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Her lips pursed together as she quietly rode alongside the cowboy in his so-called stallion, up until he pulled up to the entrance of a restaurant (or bar? She had her suspicions) and moved to hand his keys off to the valet.

While Julianne Payne had seen the spot on her drive to and from the hospital, she'd never actually stepped foot in such a place. In fact, Jules had hardly eaten out in a restaurant at all - not unless she was celebrating a coworker's going away party or the occasional birthday get-together. The other nurses, for the most part, kept their parties to the night hours which left poor Julie left out - if she wasn't working in the emergency room, she was busy trying to fulfill her quota with the Negaverse.

So, in other words, Jules rarely in fancy places, lest she grab something to-go and eat it in solitude at home, alone with a good book.

Blue eyes flickered over to her partner for the evening as he declared their seating intentions, not one to argue. Her nose wrinkled, however, at the sight of the cigar and she shook her head in response.

"I'll leave the cancer-sticks to you, cowboy." A finger playfully jabbed at his side as she parted from beside him, already making a beeline towards an open booth. "Don't want to ruin the taste of whatever food this place serves."

While there was an expansive looking bar lining up one side of the restaurant, there was no peeling or chipping of the walls and the material the booth was made of looked somewhat fancy.

Not too shabby, Mister Dallas.

Sliding in, she adjusted her skirt and quickly plucked up the drink menu from the small stand at the end of the table. The shots were definitely just a warm-up for their evening out.

"What's your poison, big boy?"

She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing a reaction from his swatting, though a small squeak was forcibly swallowed down thanks to the sudden sting against her bottom.

He made himself comfortable without any prompting, consuming any personal space she might have allotted herself with his generally large presence. A thick leg was already pressing against her petite one, Jules making a point to keep her ground and nudge him right back when he bumped against her. A grin played on the side of her lips - what was she, in high school again?

Her face was forced to glance away though at the insinuation behind his comment. Thankfully, the waitress was approaching them, saving the RN from having to respond to his playful tease.

"One whiskey on the rocks, one Sex on the Beach," she requested, making her own bold move by ordering for him instead of giving him the chance to flaunt his masculinity. The girl was quick to make her way to the bar, allowing the blonde a moment to study the man without his hat on. At being caught staring, her eyes drifted to the menu sitting on the table in front of them.

Casually, she mused, "So he smokes, he drinks, he fornicates. What other kind of trouble does the wandering cowboy get himself into?"

She shook her head and rolled her eyes while the grin remained. The man was incorrigible but she'd be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the company, regardless of how raunchy he could get on a moment's notice. Fingers dragged their way down the menu as she pretended to read the options, her focus entirely on his answer. She avoided his comment about taking some long looks to save her face from a blush but when he mentioned a ranch, baby blues lifted up from the printed type to meet his once again.

"A real ranch? Why am I not surprised."

Born and raised a "city girl", she'd never been near a horse, much less any other farm animal. It was amusing to think of the cowboy out there in a corral with horses and steer - like something out of a Western, even. It held its own charm to the image... perhaps, one day, she'd be lucky enough to actually step foot in another world like that and away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Before she knew what he was up to, thick fingers had already made their way into her hair, toying with the strands of blonde bleeding into the little bit of darkness that remained of her formerly dyed hair. Her hand automatically lifted to peel his away, fingers entwining with fingers as she smirked.

"Smooth, cowboy. You'll have to work on that charm a bit more if you want to do anything again."

Drinks appeared before them, the waitress shifting towards the next table to deliver the nearby party's order as well. Jules took the opportunity to reach over and swipe her date's drink, taking a long sip for herself before sliding the glass back in front of him.

"...or you'll have to buy me a few drinks, to get where you're wanting to wander."

Eyebrows rose at his slight towards white picket fences - especially seeing as how he'd almost bled on hers on the way up the path to her house, the first time they'd met. It had been one of the more interesting introductions she'd ever had which had evolved into one hell of an interesting evening afterwards.

