~o0o~
The near-silent bedroom was peaceful and serene, then from deep within the silky black sheets of the bed a pale-green hand emerged. More asleep than awake, Shego murmured something unintelligible as she lay there in the air-conditioned comfort of her room. A part of her tried to tell her that something was different, but she was just too darn comfortable to listen right now.
She let out a happy sigh as she stretched, her fingers finding smooth skin.
Umm...?
Sleepy eyes cracked open and focused on the mass of bright red curls in front of her. She blinked as the final pieces of her waking puzzle were answered by the delightfully warm body she was pressed up against, Kim in her arms, their legs entwined. The crowning glory – her hand under Kim's top as she lovingly cupped a breast.
What the–?
She froze, too shocked to even breathe, trapped by the slim body she was wrapped around. A saving grace was that neither of them were naked, though there was twinge of disappointment at that fact. She eventually remembered how to exhale, then slowly inhaled, her heart thundering away in her chest. Then, as if disarming a bomb, she slowly and carefully removed her hand from Kim's top, her fingers complaining at the loss of warm skin. Untangling the rest of herself from Kim, she collapsed onto her pillow and stared at the ceiling.
She was used to sleeping alone, waking alone, being alone, and knew to be wary of this sort of intimacy and the PTSD incident it could trigger.
But I'm stronger now. Getting better.
She dragged her hands down her face and took a moment to calm herself. With heavy drapes covering the windows and patio doors it was impossible to know the time of day, and a quick glance at the bedside clock showed her it was way past mid-morning and heading into lunch time. This surprised her. Why they had not been woken for breakfast she did not know, and she had a worrying suspicion that it would somehow involve her and Kim.
That raised the question…
How did we get here? I don't even remember us coming to bed. She thought back on their evening together and encountered a problem. I can't– I can't remember! It was a first for her – because of her Glow. What tha fuck does Mr. Possible put in that hooch of his? I didn't think I could get that wasted?
She squeezed her eyes shut in remembrance, but it did nothing.
Okay, don't panic. Just start at the beginning. We went down to the lake. I set everything up, and then we talked for a bit. I found out some stuff, Kimmie did as well, then she brought up Rachel. I started drinking more as I explained things, then Kimmie hugs me. She smiled at that. Then I hit the bottle really hard, while she downed shots as she kept asking me questions about quitting Team go.
Then we…
It all became a blank after that.
She ran a hand through her hair and sat up, then blinked in surprise.
Why am I in Kimmie's top?
She stared at the way too small crop top she was wearing, or more precisely Kim's top from last night. She lifted the covers, Kim sleeping in her Wham! t-shirt. To make matters worse she was in Kim's white love-heart dotted panties and a quick but pleasurable peek beneath Kim's shirt showed her that Kim was wearing her black panties.
Why are we wearing each other clothes?
She felt lost and confused as she looked around the room, and then came some answers. Dried, muddy footprints covered the floor from the patio doors to the bathroom, the carpet littered with bits of twigs, flora, and other detritus from the lake. Two entwined towels lay by the bathroom door, all of which helped to define some of last night's interaction.
We went swimming in the lake? But we didn't take any swimwear– Her eyes went wide. Ohh, crap! Did we go skinny dipping?
She buried her face in her hands and groaned.
C'mon brain, load!
Nothing came to mind, and now all she could picture was the two of them cavorting in the lake together, naked.
Just because we went for a swim, swapped clothes, and maybe showered together, doesn't mean that anything happened between us. Yeah, right. I'm a flirty drunk, it's definitely something I'd do! She chewed on her lip in worry. Maybe… we just made out?
She had no way of knowing, as any of her hickeys would have vanished by now. And since Kim currently healed there would be none on her.
It means I'm gonna have to ask her… what… happened. Oh crap! She's totally going to take this the wrong way! We were just meant to talk last night. And now I've gone and fucked things up. Maybe, literally.
She slumped back and looked down at Kim's peacefully sleeping face and smiled despite everything. Kim was beautiful, and never more so than right now. She calmed her thoughts and reminded herself on why they could not be together. It may be ridiculous and stupid to anyone else – especially Kim – but she needed to know that Kim was safe from the chaos, death and destruction that was her life. She had spent the better part of a year keeping her distance, now here they were. She tentatively reached out then paused, then oh-so-gently rested her hand on Kim's shoulder. It was tactile and real, and she relaxed a bit as the warmth seeped into her.
