Love at Angels'
Rinny Leonheart
Summary: AU SQUINOA. Having had his heart torn to shreds 6 months ago, Squall Leonheart's best friends Seifer and Irvine decide that he has moped around for long enough and he needs to let go. For his 19th birthday they show him the world of Angels', Deling's most famous strip club, where he meets a dancer who shouldn't even be there. Determined to forget his past, he visits the club every day, in hopes to make the dancer part of his future…
Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.
In short; I don't own FFVIII and I never will. I only possess a copy of the game, the authorized walkthrough guide and some related game paraphernalia. I use Squaresoft's (Square Enix) idea for a personal formation of my own creativity.
Author's Note: So alrighty! Things are about to get more interesting, but I would like to share my disappointment! Tsk tsk, reading and running gives me no idea if I'm keeping you interested or not; it looks like no-one really enjoys my writing anymore because the distinct lack of feedback says it all.
Thoughts are in Italics. But when they are in the same room: Bold italics for Rinoa, regular Bold for her heart and regular italics for Squall.
Last Chapter:
"I gotta go now before I catch a chill. I hope you saw the nurse; I'll be very disappointed in you if you didn't. Later!"
He threw the jacket over his head and pounded across the car park towards the building. She stared after him, watching his jeans clinging to his wide hips, trailing down to the curve of his firm backside. She snapped out of her trance as a spray of falling water hit her face.
Ok she definitely needed to stop thinking about him. Right now! Especially like that, he was only going to be trouble for her, the aching in her head was proof. Let a guy distract you and he'd have you in pain. Even her heart ached in her chest and that alone was enough of a sign for her. She wouldn't fall for him. She couldn't.
Chapter Ten: Raging Desires
Friday 16th September 12:47pm
"So you've got an extra class next week; it could have been worse! At least she's given you a chance to catch up on the lesson you missed." Selphie said encouragingly. Rinoa cradled her face in her hands.
"I feel like I'm back in high school again, it's no different to being given a detention. I had stuff planned for Tuesday morning and now I have to spend it taking lots of notes. Not one of my classmates even offered to help me out by sharing theirs so I didn't have to come in early." She said miserably, picking at the chips on her plate.
"That's gotta suck, I mean who wouldn't want to help you out if you needed it? If I was in your class I'd have photocopied my notes for you straight after class and told you about the report. You know I would have."
They were sitting in the kitchen having a takeaway lunch. Rinoa needed a bit of junk today after an unsettling morning. She'd turned up to the classroom early as her professor had asked but she'd been in a faculty meeting and had arrived five minutes before the lesson was due to start. Far from being apologetic for forgetting about meeting with Rinoa beforehand, she'd just told her to come in the following Tuesday morning to copy out the work she'd missed.
Rinoa had been devastated to learn she had a report due the following week too; she only had four days to complete it in time for Wednesday's lesson and the topic had been covered in the lesson she'd missed out on. This meant she had to spend Tuesday evening writing a 3000 word essay after her medical centre lesson finished at 6 o'clock. This also meant losing out on money because she was supposed to be in work that night too. And doing the essay half-assed would not look good on her yearly performance report, all of these things went into her portfolio and it wouldn't look good to the doctors at Esthar Royal if they saw her do less than perfect work. Satisfactory just wouldn't cut it.
"But not everyone is like you Sel. Do I send out weird vibes or something? The people I want to help me don't bother or refuse to, and the people I don't want help from decide to butt in. On top of that I have to miss out on work to get this assignment in on time." She muttered through a bite of her food. Selphie waved a fry at her dismissively.
"Nah, they're all stuck up snobs. Present company excluded of course. Boss knows how tough this course is for you; he probably won't mind giving you the night off. How's your head by the way? Are the stitches being removed yet?"
Rinoa pushed her banged fringe up so Selphie could take a look. The stitches had only been small and very neatly put in, but the stupid nurse had sutured it with a dark pink thread on her face, she looked like a stuffed toy under her hairline. The cut had been deep too; starting from just under her hair and finishing above her left eyebrow. She was quite thankful she had a fringe put in now; the colour of the thread was very noticeable on her pale skin and it was covered up nicely so nobody would stare.
"The pain's mostly gone now; it still tingles when I frown though. But hopefully it won't leave a scar. I know Fisher won't mind me missing my shift but I will; the income is really important to me Selphie. I can't afford to miss out."
"Well I know you have emergency funds to dip into so stop pleading poverty will you? You could always speak to your dad about the tuition money he saved for you-"
"I'd rather chop off my own hand Selphie, you know as well as I do that my independence is important and I'll just have to manage on what I've got. You know the emergency fund isn't to cover sick days or whatever else. It's for genuine emergencies like my bike getting smashed up and I have to get it fixed."
Selphie shook her head. Her best friend could be such a stubborn ass at times.
"You're such a skinflint Rinny! I only work to get the money my parents won't give me to waste on non-academic stuff. You could be normal and accept what he offers you. Hyne knows your dad spoils you something rotten."
Rinoa rolled her eyes in response.
"Correction: he spoiled me. Once I was old enough to get a job I went out there and cut off all financial ties. Even the credit card was cancelled from lack of use. And he had no say in that; it was my choice. I like my freedom ok?"
"Freedom from what exactly?" Selphie dared to ask her friend with a snooty tone. She'd always wondered what this so called 'freedom' was and had never felt brave enough to question Rinoa's motives.
Rinoa sparked up a cigarette and took a deep breath on it.
"Do I need a specific reason? Freedom in general, nothing except my course tying me down so that when I graduate I can just head off without looking back or having any regrets. I don't want to feel like I owe my dad anything for putting me through university."
