scripsi

Actually updated after a year and a half!

Title: Sable Coats and Razorblades
Fandom: All About Eve
Rating: Explicit
Chapters: 4/?
Word Count: 6496
Characters: Addison DeWitt, Karen Richards, Eve Harrington
Pairings: Addison DeWitt/ Karen Richards, Addison DeWitt/Eve Harrington
Warnings: Blackmail, Non-consensual kissing, Dubious consent, Coercion, Dominance/submission, Forced marriage, Marriage of Convenience
Summary: To try to fight Addison DeWitt is doomed to failure, but what if one folds?

The fic on AO3

Karen slammed her bedroom door shut and locked it before she sank down in a chair. Suddenly aware she was still holding the fur, she let it go, feeling the heavy weight slip down to puddle on the floor. She hid her face in her hands, fighting to get her breath back to normal. Any moment now she would hear Addison’s soft steps outside and then a knock on the door, and a renewal of his demands. But nothing happened, and eventually, Karen felt composed enough to raise her head. She met her own eyes in the vanity mirror; her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and she quickly looked away.

Soon, when she felt a bit more herself, she would go down and politely decline Addison’s outrageous proposal. Surely she was strong enough to take what would come after? Karen splashed a little eau de cologne on a handkerchief and lightly dabbed her temples. She inhaled the scent deeply and closed her eyes again for a second. Then she applied powder and lipstick and quickly combed and rearranged her hair. It had grown longer in the last year, and she had taken to wearing it up, rolled into a chignon at the back of her head, and now she made sure the hairpins were all safely secured.

“Am I really this weak?” Karen asked her mirror image, who just stared back, mute.

She sighed and threw a shawl over the mirror so she couldn’t see her reflection and slowly removed her clothes. Her fingers felt stiff and clumsy and she had trouble unbuttoning her blouse, but after several tries, she managed, and then her skirt and slip were off too. Karen shuddered; the room was quite cold, but she didn’t think her shivers were only because of the chill. She picked up the sable coat and wrapped it around her, and felt instantly warmer. But the silk lining felt cool and smooth against her breasts, and her nipples hardened. Karen blushed again, and she almost changed her mind; her hands hovering indecisively over her chest. But then she stepped into her best shoes and ran her hands down the length of the fur, to make sure it hung right.

Her eye caught the glitter of her engagement ring, and she looked down on her left hand. She had been so happy when Lloyd gave it to her, but the pain of her loss quickly overshadowed the happiness of the memory. It wasn’t as hard as she had feared to slip the rings from her finger. Unsure of what to do with them, she weighed them in her hand, but then she put them on the ring finger of her right hand instead.

There was nothing more left to do, so Karen reluctantly went downstairs again, desperately trying to ignore how the silk lining felt like a caress. Addison was waiting for her in the hallway. He said nothing, merely opened a few of the fur’s hooks and eyes and ran a finger lightly over her skin, from her throat, and down between her breasts. Karen’s breath caught, and the fur suddenly felt much too hot. But then he took a step back and nodded for her to close it again. His lack of surprise over her compliance irked her.

“You knew all along I would agree to this.”

“You are not Margo, my dear. I counted on your sensible nature and your general lack of histrionics. And you need not look so flustered, no one will suspect a thing. Most people are only preoccupied with decency on the surface- very few look further.”

“I still don’t understand why?

“Because I very much like getting my own way in all things, and that should be very clear for you from the start.”

Outside, Addison addressed a very proper middle-aged man who seemed to have been waiting for him and then turned to Karen.

“This is Whitaker, my valet. He can pack your belongings if you tell him which room is yours.”

Feeling curiously detached from herself, Karen gave Whitaker the keys and a few instructions and allowed herself to be herded into a cab. It was a very peculiar feeling, and she was grateful Addison seemed disinclined to talk. Perhaps, after successfully getting her this far, he didn’t want to break the spell. Or he felt that now when he had got what he wanted, he didn’t see the need to seem interested in her. Karen wasn’t sure if she felt relieved or disappointed. Relieved, she told herself firmly, and she could only hope his disinterest would last.

She still felt that things like this simply didn’t happen in real life; she would have found it unlikely, even in a movie. Part of her was wondering why she had not simply said no, but there was also a strange feeling of relief. All the uncertainties about her future, all the hard decisions she knew she couldn’t have avoided for long, were suddenly gone. Addison had taken it all out of her hands, and to her shame, a small part of Karen was grateful for not having to think about it anymore.

Karen’s dreamlike state remained throughout the wedding ceremony. She spoke the words required of her, and then Addison’s lips pressed against her in a cool kiss, and she wasn’t Karen Richards anymore, but Karen DeWitt; a person she never in her wildest dreams had ever thought would exist.

Addison lived in a large and modern apartment close to Broadway, where she was met and congratulated by Whitaker and the housekeeper, Mrs. Smith. It was expensively and tastefully furnished, but with no personality. Karen had stayed in hotels with more individuality than this. Addison gave her a quick tour of the living room and dining room, only gesturing towards the kitchen area and passing two closed doors only said; “My study and bedroom. You are not to enter without my express permission.”

Karen only nodded, secretly relieved they would not share a bedroom. Her own turned out to be a large, pleasant room, with French windows opening up to a sizable balcony. It was nicely furnished, with the same lack of personality as the rest of the apartment. Her clothes and personal belonging had already been unpacked, and seeing her own rather worn hairbrush on the vanity made her feel a little better.

Addison showed her a calendar on her desk. “You will find all engagements I require your company for, noted here.”

Then there was a checkbook with more money than Karen had ever had in her household budget. She got a slight shock when she learned the money was solely for her personal use. The household account was Mrs. Smith’s domain.

“And if you want to do any changes in the decor, there is a separate budget for that as well. In fact, I would like to encourage you to redecorate. I think you would do a much more charming work than that bore of an interior designer could muster.”

“Yes, of course,” Karen said faintly. The calendar and checkbook once again underlined how confident Addison had been that she would accept him. It was not a comforting thought. “Thank you.”

Addison nodded. “I will leave you to settle in a little. We have a dinner reservation for eight o’clock.”

Alone, Karen sat down in an armchair. She felt exhausted, and the idea of going out to dinner did not appeal to her. They were bound to meet people she knew; of course, Addison would only dine at the most fashionable restaurants. And seeing friends would mean the news of her marriage would come out very quickly. What would people think? She knew how quickly theatre gossip would spread; it would be all over town by tomorrow. She considered phoning Margo, to tell her before anyone else did, but felt too overwhelmed. Besides, knowing Margo she wouldn’t have gotten out of bed yet, and to spring the news on her friend before Margo had got her morning coffee wouldn’t make it easier. No, she could phone tomorrow morning and catch Margo before she went to bed instead.

There was a knock on the door and Mrs. Smith came in to ask if she needed anything. Karen smiled and asked for a cup of tea, and then watched with slight amazement how a cup of tea seemed to materialize out of thin air, and her newest evening gown was whisked away to be ironed. The interruption also reminded her she was still only wearing the sable coat; somehow she had forgotten she had actually got married in nothing else. The afternoon had been so strange she felt like it was a lifetime ago since she had found Addison waiting for her on her doorstep. But when Karen looked at her watch, it had just been a few hours, and she had plenty of time before it was time for dinner. And after that, she realised with a curious mingling of unease and something she didn’t want to call anticipation; the wedding night.

Karen stood up, pushing away the thought. She’d take a bath now, and concentrate on getting through dinner. After all, what use was there to worry over what she could do nothing about?