Strictly Business [Closed] - Printable Version

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RE: Strictly Business [Closed] - megs - 05-29-2017

Handsome, even when he was frowning. Even while showing humility and trying to sound modest. She smiled prettily at him. It wasn’t difficult, Aphrodite was able to make a lot of things look pretty. The sobriquet didn’t fall upon her from pure happenstance. Though the politics of her pard did make it easier. “Just a cattle rancher,” she repeated with a small laugh. She pushed at his arm playfully. When she did she noticed the length of her nail, the bright polish stood out against his dark suit jacket. She pulled her hand away quickly, she attempted to hide the awkwardness of the gesture by tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

“And a pilot!” she threw that hand up in a wave of disbelief. As if questioning how he expected her to be unimpressed. “That’s hard and incredible work. I was hoping you didn’t dress like a cowboy just for bloody fun.” She lifted her drink from the table and sipped at it, surveying him over the rim. She could hear Drusilla whispering to Renton just barely over the din. She didn’t bother to do anything about it, let the silly cat girl have her fun.

Aphrodite laughed that charming laugh again. His smirk was flirtatious and cocky, she liked it. Her brows lifted towards her hairline. “I only allow ‘doctor,’ in two place: the classroom, and the bedroom.” She could resist a smirk of her own as she winked at him.

Drusilla giggled. Ren’s breath against her ear and his agreeing to her request triggered the reaction. He was right about her quickly teetering towards drunk. A twinkle glimmer in green eyes and an almost feline curl on her mouth. His hand on her back encouraged her, suddenly sensitive and needy for touch after a few drinks and surreptitious hand-holding at lunch.

Without a second glance to Aphrodite, who had ordered another martini, and Sanders who’d ordered a beer and a shot, she picked up her clutch and walked away from the table. Tail swayed behind her knees as she followed the plan. Halfway to the bathroom she turned and popped up next to Renton at the bar. She nudged him with her shoulder; ears twitching and giggling.

“Water Moccasins!” Renton mentioned shots and her excited cheer was apparently her request. In the back of her mind she knew this was a ploy. Knew that Renton would just try to get information out of her, but she didn’t mind. Like him intoxicate her. Let him ask. She probably needed to get a bunch of stuff out anyway.

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RE: Strictly Business [Closed] - saronym - 05-30-2017

Sanders moved exaggeratedly when she pushed at him, acting as if she had exerted much more force than the playful touch really had. Her hand was quickly shooting away to touch at her hair and he watched her movements. Golden lock tucked behind one perfect ear.

He covered his mouth with the tips of his fingers, doing his best to look scandalized when she made her little bedroom joke. “Oh my.” He jested and fanned himself momentarily before gulping at his beer as if suddenly parched.

His shot arrived sometime around then, barely noticed by the flirtatious cowboy. “Between you and me,” his eyes sparkled with the joke to come, “I, myself, only dress as a cowboy for work reasons and, of course, in the bedroom, by request.” He winked at her and threw back the shot, tilting his head way back as he did so. A brief cringe crossed his face and he washed it down with a drink of his beer.

He leaned his elbow on the table, once again facing her almost directly. “I couldn’t help but notice you have a strong accent. You’re British, right? Was it teaching that brought you out to Colorado?”

Renton flagged down the bartender and repeated Drusilla’s enthusiastic request. “Water moccasins! Two for each of us!” The bartender nodded his understanding of the order and smiled at them both. It was hard not to. Two beautiful people with an infectious smile and energy.

He then turned to Drusilla and reached for her. He let his hand settle on her shoulder and squeezed it sympathetically. “I’m really sorry if I embarrassed you in front of your friend. It seemed a little bit tense there. I was just kidding around, honey. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.” His fingers ran down her arm to her hand and he gave that a squeeze too.

“Is there really nothing between you and Owen? I just feel like - I sense something there. You know he gets this stupid look on his face when you’re interacting with him.” He shrugged. “Maybe I’m imagining things. What do you think? Honestly.”

