Work Text:
Another debrief has been arranged. This makes number four.
Vera makes her way quickly from the staff room to the governor’s office after her shift, excited for some uninterrupted time with Joan. Stepping to the door, she adjusts the strap of her clear vinyl bag on her shoulder and knocks before entering. Inside Joan sits at her leather throne. She looks up from her work as Vera enters, offering a surprisingly kind smile that catches Vera a bit off guard, sending a sudden heated tingle to her cheeks.
She approaches the desk and places her bag on the floor, stepping around the chair to take a seat. Joan looks over with a half smirk, lifting her hand in a gesture for Vera to pause. Vera stops dead in her tracks; a sinking feeling quickly invades her stomach as she prepares for the let down of a rejection.
“Don’t get comfortable.” She issues more as a command than a suggestion. Vera feels her heart sink.
“I thought we might have our debrief over dinner this time. If that is acceptable to you.” An exquisitely arched eyebrow arches further in anticipation, a half smirk curling her perfectly bowed lips. Vera doesn’t register the glint of hope in those onyx eyes.
“Oh umm, that would….yes, I’d like that.” Vera manages to stutter through her surprise. A kaleidoscope of butterflies flutter to life in her stomach as she realizes it means more private time with Joan. The rarity of such an invitation isn’t lost on her.
“Good. I’ve made a reservation for 7:30 at Kenzan. It’s Japanese. You eat sushi, yes?” She looks to Vera expectantly.
“Yes, I love sushi.” Vera replies with a growing smile.
“Good. You should have time to go home and change; make arrangements for your mother. I’ll pick you up at 7.” Vera bites her lip to keep the silly, excited grin off her face. She knows it makes her look like a foolish girl.
“Ok, I’ll see you soon...governor.” Confidence wavering as she speaks.
“Joan.” The older woman corrects her in a husky tone.
Bowing her head with a sheepish grin, but a delighted sparkle in her eyes, Vera concedes. “Joan.”
Joan watches her as she leaves, a seductive smile slowly moving across her face.
***
The restaurant is moderately busy, but retains a quiet ambiance. The decor is minimal, yet stylish, with subtle nods to Japanese culture. It’s classy and elegant, just like Joan, Vera thinks as she scans the room.
They are greeted by an older Japanese woman at the host stand. She smiles broadly at Joan, addressing her by name (Ms. Ferguson, of course) and stepping forward to offer a reverential bow, which Joan returns in a reserved fashion. Vera’s eyes grow wide with amusement as she watches the exchange. She ushers them to a private booth in the back of the large dining room and immediately a young woman appears, bringing a tokkuri of sake and fresh steamed edamame. She greets Joan as well, with a welcoming smile.
“How do they know you?” Vera asks in surprised delight after the woman bows and takes her leave.
“I’ve been coming here for years.” Joan offers casually, choosing not to bring up the link they share with the tiny Russian village she grew up in. Reaching for the tokkuri and an ochoko, she looks to Vera with a smile.
“Do you like sake?”
“Umm, I’ve never had it.” Vera confesses shyly, a bit self conscious at her lack of worldliness.
She watches as Joan pours a serving into the tiny ceramic cup.
“This one is my personal favorite. A pear infusion imported from Japan. It’s served chilled to best highlight the flavors.” She offers Vera the small cup and breaks custom to pour her own, lifting it in a silent toast to her deputy.
She observes as Vera takes her first sip, blinking hard and holding back a cough as the liquid goes down. She’s pleased at Vera’s willpower to suppress her reaction and wonders if that willpower extends elsewhere. Abruptly, she stops the thought from meandering further.
“It’s umm, it’s very interesting.” Vera confesses as she clears her throat. Joan smirks in amusement, admiring the burning flush that begins to creep up Vera’s slender throat.
“It’s an acquired taste, I’ll admit, but it pairs well with the food. Give it a chance and I think you’ll find you like it.”
An older man in an immaculately starched and pristine white chef’s coat returns to the table, bearing two plates with a variety of sushi and sashimi. He sets them in the center, looking to Joan with a nod, who nods subtly in approval. Vera eyes the culinary rainbow with awe, realizing her experience with sushi was far more limited than she knew.
The wide eyed wonder she observes with fills Joan with a warm tingle. She’s come to enjoy, more than expected, teaching Vera, witnessing her thirst for learning and the awe-struck reactions to the education she provides. Her innocence reminds her of Jianna and she feels the slightest pang of sadness pluck her heart at the memory. Yet somehow, to her surprise and growing comfort, being around Vera makes those memories less painful.
“So tell me Vera, how did you end up in corrections?” Though she’s proven to be a quite capable deputy, she has a sneaking suspicion it wasn’t Vera’s first career choice. Her softness is something rare to find in most people in this line of work.
“Well, I really wanted to be a social worker for underprivileged women and youth.” Vera replies, taking another sip from their second round of sake. Her cheeks bear a healthy flush from the beverage, giving her face an even more youthful glow. Joan finds it enticingly attractive.
Of course you did. Joan thinks to herself, stopping the sly smirk from crossing her face.
