Hey everyone! First of all, please let me say that I am so very VERY sorry for leaving you so long without an update! I have had a major case of writer's block and it's been hell to get rid of! Hopefully, I have succeeded and the following chapter won't be a disappointment!
Logan's Wolverettes: I really don't deserve you, y'know! You're all too good to me - major kudos to bluedragon1836 - ( yes, I know it takes three reviews to be a Wolverette, but you've reviewed some of my other stuff so I'm promoting you instantly! ) - Sarra Ambrai, Frozen Voices, MidLifeCrisis, Laudine and Sniktchick!
And now, on with the story - the taxi to the nightclub is waiting ... !
ooXoo
8. Black Tie and Dinner Jacket
"You have got to be kiddin' me!"
Logan treated his mate to a horrified stare before glancing left and right to her sister and a giggling Jubilee. He raised a hand defensively, as if to ward them off. "No. I ain't going. Not in a million years."
"Aw, come on, spoilsport, it'll be fun!" Jubilee expertly fielded her partner's disbelieving glare. "You remember fun, don't you? I'm sure you've had some at least once in the crazy whirlwind you call a life."
"Jubilee …….." Logan growled warningly, but Kristi stepped in before things got out of hand.
"Come on, Logan, it's not as though we're asking you to do something awful. It's just a nightclub, for goodness sake. You could kick back a bit – you know, let your hair down and have a few drinks." She was losing him, she could tell. "You might enjoy it," she added, lamely.
"I never thought I'd see the day when you'd turn down the chance to drink yourself under the table," put in Jubilee, folding her arms and regarding her partner intently. "Are you ill?"
Logan growled and Nikki squealed in delight at the feral sound. "I enjoy a beer, Jubilee. In a bar. Not in a jumped-up nightspot that is full o' fancy talkin' rich types with nothin' to do but spend money. Ain't my idea of a good night out." He jabbed a finger at her as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Besides, what kind o' nightclub allows entrance to under-age kids, eh?"
"Well, that's because it's a special kind of nightclub," responded the young firecracker, completely unabashed. "It's called Etoile Noir. Nikki's told me all about it. It sounds great."
Logan turned immediately to his mate's younger sister and she shrank back under his intense steely blue gaze. Not many people could stand their ground and look the feral in the eye when he was riled up about something. Nikki had just discovered she wasn't one of them.
"Special," he stated, flatly. "Define 'special'."
"Well, it's …….. um …….." Nikki broke off, turning in desperation to her elder sister. "Help!"
"It's a place where school and college kids hang out," said Kristi defensively, taking the bull by the horns and doing her best to ignore her mate's upraised eyebrow. "A bit like The Bronze in Buffy. You remember that, don't you, Jubilee?"
"Cool!" retorted the firecracker, obvious glee evident in her eyes.
Logan threw his hands up in disgust. "Oh, this just gets better an' better," he snorted, crossly. "Yer tellin' me this place is gonna be full o' damn kids? No, Kristi, I ain't going, an' that's final."
"Logan, don't be such a party pooper." Kristi put on her best puppy-dog expression and batted her eyelashes. "You're not going to let me go all alone, are you?" she challenged, appealing to her mate's sense of chivalry.
It appeared Logan didn't have one. "Yes," he snapped back, folding his arms, decisively. "I am not spendin' an entire evenin' in the company of a bunch o' flamin' kids, Kristi. I'd sooner face the Brood."
"Who are they?" asked Nikki, latching on to the unfamiliar term instantly. "A new rock group?"
"Never you mind." Logan tossed the youngster a glare and unfolded his arms to fend off her sister, who was attempting to nuzzle into his side. "It won't work, Kristi. I said no, an' I mean it."
"Not even for little ol' me?" Kristi stood on tiptoe to bite her mate's neck, while simultaneously flooding the bond with every iota of need and coercion she could muster. It was a low blow and she knew it, but she desperately wanted Logan to accompany her to the club. After setting up the evening out, Nikki had informed her that several of her old school friends would be there and she wanted to show the handsome feral off. It wasn't a very grown-up or X-Manly thing to do, but she was a girl first and foremost and she was still a slave to girly notions.
