Lighthearted OS inspired by the quickly approaching Valentine's Day.
OS Summary: In a bar with Morgan, the two fall into an argument over who's more suave and charming when it comes to women. Somehow, that equates to picking a woman and attempting to get her number using nothing but cheesy pick-up lines.
Emily had never been one for drinking – she didn't particularly care for any substance that made her brain foggy and impaired her ability to think clearly. However, there were always exceptions and tonight was no different.
What made this particular outing worthwhile was the fact that she had pleasant company and the establishment was filled with women you couldn't help but look twice at.
"Ugh, stop looking at everyone like that," her oldest friend, Derek, had muttered jokingly, his own expression closely resembling the one he was chastising Emily for having.
"Like what?" She asked distractedly, only half paying attention to her muscular friend, her eyes more focused on the bevy of women that seemed to be flouncing about the bar and dance floor.
"Like you're the wolf who's surrounded by sheep." His smirk only grew wider as he watched Emily's eyes dart from woman to woman until they finally zeroed in on a target at the bar. "And it looks like our wolf has found its prey," he mumbled into his beer, his head shaking in amusement.
Emily waved his comments off, not yet yanking her attention away from the blonde she had spotted sitting alone at the bar. When, and only when, the blonde had been joined by another woman, did Emily return her attention to her smug looking company. "You know, Morgan, I've been meaning to ask you a question," she said slowly, her eyes scrutinizing as she ran her finger around the rim of her glass, "how's the air up there on your high horse? Is it fresher and crisper than that of us who're closer to the ground?"
Her hidden smile was on full display as she nudged her burly friend with her elbow, knowing that he had already done his perusal of the women there and had probably already picked out a handful of targets for his wiles. She found it endlessly amusing that he always chastised her for being wolfish when it came to picking up women when he himself was much, much worse.
At least she had a type and would settle for nothing less while Morgan tended to have a much broader type which consisted of all women.
"Ha ha," Morgan said dryly, his eyes darting in the direction of where Emily's woman of interest had been sitting. "As your best friend, it's my responsibility to point out when you're acting like a horny teenager who wants to devour every woman she walks past," he said calmly, his open hands in the air as though to show he was helpless when it came to voicing that truth.
Narrowing her eyes at her friend, Emily chose not to take offense to the comment – mostly because it was coming from the biggest womanizer she had ever met and it was hard to take his criticisms seriously when he was about a thousand times worse. "Morgan, there's nothing wrong with appreciating a woman's form. And you're only saying that about me because I'm not acting like checking out a woman is a covert opts mission or something equally top secret. If I think a woman is attractive I'm not going to duck behind the menu and sneak glances at her over the top of it, I'm simply going to look."
It was a typical Emily approach and she would not let Morgan bring her down just because she didn't feel the need to hide behind her drink when she noticed a woman. Women were beautiful, there was no denying that, and as long as she wasn't going out of her way to make someone uncomfortable, Emily wasn't going to pretend like she didn't appreciate or enjoy the many forms around her.
If Morgan wanted to look like a creepy stalker by going out of his way to look at women in the most obscure and indiscernible way, acting like he was on an undercover mission, then that was his right but Emily wasn't like that. Maybe it did make her a bit wolfish, but it was how she was; it was how she had been raised. There was no shame in being take charge and bold so she didn't see a reason to hide that part of herself.
"Emily, Emily, Emily," Derek muttered disbelievingly, his head shaking from side to side as he clamped a hand down on her shoulder, "you have so much to learn."
"Derek, Derek, Derek," she parroted right back, her movements mimicking his as she slowly pried his hand from her shoulder, "I think I've got things on my end mastered. You, on the other hand, could use a little guidance."
Snorting in shock, Morgan looked at his friend completely scandalized, unable to believe that someone could think his charms were ineffective or that some part of his game was somehow lacking. He was a catch and women knew it.
"Puh-lease," he said in disbelief, his eyes comically wide as he waved a hand up and down the expanse of his large biceps, then down to his muscular torso before finally moving to point at his face, "this is the work of the gods. This body combined with my natural charm," he shook his head as though he thought Emily was crazy for even doubting his abilities with the ladies "it's like shooting fish in a barrel."
