Welcome to Gaia! ::

Jessie could feel the throbbing music of the club standing on the sidewalk outside the brightly lit building. Neon flashed and chatter nearly drowned out the heavy base. A bouncer was guarding the door and checking ID. A velvet rope acting as the only barrier to the throbbing interior of the building, the bouncer its gatekeeper. Guys were dressed to impress, or get laid as it were; Girls paraded down the cement and asphalt in skimpy outfits, of which Jessie was one of them.

In a bright blue strapless sheath dress that rested well above her knees, hugging every curve and making wearing a bra impossible, Jessie fit right in. Her cleavage was on display, a simple golden drop necklace the only ornamentation for her ivory neck. Her hair was partially up, the majority spilled down her back in soft curls and waves, matching gold drops dangled from her ears. Forgoing her glasses she put in the ever annoying contacts since they left her wide brown eyes unobstructed while allowing her to take in everything around her.

She shifted nervously in the black faux suede ankle boots. Absently noting the way the balls of her feet complain about the slightly higher than normal heel, at least they were thick heels and not stilettos which would have her tripping all night long. It had taken her months but she now knew how to really move in heels if she needed too…most of the time. With care she crouched down, making sure not to flash anyone, and double checked the lacing on the boots were secure and tucked away before slipping her ID from a hidden pocket on the inside of the shoe. Who ever thought of it was a genius since it meant she could carry a house key, ID, and a little cash without the need of a clutch. The other pocket on the other side held her phone. Good thing it's slim she thought ruefully since it had been rather difficult to get it in there.

With ID in hand, Jessie stood up as carefully as she bent down. Tugging down the hem of her dress only to pull up at the top. Why oh why did she decide to go with this dress! Because her research showed that the dress was typical for clubbing, luckily she had it stashed in the back of her closet where she had put it after getting it as a gift from her mom. Adjusting the dress again, Jessie asked quietly, “are you sure you want to go dancing? I don't really know this kind of dance.” She didn't know much of any kind of dance let alone whatever they were doing in this building.

Lucas would be the first to admit that he was seven years behind the times, but the club was familiar, and really that was all that mattered to him. Granted, he had been far younger and using fake Ids to get into them before, so the fact he was able to enter it free of any real issue now almost ruined the allure. Almost.

Jessie’s dress had sold him on the evening, as had her choice of shoes. If he didn’t know any better, he’d of made the argument that she belonged here. Granted that fact would be instantly disputed the moment she spoke, but that didn’t matter to him.

As she moved to adjust her boots, so too did he, his body acting as a wall against prying eyes. His own outfit was essentially one of the only suits he owned, sans tie, and shirt opened down three buttons. He knew he didn’t have to wow his date just pass the bouncer.

“It’s pretty simple Jessie, you’ll see when we get in,” Lucas said as they reached the front of the line and snagged her id before she could hand it to the bouncer. He gave the man a smarmy smile and handed him both ids wrapped in what looked at first glance to be a fifty.

“Shouldn’t be any problems,” he said to the man with a small nod of his head. The bouncer eyed Lucas for a moment, nodded, pocketed the money and handed them back their ids. Then he undid the velvet rope and let them through.

Lucas grinned and wrapped an arm over Jessie's shoulder.

“Much obliged,” he said to the bouncer before slipping into the club with Jessie and looking around at the people on the floor, feeling the bass pound counter-time to his pulse.

Just like old times…

“Drinks or dancing first, Beautiful?” He asked Jessie as he dropped his head so he could speak into her ear over the noise.

Jessie frowned slightly when Lucas swiped her ID to pass them both, and some cash, to the bouncer. “Why…” her question died as the bouncer and Lucas seemed to size each other up before IDs returned and the velvet rope pulled to the side for them. Her questions faded as the entered the club, not gone just delayed.

The music throbbed in her very bones, people were everywhere. On the dance floor, at the bar, dancing, drinking, and socializing. It was a bit overwhelming for her, not because of how many people there was but because Jessie really didn’t know what to do. The last time she went out to a club it wasn’t like this. The dance floor was smaller, the tables for drinks and food more populous and the patrons had seemed older. Here everything was foreign to her, nothing her research had covered seemed to fit.

