Saints and Sinners

Twenty-two:

Twenty-two:

Alina spent the afternoon with Mal, helping him organize files for a case that the firm was working on. Then, when it turned five, Alina hugged Mal goodbye and headed up to the top floor to where Aleksander's office was. She her heart was pounding against her chest again and she felt strange knocking on her boss's door. She shouldn't have. He was her soulmate, after all. But she hadn't been for very long and everything about The Fold was fancy and grand.

Marie had walked them through the place, and she had gone through most of the important floors. Yet there were floors that she still hadn't even seen yet. Hesitantly, Alina knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Aleksander said.

"Alina," she said. Her voice was small, and she hated how it sounded. She heard movement, then the door opened.

Aleksander smiled at her. "Sunshine."

"Sasha," she replied with a smile.

"Sasha?" Aleksander said with a raised eyebrow.

She grinned. "You're not the only one that can give good pet names."

He chuckled. "Alright, then. How was your first day?"

"Mal and I worked on filing."

"You know, you don't have to work in the defense department. There are different things that can do here. I wanted to work with you, but you don't have to."

"How about we come to a compromise?" Alina asked.

"What compromise is that?" he said.

"I'll work with you for the internship, but after, you have to let me apply to the law firms that I want to apply too."

"In Os Alta, right?"

"Of course. I wouldn't take you away from your business."

Aleksander smiled at her. "Good. Then let's go home. I'm done for the evening, and I think that the two of us should have dinner together."

"At the café, or perhaps your bar?"

He scratched his beard. "They told you about that, did they?"

"Marie was very, very thorough about the whole thing. I'm sure there's some things that I don't know about because it's so vast. But I know about the gym, and the sleep pods, and the arboretum for some reason?"

"Vitamin D is essential, Alina."

She smiled. "I'm not mocking. It's...the whole place is really remarkable."

"And yet even with all of its wonders you can't see yourself working here?" he said. "You are terribly difficult to please."

"I know what I want. That should be a turn on for you."

Aleksander smirked. "Everything about you is a turn on for me, Alina. You've no idea how much."

Alina blushed fiercely. "So...you've been working all day. You must be really, really hungry. Like...starving."

"I could eat. Of course, what's on the menu, that's completely up to you."

"Completely?" Alina said, tilting her head to the side. "You know, you've got an awfully nice desk there, Mr. Morozova."

"Do I?" he said. "I'm usually doing work on it. I haven't thought about it that much."

"Is it sturdy?" she asked.

"Very."

"Good...it's good that it's sturdy." Alina cleared her throat, and then her stomach rumbled.

Aleksander chuckled, and he kissed her neck. "Oh, don't worry, Alinochka. I promise you; I'll fuck you on my desk. But you're hungry and you need sustenance. And as long as you are hungry, so will I be. It's time for the two of us to take care of each other. I've got a fancy dinner for the two of us planned out. I made reservations during lunch."

"Where at?" Alina asked.

"A place called The Emerald Palace."

Alina gasped. "That's the place that's supposed to have the chef that won the Ravkaan Top Chef competition last year, right?"

Aleksander nodded. "It was rated one of the best restaurants of the year and I know the chef, so I've got us a good table."

"You know everyone, don't you?'

He smiled. "It's my job to know everyone. You never know who might need a fix, after all."

The two of them left, and Fedyor drove them to The Emerald Palace. Aleksander glanced over at her. "You know it's a good thing your office is far away from mine," Aleksander said.

"Oh?" Alina said. "Why is that?"

"Because that little skirt that you have is driving me crazy." His gaze darkened as he looked at her, and Alina blushed. "I might have to request that you start wearing slacks, Alina. If I see you all day looking like that I might not be able to get anything done. Can you feel how hard I am for you, Alinochka?"

There was a bulge in his pants, and Alina would have known anyway from it. She, too, could feel a tingling sensation between her thighs. "Maybe we can have some dessert later," her voice was raspy as she spoke.

"Yes," Aleksander growled, "you are my favorite sweet thing after all."

The car pulled to a stop, and when they got out of it, Alina let out an excited gasp. The Emerald Palace was in a green building. As they went inside, Aleksander gripped the small of her back. They'd been out together before, but never in a place that was where the high society of Ravka. This was like announcing to the world that Alina was his, and his friends and enemies would know. Even though the announcement had already happened in the paper, this was different. More direct somehow.

"Are you okay?" Alina asked. "You're heart's racing. I can feel it. It's just dinner, Sasha. It's not the end of the world."

Aleksander smiled softly down at her. "No...but it is the start of ours, and that's what worries me. There are shadows here, Alina. Look out, or you'll loose yourself in the darkness o them."

"I've got you. I'll be fine. Come on. Let's go in." She grabbed his hand, squeezing it, and the two of them slipped into the restaurant.