"Where is he now?"

Christine was propped up in bed, her phone sandwiched between her shoulder and ear as she searched for a movie to watch on her computer. It had been a while since Meg had the time to join her for movie night. With Christine working nine to five and Meg's busy rehearsal schedule, there just hadn't seemed to be any time for their old traditions.

Christine sighed into the receiver. "Probably locked away in his office. As usual."

"Does he ever not work?"

It was a question Christine had asked herself repeatedly for the past month she'd been living with him. It was a question she would've laughed at had she not been frustrated by his absence. Always working, hardly ever home. She was tired of the small talk, how he rushed their interactions and rejected her proposals for having dinner together, running off as he mumbled something about all the work he had to finish up.

"I wish."

"Christine."

There was something in Meg's voice that ripped her attention away from her computer screen. She was concerned for her friend.

"Maybe you should be watching a movie with him. I know we haven't had much time—"

"He wouldn't want to." The other end went silent. The agitation in Christine's voice was evident in every syllable she spoke.

"You don't know that."

"I tried already, Meg. Everything I do he just—" Christine felt her stomach curl in on itself as her throat caught on a sob. She shook her head. "He's far too busy to ever care for me. I'm just another thing for him to have."

"That can't be true. After everything you've told me, it's obvious he cares about you."

"It was all a façade. I should've listened to you when you told me these men are bad news. They want nothing more than to possess. There's no love here."

"You're still there, Chris. The least you can do now is have some fun. Go on a shopping spree, drain his bank account…"

Christine burst into laughter. "You know I won't do that. Couldn't." Her mindless scrolling resumed. Romance, comedy, horror… "I just want to be loved."

The words slipped from her mouth without thought. She missed their conversations over the phone. His sweet messages falsely convinced her that she had someone who truly cared for her. Promises of affection and undying love meant nothing to her now. It was all just part of his plan.

"He probably does care about you." She couldn't tell if Meg was convinced or not. "Maybe he just needs to be distracted, you know? Since he works all the time…"

Christine felt a jolt of an idea. It was a bad idea, just as impulsive as her last. She bit her lip in thought. Distract him…

"Christine? Are you still there?"

She blinked, shaking off her daze. "Yes, I'm still here. I—"

The creamy silk slip she'd purchased the week before caught her eye, hanging in her closet. She'd intended on wearing it to sleep at night, but whenever she put it on she felt a wave of guilt that she wasn't sharing it with him. Even if he didn't want to share a bed with her, not even a conversation, she still couldn't help but picture enjoying everything with him. Especially something that she wouldn't have been able to afford otherwise.

She found Erik just where she suspected him to be. He didn't dare to acknowledge her appearance in the doorway, not even as she approached him baring two glasses of wine. Despite all the anxiety in her heart, she was able to maintain a confident smile on her face.

"How's work?" She set his glass next to his monitor, flirtatiously seating herself on the edge of his desk. She felt her heart race as the short length of her slip lifted up her thigh. Still, he didn't notice.

"Busy." Even in one word, his agitation was apparent.

Her smile faltered a moment. Feeling discouraged, she drew in a deep breath of air, trying to steady herself. Breathe, Christine. Breathe.

"You should take a break. You've—"

"I don't have time for breaks, Christine. I've got a lot to catch up on."

She felt her heart shatter. This isn't what she had in mind coming into his office. At least a glance, at least one ounce of eye contact, one tender word or acknowledgement in her direction. But nothing. He didn't care. That was it.

Christine stood before the tears could fall, and rushed towards the door. She couldn't lose her composure in front of him. She couldn't bear humiliating herself in front of him. She could, however, give him the satisfaction knowing he was successful at making her leave. Leave the room, pack her things, leave his life. He didn't want her. He probably never wanted her in the first place.

She was one step away from the door when an arm slipped around her waist, pulling her back. Another arm reached out and shut the door. Her heart leapt in her chest, racing faster than before. She shivered as a soft breath exhaled against her neck. For only a second, she remembered the drink in her hand, and was grateful to find it hadn't spilled.

The arm which had closed the door now moved down, smoothing the fabric of her slip at her side until the hand found the hem. "I need you to push me."

Her confusion was evident in her lack of action. She could hardly hear anything over the pounding of her heart.

His voice dipped into a low, soft whisper. "I need you to take control."

Realization struck her as a wave of arousal flooded her veins, pooling between her thighs. Without further hesitation, Christine spun around, grabbing his tie with her empty hand. She tried looking as determined and confident as possible, even with the tears drying at her chin.

