Disadvantageous

Chapter 28

"This is your last chance to turn back, Lia. You know you don't have to do this," Sherlock spoke as they turned from John and Mary's house, where they had dropped off Willow for the day.

"I've told you, I want to do this. I may not be Irene's biggest fan, but I'm certainly not going to let her be murdered if there's a chance I can help stop it," Lydia assured him as they made their way back to the limo waiting for them.

Sherlock stopped them before Lydia could climb in the back seat. He caressed her cheek as he spoke, "just promise me you'll be careful, alright? I've finally asked you to move back in with me, I don't want to lose you now."

"Of course I'll be careful, darling. Besides, I've got you watching my back."

Lydia reached up and placed a reassuring kiss on Sherlock's cheek before back away from him and slipping into the back of the limo, where Irene was already sitting. She gave Lydia a small smile and looked pointedly towards Sherlock, who was making his way to the driver's seat, "that's nice."

"What?" Lydia questioned, turning to look at the former dominatrix.

She shrugged, "you and Sherlock. Perhaps not as passionate as I would gone for, but clearly you two have a different style. Perhaps that was where I went wrong."

"Think it had more to do with the fact that you were flaunting about information that could bring England to its knees. Sherlock can be a surprisingly sexual person."

Irene hummed and gave a nod, "he seems to have grown quite a bit in that department. And he's much more willing to express his emotions. I certainly didn't expect that with his whole 'sentiment is a chemical defect found on the losing side' spiel he had given me when announced that he had outsmarted me. You've had a good effect on him."

"Well, I doubt it's just me," Lydia blushed, smoothing out her skirt so that she would have something to shift her attention to. "John's been really influential, too. I mean, they've been best mates for a while now, surely that's had an impact on Sherlock."

"Of course, but that doesn't mean that you didn't push him to accept that romantic attachments weren't a disadvantage to him. It's refreshing to see that his arrogant arse finally fell victim to love. But if you ever need suggestions of how to spice things up in the bedroom, I'd be happy to show you a few tricks. Threeways can also be quite fun," Irene winked at Lydia, causing the actress's cheeks to darken in colour.

Irene noticed how red she had become and raised an eyebrow, "oh darling, you're certainly going to have to grow more comfortable discussing sex if you are going to fit in at my estate. The girls and I, we find much pleasure in each other's company. And occasionally we'll bring some men in to add to the fun. You'll soon learn what you've been missing."

"My job here is to be Sherlock's eyes and ears, catch whoever is attempting to murder you, and then leave. With Sherlock's genius, this shouldn't take more than a day. I'm afraid I won't have the time to partake in any of your work orgies."

Irene let out a small sigh, "it's a shame, the girls would have really liked you."

When the limousine finally pulled up to Irene's estate, Lydia was in awe. For someone who was meant to be dead, Irene had certainly made an impressive life for herself. Lydia felt a twinge of disappointment that she wouldn't be staying long to luxuriate in the splendours of the grand mansion.

"This way, darling," Irene instructed, leading Lydia to the front doors, giving Sherlock a nod to assure him that his partner was safe in her hands.

"Sherlock, you can see and hear clearly, yes?" Lydia asked, keeping her eyes fixed in front of her as she began to feel the nerves settling in.

Sherlock's voice sounded in her ear a moment later, "crystal, darling. Remember, do not hesitate to call me in if something goes wrong. I'll be right out here to help you."

With that, Irene opened the grand door for Lydia, allowing her to step inside the marble foyer before closing the door behind them. Lydia travelled her gaze across the grand estate, amazed by its beauty and splendour, but felt it quite fitting for the glamorous woman beside her.

"Girls!" Irene called out as she stepped deeper into the estate. "Come, there's someone I wish for you to meet!"

Beautiful woman began to filter into the foyer, clad in outfits that showed off their physical attributes. Lydia grew a bit nervous, both due to the powerful aura these women were radiating, but also because she feared Irene would make her wear something like what they were wearing. She feared she would stick out like a sore thumb compared to these women. Though Lydia was a bit surprised by the variety of the women Irene had hired, they were of all different shapes and sizes, different races, different ethnicities. Lydia had been half expecting them to all to look as though they had come from a white-washed modelling agency.

"Girls, with the tragic loss of Ellie, I've decided that it was time to bring in a woman I've had my eyes on for a while now. This is Lena and I think she would be a lovely addition to our community. I hope that you will find her just as alluring and will welcome her warmly," Irene spoke before placing a kiss on Lydia's cheek.

"Lena, these are the girls: Cora, Vera, Skye, Rori, Sevda, Felicity, Ife, and Sam."

Lydia flashed them a nervous wave and muttered, "it is a pleasure to meet all of you. Irene's spoken very highly of you."

"Now that you've met everyone, we have to get you something to wear. Your clothes are nice, but they certainly don't fit in here."

Before Lydia really had a chance to take in any of the girls or speak with any of them, Irene whisked her away to go get changed. Lydia didn't understand what was so important about the clothes she wore, but she trusted that Irene was just helping her blend in so that the killer would not be suspicious.

However, Lydia was uncertain about the options that Irene laid out in front of her. Each outfit was a bit sexier than what she normally wore in her daily life, especially since having Willow. Lydia hadn't quite shed all of the extra pounds she had gained while carrying Willow, leaving her a bit self-conscious. But she tried each of them on in hopes that there would be one that she would like more than the others.

When she appeared in the last of the choices, Irene shook her head and returned to the wardrobe, producing a final option and handing it over. "This is it, it should feel empowering, not uncomfortable. But give me your camera, I don't think Sherlock seeing you in that will be a benefit to the mission."

Lydia reluctantly handed over the necklace she wore, despite Sherlock in her ear telling her not to. But she had to show that she trusted Irene, otherwise the tension between the two of them would tip the killer off to what they were doing. Irene gave her a sultry wink as she accepted the jewellery from her.

As Lydia fit herself with the final outfit, she knew that Irene was right. The way that the cloth hugged her curves, how it accentuated her breasts. Lydia fell in love with how her body looked in this outfit instead of feeling that she must hide her extra weight, feeling ashamed of it. Instead it made her look good and made her feel powerful. She could only wish that Sherlock could see her in it.

Irene nodded in approval as Lydia emerged, "I knew there was a sexy body hidden beneath that unflattering clothing. Might just have to fight Sherlock to keep you even after this all is over."

"Let's just get this over with, I do have a daughter I'd much rather prefer to be with," Lydia brushed her off, securing the camera back around her neck. She didn't want Irene to realise how powerful the clothing made her feel, but she had a sneaking suspicious Irene could tell from the slight changes in her posture or the more confident tone behind her voice.

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(A/N): Determined to get it all up before things get crazy again, so far so good! Hope you've enjoyed this chapter and please leave any thoughts you had in the comments!