#rolfo

Labyrinth sentence starters . accepting

The first time that the Corneo bodyguard known as Two Guns visited the Honey Bee Inn under her ownership, Melissa had been (reluctantly) willing to believe it could be a case of someone not being currently up to date to the changes in relation to the rules she had just implemented - in other words, the full and absolute ban on the presence of anyone with ties to the Don.

But then he did it again - with a knowing smile and a confidence about his posture that unnerved her; it felt like a mockery of her laws and absolute defiance of the new business model she was attempting to deploy. His familiarity with some of the girls did not make it easier - the fact he wasn't one of the worst men working for Corneo did not make him eligible for an exception, no matter how much some of her staff members sighed after him.

During his first visit, they had talked for a moment and exchanged more veiled threats than she cared to admit. But now - she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of using up her precious time, or even let him gloat over a look of displeasure on her face. Melissa was the fucking queen, not the court's jester to amuse Two Guns if he happened to be bored.

But her budding (yet loyal) security team had been doing their job well - and that second attempt at visiting the inn (for her girls or to bother Melissa, that she did not know) using the front doors was short-lived; her Costan chief of security held the intruder in place, and kept him at the entrance with a firm and serious gaze that told Rolfo he wasn't afraid to resort to physical force. Between the two of them - the Corneo bodyguard was more skilled in ranged combat, but a former wrestler would come out on top of a corporal altercation.

And Rolfo knew that as well - so he backtracked, a look of pure contempt on his face as he scoffed when he saw Melissa emerge from the main lounge and into the reception area (surely warned about the presence of less than savory types by her staff). Seeing Rolfo outside with his body language no longer displaying that confidence and charm had the opposite effect in her - the madame opened a bright smile, encouraged by the barrier offered by her bulky head of security and stepping closer to Two Guns.

"Thanks for nothing, Melissa," he spat, eyeing the new owner with a look that silently promised revenge; he was not going to leave her alone, she could tell that much - but that round? That one had been claimed by the queen bee.

50 kisses

22. A kiss that is leading to more, but is interrupted by a third party.

50 types of kisses . accepting

There was no value in ruling if one did not lead by example, Melissa found - and it all derived from very early childhood memories, when all respect she had for any parental figures died the day her mother left her children behind to an uncaring father - and then such opinion sunk even lower when her own progenitor did the unspeakable and sold his own daughters in exchange for money (that was probably transformed into a limited supply of beer bottles that led him to an early grave).

And yet - years later, as the proud queen to her own kingdom and quick to make reforms and to issue new laws for every honeygirl and employee to abide by... She had been the first one to break her own commandments by fraternizing with the enemy. There was no way to sugarcoat it - as much as she tried to spin the situation differently in her mind, or even to justify herself as being above her diligent workers - she was a hypocrite.

No kiss should be that valuable, no caress should be enough to have her betraying her own people. And yet, when Rolfo trailed his fingers over her skin, or pressed kisses against her mouth and whispered sweet nothings into her ear with his trademark accent, her resolve crumbled as easily as a house of cards. For someone like her, with a plethora of suitable candidates if she needed a lover given her appearance, skills and station - why did Melissa keep falling back into the arms of a Corneo bodyguard?

Why risk her neck time and time again in every one of their encounters?

But it was hard to muster any coherent (or rational) reply under the influence of his ministrations, particularly when he had her pressed against the wall, hands pining the madame's wrists above her head and ravenous lips abusing the flesh of her neck with a dazzling rotation of soft kisses, licks and bites. He was careful to not leave any marks where someone could see - and yet, there was a darker side of the queen of the bees who wouldn't complain about being claimed publicly.

Melissa fought back for control then - and Rolfo relented, hands going free if only to allow her to undress him, beginning to remove the jacket and the shirt with frantic motions while he worked on her dress. She had only returned to her own quarters after closing up for the night - the only place of the entire brothel with a window, which was both a luxury and a danger - anyone could get inside, such as the mafioso. The gown she had used that evening was needlessly complicated with several buckles, zippers and buttons - it looked beautiful and regal, yes; but hid her figure from Rolfo's hungry eyes and she could see he was growing annoyed at the offensive garment, a step away from destroying her dress.

...Which he had done before, of course; and it both aggravated the woman (she loved her wardrobe, after all), and set her further on fire given his desperation to feel skin on skin, their time always so limited and precious.

Rolfo had been about to procure something sharp to cut the straps of her dress into tiny pieces when there was a knock on her door - and that interrupted both of them. Her quarters were sacred - no one intruded (or bothered her) unless it was something very serious. The fact that someone was out there after work hours was concerning, and Melissa merely motioned her head towards the closet, silently ordering the marksman to hide - he couldn't be seen there at all; his presence would bring about a scandal of epic proportions.