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RE: Strictly Business [Closed] - megs - 06-01-2017

“Personally, I could be partial to a cowboy hat.”

Aphrodite laughed with Sanders as they exchanged suggestive retorts; a cowboy and a fifties pinup, what an interesting clash of fantasies. Sanders was attractive and good company. She was surprised, though she shouldn’t have been. Drusilla had a way with pulling good people into her social circle. Something like a planet in orbit. Aphrodite was just as guilty of being charmed by her as the two men that joined them that evening.

Her tongue clicked against her back teeth as she lifted a hand to finger gun at him as he correctly guessed her nationality. It wasn’t difficult with the accent that he mentioned, but it was a good segue into new conversation. She liked that he was curious about her. She drained the last of her martini, but refrained from ordering another. She’d heard something about a plan earlier, but she didn’t know if it was still in effect given Renton and Drusilla’s disappearance.

“I’m from South Kensington, in London,” she explained. “When I graduated I was invited to work on a research project that was taking place in Boulder. Eventually the funding for that was disrupted by protests and what have you so the team was disbanded. I considered going back home, but I liked it here and was able to find work at the college so I decided to stay.”

“Now let me guess,” Dite closed one eye and tapped her index finger against her bottom lip as if she were thinking. She paused, gasp dramatically and pointed the finger towards his chest. “Born and raised in Colorado, right?”


Squeezing his hand, Drusilla tried to convey with that motion that he hadn’t done anything wrong. She smiled brightly at Renton, letting the booze take over and forgetting all about her judgmental friend and focusing on having a good time. “It’s okay,” she reassured brightly, tail swaying behind her shoulders.

Their drink appeared and Drusilla did the shots in quick succession. She appeared to have set an intention to get quite intoxicated. The drink was sweet enough from the peach Schnapps that the bite of the whisky was noticeable, so the face she made after words was the fault of Renton’s line of questioning. The wrinkle of her nose and the furrow of her brow advertised her confusion more than any displeasure. She didn’t know what Renton meant by ‘a stupid look.’

Licking alcohol from her lips, hear ears pushed to attention. “I don’t know what to think,” she admitted, thinking back to last week’s incident and this afternoon’s hand-holding. She looked down at her shoes, self-consciously, she could see the toes of her black leather boots perfectly, even in the dim lighting of the bar. Her hair fell over her shoulders in loose waves.

“He held my hand at lunch today,” she blurted out, suddenly, like ripping a band-aid off of a wound. She looked up at Ren again to gauge his reaction. “Before we ordered, under the table where you couldn’t see.” Apparently more akin to a floodgate than a band-aid. “My hand was in the space between us, and he put his over it and laced our fingers together.” Drusilla pushed clawed fingers through her hair, ears falling with the motion, remembering the feeling of his hand in hers. “But it’s not like we talked about it, and he’s dating Sophia? I think he just feels bad about what happened with Agent Jehoram?” She shook her head, and shrugged her shoulders. She wanted another drink.

“He held me on the couch that day. After I’d been detained. Just cuddled me and didn’t say anything about it.”

---

RE: Strictly Business [Closed] - saronym - 06-02-2017

"I’ve got plenty of cowboy hats.” Sanders added with a grin. It was phrased kind of like an invitation. An invitation to see him in a cowboy hat and perhaps nothing else. Come to think of it he wondered how she would look wearing nothing but one of his hats.

He sipped at his beer and worked on policing his thoughts as she gave a little introduction as to how she ended up in the states. Good. He always felt awkward asking ‘so where ya from’ as if someone with an accent looked as if they didn’t belong there.

His eyebrows raised and he nodded approvingly. She was quite the impressive woman. A scientist invited all the way from Great Britain to the U.S. for projects and now a professor. Damn. He told her as much. “Damn. That’s impressive. Really.”

Then it came to his turn to say something about himself prompted by her guessing his pretty obvious origins.

