Make It Worth It

#######Author's Note#######

Ketna gets fed up with Xerxes and finds little reason to continue interaction, intimate or not, and nearly cuts him out completely. She is dragged back in by an arrangement offered by Xerxes that provides her a much-needed in that she finds herself unable to ignore. Begrudgingly but not unexpected, she is physically drawn to him, once more.

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Another invite to a club, another night of navigating the drunk men Xerxes liked to 'socialize' with, never mind Xerxes himself. Being man-handled, being called whore, slut, and whatever other demeaning label someone wanted to use. Being subject to sexual performance that let Xerxes' display his sexual dominance but left her wanting. And he almost never made up for it after the audience left. Ketna didn't expect it to be any different this night, either.

The last guest left the private room, and Xerxes was quick to turn his attention back to Ketna.

"Get that off, I wanna see your face while I'm fuck you."

Xerxes' hand went to grab at Ketna's visor, but she caught his hand, holding it fast in place.

"What and stick around for some rough, mediocre sex? I'll pass." Ketna tossed back his hand, ducking out of his grasp while sitting up from the bench then swiftly made her exit out the door before Xerxes could grab her.

Xerxes followed fast behind Ketna, out the door of the private room but his posture shifted now that he was out in public. Ketna had banked on Xerxes' need to present a certain appearance, someone who wouldn't desperately run after an escort, and she was right. This afforded her some distance away from him before reaching the door. On the way she fished out the jacket she had stowed in her bag, putting it on after walking a few feet from the door.

She was on the curb, about to cross the street when Xerxes emerged from the building. Traffic didn't afford her any safe passage across the street before Xerxes caught up with her. She weaved out of his attempt to grab her, again, but slid between two buildings to address him.

"What?" Ketna spoke first in sharp irritation, she wanted to get this over with.

"Th'fuck you mean mediocre?!" Xerxes' voice was raised but suppressed, wanting to inflect but not draw attention.

"If all I wanted was detached, rough sex, there are plenty of places I can go to get railed, without being called a whore or otherwise degraded in the process." Ketna barely looked at him as she spoke, going through her bag to pull out a wrapped pair of toe shoes.

"That what this is about?" Xerxes huffed. "Dunno what t'tell ya sweetheart, but if you wanna keep your cover, I gotta treat you like I would any other whore." The smug look on his face implied he found his rebuttal very convincing.

"No, that's the excuse you use because you think you can get away with it." Ketna looked up after removing her shoes. "You don't have to insult me to keep up appearances, you do it because you want to. Annnd-" She broke eye contact as she made up her mind that maybe any of this wasn't worth dealing with at all. "I'm done." She didn't bother looking back up, preferring instead to keep her attention to slipping the more comfortable shoes on her feet.

"What, 'you're done'?" Xerxes mocked the statement. "The fuck that's supposed to mean?"

"That I'm not putting up with you anymore." Ketna tested the fit of her shoe.

"T'ch, y'make it sound like you're cutting me off." Xerxes' external behavior seemed to be blowing it off, but something about his voice held worry.

"Yeah you know what? Why not?" Ketna looked back up, raising her voice. "You don't care about what I like. You barely meet me half-way and when you do, it's begrudging. It's a constant chore just to get you to listen. And you're so obsessed with appearances and afraid of not matching the status quo-"

"Not fucking scared'a-"

"Yes you are. " Ketna interrupted Xerxes' protest. "Because if you did command the kind of authority and respect you claim you do, you could simply tell the others, you decide what happens with the escort and they should back off, they would listen without question. But no, instead, you always have to put on the most banal act of machismo, and for that reason I have to deal with the result of that demeaning behavior, from not just you, but everyone around you." Ketna made a sweeping gesture with her hand to emphasize her words.

Xerxes didn't respond right away, his face contorted in anger and offense, unable to form the words in that moment.

"And in addition to all of that," Ketna continued before Xerxes could say something. "The conversations I've been privy to have hardly been worth the treatment I've been putting up with so unless you got anything worthwhile, yeah, I think I might be done with whatever the fuck this arrangement is. All of it."

