“Nah, I’d rather just head home, love.” Caleb’s voice was quiet and he kept his eyes on Xi’s face. “You do look really nice tonight…go have fun okay? Have fun for the both of us, and then when you get home we’ll cuddle and watch a movie or something.”
He gave a smile, and while it was somewhat sad, he had meant what he said. Reaching up he cupped Xi-Wang’s cheek and grinned suddenly. “It’s what, a few hours? Serioulsy love, you didn’t know I was coming anyway, so go have fun. I love you and I’ll see you at home.”
Gently, the brunette drew away and gave a smile. “I’d kiss you, but I don’t want to get to carried away…we are in a public place after all, Xi.” He winked. “Enjoy your party and I’ll see you later, okay?”
"Just let me know when you'd like to borrow my talents again." He smirked, taking a sip of his wine as he looked Seth over again. It was obvious the man was still checking out the crowd but it did give him a chance to take him in again. Finding him was almost like finding the rich kids out in LA who didn't have enough to do and liked enjoying themselves.
It was a nice bonus to being back in DC.
Lysander checked out the people Seth pointed out. "More acquaintances or friends?"
"That chapter must have been taken out of my copy. I just got the stuff about the wine and why you shouldn't drink anything else because it's not sophisticated." He grinned slightly, tugging gently on his hand to see if Arin would give it back. Not that he disliked Arin holding his hand but he was going to start blushing again and he did not need to do that.
Lucien also didn't need an offer to dance. That would be so much worse.
"I'm going to get a picture of her and I can't dance. Don't have anywhere to put my camera and it would get in the way." That was at least a good excuse, reason, to not dance. "I wouldn't mind a glass of wine though if they've got a good white one floating around."
Standing right next to Matt and gawking at the grandiosity of the fundraiser gala that he was attending as his mentor's guest, Kyle had to remind himself to stop fiddling with the tie for what was probably the tenth time that evening.
This all had to be a dream. In fact, someone should probably pinch him somewhere, anywhere so that he could be sure that this was really happening to him now.
It all started with Matt asking him after one of their study sessions a week ago if he was going to be available on Friday, May 5th. Preoccupied with the assessment that he had to prepare for earlier this week, Kyle hadn't thought much about it until he was finally here, dressed to the nines in the suit that Matt had loaned him for the gala after picking him up from the DCU dorm in his car.
Bringing his hand down to rest it on Matt's as the other male addressed him, he smiled. Okie. He probably shouldn't get too far ahead of himself here lest things quickly got awkward between him and his mentor as a result of any misunderstanding on his part of the other's intent and ruined whatever they already had.
"Maybe... a dance? Will it look weird since we're both guys though?"
It was still up in the air as to whether Matt had intended to invite him to the gala as a date or to educate him on the expected etiquette during social events such as this that he would have to attend at some point during his professional career.
Olga positively beamed at the compliment from Caspian, and she beamed further at Mi-Hi. "Ah! Such a cool name! It's a pleasure to meet you, Mi-Hi! And aww, thanks!" She grinned, and smoothed it a bit subconsciously because Michael's thoughts weren't that far off. She really wasn't a Gala person, and she did feel at sorts wearing something like that and being here.
She fell silent for a moment, taking the time to scan the crowd and area again now that she was among the comfort of friends (and someone super cute and nice). "Have you guys danced at all?" She asked, turning towards them again. "I'd like to go dancing once before leaving tonight!" It was here she looked oh so hopefully at all of them. Mi-Hi included.
The invitation actually said ‘Giovanna Gennaro’. Gigi held the gilded thing carefully, wondering if anyone was going to call her on it. It was technically her name. It was two-thirds of her name. And her namesake great-aunt had been very insistent that she went to the ball.
Aunt Giovanna had been adorably excited when Gigi had mentioned the new fundraising cause that was going around town. She loved a good-news story. A state-of-the-art research hospital in Destiny City could only bring good things. Even if it wasn’t specifically focusing on cancer research, it still had all the equipment, and would likely attract all the great minds. That had been Gigi’s pitch, when she went round her old fundraising contacts to try and drum up some donations to the slightly off-topic cause. And it had worked. Though looking around at the extremely fancy suits and gowns of the other guests, she had to wonder exactly how much her great-aunt had written on the cheque.
But Aunt Giovanna was too old, too frail, even in remission, to attend a gala. Not even the sanctuary of the hospital grounds made it feasible. It had been almost an obligation to attend in her place.