She felt a shiver race up her spine as Lucas murmured in her ear, leaving the option in her hand. She remained quiet, contemplating the two options. To drink first might make dancing easier but Jessie didn’t really drink, and a small part of her was leary of what she might let slip if too much alcohol entered her system. Dancing first provided its own set of issues, mainly that Jessie really had no idea how to really dance but it would make drinking easier since it would likely make her thirsty. The more she eyed the mass of people crowding the club floor the more she wondered how anyone called that danceing. It seemed more like an amorphous blob undulating in the heavy bass of the music.

Using the excuse of returning her ID to the hidden pocket in shoe Jessie contemplated her choices, sadly leaving wasn’t really one of them since Lucas was the one to pick their activities for the night. Once everything was back where it should be, and she once more anxiously readjusted the dress, Jessie sighed. “Which ever you want. I’m not partial to either.” When in doubt let him choose.

Lucas was far from oblivious, he could easily tell that Jessie was not having any fun. The thought that they maybe should have taken baby steps and worked up to this particular club came to mind, but he knew that it was very much like a swimming pool. Jessie just needed to jump in with both feet.

As they were in public, Lucas knew he was going to drink. Not to excess, but enough that he would not be driving home. Not that he drove much these days. Turning to Jessie with a sly smile, he placed a hand on her lower back, just above the curve of her rear.

“Drinks first,” he said in a sultry purr directly to her ear. “This is a place where inhibition comes to die, Beautiful, just let loose and live it up.”

He steered her to the bar, ordering himself a Long Island Ice Tea, then gauging Jessie, ordered her a Cosmopolitan. Once they had drinks in hand he once again guided her to a small table in the corner giving a good view of the dance floor.

“This is a den of debauchery, Beautiful, so when in Rome-” he took a long sip of his drink. “-be Roman.”

It was tempting for Jessie to point out that inhibitions couldn’t die but even she knew that saying so would be obnoxious, besides he kind of had a point if the way the mass of people were dancing was any indication. Mentally attributing the tingle that raced down her spine when Lucas murmured in her ear to the throb of the music, the brunette nodded slightly. “I’ll try but I make no promises.” It would be nice to get out of her head for a night… Jessie just sucked at it.

Once at the bar, quite aware of the heat radiating from the guiding hand on her back, Jessie watched as the bartender mixed their two drinks. It was rather fascinating to see how fast and competently they tossed multiple liquors together, what is the difference between liquor and alcohol?, and before one could really think about it their drinks were in front of them ready to be consumed. Lucas’ looked like tea but was a mix of several different things, what exactly Jessie had no idea, while her own was more of a red hue and in a martini glass.

Curious about what hers tasted like she took a few sips as Lucas guided her towards a corner table. It had a tang of cranberry, a touch of lime, and orange. She could even taste the vodka but that was more of a aftertaste. In much shorter time then she would have expected her glass was nearly empty and she felt compelled to point a important fact out to Lucas, “That's not actually the saying. The known idiom is ‘when in rome do as the romans do’ but it phrase is technically ‘if you should be in Rome, live in the Roman manner; if you should be elsewhere, live as they do there’ but they both basically mean the same thing.” She finished off her drink slowly, contemplating all the odd tidbits she had picked up when researching Pompeii, roman culture, and greek culture. Sadly her latin was rusty, nearly non-existent at this point, or she might have tried to translate the phrase into its native language but after years of disuse, it is a dead language after all, she only remembered a few choice phrases.

Lucas grinned. “I see you like your drink,” he said, motioning at the almost empty glass as they sat. He took a little bit more time with his own, but his eyes continued to bounce between her glass and her eyes and when they sat, he pulled her in close against his body, his hand moving from her lower back up to her shoulder. He kept his head low so as to keep his lips as close to her ear as possible, making it easier for her to hear him over the din of the bass.

“I know this whole place is a little much for you,” He admitted, his hand gently rubbing her shoulder before he pulled back just enough to sip his drink. “I get that, which is why I’m not pulling you onto the dance floor right this second. But I’m pretty sure, if you just let yourself have fun, and not think for a bit, you’ll have a great time.”

Part of this, he supposed, was a test to see if she could turn that lovely brain of hers off. Maybe it was an unfair test, but it was a test all the same.

“Don’t worry about idioms, just enjoy the booze and the debauchery,” Lucas added with a small chuckle as he leaned in close and purposefully nipped at her ear. “Tonight is about getting you out of your comfort zone and having some fun while there.”