“But, mum couldn’t afford university...and she said I wouldn’t get in anyway. So, after a series of odd jobs with dismal pay, I went to a job fair. Wentworth had some representatives there; they were looking for officers to run reception and I thought, why not. I had two interviews and was hired. I was 25...and I’ve been there ever since.” She shrugs her shoulders with a half smile and takes another sip from her ochoko. The mention of her mother does not go unnoticed by Joan and her nostril flares slightly at the remembrance of the monster she met a few weeks ago.
“And are you content with the work now?” Dark eyes watch with interest.
“Most days, yes. I think we still have the opportunity to help the women from the inside. It’s always rewarding to see the ones that get released and never come back again.”
“Ahh yes, when we’ve successfully done our job of correcTing.” She takes a sip of sake and smiles at her deputy.
“Is that why you got into corrections?” Vera asks with eagerness, pitching her body forward to lean an elbow against the table, resting her chin in an upturned palm. She finds Joan so elusive, a bit shrouded in mystery, and she’s desperate to know more about the intriguing older woman. Joan ponders for a moment and decides to give her the whole truth. Her trust in Vera has grown with each debrief they’ve shared and she finally feels her worthy to share a select few personal details.
“Yes, you could say that. I’ve always had a compulsion to work for the greater good; my father instilled that in me. Working in corrections affords me the opportunity to ensure justice is carried out beyond the courtroom, that the end goal of correcting those wrong behaviors is met with the highest degree of success. It’s paramount, if these women should be granted release back into society.”
“Do you think they are all capable of being corrected?” Vera asks with an almost childlike optimism.
“No. Some of them lack the capacity.” Though she doesn’t wish to crush Vera’s innocence completely, as she finds it oddly alluring, she feels duty bound as her mentor to expose her to some of the harsher realities of the world.
“It’s our job to give them order, guidance, steer them in the course of acceptable, responsible behaviour. If they cannot learn under the direction we provide, it is our job to identify that, call it out, to ensure justice is maintained.” She watches as Vera nods in response, sees the way she absorbs and ruminates over the information. With a sigh, Vera leans back from the table, resting her arms in her lap.
“I don’t think I will ever be as good a leader as you.” She confesses shyly, shaking her head in doubt.
“Nonsense Vera. You just lack the confidence...but we’re working on that.” She offers a genuine smile that makes Vera’s stomach do a backflip. She’s always captivated by Joan’s beauty when she smiles that way.
After a moment, the waiter appears with the bill, breaking the anxious tension that’s begun to build between them. Joan slides it across to her side of the table, reaching into her purse to pull out her credit card. Without thinking, Vera reaches across, touching Joan’s arm to stop her.
“You don’t have to do that Joan, I can pay for myself.” She says with a gentle squeeze to Joan’s bare wrist. Joan looks up, eyes falling to the delicate hand wrapped around her, a slightly panicked look in them for only a split second.
Bashfully Vera releases it with a gentle smile. Joan is surprised to find that she actually enjoys the touch and feels a slight disappointment when Vera takes her hand away. Her normal need to immediately disinfect is curiously absent.
“Ahh, but I want to. Consider it my thank you for providing me with such pleasing company.” The smile that lights her face is pure seduction and again Vera’s stomach somersaults wildly.
***
Upon Joan’s insistence, she ushers Vera to her door then follows her inside at Vera’s invitation. The night nurse appears from the kitchen, greeting them both with a wave. After a brief exchange, she says goodbye, leaving Joan and Vera standing in the foyer. Vera looks up to Joan with a shy smile.
“I just want to say thank you...for everything.” There’s a nervous tremor to her voice that Joan finds rather endearing.
“Everything?” Dark eyes narrow as they try to understand her meaning.
“For dinner, for a wonderful evening. For mentoring me, taking an interest….for making me feel...capable.” The last bit comes out as barely a whisper. Yet again, Joan feels the thrum of anger for the bitter old woman down the hall, knowing she’s the root source of Vera’s insecurities.
“There’s no need to thank me. I assure you, the pleasure is entirely mine.” She reaches up and places her hand on Vera’s bicep, issuing a gentle squeeze. The touch surprises Vera, but sends a warm buzz through her body.
Propelled by a shot of courage, she lifts onto her toes, leaning in to place a quick peck on Joan’s cheek. Joan freezes at the contact, eyes wide in shock at the forwardness of her deputy. Normally such an unauthorized advance would send a hot roil of anger through her veins and require swift correction, but this time it’s different. The heat is there, but for an entirely different reason. For a moment, she eyes Vera cautiously, considering carefully her next move. Vera watches timidly from below, fearful that she crossed the line.
Decision made, Joan leans down, lifting her right hand to slip it behind and cradle Vera’s slender neck, her long thumb brushing a chiseled jaw. She steps into her, forcing Vera back against the wall. A fraction of a second passes between them as they stare into each other’s eyes. As if in slow motion, Joan lowers her head, bestowing Vera with a lingering kiss. She breaks it, dark eyes roaming the soft features of her deputy’s face, as she looms above her, only a breath away. Vera stares back, biting her lip, shock and elation reflected in her sea blue eyes.
