Epilogue
In the dim light of the establishment, the woman sat at the bar, her attention focused on the two individuals to her left, who'd appeared by her side not long after she'd entered the room. She smiled a charming smile, her green eyes dancing with amusement as she flirted with the men, casually sipping the drink in her hand.
The bartender approached them, setting a fresh glass in front of her with a nervous gesture. The woman flashed him a questioning glance, put off more by his odd behavior than the libation he offered.
"Compliments of the...uh..gentleman." he mumbled anxiously, motioning over the woman's shoulder to the space behind her.
She swiveled in her chair to take a look, just in time to find the seat beside her suddenly occupied by a rather large frame. Sitting upright, she glanced to her left to find her two previous companions had already fled, her attention shifting straight ahead as she locked eyes with the bartender, who was still tossing a cautious glance her way.
She accepted the drink he'd placed in front of her, drinking in companionable silence with the newest arrival for several long minutes.
"You wanna get out of here. Go someplace more quiet." he finally asked, the deep rumble of his voice shooting a thrill straight through her.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were trying to pick me up." she intoned, both her face and her tone neutral.
The man beside her shrugged.
"Just giving you a choice, before I'm forced to make a scene." he explained, his thumb tracing across the label of the bottle in his hand.
The woman frowned and took another sip of her drink, silence falling between them. The man was the first to finally speak again.
"You're running out of time, Princess. What's it gonna be?" he warned, his voice still low and dangerous.
She remained silent, contemplating her options, before raising her glass to her lips and downing the rest of her drink in one gulp. Grabbing her purse, she slid from her chair and stepped behind her companion. Placing a hand on his left shoulder, she trailed her fingers across the broad expanse of his back to the other side. Leaning over him, she lowered her mouth close to his ear.
"Well, I guess we'd better leave then. Wouldn't want you to cause a scene." she purred seductively, before striding suggestively toward the door.
The man watched her leave, a smile appearing on his face as she disappeared to the street outside. He gave a shake of his head before finishing off his beer, then made his own path toward the door, and the woman he knew was waiting for him on the other side.
Did she have any idea what he had in store for her tonight? Well, if she didn't yet, she would figure it out soon enough, his grin widening at the thought. And he would be sure to show her no mercy.
He did have quite a reputation to maintain, after all.
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~ The End~