She backed him up to his desk, setting her glass next to his. "Sit," she commanded, yanking his tie ever so slightly. Behind her, she set her glass beside his.

He did as she said, seating himself back in his chair. It was hard to read what emotion was occurring in those wonderful eyes of his as she knelt before him, forcing his legs apart.

For the first time, she wasn't so sure of herself. She wanted to please him, to repay him in some form for all that he'd provided for her, but she was still confused by his behavior. Had he been wanting her to act out all along? Even after she'd tried pushing him before? She was angry, too. Was this what she needed to do all along?

Her hands worked at his belt buckle. Maintaining eye contact as she struggled with all his restraints was rather difficult. Being the seductress she fantasized herself being was far from grasp, but she couldn't care about that now. The only thing occupying her mind was getting rid of that odd twinge of fear in his eyes. Or whatever it was that seemed to be concerning him.

Finally, after a bit of struggle and very little help on his end, she had him in her hands. She blushed at the thought of having imagined it before. It was much better than the image in her head. Steel pulsing in a case of warm velvet. Throbbing all for her. Just for her.

She watched as he closed his eyes, head tilting back in utter agony as he groaned at her ministrations. Her body was all aflame. Why had it taken so long to have him like this? Why wouldn't he allow her before?

"Fuck…" it was odd hearing him this way. All that sex and control he held in his voice now faltered at her touch.

She reached toward one of his hands which had only now been clenching at his knees, and led him to help hold her hair back. He paused for a moment as she gathered it all from her face and shoulders. Allowing him to hold her hair did as she hoped it would, encouraging him to take control of her pace a little more until his release which, to her disdain, he took into his own hand.

It felt like an eternity had passed until he finally met her gaze again, standing carefully. She rose up with him, smiling in spite of his slight discomfort, a result of his embarrassment. She wouldn't allow him to feel that way. She grabbed his tie once more as he tucked himself back, and pulled him down to her level so that she could place a kiss upon his lips.

"Thank you," she whispered. His eyes narrowed in confusion. "For allowing me to make you feel good. For once."

Her smile dimmed as he looked over her shoulder to his computer. She'd probably never succeed at dragging him away from work for one evening.

"I'm going to head back to bed."

She wanted to add "if you'd like to join me" to her statement, but she didn't want to set any more expectations of him. He'd probably exhausted himself enough for one night. And he obviously wanted to get back to work.

As soon as she turned for the door, his hand shot out, grabbing her wrist. He wasn't done.

Christine bumped into the edge of his desk, and found herself being helped atop. Her mind raced with thoughts of excitement and disbelief, uncertainty and desire. Something had changed in him. There was no question he was pulsing for her as much as she was for him.

She accidentally knocked a stack of paper onto the floor as she laid down. She looked at him with pure, apologetic eyes. He tutted as he lifted her slip up her waist, resulting in a blush from her. And just like that, she felt vulnerable to him.

"Clumsy girl...can't even remember to put underwear on."

She felt her face flush red. It was a bold move walking in with very little on, but that was the point.

He parted her legs, kissing her inner thighs. She almost couldn't breathe. He was so close. She bucked her hips, begging. He chuckled and pulled her back towards the edge of the desk. This probably wasn't the most romantic place to be made love to, but her body was on fire, and she couldn't care less.

With his arms locked around her hips, his mouth went to work, torturing her with teasing kisses, purposefully avoiding her sweet spot.

"Please, please," she begged, squirming.

"Shh," he hushed. "I've done my reading on female anatomy. The more I prolong your release, the better you'll feel."

She was about to swear a threat, but before she could get anything out, his lips were on her again, sucking at that sweet, buzzing pearl. Her eyes had nearly rolled back in her skull. When he added his tongue, gently teasing her slit, she whimpered. When he added a finger, then another, she practically screamed. He was determined to make her final destination the most pleasurable one she'd ever experienced, and that's exactly what he did. It seemed as if her entire body was convulsing around those two fingers, gripping onto every second of peaked pleasure.

She always hated coming down from the high. But not this time. It always seemed before that her sexual experiences were hindered by loneliness. She'd imagine a faceless lover joining her in bed, tending to her needs, but when she opened her eyes there was never anyone there. There was never anyone to hold her and kiss her and tell her that she was loved. But now there was.

One smiling, masked face greeted her as she opened her eyes. Her body still gripped him as he removed his fingers, whispering something about how beautiful she was. Despite the hard discomfort of his desk, she just wanted to lay there for a while, but the chill of the room returned to her, and she was back.

