I want you

‘’I won’t allow it!’’ the voice sounded over the phone. Lavender was holding the device in stretched arm so that her eardrums wouldn’t be busted by her father’s yelling. ‘’I will not allow you to stay away this Christmas! You promised me! You promised your mother! What about Tic? - or do you even care about him even more?’’ Her father continued his rant, combined with a guilt trip. ‘’… Dad, will you please just listen?… I only said that if I got a part in the ballet, I might not-,’’ she didn’t even manage to finish her sentence, before she heard her mother in the background, telling her father to tell her that she wasn’t allowed to dance before the doctors had cleared her screenings. Lavender closed her eyes fro a moment, trying to figure out if she should just hang up and try to explain it all to them later. After all, wouldn’t they be happy if she was to dance for a name that was well-known in the industry? It was what she had always wanted, after all. ‘’Lavender, please just… No more talk about dancing and making it big. Just come home!’’ his father pleaded her, all while he sounded so tired that one might think she was draining his very life force over the phone. Then, the call was ended as Lavender didn’t answer. The dead tone on the phone told her that her father had slammed the phone back on the wall where it hung; something he only did when pissed. Great, one angry dad to manage later on as well!… She looked at the time, and suddenly realized she was in a hurry. The trials would begin within the hour! She packed a cotton shopping bag with her shoes, outfit and a bottle of water, before she rushed out the door.

As she arrived at the theater - just in a nick of time - she got ready with a group of other girls. However, as she had rushed, she was now told by some other girl that she shouldn’t get her hopes up. The instructor seemed like a real hardass; not giving anyone a fair chance. To Lavender, that didn’t really matter. After all, she got a chance to dance at a stage, which she had never really done before. All her training had been in private studios, since her parents never approved. Tic was the only one to ever see her dance besides her teacher, and that would to some have caused a stage fright; but not Lavender. No, she lived and breathed for performance, which most people already knew when they met a siren.
They had been there for over ten hours. Thankfully, Lavender didn’t really eat much through a day anyways, so she didn’t have to think about how hungry she was getting. Other girls seemed to be getting peckish - even to the point of complaining about how it was indecent to have them standing there for so long. One after the other, girls were called up to the stage; only to return soon after with either tears in their eyes or full blown sobbing. Was the instructor that mean? Surely not.

As the call was made for the last try-out for the day, some of the girls seemingly complained. Lavender on the other hand, well… Complaining would lead her nowhere, and if the instructor heard it, the chance could be wasted. Then, her name was called. Her name… She stood there for a brief moment, before another girl gave her a nudge for her to go up the stairs and enter the stage. And so she did. Her outfit matched her name; the blush pink standard outfit of the ballet dancer was replaced with a soft lavender color. It was obvious that she was lean and her muscles hid beneath her soft skin. It was hard to keep it like that for most dancers, since they worked so hard. As a siren, however, it was quite natural. Her long golden hair was braided and placed in a low bun, and her makeup was so minimalistic that you wouldn’t know she was wearing any if you saw her from just a few feet away. They had been instructed to start dancing regardless of the music being present or not; and so she did. Lavender, who was a fan of the golden era of ballet, had chosen one that might have seemed obvious; The Swan Lake. Why? Because if was the hardest classical ballet to dance in modern times, and she adored the music. Dancing those steps, completely lost in her own mind and world. Not a step missed; not a beat. She was striving for perfection, and it showed.

Then, all of a sudden, it stopped - by the order of the instructor. Since when had he approached her? She had been so deep in her own mind that she hadn’t noticed at all. The music died, and she stood still in first position. She looked at him; her eyes as bluish green as the raging sea. A tuft of fly-away hair had fallen down the side of her face; framing it ever so gently. Flushed cheeks made her look even more alive than she usually did - and for once, she didn’t wear any lipstick. Instead, her natural lips was presented with gentle color and a slight plumpness to them.
He studied her body, quite obviously. She didn’t mind, since she knew it was a part of the audition. However, he wouldn’t find a single bruise. Even though she bruised easily, they healed fast enough. Luckily, at this point in  time, she had none at all. ‘’Yes, sir,’’ she said, as the instructor mentioned her name in a question. However, as he asked what she ate, she tilted her head slightly with a soft smile. ‘’Oatmeal and grapefruit, mostly,’’ she said, smiling calmly. It wasn’t a lie; Lavender didn’t cook, and eating out could get expensive. The cheapest alternatives to a meal in itself was oats - and she always treated herself to grapefruits. It was her weakness - those sour red bastards.

