The Devil Dances With the Scorned

Sherry bit down on her bottom lip, forcing back the laugh that slipped to the tip of her tongue. She had seemingly already done enough to push Negan's buttons, she didn't want to do even more. She drew in a deep breath, fiddling with the edge of her shirt. "All the will I need is to know that I screwed up. You'll be good to me - I know that," she paused, taking another deep breath. "I've never spoken to the wives before but I've heard them speak."

"Maybe this isn't the way I wanted things to turn out but I screwed up and I have to pay for that," Sherry was quiet as she spoke, finally lifting her gaze to meet his. "And I understand that."

Negan didn’t understand why she was acting like she was doomed. There were plenty of woman inside of the Sanctuary who would kill to be in her position. It was almost off-putting and disrespectful to Negan that she was acting ungrateful. He could have turned her offer down, he could have killed both of them on sight for what they did.

Negan’s eyes narrowed at her, the small amount of anger starting to seep up to the surface. “Do you not realize how fuckin’ lucky you are and how fuckin’ good you are about to have it? IF you don’t want this shit, I can send you right down to where your little Dwight is. Or I can just off the both of you. Is that what you want?”

If it wasn't for the subtle change in Negan's tone, Sherry would have thought her reasoning had seemed to make sense for Negan. Her stomach sank and for a long moment, she was quiet before finally pushing herself off of the bed. She pushed away the guilt that had already settled itself in the pit of her stomach as she tip toed toward him.

Sherry refused to look up until she was standing directly in front of Negan. Her hands shook despite how hard she tried to stop them, reaching out to set a hand on his shoulder. "I'm grateful for everything you've offered," she paused, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth. "Maybe I just haven't... haven't showed it properly?"

Negan tilted his head as he watched the woman stand and walk towards him. His hands instinctively reached out and grasped her hips, lightly of course. He knew that there was trust that needed to be built between the pair of them, especially if he planned on having her do the things he needed her to do.

A smirk appeared on the man’s face and he flashed his teeth at her briefly. “How do you plan on doing that sweetheart?” his voice was low and rough. He licked his bottom lip, mocking her actions and biting down on the skin. “Cuz I got a few things I think we could do, if you were up for them.”

Sherry drew in a deep breath and willed herself not to screw this up. She didn't think it would take much more provoking to land herself on Negan's shitlist forever, she couldn't afford to screw this up. Stepping closer to him, Sherry offered a shy smile as her hands wrapped around his neck, his fingers massaging the back of it.

She leaned down but not quite far enough for their lips to connect. "Then why don't you show me, sir?" Sherry had no clue where she was going with this, she had no clue what Negan would enjoy but sir had to be good, right? Negan was a man who liked to be in charge, she doubted that changed in the bedroom.

Negan knew that Sherry was only putting on a show, he could see in her eyes that this wasn’t really something she wanted to be doing at the time. But, damn, if she wasn’t trying to prove herself to him. This brought a grin to Negan’s lips and a fire in his core when she called him sir. Fuck, what a good girl she was trying to be for him. That was something Negan could approve of.

Negan’s hands gripped her hips, bringing her forward and pressing an unusually gentle kiss to her lips. His tongue flicked across her bottom lip for a moment, before he pulled away and looked at her. “Well damn if you ain’t tryin,” he muttered. “We don’t have to do anything right away, but fuck, you just wait.”

Sherry's breath caught in her throat as Negan's lips brushed against hers. Sure, she wasn't really prepared for this to happen with someone other than Dwight but she also hadn't been prepared for just how gentle Negan had been. His lips were soft, warm, inviting almost and it only solidified the guilt in the pit of her stomach.

Running a hand through Negan's hair, Sherry offered a lopsided smile as she shrugged. "It's all up to you, mister," she answered quietly, still leaning into his chest. She kept her hands on his shoulders to brace herself, her fingers kneading into the flesh beneath his shirt. "I'm just along for the ride?" Sherry giggled, tilting her head to the side.

Negan looked at her, confusion plain on his features. Hadn’t five minutes ago this girl looked ashamed to be in front of him? Scared to be in the position that she had been put in? Negan wasn’t sure what the hell was going on, but then again, he wasn’t complaining either. He rather liked the feeling of her delicate fingers running through his hair and the way his hands rested oh-so-perfectly on her hips.

