Aren't you ever afraid? [cw]

He continued the story and she listened, looking out at the sea, imagining it to herself. Something that sparked happiness. She smiled, chuckling as it was quite a nice superpower if you asked her. She was closer to him now, but she was strangely not making any suggestive moves. It was as if she was wrapped up in the story instead, her eyes scanning his as he continued, letting her pick up where he left off. "While the scorpion would normally sting her way through things, her plan this time around was much more well thought out; She approached the wolf," she said swimming up close to him, but never touching him. Simply looking in to his eyes, her own green gentle. "And she asked the wolf ..."

"More than anything the wolf wanted what the scorpion had, only once he had it, he could not understand it," she said, looking at Dave with almost hurting eyes. She was quite aware that they were about to cross a line, but were they really? He had seen her naked so many times that by now he must've been tired of looking at it. "The scorpion was confused, because she treasured the diamond without realizing what it actually was," she whispered. Moving away she thought it would be the end of the story. He wasn't going to do anything to incriminate himself, he wouldn't dare give in, and now she felt almost hurt.

She was heading towards the shore, stopping as he spoke once more. She didn't turn to look at him, she already felt hurt and vulnerable, and what he said wasn't helping. "Or maybe she had saved the diamond to give to the one she truly cared about ... Maybe she just wanted to give and not to take," she whispered, reaching to where she could touch the sea floor. She headed out of the water, over to her dress that she slipped over her wet and naked body. Lucrezia knew her worth, she knew what she was and who she was the daughter of, but for once she had hoped someone could see through that. See who she was, feel that there was a real person beneath. Making her way back to the summer mansion she knew she had to tend to her scraped knee, it was bleeding a bit, a droplet of blood running down to her ankle.

Lucrezia moved inside the mansion, up the stairs, dragging sand and sea water with her all over, but why should she care? They would all smile at her, assure her that they would take care of it. Eventually she reached the bathroom, the bath she had ordered having been kept warm while she was gone. First thing she did was toss her dress in to a corner, then shower to get the sand off her legs before sitting down in the tub. Looking up at the beautifully painted ceiling, she said nothing, barely acknowledging anyone who entered to refill her warm water or check on her in general. Eventually she got bored of even that, wrapping her body up, before heading to her room, her leg still bleeding a bit, but soaking had helped clean it at least. She would just need a bandaid, but she couldn't even care to ask for it.

She knew he'd show up soon enough, even though she wasn't in the mood to be lectured. He came in as she was sitting on the end of her bed, her towel hiding her body, but not her figure. His words made her scoff, standing up she removed her towel, using it to dry away the blood. It was just a small cut, nothing deep. "Better?" She said calmly, dropping the towel on the floor before she walked over to her closet. Of course the cut hadn't been sealed, so new blood would accumulate soon. But she knew of her blood's power, so it was almost like she was avoiding him touching her now. "Get me a bandaid ... I'll fix it up myself," she said as she was picking out her sleepwear.
Maybe she was being too dismissive now, but she was not used to rejection. She knew she could have him if she turned up her pheromones, but what would that gain her? Then she wouldn't really be having him. And she wanted him to give in to her, submit or at the very least admit that he felt some type of way about her. Once he returned with the bandaid she was wearing a rather beautiful chemise, slightly see through, but it was only expected in the heat. Taking the bandaid and the sanitary napkin, she cleaned her cut before covering it up. Looking up at him she felt like she could still see him in that silvery moonlight. "Don't I get a goodnight kiss?" she asked, tilting her head a little to the side.

She couldn't help but smile as he scoffed. But then he said something that she hadn't really thought he would say. We shouldn't. Biting back a smile she crawled in to bed, laying her head on the pillow. So it wasn't because he didn't want to. With that thought she seemed to drift off to sleep.

The next day she was awakened by one of the staff women, telling her the day was going to start without her if she didn't get up. Lucrezia groaned, getting out of bed as she picked out her outfit for today. Her father was home, so she would have to dress more conservatively, picking out a nice skirt along with a polo shirt. Doing her makeup lightly she headed down for breakfast, greeting her father with a kiss on his cheek to which he smiled. "Good morning daughter, how have you slept?" he asked, always so traditional. "I've slept alright, thank you very much for asking, father," she said, a warm smile as she sat down across from him at the big table. She eyed his own security personnel, one broad shouldered guy another a tall woman. She knew them well, they had been with them for a long time. "I guess I'm just anxious to go back to Churchill," she smiled. "Do not worry, child, Mr. Trench has been given all of the details and he'll seek to care for you," he said, giving a slight nod to Dave. She nodded, picking at her food and only eating a little bit. She didn't gain anything from eating, she more so did it to spend time with her family.
"I was thinking of going out for a horseback ride after lunch," she said, placing a tomato between her lips, chewing on it. She did like the taste of food at least, though some wasn't as good as fresh fruits and vegetables. Her father nodded, wafting his hand at Dave, letting him know that it was something he had to set up with the stables.

