The first time Aaron sees her, he don't talk to her. Not his type, and judging from the way she's gesturing, she's nowhere near sober either. Instead, he's got his eye on the beauty in the back, who's got legs for miles. Legs put on full display with the dress she's wearing. That's the first sign she's looking for the same thing he is.
The second sign comes when he catches her gaze and tilts his head with invitation and question both. She smiles back, a sultry thing that sends heat down his spine. Yeah, she's down to fuck.
Aaron grabs his beer and ambles over, not too fast but not too slow either. There's a trick to walking like you own the room and look good while doing it, and he's long since gotten it down. His potential hookup appreciates the view. Some guys might have started swaggering then but Aaron ain't one of them boys.
As he passes the bar, his attention is drawn to the white girl he'd dismissed as an option before. She's drunk alright, the slurring and unfocused eyes leave no doubt about that.
She's also rambling about old school drummers. John Bonham, Clyde Stubblefield, Keith Moon. She's not making much sense, but even drunk, it's clear she knows her stuff. It piques his interest a little, music is a passion of his. But he's not here for conversation, and again, her looks are lacking. He returns his attention to what he wants.
Sliding into the seat next to his target, he turns on the bedroom eyes.
"Hey."
"Hey yourself," she says, her accent telling him she's a Jersey girl. He can work with that.
"Haven't seen you around before," he says. The classics are there for a reason.
As expected, she raises a brow, unimpressed.
"Really? That's your opening line?"
"Depends," he returns with ease. Don't matter what he says really, not if she's interested in the same thing he is. A no strings attached night of fun. Don't need a lot of personality for that. Just a good delivery. "Is it working?" He accompanies the question by a casual shift in posture. Showing off the goods.
The way her eyes rake over him tells him she's definitely looking for the same thing he is. She meets his gaze with a coy smile and a tilt of her chest that puts her own goods on display. He's always been an ass man, but it'd be rude not to show appreciation for the rest of the package. He lets his eyes linger long enough to send the right kind of message.
She's pleased and not hiding it. Another reason he went after her is because she seemed the type who knows her own worth. Always nice to see his instincts proven right.
"It might be," she says. Aaron smiles.
They do the small talk thing, revealing names and nothing else. Aaron is ready to wrap this up when his attention is drawn back to the white girl. The guy she was talking to has gotten handy and she's not having it. For a moment the shred of conscience he's never been able to get rid of wonders if he should interfere, but the thought is banished as fast as it appears. Miles is the only one who can make him act like he's got some kind of decency left.
Turns out, even if he wasn't a bastard, there was no need to worry. When the guy grabs her arm, ready to use force to get what he wants, the girl spins to her feet with startling grace, slipping free from the guy's hold and grabbing the back of his shirt in the same movement.
She slams him down the bar temple first, hard enough to inspire a moment of silence in the people around. Aaron is impressed. Girl might be skinny but damn, she packs a punch. She even knocked the guy unconscious, the body slumping to the floor. The guy is still alive but who knows what damage he got. His current breathing could be a temporary thing. Not that Aaron cares. If the guy didn't want to get his head bashed in, he shouldn't have acted like a dumbass.
The girl looks at her victim with the confusion that comes from being drunk. Then she sighs like an already shit day just got even worse.
She crouches down, grabs the body and hauls it onto her shoulder like the guy hasn't got several stones on her. Aaron reevaluates fast. Yeah, he noticed how strong her legs are, but he thought that was it. He was wrong big time, what with the weight she's handling like it's nothing. Aaron shifts in his seat, covering his weak spots without making it obvious. By the time his mind catches up to what his body is doing, he's already checking out the rest of the bar. Takes only a moment to decide to complete the check. Will help settle the tension still trying to take over.
His threat assessment remains the same for all.
Returning his attention to the girl he seriously misjudged, he watches as she leaves the bar with the guy slung over her shoulder, her footing steady. Aaron wonders what she does to keep in shape like that.
"Lost your eyes already?"
