I'm not stalking you or anything

If there was one thing Maverick excelled at, it was pretending he could belong anywhere. The wolf was keenly intelligent when it came to observation and exploration, able to pick up on subtle nuances of a room full of wolves and adapt. He could be the perfect gentleman at a social gathering, or a rowdy ruffian amongst a crowd of thugs, or anything he put his mind to really. In short, Maverick could fake with the best of anyone. For Venom, he would be her perfect date: polite, sociable, amiable, respectful. But deep down, he knew the Empress had seen what kind of man he was. He was no highborn wolf meant for cocktail parties and dry humor over drinks—but he could pretend to be for her. It was actually kind of fun pretending to be someone else, knowing that only Venom would see through his disguise. He enjoyed the bit of subterfuge and espionage that came with it. Mav would likely never know just how much he differed from her ex-husband, nor how much she appreciated him for it. He just did it because it was the easy thing for him to do to just be himself.

Together on the dance floor the two wolves moved as one, their bodies gliding across the smooth stone floor in tandem, brushing together occasionally as they did to leave delightful little electric shocks against his skin. Though he wasn't bad with his paws, Venom was far more graceful than he was, moving fluidly through the motions as if she were born to dance. It was a challenge for him to keep his eyes off of the wya her body swayed and sashayed, particularly her hips. Gentleman... Be a gentleman... he reminded himself in his head, though the sly grin on his face betrayed where his thoughts and attention was shifting. To his comment, Venom remarked that he was one of the few wolves to see both sides of her: the Empress born and bred for the glamor and reverence, and the woman of intense and sultry emotions looking to be set free within. "Then we're even, Your Ladyship, as you're one of the few to see the real me." It was easy for Maverick to pretend to be someone else because it kept him safe—it kept him alive. He hadn't felt that need around Venom, which was why she'd gotten to meet the real Maverick right from the jump. Most others got an alias, a facade. She got the truth.

During their dance, Venom teased him with the subtle suggestion that playing his cards right could earn him a repeat performance of their last evening together. An intrigued hum purred in the brute's throat, eyebrows raised with curious desire. He couldn't hide the fact that Venom's passion had left a lasting impression on him, so much so that he was now crashing weddings just to see her. Their sides brushed together by her design, sending a pleasant tremor down his spine. Mav chuckled as well as he fantasized feeling the Empress entwined with him again, below him, above him, every way he could imagine. A perfect ending to a perfect date, if he did say so himself! Ah, but it was a game to get there now, was it? Well, Maverick always played to win, and if Venom wanted the pants charmed off of her, then he was up for it. "If your goal was to tempt me, Your Grace, I assure you it's working," he replied with a wink back to her, then shifted in one of their moves to press his side into her, using their closeness to sneak a surreptitious brush of his fluffy tail up the backside of her thigh before slipping back to bring their chests together, muzzles so close he could feel her breath against his lips. A roguish grin played on his lips and there was a lively fire gleaming in his eyes. Venom was alive and he loved to see it.

Amidst their dance, Mav had caught sight of someone amongst the crowd leering their way. Another glance up confirmed his suspicions—there was a brute the size of himself across the room with his eyes fixed on them. He was easy to pick out thanks to his split-toned black and white coat and mistrustful scowl on his features. Maverick just grinned and leaned closer to whisper in Venom's ear. "I think someone's not happy about me getting this close to you." Another chuckle rumbled in the man's chest as he turned with Venom so she was facing out towards the crowd. "Big guy, black and white over by the food. Your ex-husband?" He raised a curious brow, wondering what the other male's vested interest in them was, and wondering if he was going to have to defuse a fight before he got anywhere close to that tempting promise of a repeat performance with the Ashen woman.

"Maverick"