It was already late by the time Gigi arrived. She wasn’t used to getting so dressed up, and everything had taken so much longer than expected. She’d spent an hour on her hair, trying to pin the mess of curls into something resembling order. She’d managed to get a small portion into an almost-bun at the back of her neck, with the escaping strands waterfalling down her back. But she could already feel it unravelling as she bustled around with her makeup. In the end, she jammed a leaf-patterned gold headband over the lot, hoping it would at least hold the wayward curls in place.
Her outfit itself had been easier, though the whole ensemble had probably cost more than her own hospital donation. Her long gown brushed her legs lightly as she moved, faintly pink sheer pleats flowing in subtle ruffles without restricting her stride as she hurried into the ballroom.
Once inside though, the extreme fanciness of the even could no longer be ignored. There were people in dresses that looked straight out of a magazine. And gentlemen in all colours of suits. And, at a first glance at the whirl of couples and conversational knots, nobody she recognised. A little overwhelmed, Gigi clutched her clutch, declining a champagne flute from a too-helpful waiter, and wondered if she should just leave. But she was already here, and she’d put in so much effort. She needed to find a spot to wallflower, and watch the dancers. Surely somebody she knew would be in here somewhere.
Bob couldn't have looked any prouder than he did at that very moment.
"Sure is, kid. The bigger, the better." Had he the appropriate tear ducts to cry, he might have shed a single tear. "And you've got an advantage - dames love a cute kitten. I'd take advantage of that while you're still small."
Various legs and thighs came into view, as well as heads over in the distance. He saw some douchey looking man with pink tips in his hair (pink?), a hoighty-toighty pair that seemed to be rambling on about violins or something especially boring and one lady even dared to wear cowboy boots to the formal occasion. Several women had obscenely high cut skirts with some of the men had chosen ridiculous looking outfits.
Man, he was really glad that he was a cat and not one of these fools.
Scooping up a cheese slice, he gnawed on it as another pair of fine lookin' legs passed by.
"So kid, you ever take advantage of a skirt before?"
Lucyal
I don't even know what he's doing anymore, I'm so sorry
She came close to rolling her eyes as the firm grip found its way to her hip, pushing her possessively against him. Prissy certainly didn't mind the attention, her own hand moving to his backside to offer a quick pinch before settling on his own waist. Two could play the game, Mr. Black.
Mister Cameron had sadly changed his target focus entirely to Chase now, which was both sad and unfortunate but Prissy took it like the champ she was. The personal invitation to an exclusive showing certainly perked her interests up, then only increased as the two men discussed hosting their own event of sorts.
A fashion show? A ball? Priscilla would be crushed if wedged out of such an affair.
Glancing up at her date, she gave him an expectant look before returning to the man specifically looking away from her.
Eyebrows rose at her implication that he'd need to undress, though the grin never wavered from his lips, especially as he watched her falter for a brief, minuscule second before regaining her composure. Akio had forgotten how much fun it was to flirt out and about - and this young woman was no exception. Her grace and charm was pleasant but her initial stutter had been refreshingly endearing, catching his attention even further.
It was so easy to tire of women who were overly confident in themselves - it was another thing to find someone in this particular setting that kept their naivety.
"It's really a shame, then, that you failed to spill it." He tipped the glass back, finishing the flute before moving to set the empty glass on the table beside them. "I was rather hoping to guilt you into a dance with me, in exchange for the inconvenience."
Unable to resist, he offered a wink as hands moved to adjust the matching gloves that came with his suit. "But perhaps with time, the champagne will give me the courage to ask a beautiful, green haired stranger to dance with me anyhow."
Pausing, the smile turned faux serious. "Unless, of course, she had no interest?"
"Oh geesh, you like me? Well guess what? I like you too!" Benji ended up happily responding, a small laugh laced between his words as the little girl led him in an awkward but entertaining dance. Despite not knowing what exactly he was doing and being even more uncertain that Giulia didn't know herself, the confidence in how she moved and her excitement was more than enough for him to just relax and take the dancing for what it was, a great deal of fun!
The more she swish swished and wooshed about, the more Benji began to just laugh, to the point where he almost wished he had such a swooshy dress so he could join her in her flower petal like spins across the dance floor! Maybe another time since for now he was stuck in a stuffy vest and tie.