She was grinning like a cat who'd caught the canary as she felt larger fingers tighten around hers at her impish move. Jules was even ready with a witty comeback as the alcohol burned down her throat when all of a sudden, the giant wall of a man stood up from his seat.

Caught off guard, her mouth hung open just as he collected her face in his hand. Soft skin brushed against calloused fingers and before she could stop him, the handsome devil had managed to steal both a kiss and her breath away. As much as she pretended to have her balance, a small, happy sound slipped out before could stop herself. He tasted of smoke and liquor, a combination she normally wouldn't care for - had it not been attached to such a rogue as the one in front of her.

Damn that man and his charm!

Her eyes were reluctant to open but as they slowly did and caught sight of the waitress awkwardly staring, Julianne Payne let out a gasp as she scrambled back down into her seat. Embarrassed at being a spectacle, the menu rose to block the crimson shade of her cheeks as she tried her best to clear her throat and request the salad, adding an addition of chicken to it. A plain meal for a Plain Jane. Something safe and easy to trust.... unlike the handsome scoundrel she avoided making eye contact with.

It would have been easy to make a jab at his rare comment but she was busy combating the sudden wave of heat that decided to hit her face. She knew the temperature in the restaurant/bar had been comfortable when they entered but the longer she sat across from the cowboy, the warmer she was beginning to feel.

The leg that had been toying with hers received a very decisive thump as she bumped against it, blue eyes cutting up to him as one large finger pushed the menu down. Her cheeks were exposed and he was calling her out - just like that!

"I am not hiding," She immediately scoffed, adding a soft, playful hmph for good measure, "I'm merely looking over the dessert options. I like a good dessert; I don't treat myself out as often as I probably should so why not, right?"

She wasn't about to mention how the pet name, even shortened to a casual babe made her stomach do a small flip.

What in the world had gotten into her?

Whatever it was, she was making sure to drown the butterflies as she took a large sip of her own alcoholic drink, praying that liquid courage would help her survive dinner without looking like a fool.

“Oh you do, do you? And what if I'm not into that sort of public display?”

Her legs crossed beneath the table, the raised foot abandoning her sandal before making the journey up. Naked toes brushed against the inside leg of his pants, a bemused smirk playing on her face as she worked to control her blushing. “I'm not like other girls, Mr. Dallas. You can't win me over with sweet words and gropes alone.”

The menu was dropped, fluttering onto the table as she dragged her drink in front of her, braving another sip as she pretended to glance away towards those lingering at the bar. “I happen to already know what's beneath the leather, if you weren't too intoxicated to recall.”

Her gaze slowly returned back to her “date”, fingers toying with the rim of her glass.

“I happen to recall it quite well, myself." The foot slid up, then back down as she playfully proved that she too could flirt, albeit subtly. Eyelashes batted and she put on her best innocent voice as she asked, "By the way, are there any more wounds you need me to look at?”

She suppressed a grin at his pencil d**k comment, the inside joke between the two of them still going ever-strong. It was the nurse's turn to let out a small gasp when warm fingers found her ankle. Calloused hands were doing wonders to her wandering limb and Julianne thought she might melt in the booth right there with the way he massaged her skin. Still, she took in a deep breath and kept her thoughts (and body) steady... for the time being, at least.

The mention of another wound had an eyebrow crooking, eyes following his to stare at the edge of the table. She didn't need any further explanation as her toes were rehomed on his leg, the slender digits taking advantage of the new territory to slide their way across the surface of his denim playfully.

"I don't know what in the world you're talking about, Mister Dallas," she teased, keeping an exaggerated innocence to her voice. Slowly her foot dragged itself away, tucking back into her sandal as the woman slid her way from the bar. "But I do know that I need to find the little girl's room for myself. So, if you would excuse me, please."

Blue eyes lingered on brown ones before she finally turned her head and made her way towards the back of the restaurant-bar, a certain, noticeable sashay to her hips.