"Looking to have a good time, gorgeous?"
Allura doesn't bother to look up from her drink to acknowledge the man that was bold enough to approach her, but she could tell by his tone that he reeked of unbridled arrogance. She picked up her martini glass and swirled its pink-tinted contents before she took a long sip, careful not to smudge her red lipstick on its rim. When she felt the man lean more into her space to talk over the live band, she finally allowed her blue eyes to shift to his so that she can size up her newfound company. The man had expensive taste. She could tell by the flashy jewelry and the designer clothes he wore that he was the type of man who liked to flaunt his wealth in a desperate attempt to get women to fall for the bait that is gilded gold.
Her eyes pierce his and her enchanting gaze only encourages his ego. She resists the urge to make a sour face as her senses are almost overwhelmed by the scent of his cheap cologne when he leaned in close to whisper into her ear. "Do you come here often?" His large hand grabs a hold of the back of her barstool and his body cages hers against the bar. It's a cheap tactic to make her feel small and vulnerable. She doesn't so much as bat an eye before she takes another sip of her cosmo.
She can't help the smirk that stretches across her lips at the man's pathetic dedication to woo her. He must not know exactly who she is...or who she belongs to. Part of her pities his ignorance...and the other part of her wants to have some fun.
It's been a while since she's met such an ignorant fool.
She downs the rest of her drink before she fully turns towards him to answer his question. "You can say that," she replies playfully as she toys with the stem of her empty glass and lets her perfectly manicured nails clink against the crystal. "However, I can't say that I come here as often as I should." She finishes her sentence with a bite of her lip and her eyes rake over the features she knows he's most proud of. She knows her strategy is working when he pulls up a chair to sit next to her and orders her another cosmo. He may think he's a good con artist, but she's a fucking master.
She gives her thanks to the bartender when he gives her another cosmo just the way she likes it - with just a tad of elderflower liqueur and a lime twist that serves as a garnish. The man raises an eyebrow at the scene. "You must come here a lot if he knows exactly how you like your drinks."
She laughs in a tone that she knows men swoon over. "Oh yes. Coran and I go way back." The man behind the bar sends her a wink and continues to shake a martini for another customer. She closes her eyes in bliss as the bittersweet cocktail coats her tongue then slides down her throat, leaving a trail of liquid fire in its wake. She wants to savor the taste of her favorite poison, but the man is already asking her more questions.
"So you got a name, beautiful?" he asked her in a tone full of stolen confidence and it only makes Allura want to knock him down a few pegs.
She crossed her legs at the knee and rested her chin on the palm of her hand as she fiddled with the lime twist on the edge of her glass. "Of course," she humored him with a twirl of her silver hair. "Everyone has a name. Let's start with yours." She sent him a flirty smile and a small giggle. Allura always did like to play with her food.
The man must have thought he struck gold because his hand started to wander to places it didn't belong. Allura kept her face neutral and said nothing when his hand found purchase on her thigh. A sudden movement from her peripheral vision caused her to subtlely shake her head to ward off her guard dogs. She's sure they've been on edge since the man first approached her and by now, they were looking for any reason to pounce on the unsuspecting man. She didn't need them to fight her battles. She had everything under control.
"Derik Weber," he introduced himself proudly with a boyish grin. Arrogantly, he waited for her to fawn over him.
Allura nodded her head, half-amused. "Ah, Derik Weber," she said when she recognized the name. "The sole heir to Weber Incorporations." She swirled her drink lightly in her hand and moved her foot to the beat of the music. This was one of her favorite songs and she couldn't help that her body reacted to its pull. "It's nice to see that your father's insider trading scandal didn't affect your desire to pick up random women you meet at clubs."
Derik let out a snooty laugh that barely hid his embarrassment. "We Webers are very resilient. At least I'm glad you heard of me, Miss…? He moved his hand further up her thigh as if to elicit a name from her lips.
"Allura," she answered his unspoken question after a moment. Allura watched the man think her name over. She can see the exact thoughts course through his head because she knows that he knows that he's heard her name before but he can't seem to pinpoint it.
Just when Allura thought the man had figured things out, his voice cuts over the music. "What a beautiful name for a beautiful woman." His thumb is treading dangerous waters and the entire club feels it. The live band skips a few beats and regular patrons keep their distance from them afraid to get in the inevitable crossfire that was soon to come. "So Allura, riddle me this: What's a beautiful woman like yourself doing all alone in a place like this?"
Allura scoffs. She was never alone. "I just needed some time to myself," she says.
Derik fakes concern and she can see through the bullshit easily. "Oh, I hope I'm not intruding," he says.
"Of course not." The lie slips through her lips like fine silk and she sends him a well-rehearsed smile. "I love company. However, I very much doubt that my husband would appreciate all of the…" she pauses to look at the offending hand that's still on her thigh, "attention you are showing me this evening."
If Derik was surprised by her sudden revelation, he didn't show it. "Husband, huh?" He gave her thigh a firm squeeze and if she had forgotten that she started this little game, then the glass in her hand would have suddenly become a deadly weapon. She only smiled and flashed him the ring on her slender finger. He eyed the ring and laughed before he continued, "He must not be the brightest man to let you out of the house looking the way you do."
She knew exactly what she looked like tonight. Her short, black dress fit her like a second skin and her red heels only accentuated her long, toned legs. She's dressed like a black widow but he was too stupid to see the warning signs. But he wouldn't be the first to miss a crucial detail.
And he certainly wouldn't be the last.
She didn't like the way his eyes raked over her body and she certainly didn't like the way his other hand joined the first one. "Careful, now," she warned him cooly but didn't move away. "You don't want to anger the wrong person in these parts."
