Hard Time's

Dusk till Dawn

'That was...decent of you, I'd have happily never seen him again.' the Baroness is bent over her table looking at designs. 'He's good at his job it'd be foolish to get rid of him, I'd need someone new and I've no patience to train them.' you smirk you know a small part of her wanted him back. You walk up behind her placing your hands on her hips she stands and relaxes into your arms. 'I am going to need new staff. I can't have those people working here who saw..' you tighten your arms around her. 'That's why you have a John he can take care of all that.' you whisper against her ear.

'As I said, he's good at his job.' she looks over her shoulder at you. 'How about I take you out to dinner tonight, after work?' you suggest. The Baroness goes tense she has had trouble being in public because she is afraid. 'Maybe another night darling? I'm exhausted.' she smiles weakly. You steal a kiss. 'Whatever you want love.' you squeeze her. 'I must get to work, would you pass on the information to John?' You groan you hadn't wanted to engage with him at all. 'Of course.' Like you'd ever say no to her. 'Call me on your break?' The Baroness rolls her eyes. 'Don't be needy.' You smirk. 'Cheeky bitch.' you tease, she raises her eyebrows at you and grabs your arse you laugh and for a minute it's like everything is as it was.

The moment quickly passes and her smile drops. 'I will see you later.' she kisses your cheek and leaves. You stare after her wishing you could take away all that pain and all that humiliation, her pride is everything to her. You instruct John on what to do when he returns to work in the afternoon. At night you go in the car to collect her. She is surprised to see you in the backseat when the driver opens the door. '(y/n)? What are you doing here?' she gets in beside you and you cross your legs over. 'Taking you to dinner.' you announce. The Baroness immediately pales. '(y/n), please I'm not ready not yet, let us just go home?' she pleads.

You smile and stroke her cheek. 'Okay, you heard the lady, Hellman Hall.' you tell the driver. The Baroness relaxes and you take her hand, she grips it tightly. When you arrive at Hellman Hall a new staff member opens the door for you both. 'After you.' you nod for the Baroness to go first. When she enters she tosses her bag aside and heads upstairs only...She stops and walks back peering into the drawing room. It has numerous candles and the table is set for two with a single rose on it. You approach her. 'Table for two?' The Baroness turns to you her eyes are teary and you can see it.

'Darling, what's wrong? I didn't mean to upset you.' she flaps her hand in front of her face to stop any tears. 'Oh shut up you idiot.' her voice is strained with emotion. 'I love it.' A smile cracks across your face and you give her a squeeze. 'We will eat soon, I've run you a bubble bath, it's just for you, to let you relax.' she swallows and shakes her head trying not to laugh. 'What am I going to do with you?' she kisses your cheek. 'Thank you.' She goes upstairs to find more candles in the bathroom, the bath has bubbles and roses petals. Operatic music is playing and there is a glass of champagne and two slices of cucumber beside the bath.

The Baroness undresses and sinks into the bath the temperature is just right and it washes over her body like a warm hug. It feels nice being able to totally relax she closes her eyes placing the cucumber on. She soaks for a while dreaming in her head it's washing away, his, their, touch. When she comes out she gets dried and sees you have left her out pyjamas. Dinner? In nightwear? Ridiculous, but if it will make you happy she doesn't mind. She ties her robe closed and heads downstairs where you wait on her. 'How do you feel?' you are also in nightwear nothing sexual. The motive is not to seduce your wife it's to make her feel loved and cared for. She extends her hands and you take them she brings your hand to her lips and kisses it.

You smile and lead her to the drawing room where the small table is set up taking out her chair for her. The Baroness pops the champagne and pours it for you both. You lift the rose out of the vase snapping the stem. 'Don't move.' you place the rose in the side of her hair. She rolls her eyes and laughs at you but there is a faint blush on her cheeks. The waiter brings the metal tray revealing a piping hot pizza. 'I know it doesn't really go with champagne but I just remembered you like it so-' The Baroness stops you rambling. 'It's perfect, everything is perfect.'

You both eat and chat you discuss stupid things really, nothing heavy, you want to keep this as light as possible. The topic soon turns to the new staff and you make a bet on who will make it to the end of the week. The Baroness has reached out without realising and has been holding your hand for some time now. The night eventually draws to an end and she stands up after the staff takes your plates away. 'Wait.' you stop her and she turns. 'At our wedding, everything went off track, we never got our first dance.' she is saddened at this. You turn the dial on the radio. 

'C'mon.' you hold out your hands. The Baroness smiles softly and goes into your arms. You hold her as you both sway around the drawing room. 'Promise me, you will never leave me again?' she whispers.

"But you'll never be alone

I'll be with you from dusk till dawn
I'll be with you from dusk till dawn
Baby, I'm right here
I'll hold you when things go wrong
I'll be with you from dusk till dawn
I'll be with you from dusk till dawn
Baby, I'm right here"

'Cross my heart.' you whisper back.