Ketna stepped back, turning her attention to the building wall, calculating her approach before scaling it.

"You say that, but I fuckin' know you. You'll be back." Xerxes attempted to make the claim with smug pride, but there was a disquieted quality to his countenance.

Ketna jumped on and up the side of the building, taking grasp of the molding to pause and look down at Xerxes and say one last thing to make her intentions clear.

"Goodbye, Xerxes."

Ketna immediately continued her climb up the building without waiting to see Xerxes reaction, nor looking back. She heard angry muttering, something that sounded like a 'fuck you' and 'bitch' that she could make out, a slam against the building, then nothing. She half expected him to climb up after her but to her relief, he seemed to have given up. She made the journey home without interruption, or even a text. But she knew he would hear from him again, eventually.

--

In his usual avoidant fashion, Xerxes didn't bother attempting to continue that conversation in his texts the next day. He was back to his usual attempts at baiting, though Ketna didn't bother reciprocating. The next few 'invites' Ketna declined, explicitly. She didn't feel the trade off of how she was being treated for what she was being offered was worth it. With the added bonus of it cementing the statement she made before.

Her continued cold shoulder did not go unnoticed. Xerxes' texts flipped from obnoxious to insistent, desperate to get her attention but not wanting to plead, reconcile, or much less, apologize. Ketna did not bother responding to any of these attempts. She considered letting the whole affair fade from there. He wasn't going to budge and anything redeeming in him was likely a fluke. Whatever it was that had been going on between them felt as though it had run its course and she was grateful for that. This had been one of her more contentious vices.

Eventually the prodding stopped. A few days of no texts and Ketna wondered if he had finally let it go or if he was giving her the silent treatment in return. Regardless of the reason, she was grateful for the break. It was time to consider moving her setup elsewhere, there was only so much she could investigate from where she was stationed, a move to another continent was long overdue, as was her usual practice.

A few weeks into making arrangements to wrap up her investigations in the general area, she received a new contact from Xerxes. On a whim she took time to open it, with no intention of modifying her current plans. As she had come to expect, the message made no allusions to the weeks of spurned engagements or outright silence. Instead, it was a somewhat formal offer. He was to have a private engagement with a visiting tycoon, and he was inviting her to be his 'date', something for appearances in a formal setting. She was set to ignore the offer when a name caught her attention.

Stefan Brynmor

This gave her pause. He was a leader in illegal hardware used by most underground genetics operation services; if anyone wanted to attempt to rewrite DNA or make illegal genetic enhancements, his hardware was at the core of facilitating it. She would have dismantled his work years ago, but the whole time he operated, he was a ghost that managed to keep communications especially difficult to track. Even casual conversation could give her hints as to how he was operating or sending communications. It was an event that was genuinely worth entertaining, even with Xerxes and his Everything.

She paced back and forth across the room, deliberating whether she should take the invitation. Xerxes, on some level, had to have known just how tempting this invitation would have been, even if they had never discussed Stefan Brynmor, previously; this broken silence was clear enough of that. Answering him would confirm that the name was suitable temptation, something she wanted, and he would use that to the best of his advantage the moment she confirmed that. On that principle alone she wanted to ignore it, to make a point. But on the other hand, she didn't know when another opportunity would arrive to get useful leads.

Ketna sat the phone back down and occupied herself with some menial tasks, chores that needed to be done, while she let the options churn in her head. She considered conferring with Munin on the subject, but she already had an idea of what he would say. Don't go for it, another opportunity could arise some other time, without the baggage of Xerxes attached to it. But would it really? Getting that close to him meant going undercover with someone else he was associated with and there was no telling who she could get close to. Xerxes was a very 'devil you know' option in that regard. The more time she spent mulling over it, the more she had become keenly aware of how some part of her had already accepted the offer.

More time was spent around the living space, padding the time it would take for her to respond, she didn't want to give the impression she was that eager. She slumped in a chair and began to compose a response, the knowledge of just how insufferable he was going to be about this settling in the pit of her stomach as she did so. It was looking like she was going to be stationed here a little longer, until this was sorted out.