Logan began to rumble in his chest as she nipped his skin delicately with her teeth, and his arms came up to encircle her. Beside her, Jubilee giggled and covered Nikki's eyes with her hand.
As if suddenly coming to his senses and realising that his mate was trying to dupe him, Logan abruptly pushed her away from him, his expression dark. "I said, no, Kristi."
His point made, he turned and stomped down the hallway to his room, closing the door behind him with a decisive click. He closed his eyes and leaned back against it as a resigned sigh puffed past his lips.
Gambit looked up from his seat on the bed, where he was choosing between two shirts. "So, what're you wearin' to dis little shindig, mon ami?"
Logan opened his eyes with a grunt and a non-committal shrug of his shoulders. "Jeans an' leather jacket. What else?"
oooOOOooo
Kristi checked her watch for what felt like the hundredth time in the last fifteen minutes. "Where are they?" she fretted. "Shouldn't they be here by now?"
Jubilee, seated beside her, snorted in a manner most unladylike and tossed her a glance, one foot waving delicately in the air to the beat of the music drifting across the club. "Chill, dude! They'll be here soon. Stop worrying."
"Where Logan's concerned, I always worry," Kristi responded, glancing once more towards the club's entrance but, as she had expected, there was no sign of her mate or his two partners-in-crime. She turned back to her sister, who was sipping delicately from a tall glass of Coke and ice and doing her best to attract the attention of a teenaged lad who was standing nearby. "Tell me again, what did David say to you before they disappeared?"
Nikki sighed and put down her drink. "For the fifth and final time, Kristi, David said that he and your guy were gonna run a couple of errands and meet us here at the club later. They took your yummy friend with them."
"But what kind of errands?" asked Kristi, anxiously. "What could they possibly need to do before a night out?"
Nikki shrugged, unconcerned, and returned to her perusal of the young male party-goer. Unconvinced, Kristi turned to Jubilee, but she was lost in her enjoyment of the music pulsing out across the club and didn't seem to be worried in the slightest about the whereabouts of her team-mate. Kristi wondered how she could relax so – Logan had a penchant for attracting trouble like a magnet. Even the most innocent of trips to the local store to buy a pack of matches could turn into the biggest brawl this side of a major shake-down by the Brotherhood. She often wondered if attracting trouble was another aspect of his mutant ability that no one had previously suspected.
Taking a calming breath, Kristi allowed her mind to tune into the bond, searching for any clue as to her mate's whereabouts, but he seemed calm and strangely pleased with himself. Wherever he was, he was in no immediate danger.
"Watch out! Here comes trouble." Nikki pointed abruptly across the dance floor, drawing her sister's immediate attention. Weaving between the gyrating dancers and heading unerringly in their direction was Max, with three girls in tow. Kristi recognised them immediately and felt her heart sink into her shoes. The tall leggy blonde was his current girlfriend, Saskia, and there was no love lost between the two girls. She had been more than ready to snap Max up on the rebound after Kristi had broken off their relationship and had lost no time in crowing about her victory whenever possible, doing her level best to make Kristi look foolish and inadequate. Saskia was pretty and popular with both other girls and the guys and Kristi hadn't needed the girl's help in order to feel exactly the way the other had intended.
Following along behind were Saskia's younger sister, Keisha, and her best friend, Dawn. All three were dressed to kill, with immaculate make-up and tottering heels. Looking down at her own knee length black dress and strappy sandals, Kristi was glad she had made the effort to put on something nice. The treat was for Logan's benefit – when he finally turned up – but her efforts would not be lost on Max and his friends.
Saskia's face broke into a noticeably fake smile as she drew level with their table. "Kristi! Max told me you were back. We thought you'd gone for good." Her tone suggested that she'd 'hoped' Kristi had gone for good.
