Unsurprisingly, the two didn't immediately rebuff him. Instead, Mars beckoned Barnaby into his office... with no regard for his discarded clothing or even an attempt to explain the implication of his and Elisabeth's state of undress. Hmm.

"I apologize, Admin del Mar. The boat ran long."

As seconds ticked by and Barnaby thought further on the sexual nature of the situation he'd walked into, his skepticism continued to grow more and more. Although Elisabeth Fiorelli was unaware, Martín del Mar had erected quite the inconvenient barrier when it came to their relationship and ROCKET. Barnaby understood why, of course, but that didn't make it any less annoying.

With this in mind, why would Elisa be allowed such a privilege? Was she really that special?

No. Not compared to him, of course.

"I do, in fact. How serendipitous that she happened to be here." His tone was even and pleasant, as if nothing was out of order here, as if Barnaby didn't suspect Mars to have tattled on him.

He would have continued, perhaps even revealed the phone to end the spectacle that this had become, except that the supposed victim in all of this stepped forward. And she continued to do so, cutting the distance between them.

"Mr. del Mar is nothing if not thoroughly efficient."

"Quite." Barnaby knew that firsthand. He'd seen it in many iterations. The thought brought a small smile to his face, breaking his straightlaced façade. Unfortunate, but it was a foregone conclusion considering what Elisabeth Fiorelli did next.

Within moments she had spanned the length of the room, stopping close enough to whisper the sweetest bait in his ear. Normally, he might have ended his little game here. The jig was already up, it was time to concede. However, something about the way her words demanded compensation set sparks of defiance off in his mind.

"Oh, do I now?" Barnaby leaned down, whispering back into the crook of her ear. At this distance Martín del Mar wouldn't be able to hear.

"You know, based on the texts you've sent tonight, you've been awfully naughty, Elisabeth." His voice was slow and deliberate, as if he wanted to allow time for the words to sink in; noticeably absent was his usual teasing lilt.

"Was Martín not enough for you? Shall I give it a go, hm?"

Elisabeth Fiorelli + Martín del Mar

☉

His eyes were trained on hers, awaiting the inevitable reaction. Shock, disgust, fury. There were several potential options, but in the end the outcome would be the same: the delicious shattering of her composure. To Barnaby's surprise, however, Elisa remained calm, even going so far as to laugh in his face.

How unfortunate. He thought for sure that his words would rile her to action.

"Don't worry, jealousy isn't an emotion that I let weigh me dow—" His voice returned to a conversational volume, Barnaby began to reply before being abruptly cut off.

Pain erupted across his cheek as Elisabeth Fiorelli's hand made contact. The force of the blow sent his head careening in the opposite direction, making for quite the dramatic spectacle.

A moment passed in abject silence. From his sliced skin a trickle of blood slid downward, trailing until it reached the edge of his jaw. Then, a single drop fell to the floor of Martín del Mar's office.

Slowly, a wicked grin spread across Barnaby's lips. With a terrible ease he righted himself, turning back to face Elisabeth with a calm expression, as if she hadn't just struck him in the presence of a superior.

"You really should be more careful where you leave these things. Unlocked, without a password, no less. Someone much more devious than myself could have had a field day, you know." From his pocket he retrieved her lost cellphone and presented it to her on an open palm.

His eyes momentarily flicked to Martín del Mar before returning to Elisabeth Fiorelli. Barnaby idly wondered what the admin thought of all this. Truly, he hadn't expected Elisa to be present when he'd entered the office just minutes earlier. It complicated things. Obviously.

Elisabeth Fiorelli + Martín del Mar

☉

Had he had enough?

It was a good question. Stealing a glance at Elisabeth Fiorelli's face, seeing her dark expression, hearing her cutting words, he weighed whether their interaction here had been fulfilling in any way. Had it slated some sort of desire?

It hadn't really, of course, but it had been fun while it lasted. There was just something about teasing her that delighted the trickster in his heart. Really, though, this game of identity theft had been mostly aimed at Martín del Mar.

It seemed Barnaby would soon be able to express as much, given the admin's dismissal of Elisabeth. As she left he met her parting glare with a simple, arrogant grin.

The office door groaned shut. He and Martín del Mar were now alone.

Spanning the distance between them, he stood at a parade rest in front of his superior's desk. Here, Mars had made it very clear that they were to abide by ROCKET's structure. So, Barnaby allotted him the decorum he was due.

He didn't say anything at first. Barnaby thought about making excuses or flirting or even saying nothing at all. After a moment, however, his response to Mars' order came as one simple word.

"Yes?" Not hesitant nor penitent. It was said coolly, evenly. Mostly because he wasn't sure if a reprimand was on the horizon or not.

Elisabeth Fiorelli + Martín del Mar

☉