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Despite almost tripping over the ledge of the sidewalk when she climbed out of the yellow taxi cab, Sana strutted confidently through the lobby of the hotel she remembered quite fondly. It was late - about the same time the hotel staff had seen her last time. A lucky coincidence, she thought, since they had no problem letting her find her way to the elevator. The door shut with a chime and she let her gaze rake over the buttons that dotted the control panel. They blurred a little as she tried to focus, until she had to bend down and bring the numbers to a few inches from her face.

A button was guessed based on vague familiarity and pressed until the backlight turned on. As the elevator shifted into motion, she stood slowly, giving herself a hasty once over to decide exactly how much of a hot mess she was. There was no mirror to judge herself, but she was a master at primping - she could make herself seem less of a hot mess and more of an exhausted diva. Both of her hands grabbed her skirt and shifted it a little to the left, correcting what Kam had sent askew, then brought her fingers up to her eyes - a slow, practiced swipe rubbed off the smear of eyeliner she always had at the end of a long night.

By the time the elevator dinged and opened on -

oh, nope.

Sana frowned and leaned down again, electing a different button. The doors shut on an empty hall and the elevator swung back into motion - though the ride was considerably shorter. The elevator doors opened again with a ding and she smiled at the familiar sight of Marlo's front door as it was reveal slowly. She put a hand up against the doorframe as she stepped across it, steadying herself until she had both feet on the other side of the elevator. She was still tipsy, but sober enough to understand she had to be careful.

In a slow saunter, Sana was at his front door. She leaned into the door frame with a hip before she raised her hand and tapped her knuckles against the door.

She hoped he was up, but her guess was that he was probably working..

A small, sweet smile tugged at the corner of her lips - it was a tired expression, but the sight of his face made her more content with the decision to show up at all. He was at least letting her in, which meant he either hoped for a repeat, or actually didn't mind letting her take up some of his time unexpectedly.

"Less alright than usual."

The slinky Russian let her shoulder brush his lightly as she slipped by him into the room, stepping out of her heels with lucky grace and leaving them by the door. She knew what sorts of things ended up on club floors and she, for one, was not so impolite as to strut it through his carpet.

"I just.."

She fell silent and let her words trail off as she turned partially away from him and swung her eyes through the familiar room instead. It felt oddly comforting in a time when she didn't want to be alone but couldn't run to the person that she always ran to. Her teeth bit into her bottom lip and she looked back at his face, considering the strong, silent businessman she had met by chance at a bar. Yes, oddly comforting.

"I had a fight with someone I care about and I'm drunk, so I didn't want to go home.."

So I came here.

A soft, breathy laugh escaped her and she ran a petite hand through her crinkled blonde locks. This was absolutely silly - and yet, she hadn't considered her actions terribly wild until she stood now so close to his calmer presence. Maybe all she wanted was his ability to help her think.

"If you're busy, I can go..."

The bit of business talk pulled an unexpected smile to her lips. With everything that had been happening in her life, with Kam spiraling out of control (again) and her father sending her rather aggressive letters about coming home, it was nice to see someone so rooted by their job and expectations. It was just another day in the life of Marlo Xanis - although something told her he wasn't so accustomed to late night visitors. That, too, made her smile.

"Are you worried about me?"

It was said playfully as she let him guide her through the living area and toward the kitchen, only stopping to drop her small bag on the arm of the couch she remembered rather fondly. She didn't actually think he cared more than on a human level but even that was nice. Not that Kam didn't care - he had, at the very least, refused to give her the keys to her car.

On bare feet, it wasn't so hard to control her gravity and she moved with him easily toward the kitchen at the brief touch on her arm. She could tell that he was being politely distant, just as he had been in the bar when they'd met. She had expected nothing less from him and the foundation he offered, even just by being friendly, was nice for once. She really wanted to tease him, a knowledge that stayed at the forefront of even her troubled thoughts, but all she managed was a soft, breathy laugh at his offers.

"I haven't eaten, no. I hadn't even thought about it until now. I probably should.." if she didn't want to be sick come morning, anyway.

The blonde stopped next to the counter and pulled herself up very slowly, reminiscent of their last meeting. It gave her a good view of him and what he was doing while also keeping her out of the way. Sure, there were probably other places to sit but in a subtle way, she wanted him to remember. As she scooted back into place, both of her ankles crossed, and she felt immediately glad to be off of her feet.

"Thank you for letting me stay. You don't have to and I.." the eyes dropped from his face and swung out, almost shyly, across the various kitchen appliances, "I appreciate it, Marlo."

"It will take a lot to convince me you are heartless, Marlo Xanis. Your associates probably don't know my father."

Despite the sadness the words implied, there was none written on her face in that moment. She even managed an amused smile as she let her eyes drift to what he was doing in the fridge, watching him make his choices without asking her opinion. It was a breath of fresh air to see a man decide on his own.

And you came here for reasons I don't quite understand..

The words echoed in her thoughts and the playful smile dimmed, just a bit, as she let herself wonder how he had managed to make her feel safe without being affectionate. She didn't want to chalk it all up to daddy issues, but then..