Emily made a show of looking him over, taking the time to observe his well toned body and bulging muscles, none of which did a thing for her but that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate his form , then she looked at his face, easily able to recognize and admit that he was extremely attractive. Had she not been so sure of her sexuality, she wouldn't have hesitated to spent the night with him. That didn't mean she was willing to throw herself at him but she could admit that she wouldn't exactly object to going home with him.
"You're definitely have some things working for you," she said slowly, her words measured and calculating as she continued to eye the man, internally smiling as he started to squirm a bit under her penetrating gaze. "But as far as your charms go and your ability to pick-up women, it's definitely lacking."
Before Morgan could even open his mouth to object, Emily had her hand raised into the air to silence him. "The real test of a person's charm is their ability to make even the most ridiculous of things sound appealing and delightful. Which, unfortunately, you don't possess."
Her matter-of-fact tone was what bothered Morgan more so than the actual words. He was a charming man, damn it!
"And you think you're charming? More charming than me?" He asked curiously, his eyes suddenly sparkling with mischief as he awaited her answer.
Emily knew that look in his eye but she was never one to back down from a challenge and so she answered his questions as honestly as possible. "I don't think I'm the most charming person, but I believe I'm definitely more charming than you."
"Then how about a test, of sorts." He offered, his smile growing wider by the second as he waited for his friend to accept the challenge.
"What kind of test?" She asked, her interest already piqued.
"Oh, just a simple one," he said mysteriously, his eyes darting around the place, landing only briefly at the pair of blondes at the bar, before stopping back on Emily.
Not missing the fact that he had looked at the woman she had been eyeing earlier, Emily drained the last of her beer and stared expectantly at her friend.
"If you think you're as charming as you claim," he started, his arms crossing over his chest, "then how about you get Blondie's number using nothing but cheesy pick-up lines. Should be easy for someone as delightful as yourself."
"There's a difference between being charming and crude, Morgan," Emily pointed out quickly and easily, willing to accept a bet with him but not willing to offend or objectify someone just because of it. Maybe she had been right in her initial assessment of his ability to charm, especially if he thought it was okay to throw lines like that at women just for entertainment purposes.
"I'm not saying you need to sexualize them or make them offensive," he said just as quickly, not having intended for either of them to use lines that would make someone uncomfortable. He was thinking more along the lines of playful and far too overused lines, not ones that would make someone put his name on a sex offenders list and take out a restraining order against him.
"And you think using overplayed and, quite frankly, stupid lines like those will help prove you're more charming than me?" Emily asked, wanting to make sure her friend heard how stupid she thought his proposal to be.
He clearly did not pick-up on that hint and merely nodded confidently. "Yep."
"And who are you supposed to be using your lines on?" She asked, not at all willing to overlook the fact that he hadn't mentioned who he would be hitting on.
"Uh," he stammered, his eyes skittering around the room before landing on the blonde who had joined Emily's woman-of-interest just a few moments earlier. "How about Blondie's friend?"
Sighing, Emily's head shook as she considered one other possibility that she had yet to vocalize. "You do realize that it's easier for you to capture a woman's interest when there's a ninety percent chance that she's straight and into guys, whereas I only have a ten percent chance that she's interest in women, right?"
And already anticipating Derek's comment, she cut him off before he could even open his mouth to make a comment or retort, "And despite what many men, and some women think, you cannot charm a woman into changing her sexual orientation."
Morgan huffed, a little embarrassed that Emily had correctly countered his unspoken argument, and annoyed that she was over thinking the whole thing. "If she's not interested then she's not interested. You can either move on and find someone else or we call the whole thing quits and grab another drink, either way, it's no reason not to take a chance." His shoulders bobbed up and down as he shrugged at her, knowing there was little chance Emily would back down but wanting to put it out there that they didn't need to do the bet.
Rolling her eyes at the suggestion that she back down from the challenge, Emily straightened up in her seat and extended her hand out to Derek, a cocky smirk on her face, "Don't be ridiculous, Morgan, there's no way in hell I'm going to let you keep thinking that you're better with the ladies than I am. Challenge accepted."
Derek wasted no time encasing Emily's hand in his own, the simple shake of hands sealing their proposed bet. "May the best charmer win," he said gleefully, his eyes shining with mirth.
