A/N: don't own don't sue
The lyrics at the beginning are from 'One More Night' by Maroon 5
Set after Season One, before Abel is kidnapped and Gemma is raped and Jax turns into a jerk and the whole club hates each other. Generally back when the show had fun and all the coolest characters were still alive. Because I can, it's called artistic license.
One More Night
Chapter Four
You and I go hard at each other like we're going to war
You and I go rough, we keep throwing things and slamming the door
You and I get so damn dysfunctional, we start keeping score
You and I get sick, and I know that we can't do this no more
But baby there you go again, there you go again, making me love you
Yeah, I stopped using my head, using my head let it all go
Got you stuck on my body, on my body like a tattoo
And now I'm feeling stupid, feeling stupid crawling back to you
So I cross my heart and I hope to die
That I'll only stay with you one more night
And I know I said it a million times
But I'll only stay with you one more night
Try to tell you no, but my body keeps on telling you yes
Try to tell you stop, but your lipstick got me so out of breath
I'll be waking up in the morning, probably hating myself
And I'll be waking up feeling satisfied, but guilty as hell
But baby there you go again, there you go again, making me love you
Yeah I stopped using my head, using my head let it all go
Got you stuck on my body, on my body like a tattoo
And now I'm feeling stupid, feeling stupid crawling back to you
So I cross my heart and I hope to die
That I'll only stay with you one more night
And I know I said it a million times
But I'll only stay with you one more night
Yeah baby give me one more night
Juice didn't get the chance to see her again for almost a week, since he was busy running all over town for the club, but they did keep in constant texting contact. The entire club teased him unmercifully any time he even touched his phone within eyesight, but he didn't care. She was so fucking hot, and so goddamn cool, and she was actually giving him the time of day. He had no idea why, but he wasn't going to complain. The usual jeering started as his phone beeped, but he waved them off, scuttling across the garage for privacy.
You busy tonight biker-boy? x
He squinted at the message, his heart beating too fast against his ribs. He scratched a hand over his head nervously. Technically he was free, but that meant nothing if something came up that needed handling.
think so :)
His palms were sweating for Christ's sake. He put the phone on the table and wiped his palms on his jeans. She still made him nervous, even though they texted all day on and off.
I've been invited to some dumb charity gala… wanna be my date? x
Yes. He absolutely wanted to see her in another expensive gown, but no he did not want to make a complete fool of himself in front of the rich assholes of Charming. He turned it over in his brain.
You don't have to… but I'd really like to see you in a suit ;P x
He flushed to the tips of his ears, hurriedly glancing around in case anyone was hovering.
don't have 1 :(
She didn't reply for a while and he thought he might have blown it. He was back at work, miserably changing the oil on a pick up truck that should have been sold for scrap years ago when she finally got back to him. He didn't even wait to clean his oily hands before he brought the message up, reading the instructions she'd provided closely. She had arranged for him to rent an expensive suit from one of the stores in the classy part of town.
Can't wait to see you in it ;) x
That had to be good right, that she went to all this trouble to get him there? Juice hurriedly fumbled the phone back into the pocket of his overalls as Chibs and Tig approached, praying fervently that there were no catastrophes approaching that would make him have to cancel.
He eyed the expensive store front doubtfully. What if it was a joke? What if she had set him up? What if he was going to get humiliated and thrown back out into the street the second he stepped into the store? For the hundredth time that day, he checked the message she'd sent him even though he'd already memorised it. Taking a long deep breath, he pushed open the door. The carpet was bouncy beneath his booted feet and a delicate little bell-tinkle announced his presence. A pretty blonde in a skin-tight pencil skirt and blouse approached him from the back of the store, her pasted on smile becoming a little too fixed as she flicked her gaze over him assessingly.
"Can I help you?" Her voice was pretty too, but her tone was not welcoming.
He shuffled forwards uncomfortably and she swayed a little, as if she wanted to take a step back but didn't. He mumbled the order number Frankie had given him and explained that he was picking something up. Her eyebrows arched a little and her mouth pursed, but she obediently walked around to the huge desk to check on the order number.
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She was pretty enough, a bit too snooty for his tastes, but she wasn't a patch on Frankie. Her icy demeanour thawed slightly when she saw the details of the order and that he was a genuine customer. She disappeared into the depths of the store to find the suit Frankie had ordered and he shifted from one foot to the other nervously. He wanted to get out of here as soon as possible, this place was making him uncomfortable.
You picking up the suit? x
He stared at the message in confusion, glancing around the store suspiciously. He even swirled around to check out of the window, but he couldn't see that vivid flash of red anywhere.
u can see me?
He did a quick circuit of the store but he was definitely alone.
Unfortunately not. I got an alert from the store that my order was being collected :) x
Juice sighed in frustration. Why was he like this? A normal person would have guessed that straight away, but no he had to make an idiot of himself to her again.