When Giulia's little arms raised in response to the spins, he nodded and did his best to keep up. One, two, three, one, two, three, spin. And it worked, the little princess who held his hands became a lovely little bloom full of giggles and sunshine and it made the young man actually happy to know he had helped in making her so.
Sadly, the music eventually ended, and their little waltz ended as they clapped in thanks. But there was something that Benji noticed while swinging around the dancefloor with Giulia. Another dear friend of his, Gigi, had come into his view, but it would have been rude to suddenly stop dancing in favor of talking to another, so he had waited. Now that they HAD stopped, he waved at her, beckoning her to come closer to where he and his new little friend stood on the dancefloor.
"Hey Big Sis!" he called out with a smile, one hand still holding onto Giulia's and the other giving a come on over! gesture to the older woman. After he had gotten a bit of acknowledgement, he knelt down before Giulia, making sure they wouldn't be stepped on or in the way before the music started again. It looked like it was a musical turn over so they had a bit of time.
"Giulia, would you like to teach another grown up like me to dance? I'm not sure if my friend knows how to dance as well as you do, so she might need some learnings too. You know, Little princess to big princess." Because Giulia certainly looked like a little princess, and Gigi would always be that super cool and sweet princess to him as well, even if she wasn't as glamorous with a tiara like Giulia was.
"She's super nice, and I'm sure she'd love to have you dance with her. She can be number two on your list of Dance partners for the night!"
For the briefest of moments after Anxo's arrival, he seemed a bit worried. Not so much because he was nervous at events like these. On the contrary, the thrived on fancy parties and dancing, as he had been raised to be a rather rambunctious attendee. No, it was more for the fact that he had arrived a bit earlier than he anticipated and his partner was running late. Not that he minded all too much. Arian was busy sometimes, and it happened. And it wasn't as if he was the kinda person who would bail out of attending at the last minute, so after that brief moment of worry, Anxo let it go and decided to already start to mingle.
And by mingle he meant find a person to dance with.
It took only a few moments scanning the dancefloor before he found a suitable target, a young woman who seemed to be shyly standing off to the side, looking as if she wished to dance but didn't know how to ask. As kindly as he could, he approached her and asked her himself, and with delight she accepted! And they danced and danced, swishing all over the floor and laughing every now and then because Anxo was certainly a lively young man, charming in his own right with a beam and a glimmer to his eyes.
By the time the music started playing, the woman insisted she was dizzy and needed to sit down, which was just fine with Anxo as well, for during the last bit of the song he spotted the person he truly was waiting for. As politely as he could manage, he bowed out from her presence to approach Arian, pulling off his suit jacket as he went because dancing was strenuous and hot.
"Wow... I never thought I'd live to see the day when a fallen star would land right before me..." Anxo grinned, draping his coat over his arm and simply beaming at Arian, it reaching almost cheekiness as he gave Arian's own arm a little squeezed greeting. "And yet here you are in all of you wonder and glory, Arian. Consider me blessed, and I didn't even need to wish it."
The behavior had less to do with Trey and more to do with the restlessness rattling around inside of him. Realistically, Chase didn't view the man as any sort of threat because he knew exactly where Priscilla's attention lay. For all of her taunting and threats, he knew she wouldn't stray. If she waited for him while he was gone, she wouldn't wander now. But the beast that paced back and forth within him demanded displays of possession even against the mildest threats.
Prissy liked it, he could tell, and after everything, he felt like he could indulge and reward her a little even if she tried to push her luck with the wandering hand. That received an arched brow thrown her way, but no other reaction for the time being.
Besides, the way Trey shifted his behavior to appease him and the display made Trey that much more interesting to him. Re-building was something he'd been planning, now that he was in good enough health to behind assessing potential new recruits to add to his pack, and it was seeming like the younger man before him could be a good prospect.
Excellent.
He'd use whatever event they settled upon to further assess the man. "I think that we could make time to come by." Priscilla could find some excuse to get out of work and Chase's schedule was vacant until he met with lawyers and check on the coffee shop but those were all things he could fit around whatever time worked best for Trey and his mother. Not that he'd say that.
Half the power came from presenting an occupied front.
Trey was given a look of consideration, thoughts brewing behind that whiskey-gaze of Chase's before he decided to speak again. "I suppose we'll just have to put your potential to the test, then." When he smiled, there was something sharp and almost predatory to it. He didn't miss the way Prissy looked at him and he pressed his fingers more firmly against her hip in response. "Events such as the one I'd like to hold for her require much planning and dedication, but," his gaze swept across all of Trey, "I'm sure we could figure something out."