“On the very ranch I now run.” He felt somewhat intimidated by this impressive woman. He wasn’t sure his life sounded as interesting as hers did. “My parents retired to the mountains. And the rest is history really. Not much going on here.” He smiled self-consciously and looked around for their friends. He wanted very much to change the subject from him.

“Did they uh -?” He gestured with his hands indicating the empty places where Drusilla and Renton had once stood.


Renton stared at Drusilla somewhat shocked and appalled at how quickly she was drinking. And he was the one supposed to slow her down? Bad idea putting him in charge. He took only one of his shots and saved the other one, as he’d expected Drusilla to do. Then she started spilling out secret details of illicit touching between herself and their very much unavailable friend.

“He what?!” Renton’s voice rose in pitch and volume so sharply that a nearby couple gave the two of them an ugly look. Renton glared back for a moment giving them a ‘come get it bitch’ kind of look before they shied their gaze away. He took his second shot then and stepped closer to Drusilla for a more confidential tone. “He what now?” He repeated the question.

“I don't think this is about that big racist goon. But was it like -- romantic holding?” His eyes rolled towards the ceiling trying to figure out the right words to use to describe his exact question. “You know like when you cuddle a friend how that feels? Versus like when you cuddle someone you wanna fuck the shit out of? You know? Which was it like? How did he do it? Did you kiss? How did you feel about it?” Apparently he wouldn't settle until he had a slow motion replay.

It suddenly occurred to him that she had revealed secret hand holding - that had been going on under his own nose. The thought caused him to bat at her hands. “How dare you hide that from me! You know I’m supportive of this relationship. Shit if he asked me to take Sophia out to occupy her while he fucked you, you know I could honey. I’m on your side.”

He brought his index finger to tap against her nose with each of his next words. “No more secrets.”

---

RE: Strictly Business [Closed] - megs - 06-02-2017

Aphrodite wondered if she had said too much about her history. It wasn’t that she didn’t like talking about herself, she just easily noticed the way other people seemed to draw back from her after she’d done so. She knew what she had accomplished could be seen as impressive, but it wasn’t her intention to intimidate people; she didn’t think she was better than anyone.

“I think I’d love to see your ranch.” She smiled at Sanders. It wasn’t something she was just saying to be polite, or to lift his spirits. She drained the last of her drink, plucking the cherry from the bottom of the glass. She popped the fruit into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “Maybe you can show off all your cowboy hats for me.” If his words had indeed been an invitations, hers were certainly and acceptance.

Dite rolled violet eyes to the empty spaces their friends had once stood. “They ditched us a few minutes ago,” she explained. “I think they’re at the bar now.” She shrugged her shoulders as if to indicate that she wasn’t bothered by it. She was having a nice enough time with the cowboy.

Renton was making that face. The shocked one that she’d been trying to avoid. She didn’t know if it was from her words or her drinking but she didn’t put the brakes on either. She’d already asked the bartender for another round of shots, by the time Ren registered what she’d actually said.

Drusilla hummed and shrugged. She didn’t really know what could be considered romantic at that point. Especially not when it came to Owen. “I don’t know? Not particularly. There was a pie?” The liquor was catching up to her. She inhaled sharply through her teeth as Renton went through a rapid fire round of questioning.

“I don’t know,” she said again, punctuating the words with another shot. “I was sitting on the couch, and he was sitting next to me, and he like...put his hand under my knee and pulled my legs over his and he put his arm around my shoulders. He fed me pie.” Drusilla paused, her face had a blank sort of expression. A lot of things seemed to be occurring to her as she replayed the events for Renton. “It didn’t feel like friend cuddles, but it didn’t feel like fucking cuddles either. We didn’t kiss.”

An almost kiss was not a kiss.

She had zoned out, staring at a spot over Renton’s shoulders. She was brought back to the present by his slapping at her hands. By a flash of glittering purple over the murky din of the bar. “I wasn’t hiding it,” she defended herself by pulling her hands away from him. “I think Owen was. I don’t think he knows what he’s doing. And then there’s Sophia and everything. I don’t know what to tell you.”