It wasn’t until now that she was able to get a good look at the instructor. Golden skin, dark brown eyes and lips that for sure could curl up into a smile and make women weak in their knees. However, he had yet to smile at her, so she wasn’t completely lost from the world surrounding them. ‘’Would you rather prefer I ate something else, sir?’’ she asked - showing not only that she was willing to adapt to being a part of the cast, but also that she was being raised well enough to be polite in her questions. After all, she wasn’t just a siren, she was the niece of Elaine D’Combe. Being a disgrace would be outrageous.

Dancing was in her blood; performance rushed through her veins, and regardless of who was watching, she was sure to never miss a step. Having danced since she was a toddler - mimicking Barbie movies like the Nutcracker and the Swan Princess - she had been doing it for over two decades. She knew all the classics; every step, every move. That was why, when he called on her to stop, she did so with no hesitation. She knew, as well as anyone else in the room, that the instructor called the shots.
All over, she had small flaws; flaws that made her unique and different to the stereotypical dancer that had either already done their audition or had hoped to. Her hair, which wasn’t prepped and primed as the others, was begging to be let free. She didn’t ask for help with her hair, and the other girls had most likely considered it a minus point. Maybe it was. Maybe her hair would be her downfall. Maybe…

She noticed the slight chuckle and pull on the corner of his lips as she had called him sir. She was raised to do so, and respect was not earned in her eyes; it was given. Just the same as kindness. However, both had their limitations, which she rarely displayed, since getting upset wasn’t good for her heart. Once more, his eyes traveled over her; devouring any last little detail about her appearance. In a way, it felt like he was absorbing her, which made the hair on her neck stiffen slightly - although not in a bad way. As the next question was presented, she couldn’t help but tensing up a bit. That, right there, was one of the things that could hinder her, couldn’t it? She wasn’t training enough. It wasn’t that she didn’t wanted to, but all the studios seemed to be either fully booked at all time, or privately owned so that she had to pay a small fortune for a couple of ours a week - which wasn’t nearly enough for her to keep up with anything but the amateurs. ‘’I practice bar four days a week, roughly three hours per session,’’ she said; her eyes not moving from his as he had looked at her. She wanted to add that she was trying to dance every day, but that would mean that she had to explain why she wasn’t able to; both the thing about the lack of studio space, and her heart not allowing her to overexert herself.

Had it been easier to not even audition? Yes, it had. She could have stayed away, and then she wouldn’t be standing there; being studied and questioned about matters she wasn’t entirely sure had a right answer or not. But she had to try, right? Give it her best, and with the prospect of not being good enough, she was sure to at least be able to say that she had tried. That was what mattered in life; at least you tried to pursue your dreams instead of being forced to do otherwise. Had he hoped she did nothing every day but dance, then he would be sorely disappointed in her. She slept in a bathtub, for crying out loud! She was too sore in the mornings to dance, and then there was work. She had rarely even time for breakfast or lunch, hence her very restricted amount of diversity in her meals. Oatmeal in a microwave and half a grapefruit. Yup, that was her life - which she had yet to admit to anyone really, besides a few selected friends.

Lavender looked at him, almost in disbelief, as he complimented her; telling her than she had talent. Still, she didn’t move a muscle; she didn’t let down her parades. After all, he could have said so to see if she had too much pride to take anything but compliments. Prideful women had a hard time working with demanding regimes, since they found themselves to know better and that was almost always their downfall; pride.
Lavender had pride, of course. But she also had a dream - and right now, the instructor had a significant role in making that dream come true. ‘’Thank you,’’ she said, although the emotions in her voice was slightly hidden. She was grateful for the compliment, but she wasn’t going to risk seemed too pleased with herself, or that she might only be seeking compliments of things she already knew. That would be both unattractive and rude, she thought to herself. ‘’And of course,’’ she added, as he had warned her about having to practice more to keep up.