"Here we are."
The blonde had an armful of expensive looking clothes when she returned and he eyed them awkwardly. She smiled at him, looking much friendlier than she had when she thought he couldn't afford to be here. Uppity bitch.
"The bill has been settled." She said sweetly, launching into a practised spiel of when the clothes needed to be returned by and the condition they had to be in.
He nodded, watching as she placed the clothes into a fancy garment-bag as she talked, and wondering how he was going to get that home on his bike without screwing it up.
Juice stared at himself in the small bathroom mirror at his apartment. He looked utterly ridiculous. The navy blue suit fit him perfectly, he had to admit, and the shirt was tight enough to emphasise his muscled arms. He had been struggling with the plum coloured tie for twenty minutes now and still couldn't get it to work, it was either too long or too short.
The buzzer for his apartment going off made him jump and he hurried out of the bathroom to peer out of the window. He could see a sleek black car parked outside. The buzzer sounded again and he pressed the button to release the door.
"You look good." She gushed when she appeared in the apartment, running a practised eye over him.
He flushed. He felt uncoordinated in the fancy shoes and the pants that were a little too tight over his butt for his liking. But she beamed at him appreciatively. She looked even more stunning than she had that first night, somehow. A clinging sparkling champagne coloured dress that clung to every inch of her body, brought out the vivid colour of her hair that was coiled prettily up on top of her head.
"Tie?" She asked in confusion, indicating his bare neck.
He held it up sheepishly but she only smiled, putting her clutch bag down on his armchair and advancing on him. He froze in place as she took the tie from him.
"Can I?" She asked, peering at him from under her sooty lashes.
Juice was distracted by the way she ran the silky material through her fingers, but he managed to nod. He wanted to hold his breath when she stepped even closer, but instead he inhaled her sweet perfume and the faint scent of her mango shampoo and he felt heat flush all through his body. He could feel her bodyheat through his thin shirt and it made the hairs on his arms stand on end. She threaded the tie around his neck and he swallowed at her proximity, willing himself not to have a physical reaction to her in trousers that were so unforgiving.
"I'm sorry." She said gently, as her deft fingers manipulated the silk tie. "I should have ordered a clip on, I wasn't thinking."
She flicked a glance up at him and he could only stare down at her, mesmerised by the scatter of freckles on her nose and the amused twist of her plump scarlet mouth.
"Or maybe I did it on purpose." She whispered as she pulled the knot of the tie into place under his chin. "So I had an excuse to get hold of you."
He stared at her, unable to form a coherent sentence as she ran her fingers under the tie, the back of her fingers brushing his chest through the shirt. She laughed, folding the collar of his shirt down into place.
"You're so nervous, Juice." She teased, smoothing her hands over his shoulders.
"No… I… uh…" He spluttered, searching desperately for something to say as she giggled.
She winked at him, turning away to grab the suit jacket. He stared at her, the dress sparkled with every movement and made his little apartment look even more dingy. He gave himself a little shake, he had to get a hold of himself or she was going to lose interest. She helped him slide the jacket on, running her hands over the line of the jacket until he shivered. When he was fully dressed, she stepped back and took him in. He could almost feel her gaze on him as she studied him from fancy shoes up to his face.
"You look even better than I expected." She purred, her eyes glittering.
He felt his ears going red again and he fidgeted nervously.
"Come on, the car will be waiting."
He blinked at her in confusion as she took his arm and led him out of the apartment.
"The car?"
"Yes they sent one for me and it seemed silly not to pick you up." She shrugged, leading him out to the waiting car.
He was starting to feel nervous about this whole thing. What was he going to say to a room full of rich people all night, he pondered on the drive out to the hotel the gala was being held at. As they drove she filled him in on the details, that it was a gala being held for a charity to do with horses, that she had been invited by a work associate she'd been dealing with out here.
"It's going to be boring as shit." She announced as the car swung into the curved driveway of the hotel. "But at least we'll have each other."
Juice beamed at her as he clambered out of the back of the car. He rushed around to open her door for her before the driver could make it, ignoring the older man's grunt of disapproval. She winked at him as she took his hand and allowed him to lift her out of the car. She shook her dress out so it fell to the floor again, and then took his nervously offered arm.
"Just smile, darling." She murmured out of the corner of her mouth as they stepped into the huge foyer of the hotel. "Smile and nod."
Juice forced a smile to his face as they were greeted at the door, her name was ticked off a list and they were allowed into the huge ballroom by two white-gloved doormen. He had plunged into gun-fights without a care in the world, raced his bike twice the speed limit down twisting highways in the pitch black darkness, been to prison where every minute could be your last, but stepping into the ballroom was without a doubt the most terrifying experience of his life.