As he rose from his seat and made his way towards the bar, Emily remained where she was and tried to come up with the best plan of attack. "You are going down, Morgan," She muttered to herself, a handful of ideas and lines whizzing through her head as she looked at the now lonesome blonde at the bar.
After taking some time to mull over what she was going to say, Emily finally rose from her seat and made her way over to the bar, only idly noticing that Morgan was looking at his target, who happened to be a bubbly blonde, with a shocked expression on his face.
That observation was quickly discarded though when Emily go within ten feet of the blonde who had captured her interest the moment she noticed her. The blonde woman was even more striking up close, her long blond hair looking silky and smooth, her skin having that perpetual light tan that Emily adored so much (mainly because she, herself, was incapable on tanning, only burning), and a figure that made Emily want to stop and appreciate it for as long as possible.
Pulling her confidence closer to herself, Emily tapped the woman on the shoulder "Excuse me, but is this seat taken?" She asked, happy to have been looking and pointing at the seat beside the blonde while she asked the question, because the moment she looked into the other woman's eyes, she was at a loss for words.
She had seen a lot of women in her lifetime, whether in passing or otherwise, but she had never met a woman with eyes as ridiculously blue as the ones before her. God, it didn't even make sense how a person could have eyes that looked like that.
They were the bluest eyes she had ever had the pleasure of looking into and that was only made better by the fact that by simply gazing into those baby blues, she felt like she was staring into the depths of the clearest ocean water.
"Oh, no, it's all yours," the blue eyed woman answered calmly, her friendly smile on full display as she motioned for the other woman to sit down.
On suddenly shaky legs, Emily practically collapsed onto the seat, wondering why she was all of sudden feeling like a peasant in the presence of a queen. "Thanks," she mumbled, trying to figure out where her confidence had escaped to so she could somehow salvage her quickly disappearing pride.
"Another beer," Emily said to the bartender, wanting something to occupy her hands while she mulled over things.
"Do you come here often?" The blonde asked out of the blue, her attention focused solely on Emily as she swiveled on the chair to face the other woman.
Eyes widening for a moment, not having expected the sudden question or the brazen attitude, Emily slowly turned towards the blonde and offered a shaky smile, "Not really," her hand flip flopped in the air, "I don't usually come to bars unless my friend manages to drag me out, but when he does, this is usually where we come."
The blonde nodded, her smile growing little by little the more Emily spoke. "So this is your bar of choice?"
Thinking that over, Emily nodded slowly, "Yeah, I guess it is."
The blonde hummed at that information, raising her beer bottle to her lips and taking a short pull, the movement automatically drawing Emily's eyes to her lips before dropping down to her tan and slender neck. She watched with rapt interest as the muscles in the blonde's neck constricted and relaxed as the liquid slid down her throat, the rippling movement momentarily mesmerizing.
The raven haired woman cleared her throat and dragged her gaze away, her back straightening a bit as she fiddled with the full glass of beer before her, "Do you come here often? I don't think I've seen you here before."
The blonde smirked, still facing the other woman, "Nope, this is my first time here. My friend, Penelope," her thumbed hitched over her shoulder as she pointed to the blonde that Derek was chatting up, "wanted to come here. I'm not picky when it comes to bars, so long as there's a decent beer selection I'm happy."
Emily nodded, her eyes roaming over the blonde's face, trying not to get caught in those annoyingly beautiful blue eyes that made her stomach flop.
"I'm Jennifer – JJ, by the way," the blonde said, quickly tacking on the nickname as she extended her hand towards the woman sitting beside her.
Emily smiled politely, her hand immediately outstretching, "Emily."
The first thing Emily noticed when she grabbed JJ's hand was that her skin was mostly soft and smooth but there were a few calluses on her fingertips. The second thing she noticed was the thrill of excitement that shot up her spine the moment their skin came in contact. "It's nice to meet you Jennifer," Emily said after a moment of silence, a cheeky smile on her face as she used the full name given to her instead of the proffered nickname.