Then, as lightning from a clear sky, he stated that he was going to hire her, and that she was going to get paid to practice. ‘’That sounds wonderful,’’ she said, with a slight hint of gratitude in her voice. He couldn’t possible know the situation with her current supervisor was tense, but it meant a lot to her to get out of that commitment at her current position. She didn’t take her eyes from him, making sure she heard every little word he said. A single session at noon the following Wednesday. Breakfast, no lunch. She smiled calmly, although her heart was pounding loudly in her chest. She was so excited to get started, which of course made her even more happy that she hadn’t been at work that day; it would have been too much to handle both her supervisor and the man in front of her. After all, being near such enticing a person as the instructor would demand all her attention. ‘’Understood,’’ she agreed, giving a single and elegant nod to confirm that she had gotten the message loud and clear.

However, what happened next made her widen her eyes in disbelief. Not only had she been hired, she had gotten the lead.. Her heart skipped a beat, if not two, which she seemed to lose focus for a moment as her eyes were fixated on his smirk. How did he manage to look like that? Maybe it was simply her mind that was making her imagining things. ''You have no idea how grateful I am so be offered such an opportunity,'' she expressed, although it might be very evident in her eyes that she was about to burst with joy. She would most likely squeal like a little girl and call everyone she knew when she arrived back at home. Then, another question she hadn’t been prepared for at all was presented; her plans for the evening. ‘’Oh, I.. I had planned to do some more practice, actually,’’ she said; now wondering if that was the wrong answer to his question. It wasn’t like she had made plans with anyone else; it was simply that she had been almost certain that she wouldn’t be doing anything else but the audition and then some practice at home, before taking a relaxing soak in her tub for the evening. Maybe he had other plans? She had noticed the tattoos, of which he had quite a lot more than her. He was either older than he appeared, and had accumulated them over a wast amount of time, or he was simply a fan of the body art. However, with that many markings on his skin, he couldn’t dance classical ballet - could he? Was he a maybe a retired dancer himself? She wasn’t quite sure, but she hoped to learn more about him at some point.

There was no way James was going to confess that he was impressed with how well she worked and danced. He knew some could filled with pride, and a simple compliment could make the glass overflow, making the dancer unbearable to be with. Some would say James had too much pride and was unbearable to be with, but most didn’t dare to say so, not even when he was around; because somehow he would always know. Lavender though, seemed to take the compliment very well. The critique also seemed to be well delivered. Hopefully she was going to get something out of the training; or at least learn something when he had her in his hands.

He tried not to mess too much with her memories, just yet. He liked mysteries, and the way she almost seemed to thank him for hiring her, it almost seemed like money had something to do with her not practicing. He knew nothing about her situation with her supervisor, yet, and therefore did nothing out of pity, but even though, it seemed like some strong memories and feelings was pressing in her memory and he was quite tempted to investigate it. But he, as well as her, had to stay professional just a little longer. He gave his order, and she promptly understood. It was so satisfying, the way she just nodded and went with everything he said. He appreciated the power he had gotten himself. It could get him very far.

Luckily he wasn’t going to joke about roles, and the way her eyes seemed to get bigger, made it clear that she was very thankful. No pride in believing that she would have it no matter what. As she expressed how thankful she was, he wished to simmer her down, just a notch. “Just remember, that opportunity can be taken away from you, if you don’t keep up,” he said, trying to make it clear to her. He had only just taken one girl away from the lead, and he could easily do it again. Passing the throne to the next ‘heir’.
He nodded slowly at her plans for the evening. “Alright.” He looked over his shoulder, to all the assistances he had hired for the night, and the eyes also wandered to the small orchestra. “We are done for today. Rest for tomorrow. We got a long day ahead of us!” he said and waved a hand at them, to leave, before he turned his attention to Lavender again. Everyone was quite fast and quite with packing their stuff so they could leave.
The charming smile bloomed slowly, as the pheromones he could preduce to appear perfect rose. “I would love to celebrate your new position with you,” he said, “My bill of course,” he added. He wished for her to have at least one pleasing last meal before he would dig his claws into her…

Could it be more obvious that he had her in the palm of his hand? Her ‘yes, sir’, ‘no, sir’, and ‘I’m sorry, sir’ was of course something she was raised to do; yet, she knew that some men actually found it rather kinky to have just that response whenever they delivered an order. Why? Power. Always.
‘’Of course,’’ she agreed, as he reminded her that her position as the lead would be taken from her if she failed to keep up with… who? The other dancers? Him?… Most likely the latter. He seemed to be a man that demanded attention and power; desire and a need to devour those around him. She felt drawn to the who idea of a man that had secrets and those bedroom eyes of his made her slightly out of breath; although she wasn’t one to admit so just yet.