Certain that she was probably quite red, flushed and a little overwhelmed, Rory did something she hadn't expected to do. She took the flute she had been handed and raised it to her lips, the slightly unpleasant tasting liquid sliding across her tongue and down her throat. It was difficult to not make a face at the bitter taste of what she presumed was the alcohol, but somehow, Aurora managed.
There was a lingering after taste she didn't know she liked and she couldn't do more than sip at the drink because it wasn't very pleasant, but it seemed like the right thing to do for the moment. (Rory hoped that Jules wasn't watching and that her date was distracting her so she couldn't get scolded later.) "And ruin a nice suit? I don't think any dance is worth that," she replied, hiding her smile behind the glass even though she was pleased by everything he was saying to her.
It was nice, to have the attention because her only experiences had been with Oberon, who was a terrible idea because he was white moon and maybe he wasn't actually interested and was just...well nice, or Obsidan, who paid attention to her, certainly but it wasn't like this. Then, there was Seal's Eye...but he was a different creature completely than the other two.
This tanned, dark-haired stranger with a smile that did funny things to her heart was probably the most normal of her interactions with anyone of the opposite gender. While Rory couldn't quite understand why he thought her to be beautiful (she was a silly school girl after all), the compliments made happy butterflies flit about in her stomach and she felt warm in a way that had nothing to do with the drink she'd taken another sip of.
"Not when - " she stopped, unsure if she should be so bold, but...he had called her beautiful and he implied he wanted to dance with her, which meant he was interested...right? "When you could just ask."
She didn't know if she would say yes, she wanted to, certainly but...Aurora could walk in heels yes, she didn't know if she could dance in them. "Her interest depends, she doesn't even know the gentleman's name." She offered in lieu of an answer, still trying to weigh the costs and opportunities that would come with saying yes to a dance request. She had never gone to any of her school's dances, either because she hadn't the time or she had never been asked to one, so such a concept was...well, baffling but exciting and thrilling all at the same time.
Lovely did not originally plan to come to this stupid gala. He hated galas. Galas meant schmoozing, which meant talking to people, which he hated enough on a normal day. He’d much rather be at home watching dumb s**t on Netflix while eating his weight in chips or candy.
But Ilian was coming to this stupid gala, and Lovely was getting a little fed up with Ilian, who kept sneaking out to do Negaverse s**t even though Lovely repeatedly told him not to go out on his own. The fact that Ilian was coming with Jericho should have eased whatever worries Lovely might have had, but Lovely wasn’t always Jericho’s biggest fan, and also he was still sort of suspicious. Ilian didn’t tell him jack s**t sometimes, which Lovely thought was bullshit.
Ilian should tell him things. Ilian should tell him everything, because they were sort of dating. But also sort of not, because neither of them felt like talking about it or deciding on a label. Either way, weird s**t was going on between them. Dumb emotional s**t. As such, Ilian should not be keeping secrets. And he definitely should not be sneaking out at night when he thought Lovely was sleeping to do dangerous s**t on his own.
So after helping Ilian pick out a suit (which, Lovely had to admit, did look very nice on him), Lovely bought himself a suit and made sure he got his hands on a ticket, even if it meant whining to his wealthy mother, who he was still sort-of-but-not estranged from. He even snuck back home to his older brother’s house to steal his own car from the garage specifically so he could roll up in his ******** Maserati for the first time since Lovely left home over a year ago.
It was glorious. Lovely almost cried.
Now, Lovely kept weaving in and out of the crowd, skirting around the room while he spied on Ilian, occasionally ducking behind people or conveniently turning his back at the right moments so Ilian wouldn’t see him there yet.
That jackass wasn’t even with Jericho. Okay, so he was with Jericho, but then Jericho was gone with someone else, someone who said something to Ilian like they knew each other. Then Ilian was gesturing to someone else like they knew one another (someone Lovely couldn’t quite see from his vantage point), before approaching another person he was apparently acquainted with that Lovely didn’t recognize at all.
Since when did Ilian know people?
Specifically, since when did Ilian known people that Lovely didn’t know?
Was he jealous? Maybe a little.
Did he have a reason to be? He didn’t know yet, but he had every intention of finding out.
