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WARNING: MATURE SCENES AHEAD
CORALINE scrubbed her body until it burned. She made sure every part of her was squeaky clean, but still took a few moments to sit in the hot tub and contemplate her decisions. Pulling her knees to her chest, Coraline wondered what would happen tonight. Would she be the same person? Was Michael using this gift she had just so he could initiate the bonding ceremony, only to kill her later on? Somehow, she felt he wouldn't use her like that. If the Michael she was knew was still in there, he wouldn't hurt her. He would never let a flame touch her.
She was playing with fire now. Tonight, she danced with the Devil.
With an aggravated sigh, Coraline stepped out from the tub and got dressed. She left her hair down, but continued to nervously play around with it until she got annoyed – again. She decided to not bother with a corset that night. Her whole body felt tense enough; she didn't need a corset to squeeze her more. She pulled on a dark mauve silk dress, littered with various beads in different shades of purple. Looking in the mirror, she pulled at the short sleeves that hung off her shoulders.
She wasn't sure what time it was, but considering that it was two hours since he slipped the envelope under her door, she had an inkling that it was nearing eight o'clock. Time was of the essence. If there was anything he took from her, it was to never be late.
Opening her door, Coraline felt herself swallow hard as she eyed his suite from across the hall. Her legs ached, pulling her like gravity towards his room. She felt her anxiety rise to an all-time high, and it caused her to look over her shoulder several times to check if someone was watching her. The last thing she needed was someone seeing her walk to the Head of the Cooperative's room at night.
She blinked then, realizing that a force had swept her dress all the way to his door. Her feet moved quicker than she wanted. Coraline stared at the intricate designs carved into the wood, breathing in deeply, before opening the door.
Nothing had changed. The room was dimly lit by several candles. His desk sat idly in the corner, along with a few chairs by the fireplace. Stacks of files resided on the table, begging to be opened. As Coraline closed the door behind her, she noticed the office was empty. Raising a brow, she spoke aloud, "Hello? Anyone here?"
No answer. She turned to the pair of large double doors that led to his bedroom, and found herself swallowing down the bile rising in her throat. Coraline began to walk over to the double doors, careful not to make a sound. She was afraid to even breathe. Coraline hesitantly reached out to knock on the doors, but her hand stopped suddenly.
The doors were opening on their own, causing her to step back. Coraline whole body was frozen in place. She didn't know what to do, so she stood by one of the doors, clutching the wood tightly in her fingers. Slowly inching her head inside the bedroom, her eyes went wide at the sight of Michael standing in a large circle of candles. A dark red button-up hung on his torso, while a pair of untied black pants clung loosely to his hips. The light from the fireplace in front of his setup made him look like some kind of Greek god, but she refused to say that out loud.
