Stained Porcelain

Fine Dining Pt. 2

A pregnant pause followed after David's comment, throwing the brunette for a complete loop; for once in her life she was speechless and couldn't come up with a snarky retort fast enough. Wearing a faintly smug grin, he continues eating as if nothing was wrong.

"You couldn't handle the experience," Finally comes Regina's response but it's much too late to catch him off guard and it silently agitates her to know his ego had probably spiked after that, which was unacceptable. "Oh, I assure you, I can handle anything /and/ everything," David quips, feeding himself another forkful of meat, catching the look Regina shoots in his direction.

'Two could play this game', she deduced, licking the taste of steak from her lips. Clearing her throat to purposely earn his gaze, the queen breathes out a hum that hints at the oncoming actions. "I highly doubt that, dear. You'd be stumbling before even getting a sneak peak at what would dry your mouth out the moment you laid eyes on it." As she spoke, Regina leaned forward to give a better view at the cleavage she had purposely put on display for the evening and when he visibly gulped and she knew he had long since been done swallowing the bite of food he was chewing, she knew right then and there that she had evened the score. Now she was going to one-up him and end the game with a triumphant smirk.

"You see, a novice can't compete with experience when it comes to certain things and that's one of them..." Sitting back in her chair quite arrogantly, Regina folds her legs and he catches a peak at visibly smooth tanned legs, the reflection of the flame from the fireplace nearby garnering half of his attention while the other half is solely on not stumbling over the next words he thinks of speaking because his comeback needs to be as solid as a rock. She takes note of this wandering eyes, raking over her form and which places his gaze seemed to linger the longest and it spikes her confidence, confirming that she's played the correct card. "Then it's a good thing I'm not a novice, isn't it?" His tone's thick with certainty, "So any time an experienced woman is ready for a round, I'll show her exactly how skilled I am."

David sips from his wine and, out of his peripheral vision, notices the smirk that slightly falters as she shifts in her chair. He's a worthy adversary and the fact that he can match her banter means he's at least earned a sliver of her respect, but it's not something she's going to voice anytime soon. "I'm sure all novices say something akin to that. Doesn't make it true though." A manicured brow raises itself in a challenging manner, prompting him to either accept or decline and if he backs down now, all of this would be in vain.

Releasing a hearty chortle, the prince finishes his drink, having cured his appetite as well, and turns to face the stunning woman at the head of the table, "There's only one way to find out if I'm the beginner you think I am." A worthy adversary indeed. A condescending chuckle slips past painted lips and Regina rises from her chair, "You're nowhere near ready for that. Sleep well, dear."

Without another word, she takes her exit and feels David's eyes on her as curvaceous hips sway as she seemingly floats out of the room. "Good night, your majesty." He calls out before she slips out of ear shot. Sighing, torn between whether or not he won or lost, he shakes his head and slumps back into his chair. "Your majesty?" A voice questions, causing him to look around for the source of it. "Yes, who is it?" Emma emerges from behind the door she was peeking from, sheepishly walking into the room. "If you're done, I'm supposed to escort you back to your room. The queen wants to ensure you don't get lost and accidentally wander into her chambers..." And they both knew exactly what she was implying when she said it. With pale cheeks a bit flushed, he hastily gets up from his chair and regains his composure, "Oh um, yes. You may escort me, though I really don't need it."

The young servant silently escorts him down long hallways, leading him to his designated room and when they do pass Regina's room along the way, the prince takes note of its location so that should he have to find her, he's know exactly where she was. By the time they reach his quarters, Emma steps aside so he could enter alone, "The queen requests that in the morning, when you wake, to meet her in the study to begin planning. Breakfast will be served there instead." Nodding as he stood on the inside of his room, David offers a friendly grin to show there were no hard feelings from earlier, "You may let her know I'll be there." With a quick curtsey, the blonde returns the smile, "I think she really does like you..." but before he gets to answer, she takes off running and disappears around a corner. He doesn't act on impulse this time, and instead, settles into bed after removing his shirt. He was determined to crack the hard shell that is the 'Evil Queen' and get to know the inner Regina he knows is in there.