"Oh, here?" A soft, playful laugh escaped her as she patted the counter beside her for emphasis. She unhooked her ankles and let her legs sway playfully before her, careful not to let her heel kick back into the cabinet below her. "This has a better view than sitting on one of those chairs."

Yet she hadn't missed the small flush in his face - or the way he kept eye contact despite it. A small, pleased thrill rushed along her skin and set her nerves to buzzing at the look in his gaze - especially the second one, full of knowing. He knew her games but it didn't mean she would stop playing them. What was the fun of being drunk if she couldn't play with him a little?

"If you want me to get down, of course, that's different. I don't want to disrespect your home." But that knowing smile was in place, because this seemed mild by comparison..

Sana's gaze followed Marlo as he began to look grumpily around the kitchen for something clearly elusive, if that deepening frown on his lips was any indication. Then he looked at her and it vanished, just as she was about to ask him what it was he was trying to find. Her eyes dropped as his did, to the bread next to her.

Oh.

But as she was distracted looking, he had close the space between them, and she felt the faintest brush of skin on skin as he leaned in and spoke such teasing words. The smile on his lips was echoed on her own, though they were accompanied by a small narrowing of her eyes once he slipped away.

"Oh, I'm going to be here all night," she said, putting an innocence she'd never had into her words, "I'm sure there are other places I'll sit." It was calmer than she actually felt after his comment, with the thrill of his words buzzing in his ears. Now this was more than just a confusing, late-night visit. This was a game they'd already played.

Though she did slip off of the counter then, careful not to let the motion cause her skirt to ride up too far. She could have interrupted him while he tried to cook but she was hungry and it was better to get that out of the way now than to wake up in the morning with a raging hangover. Instead of approaching him, she moved slowly through the kitchen, pulling opening cabinets and looking through drawers.

She didn't touch anything, just simply looked as if she were making herself acquainted.

"Are there a lot of people in and out of here?"

Sana finished her small tour of the kitchen and came back near to him as he listed off the sorts of people that were in and out of the suite. Elzo's presence didn't surprise her - nor did the parade of women that typically trailed after him. She had to wonder if it was his money or his attitude that always made the club bunnies hop along in his wake. Neither appealed to her, in reality, and it was obvious in the way her gaze settled on the lesser known of the Xanis brothers.

Nearing the edge of the counter, Sana leaned into it and watched the space between Marlos' shoulder blades as he spoke.

"Of course I'm familiar," she retorted, amused, though both eyebrows raised once he left the room abruptly. In his absence, she strolled casually toward the stove, eyeing what he was doing though careful not to touch anything. Sana was certainly no cook - even her looking at it was probably dooming something to burn.

"Mm?"

Her eyes snapped sidelong at the soft smack of the glossy print on the counter top. While he busied himself taking out bowls, she leaned her elbows onto the granite and began skimming the headlines. With each word, her smile grew wider, until she thumbed it open with a perfectly manicured nail.

"Well, well, Mr. Xanis. Look at you with a Casino heiress." The words made her laugh but there was also pride in her eyes, shining bright and true. The focus might have been on him but she was pleased that together they were enough to warrant so much attention for someone that deserved it more than Elzo. Playboys were a dime a dozen - business men with a knack for making a woman squirm? They were something else.

The honey brown eyes drifted up from a picture of him holding the car door open for her and settled squarely on the same handsome face. Now, here in front of her, he looked so pleased. It was enough to make her smile in return - not the proud, playful one she has sported at the sight of the magazine but something else. She liked when Marlo wasn't broody and stern as much as she liked when he was broody and stern.

"Something tells me this is probably why I have twelve missed calls from daddy dearest." A breathy laugh escaped her as she leaned back into the counter and brought the magazine with her, still flipping slowly through the articles that featured her favorite new plaything.

Sana followed after her gracious host carefully, watching him from the peripherals of her vision while she kept her eyes glued to the magazine in hand. There was only the smallest waver in her steps as her body tilted a bit too sideways but she compensated well and retained her balance without over correcting. By the time he had pulled the chair out, she was at his side and folded herself delicately onto the seat with one leg cross over the other. Almost reluctantly, she set the magazine down on the table next to her bowl.

"Even the one about who's better in bed?" The smile at her lips suggested she wasn't serious, but she stared up at him with that same impish gleam in her eyes.

She finally laughed and dropped her gaze from him to the meal he had set out for them and she would have been lying if she said her stomach didn't growl just at the aroma wafting up from the warm soup. When was the last time she'd really eaten home-cooked anything? Grilled cheeses with Kam barely counted.

"This is perfect, actually," her fingers were reaching for the spoons he had grabbed, "I don't actually know people that cook well if I'm being honest. I've always been wretched at it." The metallic utensil was set in the liquid slowly before she stirred, watching as wafts of steam rose up from the top. She was aware enough of herself, at least, not to put it in her mouth right away. She detested that burnt-tongue feeling and the way it dampened her taste buds. Her bare shoulders leaned back into the chair as she felt him moving around her.

"As long as you don't regret being seen with me, I certainly don't," she scooped a bit of broth up, at last, and pursed her lips to blow at it. It was still hot when she brought it to her mouth but tolerable, and she smiled around the flavor as it sank into her tongue. "I thought I was a bit more under the radar than that, here, but I suppose no one can hide forever - especially not next to you."