Happenstance

[prodigalwatcher]

There hadn't been time to call in any of my new team, and frankly, at this early stage, I wasn't entirely sure that I could rely on them in a situation that I hadn't planned out and strategised thoroughly. And so, it was on my lonesome that I strode into the lobby of the W Hotel in Westwood, having broken out the nattiest and least action-worn

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[queenemma]

I was completely, utterly bored.

The Hellfire Club had become quite annoying to me in the past few months, especially since they seemed to lavish attention on Selene while ignoring me. Yes, I'd managed to get inside the Inner Circle through my "dancing", and yes. I had not cared who I had to sleep with in order to secure my membership.

But if they continued on their silly task of "destroying" the X-Men, I would vomit from disgust.

Sleeping with Sebastian had not been something I'd enjoyed, but thankfully I had toyed with his mind enough to make him think I'd had five orgasms. It would suitably stroke his ego -- I wasn't about to stroke anything else.

Telling the members that I was going to "recruit" some mutants for our cause had been a simple enough plan, but again? I was truly bored. Finding a way into the clubs using my telepathy to either bend their will or to make them believe that I was not there at all had been the most fun I'd had in ages.

Being among humans had not.

The frown on my face was still there once I entered my suite, pulling my opera-length gloves off as I sat in a chair with my official Hellfire costume still in place. The thoughts of the human at the door amused me, so I allowed him to "crash it in" as I simply stared at him.

Hmm. Attractive. Certainly moreso than Shaw.

"Hello, dear. Do come in. Would you care for a drink?" I mentally told him to put the gun down and relax. Really, humans could be so... silly sometimes.

[prodigalwatcher]

I'd seen vampires wearing some outlandish attire in my time, but I certainly hadn't been expecting the sight that greeted me on the other side of the door. She was dressed head-to-toe in white, an exceptionally unusual color for her kind, and was draped over one of the large plush chairs. Long leather boots hugged their way up to her thighs, and she was somewhat covered in a kind of tight white basque and knickers, a fur-collared white cloak all but covering the chair. The woman gazed at me intently, as if studying me, calm and steady.

"Hello, dear. Do come in. Would you care for a drink?"

Her voice was even and cultured, with the sound of my own home country to it, though I wasn't entirely sure from three sentences whether it was genuine. I did, though, suddenly find myself relaxing quite a bit, and I shook my head to try to clear such thoughts. Even as I did, I placed my pistol on the table beside the entryway and shut the door behind me.

I stared back at her, steeling my mind as best I could. If she could genuinely enthrall me, I might not have any defense strong enough to resist. But I wouldn't give up without a fight.

"I hope you've enjoyed your stay in Los Angeles," I said, "because I'm afraid your time here is just about up."

Starting to cross the room, I noticed the slight rose tint to her pale skin that indicated to me that she'd just fed. A satisfied vampire was less dangerous than a hungry one, I hoped.

[queenemma]

"I hope you've enjoyed your stay in Los Angeles, because I'm afraid your time here is just about up."

"Really?" One eyebrow shot up and I couldn't wipe the amused grin off my face. "And how, pray tell, are you going to stop me, dear?" Standing, I walked over to him and lightly touched his arm, trailing it up to his neck until my fingers toyed with his lips. Unable to resist, I kissed him before pulling away.

"Delicious."

Turning my back on him, I put an extra sway into my walk as I got out the champagne that was chilling. "Would you care for a drink?"

{Take your coat off and relax. You'll be staying here with me for quite some time.}

I poured two flutes and smiled over my shoulder as I handed one to him. Studying his body, with my eyes focused on one area in particular, I licked my lips as if the kiss was still there.

"Now, won't you tell me why you felt the need to crash through the penthouse? Not that I can't afford to repair it, but I'm simply curious."

[prodigalwatcher]

"Really? And how, pray tell, are you going to stop me, dear?"

"I--" Starting to raise my hand, I realised that it was missing the weight of the pistol. Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed it set aside; I couldn't for the life of me remember having put it down. The smug almost-smile she gave me only frustrated me further.

Before I knew it, and before I could react, the woman had closed the space between us and planted a kiss on my mouth that might very well leave a bruise.

"Delicious."

"I am finished entertaining you," I said through gritted teeth. Raising my left arm, I attempted to trigger the hidden stake, only to find myself unable to do so. Fear began to creep in around the edges of my anger.

"Would you care for a drink?"

"A bit cliché a question, don't you think?"

Was I fast enough to reach my pistol? Could I turn and spring at the weapon before the demon struck me from behind?

{Take your coat off and relax. You'll be staying here with me for quite some time.}

Instead of bolting for my weapon, I complied. The words inside my head sounded almost like my own idea, though they held enough of a foreign sensation that I knew I had fallen into a thrall. Cursing myself for a fool for having given the vampire even a moment's chance, I slid the leather jacket off and lowered myself into a nearby chair.

"Now, won't you tell me why you felt the need to crash through the penthouse? Not that I can't afford to repair it, but I'm simply curious."

I frowned deeply. "I came to turn down the bed. The hotel has a very aggressive housekeeping policy, madame."

[queenemma]

"I am finished entertaining you."