Ordinarily - Rolfo would probably have argued against any of her requests out of affectionate teasing or pure antagonism, but even he recognized the danger of everything at that moment. He moved without question, and Melissa went to the door as swiftly as she could, taking care to leave the room in semi-darkness and hide her flushed cheeks or any evidence of anything extraordinary happening inside.

"Yes?" the madame opened the door, finding the stern figure of Leo looking at her - while he was one of the nicest people she had ever met from Costa, his seriousness while on duty as her chief of security was unparalleled. "Oh, hi Leo. Is something the matter? I thought you were going home."

"Yeah - but when I was leaving, I swear I saw something from the back street - looked like a shadow in your room, to be honest. You need to keep that window locked, Mel. You know it's dangerous if someone is a skilled climber," he said with a concerned voice, "You alright?"

"Just perfect. No one here when I got in, or in the bathroom. I checked," she offered with a chuckle, hoping to soothe her loyal employee's (very founded) worries. And it did work to an extent, with Leo nodding and sighing heavily.

"I won't keep you from a good night of sleep, then. Just... Be careful, Mel. Call me at any time if you hear anything, okay?"

"Will do, Leo. Thank you - good night!" she said while waving to him and closing the door, locking it - and then listening intently to the sounds of footsteps retreating from the other side. She then ran across the room, shutting the window as he had suggested and pulling the curtains too; now, hopefully, he would be less worried about her... And less inclined to find Rolfo among her dresses.

"That... Was too close for my liking," Melissa said while opening the door to the wardrobe, but Rolfo looked slightly amused at the entire situation - if only because he had a pair of lingerie in his hands, making a spectacle of examining it up close - and then pocketing it with a defiant look. The woman scoffed and then used both hands to grab him, the partially opened shirt on his body working well to drag the man back into her room - and crushing his still smiling lips with a hungry kiss.

get a letter from my muse . accepting

"Sciara,

This is my last warning to you – do not fucking cross me. I know it’s hopeless of me to expect any of Corneo’s goons to have minimal intelligence, but just so we’re clear: you’re not welcome here anymore. The inn is not your playground, my girls are not your toys – leave them the fuck alone.

If I so much suspect you’re sneaking in again and trying to privately see any of them, I’m calling Shinra on your ass. I don’t care what sort of protection you think you have from Corneo – he’s not above Shinra and if push comes to shove, I’m pretty sure I’m the one who gets the company back-up.

Do not test me – I’ve gone through hell and I’m not afraid to show you (and your boss) a fraction of that. If you treat me again like I’m stupid and only good for spreading my legs for others, you will live to regret it.

-Hey, I most certainly hope that with Spring coming, you and your bees will finally drop a few layers of clothes, Queen. ="

Without as much as a smirk he drops his cigarette on the ground and turns into the nearest street, finally grinning at his own idiocy.

random asks . always accepting

As a young teenager delivered to the Honey Bee Inn without ever seeing the Wall Market before, Melissa used to think the district to be huge - an entire city that she would never be able to explore in one full life given her limited world experience. But as she got older, and particularly after starting that feud with Don Corneo, Wall Market felt just the opposite.

So small that it made impossible to walk around without bumping into one (or two) lackeys, always there to remind the self-styled queen that her kingdom was but an illusion - and it worked. It kept Melissa alert, always aware of her surroundings the minute she stepped outside the inn - and thus the figure of her... Complicated affair coming from the other direction was something she noticed way before Rolfo even spoke.

In all honesty, she had expected him to keep quiet - or to openly taunt her. They represented opposites sides in the local cold war even if things were more than heated between four walls; but in the public eye, there was no peaceful co-existence. All things considered, the madame had been prepared for the occasional insult - or even open ignorance, as if she had been invisible.

The soft joke, however, made her pause - and, even more astonishingly, had her blushing for a second.

It was true - Spring had just started, the climate becoming more pleasant - even down in the slums, there was a change in the air that made her happier; more comfortable in her own skin and which improved her mood. And although she frequently dressed in suitably revealing clothes during work hours (and Rolfo knew), his joke nonetheless...

Worked. And she hated herself for a minute there.

Shaking her head and snickering, Melissa took a deep breath and resumed her walk to the tailor's shop. Well - curiously enough, she had been on her way to pick a new dress up... And one with a more than generous design where necklines and leg slits were concerned. Maybe the mafioso deserved a premiere in public so he could watch and squirm - but do nothing.