Guine
Spying on you
Kaefaux
Spying on you too
Quote:
Late intro. Feel free to interact with Lovely at your own discretion. The last few times I've tried to get back into RP, I've flaked out after a post or two. I am truly sorry. I have mental health things going on. It sucks. I also am aware that I have a s**t ton of PMs to respond to, which I promise I will do as soon as my head is in the right space for it. I love everyone. <3
Truth to tell, if Peter had let his eyes stray to his friends legs, it was highly unlikely that the bluenette would have even noticed. Her understanding and observation of such things was...very little. Her perception of romance was the skewed, romantic notions a teen got from reading fantasy novels. Sure there were mentions of men eyeing up women and more, but those were always overshadowed by the true love notion that seemed to exist in the novels she tended towards.
“Oh? Then you and your brothers just came to check the Gala out on your own?” She grinned. “I am a little surprised but excited you’re here as well!”
When Peter mentioned dancing Chailee had two initial reactions. One was a furious blush to cross her face and the other a sheepish smile and a nod. “Sure, but...uh…” She paused, a thumb playing with the glass goblet she held. “I’ve never dance before. Not like this anyway.” She looked to the dance floor as she spoke. There people danced close to one another and moved around the floor gracefully like they knew exactly what to do. Which, they probably did.
“I mean, if you don’t mind me fumbling a bit until I figure it out?” Her smile grew a bit more confident but the blush didn’t leave her cheeks.
“What do you mean some shouldn’t be out tonight? Are you saying some shouldn’t even be here? That it’s too prestigious an event for them?” She raised a brow at that considering she would likely fall into the category of ‘one’s who shouldn’t be out tonight.’
His mention of rug burn got a legit grin out of her as she tucked her hair behind an ear. “Well, they must see some merit in it or they wouldn’t bother.”
Taking his hand, Gwen gave him a courteous smile. “Gweneth Malley.” She retrieved her hand from him then before taking a sip of her own wine. She’d forgotten how dry of a wine it was and involuntarily grimaced slightly as the liquid hit her pallette. “Ugh, you would think there would be better wine here for such an important event.” Really, she had no reason to complain. She hadn’t paid for her ticket and happened upon it courtesy of her employer not being able to attend.
“So, you stay to the outskirts for your work. What does your work entail? Being that odd, aloof guy in the corner who has a ‘don’t come near me’ look about him?”
Ah, so it seems she wasn’t the only one ticked off at the idiot. Seems he managed to also knock into a tween. What a clumsy lout. And, he wasn’t even helping her clean up the mess he made? Instead he turned his attention onto the young girl and Ildri practically snarled.
“Hey, get down here and help clean up this mess you made.” She said as she dumped a handful of ruined food onto the tray which was being held in one hand while she worked with the other.
At this point she was ******** ready to be done with this gala. She had not been all that interested in waitressing in the first place but did it out of...well...something. Cause if she had been smart, she would have been better off out there showcasing herself to the elite that had gathered for such a prestigious event. Instead she opted to try and show she was ‘devoted’ to their cause.
Kuropeco
Posted: Fri May 05, 2017 12:08 am
"You're sure?" Even with what Caleb was saying he didn't trust it, didn't trust that Caleb was ok with him remaining here - that Caleb was ok. "I can come back with you - i don't mind." And he didn't, not if it made the other happy...if it fixed whatever he'd done, and he was sure he'd done something at this point. He'd upset Caleb in some way, and the sad part was that he didn't know how.
With the others insistence he managed a weak smile, still unsure if the other was serious and was ok with him staying. "I can bring food...and you can pick the movie? I'll leave early." So he could pick up food and make it to Caleb's apartment. He felt bad, how could he not? He'd done something wrong and hurt the other, the person he was dating and card about.
After another moment he shook his head though. "N-no I'll come with you. We can get food now and go home to watch a movie."
Tom sighed as he readjusted his cuffs again before going back into the main area. It had been a while since he had been to an event such as this and while he was interested because of the new hospital, he usually went to such events for the food, if there was any. And this time, there was, so he could actually eat something nice for a change rather than the crud he had been buying making for himself.
However though, it ran into the same problems as usual which was not having a whole lot of conversation because he didn't know many of the people here. He had heard about this through the Negaverse though, that it was their actions and had almost volunteered to be a part of it, but decided against it just so he could enjoy the night a bit more. And it was also why Jason wasn't here at all. No way was he going to let his little brother into a place that he knew had Negaverse workings behind it.