Kristi showed her teeth in what she prayed was a smile and not a grimace. "It's only for a week or two, unfortunately, but we've all been good so they decided to give us some time off."
"Time off? What from?" Keisha pulled out a chair uninvited and plonked herself down next to Jubilee. "Don't tell me you've got a job, Kristi? Your mom told us you'd been taken in at a special school."
"Yeah, we thought you'd entered a second childhood, or something," added Dawn.
Kristi bristled at the implication. "It is a school, but I'm not a student," she defended, aware that she'd just dug herself into a very big hole and doing her best to climb out of it. "Well, I am in a way, but …….."
"Are these guys giving you trouble?"
A new voice emanating from behind and slightly above her made Kristi jump, and she twisted in her seat to confront the two newcomers. Her face lit up with a wide grin. "Sarah! Zoe! Oh my god, it's so good to see you!"
She sprang from her chair, pulling the two girls into a bear hug, all three squealing with excitement as they renewed their friendship. Jubilee and Nikki looked on in amusement as Max and his entourage feigned disinterest.
Kristi finally relaxed her death grip sufficient to allow Sarah to draw breath. "You look great, Kris! And you've grown your hair. It suits you."
"Thanks." Kristi snagged two spare seats for her friends and pulled them up to the table. "I've missed all our usual gossip, Sare. You've just got to fill me in."
"Not much to tell." Sarah tossed Saskia an annoyed glance before turning back to her friend – Max's party seemed to have settled in for the evening and showed no signs of finding their own table. "Teresa got a job at the Mini-Mart to pay for her trip to Europe. Oh, and Wendie finally got a date with Kyle!"
"Good for her," enthused Kristi, with a grin. "She's been pining after him for years."
"But what about you?" asked Zoe. "Is it true you've moved to a private school in Westchester?"
"Yes, it's true," responded Kristi carefully, aware that Saskia and Keisha had pricked up their ears at mention of her new abode. Dawn was being distracted by Jubilee, who was arguing the merits of the song currently drifting across the club. "We've got a couple of weeks off, so I brought some friends home to meet mom and dad. This is Jubilee," she added, as the young X-Man cracked a large pink bubble with her gum to emphasise a point in her argument.
"Hey." Both Sarah and Zoe greeted Kristi's friend amiably, receiving a cheery wave in return. Then everyone's attention was diverted by Keisha, who was staring towards the club's main entrance.
Her hand was trembling as she raised it to point. "Oh. My. God. Who is that?"
All heads turned in the direction of her outstretched hand and Kristi felt a dark surge of lust rise up in her stomach at the sight of the figure standing at the top of the five steps that led down into the club proper.
Dressed in a white dinner jacket over smart black pants and a matching black silk shirt, his commanding presence drew the eye of everyone in his immediate vicinity. And when he slipped a hand casually into his pant's pocket, nudging back his jacket to reveal a deep red cummerbund, Kristi gasped as his eyes roved with predatory menace over those gathered below.
Never had she desired a man as much as she desired this one right now.
"That," she announced, proudly, "is my boyfriend."
The eyes that had been staring at Logan now swivelled in her direction, but Kristi didn't notice, her attention held fully by the man who had bonded her his mate and gifted her with a love she could have never dreamed possible. She rose slowly to her feet so that he would be able to see her over the crowd, knowing even as she did it that the gesture was pointless – his enhanced senses would lead him straight to her, even if the room was twice as crowded and pitch black to boot. She felt a surge of something ancient and primal rear up inside her as his icy blue eyes locked onto hers and her stomach lurched with the intensity of it.
She heard Sarah take a stunned breath as David and Remy stepped into flanking positions beside her mate – David in a smart grey suit and Remy resplendent in navy pants and a loose cream shirt. A pale blue silk scarf was draped rakishly around his shoulders.
David pointed unnecessarily towards Kristi's table and they descended the steps, falling back to allow Logan to take the lead and forge a path through the crowd like Moses parting the Red Sea.
"Oh my god! They're coming over!"