We may have done some silly, stupid things last night, but I'll cherish this moment over all of them.
She smiled, this special moment just for her as her fingers drifted down Kim's back, then she hastily pulled her hand away as Kim stirred.
Time to face the music. She set her face to a friendly, neutral expression, then said, "Morning, Cupcake."
"Shego?" Kim croaked, her voice sounding really off.
"Hey, what's wrong? Shego asked, all her worry disappearing in a heartbeat.
Kim rolled over and she looked terrible, her face pale and her eyes bloodshot. Shego had seen enough hangovers in her lifetime to recognize the signs.
"Shego, I–I really don't feel well–" Kim mumbled.
"Bad hangover," Shego said.
"Way bad…"
"Headache?"
"Yeah. Rooms… spinning as well."
"Don't move. Take it easy, and I'll get you some painkillers."
"Please and… thank you."
Shego leaped out of bed and was halfway across the room when a startled gasp caused her to pause and look back. Kim was staring at her, all of her, Kim's eyes darting up and down as if unsure where to stop.
Oh.
She remembered what she was wearing and how little there was of it. The crop top was for someone of Kim's chest size, and her breasts were definitely putting the fabric under some strain. Coupled with Kim's love-heart dotted panties and she was putting on quite a display. She blushed furiously as she hurried for the bathroom, knowing Kim's view was just as good as she ran away.
Stop thinking about it, and concentrate.
She quickly grabbed some heavy duty painkillers from the medical kit, then eyed one of the remaining towels. She snorted and rolled her eyes, modesty a little too late now. Hurrying back out, she ignored Kim's wide-eyed stare as she stopped at the bar fridge and grabbed a bottle of water.
"Eep!" Kim exclaimed.
Shego stood up whip fast and silently cursed herself. Bending over in panties while being ogled from behind was a stupid thing to do.
Next time do a striptease! It'll save ya time, idiot!
"Shego, uh… why are you in my clothes?"
"Drugs first," Shego replied, squatting by the bed.
Kim accepted the bottle with shaking hands and took the tablets on offer, then she downed half the bottle in small bursts before handing it back. Shego left it on the bedside table then scooted around the bed and sat next to Kim, pulling the covers over her lap. It left her revealing top on display, but lying down next to Kim felt like a tad too much.
She quickly regretted her decision.
"Kimmie, take a photo! It'll last longer!"
"I can't help it," Kim replied. She looked away, her pale cheeks showing a bit of color. "I mean… just, wow!"
The compliment hit home, Shego's cheeks darkening even more. She ran a hand through her hair and adjusted her top. It didn't do any good, but it did help her state of mind. It also drew Kim's attention right back to what was clearly on display.
"Kimmie!"
"Sorry," Kim replied, staring at the far wall. "So… uh, why are you in my top– Hey, you came to bed?" And as unwell as she was, she perked up a bit.
"Yeah, I did. You don't remember?"
"I can barely think at the moment. My heads–" She closed her eyes as she dry heaved. "My heads pounding, I'm aching all over, and the room won't stop spinning." She gagged, all the color draining from her face. "And I think I might even throw up!"
"I didn't mean for this to happen."
"I know. It's not your fault. I could've… stopped at any time, but there was so much I needed to know. And– Oh no! I can't remember!"
The prize at the bottom of every bottle, Shego thought as she put her hand on Kim's shoulder in sympathy. "What can you remember?"
"That we were down talking and drinking by the lake. Then we both started going at it pretty hard as we chatted about you and Team Go. Then it's– It's all just gone. I don't even remember how we got back!"
We both drunk fucked? What are the odds? But, maybe we didn't?
"Shego, what happened last night–?" Kim cut herself off and groaned in pain, then she curled up into a ball with her forehead pressed against Shego's thigh. "I'd prefer a death ray over this," she whimpered.
All my fault, Shego thought. We were supposed to drink and chat, not get wasted. She rubbed Kim's shoulder. I could help… She shook her head at the terrible idea. I used to do it for Rachel.
