"I'm sorry!" Nessa said louder. She flinched at the echoes she created with her response.
"Bah, you should be. Getting the others excited about your triumph when you should be learning how to hone your skills better. You can't get by on pure luck, child," Mercer lectured. Nessa could feel the blood flooding into her face as she blushed a deep red. The way he said child made her feel like she was eight years old. "You should have been able to finish the job without even going upstairs. If you had trained with Vex, then you could have picked the safe on your own."
Nessa could feel tears gathering in her eyes at the Guildmaster's words. Part of her wanted to remind me that Vex had failed that particular job, but she couldn't find the words. Mercer was still berating her, but she couldn't focus on what he was saying. All she knew was that he was close to her, too close. All she could see was the older man's face as he loomed over her.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" he barked.
"I'm sorry," she repeated.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"I don't understand," Nessa stuttered. The tears were freely running down her cheeks now. It seemed so unfair. She had had the most wonderful night. Everyone had praised her, bought her drinks, listened to her story, and laughed with her. How was it ending like this?
"When you address me, you'll use my title," Mercer snarled. His right hand was half-raised and it scared Nessa deeply. "I will not tolerate a slip of a girl disrespecting me or my position."
"I'm sorry, Guildmaster!" she cried.
"By Nocturnal, I don't know why I allowed Brynjolf to bring children into the Guild," Mercer complained.
Nessa clenched her hands in angry. How dare he? "I'm not a child," she protested.
"Oh really?" Mercer smirked. "I doubt it."
"I am an adult," Nessa shouted, "and I can prove it!"
"Is that so?" Mercer asked, his voice dangerously low. Nessa's anger melted into fear. He was too close to her now. "Why don't we see about that?"
She turned her face away, squeezing her eyes shut, expecting a slap, expecting yet another scornful rejection of her abilities as a thief, a human being-and the worst-as an adult woman. But instead, he roughly gripped her chin and yanked her head back to center. She opened her eyes just in time to see his fleeting expression, one of greed, or lust, or both.
His lips crashed into hers and whatever expression he wore, she couldn't see. The hand gripping her chin pulled down, urging her mouth to open under his and-why?-it did. Her hands came up, pressing against his chest, pushing or grasping, they were of two minds.
There was no retreating from it now that she'd committed. His tongue pillaging her mouth, his tongue mating with hers, rubbing, and aggressively ransacking everything-every breath, every unsuccessfully suppressed sigh or moan, and certainly the last scrap of self-respect she'd managed to hang onto.
When Mercer finally broke the kiss, Nessa was left flushed and breathless. And confused. Very confused. "Why?" she asked.
"Because I can," Mercer smirked. His fingers ran along her chin, pushing back a strand of hair that had come loose from her braids. "Because I wanted to. The only two reasons a real thief ever needs for his actions." His hand shot out as fast as a snake's bite. Slender fingers pinched her nipple cruelly through her armor.
"Ah!" Nessa screamed from shock more than pain. It did hurt, but as the pain ran down her body, it melted into a warm, pleasant sensation pooling in her hips. "Why?!"
"You forgot my title again," Mercer growled sadistically. His grey eyes flashed with amusement as he twisted harder.
"Guildmaster, please, I'm sorry," Nessa whimpered. Part of her realized that she was taller than the older man, but that didn't seem to matter in the slightest. He was in control here.
"Better," he admitted, "even if you still sound like a child trying to placate a scolding parent. I thought you were going to show me how much of a woman you are?"
His taunts drove her mad as much as they made her cringe. Nessa gritted her teeth. "And how would I do that?" she asked. Almost too late she remembered, "Guildmaster Frey."
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timeasmymeasure
Virtue of Pleasure 3/?
Date: 2013-04-12 05:27 am (UTC)"Bah, you should be. Getting the others excited about your triumph when you should be learning how to hone your skills better. You can't get by on pure luck, child," Mercer lectured. Nessa could feel the blood flooding into her face as she blushed a deep red. The way he said child made her feel like she was eight years old. "You should have been able to finish the job without even going upstairs. If you had trained with Vex, then you could have picked the safe on your own."
Nessa could feel tears gathering in her eyes at the Guildmaster's words. Part of her wanted to remind me that Vex had failed that particular job, but she couldn't find the words. Mercer was still berating her, but she couldn't focus on what he was saying. All she knew was that he was close to her, too close. All she could see was the older man's face as he loomed over her.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" he barked.
"I'm sorry," she repeated.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"I don't understand," Nessa stuttered. The tears were freely running down her cheeks now. It seemed so unfair. She had had the most wonderful night. Everyone had praised her, bought her drinks, listened to her story, and laughed with her. How was it ending like this?
"When you address me, you'll use my title," Mercer snarled. His right hand was half-raised and it scared Nessa deeply. "I will not tolerate a slip of a girl disrespecting me or my position."
"I'm sorry, Guildmaster!" she cried.
"By Nocturnal, I don't know why I allowed Brynjolf to bring children into the Guild," Mercer complained.
Nessa clenched her hands in angry. How dare he? "I'm not a child," she protested.
"Oh really?" Mercer smirked. "I doubt it."
"I am an adult," Nessa shouted, "and I can prove it!"
"Is that so?" Mercer asked, his voice dangerously low. Nessa's anger melted into fear. He was too close to her now. "Why don't we see about that?"
She turned her face away, squeezing her eyes shut, expecting a slap, expecting yet another scornful rejection of her abilities as a thief, a human being-and the worst-as an adult woman. But instead, he roughly gripped her chin and yanked her head back to center. She opened her eyes just in time to see his fleeting expression, one of greed, or lust, or both.
His lips crashed into hers and whatever expression he wore, she couldn't see. The hand gripping her chin pulled down, urging her mouth to open under his and-why?-it did. Her hands came up, pressing against his chest, pushing or grasping, they were of two minds.
There was no retreating from it now that she'd committed. His tongue pillaging her mouth, his tongue mating with hers, rubbing, and aggressively ransacking everything-every breath, every unsuccessfully suppressed sigh or moan, and certainly the last scrap of self-respect she'd managed to hang onto.
When Mercer finally broke the kiss, Nessa was left flushed and breathless. And confused. Very confused. "Why?" she asked.
"Because I can," Mercer smirked. His fingers ran along her chin, pushing back a strand of hair that had come loose from her braids. "Because I wanted to. The only two reasons a real thief ever needs for his actions." His hand shot out as fast as a snake's bite. Slender fingers pinched her nipple cruelly through her armor.
"Ah!" Nessa screamed from shock more than pain. It did hurt, but as the pain ran down her body, it melted into a warm, pleasant sensation pooling in her hips. "Why?!"
"You forgot my title again," Mercer growled sadistically. His grey eyes flashed with amusement as he twisted harder.
"Guildmaster, please, I'm sorry," Nessa whimpered. Part of her realized that she was taller than the older man, but that didn't seem to matter in the slightest. He was in control here.
"Better," he admitted, "even if you still sound like a child trying to placate a scolding parent. I thought you were going to show me how much of a woman you are?"
His taunts drove her mad as much as they made her cringe. Nessa gritted her teeth. "And how would I do that?" she asked. Almost too late she remembered, "Guildmaster Frey."