Quote:
Open for interaction
Ghouliboo
Here you go? XD
Posted: Fri May 05, 2017 6:30 am
“Of course I bought it just for you…I’m not really one who goes to many galas, let me tell you. For all of the parties I do go to, normally I’m just in a smart, snappy suit, not yards of soft silk.” Her arms went around him and for a moment she hesitated, then her hand seemed to do what it wanted, and what it wanted was to graze the wonderful butt that was in those wonderful pants.
Bellatrix seemed a little embarrassed but grinned up at Rob, face flushing once again. “Whoops.”
Yeah, like that was an accident. No, it was totally on purpose. She hoped…to get an invitation home with him after this gala, and if he didn’t invite her…she might even see if she could just invite herself.
“I’m…I know I’ve said this at least a dozen times…but I’m really glad your partner signed you up for the date with me, and I’m so glad you decided to actually go. I’m the luckiest woman in the world.”
She'd gotten a ticket as a tip from one of her customers at the Waffle House.
The man had clearly meant it as a joke, finding cruel humor in the idea of a country bumpkin showing up at such a fancy affair. Mags hadn't taken it as a joke, not when he'd explained how there'd be free food at the fancy shindig welcoming in the new hospital to town.
Free food? When she made minimum wage?
Done.
She'd shown up to the front door near opening time but had been escorted off the premises because, as the doorman had phrased it, she was not dressed in appropriate attire.
Jeans and cowboy boots clearly did not pass inspection and as she watched other people coming in, realized just how fancy the affair was.
Aw, crap.
Not owning a single frilly thing to her name (excluding her fuku, which definitely did not count), Mags did the only thing she could think of.
Mags went to Goodwill.
Two hours later, feeling proud of her accomplishment and $8.24 well-spent, she strutted her way past the confused looking doorman and into the large gala.
Ushering her way towards the buffet line, she managed to first bump into a well-to-do lookin' fella with his hair pulled back all girly like. Not that there was anything wrong with it, save for maybe the fact Mags felt a little jealous that a fella could take long hair better than she could her own ruckus of curls.
"Sorry 'bout that, friend." She grinned sheepishly, her polyester fabric swishing as bright pink waltzed by the gentleman, her eyes on the chocolate fountain in the corner. Mags was so intently focused on the fountain that she failed to watch her footing with her oversized pink pumps from the Goodwill store that she toppled forward and directly into the back of a gentleman clad in a tuxedo, sans the cowboy hat.
"Gahhhhhh!"
Sunshine Alouette
HEY FRIEND!!!
SSBrosB
this is what you get for agreeing, you have no one to blame but yourself
His hand fell over his heart in a dramatic wave. Everything about Akio was dramatic, so it fell naturally against the breast pocket of his suit with graceful ease.
"Ah, but it sounds as if a name would make a difference. Perhaps mine is something abhorrent, like Gunther, Dorcus or..." He paused, inwardly shuddering at the simplicity of it, "..Bob. Would it cost me a dance, if I should fail the test?"
Akio watched the stranger sip from her glass and debated going for a second serving for his own needs. It almost felt rusty, getting back into the saddle of things when it came to flirting and although she seemed interested, she could very well just be playing coy with him.
For whatever reason, he really hoped she wasn't.
Sighing, he glanced up to the ceiling as though he were debating outwardly for her to hear. "Ah, well. I suppose if I never try, I'll never allow myself the opportunity, will I?"
The hand across his chest moved as he dipped to present her with a bow before the hand outstretched itself, gloved palm up, in her direction.
"Akio Yoshida, my lady, humbly requesting to add my name to your dance card.... if you'll have me."
His eyebrow crooked up and a playful grin slid into place.
"You, in a suit? That would be a sight to see."
Her hands hadn't draped around his neck like he'd expected them too, instead honing in for an area he was certainly not prepared to receive attention from. The surprise was a startling change on the typically cool, calculative lawyer's face and he couldn't help but laugh at her forwardness, his tan cheeks blushing ever so slightly. Bella was an unexpected delight - she kept him on his toes and for once, he appreciated the lack of control over a situation. He found himself more relaxed around her, an alarming change from his normal approach to others in general.
Dipping his head down to where his lips brushed against the tip of her ear, he slyly added, "You could always try on my shirt and tie, to see if you prefer those. In fact, I don't mind donating this set for you to test out later."
His hands squeezed her waist in emphasis as his head drew back up, doing his very best to look as innocent as possible.