“Yes, it’s quite good. I wouldn’t think orange, lime, and cranberry would go together but they mix quite well.” Like the earlier tingles, Jessie wrote off the heat gathering in her center as the vodka and not how close Lucas had pulled her or the way she was absurdly aware of where his hand was or even how it felt as he murmured in her ear. Absently she toyed with her glass, twirling it in her fingers, tapping the glass with her nails, even swiping the condensation away with her fingers as she watched the club as a whole.

Lucas was right on the use of debauchery since drinks were flowing and it seemed more than a few people dancing should get a room. Her cheeks pinkened as it occurred to her that Lucas and her would be on that same dance floor sooner rather than later. Nervously she cleared her throat and shrugged slightly, giving Lucas a shy smile, saying simply “easier said than done.” Quieting the near endless questions, ‘suppose if’ , and thoughts in general was a herculean task. One that was rarely pulled off, one that he actually was pretty good at but that wasn’t something that could be done here in public.

So lost in her own thoughts, the very thing they were there to prevent although a small part of her didn’t think Lucas would mind her getting distracted by those thoughts, Jessie jumped when he nipped her ear. Clapping a hand to her ‘abused’ ear she turned to look at him, her eyes narrowed slightly while a smile played on her lips. “Well fine then, let’s start with this.” Since her glass was empty Jessie snagged his long island took a healthy swing and promptly started to cough a few times. It was strong. A lot stronger then she would have expected with the name ‘long island ice tea’, even with watching it being made with several liquors Jessie didn’t think it would have had that much kick. Carefully she put the glass back down where it was and grimaced, “I think I’ll stick to the Cosmopolitan… blech.”

Lucas chuckled when she jumped and then took a hard and fast swig of his drink, watching her sputter for a moment as the multiple notes of alcohol hit her all at once. Shaking his head a little, he clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “Awww, you sip a Long Island, Beautiful, you don’t slam it. Slamming is for shots.” He said with a small wry grin reaching a hand out to cup her cheek and run his thumb along the start of her blush. “You want me to get you another Cosmopolitan, Beautiful?” He asked, his voice falling into a soft, almost… sweet tone.

To an outsider, well, to anyone who didn’t know Lucas well, it would appear that he was being almost chauvinistically patronizing to Jessie. Treating her in the way that some men treated trophy women, who hung on their arms as nothing more than window dressing. Those more intimately familiar with Lucas (which were very few) would realize he was doting on Jessie. This rare event would have been lauded by many as progress in Lucas’ normally hands off approach to people. Normally he would have let Jessie get her own drink and let her act as an independent entity.

The fact that he was actually asking if she wanted him to do something was a sign that he was imparting in her, a value above that of himself. He was, whether he liked it or not, forming an attachment to this woman. Something he did not expect to have happen, and was finding himself loathe to stop. So much so that he was willingly running headfirst into territory he had no idea how to deal with, simply because he could not stop the feelings that rose in his chest as he spoke to her.

His therapist would be so proud.

“So I see.” She wrinkled her nose in disgust at the drink, her blush getting deeper as he cupped her cheek. With a swallow, Jessie shook her head lightly, the feel of his thumb run across her cheek seemed oddly intimate right then. She cleared her throat and said relatively quietly, because of the music it was still rather like shouting, “You got the last one’s I’ll get them this time.” So with a half smile she bounced to her feet and before he could pull her back or offer to go with her, she was weaving through the crowd heading for the bar.

Once there she had to wait to get the bartender’s attention since they were busy at the other end which let a well dressed young guy slide up next to her and say smoothly, “I will stop loving you when an apple grows from a mango tree on the 30th of February.” For a moment all Jessie could do was blink at the man before she said quite clearly, “Both are quite possible. In theory you should be able to graft an apple tree to a mango tree and there by get an apple and the 30th of February has actually happened twice in history.”

She signalled to the bartender for another drink while she explained further to the slowly bewildering man. “See in 1700 Sweden wanted to switch from the…” The guy held up his hands in surrender and apologized for bothering her before beating a quick retreat. Jessie watched him leave with bewilderment, if he didn't want to know about how both Sweden and the Soviet Union had once had an ‘impossible’ date then why did he ask? Luckily her drink was completed shortly after and it didn’t take her much longer to make her way back to the little table that Lucas had found for them. “Sorry, the bartender had been a bit busy.” Jessie apologized as she carefully sat down, tugging at the hem to make sure it didn’t shift any higher as she sat.

