It was all supposed to be good fun. Neena didn't do strings. She danced, she played, she fooled around and never let emotions get in the way of a good time. It turned out that Betsy Braddock was a hell of a good time, and Neena made sure her band played at the Butterfly Club every chance they could.
It was just the money, she told herself. She liked the money. The energy too. The club was always packed when they played and Neena lived off of the energy. The booze and the cigarettes too, but mostly the energy. And the whiskey. Especially the whiskey. Okay so her blood was made of whiskey.
It was that whiskey she was intent on as she came backstage, only to find herself pinned face first to the wall. Betsy's voice was like silk and her breath warm and inviting against her ear. "Leaving so soon?"
"Aw, I knew you missed me." Neena felt an involuntary shiver run down her spine, her body responding to Betsy's proximity whether she wanted it to or not. As she turned around against Betsy, she decided that she was okay with wanting it. It was just round two. Three. Actually, she'd lost count somewhere between round five and round eight. With the way Betsy was looking at her, Neena idly wondered if they were getting too close.
With the way Betsy's mouth moved down her neck, Neena forgot to worry about being too close to her. Their bodies moved in unison to music only they could hear, Neena tangling her fingers in Betsy's dark hair and Betsy's teeth leaving marks on Neena's throat. Electricity built along her skin until she was desperately pushing Betsy into Betsy's office, slamming the door behind them and leaving her stage outfit laying on the floor.
Only later. when they were tangled together exhausted on Betsy's desk, did it occur to Neena that strings might be developing. It was alarming, but as she trailed her fingers down Betsy's spine, she thought that maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
"You should stay longer this time." Betsy squirmed under Neena's hand, her eyes closed and mouth drifting open. "We have more openings, and you're really popular."
"We don't come cheap."
"Mm, you're worth it." Betsy trailed off into a soft, mewling grown. "It would be nice to have you around."
"It'd be nice to be around," Neena admitted. Something tugged in her chest and she cursed under her breath.
"What was that?" Betsy sat up, reaching over and stroking a hand down Neena's cheek.
Neena found herself mesmerized by Betsy's smooth skin, so much so that it took her a moment to answer. "Do you want to get dinner?"
"Haven't we already had dessert?"
That tugging happened again, and Neena took a breath. "I mean, dinner. You and me, fancy outfits, fancy wheels, fancier meals."
Betsy's eyes darkened, and maybe there were strings being tugged in her heart too. "I'd love to go on a date with you."
"Okay. Good. Great. Fantastic. We're going to have dinner." Nothing to panic about. Everything would be fine and Neena was just going to have to march into this with the same self-destructive gusto she did just about everything else.
"Don't sound so enthusiastic."
Managing a smile, Neena tried to push her nerves aside. "I am! Really. I am. Just. Very nervous."
"Miss Confidence is nervous?" Betsy laughed, moving to straddle her. "You're human, go figure."
Neena pressed her face into Betsy's chest, pulling their bodies flush together with a groan. "Yeah yeah, don't go spreading that around."
It was supposed to just be that one time, and now she didn't know which way was up any more. Neena only knew that she didn't want it to stop and that she was happy to drown in whatever this was. Neena didn't do happy. She lifted her head to meet Betsy's eyes. "We're royally fucked, aren't we."
Betsy's fingers kneaded into her back, and she looked as nervous as Neena felt. "Lets just take it a day at a time. Besides, I always knew we were Queens."