Isobel allowed herself to be pulled towards Marcus as his entire forearm wrapped around her waist, touching her bare skin through the gap in her dress at her waist. He pressed her body against his and Isobel had to fight her impulses in order to remain still. Desire swept her body, causing her to want to have him right here. Her breathing hitched as he brought his face ever so slightly closer to hers, just grazing her lips. Then he smirked, before placing a soft, passionate kiss on her full, red lips. Isobel kissed him back, unable to resist the temptation.
Marcus pulled back slightly, still only millimetres away, "Who would I be in trouble with?" He paused. "My wife? Hell...she's probably too damn busy with that son of hers."
He pressed another kiss to her lips, raising his hand to her cheek, gently caressing the curve of her cheekbone. Isobel responded, pressing another, deeper, more insistent kiss to his lips before pulling back so she could meet his eye. She nodded, tilting her head slightly on its side, giving him an understanding look.
"How frustrating that must be for a man like you... A man so powerful, with such wonderful looks," Isobel said softly, her tone genuine, but words carefully chosen. "And how embarrassing, too. To have a wife who flaunts her indiscretions so shamelessly. I can't imagine how infuriating that would be for you..." Isobel was speaking slowly, making sure she put exactly the correct emphasis into each word.
She knew she had to say her piece now. The King had presented her with such a perfect opportunity to unseat Vivian that she couldn't just let it pass her by. She had to try and at least plant the seed of doubt in the King's mind, for her to carefully cultivate over time and watch flourish. But, in the same way, the last thing she wanted to do was offend or insult the King. She could not afford to fall out of favour with him. Not when her position was still so precarious. She chose her words with great care, presenting them with grace and purpose. She remained controlled and collected. She leaned in a little to brush a kiss against the crook of his neck, in order to warm him for her next statement.
"Leave her, Marcus," she said softly. It was not an order. In fact, the way she'd said it made it sound more like a request that would be a personal favour to her, or a question. But she also kept the sultry, seductive undertone to her voice, attempting to use the allure of sex to win him over.
As if to emphasise this point, she then leant in again, pressing a kiss filled with passion and temptation to his lips. This kiss was longer than any of the previous ones, and there was nothing chaste about it.
"I can give you what you want, what you need," she told him, placing emphasis on the word 'need'. As the word left her mouth, she raised a hand to his face and ran a finger across his bottom lip slowly, teasing him. "Vivian will never love you like I can. She can't be Queen when she's so consumed in her love for someone else. I can, Marcus. I can be your Queen," she told him with conviction.
She met his eyes then with her own, looking deep into them. She'd gone further than she'd ever intended to with her appeal, and now his reaction worried her. She could be cast from this house for what she'd just said, should Marcus choose to. But she did not allow her concern to show on her face. Her expression did not waver, nor did it crack. She maintained the perfect combination between seductive temptress and tenacious Queen.