JJ narrowed her eyes slightly but didn't comment on the use of her first name, finding herself unable to stop the woman from saying the name that, more often than not, annoyed her to no end. Few people were given the privilege of calling her Jennifer but since it sounded strangely exotic and just a tad erotic coming from Emily's lips, JJ let it slide. Besides, it was her own fault for saying it in the first place rather than just her nickname.
"Pleasure's all mine, Emily," JJ purred, her thumb stroking over the soft skin of Emily's hand for a moment before reluctantly letting go.
Taking a drink from her beer, Emily finally steeled herself and attempted to get on with the bet she had made with Morgan. The worst that would happen was she would get a slap the face and the best was, well, hopefully a date and maybe more.
With her confidence returning full force, Emily turned her attention to JJ and leaned in, her brown eyes peering intently into the blonde's, "Hey, are you okay?" She asked, her concern evident on her face.
JJ's eyebrows rose, her eyes widening just a fraction as she looked at the other woman, "Yeah, why?"
Emily leaned in just a bit closer, her lips pursing for a second, "It's just, I think you have something in your eye." Her lips suddenly curved into a smile, her concerned look disappearing in an instant as she leaned back, "Nope, sorry, it's just a sparkle."
JJ stared at her blankly for a moment, her expression frozen before her brain finally kicked into gear and a quiet chuckle tumbled from her lips. "That was terrible," she managed to get out between her laughter, her head shaking in amusement as she tried to regain her composure.
Smiling at that, Emily only shrugged in response. She knew it was a terrible line but she didn't want to open with something terribly clichéd, so she went with a lesser used line. Besides, her momentary embarrassment was worth it if she got to hear JJ's laugh.
"That was pretty bad, wasn't it?" Emily asked, nodding thoughtfully as she took another sip of her drink. "I can do better, just give me a second."
Usually, JJ wasn't one for corny lines, but she was suddenly overcome by the desire to see just what other things the raven haired woman would throw her way.
Emily's eyes closed for a moment, trying to suss out what she should say next. Then, she smiled brilliantly and turned around in her chair, her undivided attention directed towards the blonde beside her. "Would you mind grabbing my arm so I can tell my friend that I've been touched by an angel?"
"Oh god," JJ groaned good naturedly, her smile hidden behind her beer as she tried to keep her laughter at bay, "that one was worse. What it supposed to sound that creepy?"
"Not that one either, huh?" Emily confirmed, once again nodding as she tried to come up with a better one. "How about this one," she said, trying to keep from laughing at the ridiculously line she was about to say. "If you were a triangle, you'd be acute one."
JJ didn't look too impressed, her smile still firmly affixed to her face, but she was otherwise unaffected. "You are really bad at this," she said after a moment, her eyes shining with glee as she looked at the other woman. She didn't know what she was expecting Emily to say but it was definitely not the material she was getting. It was a little sad if she was being honest.
"I'm not that bad," Emily said in defense, "and there's only so much a person can do with those lines."
"Well, they were pretty bad lines," JJ offered, doubting that those lines had ever worked on anyone and not even the husky timbre of Emily's voice could salvage them.
"You think you can do better?" Emily asked in amusement, her eyebrow rising in silent challenge as she looked at the blonde.
"You didn't exactly set the bar too high," JJ countered, laughing at the stunned expression on Emily's face, "so it shouldn't be all that hard to do better."
"Then let's see what you've got, Jennifer." Emily challenged, her arms crossing over her chest as she stared expectantly at the blonde.
JJ stared at Emily for a second, then cleared her throat and leaned forward in her chair, purposefully invading the other woman's personal space. With her voice dropping into a husky whisper, JJ smiled charmingly, "Excuse me, but I just noticed you noticing me and I just wanted to give you notice that I noticed you too."
There was no hiding her snort of laughter as Emily threw her head back and let her amusement at the line be known. "And you said mine were bad," Emily tsked, her smile wide and unrestrained as she stared incredulously at the blonde.
JJ waved her hand towards Emily, signaling for the brunette to offer up something better if she could.
"Your eyes are bluer than the Atlantic Ocean, and baby, I'm lost at sea," Emily said throatily, staring deeply into JJ's eyes. It wasn't all that great but it the sentiment behind it was very true. Those eyes were killing her and Emily had a feeling that JJ was well aware of how potent her baby blues were.