Lucas had watched her go, painfully letting her dart off as he sat there, feeling the bass of the music in his bones, his foot tapping a bit with the time of it when it was physically possible for him to do so. When the music moved to more contemporary house fare, he simply listened, getting a feel for the music and how it would affect the motions of two bodies on the floor. It seemed to him, that in his absence from the scene, the scene had grown far more adventurous.

Or maybe he was getting old?

Shaking his head to perish the thought, he gave Jessie a grin as she returned, and as she did so, his arm instantly came up once more to rest on her shoulder, carefully molding her to his body as they sat there. He looked out over the dance floor and said, his voice once more close to her ear.

“Once you finish that one, we’ll dance a bit.” He said softly. “Then we can go from there.” He added, his voice a bit more husky than it had been at the start of the night.

He was still far from being nearly drunk enough to say anything he might regret, but dammit if he wasn’t going to tease the hell out of her now.

With deliberate care Jessie sipped at her drink, focusing on the meld of flavors in the simple cocktail glass rather than the heat Lucas’ body was generating as he nestled her against his side. She tried to focus on the chilled liquid and cool glass even as he whispered in her ear, a shiver once more traversing her spine. She tried to focus on the throbbing beat of the music but her own heartbeat seemed to overpower it and Jessie nervously gulped the last of her drink. With the drink now done there wasn’t really anything more to focus on, nothing to really distract her except, “Go from where? The dance floor? The bar? Back here to the table?” Semantics really but it gave her something to think about.

Snickering at her rather lame attempts to distract herself, Jessie put the glass down with a soft thunk. “Well it’s done so I guess it is time to just jump right in. Carpe Diem and all that.” Her smile was unsure but game as once more she slipped from his hold. One might wonder if it was his proximity that she was trying to avoid… or the way he was able to twist up her thoughts, and her body.

Jessie didn’t get very far though. She came to a stop a little ways from the edge of the dance floor unsure how to even try and make her way onto it. How did one move to the throbbing beat let alone breath in such a mass. She was oblivious to the looks she was getting, both speculative and appreciative, as she stood there absently swaying slightly to the music. Jessie might not mentally know how to dance but her body had some idea as the rhythm worked its way into her subconscious.

Lucas chuckled and shook his head, Jessie was such an interesting jumble. One moment she was lecturing him about idioms, then slamming drinks, and now she had rushed on ahead of him to the dance floor. He was starting to wonder if this really had been a bad idea.

These thoughts halted when he saw her at the edge of the floor, body starting to sway with the music as he moved behind her. He was sure he looked the part of a predator, lanky and lean, all teeth and claw as he placed his hands lightly on her hips, his own moving in time with hers as he lowered his lips again to her ear.

“That’s right, feel the music, let it course through you,” he said, warm breath against her ear. “Just give yourself to the moment. Enjoy it. Own it.”

Jessie started slightly when someone placed their hands on her but almost instantly she recognized Lucas, which was good she she might have driven her elbow into his gut. Even after skipping most of her training such a simple move was hard to forget. Absently her body leaned into his even as she eyed the crowd of dancers.

“You sound like a Disney villain,” she snickered at his choice of words. “Besides it doesn't look like there is any space on the dance floor for us.” Turning her head slightly to look at him Jessie realized how close he was, heat flooding her face as she looked away. It really was odd how he made her feel even after two months, shy and nervous and comfortable and happy. A strange mix, nothing she had ever felt before. It was still shocked her some times when thinking about it.

Shifting slightly, trying to squish the mass of emotions swirling in her. Her heart seemed to throb in time to the music, “so… Now what?” Her voice was soft, almost breathy as Jessie did her best to control the reaction to his proximity.

Lucas chuckled softly as she spoke, and he moved his body slowly against her own in time with the music, looking on the floor at the crush of bodies, he shook his head slowly. “There is plenty of space if you know where to look.” He said with a small grin. As she looked up at him, and her face flushed he wondered if she was maybe getting a bit… overly excited by his proximity.

Not that, that was a bad thing.

At her Disney villain comment, he just chuckled and shook his head. “Naw, never would be a very good villain, I think. I may be a fighter but I prefer to be a lover.” He said softly, his lips found her cheek as she focused on the floor in front of them.

“But we can dance here, if you don’t want to wade in.”