Another pain-filled moan from Kim shattered her resistance.
"Here, this'll help," she murmured.
"What will?" came Kim's muffled reply.
Shego leaned across and lifted a weakly protesting Kim, then shuffled back against the headboard. She sat Kim in front and slowly rested Kim against her chest, then bowed Kim's head forwards. She raised her legs on either side and tried not to think how intimate this was – that was an emotional minefield for later. Stretching out her arms she summoned her Glow, adjusting it until the green flames were almost translucent. Satisfied, she brought her fingers to Kim's temples and began to gently rub.
Kim let out a happy sigh and went completely limp.
"I used to do this for Rachel," Shego said. "She was always put out that she couldn't drink me under the table, but it never stopped her from trying. Don't ask me how it works, it just does."
"'Kay," Kim blissfully replied, her eyes closed.
Shego had way too much time to think as she massaged Kim's headache away. Most of her thoughts were centered around the warm body pressed up against her own, and the fact that she had initiated it. True, she could have found another position to do this from, but it had been a spur of the moment decision and this was what she knew best. She tried to be strong, but every little breath or move from Kim felt like it was magnified a hundredfold. It became even more intimate when Kim's hands ended up on her thighs.
"Never said why in each other's clothes," Kim mumbled.
"And you told me that you could heal," Shego replied. "So why do you have a hangover?" She smirked as Kim blew a weak raspberry, then shivered as Kim somehow managed to relax even more. They were touching each other in such intimate ways, and it was becoming harder and harder to maintain her concentration.
"As for our clothes, we went swimming in the lake," Shego said.
"And my totally weird ass healing is very… hit and miss– A swim?"
Shego had hoped to skip over the whole lake, skinny dipping fiasco, but Kim was far too astute to let something like that slip by even while hungover. She stared straight ahead as Kim leaned her head back and looked up at her, knowing something terribly wonderful would happen if they made eye contact.
I could really use some help right now! There was a knock on the door. Thank you! she thought in relief.
"You two awake yet?" Wendell called out.
"Kinda," Kim replied.
"Can I come in?"
"Yes," Kim said.
"No!" Shego snapped.
"Oh? Um, well… lunch will be ready soon, and Alan's doing his famous bacon salad!"
"Bacon?" Kim mumbled, burping as she went even paler. She suddenly leaped from the bed and ran for the bathroom, a hand over her mouth.
"Count us out, Kimmie's unwell," Shego called out as she hurried after Kim. She had been to enough frat parties during college to know how this ended, and she needed to help Kim out just as much as she needed to save her favorite shirt. Sliding to a stop behind Kim, she wrapped her hands in Kim's hair just as Kim collapsed to her knees and vomited in the toilet.
"Why… do people do this… to themselves?" Kim groaned.
"Next time we'll do it in moderation," Shego said.
Kim shook her head as she let out a pitiful moan, and then she threw up some more.
~o0o~
Wade closed his bedroom door with an excited gleam in his eyes. He felt as fresh as a daisy even with his lack of sleep and that was all due to his breakthrough on the hard-light touch sensitivity algorithm.
"Today's the day, I just know it," he said.
For the last two days he had been refused entry into the Omega Lair, but today he had a good feeling that things would be different. He stopped by the kitchen and grabbed himself some lunch, then left a note on the counter for his mom. With her away at work, he didn't want her to worry if he was still out when she got home.
A quick tap on the note for luck, and he trotted out into the garage.
"Third time's the charm, hey Olivia?" he said to a highly modified Segway standing in the corner.
He had constructed it for Kim, but found himself using it more and more for his trips to the Omega Lair. He hitched up his jeans and tucked in his shirt, then grabbed a pair of flight goggles from the wall. Snapping them on, he pressed a button and brought up the eyewear's HUD. His view of the world instantly changed, the landscape and everything around him now composed of ultrahigh-resolution, real-time computer graphics.
"Game on!"
He stepped aboard the Segway and flicked a switch to open the garage door, then went a little queasy as he looked outside. His agoraphobia was pretty much under control these days, but it still reared its ugly head every now and then. He took a deep breath, tightened his hands on the grips, then zoomed out into the big wide world. He quickly turned his sedate ride through the city streets into a game, shooting mock-lasers that only he could see at all the cars as he weaved through the traffic. Then he was out of the suburbs and heading up into the hills, leaving the morning congestion behind.