Breakfast was just about over as Dave returned, Lucrezia's father going on a tangent about something he had planned to sort out later today, and she was sorta listening. But her mind was busy. She knew that going out for a ride would sort most of her worries, but it was as if last night still bothered her in some way. Getting up as her father left she eyed Dave, but her expression was calm and collected. You could really see how she took after her father in that regard, although she had her mother's eyes. Normally she would change into something more suitable for riding, but she just wanted to get going, heading off to the stables after spending most of the morning sorting out what she wanted brought with her to Churchill so that it could be packed in advance.
The smell of hay and animals surrounded her as she entered the stables, almost running to greet her horse that seemed joyous to see her. Achilles was a black horse and rather tall, much taller than her, but he had always seemed to know she was in charge. "Hello beautiful," she smiled, kissing his long face a few places petting him down his neck that he bent down for her. A grey horse had equally been prepared for Dave, it was just about as tall, and bore the name Adonis. The stable master came over to greet Lucrezia, he was an older gentleman, grey streaks in both hair and beard. He adjusted his vest, talking about the weather and that he sensed it was going to rain, so they might need to stop on the way back. "Thank you, Elio, we will be careful," she said, nodding as she got up on Achilles and signaled for the horse to move. Once outside of the estate, she picked up the pace, feeling her hair get tangled in the wind as she rode down the planes. Chuckling to herself she looked back at Dave, seeing if he could keep up. She knew Achilles was fast, but Adonis had always seemed to be able to keep up with them.

She couldn't help but chuckle as she saw Adonis pressing himself to ride faster, but luckily Dave was there to calm the horse, and Lucrezia steadied Achilles with a firm hand. They were riding a more normal level of speed now and the question made her smile. "I want to go to the cliffs, look out on the waters one last time before we leave," she said. Her short hair sat wildly on her head, a bit of sweat on her forehead from steering and guiding the large animal she was in control of. This was a side that few rarely got to see of her. The messy side, the one that wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty. Looking ahead once more she could spot the ocean a bit further out. Trees were scattered sporadically through the scenery, large ones that had been there for all of time - or so it seemed.
She rode ahead, Achilles happy to follow her lead as he galloped happily off. She was really going to miss her horse, the freedom of riding and feeling her whole body move with the animal. It didn't take long before they reached the cliffs, a steep dive right down in to the ocean below. Rocks at the bottom threatening anyone who might think of jumping from that height. A lonesome large tree was standing not far from the edge, Lucrezia got off Achilles, fastening him to it. Stroking his mane a few times she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, drying it off in her polo that was dirty anyways. Of course she wasn't going to try anything stupid, but she had been out here so many times. But this was the first time she had brought Dave here as well.
"I usually prefer this place at sunset, but we have to leave early tomorrow, and as much trouble as I like to cause, I don't want to trouble you that much," she smiled, moving a bit closer to the edge, looking out at the sea, the wind keeping her back as if to warn her of the doom that was below. "In olden times they called this place widow's peak because supposedly this was where women went to kill themselves when their husbands were no more," she said, shaking her head as she didn't quite believe that old story. "I can't imagine why you would do something like that ... I mean sure you can lose a spouse, but my father found a way to live on after my mother passed ..." she muttered, mostly to herself it seemed as her eyes were fixated on the horizon. She noticed she had tears in her eyes, wiping her face a little before shaking her head.
Turning around on her heels she walked away from the edge, looking up at the crown of the large tree. "But I guess it's because men are fickle that way," she pondered. Maybe there was a reason why women had always been considered the ones disposable or replaceable. "They are like butterflies, flying from flower to flower," she said, touching the tree as she turned around to look at Dave. "Always wanting the next best thing, the more sweeter nectar ... So I always feel like I need to be smarter, be ahead so that I am not the widow at the bottom of the cliff." Maybe it was a bit crazy for a girl her age to think about things like these, but with her father's line of work she had seen many things a girl her age wasn't supposed to see. Torture, maiming, extortion. It was all casual.
Maybe that was why she was constantly testing Dave, seeing if he gave in, because she could feel that he liked her. And not just from the physical attraction, no somewhere in his mind she seemed to tickle him just right. As much as she annoyed him, perhaps that bratty attitude was also welcome? "Sembra un fiore, sii le spine - Look like a flower, be the thorns," she said, sending him an innocent smile. "You said we shouldn't ... And you're so right, because I would ruin you," she said, her smile turning sad before looking up at the tree again.