He returns his attention to Maya, giving her a practiced smile. The entrance is still within his vision.
"Ain't nothing that can pull these eyes away from you, gorgeous."
Maya warns him that better be true, but there's no real insecurity in it. This is all part of the game.
Aaron is ready to end the game. When the opening comes, he lifts an arm. He's on the lookout for any sign of rejection.
Maya leans towards him. Aaron feels his smile turn into something more sincere. Something that makes Maya's eyes grow dark.
He grabs her shoulder.
"Hey. Want to get out of here?"
The answer is the same as ever. The shoulder touch never fails.
When they leave the bar, he unobtrusively looks around for the girl, still annoyed with himself for misjudging her that bad. She's gone though, and so Aaron puts her out of his mind.
He's got more pleasant matters to attend to.
The second time he sees her, he does talk to her. She's back in the same bar, and while she's nursing a cocktail, she's still sober. Good.
Aaron sits down next to her and signals the bartender for a beer. The girl spares him a glance but nothing else. Whatever keeps her in shape like that, it ain't work like his. She'd be more on guard if it was.
Aaron sips his beer and examines his target without hiding what he's doing. She's wearing a loose hoodie again, one that falls to her thighs. Made for a man, not a woman. Explains how he misjudged her before. The too large garment makes her seem smaller than she is. The dim lighting in this place don't help either.
The lighting hid just how young she is. He's got several years on her, if not a whole decade.
Damn, he's in his thirties. And here his brother was always telling him he'd be six feet under before that happened.
"Take a picture, it'll last longer."
The words are biting and without much of an accent. Enough to tell him she's from the city but nothing else.
"Left the camera at home," he returns, at ease. The trick to getting through people's defenses is to act like it's all good.
The girl scowls but she gets rid of it before turning to face him. She's not ugly but there's nothing special about her either. Blonde hair, blue eyes and a face a dime in a dozen. He digs the eyebrow piercing though.
"Look, I'm sure you're a nice guy, but I'm not interested."
"Ouch," he says with real humor. "Going straight for the kill?" No man likes to be called a 'nice guy'.
"Not my fault you're taking this personally," she returns, unimpressed. Aaron smiles.
"Fair enough." He grabs his beer like he's planning to get up before he lets his eyes return to her face. She's expecting him to make another attempt of course, but these things run smoother when you give a heads up. "Wasn't intending to bother you. Just figured it would be nice to talk music. You know your drummers."
Blue eyes narrow with suspicion. First real smarts she's shown.
"How do you know that?"
"I heard you talking last time," he says with a faint smile. Nothing about him says he's feeling satisfied. Or that he's still on the prowl. "Also saw you knock a guy out cold. It left an impression."
The girl startles. Aaron didn't expect her to remember him, and being proven wrong would make his guard go up. Even ignoring how long it's been, remembering that level of detail when drunk points to a situational awareness only a certain kind of people have.
The girl grimaces and looks away. She fiddles with her drink. Guilty conscience?
"You saw that?" she asks, her voice soft. He thinks there's regret in it, maybe even shame, but the music is making it hard to tell.
"He deserved it," Aaron says, softening his own voice a little. Guessing she'll respond better to compassion than admiration. For the most part. "But yeah, I saw. Was impressed too."
The girl shifts on her stool, uncomfortable. Guilty conscience it is. Impossible to determine the reason for it though.
Aaron stands up.
"If you change your mind about talking, offer's open. If not, no hard feelings."
With that, he tips his beer at her and ambles to the back. Pushing right now would only cause her to slam shut. Leaving has the best odds of her coming after him. Not right away, maybe not even this night. But if he sees her again, he's got an in.
She ain't his type. But she's caught his interest. That makes up for a lot of things.
The third time he sees her, he learns her name.
"Gwen," she says with a smile, her defenses down. She arrived after he did, and this time she remembered him. The look she got when spotting him made that clear. He responded with a smile but didn't approach her. Sometimes the best way to hunt is to let the target come to you.
She did just that.