Luckily, she didn't leave his side for the entire night.
She introduced him as Juan to her work colleagues, who all eyed the tattoos on his head speculatively but didn't comment, and circled him around the hosts briefly to be polite. She kept her hand on his arm at all times and he was inordinately glad.
"Let's get a drink, for the love of god." She murmured into his ear after they had spent at least half an hour listening to some old fool discussing the breeding of his prize racehorse in excruciating detail. "Do excuse us, I see an old friend just arriving that I simply must catch for a moment."
He marvelled at how cultured she sounded, like she was really a part of this world even though she'd only been here a few weeks. They weaved their way towards the bar and she ordered them both an expensive scotch. They delicately clinked glasses and she threw her scotch back in one, while he was still savouring his first sip of the expensive alcohol.
"How are you holding up?" She asked him as the barman replenished her drink.
He smiled and mumbled something polite and she grinned.
"Don't worry, we'll only stay for the food."
He snickered and gulped down some more of his scotch. Sitting at the bar in her elegant gown, he was reminded of the first time he saw her at The Bad Penny. She had that same elegant grace she'd had then, confident that she fit in and quite obviously not caring if she didn't. It was extraordinarily attractive. A curl of hair had slipped out of the twist and he reached over without thinking, wrapping the curl around his finger and tucking it back behind her ear. She shot him a sideways smile that made his stomach turn over.
"Do you go to these things a lot?" He asked, curious for more information about this mysterious creature.
She shrugged one shoulder, the movement making the dress glint under the chandeliers.
"A few. They're all the same. Everybody smiling and nodding to each other's faces, whilst whispering behind their backs."
She rolled her eyes at him and he laughed, indicating to the barman for another drink.
"You seem to know everybody."
She shrugged again, circling the rim of the glass with her fingertip idly.
"Rich people always pretend to know each other. It's expected."
Juice turned that over in his mind in shock for a moment. He had always thought the rich people in town were close friends.
"So… you're rich?" He asked awkwardly, blushing pink when she shot him a strange look.
"Not trust fund rich like most of these people." She gulped down her drink again. "Comfortable enough to get by."
Juice nodded without prying any further.
"Let's dance."
She gained her feet again and tugged on his arm, leading him out into the dancing throng. Much to his dismay, there seemed to be very little up close and personal dancing, and absolutely zero grinding, but he did seem permitted to put his arm around her waist. She smiled at him encouragingly and took his other hand in hers, helping him into the correct position.
"Just imagine you're in a small box." She said quietly. "Move your feet around the box, that's all there is to it."
He looked down at his feet doubtfully, but did his best to follow her instructions. It didn't help his concentration that she was close to him. He could feel the heat from her slender waist through his jacket, the faint brush of her breasts against his chest as they moved. For a brief moment, he imagined what the guys would say if they could see him now, dancing rather elegantly if he did say so himself, with a beautiful woman who could have her pick of the entire town. The thought made him swell with pride, his chest puffing up a little and she smirked at him as if she could read his mind.
"You're good at this." She complimented him as they swayed, her hand on his chest toying with the lapel of his jacket.
He shrugged the compliment off, hoping she couldn't feel how fast his heart was pounding under her hand.
The food was good, he had to give them that. He had panicked slightly when he'd seen the number of utensils next to his plate, but Frankie had smiled at him calmly and he had followed her lead with each course. Who knew there could be more than three courses in a meal? He made sure to mind his table manners and made polite, if boring, conversation with the plump lady on his other side who seemed fascinated by his tattoos and seemed to assume they were something religious for some reason.
They sat through far too many boring speeches afterwards, he almost felt himself drifting off, until he felt a little hand creep onto his thigh. He glanced at Frankie but she was facing the stage, apparently focused entirely on the droning speech going over his head. She alternated between stroking his thigh and kneading the muscles there. Deliberately taunting him but never quite reaching where he wanted her to. It was a struggle to keep still and not draw attention to himself. The whole time she kept her face towards the stage and her expression politely enthralled.
Juice jumped out of his haze when the chandeliers flickered back to life above them and she gave his thigh a final brief teasing squeeze before recovering her hand to applaud the speeches with the rest of the crowd. He felt all flustered as he hurriedly joined in the applause, hoping his trousers didn't look as tight as they felt and that no one could see how red his face and neck were. He was completely on the back-foot with her and it completely threw him.
"Let's escape and go for a proper drink." She whispered into his ear as they applauded, her lips brushing the shell of his ear and making him shiver.
He could only nod helplessly.
She insisted he took her to a good dive bar, somewhere they could get a beer and dance to real music, as she put it. He contemplated the Bad Penny but dismissed it, deciding instead to take her to a bar on the opposite side of town to the clubhouse. The driver had looked horrified when he'd pulled into the parking lot, but she had politely thanked him and followed Juice out of the car.
