"You should have seen his face. I actually felt sorry for a minute."
"You're so cold sometimes, Sif," Jane scolded, shaking her head while taking another swig of her dirty martini. "He's not as bad as you think he is."
"Oh please, he deserved it," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "The man hasn't stopped giving me eyes since day one, maybe now he'll give it a rest."
"Maybe it's because he likes you?"
"He likes anything with tits that walks, Jane. He'll get over it."
"Speak of the devil," Jane mused, looking over towards the entrance of the crowded bar. There, walking in with his mistress of the hour, was Loki Odinson, accompanied by his brother Thor and several other of Sif's coworkers trailing in loosely behind them. Just the day prior, Loki had informed Sif of a promotion, but she hadn't received the news gracefully. The two had worked together in semi-close quarters at an ad agency for a while, and Sif, while attracted to him, was dead tired of his ego and playboy reputation.
"You didn't."
"I didn't know they were coming here, honest!" Jane said a little too apologetically as she waved them over, standing from the booth to kiss Thor. Sif groaned.
"Hello darling," Thor said, wrapping his arms around Jane and returning the kiss enthusiastically. "Sif! Congratulations on your promotion! I apologize that I've known for weeks and haven't been able to tell you. The company is lucky to have you, well deserved!"
"Thank you, Thor," Sif smiled. He was nothing like his brother. He was warm, exceptionally kind, and an all-around gentleman. Even if she did have to endure an evening making small talk with unwanted company, it made her feel better to know that Thor would be around to make things a bit less awkward.
"Hello Loki, Lorelei," Jane waved, peeking behind her boyfriend at the two of them. "Won't you sit with us? There's plenty of room!"
"I'm going to get a drink," Loki said, throwing his coat carelessly onto the seat of the booth, his cold eyes fleetingly catching Sif's. Still mad, she thought. Good.
"He's just so handsome, isn't he?" Lorelei said enthusiastically as she took a seat, her breasts practically spilling out of her low-cut blouse onto the table. She watched him go over to the bar, staring at him like he walked on water.
"More like a nightmare," Sif grumbled, finishing off the rest of her whiskey sour in one long go.
Jane kicked her under the table. Be nice, she mouthed.
Lorelei was Loki's latest personal assistant. Sif knew damn well there was one reason alone he hired her and it wasn't for her brain. Lord only knew what went on in that office after hours - or even worse, during them.
"So, uh, Lorelei, how do you like working for Loki?" Jane asked, trying hard to make conversation with this girl she had virtually nothing in common with. "It's been a few months now, right?"
"Oh," Lorelei said with the most nauseatingly wide grin Sif had ever seen. "It's wonderful. He is such a gentleman."
"Oh, look," Sif said sardonically, standing up before she had to hear another word. "My drink is empty."
"I'll get you another," Thor said kindly, ever the gentleman.
"No, thank you," she said, suddenly more determined to fix the awkwardness for the sake of her friend and a better evening. She knew that she'd have to confront Loki sooner or later and she figured she might as well do it with a few drinks in her. "I have to use the restroom anyway."
As she walked into the bathroom to freshen up her lipstick, she couldn't help but overhear a conversation two sinks down.
"Did you see who was at the end of the bar?"
"I know, Loki Odinson! Those brothers are even better looking in person."
"They say he has a reputation though."
"Who cares? What I wouldn't do for a night with that."
Sif's blood began to boil. She bit down on some tissue to blot her lips and chucked it into the wastebasket forcefully, unable to get out of there fast enough. Was there no place she could escape him?
She smoothed out her purple dress, fluffed her hair a bit more and took a deep breath before making her way over to where he still stood at the bar. She slowed before reaching him, suddenly bombarded by the same strong urge to touch him that she had felt the day before. She hung back for a minute, watching as he loosened his neck tie and ran his long fingers through his slicked back hair. Get a damn hold of yourself, she thought.
The bartender smiled as he saw her approach and she smiled back sheepishly as she slunk into the empty stool next to where he stood.
"What can I get for you, darlin'?"
"Uh, another whiskey sour, please," she said exasperatedly, rummaging with shaky hands through her messy purse in desperate search of her wallet and lighter.
"And another old fashioned," Loki murmured out of the corner of his cigarette filled mouth, pulling out a large, crisp bill and slapping it on the counter. Sif rolled her eyes.
"I'm perfectly capable of paying for my own drink, thank you very much."
"I'm sure you are," he said flatly, cocking an eyebrow while passing his lighter over to put an end to her incessant search for one. "I'm just afraid you'll never find what you're looking for in there."
She scoffed as she hid her messy bag from him and grabbed the lighter.
"You smoke more than any other broad I know."
"Yeah, what's it to you?"
"No judgment here," he said, holding his hands up in defense. "I'm quite the chimney myself."
"Look, I don't want to dance around this," she said, still avoiding his gaze for the sake of her sanity. "I love my friend. And I don't want this evening to be ruined because of me, so, I guess I'm sorry for the way I acted yesterday."
"What an apology," he said sarcastically.
"I shouldn't have snapped at you," she continued, ignoring his tone. "Pete was on me all day about incorrect allocations and reimbursements. I can't properly allocate if people aren't giving me their damn receipts." And there's also the fact that I was cranky the entire time you were gone and I missed you and I have no idea why.
"Want me to fire him?"
"No," she said, laughing as she took a long drag. "And thank you, by the way. For the job."
"It really wasn't my doing. Though I've been telling father for some time that you're more than qualified."