"Is that so?" came the casual reply as he leaned further into her space. "If you're so worried about making your idiot of a husband upset, then where is he now, huh?"
"Right behind you." Derik froze when a deep, cold voice spoke behind him, the tone alone sent a shiver up his spine and alerted every fight or flight instinct within him. Derik's head whipped around and came face to face with a tall, well-built man with steel grey eyes and a scar over the bridge of his nose.
There was a dangerous stillness about the man that told Derik everything he needed to know. "You're Takashi Shirogane!" His eyes darted between the charming woman before him and the notorious gangster. It was then that he finally made the connection. He turned to Allura, eyes full of fear. "Then that means you-you're-"
"Allura Shirogane," she finished his broken epiphany innocently with a wink and a flash her ring at him again. If he had taken the time to take a closer look, he would have noticed the leader's insignia on the band of it - a clear indication of exactly who he was talking to.
Exactly who he was still touching.
Immediately, he snatched his hands away from Allura. "I'm so s-sorry, Shiro!" he blurted out the frantic apology. "I didn't know, I-I didn't realize she was yours."
Shiro eyed the man through narrowed eyes, then looked at his wife who only sipped at her cosmo casually. She looked away from him but he could see the corners of her lips upturn in a giddy smile. When his eyes snapped back to the terrified man. All too sudden, a smile was etched into his face. One that didn't reach his eyes and was too stiff and was too forced. "It was an honest mistake." His deep voice was devoid of emotion and it didn't at all go with the smile forced on his lips. The image made Derik's hands tremble. "Let's just...be more careful next time, Derik."
Derik let out a sigh of relief but that relief was short-lived when Shiro causally slipped an arm over his shoulder. He suddenly finds himself having a first-hand experience of just how unwelcomed it is to have someone invade his personal space. He doesn't like it. He doesn't like the closeness, he doesn't like the contact and his blood runs cold at Shiro's words. "And by 'be careful'," Shiro dropped his voice to barely above a whisper, "I mean that if I ever see you touch or even look at my wife again, I'll make sure no one will be able to identify your body when I'm through with you."
Shiro pulls back and gives him the same smile he gave to him before. "Is that understood?"
Derik doesn't trust his voice, so he can only nod frantically.
"Good. Now leave." He doesn't even finish his sentence before Derik is out of the door.
"You always ruin my fun, Takashi," Allura says with a fake pout. Coran laughs at her from behind the bar and he makes Shiro his usual; double shot of whiskey, neat.
Shiro gives his thanks to his faithful bartender before turns to his wife. "Your fun is going to get somebody killed one day, Princess," he warns lightly and there is not a trace of hostility in his voice.
She shrugs in return. "It's not like you have any time for me nowadays anyway. At least someone was giving me attention. You're always working." She has a distant look in her eyes and maybe it's the liquor in her but Shiro knows that she feels neglected. If there was one thing he loved more than his job, it was his wife.
He puts his hand her chin to gently turn her gaze to him. "I'm not working now," he says.
Her eyes dart away and she folds her arms over her chest. "You're late to our date night."
"I know and I'm sorry. I lost track of the time, but I'm here now." He drinks his hard liquor easily before he takes her small hand in his and firmly pulls her off of the bar stool and into him. When she's on her feet, he doesn't let go of her hand and silently leads her to towards the dance floor. He makes eye contact with the lead musician on stage and suddenly the jazz club is filled with a familiar tune.
He brings her closer to him, placing his metal hand on her back just under her shoulder and raises their conjoined hands in the air at the same height as their faces. She knows this position all too well and matches his stance and places her hand on his broad shoulder. He shoots her a smile. A real smile. One that only she and a few carefully selected close friends have the fortune of seeing. His smile is her favorite sight and immediately her irritation of his lateness is washed away.
Allura closes her eyes at the rhythmic tune. She lets it fill her and when the beat is just right, she begans. Her eyes are filled with forgiveness and delight when opens them. She takes a step back with her right foot and Shiro follows her lead with his left forward. Allura was the fire in his furnace and although she was slightly inebriated, she was still an excellent dancer. With a sway of her hips, she takes a step forward, pushing him back into their original positions. Quickly, Shiro takes a step back and she follows suit and a dance is born.
She had been the one to teach him the mambo. Even though he had always been a quick learner - with a gun, a knife, with his bare hands; flesh or metal, the mambo was probably the most challenging skill he had to learn. But she was ever so patient with him. Now he's a pro. He's able to lead her and she'll follow and keep up with every step he takes, perfectly mirroring him at every turn.
He lets go of her back and she swings out with a flare of her hand and smoothly returns to his grip. Without his feet missing a beat, he speaks, "I really am sorry, you know." He squeezes her hand to signal her to give him a twirl and twirl she does. She returns to him with her back to his chest and their feet don't stumble once as they adapt effortlessly into their new position.
"I know, Takashi." She uses her free hand to caress his freshly shaven face. "I don't know why, but I thought you wouldn't make it. I thought you had forgotten about our date night." She sounds sadden that the thought even occured to her. Her husband was a man of his word no matter what.
Shiro laughs as he grabs ahold of her hips and uses his leverage to turn her in his arms. They are back in their original positions and Shiro takes a step forward and she matches it perfectly. "Forget our date night?" he repeats playfully. "How could I forget date night with the love of my life? The apple of my eye. The fire to my ice. My beautiful wife. I would never forget about you." He speaks the truth and it hits Allura right in the soul.
The beat changes suddenly and he takes the opportunity to drop his metal hand to the small of her back and her eyes light up with joy at what's to come. She's ready when he dips her low and she lets out a giggle when his lips kiss her neck.
"Besides," he says with a smirk as he pulls her back up to face him, "you know papa loves mambo."