As she had revealed her plans for the evening, he replied with an ‘alright’, before he looked over his shoulder and told the hired crew that they were done for the day, and that they had a long day ahead of them. Should she had considered the same - to go home and call it an early night, just so that she wouldn’t disappoint him? - her thoughts got rather quickly interrupted as she now looked straight at that blooming smile that charmed its way all the way to her bones. Of course, she found him attractive. Who didn’t? All the other dancers had expressed the same - but he was a heartthrob, which meant that she was wise to keep her feelings detached from the situation, and call it strictly professionalism. ‘’That is a very tempting offer, Mr. Miles,’’ she said, tilting her head and smiling softly at him; revealing a diamond that was embedded in one of her canine-teeth. ‘’It is not a trick, to see if I will be risking my role for a handsome face, I hope? Or else I might have failed miserably,’’ she said. With those words, she exited the first position-stand she had maintained during the conversation. He had called it; said they were done for that day. If he wished for her to resume position, he simply had to tell her. There was not an awful lot she wouldn’t do to please the instructor - and employer.

Her ’of course’ almost seemed like she was surrendering, almost like she wasn’t going to assure him that she would do everything that it took, to stay on the heap herself. A ‘That won’t be necessary’ would’ve been in its place, even though it might’ve been a whole lot of pride in the sentence. But self-confidence was important. What she had to fight against was his expectations and the other dancers level of perfection. She had to be perfect.

He was most definitely a man who fed on power and attention; even though he liked having a private life just as much. Being what he was, an incubus, he was doomed to devour souls from who he was intimate with, so of course he was a specialist in desire and pleasure; and if not, he just changed what had happened in the victims mind.

Everything seemed to work just as perfect as always. He pulled slightly on a smile, as she mentioned that she felt like it was a tempting offer. He, himself couldn’t withstand things that were tempting. He needed it. It made him feel whole and powerful; and that was definitely what he wished for. The slight reflection of a stone on her tooth, made him wonder why she had chosen something like that. Wasn’t it a bit silly or was she just very confident in her smile, that it needed extra attention when she smiled? He chuckled slightly and let his left hand close around his right wrist. Jumping straight away from the question, he asked her another, related to the topic, “Hopefully you won’t be risking your role for just any handsome face?” he asked, referring to any distractions; like a boyfriend. He thought relationships didn’t really matter unless there was a ring on the finger, one kind or another. He was loyal, no doubt with that, but as soon as he felt the slightest inconvenience in a relationship, he would cut it off. As he stood right now, he didn’t need a new wife, but just wanted to fool around, seeing who and how many he could be picking at. Friends, or employees, with benefits were something completely different from being in a relationship. To be fair, he might be having three girls waiting for him to call this very moment. But right now, his eyes were on yet another girl. Lavender.

Although Lavender was a woman of principles, she was ready to do almost anything to get that role; including the more derogative tasks that some instructors had been known to apply to their ‘leads’ to make them more… Moldable, before a big role. She could have answered with something more intuitive than her ‘of course’, but had she done so, then she might be suspected to be filled with either pride or being narcissistic. She was neither.

However tempting his offer was, he didn’t deny that it might be a trick to test if she was being easily convinced to focus on something else than her practice. Instead, stated that she hopefully wouldn’t be risking her role for any handsome face. The way he said it; almost inquiring, made her smile calmly at him. ‘’You can rest assured, Mr. Miles, that there is no face handsome enough to make me focus on anything but the task ahead of me,’’ she assured him, before she tilted her head ever so slightly once more. She had allowed a handsome face to distract her before, which had resulted in a rather painful event. Something she had told no-one about; something that had lead her to be hospitalized and later on moved to another country to be in peace.

Her first, and so far only, boyfriend ever had been the older brother of her best friend. Already there, it had been rather complicated. Tic had hated that she dated his brother, and furthermore, the brother had no respect for the fact that she couldn’t be too invested. He knew very well that her heart was at a fragile state, still he had continued to press on for her to do as he wanted. Her innocence had been taken at some party he was hosting; she had been drunk and terrified, but he hadn’t cared. That was how it had continued for years; to the rest of the world, they seemed happy and perfect. Inside the walls of their home however, she was like a frightened puppy. When her brothers had discovered it, they had warned Tic about how his older brother would be in trouble if he continued to see Lavender - and a week later, they had broken up. Lavender, heartbroken, had decided it wasn’t worth it to eat anymore. After all, she had been too big for him; too ugly; too stupid… She hadn’t been good enough, and that was why he had left her.
She got hospitalized and fed through feeding bags and catheters. She didn’t remember much, and when she had been ready to be discharged, she moved to Gaia the following week; defying her family in every way possible.