"You are absolutely terrible at this," JJ said conversationally, her wide smile and slight blush completely betraying her words.
"But it's got you talking to me so it can't be that bad, right?" Emily questioned, a cocky smile on her face despite the butterflies that were still fluttering around in her stomach.
"You do realize that I was the one who started a conversation with you, right?" JJ asked, clearly enjoying the conversation and subsequently, the company.
"Yes, and technically you started this whole thing off with a pick-up line; I was just keeping it up." The raven haired woman pointed out, not above using JJ's opening line against her.
"I believe you were the one who started with the corny line of 'excuse me, but is this seat taken?'" JJ said immediately, her eyebrow quirked and her lips curved upward, "Which was a pointless question to ask because Iknow for a fact that you were aware that no one was sitting there."
"And how would you know that?" Emily asked, her expression just as challenging as JJ's was.
"Because you had spent the ten minutes beforehand staring at me from your table. Not to mention the fact that you knew I was alone here earlier, at least until Penelope came and sat down next to me."
Emily was at a loss for words, her mouth dropping open just a fraction as she stared at the blonde, "You saw that, huh?" Now it was her turn to blush in embarrassment, not having considered that JJ was aware of the eyes on her most of the night, however surreptitious as some of those glances might have been.
JJ shrugged, as though the fact that Emily had been staring unabashedly at her was no big deal, "Like I said, I noticed you noticing me, so…"
A light bulb suddenly clicked on in Emily's head and she couldn't help but give credit where credit was due. "Ooh, you're good," she admitted, her face lighting up with joy as she allowed herself to admit that this woman, Jennifer, was far more charming than her and Morgan combined. In fact, it was a little sad to admit, but Emily was swooning just a little bit from the excellent use of that pick-up line.
"I know," JJ confirmed confidently, buffing her nails on her shirt before laughing at the stupefied look on Emily's face. "So, why the cheesy lines anyways? Surely you can do better than that when trying to strike up a conversation with someone."
Emily looked at the woman for a moment, wondering just how much she should tell the blonde. It was a tossup between lying and just spilling the beans.
Deciding on the truth, Emily chose to just divulge everything, "My friend and I made a bet of sorts," Emily said slowly, "he claimed that he was more charming than me and I said there was no way. So to prove it, we decided to use nothing but pick-up lines to see who could charm a woman enough to get her number."
"So I'm part of a bet?" JJ asked, keeping her tone perfectly void of emotion. It wasn't that she was angry or hurt by the bet but she thought it would be funny to see Emily squirm in her seat to try and rectify things. Besides, it wasn't one of the worst things people had done and she had certainly been dragged into far worse scenarios and situations when she was hanging around Penelope, so Emily was in the clear on this one.
"No!" Emily said quickly, her head shaking before she said in a more subdued manner, "Well, technically yes, but I would have tried to talk to you regardless of the bet."
As Emily opened her mouth again to try and fix things, JJ smiled crookedly and placed her hand on Emily's arm, the sudden gesture causing Emily's mouth to snap shut. "Relax, Em, I was just kidding."
"You're a cruel, cruel woman Jennifer, you know that right?" Emily asked after a moment, purposefully not looking at her arm where JJ's hand was still resting, not wanting to draw attention to it lest the blonde remove it.
"You wound me, Emily," JJ said playfully, laughing easily at the conversation and jovial manner they had quickly established.
Emily wasn't sure why she was so drawn to JJ or why she couldn't seem do anything more than just stare at the beautiful woman, but she knew that she didn't want to go anywhere any time soon. There was just something about the blonde that made her feel like she was in high school all over again, pining over her crush. Except, instead of her crush being completely unattainable, there was a distinct possibility for more with JJ.
"No, you know who's wounded? Me, because I just scraped my knee falling for you," Emily said slyly, her impish smile making JJ want to reach out and pepper her face with kisses.
"How many more of those should I expect?" JJ asked, not in the least bit bothered by them, and maybe, just a little bit, flattered.
"Who knows?" Emily asked, her shoulders shrugging as she tried to count just how many of those lines she had floating around in her head. "Could be none or it could be a hundred."
"Wow, you're really dedicated to winning this bet, aren't you?"