--

Xerxes had remained oddly quiet in the time leading up to the meeting. No obnoxious texts, prodding, sexual advances, or bids for interaction beyond the invitation she had accepted. Any time he did contact her, it was only in relation to the planned event, important information such as time changes, where to meet before he arrived, what to expect. It left Ketna both relieved, and concerned. She was being baited, she knew that, but where was the lead going to take her? And how much of an ass was he going to be in person. All elements that lingered in her mind with every update she received before the scheduled day.

The location they would meet Stefan at was a much nicer, more exclusive establishment than the previous ones she had 'entertained' Xerxes. He would provide her attire, but she would need to ensure she was styled appropriately for it. After his fussing about not paying attention to fashion, he was oddly observant of style and accessory expectations. She would meet him in his car a few blocks away from the intended destination. He wasn't even attempting to rope her into spending time alone at his place before the dinner.

Pickup was set to be at the same dive she first met him in. She wasn't sure if he was attempting to signal anything or if it was a convenient coincidence, as it was an address they both knew well. She spotted one of Xerxes' cars in the lot as she approached the grounds, parked in the back as it had been before. Getting closer, she caught movement. Xerxes' large figure was easy to catch walking from the building, likely exited from the back door to the car she was also walking toward.

She had observed him from a distance in the time between but deliberately kept her distance. It felt strange to intentionally seek him out, and she didn't like the weird sensation that almost felt like nervousness as she approached. Ketna watched Xerxes open the door to his car, she didn't walk very loudly, but Xerxes must have sensed something because his head turned in her direction. Even behind her visor she caught his eyes and his posture stiffened just a bit before getting into the car. Despite the light hood and visor, he recognised her, but maybe it was because of those things.

Approaching the car, she could hear the pop of the lock on the door. Ketna didn't bother knocking or announcing her presence, opening the door to see Xerxes watching her from the driver's seat. She paused unintentionally at the door looking Xerxes in the eye, it was the first time she had seen him face to face in about three months. She would have pulled herself in right away, but on the passenger seat clearly sat a bag that she had to move and maneuver with to get into the seat.

"Got a car parked around here?" Xerxes asked, looking around while Ketna settled into her seat.

"No, I walked." Ketna answered, setting the bag at her feet.

"Close by?" Xerxes asked, almost hopeful in his prying.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. I can walk either way."

Xerxes grunted, slightly irritated. He took a look back at Ketna, paying attention to what she was wearing. "Thought you were supposed to be dolled up for this, already."

"I am, the hood is light, it's not going to mess anything up."

Ketna pulled the hood back, revealing the styled wig that had been kept safe in a net. That too was removed, after which she shook the hair out to its full length. The wig itself was mid-back length when fully shaken out of its confines, colored dark auburn with subtle curls that weren't flattened by the light hood. Ketna turned her focus back to Xerxes, who had been studying her quietly.

"Windows are tinted, you can take off the visor." Xerxes turned his head back forward, turning the ignition to the car.

He seemed to be intentionally avoiding making any positive comment about Ketna's appearance.

"I'm good." Ketna was, of course, being intentionally difficult in this regard.

Xerxes gave a low rumble of irritation but didn't say anything, putting the car into gear and pulling out of their spot.

Peeking in the bag while Xerxes pulled out of the lot, Ketna saw it contained a box and other smaller bags containing what she was expected to wear. Discerning the box was likely the dress itself, the smaller packages were likely any other accessories. And then it occurred to her.

"Are you taking me somewhere to change into this?" Ketna raised the bag to emphasize what she meant.

"I could do that," Xerxes responded leisurely, eyes remaining on the road. "Course, if someone caught me dropping you off somewhere just to change, might look suspicious." He paid a glance over when traffic permitted before he followed up. "But if you're not worried about that."

"Why didn't we meet at your place?" Ketna was quick to question. "That would have solved this problem."

"You're the one that one insisted you were 'done', thought you'd get your panties in a twist if I set that up." There was a sneer on Xerxes' face as he spoke.