Still, Lavender was a happy person. A smiling person, who thought kindness and respect was a given thing. She didn’t believe in power, pressure and using the whip instead of the carrot. She was, most of the time, a good girl. So, when her instructor had implied that there hopefully wasn’t a handsome face to distract her, she could assure him just so; there wasn’t. She hadn’t heard from Rafael or Maxwell, and Benjamin… Well, he was a great guy - but that was all there was too it. No dating; not now, not in the foreseeable future. Not if it could cost her everything she had dreamed of.

A crooked smile formed on his lips as she replied, reassuring him, that no handsome face could make her unfocused. But he knew, that she had only just met him. He was going to look like the perfect man for her, at least by looks. He was quite certain that he, or any other incubus, might be able to take her focus away from the task. At least for a while. “Good,” he said, liking how she mentioned ‘the task ahead of her’, as he stood right in front of her.

He could see memories of a past distraction flash by. It seemed tragic. But the mature heart knew that young love really could be tragic. It’s going to get better. Soon enough. He could make the bad memories go away if they were too much in the way of James route to get close to her. All the way to her bones, nothing less could do. It would just take some time, and he had to be careful so she wouldn’t leave. The less he could mess with her memories, the better.
And he had to make sure she remembered to eat – it didn’t suit her to be so thin, as she had been, while she had looked in the mirror, that one time… It seemed to be filled with so much pain, that memory.

He lifted his eyebrows shortly after. “Now then, get dressed. We’ll meet here in… How long do you need?” he asked. Whatever she said, unless it was five minutes, he would give her five minutes less to get ready. 15 minutes. “Alright. You got 10 minutes,” he would say, before he would turn away from her, to walk down the scene and put everything in order, so everything could look like it had been measured with a ruler. He then ran a hand through his hair, before he grabbed his lounge jacket and put it on, leaving it open. He hoped that she had some kind of presentable clothing with her, so he didn’t have to buy her something new on the first day. Or maybe it could be her ‘congratulations gift’ from him to her? Sure.

She didn’t care much to think about that time in her life; the hospitals, the needles, the tests. No, it was in the past. She was at a point where she was healthy enough to be on her own, for sure. Or, so she had hoped. The truth was most likely that she was scared of ending up with nothing but yet another hospitalization. As he said his ‘good’, she nodded once to signal that she understood what he had been saying. Then, as he told her to go get dressed, and she said that she would be needing 15 minutes, she was given 10. She nodded once again, expressing that she had heard him, before she turned her back on him and moved down the stairs to the backstage area, picking up her things and getting dressed.

Thankfully, she had been counting on at least meeting someone she could introduce herself to, which was why she had decided to dress decently. Usually, she would have arrived in her audition-outfit, but not this time. She pulled on the tight fitting jeans and the boots with a slight heel on them; she needed all the help she could get with her hight. Then, she took her blazer and placed it over her shoulders. Underneath, she was wearing no top, but instead i lace bralette. Why? Because she didn’t mind showing skin. It was a very simply thing, really; she thought she looked good enough to show skin once in a while. She had momentarily considered if the instructor wouldn’t like it, but then she could cover up with her scarf if she needed to. Her scarf, which was a deep burgundy color and made of silk, was placed gently around her neck and draped to offer some modesty if need be.

She undid her hair, letting it be loose and free. Long natural waves of a golden color was the most prominent feature of her being, she had been told. Golden like waves of the sun, reflecting of the water on a still lake. However, she had also been told that she was reminiscent of the goddess Artemis, so she didn’t put too much into what people said of her. Hubris wasn’t her cup of tea, and neither was being too full of herself. She didn’t touch her makeup; mainly because she hadn’t brought any to do touchups. Instead, she made her way up the stairs once more, with her little canvas bag filled with her audition clothes. She stood at the middle of the scene for a moment, looking out over the audience seats. She then looked over at the instructor, mr. James Miles himself, and began walking over to him with a soft smile on her lips. She still had a minute left on the clock, having used only nine to make sure that she hadn’t missed anything backstage.