The feral heard Zoe's gasp of shock as clearly as if he'd been standing right next to her and grinned, smugly. Over one hundred years old, with a lifetime of hard knocks and deprivation behind him, and he still had the ability to set female hearts aflutter. Of course, the two centrefolds at either side of him didn't harm his creditability much either – if he'd been interested in a casual pick-up this evening. The thought couldn't have been further from his mind – only one woman occupied his thoughts, and she was standing right in front of him waiting for him to join her. His heart soared at the prospect of being re-united with his mate, despite the relatively short period of time they had been apart.
Electricity seemed to arc between them as the final reveller moved out of the way, leaving the route to Kristi's side unimpeded. Logan now received his first open view of his mate and his breath caught in his throat as he took in the heady sight of the form fitting black dress she was wearing. It hugged her body in a way that Logan would love to do himself, flaring out at the hips into a softly draped semi-full skirt that ended just above the knee. The bodice had a high neck and full sleeves that fell past Kristi's hands in a tapered line. Her hair had been drawn back with two gem-encrusted combs and swept about her shoulders in a mass of soft golden curls. The picture she presented was one of understated elegance and Logan couldn't decide if he wanted to fall down on his knees and worship her or drag her home and lay claim to that exquisite body once and for all.
Time seemed to slow and the noise of the club faded away as Logan reached out to take Kristi's hands in his. Totally oblivious to the other occupants around the table, he pulled her into a warm embrace, discovering at that moment that her dress plunged away at the back, falling into a softly draped pool of fabric in the small of her back and revealing a smooth expanse of creamy skin which he was only too happy to caress with his large hands. He purred contentedly in his chest as Kristi sighed against his shoulder.
Finally pushing back from his hold on her, Logan grinned as her eyes roved him up and down, drinking in the heady sight of his unaccustomed attire. Her hands came up to caress his lapels almost reverently.
"You look gorgeous," she breathed, silkily.
"Ain't that supposed to be my line, darlin'?" He chuckled as she blushed prettily, and reached out to push his fingers through the curls at her neck. "I ain't kiddin', Kris. You look stunning."
"A-hem." The soft cough invaded the private moment and they parted, realising that the other girls at the table were staring at them in wide-eyed amazement and – in the case of Nikki and Jubilee – with proud indulgence. Saskia actually had her mouth open, which she shut with a click when she noticed Kristi's eyes on her.
"Everybody, this is Logan and Remy." Kristi performed introductions while the newcomers snagged chairs, pulling them to the table which was rapidly beginning to look overcrowded. Remy sandwiched himself between Jubilee and Sarah and immediately turned his charm on for the benefit of the girls seated near him, while David positioned his chair between Zoe and Nikki and began to recount the details of a large jewellery sale he'd made that afternoon. Zoe's eyes widened at the mention of diamonds.
Logan nodded amiably at Max and received a raised hand in return. The three girls with him were hopeless cases, having fallen for the Cajun's charm hook, line and sinker.
Kristi turned to her mate as she regained her seat. "You're wearing a tie," she observed, brightly. "I've never seen you wear one before. I thought you were allergic to them."
Logan grinned ruefully, fingering the deep red bow tie nestled at his throat self consciously. "I don't wear 'em often," he admitted, with a grunt. "Can't stand the things. They make me feel as though I'm being slowly strangled. But it's a special occasion, so ………" He let the remainder of his thought go unsaid, deeming it obvious as to what he was trying to convey.
"So disappearing off with David was all for the purpose of this?" inquired Kristi, indicating the jacket.
"Yeah." Logan nodded, with a growl. "It was your brother's idea. He figured that Max would be here an' wanted me to make a good impression. He seems to think yer mom's up to somethin' – tryin' to make me look like a yokel in front o' yer hoity-toity friends." He nodded towards Saskia, who was hanging on every word being uttered by his Cajun team-mate. "I guess he was right."
"Well, I think you look wonderful," responded Kristi, patting his hand. "And I appreciate the gesture, Logan, really I do. I know this wasn't easy for you."