His poking her nose caused her to blink rapidly, ears twitching in time with the contact. “No more secrets,” she agreed.

---

RE: Strictly Business [Closed] - saronym - 06-03-2017

“The pleasure would be all mine.” He said cordially with as handsome of an American cowboy smile he could muster. “I would love to host you, anytime.”

Sanders glanced behind him and craned his neck until he found the missing pair. He caught them just in time to watch Drusilla down a shot and his eyebrows crept higher. Returning to his former relaxed posture, Sanders threw a thumb over his shoulder to indicate the two. “Looks like they’re having fun.” He shrugged and then added as an aside. "If she keeps drinking like that she's gonna need to go home sooner rather than later." There was no judgment in the way he said it. A simple observation from a man who had dealt with his fair share of people who drank too much too fast.

His hand slipped into his inner sport coat pocket and he produced his cellphone. Sanders typed in a code and then slid it over to her on the table. “So can I call you sometime?” His index finger made a couple of circles on the table near his beer. It was sort of evident what his intent in asking for her number was.


Renton listened carefully to her words with an expression of skepticism and studiousness. Like a student pouring over some primary source documents. He gasped and covered his open mouth with his hand when she described the scene. Then his hand fell down with a slap to his thigh. The other hand went to his hip and he struck a sort of sassy pose.

“I don’t care if there is a Sophia. We all know that relationship is bullshit. And besides, he held you like that and it didn’t strike you as romantic?” His voice was nearly shrill with the incredulity he expressed. “And that man didn’t even kiss you?”

He had already made his mind up earlier to kiss this poor woman, but now he was serious.

“Did you want him to?” Renton took her hand and squeezed it to encourage her. “Be honest. Do you have feelings for him?”

---

RE: Strictly Business [Closed] - megs - 06-04-2017

“Perfect,” Aphrodite chimed with a giggle. “Sounds like a date, then.” She pushed at her bangs with one hand, violet eyes looking up at him through dark lashes.

She hummed and nodded, but didn’t turn her own head to observe the pair. She knew that Drusilla had fled because she had been all but interrogating her about Owen. “She’ll be fine. I’m sure one of us will end up taking care of her.” She smiled to indicate there was nothing bitter in the sassy statement. “As far as I am concerned, Renton has volunteered by running off with her.” Aphrodite didn’t know what was left of the evening now that they’d fractured into pairings. Was it ending earlier than planned? Would Ren and Dru come back?

Aphrodite looked down at the phone Sanders pushed in her direction. She smiled coyly, looking back and forth between the man and the device, as if she were considering whether she should give him her number. She continued their open flirting with a tease at playing hard to get.

With an alluring sort of smirk, Dite picked up the phone and quickly made herself a new contact for Sanders, she even took the time to include a cute selfie. When she was finished, she moved close enough to Sanders to open his jacket and slip the device back into the pocket with in. Call me anytime,” she suggested, gazing up at him. “Except at eleven on a school night.” She laughed.

Drusilla groaned, clearly disagreeing with him about Sophia. She had taken to sipping the second shot she had ordered, aware of her own intoxication, but not wanting it to go to waste. Her ears fell towards the crown of her head, and her eyes shifted around the room. She appeared as if she was looking for someone, but she just didn’t want to look at Renton.

She didn’t answer on whether she thought it was romantic. She had considered it comforting at the time. For both of them. She’d been assaulted, and assumed that Owen felt a bit a fault. He just wanted to know that she was okay, that she wasn’t going to quit working for him. Silently, she shook her head, ignoring the rest and reconfirming that Owen had not kissed her.

An almost kiss was not a kiss.

Her gaze snapped back to him, her ears pushing to attention. Did she want him to? All at once she remembered this history between her and Owen. All of the dark things they were ignoring. Questions that weren’t being asked. Problems that weren’t being resolved.

“No.”