Not one thing was misplaced on the table where he had been watching the dancers all day. Papers were stacked in piles, pens and erasers next to it, with a empty glasses. The only thing left where he sat was his car keys, which he grabbed and put in his pocket. He straightened his jacket a bit before he looked up at her, approaching him. She looked somewhat alright, but next to him, she looked like she was about to attend a party, where he could be attending a wedding, meeting and so much more. But of course, it seemed like women had a much bigger possibility of expressing themselves with clothing than men. She had even dared to wear a bralette under her blazer, showing some skin – tempting. It was like electricity spread on each extremity. Pulling him towards her.

He shortly looked at the watch on his wrist, seeing that she still had a minute left. One foot in front of the other he then approached her. “You’re just too perfect, Lavender,” he said softly, gently… charmingly. He smiled slightly. He stopped with only a forearmslength between them. He inspected her, and her clothing once, letting his eyes glance down and up to her eyes. As if she was a magnet, he lifted his right hand to gently place it on the back of her neck. He leaned down, breathing slowly, trying not to give in to the temptation…

“You can drive my Porsche if you want,” he whispered before he lifted his left hand up with the silver key. No matter is she wanted to or not, he would give her a smile, release his grip, gently letting his fingers stroke her jawbone before he would show her the way to his car, with a gentle hand resting on her lower back, as he walked next to her. Before they exited the theater, he made sure to shut down any lights, before he opened and held the door for her, presenting her the car, right in front of the door. It was silver and quite low to the ground. Just by the look of it, it was clear that he cared for it and that it was a fast car. As soon as she stood in the parking lot, he closed the door with a card, a password and a fingerprint. He then turned around, and if she wasn’t already sitting in the car, he would open the door for her, before he would get in next to her. If she wished to drive, he would guide her the way to the restaurant he was planning on taking her to. He wouldn’t tell her to let go of the gas nor wear a seatbelt, but if she made a mistake, he would note that in is mind. If she didn't want to drive, he would drive to the destination. At the restaurant, a server came to open the door for both. James even handed the keys to one of them, so they could drive the car away.
Now, standing text to Lavender he placed his hand on her lower back again, guiding her inside. The restaurant seemed homely, even though the keen eye would know that everything inside was of the highest materials. It was even decorated for Christmas. James didn’t stop at the entrance to ask for a table. Determined he had locked his eyes on a table and made sure the sweet Lavender was able to follow. He knew the place very well; so he had his own table. Nobody but him and his guests was allowed to sit there. He pulled out a chair for her, to sit down across from her.

Her new instructor seemed to be a bit of a perfectionist. Paper stacked neatly, pencils and erasers had their own spot and was placed with military precision. It didn’t scare Lavender that there was a certain standard to uphold with him, however. He was, after all, her employer now. She knew that she needed to make a good impression, or she might as well kiss her role goodbye. He had proven that just moments before, as he had replaced the former lead with Lavender.
What she was wearing was a testament to her being – sensual, tempting and most important of all... one big flirt. As she approached her new employer, it was clear that he was somewhat pleased with both her timing and her appearance. However, his words made her smile softly. ‘’there’s no such things as too perfect now, is there?’’ The siren asked, her voice being both gentle and at the same time a bit tempting. James stopped about the length of a forearm from Lavender, as he inspected her appearance. His eyes glanced down, noticing every single tin flaw she might posses. Their eyes met one more, and as she was about to ask if he disagreed with her previous statement, he lifted his right hand and placed it on the back of her neck. For a moment, time stood still. He leaned down, breathing slowly, and as if everything had been moving in slow motion, the moment seemed to last forever and yet not long enough. *Please, don’t let go yet* she thought to herself, but her thoughts was interrupted by his words... She could drive her car if she wanted to. At first, Lavender seemed to have a hard time even finding the words. After all, he had rendered her breathless with a mere glance at her... her eyes had not moved from his from what seemed like forever, and as he pulled out the key, she didn’t even look at it. No, she was occupied. Then, the hand around the back of her neck moved and gently she felt fingertips stroke her jawbone. It took all in her to not writhe beneath his touch. Damn, he was good... ‘’I would prefer if you would drive, mr. Miles.’’ She said, slightly out of breath still, as he escorted her to the car with a hand on her lower back. Just a few inches more, and he would be feeling just how toned her buttocks was. She might not be practicing a lot more than bar during the week, but she did it well.