Free of constants, he revved the engine, and started to move a little faster.
After fifteen minutes of winding mountain roads he slowed and turned onto a barely visible dirt track, and followed the severely rutted trail up the mountain side. He ended up stopping at the base of a looming cliff, then leaned over and pressed his thumb against a nondescript piece of stone. There was a deep rumble as the ground shook then a large section of the rock wall slowly moved to the side. He backed up a bit, watching as a massive pair of dull-metal doors were revealed.
"Yes!" he exclaimed. I knew today was the day.
The doors soundlessly slid open to reveal the interior of a lift, its interior all polished steel, but with none of the usual access hatches, switches, or buttons that all lifts usually had. It was a cage just as much as a mode of transport. A death trap for the unwanted. And he promptly drove inside.
"Main entrance," he announced in a loud, clear voice.
"Acknowledged. Welcome back, Mr. Load."
"Thanks, Kimberly, it's good to be back."
There was no reply and he did not expect one, the automated system self-contained and separate from Kimberley the A.I. Still, he smiled at the familiar voice. He went back to musing over the hard-light changes in his head as the lift descended, and a few miles beneath the surface the doors opened onto a large cave. Dominating the dimly lit cavern on the far side was a gigantic metal door, heavily reinforced to repel any intrusion.
"Gort, Klaatu barada nikto," he spoke aloud as he rode towards the impressive barrier.
There was the echo of bolts being withdrawn, followed by the groan of hidden machinery as the doors ponderously pulled apart, and he drove inside the Omega Lair proper.
"I've done it!" he announced excitedly, watching the doors close behind him.
"Done what?" Kimberly said from right beside him.
He jumped despite himself, still unused to the way Kimberly, Sheridan, and Sadie could just pop in and out at a whim. Pushing back his goggles, he fished in his pocket for the Holy Grail.
"I've cracked the hard-light touch sensitivity algorithm," he said, holding up a memory stick.
"You did?" Sheridan said as she popped into existence, snatching the flash drive from his hand.
He almost fell of the Segway at her abrupt appearance, Sheridan twirling the USB stick between her fingers. Before he could say more, both A.I's stepped closer.
"Is it safe?"
"Are you sure?"
"How many simulations have you run?"
"Yes. Yes. And over nine thousand," he replied.
Kimberly and Sheridan looked at each other, then Kimberly nodded and disappeared. Sheridan smirked and walked away, then paused and looked back.
"Are we doing this or not?" she asked.
"Yes. Coming," he said as he rode forwards and kept pace with her. Convincing them had been a lot easier and a lot faster than he had expected. I'm too used to normal people, not super-intelligent A.I's. "You'll need to upload the changes from your central control matrix."
"Well, doy! That's why we're going this way." She pointed straight ahead. "And not that way." She gestured with her head down another corridor.
He smiled in reply, but Sheridan simply rolled her eyes and continued walking.
He had been given a tour of the Omega Lair when Kimberly had finally acquiesced to Kim's request to allow him in. Since then he had done a lot of exploring on his own, yet there were levels that he could not access. He knew he could hack his way through, but he wanted to stay on Kimberly's good side. Fingers twitching in excitement, he could barely contain himself at what was to come.
I'm finally going to see the main computer core and the A.I's central matrix. "It's um, good to have you back," he said, making conversation.
"Meh, I had things to think about." She held up the memory stick. "And this will help."
"It will?"
Sheridan offered no reply as they followed the well-lit, featureless corridor. It was just like every other upper-level corridor in the base, all polished floor and smooth stone walls which were occasionally punctuated by the recessed blast doors that every villain's lair needed.
Sheridan stopped at a row of lifts and pushed the down button.
"A word of warning," Sheridan said, turning to him. "Touch anything you're not supposed to, and you will die. It's not a threat, just how seriously Kimberly defends herself."
He gulped. Being in the field and risking life and limb was Kim's department. He was thankful when the lift beeped in arrival, and they rode it down in silence. Eventually it stopped and its door opened, and he found Kimberly and Monique waiting for them.