"Hey, don't be so quick to write me off," growled Logan in return. "I'm not a complete stranger to the idea o' fancy duds an' fine dining, y'know." He indicated his jacket with a wave of his hand. "This ain't much different to the suit I used to wear when I managed the Princess Bar."
"You managed a bar?" Kristi was incredulous. "Wait a minute – what am I saying? Of course you managed a bar! I couldn't see you managing anything else!"
"Well, 'managed' probably ain't the right word to use. Truth is, I own it." Logan scratched his nose thoughtfully. "It's in Madripoor. O' course, I ain't been out there in years. I miss it in a way, but being an X-Man don't leave much time fer personal pursuits. No time fer trips abroad or the like. But the Princess is in good hands, so I ain't too worried."
"I'd love to see it," smiled Kristi. "Is it grand?"
"Grand enough," allowed Logan. "It suits a rough old bruiser like me." He chuckled. "An' speakin' o' bars, I think it's time we got some drinks in. A guy could die o' thirst around here. Does this place serve alcohol or am I going to have to rough it on lemonade?"
"Of course it serves alcohol! Not all its patrons are underage." Kristi lifted her empty glass. "Could I have another? A martini and lemonade, please."
"Y'going for drinks, mon ami?" Remy looked around as Logan stood and fumbled in his jacket pocket for his wallet. "Remy'll help. What're you having, chere?" he added, addressing Sarah.
Orders for drinks were duly taken and Logan and Remy headed off to the bar. Max joined them, leaving Saskia and her group staring at Kristi in obvious amazement.
She positively preened under the thought that she had finally one-upped them at something.
"Do all the guys at this school look like that, or are they an exception?" asked Keisha, staring with undisguised interest at Remy's ass as he stood at the bar, chatting animatedly to Logan and Max.
"Pretty much," responded Kristi, thinking of Scott and Bobby. Both were extremely fit guys, if you liked that sort of thing.
"Does this school have any vacancies?" Dawn was suitably impressed.
Conversation flowed naturally for the next few minutes, centering around guys in general and Logan and Remy in particular. With a pecking order having being established – Kristi being the clear winner by virtue of having the oldest and the sexiest looking boyfriend – hostilities seemed to have been shelved for the evening and both Keisha and Dawn were happy to draw Kristi into their little group. Saskia still seemed slightly stand-offish, but she had been overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of three totally hot guys so this was understandable.
"Here y'go!" Remy materialised out of the revellers, carrying a small tray bearing a cocktail for Sarah, a beer for himself and Cokes for Nikki and Jubilee. Logan was just seconds behind him, equally burdened. As he placed an iced martini in front of her, Kristi squealed as one of her favourite songs pulsed out over the club.
"Oooh, Logan! I love this song! Dance with me?"
Logan shook his head. "I ain't dancin', Kris," he growled back.
Kristi looked crestfallen, but Gambit came to her rescue. "Remy, he dance wit' you, chere. Dat is, if de man don' mind?"
"Go right ahead, Cajun." Logan indicated the dance floor with a benevolent nod of the head. "Just remember to keep yer hands to yerself."
"As if he'd dare do anything else." Jubilee took a quick sip of her Coke and grabbed the Cajun's arm. "Come on! Let's go!"
The table emptied quickly as everyone took to the floor, leaving Logan and David alone with their drinks as they watched the girls writhing around the hopelessly outnumbered guys in their midst.
David saluted his sister with a tip of his gin and tonic. "She loves to dance, y'know. Have you seen her medals?"
Logan nodded. "Yeah. I ain't much of a dancer myself. Gotta be in the mood, an' I ain't drunk enough fer that yet."
"The night is young, eh?"
"Yeah."
David grinned as Kristi and Jubilee teamed up on Remy, sandwiching the helpless Cajun between their swaying bodies. "She can be a handful when she puts her mind to it, y'know. Think you can handle her?"
Logan smirked, raising an amused eyebrow. "I don't 'think' so – I know so …….."
NEXT: Remember what happens when Logan drinks? Oo-er!