Jennifer's eyes flashed with emotion, indignity perhaps, or maybe embarrassment. No matter the precise configuration, his words struck her to the core because ultimately they were true. She knew he would be there waiting for her, knew he would be in and out of her office at her beck and call. He was nothing if not persistent, and to her he had proved himself loyal. She realized, as she met his dangerous, flirtatious smile, that she could have Calendius Rey anytime she wanted, no strings attached. Unfortunately though, she was a woman who required all sorts of strings in order to function. Sometimes she felt she was more a puppet than a person.

"No," came her quick reply. To combat his intentionally provocative smirk, her expression became somewhat stormy. "You hardly know me at all if you think you can just bend me over a desk, Cal. I'm not the kind of woman who dabbles in office romances with some pretty boy just for the thrill of it. If I wanted mediocre sex with someone I didn't care about, don't you think I'd have engaged in it by now?"

Honestly? She was a little hurt that he'd think she was so easily won. Perhaps it was her high self-esteem talking, but Jennifer had always conducted herself better than that. She never gave her affections freely, even with the men she truly loved. And she never simply fell into bed with people. Surely Cal knew as much about her character already.

She softened slightly, watching as his expression shifted into something truer. It was in his eyes, it always was, like looking past the glossy exterior and into the truest part of his soul. He was challenging her, just as she's challenged him. And he wanted her. He wanted her enough to make that simple statement, that offer that he was willing to try, if she was.

How on Earth could she say no to that? Wait, no. Jennifer wasn't a pushover. If she was going to do anything so stupid and reckless, she had to be certain he wouldn't turn on her. Not now, not ever. And as his boss... she certainly had enough ammunition to ruin his personal career if he tried to sabotage things for Arturas. Tit for tat. Not that it would ever come to that, right?

... She couldn't believe she was contemplating revenge schemes before even daring to take a lover. What kind of a woman was she anyway?

"I want everything." Jennifer said at last, eyes locking with Cal's. "You're right. You're not mediocre. You're exceptional. And I won't have anything less. And I won't accept anything less than your everything." She kept her voice low, rolling up onto her toes to whisper into his ear. It looked innocent enough to seem like she was sharing some gossip of her own. Totally innocent. Totally legit. "And I have to be your everything, too. I'm not one of your little tarts you find in the party scene. I'm a queen."

"Cal..." His name was lost on her lips, her questions and doubts silenced by his mouth meeting hers.

If Jenny had wanted to, she could have put a decisive end to all of this right then and there. She could have pushed him away, slapped him, cried out for help, any number of things. But she didn't and she wouldn't, not just because it was far easier to give in than to fight with him and herself, but because she wanted to feel Cal's lips against hers and wanted to know what it would be like to feel beautiful and loved and wanted again. And not just wanted by anyone, but wanted by someone who would swear to be loyal to her and her goals. She could be adored by the masses, but to be truly known and loved was another thing entirely.

When he finally pulled away and made a production out of glancing at the mistletoe decoration, she made her own show of rolling her eyes at him. What a pitiful excuse he'd found to kiss her, and yet...

"Your sense of discretion is horrendous, Calendius." Jennifer chided him as she took a deep breath. She made no attempt to leave his proximity, however, dangerous as it was. She too could use the festivities as an excuse to stretch propriety. "I require discretion. The moment any of this gets out, we're all ruined, all of us. I won't let this threaten my husband's career."

This. Apparently their conversation and subsequent exchange of saliva had a name now. Jennifer was reluctant to call it an affair. It wasn't an affair really so much as a lapse of judgment. But it had the very potential (and was, by nature of the agreements they were making there in the night air) more than a simple foolish moment of drunken revelry. Jennifer had full intentions of making Cal her lover and partner in crime, as it were. This required a full commitment from Calendius, and on her end, she would give him as much of herself as she could without ruining everything Arturas had worked for in his political schemings. This would not be, as she had stated, a simple office entanglement. This would be so much more.

The very idea frightened her to the core.

"I'm so scared," she confessed, pressing her forehead against his shoulder. The sweat from her brow and from his body transferred a bit of the paint, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Instead, she focused on his breathing, the way his skin felt against hers, prickling in the winter air, on the sound of his heartbeat. Her own seemed to flutter like a caged lark. "We can't stay here. We've been gone too long. They'll notice and someone will come looking. We have to be careful, Cal. We must."

Without thinking, she reached for her cheek to wipe of the smudge, only to succeed in making it worse and even more obvious. Of course, she couldn't see as much, being that it was dark and she lacked a mirror. She'd just have to excuse herself to the powder room before making her grand reentrance.

"You should go back inside. If anyone asks, I needed to reglue my lashes and I'll be in in a minute." She'd need to do more than that, of course. Truthfully, she needed to hyperventilate for a few minutes and maybe slap some sense into her head. What a perilous path she'd chosen. What a mess she was picking. And why? Why risk everything for him? As her dark eyes met his, the doubt in her gut seemed to vanish slightly, replaced with the thrill of lust and the unknown. How exciting it felt to feel wanted and worshipped. If only she could always feel that way...

Again, without thinking, she kissed him. Standing on her tiptoes, it was a bit of a stretch since he didn't seem to be expecting it. But it had to be done. Jennifer sealed her fate to Cal's, openly, willingly, and happily. It wasn't a chaste kiss either. It was as she was: needy, demanding, and passionate. And Cal would have no say in the matter this time.

Jennifer looked back to him with large, dark doe eyes. "Something to look forward to, then." Because she needed to stop, pace herself, and maybe have a night to reevaluate things. Or at the very least, she needed to get back to her party. Her public was waiting.

"We'll talk later. Lunch or something." Her voice was soft but commanding. There would be no wiggle room here, no changing her mind about continuing then and there, no matter how he might bite his lip or pout. She had duty and obligation to guide her. She had a husband just inside who was, undoubtedly wondering where his wife was at that very moment. "Go on ahead of me. People will be suspicious if we walk in together like this."