Yes. She knew it now, she had known it then. For a moment she had wanted him to kiss her more than anything. Something had happened that day. After he had saved her from Shrader; something changed between them. Drusilla curled her fingers together. She laughed airily, she didn’t know why she was lying to Renton now. “I think I just like the attention.” She finished off the last sips of the shot, and set the glass back on the table. She smiled wide at her company, rearranging her jacket, nervously.

“Where to next?”

---

RE: Strictly Business [Closed] - saronym - 06-11-2017

Renton’s eyes narrowed at Drusilla as she lied easily. Easily yes, but convincing? Not in the slightest. She had this guilty look on her face that suggested she very much wanted their friend to kiss her mouth. Renton's lips pursed together into a thin line of disapproval.

“Liar.” He accused again bopping her lightly on the nose with his index finger. The action emphasizing that he knew better than to believe her.

Renton sighed and slipped off the bar stool he was perched on. He offered her his arm to help her down. “On to the next place I suppose. Do you think we gave those two enough privacy to flirt?” He asked playfully goosing her in the side with his fingers as he led her back to the table.

“So!” He said boisterously as they took their places back at the table. “What did we miss?”

Sanders was doing his best to try not to look super flattered or excited that she had given him her number, called a future meeting with him a date, and insisted she could call him anytime. He couldn’t remember the last time he was this excited about a woman this soon. Renton and Drusilla rejoined them and Sanders gave his friends a knowing look.

“Looks like we,” he indicted to himself and Aphrodite, “missed shots at the bar.”

Renton smiled guiltily and drummed his fingers on the table. “Shall we go hear some music now?” He asked looking around and making eye contact to each member of the party to gauge their receptiveness for a venue change.

Sanders shrugged and looked askance at Aphrodite. He could have been happy sitting in that exact spot for the rest of the night chatting with her. But then again he could be down for a little music. Renton gathered that moving on to the next location was generally accepted. He collected himself his drunk catgirl - who he had decided to play date to for the evening - and led her by the arm like a gentleman to their next location. Which left Sanders to walk with Aphrodite again. The cowboy smiled charmingly and offered her his arm again. This time it was less a joke than the first time when he had done it just to be seen with pretty girls on his arm.

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RE: Strictly Business [Closed] - megs - 06-15-2017

Her nose wrinkled, again, when he poked her. It seemed like a feline and involuntary reaction. Her ears twitched atop her head. It was probably the alcohol that made a smile spread across her features, and caused her to giggle even though her friend was calling her a liar. It was enough to advertise that he was right. Drusilla very much needed Renton’s help off of the stool, so she was more than happy to take his arm and cling to him as they returned to the table with Sanders and Aphrodite.

Through her intoxicated haze she appreciated that Ren didn’t make her talk anymore about Owen and the cuddling and the almost kiss. He was content to just know that he was right. For now, anyway. Glassy green eyes tracked between Aphrodite and Sanders and Renton re-engaged them in conversation. The duo was standing closer than she remembered leaving them; Aphrodite was doing that thing with her mouth. That amused and flirtatious half curl that appeared when she was interested in someone. Drusilla giggled, out loud, thinking about their blonde friends getting together.

Her ears twitched at the mention of them missing shots at the bar. Drusilla knew she wanted to say something clever, but funny witticisms weren’t exactly coming to her very easily. Her head was swimming, not in a sickly way, but Renton’s line of questioning had filled her head with all the thoughts she usually ignored while sober. Music was mentioned and her ears swiveled to attention, tail swaying eagerly behind near her feet; seemed like a perfect way to clear out her head. She nodded enthusiastically when Ren’s questioning gaze drifted in her direction.

Aphrodite mirrored Sanders’ shrug; quite possibly she felt the same way as he. "I wouldn't mind a change of scenery." At this point it didn’t matter to her where the group hung out as long as she could keep hanging out with Sanders. She did spare a worried look in Drusilla’s direction, the smaller woman never met her eyes so she couldn’t express a warning. A suggestion that she should slow down. The cat was already taking Renton’s offered arm and sashaying off with him, somehow perfectly steady in the tall heels. With a quiet laugh that was lost to the din of the bar, Dite shook her head and moved to link her arm with Sanders. She didn’t know what the rest of the night had in store for them, but at least she had the cowboy to keep her company while Drusilla partied.