Selphie rolled her eyes at her. "Like he'd make you feel obligated to pay him back for it all. It's a parent's prerogative to pay for their child's education. Especially when they're the only one they have. He cares about you a lot, you know."
"Yes and he suffocates me!" Rinoa slammed her hand on the table. "Every week he emails me, begging me to come home. It's not like I've up and left for good but wow, the man irritates me! I can't wait to leave this dead end town and move to Esthar for a better life."
"That's all I ever hear you say and it is getting very old." Selphie said with a moan. "If you hate living in Deling so much then why did you even bother to attend the University?"
"Because Deling University is the best in the country; that is the only reason I've stuck around here. Can we change the subject now please?"
"Ok." She looked thoughtful for a brief moment. "So what are you doing about the Squall thing?"
Rinoa's head shot up and she did her best to look stupefied. "W-what Squall thing? There's nothing going on Selphie."
"I beg to differ. I've seen the way you look at him when he comes into work; like he's an adorable little puppy you want to bring home. Getting a soft spot are we?"
Rinoa flushed red. "Be quiet will you? What if my housemates come down and hear us?"
"You said they were all in class today, so we've got the house free. So c'mon, spill it out."
"Yeah, this afternoon I said they were in class! Besides we're veering off topic."
"Oh so you want to talk about him then?" Selphie teased. "Awww, look at you! You're blushing!"
She knew full well that her friend fancied him like crazy; she could see it every time he walked through those doors. Rinoa's eyes sparkled and she behaved in a manner that would suggest she had strong feelings for him. Even though it was a dangerous game to play, she knew Rinoa would not be able to help herself once she got started.
"Oh shut up! I don't want to talk about him; why would I?"
Selphie loved seeing Rinoa all flustered; she was so easy to wind up once she got like this.
"Deny all you want but I can see it on your face. Hey, if he hadn't been 'that guy', would you have jumped him by now? Do you fap off while thinking of him?"
Rinoa's eyes bugged out so much she nearly popped a contact out.
"Hyne Selphie! That's disgusting! You need to stop hanging around with Kat and Molly; you're turning into a proper little pervert!" she exclaimed with a shudder, her face bright red.
"And you're the biggest prude I know. A little fantasy like that is harmless. Besides, you're fun to tease. I already got my answer. You want him so bad! I can't say I don't see why; he is pretty gorgeous, it is a shame he's the stalkerazzi otherwise I'd go for him myself."
"Oh my Hyne Sel, really!" Rinoa said in exasperation. She could hardly believe her ears; Selphie may not like the guy but she was suggesting Rinoa used him as a sexual fantasy aid. It was ridiculous, even though the idea had crossed her mind recently. "I thought you wanted me to steer clear?"
"Yeah I do, but it still doesn't mean you can't use the idea of him for your personal pleasure." Selphie gave her a wide smile, her eyes all-knowing and sparkling with mischief. "You gotta admit, he is worthy of being eye candy."
"I am not going to entertain this subject Selphie. Drop it!"
Selphie shook her head. "Nuh uh. This is way too much fun." She said childishly.
"I swear I will break up with you right now if you don't stop it!" Rinoa hissed. She didn't mean it though, Selphie was her best ever friend and she valued their friendship greatly. Just sometimes, Selphie would go a bit too far with her quizzing, no matter how dirty she got the topic. This was way too private a subject.
The kitchen door swung open and in walked Irvine and Seifer. Irvine was wearing light blue jeans and sported an extremely geeky black t-shirt with a ridiculous joke about going from a floppy disk to hard drive in 60 seconds.
"Heeey Rinoa!" Irvine said with a grin, eying up Selphie beside her. "Who's your friend?"
Seifer was wearing black knee length shorts and a red t-shirt, his flaxen hair damp from the shower- the towel slung round his shoulders was a dead giveaway. He nodded in greeting to the two girls. He never did converse properly before his first coffee.
Rinoa smiled at the intruders. Well maybe that was a bit much; it was the kitchen, everyone came in here at some point. She was quite grateful they showed up, Selphie would stop her incessant probing about Squall for now. Even she wouldn't be stupid enough to go on about it with these two here.
"Hi Irvine, this is my friend Selphie. Sel this is Irvine and Seifer. They're my other housemates. The only one you have yet to meet is called Zell."
Selphie instantly recognised the pair and gave Rinoa a small dirty sideways glance that Rinoa failed to see. She smiled up at the two men before her with her teeth showing eagerly.
"Hello there. Rinny's mentioned you once or twice but she never told me how handsome you were." She said in a tone that Rinoa knew she used when she spoke to clients. She so knew who they were. Irvine smiled even bigger.
"Well she never told us she had such a cute friend." He said, sitting beside her. Seifer slapped his forehead in disbelief.
"Blech! Do you have to Kinneas?" he said in distaste as he walked towards the counter where the kettle resided. "Forgive him Selphie, he's a lecher, you may need to stay ten feet away from him at all times." He added with a smirk as he flicked the switch on the kettle and brought out three mugs from the cupboard.
Rinoa and Selphie burst into giggles and Irvine looked marginally unimpressed at his blonde friend.
"Hey man, I resent that! Don't say things like that in front of the ladies now."
"Oooh! You hear that Rin? We're 'ladies'!" Selphie said between snorts of laughter.
Glad for the distraction from the subject of her love life; or lack of, Rinoa chuckled back good-naturedly.
"So… have we met? I feel like I've seen you somewhere before." Irvine commented, looking Selphie up and down. Rinoa's smile faded as she felt a wave of panic overwhelm her.
Shit, if he recognises her from work then we're screwed! Selphie you better not remind him!
Selphie waved dismissively.
