The Number of Vices, chapter 6
May. 18th, 2021 05:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
scripsiTitle: The Number of Vices
Fandom: The Queen’s Gambit
Rating: Explicit
Chapters: 6/?
Word Count: 1005
Characters: Beth Harmon, Vasily Borgov, Luchenko, Mr. Booth, Mrs. Borgova, Kate Cameron
Pairings Beth Harmon/Vasily Borgov
Warnings: Angst, Rough sex, Uneven power dynamics, M/f, BDSM, Choking, Oral sex, Older man/Younger woman, Delayed orgasm, Spanking, King negotiation, Cold war
Summary: Staying in Moscow after the Invitational, Beth is delighted to find Vasily Borgov is to show her the city. She has plans. So have Borgov.
The fic on AO3
The next morning the weather was grey, and Beth didn’t want yet another day of sightseeing. She wanted to remain in the hotel, close the door on the outside world, and spend the day with Borgov and her chessboard. But that wouldn’t do. She remained in Moscow as a guest, and she had to accept the activities planned for her. Her mood didn’t improve when Mr. Booth knocked on her door before breakfast and demanded a short walk outside. Beth sighed, but only grumbled under her breath. She was hungry, and protesting would only delay her breakfast.
As soon as they were outside and no one was around, he turned to her.
“Can you explain why Vasily Borgov spent half the night in your room? Are you out of your mind? He is a Soviet, an enemy!”
“That’s none of your business!”
“It’s definitely my business. Have you any idea what the consequences could be if this becomes known? And he’s deviant, and- and you are hardly more than a child!”
Beth looked at Mr. Booth’s angry face with intense dislike and saw a nondescript man with a pinched mouth. A miserable mediocre man who had reached the pinnacle of his career, and to his disappointment realized that was to escort an upstart chess player. A girl in addition, with a known alcohol problem, and who had screwed up her last international tournament most spectacularly.
She watched him, and then, to her surprise, she saw a flicker of fear in his eyes. And suddenly she could see what had happened as clearly as she saw her chess pieces in the ceiling. There was a dossier on Borgov, and Mr. Booth had read it, and he hadn’t told her. He should have done that. She was sure it was part of his assignment. But Mr. Booth didn’t know how to play chess, and he didn’t understand how brilliant she was. What he had seen was a pretty girl with a flirtatious manner, and he had seen a chance to turn Soviet’s most celebrated chess player. A slim chance, perhaps, but still a way to boost his stalled career. He had kept Beth in the dark and dangled her in front of Borgov; a temptation to give Mr. Booth an edge. But he hadn’t expected Beth to take things further, and now he was afraid she had been frightened or even hurt.
And to her dismay, Beth realized Mr. Booth wasn’t scared for her sake, but for his own. If Beth had cause to complain to his superiors, then they would know he had botched up. Her first reaction was to become angry, but then she smiled sweetly instead.
“I thought you said I was to look for signs.”
“And you have got one?” Mr. Booth’s anger was replaced with eagerness in an instant. Beth felt a little sick over the abrupt change, but she continued to smile.
“I don’t think we should talk about that in Moscow, do you I promise we have a nice long talk about it when we get home. For now; back off from my private life!”
And she turned and went back to the hotel before he could answer.
The greyness of the day also proved to be damp. Despite being bundled up in her warmest clothes, Beth still felt cold. The more she thought of her conversation with Mr. Booth, the more it bothered her, and for the first time in days, she wanted a drink to chase away the chill that permeated both her body and mind. She trailed after Borgov, hardly listening to what he was saying, and feeling no interest in the historical buildings of the day. She was acutely aware of how Mr. Booth and yet another KGB agent were always a few paces behind them, and she wished she could tell them to go away.
By mid-morning she and Borgov were leaning their elbows on a low wall, looking at a view she had already forgotten the name on.
“What’s the matter?” Borgov asked in a low voice, so their escorts wouldn’t hear.
Beth quickly relayed what she had learned from Mr. Booth, fighting to keep her voice under control.
“He knew all about you, and he didn’t tell me! He’s supposed to take care of me!”
“Do you regret what we did? What I’ve done to you?”
There was something in Borgov’s voice that sounded almost brittle, and Beth could feel her heart constrict. She wanted to hug him but knew it was impossible.
“No! Not at all, don’t think that! But Mr. Booth knew things he thought could harm me, and he still didn’t tell me.”
“I see. The huntsman threw Little Red Riding Hood into the maws of the Big Bad Wolf instead of protecting her.
“Yes, exactly!” Then she couldn’t help smiling. “But surely it should be the Big Bad Bear in this case?”
Borgov smiled back, but then he grew serious.
“Be careful, Beth. Learn about politics, and learn well. You have to be able to navigate these waters because they are both murky and deep.”
“But I only want to play chess!”
“I know. So do I, but to survive I had to learn to play their game too. Mr. Booth sounds inept rather than dangerous, but there are others who are far more terrible. For them, you are prey. I will feel a lot calmer when you are back in your home again, though you must remember you aren’t safe there either.”
He sounded so grave, Beth felt a chill of fear down her back.
“You don’t think your side will stop me from leaving?”
With their backs shielding their hands from view, he put his over hers.
“No. But it can’t hurt to talk as if you plan to return soon.”
But despite the reassurance, Beth noticed he had hesitated before he spoke, and she felt a little afraid. She still wanted that drink, perhaps two, as as the day progressed she wanted it more and more.
