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[ He lets out his own scoff, grinning slyly. Yeah, of course he looks hot, and of course she knows that. ] Is that what you thought when you saw me the first time?

[ Well, okay, he didn't look rich, then. Details.

Then she's melting in against him, though, and he likes it more than he'd ever admit out loud, how her breasts squish against his chest, how she reaches for him. The heat of her voice in his ear. His eyes close over for a moment, and his hand slides down. Arm curls around her waist, fingers curl around her ass. She wants a squeeze, and it's a great ass. Maybe the greatest. ]

So demanding, [ he murmurs right back against her. ] Wifey.

[ Of course she knows that. Even in the middle of working her own hustle, Nami found the time to take in the sight of Zoro as he beat the crap out of half the bar – not that that's any of his business. ]

Please. You've always looked broke.

[ It's a tart remark that does nothing to diminish the warmth in her chest as her body slots in so snugly against Zoro's side, solid and familiar as the hand he curves over her ass.

Nami's arm tightens around him, until he calls her that and freezes her in place for a beat longer than she would have liked. Thankfully, she recovers herself in short order, arching against his hand almost encouragingly as she ducks her head and presses a firm kiss to his jaw. ]

If you didn't like it, you wouldn't have bothered getting me to the altar, love.

[ Right. It's all for the sake of their cover story. Time to turn away enough to down the rest of her drink, clearing her throat against the burn of the alcohol as she nudges him with her hip. ]

Come on. [ Before she gives herself a heart attack purely and solely for the sake of this ruse. ] Let's see how lucky you make me at roulette.

[ There is something about the way she settles in against his side, like she belongs there. Like her body was made to slot in against his. Even under the layers of his suit, her dress, the weight of the mission and the goal settled down around them, he thinks about how she feels when he's really slotted in against her, inside of her. How her hands clasp at his shoulders, how her legs knot at the small of his back.

Yeah, he's in danger of getting uncomfortably hard right in the middle of this casino. That wouldn't do.

Of course, that's almost preferable to the way her dropping that word hits him almost like a physical blow. He's been good at ignoring... a lot of things, really. Marvelous what you can do, when single-minded dissociation is kind of your go-to coping mechanism, and it has been, for some time. But it turns out maybe this act is churning some things to the surface.

Not that he cares. Obviously. ]

Guess you've got me there. [ It's muttered with a little less bite, certainty, than one might normally expect, but only a little. Probably not even noticeable. ] You do have lots of good qualities.

[ Like how nicely his arm curls around her waist, holding over her hip possessively. He's not the only one getting looks, after all. Her neckline seems to have its own gravitational pull, targeted solely at the eyes of at least half the men in this place. He doesn't like it. ]

I might have to play bodyguard as much as good luck.

[ The change in his voice is noticeable, but thankfully Nami's too busy mentally kicking herself for that misstep. The worst part is, for the sake of running a con like this one, it shouldn't feel like that. It should feel like one more seamless facet of a masterfully crafted facade, instead of making her heart beat faster for a second too long.

The compliment about her good qualities he comes at her with does her no favors, either. ]

I know. [ No matter what this stretch of conversation is doing to her, Nami refuses to let it show, acknowledging her good qualities with the same flatly matter-of-fact tone she wields for most occasions. Never mind the breathlessness that hangs on the edges of those words, or the veiled way she toes the line in the aftermath. ] You're one of them. [ Nami tilts her chin up and lets her lips brush his jaw before she slips away from the hand on her hip, taking a few steps away from the bar before her hand reaches back and catches his. She's not oblivious to the glances she's getting, but she's far more focused on the way he notices them, too. ]

Come on, bodyguard, you can keep grabbing my ass while I'm winning berry. [ The casino's not far from the bar, and already she's tempted to get to work fast, if only so she can drag him off sooner. ]

[ If nothing else, she's a particularly good actress. Better than him, for sure, who has to play the part by peeling back his stubborn and stoic exterior just a little bit, mostly so that he can let out the part of him that he tries to hide. The part of him that is more than a little smitten with her, and loves to keep his hands on her.

Good thing it's just acting, right? Right.

It also means that he's largely too distracted by keeping a leash on his own feelings to see through hers. Her slightly breathless words go unnoticed, save for the way that they, as always, send a pleasant shiver running up the back of his neck. Oh, how he wants to ruck up that annoyingly short dress and fuck the breath out of her. Later. Hopefully not too much later. But he follows her, even when she takes his hand, and twines his fingers with her without thinking. ]

How generous of you. [ He snorts a little as he says it, leaning close. Like she could keep his hand off her ass. You know. For the part. Just the part, though. ] Lead the way.