"Aaron," he says, holding out his hand. When she takes it, he keeps hold long enough to make clear what he's after. It's fine if she don't take him up on it, this is supposed to be fun for them both. Would be stupid not to leave the option open though. Again, she's caught his interest.
She glances at his hand but don't let go until he does. Not an acceptance but not a rejection either.
"So, Keith Moon," she says.
"Not as good as Stubblefield," he returns without missing a beat. Gwen grins, showing off a small gap between her teeth. Some guys would find that cute.
They talk music. He wasn't wrong, she knows her stuff. Mostly the rock genres, but she ain't a stranger to the rest. Best of all, she's got a sharp tongue and a clever sense of humor. Aaron is having a better time than expected. But he went after her for a reason.
When the opportunity presents itself, he gets down to business.
"So what do you do to keep in shape?"
"Here I thought you liked me for my personality," Gwen returns with mock offense.
"Sure do," he says, not even lying. She's fun. "Won't lie though, I'm digging the package too." Now this is a load of bull. Gwen knows it too, as told by her snort.
"Because I'm looking so fine this eve." She accompanies the words with a gesture at the hoodie that's seen better times.
"Everyone's got their kinks," he says with enough suggestion to remind her of his offer. While she's not his type in looks, she's hitting most other marks. Key being the confidence she seems to have in her own worth.
Gwen flushes. It's faint, easy to miss even with the attention he's paying her. The way her eyes dart to his lips is obvious though.
Yeah, she's into him. Don't mean she wants to fuck, but the odds of getting there are in his favor. First things first though.
"So, you work out?" he asks, making use of the potential opening. If the blush means she's flustered, she'll accept the change in subject without thinking it through.
The blush fades, replaced by a deep sigh. Gwen looks at him with humor and resignation both. Expecting her next words to have an impact.
"I do ballet."
Aaron laughs, the response all real. No wonder she looked like that.
"Laugh it up," Gwen says, amused. "Everyone else does too."
Aaron grins. Everyone else has got to ask too, and she's clearly expecting him to do the same. Would be rude to deny a lady, now wouldn't it?
"Let me guess. You got inspired by the neighborhood spider?"
"I'll have you know I was dancing long before Spider-Woman appeared," Gwen returns with playful offense. She wags a finger at him and part of Aaron wonders how she'd react if he were to suck on it.
Most of him is still entertained by the punchline he just got treated to.
"In fact, who's to say Spider-Woman didn't get inspired by me?"
Who's to say she ain't Spider-Woman herself?
Aaron banishes the thought before it can take hold. Suspicion is part of the job, but if he lets it bleed into his private life, it's going to cripple him real fast. Caution is fine, paranoia is not.
"Would think you a little young for that," he says. "You're what, twenty-four?" Twenty-six is his real guess, but it's always better to aim low with a lady's age.
"Very smooth," Gwen says with a grin. Aaron shrugs with pride. He's got game and he ain't shy about it.
More importantly, she didn't respond like she's got something to hide. Sure, his guess might be a little off, but not enough for it to matter. Aaron would have bet a lot on her being legal of course, never would have gone the route he did otherwise. But while she's got no flashy make-up on, the subtle shit can hide just as much, so the confirmation is nice.
"And what do you do to keep in shape?" Gwen asks, checking out the goods. Aaron changes his position so she's got a better view.
"I work out." Both on and off the job. Takes a lot of upkeep to do the shit he does.
"But not just to look good," Gwen says, certain. Aaron raises a brow, wondering how she knows.
He's figured out the answer just as Gwen gives him an indulging look.
"I'm a dancer. I know when muscles are for show and when they're for use."
Aaron concedes the point with a smile.
"I box." Among other things. "And I'm guessing you do something like it too," he continues. Getting back to business. The ballet explains how she keeps in shape, but it don't explain the reflex that led to her knocking out a guy while drunk.
Gwen raises a brow and prepares to answer, but then her expression clears with sudden understanding and she bites back whatever she was gonna say. She gives him a long look, closed off as she wasn't before. Aaron keeps acting like it's all good.
