cheat, it didn’t occur to her to peek as she followed his instruction.

It wasn’t until he told her to show him around that she opened her eyes and looked out the window at her own front door.  A wave of panic ran through her at his request but she knew deep down that everything was well hidden behind a locked door, her father had drummed that into her from the first day he told her the truth about his work.  With a quick nod Lottie undid her belt and climbed out of the car barely registering how late it had grown and how long ago she had left her house for class.

Opening the door she stepped in first and flicked the hall light switch.  Stepping aside so he could come in she shut the door behind and locked it out of habit.  “Do you really need the tour?  You spent rather a long time here as I recall,” she asked as the question rose in her mind again, was this just an unofficial search.  She could hear Spencer screaming at her not to be so stupid and send him away right now but still she didn’t.  Lottie just watched him, waiting for his response.