"Wade!" Monique yelled in delight as she rushed in and gave him a massive hug.
"Monique?" he replied in confusion, returning the hug.
"How ya doin'?" she asked, stepping back and playfully punching him on the arm.
"I'm great," he replied, blushing slightly. "I… uh, didn't know you were here."
"Kimberly flew me in this morning. I'm workin' on the finishing touches for Kim's dress, and who better to model in that Kimberly."
"Yeah, that makes sense."
"So–"
"Right, right, yes, enough with the talking," Sheridan said, interrupting the two of them. "Now let's get this show on the road,"
Monique threw her a withering stare, but Sheridan simply snorted and walked out of the lift. Wade and Monique glanced at each other then followed, the two of them continuing to chat as they caught up with Kimberly and Sheridan.
"I still can't believe that she's going to a supervillain's wedding," Wade said. "Well, former villain. But still, the guest list is a who's who of the criminal world."
"That's our Kim. Head first, worry about the everything else later."
"I'd worry less if she wasn't going alone."
"Oh, she won't be alone."
"She won't? You think that she'll–?"
"Bring Miss Mean'n'Green with her as her plus one? Oh, for sure. I know my girl, and she won't take no for an answer."
"That'd make me a lot happier, but it'll be the unstoppable force versus the immovable object."
"My girl's got some sick moves, and Shego won't know what hit her."
"We're here," Kimberly announced, a door on their left.
Wade stopped his Segway and hopped off, the plain door in the featureless corridor no different than any of the others they had passed. It opened as Kimberly and Sheridan walked up to it, the well-loved hum of computers washing over him. He quickly entered, Monique right behind, the massive room disappearing into the distance.
Ohhh, wow! he thought, looking around at all the mainframe computers. He felt giddy at the sight of them all. It was a dream come true, and he stepped towards a terminal.
"Ut!" Sheridan said, admonishing him. She shook her head then slid a finger across her throat.
"Sorry," he said, quickly stepping back.
"What was that about?" Monique whispered out of the corner of her mouth.
"Oh, that would be my first and final warning."
"For?"
"Touch anything, and kablooie."
"Oh…" she replied, stepping back.
A wall to their right suddenly showed a hidden door, and it silently slid open to reveal a darkened room. Wade entered and looked around, the walls, floor, and ceiling all composed of a strange black metal, oily in appearance, the light from outside creating strange shapes upon it. The spartan room's only item of furniture was a dark-green body chair, set in the center and currently in an upright position.
This is mad science at its best, he thought. "You use a hard-light interface through a DNA registering, bio-locked chair?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yep," Kimberly replied.
"So you need a real live human to interface?"
"Well, doy!" Sheridan replied.
"So I could–" He stopped as Sheridan put a hand on his chest. "No?" he said, shoulders slumping in disappointment.
"A definite no," she replied.
"You're here as a courtesy," Kimberly said. "Monique is here to upload the changes."
"Me?" Monique exclaimed, looking around at everyone. "Wade's your tech guy, not me. I know my way around a laptop, but that's about it. This is waaay, way out of my comfort zone!"
"You said you'd help, remember?" Kimberly said.
"Well yeah, I did."
"So?"
"Fine, I'll do It!" Monique said, throwing her hands in the air. "You're as bad as Kim at leaving out the important details," she said as she sat in the chair.
Wade smiled then frowned as he found himself escorted back out into the hallway by Sheridan. She raised a finger in warning then disappeared, the door closing and locking with a resounding click. He closed his open mouth and sat down on the Segway, chin in his hand in disappointment.
World's about to change, and I don't even get to witness it.
~o~
Monique watched the door close and shut out the noise of the server room, leaving them in complete silence. She stiffened in panic as the chair slowly reclined so she was lying flat and facing the ceiling. At the same time, the lights in the room dimmed even further, until only the chair and herself were illuminated.
"Relax," Kimberly said, squatting by Monique and taking her hand. "You're only upgrading Sheridan, not me. I'll be here by your side the whole time, talking you through what to do and monitoring Sheridan's neural-net at the same time."
"O-Okay," Monique replied, as Sheridan appeared back in the room.