Jessie eyed the dancers skeptically. It sure didn't look like there was any space but Lucas obviously knew better. As they continued to just sway on the sidelines she was beginning to wonder if maybe it would be best if they moved into the crowd, at least that way there might be more space between them… Maybe. Although if the way he was acting that was not very likely. A small part of her wondered if Lucas actually enjoyed teasing her like this or he was just amusing himself.

“So I see,” her smile was weak even as her face seemed to get even brighter. “In all honesty Disney villains aren't very villainy. There are people in the city that are much worse then-” Jessie cut herself off. She couldn't tell him about the city’s dark side, she shouldn't even hint at it. Talking about it led to questions, questions needed answers, answers she couldn't give. Even if she didn't fight anymore, that decision still pricked at her conscience, it wasn't safe to share the knowledge she had. Not now… Not ever.

Clearing her throat, Jessie focused on the here and now. No point in thinking how she was abandoning her duty or how such a crowd was perfect for chaos to hunt in or how the man holding her close could one day be just one more casualty of the senseless, endless, war. Or worse, seduced to the dark side. It never even crossed her mind that maybe he already was, he wasn't like that. There were many things Lucas was but evil wasn't one of them.

Needing the distraction of the music Jessie shook her head once. “Might as well do this right. We are here to dance so let's dance, or in my case, try to dance.” Her laugh was strained and weak but she pulled away from Lucas, heading towards the crowd with only a moment of hesitation.

Lucas followed. Her words, barely caught over the din of the music sent a chill down her spine. Lucas KNEW that there were evil people in the city. He’d met them. He’d lived with them for seven long years. Murderers, rapists, and other violent and nonviolent offenders alike. The term thick as thieves had a real meaning to him, he’d seen how tightly knit the groups of felons were when they were behind bars. Alliances, loyalties. He’d avoided most of it, thankfully, by force of will and the fact that he kept to himself. He’d kept his head down and his nose clean and he’d made enemies for it. Enemies he’d found himself facing in the middle of the night, pillow pressed down against his face and a shiv ready to dive into his side.

They’d learned not to mess with him after the third or fourth attempt and being unable to… explain… why they had a broken jaw. Lucas had always acted in self defense, never starting fights, but he damn sure finished them.

So he couldn’t blame Jessie for wanting to venture deeper into the crowd, and so he followed. He stayed close. He took her hand and held it so as to not get separated. And when they found their own little bubble of space on the floor he pulled her close again, and he leaned in to whisper.

“You know, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you were trying to run away from me…” He said in a soft, seductive tone. “Not sure why, but you know, it’s okay to give in and just enjoy it.” He added with a bit of a husky purr. “I’m not going to bite unless you want me too.”

Again, his body pressed to hers, and he moved with her to the beat, his hands once more on her hips, guiding her just a little to the beat of the music.

If she had known about what Lucas had seen, had been through he likely wouldn’t appreciate her reaction. One of sorrow for what had happened to him. One of pride for the way he came out of it the way he did. One of kindness, wonder, and care. No one deserved to live through what he did but he survived. He survived and came out whole. Maybe a little broken but who in the city wasn’t. Even she had nightmares every so often. But luckily for them both she didn’t know, she really didn’t care much as to why he was in jail. His past was his to keep or share as he saw fit so for once her endlessly curious mind turned away from questions and sought out other things to keep her mentally engaged… like clubbing.

“Am not,” she muttered as he pulled her close once more. She wasn't running from him. The way he was making her feel, yes, him, no. Even surrounded by people it felt almost like they were alone. Laughing she looked up at him, her brow rose as an amused look crossed her face, “that is not quite true mister. I know at least once where you didn't ask for permission. And it took two weeks for that ‘love’ bite to fade.” She just smiled at him and let him guide her movements.

Doing her best to just go with the flow Jessie danced. Trying to keep up with the beat and with the rest of the other dancers. Maybe it was the drinks, or the music, or the vibe of the club itself but she danced without worrying or thinking or wondering. The only thing she was really focused on was Lucas, a small part wondering if he was enjoying himself since it seemed like the night had been all about dragging her out of her shell rather than him just having fun.

There was no doubt that Lucas was enjoying himself. Well, very little doubt as he kept Jessie’s body tight to his own, grinding against her teasingly as they danced. His hands remained on her hips for a few beats before they slowly teased up her sides. It was fairly clear by the movements of his body and hands that she was his sole focus. This was made even more apparent as his lips teased lightly against her neck.