"Oh I sincerely doubt that," I smirked. He was quite attractive, far more interesting than the members of the Hellfire Club, and for some odd reason? The mortal wasn't afraid of me. Either he was completely daft, which I doubted, or he simply did not find me 'scary'.

As he began to remove his coat, I was able to more appreciate the muscles hidden there as well as other weapons he hadn't shown to me at first. Sitting down next to him, I twirled the liquid in my glass as I studied him further.

"A name, please? I do so hate to call you by someone else's as I'm making you come." My most wicked smile crossed my lips, then, as I explained. "You wouldn't even have to move, dear. Shall we try?"

"I came to turn down the bed. The hotel has a very aggressive housekeeping policy, madame."

"Mmm, and a sense of humor as well. Please, though, it's Emma Frost. Madame sounds entirely too formal for occasions like this, don't you agree?"

Why the hell was he being so stubborn? Slipping into his mind again, I probed further and laughed.

{I'm no vampire. Merely a telepath. A mutant. Now that that is settled, why don't we relax a bit more?}

[dark_wesley]

"Oh I sincerely doubt that."

The sheer confidence with which she spoke and moved spoke as much to me about her power as the fact of my inability to resist her instructions did. Whatever this particular vampire had in mind, I needed to begin preparing myself for its inevitability. Still, my eyes darted around the room, furtively searching for some other weapon with which to surprise my now captor.

"A name, please? I do so hate to call you by someone else's as I'm making you come."

I bristled. It wasn't as if I could call myself prudish by any standards these days, not with my continuing dalliance with Lilah, and it wasn't as if the woman now sitting beside me was unattractive-- not by a long stretch. I found myself not entirely blaming the poor souls who'd fallen under her influence. The idea of bedding a vampire, though, locked that attraction as quickly as I'd recognized it.

Unfortunately, the question was as much an imperative to me as all her other instructions had been.

"Wesley Wyndam-Pryce."

Tightening my jaw, I forced myself to concentrate. If I could keep her talking...

"And you would be...?"

"Please, though, it's Emma Frost. Madame sounds entirely too formal for occasions like this, don't you agree?"

The name was vaguely familiar. Perhaps something I'd read in the business section of the L.A. Times?

My questioning ended abruptly as I felt almost insubstantial tendrils floating through my mind, not unlike the sensation of fingers tracing through my hair, but without the actual physical displacement. The disconcerting feeling went on for only a few moments. Then, the voice inside my head.

{I'm no vampire. Merely a telepath. A mutant. Now that that is settled, why don't we relax a bit more?}

A mutant? My curiosity was piqued, in spite of myself. I'd only heard of them, read the sketchy reports in the news.

"I'll relax more if I had a better idea of what you're doing here in Los Angeles. The people you've used your... powers on. Are they unhurt? Are you planning anything I should worry about more than just getting the VIP treatment?"

[queenemma]

"Wesley Wyndam-Pryce."

"Wesley," I purred, tasting the name on my lips. "Yes, it quite suits you. Although why do I think that you're not quite the prude that most Brits are?"

Really, he seemed too on edge, though. I mentally told him to remove his shirt for me. I was simply curious.

"I'll relax more if I had a better idea of what you're doing here in Los Angeles. The people you've used your... powers on. Are they unhurt? Are you planning anything I should worry about more than just getting the VIP treatment?"

Laughing, I lounged on the nearby bed. "Darling I'm here because I choose to be here. No one is hurt. I was merely looking about for something entertaining. Trust me, the Hellfire Club can be so incredibly dull, especially if..." I paused at his last words and removed the fur from my outfit.

"Would you like the VIP treatment? Or, should I expect it from you?" That was when his name hit me and I smiled. "Wolfram & Hart... they approached you to join them, didn't they?" One hand traced my neck, my breasts, and down lower so he could enjoy a better view.

"Perhaps you'd like to work for others who appreciate your..." My eyes swept down to his crotch.

"... your talents."

[dark_wesley]

"Wesley. Yes, it quite suits you. Although why do I think that you're not quite the prude that most Brits are?"

"I haven't the slightest idea what you're getting at," I answered her through grit teeth. "But I wouldn't besmirch the British at the same time I was using that accent. You might fool an American, but not me."

It probably wasn't the wisest thing to say, and would likely earn me a little ire, but as I was apparently wholly powerless to Frost's suggestion, there was little left to lose. A moment later, I realised that misapprehension as my hands moved of their own volition to remove my shirt.

"Darling I'm here because I choose to be here. No one is hurt. I was merely looking about for something entertaining. Trust me, the Hellfire Club can be so incredibly dull..."

Frost slid the fur-collared cape off and regarded me carefully, looking every inch the predator sizing up its prey. It was a disconcerting end of the hunter's gaze to be on, and I fought against whatever compulsion was keeping me rooted to the spot.

"Would you like the VIP treatment? Or, should I expect it from you? Wolfram & Hart... they approached you to join them, didn't they?"

A wry smile curled my lips.

"I shouldn't be surprised that you're in bed with Wolfram & Hart, so to speak... you seem like a woman who's exactly their clientele."

Casual hand gestures became less casual, and I couldn't keep my eyes from following the white glove over curves and planes... no more than I could keep my traitorous body from responding to watching it.

"Perhaps you'd like to work for others who appreciate your... your talents."

"Sorry," I answered, "I'm quite happy being self-employed."