"Nope. Not unless you're studying Human Biology and Psych then I don't think we have. Maybe you saw me on campus or something?"
Irvine studied her a bit closer, trying to place where he may have seen her before. His face softened as he came up short for ideas.
"Hmmm, yeah that must be it. Though I'm disappointed in myself, that I'd walked past a pretty face like yours and not noticed you before." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Rinoa almost face-palmed at the sickeningly sweet display.
Oh my Hyne! I'm gonna hurl! Selph you're smarter than this; do not play along!
"Oh my, Irvine you're such a charmer. I'm flattered." Selphie said with a tone Rinoa knew was forced out. Well, at least she though it was. Selphie was such a flirt, but surely she recognised the guy sitting beside her, maybe she'd take her own advice and steer clear of Irvine too.
"Ok enough of this mush! It is too early for this kind of talk." Seifer said as he turned around with two coffees and handed one to his friend.
"Hey man it's like ten past one in the afternoon; that is hardly early!" Irvine countered accepting the hot drink and taking a sip of the dark bitter liquid.
"Which remind me Irvine, have you woken up Puberty Boy yet? He'll be late for class if he doesn't move his arse."
"Puberty Boy?" Selphie mouthed at Rinoa, who simply shrugged at her. Irvine took a swig from his cup.
"Hey, he has his own alarm clock Seifer; he doesn't need us to drag him out of his pit every day."
Seifer slurped on his coffee. "Prank the lazy git then. I am not having him get all stroppy cos we didn't wait around for him to get up."
Irvine pulled out his phone and started fiddling with the buttons. Seifer turned to the two girls at the table. "Would you two like a drink while the kettle is still hot? There's enough water in here if you want a coffee?"
"I don't know… we're supposed to be going out soon. What do you think Sel? Shall we take him up on his offer?" Rinoa asked. Selphie smiled at the tall blonde leaning against the counter.
"Sure, we've got time for one. I'll take mine white with two sugars please."
"Ok, and you Rinoa?" Seifer asked as he turned back to the cupboard for cups.
"No thanks, I'll grab a can of soda." She got to her feet and opened the fridge door and pulled out a Rio.
Seifer stirred Selphie's coffee and handed it over to her. He saw Irvine's fingers flicking frantically over buttons on his phone. "Irvine, please tell me you're not texting him? He won't wake up to that."
The auburn haired man looked up with a guilty face. "C'mon Seifer, you know he'll bite my head off if I call."
Seifer snatched the device from his friend's fingers. "Fine you wimp, I'll call him then."
"Not on my phone bro! He'll think it's me and I'll get the stick for it!" Irvine reached out to retrieve his phone back. Seifer moved it above his head and gave an evil smile.
"Actually, why don't you head on up there instead? Bash the shit out of his door and leg it back down here before he catches you?"
Selphie was struggling to contain her giggles. They may be perverts but they were hilarious!
"I don't think that'd be a good idea Seifer. I wouldn't find it very funny." Squall's voice came from the doorway. All heads swivelled round to see the tired young man giving evils to his blonde companion. Seifer smiled at him and swivelled on his heels to make another drink at the counter.
"Well good afternoon Puberty Boy, nice to see you're alive at last."
Selphie snorted into her coffee as she got the reference. Puberty Boy indeed! She remembered his attempt to tongue Rinoa's mouth at the club, like a horny teenager. How very appropriate!
Squall frowned at her. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing, nothing" she answered quickly. A little too quickly. "Private joke Rinny told me earlier, I uh, finally got it."
Rinoa flushed beet red as his gaze switched to her direction.
"D-don't look at me like that, it wasn't about you!" she said defensively and took a swig of her drink as his blue-grey eyes burned onto her in silent flames. She felt her pelvic floor contract under his gaze. Crap! She was still having those thoughts about him.
Thanks for bringing me into the conversation Selphie! I will get you for this later, I swear!
Seifer and Irvine watched the exchange with ill-disguised interest.
"Pfft, like I'd believe that for one second." He said grumpily. He turned towards Seifer. "Any water left for my coffee? I see you made everyone else one. Oh and stop using that ridiculous nickname for me; it is no longer amusing."
"Leonheart you were the one still snuggled under your blanket; don't treat me like your personal maid." Seifer said and slung him a fresh drink.
"Whatever." He faced Rinoa again. "So did you see the nurse in the end?"
Why did he have to bring it up now? Like I don't feel stupid enough about it already!
"Yes." She said irritably. He cocked his eyebrow at her as he took a sip of his drink.
"Really?"
Rinoa petulantly lifted her fringe so he could see the stitches. "Yes, satisfied now?" she asked angrily. She felt Selphie's gaze on her, knowing exactly what the small girl was thinking. She'd already told her in painful detail about her accident, so she knew she was not going to be quizzed on that again.
"Nice scar Rinoa, how'd you manage that?" Seifer asked with interest.
"I was fortunate to witness the whole thing Seifer. She tripped over her own feet down a flight of stairs." Squall said before Rinoa could open her mouth to answer. She flushed scarlet and huffed at him.
"Shut up! That's not what happened and you know it." She turned to face Selphie. "Sel? Don't we need to head out now?" she asked looking at her small companion who was just about ready to fall apart again.
"Huh? Oh yeah, yeah! Excuse us guys." Selphie composed herself, got to her feet and drained half of her drink quickly. "We've gotta hit the books at the library. Catch you around sometime Irvine?"
"I should hope so." Irvine nodded at her with a wink. "Next time, I'll be asking for your digits."
Rinoa steered Selphie out of the room and grunted in frustration as they reached the front door. Selphie couldn't control herself and sniggered at her.
"Ohmigosh that was so funny!" she snorted as Rinoa grabbed her jacket, pulled out her keys and yanked open the door.