Has she figured it out? He hopes she has. It's always more fun when the target has a brain.
"This is why you approached me, isn't it? It had nothing to do with the music, you want to know how I knocked that guy unconscious."
Aaron smiles. Now things are getting interesting.
"You got me. I'm damn curious how you managed that while drunk." Drunken brawling wouldn't have caught his interest. Muscle memory like she showed is another matter.
Gwen presses her lips together and she leans away. Her walls coming back up. Aaron shifts his weight so he seems more open. A big change in posture wouldn't work, she'd read it for the act it is. But a small one might slip past her defenses.
"Hey girl, no pressure. Your business is your own. I'm just curious."
"Curious enough to pretend to flirt?" she returns, as biting as the first time they spoke. Getting the answer he wants is going to be a challenge.
Aaron loves a good challenge.
Taking a risk, he leans towards her, putting some heat in his eyes. A thrill runs through him when she don't pull back. Instead she lifts her chin. She's tense but it ain't with fear. Defiance, annoyance, maybe even a little betrayal. But no fear. Just the way he likes it.
"Wasn't pretending. I'm into strong women." Makes the fucking that much more satisfying.
"One of your kinks?" she mocks, but the way her eyes darken tells him the game is still on. Aaron lets his look grow more heated and he lowers his voice.
"Oh yeah."
Gwen don't respond, posture remaining closed off. Aaron don't fill the silence in her stead. Ball's in her court now. He wonders what she's gonna do with it.
He sees her come to a decision, but it's not until she leans towards him that the rush hits. She's close enough for her breath to mingle with his.
"I didn't come here to fuck," she says, on the edge of turning mean. "If you want to change my mind about that, you better make it worth my while."
Aaron makes no attempt at managing his response. He lets Gwen see exactly what that challenge does to him.
Game on.
Slowly, he brings up a hand. Gwen's eyes don't waver from his. Daring him to impress her.
He's got no intention of disappointing her.
Aaron brushes his knuckles over her cheek, keeping his touch light. Going in guns blazing ain't the way here.
Gwen don't move beneath his touch, but he's close enough to see her pupils react. Aaron leans closer until he can all but taste her lips. They ain't touching just yet though.
Instead of kissing her, he strokes her nose with his own. This time her breath hitches, warm air caressing his skin. When she closes her eyes, he smiles.
Yeah, he's got game.
Finally, he allows their lips to touch. She don't kiss him back, still determined to make him work for it. He's got no problem with that.
Tracing her bottom lip with his tongue, he gently bites down on it, brushing his knuckles down her throat right after. The sigh that inspires is stronger than the first. Almost there.
Cupping her cheek, he kisses her again, firmer than before. He puts his fingers to good use by dragging his nails over the sensitive skin behind her ear.
When he starts using tongue, Gwen breaks. She kisses him back, her own tongue coming out to play. Those lips might be skinny but the way she uses her tongue more than makes up for it. Soft and nimble, she keeps up a pace that's just right. Following his lead enough to keep it smooth, and pushing back enough to keep things interesting.
By the time the kiss ends, her arms are around his neck, hands working the back of his neck, while his own hand has found a home in her hair. The taste of her drink lingers on his tongue.
Gwen looks at him with parted lips, no tension left to be found. Another job well done.
"Okay, that was a great kiss," she says. Aaron don't hide how fine he's feeling.
"Sure was." On both their parts. Now that's a surprise he can get behind.
He curls a lock of her hair around his finger.
"That worth your while?" he asks in a low voice. The smile Gwen gains sends more heat down his spine.
"I think I need some more convincing. Just to be sure."
If she insists.
Aaron kisses her again, as slow as the first. Some guys rush through this, acting like it's nothing but a stepping stone to the main event. Not him though. When you do it right, this ain't an appetizer. It's a whole ass meal.
Aaron always does it right.
He's starting to think Gwen does too.
Yeah, going after her was a good idea.