He knew he was treading dangerous ground, the last thing he wanted to do was spook her and send her running back to the bar… His hands moved again, guiding her arms so she could hook her hands behind his neck. He was lost in the moment, to the point that he didn’t care where they were.

“Having fun?” He asked, his voice husky as he moved his hips against hers. He hoped she was because if her motions were any indication she was a quick study.

The beat of her heart outpaced the heavy throb of the music. It was harder to keep to the rhythm then she expected, mostly because of Lucas. Jessie had read up on club dancing, watched youtube videos, even tried a few moves herself but she didn’t factor in him. She should have figured he would tease her, he seemed to get a kick out of it. She should have figured that he wouldn’t ‘leave room for the holy ghost’ as some would say. And she should have figured that she would enjoy it or atleast let go enough to enjoy it.

Jessie sucked in her breath the first time his lips brushed the damp skin of her neck. Already her whole body was basicly tingling. It was likely a mix of the music, drink, heat, and Lucas himself but it felt like that simple touch was a jolt of electricity he sent through her. She would have completely lost the rhythm if he hadn’t kept it going, as it was Jessie struggled to rip her mind off of other things and put it back on the beat of the music. A tiny mental voice piped up, that's a country song, it’s a good song.

It was all it took for her to break the little spell he had mostly woven around her, he was still affecting her but for a brief moment she caught the beat of the music once more and after a moment of her hands raised above her head, fingers brushing the nape of his neck, Jessie pulled away with a laugh. It was earthy and full of mischief, her eyes twinkling with the same feelings, as she spun to face him, nearly as close as they were before. “Yeah,” the tiny voice mentally snickered since it was another country song, Jessie’s smile was teasing and bright. Her hand caught his and started to back up, their linked hands between them, as she did her best to keep up with the music and the moves Lucas had ‘shown’ her. It was tempting to take to teasing on the offensive but Jessie knew that, that particular blade cut both ways and right then she didn’t think she could really handle it. So instead she tried to have fun. Tried to just let it all go.

Lucas allowed her to slip away, though she kept her hands in his own so he knew that she wasn’t trying to really slip away again. The music had shifted a bit and that was fine, he knew he couldn’t keep her completely contained to only himself. Besides, he could tell she was actually starting to have fun, and he was loathe to impinge on that. Besides, there would be time again to pull her close and tease her some more. With any luck, the night would end with him not having to go home at all.

It was actually getting to the point that it seemed like anytime he took Jessie on a date he didn’t need to return to his own house for the evening, which was fine. It was a bit uncommon in the sense that it was more regular than it had been before he’d gone to prison. Or at least, more regular with one other person. Before his incarceration he’d of found another girl or two to spend time with. Now between his two jobs, Jessie was really the only girl he saw on a continuous basis. He wouldn’t hit on customers at the store because that would be detrimental to his continued employment so he didn’t dare.

As the music shifted back to an R&B style song, he spun her quickly and then pulled her back up against his body in a smooth motion, leaning in to whisper lightly in her ear.

“Looks like you’re starting to have fun?”

She had gotten her body under control for the most part as she danced. Something about Lucas’ proximity just made it that much harder to think so the distance was needed. She never had that particular problem before, not from her ex and not from any of her friends… Just Lucas. She didn't really know how to handle it so distance was needed, even welcomed. For her at least. He seemed to have a different idea.

As the beat changed once more Lucas gave her a spin and pulled her close to murmur in her ear. Jessie’s breath had caught slightly on the spin and even now, snug against him, it was hard to regain it. The feel of his words whispering over her skin had a zap of energy coursing through her even as his body heat permeated the thin material of her dress. “Yes,” her answer was a bit breathy and unsteady. Swallowing hard, the brunette closed her eyes for a moment to try to center herself but it actually made it worse.

Without the visual distractions her world focused on two things, sound and touch. The music, and the noise of the club, melded together to create almost a white noise, nothing she could pick out just a blend of sounds leaving just touch to ground her. Specifically the feel of Lucas holding her close, moving to the music.

With a gasp Jessie’s eyes flew open. Her attempt to gather control once more backfired completely. She wouldn't be doing that again any time soon.

Lucas let out a soft, throaty chuckle. He had heard her gasp, the breathiness of her words. He knew what was going on. And if she didn’t think he was going to capitalize on it, well… she didn’t know him very well. His hands remained on hers, but he guided her hands to her hips and he kept her moving against him, but a bit more slowly now, more obviously driving his intent and desire home.