"Whatever, grab your coat and let's go!"
5:12pm
Squall walked out of the lecture hall in a strop and headed for the campus exit.
"Well that was a waste of a three hour class!" he grumbled to himself.
The teacher hadn't even showed up because of a family emergency and hadn't even left a lesson plan out or arranged a cover to take over. So everyone had done their own thing and Squall had badly wished he'd brought his laptop with him to do some web surfing. The one day he hadn't, was the one day he'd actually needed it. So he'd read the text book that he'd brought with him instead. Twice.
Everyone else had been on the ball, using their tablets, netbooks or smartphones to play things like Disgruntled Chocobos, use the social networking site HiYou and watch videos on MyTube. The battery on his phone was practically dead. Maybe if he'd charged the damn thing last night he'd have been able to do something that didn't make him want to gouge his eyes out while everyone else had fun. The book was boring… well so was the whole curriculum in general.
He stomped across the campus sulking. Girls walked past him and swooned at his brooding stance. He didn't even bother to notice; he had his mind on enough girls as it was, he didn't need more coming into the equation. The two he was interested in were more than he was prepared to handle right now.
He was very much looking forward to his dance tonight. In six hours' time he'd have Alexa straddling his lap and invoking the beast within him. But that wasn't the only thing he had on his agenda, he was planning on asking her about herself again. He wasn't stupid enough to do anything rude or offensive again, just a few simple questions while she rotated her hips on him to keep his mind out of the gutter. Perfectly reasonable.
Thoughts of Rinoa also flooded his mind. Sure he was starting to think of her as very attractive but it was a bit of a risk. He lived with the girl, meaning if he did date her, and they broke up for whatever reason, would it not be awkward to see her every day? Hell, it was awkward right now and they were barely even friends!
For some reason he'd wanted to annoy Rinoa in the kitchen earlier. Maybe he was pulling the whole treat-'em-mean game and he liked seeing her act so out of character. Well, for what he'd seen was her character anyway.
Or maybe it was to do with the fact her short friend had been sniggering at him and he had known full-well that Rinoa had said something about him. That much was obvious; she'd stared at him so intently for the few minutes they hung around in the kitchen, like she had something to hide.
Then it hit him; she must have told her what had almost happened in the kitchen on his birthday. That incident coupled with Seifer's 'fond' nickname must have been what set her off. Well, he had hoped to forget about it and Rinoa had said they could start over. She obviously couldn't keep quiet about tarnishing his reputation, or what was left of it. He hated strangers judging him; he was a human being at the end of the day. Besides… some things couldn't be helped!
All he'd heard after they'd vacated the premises was Irvine going on about her friend; he could see it a mile off that the guy was infatuated with the miniature laughing machine. He'd made a point telling Irvine to back off; you don't screw around with housemates or their friends. Oddly enough he was saying that more to himself than to Irvine.
His feet scuffed the pavement as he walked out of the campus grounds and turned towards the bus terminal at the end of the road.
5:33pm
Rinoa entered the house and ran up the stairs very fast to her room. Her breathing was heavy and the colour of her skin was as dark as the stitches on her face.
Stupid Selphie, why'd she show me those bloody pictures?! And then she had to put Squall in my head!
It had taken an hour for her to find the books she needed to take notes from and Selphie had teased her non-stop while they were sitting over them in the library, purposely pulling out biology books on the human body and showing her the pages filled with male anatomy. Rinoa went pink and told her to put it back on the shelf she found it on.
And then Selphie had embarrassed her further by bringing out books on spicing up your sex life. Hey, who said it was the campus library? Public ones do have these sorts of things in their archives too you know!
"How about we go clubbing and pick someone up for you to bring home; you'd be a different person if you got laid already. Or maybe it's Squall that you wanna get freaky with eh?" she'd waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Maybe you could borrow this and try out this position with him huh?"
She'd shown her a book based on the Karma Sutra and flicked onto a double spread page showing a couple in a very erotic clinch. It showed step by step how the two people in the contents contorted their bodies into a very difficult position.
She'd gotten so flustered that she'd run out of the building with a face like a stop light and had jumped onto her bike without waiting for Selphie to follow her out. She would have to find her own way home and it served her right for working her up like that!
Sure enough, her thoughts had turned to picturing Squall naked when Selphie said his name. She'd felt hot all over with pent up frustration. It would be simple enough, to find a guy at Loveless and hook up with him, but she wasn't into the whole one-night-stand thing.
She shut her door quickly, as if someone was following her up the stairs. She was being paranoid of course but the way she was feeling, she'd hoped nobody was home at all.
It was easy for Selphie to suggest something so crude; she was hardly inexperienced when it came down to guys. Rinoa had never been with a guy before and the thought of doing the deed with a random stranger terrified her to be honest.
She dropped her belongings on the floor and shrugged off her jacket, flinging it onto her desk. Bracing herself against the door she slowly reached for the zipper on her trousers and lowered the metal fastening.
She needed relief before going into work and she sure as hell wouldn't go inside still feeling this way. It had clouded her mind a time or two before and it had been difficult to concentrate on her job properly. And if she had him as a client tonight like Fisher had said she did… well she'd be in a very difficult position!
She slid her leather pants down her legs and walked over to her bed in just her t-shirt and panties. She slid the curtains closed and climbed under the duvet with one thought in mind. And it revolved around the guy who shared this attic space with her.
5:58pm
Squall finally got through the front door and pulled off his jacket. Public transport was such a pain in the ass; he'd been forced to stand holding those stupid little handles as every man and his dog had decided to use the same bus he was on. He'd moved three times for elderly passengers and a lady with a twin pushchair before he'd had to grip the sticky yellow handle. Then he was thrust around into other passengers as the driver attempted to break the speed limit on corners.
