A/N: Thank you so much to those who added this to their Story Alert and left a review! I hope you enjoy and, as always, reviews would be much appreciated! Have a great day/night.
It was eleven o'clock when Jane and Maura slid into a shallow booth at the bar 'Le Sale Voleur', Jane had been accurate in describing it as small, however Maura much preferred to describe the plush booths with the term 'intimate'. The air was significantly thinner than in the casino, which made both women feel far less uncomfortable. The dim lighting also aided in this.
Jane nervously ran her hands through her hair, she wasn't used to feeling so nervous around anyone. This woman made her body as weak as jelly. Maura leaned over the table, narrowing the gap between them and display ample cleavage that made Jane gulp.
"So, come here often?" Maura smiled, seductively wiggling her eyebrows for jovial emphasis. Jane bowed her head and laughed, shaking it slightly at the caramel haired beauty's surprising behavior. She was dangerously flirtatious, which knocked Jane completely off her controlled pedestal.
"Sometimes, although never dressed quite like this" She gestured to the deep velvet gown which grazed the bar floor. They both certainly did look out of place.
"Yes, I suppose we are overdressed. Although, to be honest, I'm not sure I even own attire fit for a bar such as this..." Maura observed her surroundings. She had never been to any bar of this type, she was used to only the finest but oddly she felt more comfortable here with Jane than any of chateau, casino or grand villa. She made a mental note to buy more 'casual' and suitable attire before frequenting this place again.
Jane chuckled, she could see her new friend's mind ticking away, over-analyzing everything around her. She wondered how she analyzed Jane.
"I'm the opposite, this is one of few dresses I own. My wardrobe consists mainly of suits and pants. Not much fine wear."
Maura cocked her head slightly to the side, a quizzical expression crossed her face. She couldn't quite work Jane out, why would she not own many dresses if she, too, was from a similar background as Maura. It didn't make sense. Where was she from, then?
A moment of silence, the two women taking in one another. So similar, yet so different. And yet connected by some unseen force all the same. Maura was the first to break the silence.
"What do you do for a living, Jane? You said you were at the casino for business..."
Jane didn't want to lie to her, she instantly wanted to tell Maura all about her life, her job, but settled instead for a vague explanation. Although she felt she could trust Maura, Jane had made judgement mistakes before.
"I am hired by different people for different things, often the jobs involve socializing and traveling. Sometimes I must pretend to be someone who I'm not, occasionally the jobs are incredibly dangerous, but they are always exciting and new"
"That is not very specific, my friend"
"Intentionally so, my dear"
Maura moved backwards so her body sat firm against the booth, her arms crossed over her chest and one eyebrow raised. She thought for a second, "Are you pretending to be someone who you are not right now?"
"Personally, no, I am completely myself here with you...as for my identity, to an extent, yes. Are you, Maura Isles, pretending to be someone who you are not?" Jane leaned over to close the gap between them that Maura had created, she did not want the intimacy of the space to be compromised.
"No. I'm positive I would find that incredibly difficult to maintain as I am unable to lie" Maura shook her head, her wavy hair bouncing gently for side to side. Jane wondered how it was possible for her to be equal parts womanly and childlike.
"Unable to lie?"
"As well as guess, assume, fabricate, cheat, deceive..."
"How is that so? I have never heard of someone unable to do such?" Now it was Jane's turn to be confused. Maura was certainly a puzzle.
"I'm not quite certain as to why, I only know that I am unable to do so without it leading to vasovagal syncope"
"Vasovagal syncope?"
"I lose consciousness, faint...It has been the same since I was a small child"
"How intriguing...so if I asked you anything, you would have to tell me the absolute truth?"
Maura nodded. She knew what was coming next, a barrage of questions. She prepared herself, hoping her answer would not be too embarrassing or unusual. She liked Jane, she did not want for the woman to decide that she was a little too weird for her taste.
Jane smiled devilishly, she was going to have a little fun with this. She valued honesty over all else as it was not accustomed in her career and she, herself, could rarely be completely honest with others. Because of this, Jane never fully trusted that people were telling her the truth, and here in front of her was a woman who was unable to lie to her.