---

RE: Strictly Business [Closed] - saronym - 06-15-2017

Renton was pleased to play escort to the lively Drusilla. It seemed her feline traits became more pronounced in relationship to the amount of alcohol she consumed. She was adorable to him. The flush of her cheeks, bright eyes, twitchy tail and ear movements. He traded the arm linkage for an arm around her shoulders, bringing her close to his side. Renton planted a warm kiss against her temple. It was affectionate and loving. He felt the desire to just keep kissing her but resisted for the moment. The one was enough.

“I’m so glad we’re all out tonight.” He breathed out the sentence with a kind of blissfulness. Renton had entered the stage of intoxication where everything and everyone seemed so agreeable and wonderful.

He led the group to the next venue. Instead of entering into a building, they went around the side and to a back patio where a band was in the middle of an animated cover of a popular song that had been all over the radio that summer. It had some of the crowd dancing in front of the modest stage area they had set up. Strings of lights bowing down from the awning to tree behind the stage served to light the festive atmosphere.

“I love this song!”

Renton took Drusilla’s hand and pulled her into the throng of people dancing. He forgot about the two blondes and didn’t even look back. Renton made eye contact with a few people dancing nearby as if to celebrate the song they all knew was good. He whirled around to face Drusilla to see if she was similarly enjoying herself.

Sanders laughed out loud as he watched Renton get swept away in the festive environment. That was just Renton. He could work a crowd and make friends anywhere he went. Most of the time the rest of them hung back and watched until he dragged one of them out there. It appeared Drusilla was his partner in crime tonight.

“I’m not drunk enough to dance yet. Maybe if I have a couple more first.” Sanders spoke close to Aphrodite’s ear so he wouldn’t have to speak up over the music. He had leaned close and put his hand on her back to steer her towards the bar. “How about you?” He backed up enough to survey her face, staring down into striking violet eyes.

He led her to the second bar the establishment had set up outside. It was smaller but was for the express purpose of serving the crowd that wanted to continue to enjoy the show rather than go back inside for drinks. With people gathered around the stage for dancing, Sanders and Aphrodite had bar stools to themselves. He lifted himself onto the seat and swiveled around to watch as Renton sidled behind Drusilla with his hands on her hips as they danced together.

He laughed shaking his head and swiveling back towards his “date” for the evening. He flagged down the bartender and placed an order for another beer and shot and presumptuously opened a tab for his and Aphrodite’s drinks. He had decided not to let her pay for any drinks that evening unless she insisted otherwise.

“Do you dance?” He asked while they waited for the drinks.

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RE: Strictly Business [Closed] - megs - 06-16-2017

With all the positive attention, Drusilla was giggling and beaming as she walked with Renton to the next location. Her ears twitched on top of her head, picking up on all of the sounds of the bar and it’s patrons. Nodding her head in a mutual love for the peppy song, she disappeared into the crowd, with Renton. Her intoxication left her mostly driven by whimsy, and she didn’t need any convincing to get lost in the crowd for dancing.

Aphrodite, still didn’t mind that she was all but being ditched, continually, by her friend, for whom she’d come along with at her insistence. She’d likely mind more if there wasn’t a cute cowboy to keep her company. She was smiling as she tilted her head towards the sound of his voice, his breath tickled the shell of her ear as he spoke. They threaded through the crowd, Sanders hand was a welcome pressure at the small of her back. “I can usually be convinced to do a little dancing by tall blondes in cowboy boots.” She grinned up at him as the found seats at the bar. Content with her usual, she ordered another Manhattan.

She turned her head to follow his previous line of sight, Drusilla was difficult to pick out of a crowd despite her shorter stature. Silver feline ears stuck out among the throng. “So what do you think about this whole…” she waved her hand, and rolled her eyes. “Owen. Thing? Do you think he really likes her?”