Sif smiled at his words, but as soon as she glanced up at him, she regretted her decision to do so. Instead of looking at her, Loki was busy waving to a pretty blonde who was smiling at him at the other end of the bar.
"Excuse me," Sif said, forcefully grabbing her drink and tossing the rest of it back. "I think I see someone I know."
Loki furrowed his brow in confusion at her sudden need to get away from him. Before he could say anything, she was already halfway across the room.
Sif walked away as quickly as she could and grabbed the nearest random guy, dragging him out onto the dance floor next to Thor and Jane. She was grateful that it was smoky and crowded enough so that no one would be able to see the hurt look on her face (although Jane very much did). It didn't seem to matter who or what Loki was; she clearly felt something for him and this was getting dangerous.
Loki watched her out of the corner of his eye. He tightened his grip on his tumbler as the strange man wrapped his arms around her waist. To keep himself from doing something stupid, he walked back to where the rest of his coworkers sat and offered his hand to Lorelei. It was always easier when he pretended not to care, and his way of doing so was by cavorting with other women. They filled the screaming void momentarily, but since there was only one face he ever saw, the void always came right back.
Loki was an exceptional dancer, which only made Sif angrier. The two danced closer to where she was, much to her dismay. She watched as his hands moved delicately down Lorelei's sides to her waist, his long fingers hovering at the small of her back as he pulled her against him. She had to look away.
The second she did, Loki's eyes wandered over to her. He swallowed, forcing himself to count to ten each time the man touched a different part of her or whispered something into her ear.
The man, Sif decided, was getting entirely too close for comfort. Slow dancing was one thing, but his lips were starting to graze her neck and ears, making her very uncomfortable. Before she had the chance to protest, she turned in surprise to find Loki at her side, his nostrils flaring, that same vein pulsing in his neck. He looked murderous.
"Dance with me?" he said, his eyes intensely fixed on hers. She could tell he was trying very hard to focus on her alone to keep his cool .
"Sure pal, when I'm done with her," the guy winked, "man to man" at Loki, forcing Sif closer to him.
"Oh," Loki said, grabbing him by the shirt collar, shoving him violently as he stepped in front of Sif protectively. "You're done with her."
"Well, that escalated quickly," Jane murmured out of the corner of her mouth to Thor, neither one of them moving to stop the scenario that was unfolding. Thor smiled.
"Hey man," the guy said, holding up his hands defensively. "I don't want any trouble."
"Then find another partner, and you won't have any."
The man waved them off as he staggered away and Loki turned back to her, his concern apparent.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be," she said gratefully, sighing as she crossed her arms against her chest. She felt stupid. "I owe you one."
Loki glanced back at the man. As Sif looked up at him she recognized all too well the expression that he wore; jealousy. It was the same way she looked whenever he was with another woman, and she knew it. As he looked back at her, his face softened and his eyes turned from hard to kind. It was the first time they had both really looked at one another all evening.
"You are beautiful," he whispered, barely audible, in a way that sounded much more like a statement of fact rather than a come on. It was as if the words were meant for him alone to hear. He smiled down at her and held out his hand hopefully as the slow, smooth voice of Jo Stafford came over the jukebox.
She suddenly had to remind herself to breathe. The second she took his hand, some strange emotion hit her. He felt it too. There was something very familiar about her touch. It was like coming home after being away for a very long time.
As he gently placed his other hand on her back, she moved in closer to him, their faces just inches apart. The smell of his aftershave on his skin was intoxicating, and she closed her eyes, savoring everything about being so close to him. She could feel his heart pounding, or was it hers? This felt far too right to be wrong.
"Are you still angry with me?" she whispered as soon as she caught her breath.
"No," he said, smiling against her ear. And he wasn't. He was far too elated by her closeness to care about anything else.
"You might want to get back to your date then," she laughed, suddenly feeling sorry for the girl he walked in with.
"Lorelei?" he replied incredulously, reaching to place her hand against his chest. "Definitely not a date."
"Well, she seems to think you're something special."
"Well," he said, turning his face toward hers, his eyes alight with mischief, his mouth bent into a half smile. "She would be right."
Sif laughed and leaned her forehead against his, letting his warm breath hit her lips. It was astounding how quickly any reservations she had about him abated when he was touching her. It was as if they had been lovers for years. Ridiculous, she thought.
As the music slowed, the two hesitantly came apart. Loki pulled her hand up to his mouth and pressed his lips to the back of it. Something stirred deep within her.
"Would you like to go for a walk?" he said as he released her hand, hoping he wasn't asking for too much too soon. He knew she was always skeptical of his motives, and the last thing he wanted to do was ruin the moment. He shoved his shaky hands into his pockets and looked at the ground, hoping she would say yes. He had never wanted anything more.
"Yes," she said, a little too eagerly, already missing the feel of his skin against hers.
"Wait here," he replied, beaming at her. "I'll just go grab our coats."
Sif nodded and watched him for a moment before turning towards her lurking friend who was silently screaming.
"Wow," Jane said, her eyes wide. "That was something else."
"He's still perfectly awful," Sif said, trying to hide her smile.
"Uh-huh," Jane laughed, shaking her head. "You look like you just hated that."
Sif watched as her friend's grin slowly turned sour at something happening behind her. Jane tried to distract her, but as soon as Sif turned around, she saw Loki in the far corner by their booth with the same blonde from the bar. She looked comfortable with her arms wrapped around his neck, her lips pressed against his cheek. Loki's smile was the worst part.
She turned to the closest table to grab her bag, not giving two damns about her coat, and started for the door.
"Sif!" Jane yelled, but she was already outside and running into the night before anyone could stop her.