She started easy, "How many fingers am I holding up?" raising her palm to face Maura.
"Four...and one thumb"
"What is your favorite color?"
"I do not have one, although I am partial to blue and green" Maura leaned over with her elbows across the table, parallel to Jane's, and their faces were barely centimeters apart. She looked her directly in the eyes, daring Jane to ask more personal questions.
"Okay then...where did you lose your virginity?"
"I haven't..." Maura blushed a deep crimson mimicked by Jane, she had not expected that answer from the beautiful woman before her. "Not until I'm with the right person..."
"Oh, I..." Jane began, but thought it best to ignore the awkward moment and continue on with her questions, "What do you really think of your family?"
"I love them, but we are not one in the same. Different opinions, different ideals."
"What is the last thing you do before you retire to bed?"
"Remove my underwear" Maura teased, grinning as Jane's bottom lip broke apart from her top and quivered slightly. She bit the corner of her own in response, her body pulsing from the heat between them.
"What do you think of me?"
"I think that you are incredibly attractive, sexy with a wickedly suggestive glint in your eyes. But you are secretive, which makes me think that you must have something to hide."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, and you are different. Completely so from anyone else I have ever known. We met at a ludicrously expensive casino filled with intoxicated men and women with more money than they know what to do with, yet you then brought me here to a dive bar where you seem completely comfortable. You are a paradox. I cannot understand you, yet I feel like I've known you my entire life."
Jane nodded, surprised at how quickly Maura was able to dissect her, like she were a frog in a ninth grader's biology class. She was also amused at how Maura had admitted that she was attracted to her, she found it refreshing and it turned her on.
"Now, I have questions for you. Firstly though, if I ask them, will you be completely honest with me as I was with you?" Maura inched even closer, she could now feel Jane's hot breath as it interchanged with her own.
"Yes, but only if you do not ask me questions regarding my job". Jane sighed, she too was concerned about completely revealing her thoughts.
"Deal. Do you have siblings? I, myself, am an only child"
"I do, two younger brothers" Frankie and Tommy, Jane thought to herself. She hadn't seen them in months.
"There is a slight bulge in the velvet draped over your right leg. Do you have a gun strapped to your thigh?". Jane was impressed at how attentive Maura was, no one at the casino had noticed the cloaked 9 millimeter.
"Yes"
Maura nodded, she had thought as much. It made her understand a little bit of what Jane's job must entail, which made the woman seem more dangerous but even more exciting.
"What do you prefer: martini's, chardonnay, wine or beer?"
"Beer, definitely"
"Where did you lose your virginity?" She whispered, her voice deepening in register giving it a slight edge.
"In the backseat of a car" Jane had no reservations in disclosing this information, it had meant nothing to her nor had the boy involved. She was young and trying to grow up too fast, she had felt pressured by society and her friends. Thinking about it made her admirable of Maura's purity, her decision to wait for the right person.
"What is your real name?"
"I told you, no questions regarding my job"
"This is not about your job, it is about your name" she replied, testing the waters. She understood Jane was reserved for a reason, but she was unable to help her curiosity.
"The two go hand in hand" Jane said adamantly.
"Fine, then is there a chance that one day you might tell me?"
"Yes...maybe". Jane moved her left hand slightly so it was as close to Maura's right hand as possible without touching. She could feel the electricity bouncing off each of their skin.
"What do you think about me?"
Jane paused and inhaled deeply. She'd told the truth so far, why not go all in?
"I think you're beautiful, stunningly so. You're quirky, a little odd. But in a nice way, it makes you even more likeable and charming. You're somehow simultaneously innocently sweet and devilishly sexy at the same time. You said that I am a paradox, however I think that you are more so. Funny and awkward, relaxed and assertive, curious and accepting, free and controlled. You, Maura Isles, are by far the most interesting person I have ever met."
Once again the two were caught in a moment of brief silence, their heavy breathing the only sound. Maura was smiling, but Jane could see from her expression that she was also anxious.
"I get the feeling there is one more question you'd like to ask me, Maura?"
"You're assumption is correct, Jane. Will you take me back to you house now?"
"Yes, lets go."