"Dedicated to the bet? No. Dedicated to seeing you smile again? Yes." Emily responded without missing a beat, a charming smile on her face as she once again watched a slight blush tinge JJ's cheeks.
"Was that a line?" The blonde asked, having never heard that one before.
"Nope, that one was all me," the raven haired woman answered, her smile only growing as she allowed herself to reach out and tuck a stray strand of hair behind JJ's ear.
Just as JJ started to respond, Morgan rushed over, offering the blonde an apologetic smile before turning his attention towards his friend, "We need to go."
Taking a moment to look at JJ, then back to Derek, Emily sighed and gave her friend a curt nod. She watched Morgan make his way through the people standing around until he disappeared out the front door and then turned her attention towards JJ.
"So, it would appear that I have to go," she offered pointlessly, knowing full well that JJ was already aware of that. "I had a great time tonight, probably more than I thought I was going to have." Her brow furrowed slightly, having thought her time with Morgan would be spent drinking and cracking jokes rather than agreeing to a crazy challenge and spending her entire night chatting up a beautiful blonde. All-in-all, her night had far exceeded her expectations.
"I'm glad," JJ said softly, her eyes trained on Emily, "I had a great time too."
Emily smiled at JJ one last time before plucking a pen from behind the bar and scribbling something onto a napkin. Her smile only grew as she placed an impulsive and chaste kiss on JJ's cheek before sliding the napkin in front of her. The raven haired woman dropped some bills onto the bar top and followed in her friends footsteps, disappearing out the doorway before JJ could snap out of her stupor.
A little shocked by the kiss and more than a little saddened to see Emily go, JJ finally turned her attention towards the folded napkin in front of her. Hesitantly, she reached out and flipped the paper over, a reluctant smile making its way back to her face as she read the words.
'Do you believe in love at first sight or should I walk by again? Just give me a time and a place and I'd be happy to make it happen.
x Emily'
And at the very bottom was, what she assumed to be, Emily's phone number.
Unwilling to give the other woman the last word, JJ whipped out her phone and started to type out a text to the woman who had easily made her night worthwhile and completely unforgettable.
"So, I take it from the fact that you're alone right now that you weren't successful?" Emily asked Morgan, a smug smile on her face as she looked at him. There was no way Morgan would leave alone if a woman was willing to hand over her number.
"No," he grumbled petulantly, looking like he wanted to cross his arms over his chest and stomp his foot. "She liked them but just not enough to give me her number, let alone agree to see me again. She said I was fun but she doubted I would be able to keep up with her." He turned to Emily and gave her a 'what the hell?' look.
His hand once again waving up and down his body, "I mean, honestly, this body was made to keep up with the wildest of women. Who the hell is Penelope Garcia to say I can't keep up with her?!"
At that, Emily laughed outright, finding it equally hilarious that Morgan was shot down and he had lost the challenge. Served him right for thinking he was god's gift to women.
"I told you," Emily taunted, trying to regain her breath after having laughed right in Derek's face, "you aren't nearly as charming as you think you are."
"You realize that you didn't do much better, right? I don't see you with Blondie on your arm either."
Just as Emily was about to respond, her phone chirped, the telltale sound of a text message.
Holding off on her retort to Derek, she pulled out her phone and glanced at the message, an even smugger smile eclipsing her features.
"The challenge was never about getting them to leave the bar with us," Emily said after a second, "but there is no doubt as to who won and who lost."
Emily held her phone out to her friend, showing him the message she had just received from JJ. 'I guess that's for the best because my hand feels pretty heavy and I might need someone to hold it for me.'
Derek could only groan in response, unable to believe that Emily Prentiss, of all people, had more charm than him.
"I guess you're the winner," Derek said reluctantly, willing to temporarily put his pride aside to acknowledge that Emily had clearly come out of their challenge as the victor.
"Please," Emily snorted in disbelief, the bet forgotten in favor of imagining the blonde she had spent the better part of her night with, "who cares about that when I've got a woman after my own heart?" her hands clasped dramatically over her chest, a dreamy look in her eye as she turned on heels and headed home.
She couldn't focus her attention on gloating, not when she had to bring her A-game for her inevitable date with Jennifer; she would just have to rub Morgan's face in it at a later date.