He was fed up with using it. Seifer's car was still on campus as he was still in classes for another hour. Squall was not willing to wait around that long for a lift especially after the frustrating lesson he'd sat through with no means of entertainment.
He'd seen Rinoa's bike outside the house on his way in, she must have returned from the library. He headed for the kitchen, hoping she was in there so he could apologise for winding her up earlier.
He'd thought about it, maybe he'd been too rash about implying she was clumsy enough to fall down the stairs. He had been there and it was a freak accident.
Maybe she had made a joke and Selphie was a bit too dim to catch onto it straight away. He had heard from Irvine and Seifer that they'd only been in the kitchen about ten minutes before he came down; they hadn't said much to the girls so maybe he had been mistaken. Selphie did seem like some kind of bimbo anyway, maybe she wasn't the brightest crayon in the box after all.
The kitchen was empty; the coffee mugs from lunchtime were sitting unwashed in the sink ready for the next sucker to do them. He was not going to be that person today; he'd leave it for Zell.
He took himself back towards the hallway and headed up the stairs. He listened out for signs she was in the bathrooms and heard nothing. The only other place she could be was her room. He ascended the last set of stairs and walked to her door.
He prepared to knock on the hard wood and his breath hitched in his throat as a noise from the other side reached his ears. His eyes widened. His face went bright red as he stepped away slowly and turned towards his own door.
Once he shut the door, slowly and quietly, he felt a grin forming on his face and a ripple of laughter coming up in his chest.
"Wow… Well, I never thought I'd hear that from her!" he chuckled, holding his sides as he fell face first onto his bed, muffling his hysterical chortles into the pillow.
"Ohhhh… Oh Hyne… Ohhh… Ahhh! Nyaaaa!"
Rinoa gasped into her bed sheets as she reached her crescendo. Sweating and thoroughly satisfied; she rolled onto her back feeling content with her performance. Her body shook with the afterglow tremors and soon enough slow waves of endorphins relaxed her tight muscles.
"Phew! Ohhh… wow… That was so worth the effort!" she sighed heavily, staring at the cream ceiling above her head. She smiled.
Well Selphie, you won that round. I should thank you later for giving me the idea.
It may have taken her a while but she finally got her frustration out, and she felt so much better for it. She was glad nobody had been home to hear her. She flushed at the thought of her housemates congregating outside her door getting an earful. That would have been mortifying!
She'd thought of Squall the entire time. She'd fought hard not to call out his name as her toes curled up and her body tensed with waves of pleasure. She saw his face behind her closed eyelids, heard him whispering dirty things into her ear, imagined it was his hand caressing her…
Her face went pink again, this time it was out of anger. She should never have had those thoughts, even in her private time. It felt so wrong… even if it had been her best one to date. It had been so… vivid, unlike anything she had ever thought about before. And powerful… yes definitely powerful. She wanted to think about him every time from now on.
She shook her head. It was an impossible idea; it was crazy, if she thought about him, she'd want him. And if she wanted him… she'd have to have him… and give him up later on down the line. Her dream job was worth more than that, than a fling/relationship/whatever it was supposed to or could be.
This would not be happening again. She had to end it tonight. One way or another she would get him off her mind.
6:37pm
Back in his room, Squall had just about calmed down from his giggle-snort fit. His face was flush with colour; he'd bitten the insides of his mouth to stop himself cackling out loud. Rinoa would have heard him if he had.
He was very surprised at what he'd heard her doing; it was oh so clear to him. He'd seen enough videos to know what those sounds were. A sneaky thought had occurred to him when he first hit his pillow. He could have knocked on her door and teased her for being so loud or knocked and asked her if she wanted any company. Yeah… she'd have really appreciated that. Not.
Allison had never been that vocal with him when they were together; she was always so quiet as she lay beneath him. Barely even a moan escaped her mouth. And then he remembered hearing her blatant screams behind the door as that douche fucked her and gripped his duvet tightly in anger. His heart wrenched in his chest and bile rose in his throat.
Allison had scarred him something fierce and it had shown every day. He was partly to blame for feeling like that. He felt like he couldn't trust anyone afterwards and even when the dust had settled and he had girls coming up to ask him out, all he could do was stare blankly at them, while thinking they were all like her; cheaters, manipulators, liars.
In his darkest moments, the whole female generation was disgraced by the selfishness of that girl's actions. He still felt it, deep down; a part of him missed her badly. Even though she'd been a complete bitch to him and tore his heart into pieces, she was still his first love. And he wouldn't ever forget that for as long as he lived.
A sad smile graced his lips. So… he still wasn't over her; he thought he would be by now but she kept on haunting his mind no matter what he did or who he thought of.
Maybe seeing Alexa could fix that for him. She could help him forget.
He swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood up. He may as well start getting ready for tonight. It would be the high point of his week. Well… besides hearing Rinoa getting herself off.
He started laughing again and pulled out a forest green shirt from his wardrobe. Seriously, he had to stop being so silly; he'd taken an hour to calm down already, another hour would probably finish him off!
8:50pm
Rinoa looked around the stage with satisfaction. Everything was all set up for tonight.
"Are ye sure ye wanna do this Rin? Ye know I can send the kid packin' if ye don't want 'im 'ere." Fisher said as he leaned against the side door of the stage. She shook her head at him and stretched out her calves on the chair beside her.
"Nah, I've got a feeling that tonight's the night. He's finally got the opportunity to make his move and I have a very good idea that he will be doing it before the hour is up. You don't wanna miss this one Boss." She dropped her leg and turned to face him with a smile. "I promise it'll be entertaining. I want your word right now that no matter what you see, you will not interfere unless I wave at the cameras."