He was meticulous in the procedure of closing down the theater. They exited the theater, and she observed as he locked down the theater with several security elements. The car, how beautiful some might find it, was something she had no interest in. She had never been into cars, speed and such. Her thrills was sought elsewhere. As she was guided to the car, and she sat down at the passenger side, she fastened her seatbelt. Dying of something as ridiculous as not remembering your seatbelt wasn’t on her priority list. She placed her hands elegantly on her lap, folded delicately. She had to make a good impression, she thought to herself. If not, she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself.
Once at their destination, which was a restaurant that she had never heard of, a server came to open the door for her. She took off her seatbelt, and considered briefly to bring her bag with her clothes from the audition. Then, she decided not to, as it seemed to be a place of a certain standard. Bringing some random canvas bag wouldn’t be a good idea. She exited the car and joined James once more; feeling his hand on her lower back yet again. It almost felt like electricity when he touched her and guided her inside without even flinching. He was a regular, no doubt. It was no cheap restaurant he had picked out to celebrate their new relationship as instructor and lead. Decorated for Christmas, it was something she could look at for hours on end. It would be the first holiday without her family... A slight ache of homesickness pinched her gut, but she tried to brush it off. As they walked to an empty table, James pulled out a chair for her. With a soft ‘thank you’ she sat down and looked over at him. ‘’I take it that this isn’t your first visit to this establishment, mr. Miles,’’ she said, smiling softly. She didn’t ask, since she could tell. No one that wasn’t a highly appreciated regular with such an establishment would be able to have his own table at all times. It almost seemed excessive to her. As she sat there, with her back straight and hands folded delicately in her lap once more, the scarf that had been used to obtain some sort of modesty as they left the theater had slipped just a smidge, revealing a tiny bit of cleavage. Gently, and as discreet as possible, she reached a hand to reposition the scarf to once again cover her just enough to keep herself dressed tempting and yet not revealing everything. One didn’t eat the dessert before the dinner, did they now?

He chuckled softly as she said there was no such thing as too perfect. “But you’re standing right in front of me, right” he tried to convince her, with a slight smile, only enough to show a bit of his teeth. Straight. White. Perfect.
Magnetic, that was, what she was. He was being pulled closer. It was almost going as fast as with his usual women. Maybe she was lonely – or desperate? He had to dig deeper to figure it out, but he wanted her to tell him, by not telling him. Questions about who she lives with, where she lives, her family. Everything that could make a memory bloom and let him know more.
It was so very clear to James, that time seemed to stand still for Lavender. James, himself, could even feel how he was almost going to take a snack. But no. He forced himself to ask her if she wanted to drive, so he could think of something else. He couldn’t allow himself to scare her away just yet. He had only just gotten the perfect lead.
Her words were hesitant until she figured what to answer. “Very well,” he said before he closed his fingers around the car keys and lowered them into his pocket and started escorting her out of the theater. Even though he could probably do almost anything to her, something about her seemed like a challenge. He wanted as much as possible; using the as little as possible of his powers, even though it was almost impossible for him not to take a look at memories.

Because even though he didn’t want to, he looked into her memories as she saw the car. No excitement or thrilling memories jumped up. No cars, alright. She was shown to her seat and got the seatbelt on. He knew very well that he wouldn’t die in a car accident and only need to rest for a couple of hours to be all alright, if something was going to happen; but to mimic her, he took the seatbelt on himself. While he drove, he couldn’t stop himself from glancing over at her, how she sat so elegantly. Folded. Fragile. Like something he wanted his hands around – in his bed. Eyes back on the road, James.

James appreciated that she let her bag stay in the car. It would’ve been problematic to let the servants accept a bag like that – he didn’t even accept it fully himself, but it was details. Details that James cared so much for. He showed the way to the table, letting her look at everything she wanted, as long as she didn’t stare too much. The homesickness which seemed to awake in her, was something James caught on to. Was it her first Christmas alone? Maybe he should invite her to celebrate Christmas with him… Planning, planning, planning.
A soft smile was the only thing that left James, as she thanked him for pulling out the chair for her. As he sat down across from her, he chuckled, warmly. “You’re right,” he said, “And it won’t be your last,” he predicted and smiled charmingly at her. Just enough to make any heart melt. He merged his fingers and rested his forearms on the table. His observant eyes had definitely seen how the scarf had  slipped just a bit. It was so innocent to look at, the way she pulled the scarf back to it’s place.
He blinked slowly at her and leaned back in the stool, “You can relax. We’re celebrating,” he said and kept his eyes on her, studying if she changed anything about the way she sat. Legs, arms, back or head. Everything was a test, and he would love to see how she positioned herself, since it would say a whole lot about how much she had to ‘fight’ to keep up her posture.