Suddenly, toned arms wrap around Joan’s ribs, pulling her body against her deputy. Vera tilts her head and meets Joan’s lips with a fiery kiss that quickly builds in passion. Her left hand planted against the wall near Vera’s ear, she drops her right to a slender hip, squeezing, then gliding it around to cup Vera’s firm ass. Vera gasps at the contact and breaks the kiss, both now breathing heavy with desire and the need for air.
With growing hunger, Joan leans in again, this time placing a row of open mouthed kisses along the smooth column of Vera’s neck. Vera turns her head toward the door, allowing Joan better access, small hands clinging and flexing desperately at Joan’s back. A small moan escapes Vera’s mouth as Joan sucks at the delicate flesh of her throat and grazes her hand across Vera’s trembling stomach.
She pauses for a moment, before slipping beneath the hem of Vera’s shirt, trailing long fingers in a painfully slow trek up to a modest breast. Vera feels exquisite beneath her hand and she smiles against her deputy’s throat. Cupping a breast, kneading the pliant flesh, her lips return to Vera’s. She opens her mouth in the kiss, and to her pleasure, Vera takes the initiative, thrusting her tongue into Joan’s mouth, swirling it, coaxing Joan into the lingual ballet.
She feels Vera’s sharp pelvis thrust into her upper thighs and she sighs against Vera’s lips. Her attention drawn there, her right hand leaves Vera’s breast and comes to rest at the waist of her jeans. She pulls back slightly from Vera’s face, coffee eyes seeking approval to proceed. Vera responds by gyrating her hips forward again and pulling Joan back into another searing kiss. Joan smiles against her lips as she undoes the button and zip of Vera’s jeans, slipping her hand quickly beneath the waistband to the mass of curls between Vera’s thighs.
Her fingers make contact with Vera’s slit, feeling the abundant wetness, and an instant heat begins to burn in her own core. Her middle finger sinks between lavish folds and Vera gasps. Slowly she caresses her, running her middle finger up and down her sex, lightly brushing her clit with each pass. Vera begins to tremble in her arms, so she presses against her as they continue to kiss, supporting her between her own body and the wall.
She trails her lips to Vera’s ear, clamping the lobe gently between her teeth, before trailing a series of kisses and bites down Vera’s neck. Vera trembles harder against her and moans loudly as Joan’s finger runs a firm pass against her clit. Suddenly her fingers dig into Joan’s back, head falling back against the wall. Joan raises her head to watch her imminent release.
Eyes screwed shut, mouth agape, Vera inhales sharply then exhales in a long wanton moan, the tendons pulling tightly in her neck, as she cums beneath Joan’s fingers. Joan watches, enthralled by her rapturous pose and feels her own rush of wetness as it pools deliciously between her thighs. She slows her ministrations, allowing Vera to ride her pleasure, eventually coming to a stop as she feels Vera’s firm grip on her back begin to ease.
Finally Vera opens her eyes, lowering her gaze to look at Joan, teeth gnawing bashfully at her bottom lip. They stare wordlessly at each other for a long moment, each a bit speechless after such ecstasy. Their bliss is suddenly interrupted by a shriek from down the hall and they each close their eyes in irritation.
“Veraaaaa!” The voice of Rita Bennett pierces the room, followed by a grotesque cough.
With an apologetic gaze, Vera looks up to Joan and releases her grasp from around the taller woman’s ribs. Joan takes a step back, nodding in understanding as Vera does up the zip and button of her jeans.
“I’m sorry,” Vera mouths before she moves down the hall to answer her mother’s call.
With rising irritation for the monster of a woman in the room, Joan follows Vera, but stops just out of view from the door. She listens to the exchange between them.
“Where the hell were you? Why did you leave the nurse here so long?” Rita yells in anger, sending her into a coughing spasm.
“I told you, I was having dinner with Joan, my boss. She’s offered to be my mentor, to help me advance in corrections.” She hears Vera answer.
“Mentor...pfft. A waste of time. Doesn’t she realize how worthless you are? She’d do better finding someone a good sight smarter than you.” Rita spits venomously.
When Vera fails to respond, Joan decides to take matters into her own hands. She steps into the room with a smile, both women looking up with shocked expressions. Rita eyes her suspiciously as Joan nods and offers a short greeting. She steps to Vera at the bedside with a smile.
“Well, I can see you have your hands full, so I’ll be on my way. Thank you for the pleasure of your company at dinner. I’ll see you in the morning, Vera.” There’s an undeniable seductive lilt to her voice.
She lifts her hand to Vera’s hip, squeezing gently as she leans in and places a kiss just off the corner of her mouth. She lets it linger for a moment more than is customary. As she pulls away she looks to Rita, whose mouth hangs open in shock. The following smile on Joan’s face is simply demonic.
“Sleep well, Rita.” She purrs mockingly before returning her gaze to Vera.
She offers her deputy a beautiful, tender smile then walks out the door.