Negan stole another small kiss from her, pulling back once more to try and read her features. “I need to know that you’re okay with this.” He stated, his tone slightly more serious. “Like, a hundred fuckin’ percent sure you are okay with this. That’s important to me, damn important, believe it or not.”

Sherry's brows raised as she looked down to Negan, her head tilting to the side as she listened to him speak. She opened and closed her mouth a few times over before she shrugged, curling her toes as she looked down to her feet. "I don't... it's not that I'm not okay with it," her voice was barely a whisper as she spoke, choosing her words carefully. She didn't want to give Negan the impression that she was anything other than willing and grateful.

"It's just going to take time for me to get used to everything that is happening. Does that... does it make sense?" Sherry's voice cracked as she hung her head. She refused to look up to him then, her stomach twisted into a knot. "You and... and," she paused, drawing in a deep breath before speaking again, "my ex husband are different in almost every way I can probably thing of."

Negan reached out and attempted to sooth her by running his hand through her hair. He understood completely. That’s what most people didn’t get about him. Negan worked by playing both sides of the field, that way he could bend and sway people’s emotions the way that he needed to.

Negan nodded as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to her temple, releasing the grip he hand on her beautiful locks. He stood up and walked around her room, looking at the different things that were in it. “I get it, I really fuckin’ do.” He sympathized. “But I promise this can be just as damn good for you as I know it is for me.

Sherry gritted her teeth, not wanting to admit that Negan was actually being considerate. She knew that he was just toying with her emotions, playing her like a finely tuned instrument because he knew that if he played his cards right, Sherry would be more than willing to stay here. To play the part of Negan's loving wife.

Letting out a sigh, Sherry reached up and ran a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry... I just wish that I was more ready. The sort that you need from me because you're offering me so much and I'm not being as grateful as I should be," she paused, taking a deep breath. It wasn't until her shoulders relaxed before she opened her mouth to speak again. "But please don't take that as me not wanting to be here or something because that's not... it's not it."

Negan lingered by her door for a moment as she continued to speak. A smirk played itself onto his lips; she was breaking. This is exactly what Negan needed in order to be able to exercise his control over her. Sure, he was about to give her everything she could ever want and more, but at the end of the day, he needed her to understand that she was his, and only his. There would be hell to pay if she just so happened to slip up… But right at this moment, as far as he could see, the reality of everything was seeping in.

Negan grasped the door handle, “Don’t worry doll, we have plenty of time to figure out all the little logistics of this relationship.” He grinned at her, showing her his white teeth for a moment. “I promise it wont be so bad, sweetheart.”

Fear and doubt curled into a ball in the pit of her stomach as she watched Negan near the doorway. She didn't want him to leave because she wanted to get everything sorted out right here and now so that she didn't have to live her life, tiptoeing around. Afraid that anything she did could potentially be wrong and tip Negan off of the deep end. She had already did enough, she didn't need to do more.

"I trust you," Sherry answered him quietly, forcing a smile to her lips. It was hesitant at best but it was more than she had thought she would be able to muster up. "Should I... see you in the morning or just... I don't know, wait until you want to discuss things?" Her voice was barely a whisper, afraid to say it in the wrong fashion.

Negan raised an eyebrow and gave her a half smile as he held the doorknob in his hand. Was she really caving in for him that fast? In his opinion, that was nothing but a good sign. The quicker she crumbled, the quicker he could get to having fun and having her under his thumb the way he needed to.

“I’ll come for you,” he assured her, his voice thick with authority. “But if you would like to meet me in my room after supper—we could get to that discussion a whole helluva lot faster.”

Negan gave her a sultry wink as he pulled the door open and waltz out of it. He had nothing but high hopes for the blossoming relationship that was bound to happen between the two of them.

Sherry gave a hesitant smile at Negan's words, nodding her head even as she watched him disappear out of the room. His suggestion was nothing short of that - just a suggestion at most but not complying? Sherry had no doubt that it may press the wrong buttons and that was the last thing she wanted. And besides, if she continued to play the eager part, Sherry thought it would keep Negan happy.

