**************************************************
*************** The door swung wide open in her wake…her
body clothed in black on black…the fabric hugging her curves like a
second skin…her deep-set emerald eyes reflected the dim light of
the bar interior…her sultry lips bore a sullen pout, offset by
their rich ox-blood tone…she made her way to the bar proper…Kale
happened to look up as she was nearing the end of the journey…his
semi-filled bar was suddenly quite sparsely populated….he cursed
vehemently under his breath and shook his head…he ran a hand
through his shaggy mop of golden brown hair and glanced skyward,
silently asking why God would choose to curse him…what the hell had
he done in his former life to deserve this….he sighed deeply,
letting his eyes fall to face the woman before him as she hitched her
hip next to the edge of the bar top, placing her weight on one foot
as she tucked the other onto the kick bar underneath… "Well,
well, well,…..Midnite Gracen….to what God-forsaken event do we
owe this unconscionable visit from you to….." Kale said, the
annoyance aparent in his sarcastic, slightly venomous tone… "Awwww,
now Kale, darlin'…no need to act like a petulant child…I'm
just stopping in for a drink…." She purred in her low, Southern
drawl… He snorted…"Uh huh….well forgive me for
worrying…you always seem to turn up… like a bad penny…when
you're around we all know that the shit is about to hit the
fan…" "Ooooo, Kale…that's downright witty for
you…but seriously darlin', no need to panties in a twist…I told
you…I'm just here for a drink…." She said, a wicked gleam in
her eye… "Right…and the fact that people just happen to
end up dead after meeting up with you is not supposed to worry me at
all…" he said, bitterly, almost to himself, but just loud enough
on purpose… She leveled her gaze upon him, her gleaming
green eyes boring a hole right through him…she arched one of her
perfectly groomed eyebrows at him, showing her annoyance… He
fidgeted uncomfortably and busied himself for the moment cleaning a
glass that didn't really need cleaning, all the while mumbling
under his breath…he closed his eyes for a moment and willed himself
to calm down…when he opened them, he met her gaze with his
own…"Fine…what can I get you to drink, ma'am…." he said,
a poisonous tone oozing from his every word… "Double shot
of Bourbon…strait up…if you please, darlin'…" she drawled,
her temptress eyes never wavering from his… Kale grumbled
and pulled out the good stuff he kept stashed under the bar…he knew
better than to offer her the usual drivel he stocked for the
customers…he poured her her double shot and then poured one for
himself too…he downed it, ending with a grasping breath as the
liquid burned like fire down his throat…he poured another and
slammed it back with no regard to the coming pain…she eyed his
behavior, a slight smirk gracing her full lips…she tipped hers back
and clapped the glasses down in front of him with no sign of the
burning sensation she ought to be feeling…he sighed and poured her
another…she tipped it back, clapping it in front of him once
again…he glared at her…a frown creasing his brow deeply…he
sighed and shook his head slightly…he filled it up again and
watched her tip the glass, letting the liquid spill down the back of
her throat, never once showing any sign of the liquid affecting
her…this time, when she slammed the glass down, she tipped it
upside down… Kale inhaled and exhaled deeply…he screwed
the cap back on the bottle and placed it under the bar…he knew she
was done drinking for the night…he grabbed up her glass and busied
himself cleaning it and wiping down the bar in front of her, trying
to work up the nerve to ask the question burning through his
mind… Trying to sound non-chalant, he said "So….who'd
yah kill this time…?" Her gaze met his…a terrible fire
blazed within her emerald eyes…a wicked smile slowly played across
her lips…she stood, turned and walked toward the door…her body
shifting and swaying in a motion that could rival a viper's path
across sand….she stopped at the door, swiveling her tantalizing
form around to face him, her hips and chest standing out
provocatively as she struck a pose with practiced ease and grace to
best show off her assets…She stood silently for a beat longer than
necessary before she answered him…"Now now, Kale darlin'….a
lady...never kills and tells…." She purred…her low voice
rippling through the short distance between them…the tone sounding
positively indecent when pouring from her pouting mouth…she winked
at him, her jester's grin still wickedly perched on the her
ox-blood stained lips as she turned and left the way she'd come
in…Kale stood behind the bar…hands palm down on the bar top to
brace himself against falling due to the shaking in his knees… he
drew quick, panicked breaths, thanking God silently that she was
gone…he'd seen a lot of terrible, crazy things in his life…but
he'd be damned if that woman didn't scare him more than all of it
combined… **************************************************
********************
A lady never kills and
tells....