"This is more like it." She said approvingly as they stepped into the dim interior.
Several heads swivelled to stare at them, Juice in his designer suit and Frankie in her expensive gown, but the bartender recognised Juice and indicated they were to be left alone. They were served their beers, and Frankie ordered tequila shots too.
"To a boring night, that's about to get more interesting." She toasted, holding up her shot.
Juice laughed as he joined her toast, throwing back the shot. Urgh, tequila really was the devil.
"Do you have change for the jukebox?" She asked him and he shook his head regretfully, suddenly aware that he had left his wallet in his jeans at the apartment.
Without missing a beat, she slid down off the grimy bar stool and stalked straight over to the nearest group of bearded men. Whatever she said to them, they handed over whatever coins they had as Juice watched in amazement. She couldn't have stood out any more if she had been wearing a dinosaur costume. In her floor-length shimmering gown, that was rapidly getting dirty at the hem as it dragged along the sticky floor, with her expensive diamond earrings that almost touched her shoulders and her designer heels, she was like a delicate swan.
Juice grabbed their beers and followed her over to the jukebox, watching as she flipped through the records. Her mouth was pursed prettily as she concentrated, the delicate fingers of one hand caressing the curve of the old-fashioned jukebox idly. He could see the long slope of her neck, bared by her hair being pinned up and he contemplated stroking the pale skin there.
She must have made her choice because she whirled around happily and he hurriedly looked away before she caught him staring at her. You Shook Me All Night Long burst out of the jukebox and heat flooded his cheeks as the bearded guys she'd borrowed the money from let out whoops of laughter.
"We're dancing." She decided, taking her beer from his hand and gulping some down as she dragged him over to what was clearly meant to be a dancefloor.
He felt awkward and ungainly in his restrictive suit, but he did his best to dance as she undulated in the glittering gown and sang along happily.
"See, the good thing about places like this." She said over the pounding music. "Is you can dance however you like."
Feeling brave, Juice discarded the empty beer bottles and took her hands in his, twirling her around the small dancefloor. She laughed giddily, letting him throw her around a little. He even dipped her and she gasped in surprise, her face pink and glowing as he lifted her back up. When the song ended, the bearded guys gave them a round of applause and she blew them a kiss.
They caught their breath as they sipped their second beers at the bar, chattering happily. Even in the stupid suit, Juice felt a lot more relaxed here and he challenged her to a game of pool.
"You're on." She clinked the neck of her beer against his and he grinned.
"I still think you cheated."
She snorted, rolling her eyes as he sulked.
"I never said I couldn't play." She protested playfully as they stepped out of the bar and into the cool night air.
"You hustled me." He insisted, sticking his tongue out at her as she laughed.
"You underestimated me." She giggled.
He muttered under his breath but he was grinning. She had taken her shoes off while they played and they were still dangling from her fingers as they crossed the parking lot. He could see goosebumps on her bare arms and he wriggled out of the suit jacket, draping it gallantly around her shoulders. She beamed at him.
"Thank you."
He smiled back, trying not to think about how cold he was in the thin dress-shirt. They walked in comfortable silence for a while, enjoying the pleasant night air. Her hotel wasn't far from this side of town and she had suggested they walk. He had protested at her bare feet but she had waved him off. He walked along the road and she walked in the grass. After the third time she stumbled, he took her hand in his and she linked their fingers with a smile.
"How was our second date?"
He laughed, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. The moonlight was relatively bright and it shimmered off her hair, highlighting her profile as they walked.
"Pretty good." He replied honestly, enjoying the feel of their fingers interlocking and her arm warm against his.
As he walked her home, he told her about the club, bits and pieces anyway. The safe for public consumption parts. He told her a little bit about the guys, making sure to mention that Jax was hooked on Tara… just in case she liked blonds. She told him a little about herself, her family and her childhood. It was nice and, most importantly, normal. He felt better than he had in a long time as they approached her hotel.
"Well." She turned to face him in the hotel lobby as they waited for the elevator to arrive. "I had fun."
He nodded, squeezing her fingers still entwined with his.
"Me too."
She was smiling at him in that patient way again and he stepped closer. He saw her eyelashes flutter as he drew her against him. He might not know how to dance, or which fork to use for fish compared to meat, but he knew how to kiss. She slid against him with a little sigh, her tongue stroking his as he held her close. Her lipstick tasted faintly sweet and he could feel the heat from her body soaking into him through the thin shirt. The ding of the elevator made them spring apart in surprise and she laughed. She pulled off the suit jacket and handed it back to him.
"The next date is on you." She murmured, peering up at him.
"Next one?" He repeated, tucking that stray curl back behind her ear again.
She lifted her eyebrows expectantly as he stroked her cheek with his thumb.
"You're on."