Fandom: The Queen’s Gambit
Rating: Explicit
Chapters: 6/?
Word Count: 1005
Characters: Beth Harmon, Vasily Borgov, Luchenko, Mr. Booth, Mrs. Borgova, Kate Cameron
Pairings Beth Harmon/Vasily Borgov
Warnings: Angst, Rough sex, Uneven power dynamics, M/f, BDSM, Choking, Oral sex, Older man/Younger woman, Delayed orgasm, Spanking, King negotiation, Cold war
Summary: Staying in Moscow after the Invitational, Beth is delighted to find Vasily Borgov is to show her the city. She has plans. So have Borgov.
The fic on AO3
The next morning the weather was grey, and Beth didn’t want yet another day of sightseeing. She wanted to remain in the hotel, close the door on the outside world, and spend the day with Borgov and her chessboard. But that wouldn’t do. She remained in Moscow as a guest, and she had to accept the activities planned for her. Her mood didn’t improve when Mr. Booth knocked on her door before breakfast and demanded a short walk outside. Beth sighed, but only grumbled under her breath. She was hungry, and protesting would only delay her breakfast.
As soon as they were outside and no one was around, he turned to her.
“Can you explain why Vasily Borgov spent half the night in your room? Are you out of your mind? He is a Soviet, an enemy!”
“That’s none of your business!”
“It’s definitely my business. Have you any idea what the consequences could be if this becomes known? And he’s deviant, and- and you are hardly more than a child!”
Beth looked at Mr. Booth’s angry face with intense dislike and saw a nondescript man with a pinched mouth. A miserable mediocre man who had reached the pinnacle of his career, and to his disappointment realized that was to escort an upstart chess player. A girl in addition, with a known alcohol problem, and who had screwed up her last international tournament most spectacularly.
She watched him, and then, to her surprise, she saw a flicker of fear in his eyes. And suddenly she could see what had happened as clearly as she saw her chess pieces in the ceiling. There was a dossier on Borgov, and Mr. Booth had read it, and he hadn’t told her. He should have done that. She was sure it was part of his assignment. But Mr. Booth didn’t know how to play chess, and he didn’t understand how brilliant she was. What he had seen was a pretty girl with a flirtatious manner, and he had seen a chance to turn Soviet’s most celebrated chess player. A slim chance, perhaps, but still a way to boost his stalled career. He had kept Beth in the dark and dangled her in front of Borgov; a temptation to give Mr. Booth an edge. But he hadn’t expected Beth to take things further, and now he was afraid she had been frightened or even hurt.
And to her dismay, Beth realized Mr. Booth wasn’t scared for her sake, but for his own. If Beth had cause to complain to his superiors, then they would know he had botched up. Her first reaction was to become angry, but then she smiled sweetly instead.
“I thought you said I was to look for signs.”
“And you have got one?” Mr. Booth’s anger was replaced with eagerness in an instant. Beth felt a little sick over the abrupt change, but she continued to smile.
“I don’t think we should talk about that in Moscow, do you I promise we have a nice long talk about it when we get home. For now; back off from my private life!”
And she turned and went back to the hotel before he could answer.
The greyness of the day also proved to be damp. Despite being bundled up in her warmest clothes, Beth still felt cold. The more she thought of her conversation with Mr. Booth, the more it bothered her, and for the first time in days, she wanted a drink to chase away the chill that permeated both her body and mind. She trailed after Borgov, hardly listening to what he was saying, and feeling no interest in the historical buildings of the day. She was acutely aware of how Mr. Booth and yet another KGB agent were always a few paces behind them, and she wished she could tell them to go away.
By mid-morning she and Borgov were leaning their elbows on a low wall, looking at a view she had already forgotten the name on.
“What’s the matter?” Borgov asked in a low voice, so their escorts wouldn’t hear.
Beth quickly relayed what she had learned from Mr. Booth, fighting to keep her voice under control.
“He knew all about you, and he didn’t tell me! He’s supposed to take care of me!”
“Do you regret what we did? What I’ve done to you?”
There was something in Borgov’s voice that sounded almost brittle, and Beth could feel her heart constrict. She wanted to hug him but knew it was impossible.
“No! Not at all, don’t think that! But Mr. Booth knew things he thought could harm me, and he still didn’t tell me.”
“I see. The huntsman threw Little Red Riding Hood into the maws of the Big Bad Wolf instead of protecting her.
“Yes, exactly!” Then she couldn’t help smiling. “But surely it should be the Big Bad Bear in this case?”
Borgov smiled back, but then he grew serious.
“Be careful, Beth. Learn about politics, and learn well. You have to be able to navigate these waters because they are both murky and deep.”
“But I only want to play chess!”
“I know. So do I, but to survive I had to learn to play their game too. Mr. Booth sounds inept rather than dangerous, but there are others who are far more terrible. For them, you are prey. I will feel a lot calmer when you are back in your home again, though you must remember you aren’t safe there either.”
He sounded so grave, Beth felt a chill of fear down her back.
“You don’t think your side will stop me from leaving?”
With their backs shielding their hands from view, he put his over hers.
“No. But it can’t hurt to talk as if you plan to return soon.”
But despite the reassurance, Beth noticed he had hesitated before he spoke, and she felt a little afraid. She still wanted that drink, perhaps two, as as the day progressed she wanted it more and more.