“I think…” He murmured into her ear with far more huskiness to his voice than before. “That tonight has been a success, and that perhaps, we should probably make our way home?” He asked gently. “Move on to… other entertainment for the evening?”

It was a question, as much as it was a demand.

Trying, and failing, to control her thundering heart head all Jessie could do was nod. She was sure once they were free of the club she would be able to gain back control even as a small part of her laughed uproariously at the idea. When had she ever been able to control the feelings Lucas pulled out of her.

“There are,” she was doing her best to remember just what kind of games and pastimes were hidden away in her apartment, “a few board games.” That same small voice that snickered at the song titles banged it's metaphorical head against its metaphorical wall. It knew what Lucas was insinuating even if Jessie herself missed it.

“I know there is a deck of cards somewhere. And Netflix. I have Netflix.”

“That works. I think there are new episodes of some popular shows on now since the fall season ended.” Tv shows were a safe topic. One she didn't know much about but still a safer topic than dancing. Or at least dancing with Lucas. As he guided them through the club Jessie absently worried her lower lip with her teeth. It might take a bit of searching to find a show he would find interesting since most of what she watched were history things, weather shows, DIY stuff, and building shows. She had no idea that there was a different meaning to ‘Netflix and chill’.

“Twister?” Curious, she glanced up at Lucas. “Maybe. There are variants to the game? I don't think I've ever heard of any variations on it. Of course I'm up for learning a new game.” Learning the new rules to an old game would definitely help her mentally gain back control over her body and its reactions. “I'm sure I have an old one somewhere.”

“Oh I’m sure you’ll like it a lot…. And I’ll watch anything,” Lucas said with a small chuckle and once they were outside again, took a deep breath. “I just… want… to spend time with you is all, so I’d be more than happy to teach you the new rules.”

The admission, he felt, had come a bit easier than he’d expected. He was sure she’d laugh it off and let it go, hoped she would. He wasn’t sure how he would react if she stated the same sentiment in response. Frankly, he wasn’t sure he was ready for her to.

Why did this suddenly get so damn complicated.

Like Lucas, Jessie took a deep breath once they were outside of the club. Part of her was surprised by just how different the two spaces smelled, just how different they felt. Out here on the sidewalk it was asphalt, exhaust, and space while the club was sweat, metal, and crowds. By far she prefered the sidewalk but the club had been fun. Something different and once she got into it, Jessie mentally added it to a list of things she needed to do again… eventually.

“You mean most days at work don’t drive you up the wall?” She smiled cheekily at him, her head tilted to one side like a curious bird. Turning away she took a few steps away to search for a cab, driving wasn’t her friend so she tended to rely on public transportation of some sort, before turning back towards him. “I like spending time with you too. I learn lots of new things like the rules to this variation on Twister, if I can find it that is. And dancing. Youtube didn’t say anything about that kind of dancing.” Jessie danced like they did at the club for a moment before stopping with a shy smile, absently tugging at her dress hem. She had no idea of the few, very, appreciative glances from the people still waiting to get into the club.

“Maybe I’ll come back one night and see about learning some new steps or moves or dances or whatever it’s called.” Her smile was innocent and earnest, for her it was something new to learn not necessarily something that would possibly have a downside. “And maybe try something other than the Cosmopolitan, just not a Long Island.” Jessie wrinkled her nose in disgust as she remembered the taste of Lucas’ drink. “I wonder why it's called a Cosmopolitan.” Any further questions were cut off by the arrival of the cab which she promptly opened the back door and started to step in, glancing over at Lucas. “Come on. I really want to see what variation your talking about. I wonder what it's like.”

Lucas chuckled and watched as Jessie danced outside the club, her question as if the days at work didn’t drive him up the wall he grinned. “They do sometimes, in their own ways… for their own reasons…” Like when he wished the shop was empty for long enough for him and Jessie to sneak away for a bit of alone time during the day… But he wasn’t about to even try to press that issue right now.

When the cab arrived, he shook his head, and slid into the seat beside her. “If I know you, and I have a feeling I do somewhat… I’m sure you’ll be more than happy to tell me all those answers once you’ve done your research.” He said, before leaning over and kissing her cheek. Then he gave the driver the address to the store and leaned back in the seat, pulling Jessie close so she could rest up.

“Yeah, I’m sure you’ll have a blast.”