The tall man smirked at his tiny employee. "If yer sure about it Rin, then I'll be keeping an eye out on the cameras with anticipation."
He walked through the door and headed to his office. He had a phone call to make before she started her shift.
Privately he knew it was only a matter of time too; the kid was infatuated with her. He still couldn't stand the guy but he understood why he was so determined. A time or two he had thought if he was twenty five years younger, that he might even be tempted by her himself. Well if he didn't think of her like a sister.
His little Rin was a very special girl, she would be a fantastic doctor with the drive she had in her. He'd not seen such dedication to a career since Kara.
He used his massive fingers to dial in a number and waited patiently as the line sounded. There was a click and a deep male voice answered.
"Is that you Nathan?"
Fisher laughed. "Yeah it is, right on time as always."
"How is she doing? She still refuses to answer when I call or reply to my messages. This is as close as I get to knowing how her life is nowadays."
No hello or anything, straight to the point.
"Besides a li'l fight with a set of stairs earlier this week, she is absolutely fine. Working hard at school by the looks of things as usual." he chuckled into the receiver "She's got herself a little admirer too."
"Who is he this time? He had better not be another one of your customers Nathan." The voice growled down the line.
"Yes and no, my friend."
"Don't fuck about with me Fisher! Tell me who it is."
Fisher smiled, he loved winding this guy up. "He is a customer o'course, but there's more to it than that. According to Selphie, he lives in the same student housing as her, right across the hall. The kid is quite smitten with her, I must admit."
"I see. Have you scared him off yet?"
"Not exactly. I tried ta get 'im off her back but li'l Rin is doin' a crackin' job of keepin' 'im at arm's length by herself. I don't think the guy even knows it's her. I'd be hearin' about it by now if he did. Don't ye worry about her; she is healthy and workin' hard at both school and the club."
"That is good to hear. I'm glad you're watching over her for me Nathan, I really am. But you know I really despise her working in that dreadful place of yours."
Fisher gave one final laugh into the phone. Every week without fail this would be said. "Fury, trust me I know full well how ya feel but she isn't some dumb kid. I'll keep watch over her as long as ye need me te. I need to get back to work now; the club is about te open up the doors. She's gonna go head te head with the cretin tonight an' I really don't want to miss it. Gimme a holler later on an' I'll give ye an update."
"Thank you, I shall. And don't forget to stick that extra 200 Gil into her salary tomorrow, be discrete about it though. She cannot know I am helping her out."
"Yes sir, I give you my word." Fisher said, hanging up the phone.
Ever since she'd started here Fisher had known exactly who she was. Having served beside her father years ago, it hadn't taken him long to ring the general up and let him know about his newest employee. Naturally Fury had been livid about the whole thing, wanting to come in and drag her out. Fisher had talked him out of it; saying that she was safe and he wouldn't let any harm come to her. It would be good for her to get the independence she craved so badly and maybe he should back off and let her do what she wants. Fury had been reluctant but eventually he'd accepted it.
Rinoa had been here little more than a year now and he'd kept her father off her back with the promise of weekly updates.
Of course Rinoa had no idea that he knew her father, she'd have been less than inclined to work for him if she'd known he was calling her dad up every week. And the 200 Gil he was putting into her weekly wages? It came directly from her dad. Well if he sent any more than that, Rinoa would be suspicious. He calculated it into her wages carefully and she never questioned it.
His eyes turned to the many television screens and zoned in on the one connected to the cameras in the private room. Looks like the show was about to begin!
As he had done a few weeks earlier, Squall entered the private dance room and stepped over to chair beside the stage. A soft melody was playing as he strode across the floor, putting him on edge.
He eyed the stage; wondering when Alexa would make her appearance. He checked the time on his phone, it was five past nine. So he was a little late, he still had the best part of an hour remaining.
Behind the curtain Rinoa smiled as she saw his face set on the centre stage. Just seeing the look in his eyes had her getting worked up again; she'd imagined that intensity during her feel-good time earlier. She shook the thought from her mind. If she had the bottle to send him packing for good tonight then she could relax later.
She took a final look at herself and smiled. She'd selected a tearaway outfit with some skimpy lingerie underneath that would be sure to make him antsy.
Her fingers grazed the buttons on the surround system. She'd picked one single track for her show tonight. It would be sure to infuse and even prompt him to say what she knew was coming. He'd confess tonight, she was almost certain of that. Just peeking at him through the curtains she could see many things swimming around in his mind.
It would be a matter of time, with the routine she had planned to get him to come out with it. But this time, she wouldn't give him a chance to speak before she had the chance to strip for him. Last time hadn't ended all too well because of his incessant need to chat with her.
"Well, better get on with it! Here goes!"
She pressed play on the stereo and stepped to the middle of the stage and threw open the curtains.
A heavy guitar strumming blasted out of the stereo accompanied by a vibrant beat, catching Squall's attention to the stage as the curtains flicked open. Alexa sauntered across the stage towards him and his mouth fell open.
Besides her regulation face mask, she was wearing a tight white short sleeved blouse with a wide-knot red and white striped tie hanging loosely from her neck. She also had on a tiny pleated grey skirt, black diamond patterned fishnet hold up stockings and black platform heels. Her dark hair had been pulled into two loose side plaits with her vibrant hair extensions threaded between the twists of her hair.
Sittin' here eatin' my heart out waitin' Waitin' for some lover to call
She stood with her legs apart, shaking her hips in a sexy wiggle as her fingers reached for the tie around her neck and slowly pulled it undone with one hand. It slipped from her neck and she tossed it towards him to catch. His fingers snatched the scrap of material flying his way and kept his intent gaze on her body.
