Chapter Four; Deals with the Devil
a/n The character of Sierra is only loosely based on a couple of girls my little sister knows. *apologetic shrug* If she knew any girls who were just like Sierra, I'd probably have to buy a tank equipped with rocket launchers.
Things had been going so well. They had dropped off their bags, silently agreeing not to worry about sharing a room until that night.
Four hours had been spent walking around the city, with Ariadne taking the opportunity to show Arthur all her favorite old haunts, telling stories about her life and childhood.
Things didn't go downhill until they stood in line at the hotel restaurant for lunch. Arthur's phone had rang, and he had checked, rolled his eyes ("Eames."), and then hurried off to take the call.
It was while she smiled and kept moving forward toward the desk that she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Spinning, she stared in horror.
The actual bane of Ariadne's high school existence came strutting across the foyer toward her. 5'7", blonde with bright blue eyes, perfect figure, perfect hair, perfect eyes, perfect skin. Sierra Margaret Tessa Jolene Desiree Hawkins.
It took less then thirty seconds for the woman who was -in Ariadne's mind- evil incarnate to latch onto her old victim.
"Oh. My God. If it isn't the charity case with the mythological name. Glad to see you finally got a bit of a chest. Too bad you're still too short for it to make any difference. And what the hell is up with all the pathetic, garage sale scarves? Really, sweetheart, you need some proper tutoring in how to know what something's worth. Like this necklace." Those carefully filed, metallic painted nails tapped the diamonds and gold at her throat. Then she sniffed. "Or that hair cut of yours. I hope you didn't actually pay to have someone chop it up and claim it was stylish like that."
Then came the model-walk up to peer down her nose at Ariadne, polished eyebrows raised. "So, where have you been all this time, Mini Trailer Trash? Is it too much to hope that some poor slob figured he could do worse and actually married you so you won't end up as the crazy, old, spinster cat lady I always supposed was in your future? Oh wait- having that many cats requires a house which, you know, requires money. But I'm sure you'll make do. Maybe you could get pregnant and sell your kids to those sad, desperate couples who aren't as fertile as the Brace-Face. What was that rumor about you and the soccer team again? Oh well. I guess those type of stories require actually being able to catch a guy's attention, so you should be safe."
Every word was like a punch to Ariadne's gut, shriveling all the poise and happiness that had been building up over the past few hours. Why couldn't a bus hit Sierra, or a bird crap on her head, or some delusional old man attack her? Where was Arthur?
As though he heard her, suddenly he was there, a warm, calming presence at her side, his hand at her waist making her back straighten and her self-confidence return in a flood.
"Love, our table's ready." As usual, he was an absolute gentleman, while still blowing off Sierra. "Sorry to butt in, but we'd better hurry or they might give it to someone else." With a smooth nod to the blonde, he led Ariadne forward, past the line and into the restaurant.
It was only after they were seated, and the waiter had dropped off the menus, that she asked, "How did you-? No, why did you-? I mean..."
He shrugged a well-clad shoulder, face smug. "The right bills in the right palm can get you a table a lot faster then waiting in line. And you looked like you needed an immediate excuse to get away from that woman. Who is she?"
Ariadne sighed, her fingers running helplessly over the names of the different dishes. "My biggest fan from high school. She's the one who pioneered the names "Brace-Face", "Mini Trailer Trash", and -my favorite- "Baby Freak". I was hoping she'd died on the plane ride over from her summer house in Dubai. Guess not."
Arthur's laugh was loud and long. "I never realized you were this bloodthirsty, Ariadne," he answered her raised brow.
Her grinned response was happy. "Sometimes. You never wished your old bullies would get struck by lightning or something?"
He tried to look offended. "Who said I was ever bullied?" Then the smile was back. "Nah, I always figured that their good luck would hold and getting hit by lightning would just give them some kind of notoriety or super powers."
Ariadne snorted into her water and grabbed a napkin, holding it over her mouth as she coughed and laughed. Finally under control, she nodded. "I guess that's true."
"Yes." Then he looked down at the menu, smirking. "My wish was always that they would drown in a vat of marshmallow sauce. No one could take you seriously then."
The laughter continued through dinner, and Ariadne completely forgot about Sierra until they retired to the bar and Arthur had to answer his phone. (This time he identified the caller as Cobb.)
It was while Ariadne was smiling softly, feeling lighthearted, fingering the lip of her drink that the devil reappeared.
"Really, Baby Freak? Is the gay guy a friend, or are you renting him for the week?" Sierra asked, sliding onto the stool beside Ariadne.
"W-what?" she spluttered, nearly dropping her drink.
That damn, perfect eyebrow went up. "No straight man is ever that well put together."
"Arthur isn't gay!"
Sierra scoffed. "Care to prove it, Brace-Face?"
The architect glared and tried to move away. But the relentless blonde caught her arm and tugged her back. "If you're so sure, how about a little bet?"
"No."
Sierra chuckled, a cruel twist to her mouth. "If you win, I'll quit calling you Baby Freak, and all the other fun names. And if you refuse to play, I'll tell everyone your "boyfriend" was hitting on the bellboy when your back was turned."
"And if you win?" Ariadne ground out through clenched teeth.
This was met with a dazzlingly devious smile. "I get your man, of course. Provided he isn't as queer as a three dollar bill. And everyone realizes that you are still the pathetic little waist of air, while I show him off as my date."
Ariadne tried to pretend the older woman's words weren't affecting her, but it didn't last. Sighing, she nodded. "What's the deal?"
"First one to be kissed by your- What was his name?"
"Arthur," she snarled.
"Right, Arthur. The first one to be kissed by Arthur, in public, wins. If he's gay, I'm assuming he won't let either one of us kiss him, and you still lose."
"Oka-"
"Not so fast, Baby Freak. I wasn't finished," Sierra frowned, malicious humor twisting in her ocean eyes. "When I say "kiss", I do not mean a peck on the cheek, forehead, neck, jaw or lips. I mean a real kiss, mouth on mouth. The kind people read about in those pathetic romance novels so many women use as fantasy material, since they have no social life. Are we clear?"
Ariadne blushed, swallowed hard, then nodded, fingertips tracing restlessly over the pattern on her scarf. "All right. Is there a time limit."
"Before the final dance, of course. I want to show him off that night, in all his magnificence. That gives you three whole days to try to work up to it. Good luck, Brace-Face."
A wave of the golden talons, and Sierra was off and out of the restaurant.
Which was when Arthur finally returned.
For a moment, Ariadne wanted to hit him or yell. But she was supposed to be seducing him.
Oh shit. How had she gotten herself into this situation? Why had she listened to Sierra? That bitch knew exactly how to push Ariadne's buttons.
And how was she going to get Arthur to kiss her, really kiss her, before the dance or before Sierra managed it first?
Arthur stared in apparent confusion from the dazed woman to the empty glass in her hand. "Right. I think you've had enough to drink. Let's get you to bed."
He took the glass from her and laced his fingers through hers, leading an oddly compliant Ariadne into the lobby and towards the elevator. All the while considering how best to go about helping Ariadne win the bet. Without letting on that he knew there was one, of course. This was going to take planning and strategizing. But, after all, those were both things Arthur had a unique gift for.
He tugged the pretty brunette back to his side and let a little grin escape.
Unfortunately, this just baffled the subject of his scheming even more.