"And in a few days, if there's no data corruption or other unforeseen consequences, I'll get Kim to upgrade me." She squeezed Monique's hand in support then began to instruct her on what to do.
"Activate," Monique said, and a heads up display flickered into view above the chair. She raised her arms and began to tentatively tap away on the hard-light keyboard. "I think I understand what you mean," she said, and she pushed her hands into the HUD and flicked them both outwards. The pale display disappeared at her gesture, replaced by a large holographic sphere composed of multi-colored glowing interconnected lines floating in the middle of the room.
"This is a projection of Sheridan's consciousness in real time," Kimberly said. "I'd say we fix some of her idiosyncrasies, but we'd be here all day."
"Yeah, good luck with that," Sheridan snorted, crossing her arms.
"Let's begin," Kimberly said, winking at Sheridan.
Monique nodded in understanding as she listened to her new set of instructions, then she raised her arms and slid her hands into the holographic sphere. She flexed and twisted her fingers so the room appeared to zoom down inside the internal matrix of the Sheridan's brain, sweating at the feat. It was as much a mental exercise as it was a physical one, the concentration on her face highlighted by the sphere's radiance. She followed a collection of reddish-green lines, then quickly altered course at Kimberly's instructions, spiraling down into a spinning cluster of glowing inter-connected lines.
"You've done it!" Kimberly announced.
Monique breathed out a sigh of relief, not even realizing she had been holding her breath. Gone was the massive network of lines, leaving the room in almost complete darkness. Now there was just a single green ephemeral thread above their heads, attached to a small, pulsing, green ball of light.
"Hello, Sheridan," Kimberly said fondly, "how about we give you an upgrade?" A thin column rose out of the floor and she inserted the flash drive into it. She tilted her head as her eyes glowed, then she squeezed Monique's shoulder that it was safe to begin.
Monique nodded and grabbed the glowing ball, then reached out to the side and pulled in the data from the memory stick. She brought her hands together, the ball flaring brightly before returning to its normal hue.
Sheridan's avatar shimmered and she dropped to her knees, a fist on the floor in support.
"Oh my…" she whispered in awe. She stared at her hand as if seeing it for the first time, flexing and moving it back and forth. She giggled, and it sounded so out of character.
"Take it slow," Kimberly said. "Remember, the sensations will be overwhelming at first."
Sheridan stood to her feet and took an unsteady step, then she swept Monique up into her arms and passionately kissed her. It was totally unexpected, and Monique let out a startled squeak as Sheridan vanished. Monique hit the ground with a thump and she sat up rubbing her backside with a look of indignation and worry on her face.
"Is she–?"
"She's fine," Kimberly replied. "Just a little overwhelmed by all the input."
"You mean… I literally blew her mind with a kiss?"
~o0o~
Kim woke with a pressing need to visit the bathroom. She still felt awfully hungover as she moved the sheet aside and sat up, the room in complete darkness.
I slept through the whole day?
She looked around and then behind her at the bed and found something else surprising, Shego asleep above the sheets with Kim's book resting atop her chest. Shego looked exceptionally cute and a little bit strange in a powder blue shirt, but the mystery and the magic of that could wait.
Need to pee! Need to pee! Need to pee!
She rushed to the bathroom, and ablutions complete, and more drugs taken, she crawled back into bed and shuffled over to Shego. Reaching out, she rested her hand on Shego's and closed her eyes. She knew she shouldn't, that it was a guilty pleasure, but she didn't care right now.
You stayed with me… The whole day…
With images of her Knight Shego fighting back drunk dragons, she drifted back to sleep.
~o0o~
"Hey boss, a big-ass limousine just pulled into the parking lot."
Faux nodded in acknowledgement, too busy serving up drinks right now to really take the comment in.
With the surprising hit of her KiGo nights, she had come up with another idea – leather & lace. It too had turned out to be a surprisingly popular event, but not in the way she had envisaged. Hot girls in tight leather and lacy G-strings had been her goal, but the men of Upper and Lower Middleton had instead flocked to her themed night. And as much as some may dispute it, she was a business woman first and a sex-crazed lesbian second. She was not about to cancel this popular get-together just because she had no eye candy to ogle or bed.
But would a single cute girl be too much to ask for? she thought, glumly.
