It had been over fifteen minutes, and they didn't seem anywhere near being finished with the meeting. Asuriel gave up on waiting for it to end, leaned on Vaerion's shoulder, and was nearly asleep when she felt her tattoos warm up again.
Not wanting to draw attention, she was careful not to move too much. Asuriel looked down at her thighs and saw that the tattoos weren't getting hot all on their own – a particular devil had decided to rest his hand on top of the ink.
His fingers idly traced the markings, the touch igniting her skin. He squeezed and kneaded the outer part of her thigh, leaving a pink mark. Vaerion casually moved the hand he had been supporting her, under her shirt.
He rubbed her back softly, lowering his hand until he held one of her rear cheeks in his palm. Vaerion's fingers slid up under the waistband of her panties, and he let his hand rest there comfortably.
Asuriel shivered and let out a long breath, mindful to stay quiet.
'He's being so audacious. He must be bored too,' she laughed to herself. 'I'll play the part if he wants to pretend I'm his mistress. It's not my reputation we'll ruin, anyway. I might as well have fun.'
Asuriel slid her hand downward, hooking a finger into his belt. Although his expression was carefully controlled, she felt his abdomen become taut under her touch.
The coolness of her finger touched his bare skin and made his breath hitch. He squeezed her bottom in response, which only spurred Asuriel on. Everyone at the table was participating actively, likely out of fear of Vaerion, which made it easy for her to begin getting up to mischief.
Asuriel moved slightly, as though she were repositioning herself to get more comfortable. She put one of her arms around his neck and swiftly unbuttoned a few top buttons on her shirt with her free hand. The movement was so casual that no one gave it a second thought.
Vaerion, however, looked down at her for the first time since the meeting started, seeking eye contact. She met his gaze confidently, ignoring his accusatory expression at her.
Vaerion's golden eyes moved quickly from her face to her now-exposed chest. It was only from his point of view that her cleavage was visible, which agonized him. His brow furrowed in frustration, but there were traces of a smile on his lips that promptly disappeared.
Asuriel leaned into him, ensuring her chest was pressing against his. She rested her head on his shoulder again, allowing her lips to graze his nape; then, teasingly, she gave him a tiny lick. Her tongue barely touched his skin, enough to accomplish Asuriel's goal.
She felt something harden beneath her legs and immediately felt victorious. His self-control impressed her, but that made her doubly proud of breaking it.
Unfortunately, that sense of victory would vanish when they left the meeting. Vaerion Sinclair didn't allow anyone to beat him… at anything.
Vaerion and Asuriel continued to tease and toy with each other throughout the meeting, which lasted well over an hour.
As soon as the presentation was finished and all questions were answered, Vaerion announced the meeting's completion.
"Emberlight Holdings will hold a follow-up meeting one week from now to discuss results," he stated pointedly, looking at each investor with an intimidating glare.
Everyone gave muffled farewells, but Vaerion didn't bother staying to hear them. Much to Asuriel's surprise, he kept her in his arms when he stood from his chair. She looked at him with a confused expression, which he completely ignored.
Instead, he carried her out of the meeting room and turned down a random hallway. She was about to ask where they were going when they teleported back to her apartment.
"…You can put me down now," Asuriel laughed softly.
"You're right, I can do that," Vaerion tightened his grip on her, "but I won't."
Asuriel met his golden eyes, which were filled with desire. She just smiled knowingly, not bothering to argue. They stared at each other in silence, the tension building between them becoming palpable.
After a moment, Vaerion looked up as though searching for something. Soon, he caught sight of the incense burner, which was thankfully burnt out, and frowned.
"It smells like that disgusting ward in here," he observed, then added, "and a human man. Do you live with someone?"
Asuriel shook her head. "No, I live alone. I had a friend over earlier, though."
Vaerion hummed and looked at her pointedly. "Is that why you're wearing cute underwear?"
"Nah, he and I don't hook up," she laughed. "Not yet, anyway. But, regardless of getting laid, I almost always wear matching sets; it's just fun."
"Not yet?" he scoffed but walked confidently into her bedroom and closed the door behind them, escaping the incense. "Sounds like someone was hopeful he'd make a move."
"He's hot, but I'm not that interested. It's funny, though," Asuriel couldn't help but think about the week before. "He was telling me to try and get with you, actually. He would be so proud of me if he knew."
Vaerion put her on the bed and sat on the edge. He looked at her, perplexed, "With me? How would he know?"
"Yeah, it's my coworker," she explained. "He kept saying you were checking me out, and you're hot, so I should shoot my shot."
"Oh, Fox," he nodded in understanding. "He's too nosy for his own good, but at least he has good taste."
"Yeah, he's got decent taste when it comes to men," Asuriel reached up to finish unbuttoning her shirt. "With women, though… his choices aren't excellent."
"If he isn't hooking up with you," Vaerion said as he watched her remove the shirt, "then he definitely doesn't have good taste in women; you're right."
"That's not what I meant, but I'll take the compliment," she tossed the shirt aside, then looked at him expectantly. "So, does that mean you will hook up with me instead?"
A teasing smirk graced Vaerion's pointed features. "Definitely."
Asuriel looked at him from beneath hooded lashes. "Come on, then. I'm going crazy after the meeting, and I know you are, too."
"Yeah?" he asked, shrugging off his jacket. As he unbuttoned his shirt, he teased, "You're so proud of yourself. It's almost cute."
"Almost?"
"Yeah, almost. You disobeyed me telling you to behave, so I took points off," he explained, his voice lowering slightly. "That, and you've bound me to you with mysterious magic I don't recognize and can't get rid of easily."
Asuriel sighed. "I guess that's fair… but I'm not sorry if it means I get a handsome devil in my bed."
"We're going to remove the spell as soon as possible," he said seriously, a flash of something dangerous and frightening in his stare. After a moment, he looked at her and slid his hand down her stomach, "But we should take care of this first."