[ It's a con, but it's not a con. She doesn't sneak glances at the other men in the bar she knows are looking her way in an effort to scheme a free drink or two, like she might if anyone else had come with her for this. Instead, Zoro keeps her attention almost effortlessly, the warmth that's left lingering long after she steps away from his hold and takes his hand instead not sitting as oddly as it should.

It's easy to let that feeling linger, to lean into the way it feels as natural as the half-step she lags behind, so that when he draws close behind her, her ass slots up against him snugly for a long enjoyable second before she begins to move towards the casino floor again. ]

Cards, or dice? [ She's got her ways of fixing both just enough for it to be believable as she gambled her way to the high roller's area, where she'll hustle enough out of the unfortunate suckers waiting to feed Luffy's meat habit and Zoro's sake needs for at least a month.

It's annoying how much she'd rather derail her plan for the sake of getting his hands back on her body, but for the moment she'll stay strong. Imagine wanting to fool around instead of making cold hard cash. That would be crazy, right? ]

[ Oh, and he notices the way she stops so deliberately. Rubs herself up against him, that annoyingly perfect ass of hers rubbing against him and settling in to his body like it belongs there. And it almost does. It's so tempting to just wrap his arm around her waist, hold her there, grind in a little bit more...

But that would be more than a little too public, and besides, they're here for a reason. He's just here to be her bodyguard, and her cover, but he still has to keep his head clear.

Not that that's going to be a problem. Obviously. It's just a job, and the way she looks in that dress and the feeling of her fingers tangled with his aren't doing a thing to him. Obviously. ]

Dice, maybe. Probably faster. [ Not that he's ever been much of a gambler. At least, with anything other than his life, and perhaps this little game they're playing. But if he is gambling on that, well, at least he's winning, right? Right. ]

Faster? You got somewhere to be? [ Blue eyes flit sideways, eyeing him wolfishly, like she's damn well aware of where he's got to be.

Amusingly enough, Zoro is correct. Dice are quicker than cards, from the games themselves to the strategies Nami's got up her sleeve for padding their winnings and getting them to the high roller's area faster.

Just as they're about to reach the craps table, Nami turns toward Zoro. The soft smile that warms over her features when her eyes meet his comes way too easily, something she'd say is all for the sake of the job, considering how much it helps maintain their newlywed image, making it seem wholly innocuous when she gets close, her lips brushing his as she speaks in a voice low enough for only him to hear. ]

I need you to kiss my neck so I can get a better look at the table. [ Even with her eyelashes fluttering in apparent delight, Nami will be able to discern the set-up, the other gamblers, and the color of the dice, all details that will help her decide on which of her many plans to go with. ]

[ And he'll just roll his eyes. This was her plan, and obviously just executing the job is the only thing he means. Obviously.

Ah, but then she's cutting him off as they approach the table. Spins around, looks at him so warmly, sweetly. Almost lovingly. Not that he's going to linger on that thought, because why would he want to? It's fine. He's not bothered. Certainly not by the soft sound of her voice, and her warm lips against him. ]

Well, if you insist.

[ He tilts his head down and starts to kiss across the column of her throat as he winds an arm around her waist, sweeping her up against his body like he simply can't keep his hands off of her. Like he has to hold her, unleash his passion.

Only an act, though. ]

[ Him holding her like this isn't new, but it is entirely reserved for behind closed doors and everybody else's backs. Letting herself get caught up in his arms in public, even after being the one to suggest it, is a whole new kind of thrilling.

And that giddiness makes her feel so stupid, like she needs to get a grip and remember he's doing what he's got to, to help her pull off this job, and nothing else.

Which, she will, after she's done tilting her head back with a sigh of enjoyment, and her letting fingertips drag up the nape of his neck before carding through the short strands of his hair. Nami takes her time taking in the table in question, sizing up the other players, and the attendant running the game. She brought an extra pair of dice that'll match the ones being played with perfectly.

Though she has the information she needs, Nami is in no rush to pull away, letting her hand continue to play through his hair, before she ducks her head and presses a kiss against his temple. ]

Really good at this husband stuff, aren't you? [ She was so fixed on teasing him by saying something like that, Nami didn't consider how those words might hit her as she says them. Because while there's nothing to admit, so far Zoro has been good at almost everything she's needed or wanted from him, but saying something about it almost knocks the wind right out of her.

That she's such a practiced hand at jobs like this, may be the only thing that keeps her from wincing and backing off. ]

Come on. [ Her voice sounds weak to her ears, and she has to draw back half a step before trying to continue. ] I'm gonna need you to blow on my dice for good luck.

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i'm really enjoying how on fire these circumstances can become tbh