Her hands pushed out into fists in front of her as she bent her knees and thrust her hips forward and backwards in rhythm to the music, simulating a very dirty thought in his mind.
Lookin' for some hot stuff baby this evenin'. I need some hot stuff baby tonight
Every time the words 'hot stuff' came out of the speakers Alexa would push her hips in thrusts towards him, bringing her arms in and out with each beat. Her shirt would get tighter on her breasts every time her arms moved. He felt his hands griping at his knees as he watched.
She blew him a sneaky kiss before swivelling on her hips so her back faced him as she continued shaking her ass. She knew he had a good look up her skirt by this point; it was so short it was practically a belt. Also she was about three feet above him; it would be very hard for him not to have seen her panties by now!
She thrust her hand out to one side and slowly reached for the base of her plaits, yanking the tiny bobble from her and shook her head to loosen the curls out. She lifted her face to focus on the pole in front of her. Should she dive onto it yet, or wait a while?
She took a glance over her shoulder at the young man at her feet. His hands were getting very close to his lap. Good, she would encourage the hell out of him. It was against the rules of the club for guys to touch themselves but she really wanted to see, for future reference, what his face would be like if he gave in. Fisher had been warned already that something could happen and she had his word that he'd restrain himself.
She faced him again, reaching for the top button on her blouse, her breasts bursting through the middle seams. His mouth dried out in a matter of seconds and he gripped his legs even higher. She kept her gaze fixed on him as she proceeded to unloop the straining button from its hold.
The other buttons on her shirt were decoys; on the other side of her think top were tacks of Velcro holding it together on her, even the back seam was made of Velcro, for easy removal. She decided to let him in on the secret and ripped it off her body, revealing the underwear she had hidden beneath. She could swear she saw him gain another inch when she did that. Squall eyes popped out even wider.
Holy fuck!
Beneath her shirt she'd worn a white front clipped bra that had the cup removed, with a red tassel attached to each of her nipples. She had no shame in shaking herself at him, making the tiny strands of fabric swish around, sweeping across the rest of her semi bare chest.
Never before had a school uniform given him such a thrill. She made them seem so much sexier and now he would never look at them the same way again.
He was very aware of the position of his fingers, slowly creeping up the right side of his inner thigh. He knew he shouldn't, that he should resist the urge building up in him but it was getting very difficult to control the appendage between his legs, it had a mind of its own, pulsing against the fabric of his pants, aching to be touched.
She yanked at her skirt, tearing it off in the same manner she'd removed her shirt and he felt a massive surge rush through him. Her panties he had caught a glance at while she stood above him but now he got a very good look at the scrap of material she wore under her hips. A scarlet thong with white frills co-ordinated with the bra she was currently-
Sweet mother of…! Oh fuck, I want to touch her!
His tongue swirled around trying to moisten his mouth as he watched her snap the clip on the front, shrugging it off her shoulders and letting it fall to his feet. She smiled wickedly and thrust her hips at him again.
"You like this huh?" she called out. "Am I doing well?"
She knew exactly how hard he was for her in that instant, his hand had slipped over his crotch and cupped it when she had dropped her bra.
"Yes!" he shouted. "I mean… You are a fantastic dancer."
She smiled and turned her back to him, shaking her hips from side to side. He saw the black ink design on the skin of her back. He needed a distraction; his pants were becoming very tight.
"I like your ink. Where'd you get that done?"
She turned to her head to face him again. "My tattoo?" she asked in disbelief.
"Yes, I couldn't help but notice it. It's really nice. Very er, in depth."
You're asking about my tattoo while I'm giving you a strip-tease…? What are you… ahhh! Sneaky thing; you're looking for a distraction, aren't you? Ok, I'll play along for now.
"I designed it myself; took many hours to get it right." She called back with a swish of her hips.
"I can imagine, the details make it look so realistic. You're very talented Alexa." He said, watching her backside encased in a tiny scrap of fabric.
"Thanks, I take pride in my work. There isn't another one like it. It's one of a kind."
"You're one of a kind Alexa. That's what I love about you." The words spilled from his mouth before he could stop them.
Fuck! I wasn't meant to say that!
Rinoa raised her eyebrows behind her mask. She definitely hadn't missed what he said. She thought he'd say he was infatuated, highly attracted to her even, but saying he loved her? Oh this had been far too easy.
"You love me, do you?" she asked, slipping her thumbs into the sides of her G-string. His eyes looked up to her.
Did he love her? Had been so blinded by rage from Allison's indiscretion he'd forgotten what it was like? The racing in his heart, the catch in his breath… was it love? Was that how he felt about the stripper before him?
Perfect, he's confessed. Now the show really begins.
Rinoa stop being such a bitch! You've had your fun, now just ask him to leave, do not go through with this!
Quiet you, I have to do this or I won't be able to focus!
Catching him off guard she jumped from the stage and landed at his feet. He looked down at her as she stood before him. She waved her finger disapprovingly, indicating to his hands.
"Naughty boy Squall. You know that's not allowed in here."
He looked at his lap and then back to her. He was a bit frightened of what she was going to do next. Would she throw him out, or worse, call for her boss? That guy was looking for an excuse to ban him; this would probably just about do it.
"Well… you know the rules say that if a guy has an itch, he can't do anything about it in here. But Boss never said that us girls couldn't do it for them…" she whispered seductively and bent forward towards him.
He looked into her violet eyes through her mask. He finally knew their colour, warm and vibrant, a clash against his own clear blue.
"What do you say? Want me to help you out?" she asked with a purr in her voice.