She finished one patrons order, and the next, and the next, until a lull in the crowd and her sixth sense kicked in. She spun on the spot, her gaze zeroing in on tight jeans, a curvaceous figure, and gorgeous, wonderful breasts. The object of her desire was a young brunette with shoulder-length hair, and even this far away the sour disposition on the woman's face was obvious. Faux tingled in excitement, those full pouting lips screaming to be ridden into submission.
Thank you! she thought, looking up at the heavens. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
She watched the woman stop and talk to a bouncer, roughly glance her way, then grab her male companion's hand and head towards the bar. The woman looked annoyingly familiar, as did her well-muscled male friend, but the low cut v-neck in the woman's expensive top kept getting in Faux's way. Neither were dressed for tonight's entertainment, but the man's hips were already moving in time to the music. He seemed far more interested in joining the dance floor than following the woman to the bar, his wide-eyed gaze drinking in all the bare chested, barely dressed men. The woman was having none of it as she pushed her way through the crowd, all the while possessively holding onto her companion's hand as she pulled him along.
Faux grinned as she moved along the bar, making sure she was front and center when the two finally reached the front.
"Get me the owner!" the woman said, shooting her demand at Faux.
Someone's in a bad mood, Faux thought. "You've got her," she said, a little disappointed that there was absolutely no interest showing in the woman's teal-green eyes.
"Really? Well, I'm here to buy your bar. All of it!"
Say wut now? "I'm sorry, could you say that again? I thought you said you wanted to buy my bar?"
"I did. Now, how much? one million, two? Name your price."
"It's not for sale, and– Hey, you're Bonnie Rockwaller, aren't you?
"You know me?" Bonnie replied, preening a little at the recognition.
"I… do… and this would be…?"
"My husband, Señor Senior, Junior."
Well, this night just got a whole lotta interesting, Faux thought. She had followed Kim's career since almost the beginning and had quickly figured out Kim and Bonnie's eternal rivalry by reading between the lines of every article she could find. She hazarded a guess as to why Bonnie and her billionaire husband wanted to buy the tavern, and it only spelled trouble.
"Look, everyone has a price, so name it?" Bonnie said.
Damn, she's fuckable when she's angry! Would Kim be upset if I did? She was wholeheartedly on Team Kim, so this left her in a dilemma. If she wanted to bed this beauty, she would have to balance her friendship with Kim against any possible fallout, while also biting her tongue on what she thought about Bonnie.
To get her naked and in my bed, I think I can live with a dirty little conscience.
"A price?" Faux said as she meaningfully leaned forwards. "Well, I can be persuaded to do almost anything. So how's about we head up to my place and have a more in-depth, private negotiation? Just the two of us over a bottle of wine?" She watched her not so subtle offer hit home, pleased at the reaction. Anger instead of an instant rejection showed interest on some level, even if Bonnie was unaware of it.
"Are you going to let her talk to me like that?" Bonnie snapped at Junior.
"Like what?" Junior replied, turning around and paying attention to the two women.
"She just propositioned me, right in front of you!"
"And something is wrong with that?"
"I am your wife!"
"I still do not understand?"
"I– We– It–" Bonnie spluttered.
"What is wrong with two women being amorous?" He trailed a finger down his chest as he looked around the crowded tavern. "It is like two beautiful, well-muscled, oiled men making raging, passionate love in front of an open fire. It is glorious."
Bonnie pulled Junior close and glared at Faux. "We'll be back, and you will sell me this place!"
"Well, you know my price for negotiations," Faux called out, watching them go.
She went back to serving drinks, her thoughts dwelling on erotic scenarios of her and Bonnie together. The end always justified the means when it came to a body like that. And while it was a given that she would never sell, it was also the perfect bargaining chip to get Bonnie into bed.
She'll come around, I can just feel it. Then we'll have so much fun together!
~o0o~
Right. Yes. I did promise that Janus and our girls would be interacting in unexpected ways this chapter, and I was wrong. I happily started writing, then found out that certain things had to happen before other things. Damn this linear progression! I did consider holding back and posting it as one big chapter, but it may have ended up way too big.
As for what I promised, I'm about to sit down and start writing it.
~o0o~