"Oh for fucks sake.." Ketna muttered, leaning back heavily into the chair.

"This wouldn't be a problem if I had some address to send it to. You could've had this all at your place the day before." Xerxes expression hadn't changed.

"There are so many other options that could have been worked out ahead of time, you're being deliberately obtuse- Whatever, I'll change in here." Ketna quickly ended the accusation before Xerxes could form a rebuttal.

Ketna dropped the back of her seat to give herself more elbow room, then pulled her top up and over her head. A car with a cabin big enough for Xerxes meant she wasn't entirely restricted. And she was mobile enough that tight and awkward torsion wasn't much of an issue. Lifting her hips, she slid off her leggings, the socks, and kicked off her shoes, leaving her just in her underwear.

Free of her clothes, she returned to the bag to retrieve what Xerxes had provided. Searching the smaller containers first, she found a garter, stockings, gloves, and shoes. Just as Ketna retrieved the garter and stockings from the bag, the car veered hard to the left followed by blaring horns and screeching tires, though luckily no sound of collision followed.

Ketna looked over to Xerxes to see what caused it, Xerxes caught the movement of her head and glanced back with a thin smirk that indicated maybe what he had just done was purposeful.

"Traffic, you know how it is." Xerxes motioned to the front.

So this is how it was going to be.

Ketna sighed heavily but said nothing, returning to the act of rolling the stockings up her leg but also bracing herself. Her instincts proved to be correct, as the car lurched and swerved once again. Angry honks could be heard from surrounding cars.

"Yeah?! Shoulda moved faster!" Xerxes' shouted to the driver that would never hear him.

More of the same aggressive driving from Xerxes persisted as Ketna continued with the stockings and garter. Even amid the swerves and hard stops, she managed to get them on without putting a run in either of them. And soon enough it was time for the dress.

Returning to the bag to open the box within it, Ketna was greeted by a deep red with a notable luster. The same red, she noticed, as what Xerxes currently wore. Handling the dress to remove it from the box she now could identify it from the weight and texture, as silk satin. Carefully, she attempted to put the dress on. The aggressive driving at this point appeared to have slowed, which could have either been because Xerxes got bored of it, or because they had reached a calmer stretch of road Xerxes had less tight traffic to be erratic about.

The dress she was provided had a built-in bustier, it did a good job of lifting what little breast she did have; she had to commend whoever worked with Xerxes' tailor to get the fit right. The top had just enough fabric above the bustier to keep her 'decent'. The skirt possessed leg slits on either side, absurdly high, well enough past the top of her stockings. All elements that would make it easy for Xerxes to get into, she noted.

The difficult part was over, all that was left was whatever accessories Xerxes expected her to wear, and shoes. Full length gloves of the same material as the dress but in full black were a smart touch whether Xerxes realized it or not. In a club setting she could get away without covering her arms, but in a well-lit diner where she was supposed to be, whatever this was, date or high-end escort, the definition of her arms could raise suspicion to any keen observer. So too could the definition of her legs but that had a better chance of being a turn on, and thus, not considered cause for alarm.

"Done already?" Xerxes glanced over, catching that Ketna was pulling the last glove up her arm.

"More or less." She confirmed, pulling the shoes out from its box in the bag.

There were a few beats of quiet before Xerxes sped up and veered to the right, taking the turn they needed just a little too quickly. Ketna had a feeling the aggressive driving would return, and wasn't entirely surprised by the action, though did brace herself slightly.

At the light, Xerxes looked over at Ketna's face, looking her over, before giving instructions.

"Don't bother with any shades, only gonna have to take 'em off when we get inside." He gestured to her face, then put his attention back to the road.

"Why?" Ketna asked with subtle agitation.

"Cus keepin' 'em on indoors would be more suspicious than not. But if you wanna sabotage your cover-"

"Yeah, I get it." Ketna conceded, removing the visor from her face.

Xerxes made small glances between the road and Ketna, then spoke again with eyes on the traffic.

"Don't bring anything in with you," He warned. "No purses, no phones. Keep all of your gadgets in the car."