His eyes got bigger. Surely she wasn't suggesting…? That was against the rules! He'd read them enough times and remembered that one rule very clearly! He'd embedded it into his mind after the first night they met.
Customers are strictly reminded that our employees are here to dance for your entertainment only, we are not a brothel so do not behave like you're in one or treat our girls like prostitutes.
As painful as this was, there was no way he'd do that in here. Ok maybe a little grope if she didn't kick the shit out of him. But this was something entirely different to just grinding herself against him.
"N-no!" he stuttered. She looked at him through her white mask and put her hand midway up his thigh.
"No?" she asked slowly. "But I thought that's what you wanted, don't think I haven't noticed. You come in here all the time, you only look at me, you only request me, nobody else catches your eye. I know you want me; it is very obvious. I'm offering you what you're after."
This is too perfect. Fisher is probably wetting his pants in the office about now.
Stop being so cruel Rinoa, he doesn't deserve this!
His eyes looked nervously towards the cameras. If her boss was watching this… it was only a matter of time before he would burst into the room, gunning for his head.
"Can we talk about this? You said you didn't date clients, you told me to stay away-"
She reached out and grabbed his chin in her fingers.
"And yet you didn't stop coming in to see me, did you? Heh, you even spent a week trying to catch me outside, tell me right now that hasn't changed. You just admitted you loved me too. So go on. Say it."
"I-its not like I… I don't want to… Don't get me wrong, I think you're amazing…"
"But…?" she pressed, leaning in closer. "I know you like me, Mr Leonheart, so what is stopping you huh?"
Her hand trailed up his leg with her long fingers. She was leaning in so far that he could smell her scent. That Hyne alluring fragrance warped his senses. She was so close to kissing him, of her own free will! This had to mean something!
Squall you fucking moron! Do not take the bait; that's exactly what she wants you to do!
"Please stop!" he half shouted-half begged as he clamped his eyes shut. "I can't do this!"
Rinoa smirked at him and stepped away. "What a relief. I was wondering how far you'd let me go before you told me to stop. Glad I didn't have to wait too long."
She giggled. His eyes snapped open in shock.
"Huh, wait, what?" he frowned. Then it hit him; she had been playing him the whole time. "You tricked me!?"
She smiled cruelly. "Maybe a little. Like a kitty cat, I'll play with my mouse before I bite off its head."
His face fell and a nasty sensation washed over him. He felt like such a fool.
"I cannot believe this!"
"Well believe it." She said with a sneer. "I warned you weeks ago that it wasn't gonna happen ever. Thanks for coming tonight though; it's been a lot of fun."
"Fun? You played me like a fucking harp!" he said angrily. She smiled back at his glare.
"Yeah, I did." She said without remorse. "And you know what? I enjoyed every minute of it. Best entertainment I've had in a long time. I should thank you."
He slumped back in his chair with his head down. He was speechless.
This was not funny! The stupid, conniving, manipulative little bitch!
"Don't get me wrong, you're a really sweet guy, but face it; you can do a hell of a lot better than someone like me. You deserve so much more."
Rinoa waved to the cameras on the wall. She was done, she'd had enough. Now all she needed was to get her boss to escort him out. She sauntered up the steps to the stage and prepared to walk through the curtains. She looked at his crestfallen face and felt a twinge in her chest.
"Mind doing me one last thing before you go Squall?"
That is enough already! You've destroyed the guy Rinoa, aren't you satisfied yet?!
His head jerked up. Was she for real?
"What the fuck? You already stripped me of my fucking dignity, do you want my blood? You just used me like a game piece and you want a fucking favour?!"
She kept her face outside the curtain as she listened to him. She sighed heavily.
"It's more advice than a favour. I want you to get the hell out of here and don't come back to this place ever again. Find yourself a nice girl, someone who will treat you right. Goodbye Squall."
And then the curtains fluttered shut, leaving him staring at the stage. He got to his feet as the mountain man walked through the door.
Fisher took one look at Squall's face and saw the devastation in his eyes. It was clear Rinoa had definitely done as she'd said; she'd shattered the poor lad into pieces. He wasn't going to make him feel any worse than he already was.
"C'mon boy, let's go." He said softly. Squall walked in silence towards the door and out of the room.
Behind the crimson material on the stage Rinoa slumped to the floor with tears streaming down her face.
It had hurt, really hurt her to do that to him. He hadn't deserved it at all. But it was for the best; he did deserve better than her.
Authors Note II: Ok, ok I know I did a really bad thing! But it was all part of the plan I assure you! Like it? Hate it? Then tell me! Reviews are needed please!
I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, gave myself a few good giggles… which may be a bad thing. Nobody laughs at their own jokes, and I never thought I was that funny before. Well not until I proof-read this anyway! I really shocked myself with the use of a certain word early on. I never use that word in real life; ever! I am not saying which one it was, it is too crude to repeat.
Edited slightly when Ashbear suggested changing the name of Crotchety Chocobos to her idea of Disgruntled Chocobos which she used in The Meaning of Resistance. Thanks for that hun!
If you want to know where I am with updates and whatever I would like to suggest Facebook. I created a page so I can write about how my progress is coming along. Same name, my pic is a Yellow Chocobo I drew on paint when I was like 15 years old. Looks rubbish but I was so proud of myself!
Chapter Eleven: Revelations: Squall goes home after the drinking to erase the events at the club from his mind and relives the whole thing in his dreams. He spends a week avoiding everyone in fear that they knew what had happened. Seifer and Irvine recognise the signs he is displaying and make their moves to snap him out of it. While out at the pub with them, Squall has a moment of clarity as he realises that he wasn't as upset by the whole thing like he thought. He then gets a revelation as to why it didn't hurt, one that both surprises and scares him.