Erik helped her up, greeting her with warm lips. She laughed, overwhelmed by a rush of happiness.

He slipped away from her all too soon, his eyes twinkling bright in realization. "I forgot!"

She tried keeping up with him as he rushed into his room. She'd never seen it before. It was rather bare in comparison to hers now. Dark wood, black velvet, heavy curtains draped over brass rods, one oversized dresser. There was no full-sized mirror, only a door leading to a closet. He opened the door, reaching in for a brief moment to retrieve something.

He turned to her, holding a flat white box tied with a red ribbon. He placed it in her hands. "I've been meaning to give it to you for some time now. I just…" his voice trailed off as she locked eyes with him again.

His eyes sank and all the excitement disappeared. He turned and sat at the edge of his bed. She joined him without question, setting the gift to the side.

"I want to share something with you." She could hear in his voice that whatever it was, it was important. He took both her hands in his, gaze not wandering. "I don't care what you decide to do after this. If you decide you want to leave, I will provide you with the means necessary."

She wanted to shake her head and insist she'd never do such a thing, especially not now, but she didn't know what was in store.

"I love you, Christine. I've never loved before in my life. And I trust you."

Her heart was full of love and pity. She hadn't felt loved in a while, but to not know it at all? She couldn't imagine.

"I cannot go on lying to myself or to you. Avoiding my reality has only made me lead a life of fear, and I am utterly exhausted." His hands slipped away from hers. "You don't have to say anything. You can simply leave and it won't break my heart. What you've provided for me tonight is enough to make a man happy for a millennia."

She couldn't help but not believe him. If she left, and what he said about loving her was true, he'd certainly be heartbroken. Could she even forgive herself?

His hand wedged itself underneath his mask. She felt her heart pounding and heard it in her ears. She wasn't afraid, it was the anticipation. She'd wondered for so long what could be so horrible that he felt the need to cover it and hide it from the world. She knew of others who embraced their imperfections. She couldn't imagine why he'd decide differently.

Her eyes skimmed over every detail. Puckered, uneven, scarred skin. His misshapen nose was fixed by the tight squeeze of his mask. She watched as his jaw clenched and unclenched. He swallowed hard, eyes fixing hers, trying to read what she was thinking.

Her hand reached out without a second thought and brushed his cheek. He flinched and shook as if he were suddenly caught in a brisk wind. He touched her hand and allowed his eyes to slip shut. To feel…

She watched a bead of a tear slip from his eye and trail down his cheek. She kissed him. Not out of pity. Not out of love. She needed him to know how much she appreciated his bravery. Willing to share something he'd been made to hide his entire life meant everything to her.

He held onto her, hugged her tight against him. His hands shook as his fingers slipped into her hair, thumbs stroking at her scalp. He didn't want to pull away, didn't want to part from her, but he did.

She smiled at him, tears clouding her vision. She mouthed a "thank you" before he reached behind her to bring her gift back to her attention.

She laughed, sniffling as she took the box back into her lap. He watched her gently tug at the bow, opening the box and unfolding the tissue paper inside with careful precision.

Inside laid a pink silk robe. She lifted it from the box and watched as it unraveled. At the tail was a sea of embroidered flowers. Roses of all colors.

"I thought you might appreciate something nice to cover you when you get up in the morning. I've seen how you shiver."

Her heart was warmed by the smile on his lips. She laughed. "Perhaps a better solution would be to turn up the heat?" She cocked a teasing brow in his direction.

"Never," he whispered, a playful grin spreading across his face.

She hit his chest, laughing with him. He seemed more hesitant now to kiss her. She could see it in his eyes that he needed it, but that fear still lingered.

"Would you mind?"

She raised her brows in confusion. "Mind what?"

He swallowed. His voice lost its residual confidence. "Spending the night...here." His eyes glanced at the rest of his bed for only a moment.

She couldn't help but smile. If only he knew.

Christine disappeared to clean herself up. When she returned, he'd already changed into his pajamas and sat waiting for her in bed.

She hung her robe in his closet before slipping under the covers with him. Maybe she'd positioned pillow Erik on her other side, but at least this Erik—the real Erik—knew how to hold her at night.

She waited to hear his breathing slow before she fell asleep. He wasn't going anywhere. She wasn't going anywhere.

A/N: Sorry for the long-overdue update. I would love to make excuses, but I know I was truly the one holding myself back from posting again. Ahh, self-doubt...

Thanks to all of you who have reached out to me. It means a lot knowing people actually like to read what I write. I hope this reaches you guys.

I love you all. Happy late Valentine's Day.