Hours seemed to drag by until she finally pulled on the only nicer dress that she still had. It was a fuller sundress, with a white bust and a red skirt. Nothing entirely fancy but she found that she had an odd sense of needing to impress Negan, keep in his good books.

An idea sparked and Sherry asked for two portions - one that she would take up to Negan. The people manning the kitchen had been hesitant because she could be lying but after a bit of insistence, the food was offered up and Sherry was on her way to the top floor. Balancing the plates with one arm, Sherry knocked at Negan's door before stepping back, dropping her gaze to the bottom of the door.

When Sherry entered his room, Negan had been sitting at his desk looking over plans that had been developed for runs the next week. He looked up, a smirk immediately settling on his face. He pushed his chair back and stood up, waltzing over to her.

“Well Goddamn, Sherry.” He mumbled, reaching out to grab a plate of the food that she seemed to be having a hard time balancing. “Don’t you just look sexy as ever.”

Negan motioned to the small couch that sat in his room, ushering her to sit down. He was pleasantly surprised that she had showed up. He didn’t expect her to be a receptive of this new found position as she had. But she was making an effort, and that’s all he could really ask from her. “Thanks for bringin’ dinner, doll.”

Sherry looked up to Negan, her cheeks flushing several shades deeper as she thanked him for taking the one plate. She shuffled over and sank down onto the couch, careful not to let her dress ride up too hide. "You're welcome," she answered quietly, offering a shy smile. It felt like she was dating all over again, with the nerves that ran through her body whenever Negan glanced her way or spoke, she was suddenly all too concerned about what he thought of her. Maybe for different reasons than what an actual date would have meant.

"They weren't going to give me a second plate," Sherry murmured after a few more bites, trying to break the silence that had settled between them. She didn't really think it was something worth worrying over, she didn't think Negan would react to it.

"So I'm sorry if it's not as much food as you want or whatever," Sherry tried to further explain, beginning to push around the food on her plate. "So, uh... what was it that you wanted to discuss?"

Negan watched as she shifted around uncomfortably. He wondered what was going on inside of her head, what exactly it was that she was thinking about. He raised an eyebrow as he paused his eating for a moment. He watched as she pushed her food around, tentatively taking a forkful into his mouth. He couldn't help but give her a small smirk. However, when she mentioned that they told her she wasn't going to get a second plate, his brows furrowed.

"Did you not happen to mention that you were the newest fuckin' wife? They damn sure would have given you whatever you wanted right then and there." He scoffed, turning his attention back towards his plate.

Negan licked his bottom lip and let his plate rest on his knee. His eyes drug over her body for a moment before he began to speak. "I need you to realize this is as much about you as it is about me. I just need to fuckin' know that you aren't going to break anymore rules." He cocked his head to the side, his eyes still trained on her face.

Negan's words seemed to make reality sink in just that much more. She was the newest wife in a line of wives that were willing to do whatever it took to keep Negan happy. Her heart sank as she shrugged her shoulders, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth. What else was there to say? She suddenly realized that she could very well end up getting someone in trouble and that was the last thing she wanted.

Sherry parted her lips, letting out an inaudible sigh as she leaned forward, taking her first bite of food. Looking up to Negan, she gave a small nod of her head. "I don't want you to worry, Negan," Sherry was carefully picking her words, her stomach twisted into a knot. All Sherry could think was that she needed to pick her words carefully. Tread as if her life depended on it because in a lot of ways, it did.

"I don't want to break any rules ever again. It's not worth the trouble it would cause and besides," Sherry paused, taking a deep breath as she looked up to Negan. She gave the best smile that she could muster, "that's not a good way to start off a marriage, is it?"

Negan smiled, almost maliciously, at her choice of words. Maybe it really was sinking into her brain that he held all control now, it was Negan who reigned her world—and no one else. Negan finished off his food, tossing the paper plate into the nearest garbage bin. He relaxed into his chair, propping on of his calves up onto the opposite knee. He clasped his hands behind his head, letting his triceps stretch out as he watched her.

Negan did truly find the girl beautiful, even sitting and watching her eat was something that the man could do all day long. His tongue delved between his parted lips, running along his lower lip in such a Negan fashion.

“Any other question you care for me to try and answer?” he probed her, the same smirk resting on his face.