He eyed a waiter, which immediately seemed to get busy. The waiter was going to find all the necessary  things for the dinner, with no command. “Do you eat meat, Lavender?” he asked tilting his head slightly. Knowing the menu, he was already thinking about what she should ea- what he should recommend.

“Do you live with any family or roommates?” he asked. There was no way he could let himself stay out of her memories for this one. He needed to know. How and where did she live?

//Sorry if it's a mess

It seemed like a waste to tell him that she was far from perfect. After all, he should be allowed to be the judge of that; not her. If he found her perfect, that was his opinion and not hers. Instead, she commented gently on his way of convincing even the most stubborn mind; she simply allowed the comment to slip past her lips as she stood there with him, before they exited the theater and ventured towards his car.
In the car, as she sat there in her delicate position and with straightened back, she thought to herself how it might be considered prudish of her. She was no prude, snob or anything of the sorts; she was simply aware that making a good impression would be the key to her future at the instructor’s company. Still, she did notice the glances, and even though she wanted to react to them; tell him it was alright to enjoy the meal with the eyes before the lips, she decided to pretend not to see it. Instead, she smiled softly; as delicately as a rose petal, as she awaited their arrival.

As they sat down at ‘his’ table, she observed quietly how he merged his fingers and placed his forearms on the table. He had stated both that she was right in her assumption, and that it wouldn’t be her last visit to the establishment as well, made her tilt her head ever so slightly to one side, as if her body had decided to ask him what he meant even before her mind was ready to do so. Was he planning on making this a more regular occurrence? His charming smile made her melt ever so slightly, which was somewhat problematic. she was raised to be a strong-willed young woman, and he seemed to eradicate that notion of her being completely. She was clay between his fingers; soft and impressionable.
She corrected her scarf, simply because she found it inappropriate to reveal her curves to the rest of the establishment. Her instructor however, he was allowed to see just as much as he wanted to. That, she was sure of. Then, he told her to relax, since they were celebrating. That made her smile softly at him, but it didn’t really change anything in her mannerisms. After all, being raised to be a possible heiress to the Circle, she had been raised to act like a lady. She could relax more, of course, but that was reserved for friends and close ones. Mr. Miles was, for the time being, her employer and instructor. That was the end of that. Therefor, she simply repositioned her hands ever so slightly in her lap, and even though her back was straightened to a point that might have seemed unpleasant to some, she was used to it from both dancing and being upright all day when working at the cafe. No slouching.

His next question made her look at him with a slightly confused expression. What kind of question was that? Then, she realized that he might have been referring to that some are vegetarians or vegans. He couldn’t possibly know of what happened back in Oregon. ‘’It is a guilty pleasure of mine, yes,’’ she admitted with a soft chuckle. ‘’Thankfully, I can handle meat,’’ she added, now knowing that she would either sound tempting or vulgar. He seemed to be a man that might even appreciate both sides.

The conversation turned even more personal as he asked if she lived with any family or roommates. She shook her head gently. ‘’I do not. I am afraid that my flat would be far too small for any arrangements like that,’’ she admitted before she shrugged ever so softly. ‘’I like my privacy at the end of the day, so living alone has been my preference since I moved here,’’ she then added, knowing damn well that it was a partial lie. If she wanted to, she could move into the estate with her aunt and cousin. She was free to do so. Still, she chose to be free from those responsibilities, and instead lived in a dingy worn-down flat with ruined wallpaper, no separate bedroom and a bathroom filled with plants that made her feel closer to her home back in Oregon. She would never admit to living under those conditions, however. That would be too much to explain to someone like the man in front of her. ‘’I sense that it might important to add that I moved here recently,’’ she said with a calm smile. ‘’I do have family in the area, although I feel somewhat estranged from them due to a childhood apart from them,’’ she said, repositioning the scarf just a smidge once more.

‘’If you don’t mind, mr. Miles, I would like to return the question,’’ she said, hoping to get to know if he lived with anyone himself. Not that it mattered much to her, in some fashion. She would, however, be slightly disappointed if the instructor had a complete family, which meant she would have to replace herself with his partner in those fantasies of hers.