Honestly she hadn't expect him to say much more than his usual dismissive comment. But then he said that she wouldn't know, her jaw tensing a bit because somehow he was saying that she would never know. Looking in to his eyes it was clear she was still rather defiant, and he went on to explain his reasons for his distance. "You wouldn't be able to handle me that way; As my protector on a payroll you might be able to accept my bratty behavior, but take out the money and you'd want to get as far away from me as possible," she said. It was always like that. Most of her nanny's or staff in general had only ever kept up with her because there was money involved. She was charming, that was sure, but as soon as you got to know her they would find how rotten she was behind her beauty. He looked away, and she thought it would be that. He would return to being dismissive or maybe change the subject, but to her amazement he was taking his time to analyze her. She couldn't help but chuckle, shaking her head a little. "You know me pretty well at this point, huh?" she said, following his gaze for a while out on the view. "But I wouldn't be good for you, I'm not good for anyone, but something about you just wanted me to think that perhaps I could try and be good," she said in a sigh.
Turning her eyes back on the tree, she reached out as she started to climb it. The bark was rough against her palms, but she was quite steady on her feet, getting up to sit in the tree, looking out at the horizon from there. He could follow her if he wanted, but she would sit for a bit in silence. It wasn't like she was crazy and that would ruin him. It was more the fact that no matter where she went, people would turn their head and lust for her. She always had plenty of suitors, and knowing men well enough at this point, they would start to get jealous. "Do you even know why my father suddenly decided I needed a bodyguard?" she asked rather nonchalantly, her fingers following a line in the bark of the branch she was sitting on. "It was because a guy I had been with started suggesting that I was only his ... That somehow he could convince my father that I was to be with only him and marry him and all that," she scoffed. As if someone could ever lay claim on her like that. "Well he decided he was tired of waiting, so he hired some goons to snatch me up while I was out shopping." Shaking her head, she just saw it as silly now, but it had been rather scary back then.
"My father sent his men, luckily I had my location chip on me still, but when they found me I was covered in blood - not my own, but the blood of the men the guy had hired," she said. Her eyes turning bleak for a second, but only shortly, before she looked at Dave. "I had been bound and gagged, dressed in a white dress, and my soon to be husband had had a nervous breakdown. He was convinced that the other men wanted me too, so in a fit of madness he had killed them all," - "He was about to kill me and then himself; Because that way no-one could have me, and he wouldn't have to live with the guilt."

She shook her head at his question, "I'm not afraid of you David ... But I'm afraid that you being around me might change you, and I like you how you are," she said. Maybe she was overreacting, but from what she had seen of this world things were bound to repeat themselves. Leaning her head against the tree trunk she looked out at the sea, wanting to magically sprout wings and fly far away. Or maybe she wished that her mother was alive so that she could understand who and what she was. Apparently her mother had been much the same, but she had always had some elegance to her. Maybe if she was alive, Lucrezia would've been able to learn the trade, so to speak. He had turned stoic again, and she gritted her teeth because she didn't know how to feel about all of this. She was so frustrated and angry, but most of all she was sad. The follow up question made her sigh, shrugging as she wasn't sure. "Maybe 24 hours consecutively ... But he had wanted me way before that, so I don't know if he was just like that or if I made him that way," she said, looking down at her fingers. Her life had been pretty simple up until that day. She still fooled around, trying to be a teenager, but it was hard to commit to someone with the fear she had.
"I thought ... If I could just get you to give in to me then I'd know," she wasn't sure if her words were coming out right. She really did like Dave, a lot, and the more she had gotten to know him, the more scared she was that she would corrupt him in some sort of way. "But I can't even seem to control myself when I'm around you; I get so happy that my stomach starts to hurt, and then I get scared again."

She looked down at him, his words were supposed to soothe her, but she just felt like he didn't hear her. She was young, sure, but did that mean she didn't have to think for herself? Shaking her head a little she remained quiet for a while, just listening as the waves hit the side of the cliff, her eyes fixated on the horizon where a boat was sailing off to some far away place. "Can you catch me?" she asked, looking down at him and if he said he would, she slid down from the branch and in to his arms. He smelled different today. Was it a new cologne? She didn't dare ask, mostly because he was so serious still, but she wanted to see him smile. But instead of saying anything, she just wrapped her arms around him, giving him a hug, placing her cheek against his chest. "I'm sorry," she muttered quite sincerely before letting go of him. The corners of her mouth pulled up in a slight smile that didn't really reach her eyes, but she was at least trying. "Should we head back? We can just take it slow this time," she suggested, looking at Adonis and Achilles who had found some grass to munch on.

Feeling him hug her back felt good. It felt secure; A feeling she hadn't felt for a good while. The suggestion to go back was mostly for his sake. She had a feeling she had made him uncomfortable, but he said they weren't in a hurry. Following him with her eyes, she saw as he sat down, his notion about someone jumping off the cliff made her scoff, not even hesitating as she moved over, sitting down next to him. After their talk she felt a bit better, looking out at the sea, closing her eyes with a smile as the wind came blowing making her chuckle. "You said it yourself that it's not usually what happens now a day," she said, opening her eyes to look at him. And there it was again, his soft smile that made her feel happy. It was weird. Sex was usually how she connected with ... Well anyone, but Dave was different, she just knew. She had known from the minute she had been introduced, but it was only now she felt like she understood better.
"Either way I wouldn't want to find out," she smiled, turning her head to look up at him with a small grin. Leaning her cheek against his shoulder, her light green eyes seemed to almost shimmer, but it was perhaps more a trick of the light. "What did you want to be when you were my age?" she asked, sticking her tongue out, mostly because she didn't think he was as old as he acted.