BAE Chapter 101

Barbara steps off the elevator on Ivy’s floor. The guards stay in the elevator; Ivy has the space to herself. She’s made more improvements to the space, most interestingly a tank of ballistic glass with some aloe plants inside. Lucius must’ve compromised to let her have some plant company, but in a way that she can’t possibly use for mischief. Risky, but no riskier than having her here in the first place. Ivy’s a little like someone who self-harms. Even if you lock up the knives, that person will still find a way. Ivy, if she wants to leave, will find a way. She’s still here because she’s either biding her time or giving Barbara a chance.

Ivy looks up from what she’s doing. She wears comfy shorts and a tee under her lab coat. In a certain way, she has a nice work-from-home thing going here. It’s a shame she can’t leave.

Barbara waves, and Ivy waves back guardedly. Everything is so complicated. Is Barbara attracted to her or is it just Poison Ivy pheromones? They’re on camera. Fraternizing is a bad idea. They don’t trust each other. From Ivy’s perspective, is Barbara trying to do the right thing or is she just trying to get rich? It is a huge mess and Barbara isn’t confident that she’s up to it.

Ivy meets her halfway, her hands in the pockets of her lab coat.

“How are you?”

Ivy glances toward the windows. “Could be worse.”

“How could it be better?”

“That’s not a simple question to answer.”

“I’m smart,” Barbara replies. “I busted Poison Ivy out of Arkham to work for Wayne Enterprises.”

Ivy snorts. “Right.” She doesn’t have to put it into words. Isolation and a lack of freedom are stressing Ivy out. Work is going fine; Lucius already told her that. “How are you feeling?”

“About this?” Barbara points down. “A part of me misses it. I’m also enjoying being myself again. I don’t know.”

“Going to take Seed again now that you know it’s reversible?”

Barbara takes a deep breath, blushing. “Maybe.”

“I don’t know if I’d like you better with or without it,” Ivy says, looking her up and down.

“I would love to have that conversation, but we’re on camera.”

“You think I can’t get around that?”

“I need to be a little careful,” Barbara says apologetically. “Disappearing with you into your private space for long periods of time is something that someone might be able to use against me. Not to say it wouldn’t be worth it. I am so ready to be on the list of people seduced by Poison Ivy.”

“I wasn’t thinking in there. Did you not go to college?” Ivy starts toward the lab and Barbara follows.

“I went to lots of college,” Barbara replies truthfully. “I’m trying to get my PhD.”

“And you never had a cute lab partner?” Ivy sits on a stool at her work table and pats the one beside her. Barbara sits and Ivy scoots close.

“You have got to be kidding.”

“I took Ace Chemicals hostage with a tomato plant. You think I’m kidding about this?”

“I never had a lab partner that cute.”

“Your loss.”

Barbara understands what Ivy’s proposing; it’s just a lot to take given that it’s the middle of the day and that nothing is simple anymore.

“Was Pamela Isley always this horny?”

Ivy smiles, and that smile so close like this is powerful. “I think so,” she muses. “But it took Poison Ivy to give her the confidence to act on it.”

Blushing, Barbara shifts on her stool. “Fair enough.” Embarrassed, she places her hand on Ivy’s thigh under the table. Ivy does the same for her.

“See? You’re getting it.” All Ivy does is gently rub Barbara’s clothed leg, but it’s still setting off subtle fireworks in Barbara’s core.

“Is this pheromones?”

“This is all you, Miss Gordon.”

“I told you to call me Babs.”

“You like being called Ms. Gordon.”

Barbara blushes hotter. “This is not subtle for the cameras.”

“It is as long as you keep your cool.”

“You’re not helping with that.”

“I’m very helpful.”

“I’m helpful too,” Barbara grumbles, sliding her hand into Ivy’s shorts. She’s not confident that her… skills with her fingers for the purpose of pleasing a woman are up to this task, but she has her pride. She needn’t have worried. As they touch, they lean closer together. While it’s all Barbara can do to keep her breathing halfway civilized, Ivy is chatty even as her body heats up.

“There. Just like that,” she murmurs to Barbara, then gasps when Barbara accidentally touches her clit directly. With Ivy’s guidance, Barbara is up to the task. It’s nothing fancy: two fingers rubbing a vigorous circle. Ivy leans into it, gazing into Barbara’s eyes before a little puff of breath and an impossibly sexy facial expression signal her orgasm. Her hand stops teasing Barbara when it happens.

“See, Miss Gordon? Even executives can be good for something,” Ivy says when she recovers, pushing her hair out of her face. Barbara opens her mouth to reply and her breath catches as Ivy’s fingers go back to work. She has to lean forward with her elbow on the table and her knuckle in her mouth. Now that Ivy’s already gotten off, she stops teasing and effortlessly brings Barbara off.

Barbara’s face burns with embarrassment from the way that her legs dance out of her control under the table. She can feel sweat on her forehead and her heart pounds.

All that was in plain view of the cameras and not a single article of clothing came off. She feels dazed.

“I never did that in college,” she admits shakily.

“I’m so sorry for you.”

Barbara’s looking right at Ivy. They’re so close. Barbara kisses her, only for a moment. She pulls back, startled. That was on camera. Their… interactions aren’t a secret, but still. A screencap of Barbara Gordon kissing Poison Ivy would be a huge liability. She shakes her head.

Ivy’s a little flushed herself. She looks pleased and puzzled.

“Was that pheromones?” Barbara asks, grabbing tissues for her damp hand.

“That was all you, Ms. Gordon.”

“We need to study this. Before Seed I’d never have kissed a woman like that.”

“Politically sensitive stuff, Ms. Gordon.”

“I don’t want to play politics,” Barbara says firmly, choosing to hide behind her analytical, goal-driven side rather than think too hard about what just happened. It’s bad enough that she can feel a sexual attraction to all these women in her life. If that attraction is real and not just physical, it means that feelings are also possible. That’s a level of complication that she does not need. “I want to play science. I want peer-reviewed data that we can be transparent with. If we’re going to make Seed a commercial ****, we need to know exactly what the consequences are. Surveys aren’t enough.”

Ivy grins. “Babs, you removed yourself as my boss. You need to tell all this to Mr. Fox.”

“I will,” Barbara grumbles, getting to her feet. She wobbles a little.

“Babs,” Ivy says as Barbara smooths herself out.

“Yeah?”

“I enjoyed seeing you today.” She says it ironically, but it’s not meant to be ironic. So Poison Ivy can feel embarrassed too.

“Me too,” Barbara replies, giving her a look. With that, she hurries to the elevator.

As the doors close, she shakes her head. The penis is gone, but… not forgotten. A sudden, intrusive thought flashes through her mind: her, with the penis again, standing over a kneeling, lusty Ivy.

“Oh God.” Barbara puts her face in her hand. She can’t lie to herself. She wants it back.

The doors open on the executive level and she moves to the public elevator that can take her down to the lobby. She’s self-conscious during the ride; there’s a secretary here, and Barbara just hopes she can’t smell the… fragrance of what just happened.

Barbara focuses. It’s time to go to GCPD. The question is, how to go about it?

She’ll go in as Barbara Gordon to get past security, ostensibly to see her father. Once inside, how should she best position herself? Where will she be needed?

Near the lockup?

Or near the evidence room?

They’re on different floors.