---

RE: Strictly Business [Closed] - saronym - 06-18-2017

When the song finished and the band transitioned to a new one, Renton pulled Drusilla from the crowd and maneuvered her for a selfie. Her in front, him behind, and a good view of the crowd. The soft lighting overhead made the apples of her cheeks glow and green eyes pop. He behind her flashing his whites and staring straight into the camera.

Renton showed the picture to Drusilla. “Aww look! ….lets send it to Owen.”

Without waiting for her permission he shot the picture off in a text to his friend with the accompanying words. Drinks with Dru!

For a moment Renton watched the text thread. Message received and then that little bubble with three dots bouncing indicating he was already replying. The reply didn’t come. The three dots stopped and started and stopped again. Renton smirked at his phone, feeling a bit victorious knowing just how Owen would take the picture. With jealousy and resentment.

“We’re so cute he’s speechless!” Renton shoved his phone back into his pocket and pulled Drusilla towards the bar. “Let’s get a drink.”

Sanders was pleased with Aphrodite’s compliment. A lot of girls liked the boots. He followed the line of her gaze to spot Drusilla and Renton having fun together. He was caught off guard by the question and quickly turned his head back to Aphrodite.

Earlier he hadn’t picked up on the tension concerning the topic of Owen, and so he proceeded to bob his head enthusiastically. “Oh yeah. Big time crush.”

Sanders took a sip of his beer to pause and collect a few more thoughts. “I’ve known him my whole life. We’ve been friends since forever. And I’ve never seen him this...I don’t know..”

His gaze caught Renton and Drusilla emerging from the crowd and he smiled watching them take a picture together. “There’s something about her that really messes him up.” He shrugged and then returned his gaze to hers. “I think they go well together. Do you?” A brief frown before he added, “Have you met him yet?”

---

RE: Strictly Business [Closed] - megs - 06-19-2017

Aphrodite sighed, listening to Sanders and looking out into the crowd where Ren and Drusilla were having a good time together. She held her martini delicately with two hands, her thumb rubbing thoughtfully across the rim.

“I’ve not had the pleasure of meeting him, no,” she smiled sheepishly and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “Drusilla doesn’t talk about him much either, but when she does there just...something about it. But I also can’t help feeling like he’s dangerous, and like her job is dangerous. The whole detention debacle was...a mess.” Aphrodite was willing to admit that her opinion of the man in questions was hearsay, or a lack thereof. She would have liked to talk more about it, but she noticed Renton and Drusilla moving closer to them.

The drunken cat girl was easily pulled into a picture. She posed with Renton, her head tilted slight for the best angle, ears standing at attention as she smiled up at the camera. She didn’t even complain when he suggested sending it to Owen, she only giggled. Not that complaining would have changed his mind. Her attention drifted elsewhere as Ren watched to see if Owen would respond to him. She was an instant from wandering off, drunk and distracted, before Renton pulled her back into the moment. Drusilla only hummed turning her face back to him and watching the phone disappear. Renton was able to pull her back to the bar all too easily.

The quartet chattered and drank at the bar, having a near riotous time together. Aphrodite flirted with Sanders all the while . Eventually, a well-intoxicated and worn out Drusilla leaned into Renton and mumbled something about being ready to go home.

Having overhead, Dite lifted a brow at Renton, she’d notice how clinging and giggling the two of them had been all night. “Are you taking her home?” she asked, and there wasn’t anything unfriendly in her tone or her question. Drusilla had clearly had more to drink than the rest of them. She just needed to know that her friend was going somewhere and getting there safely.

---

RE: Strictly Business [Closed] - saronym - 06-23-2017

Sanders listened sympathetically to the way Aphrodite described her impression of Owen. He could certainly see the validity of her concerns and so he nodded a careful agreement. “His work is dangerous. Which is actually one of the reasons I am very thankful Drusilla has stayed on with him after the detention. I don’t think Owen has ever had a more competent and caring assistant looking out for him. She is very thorough and he’s mentioned that it takes a big strain off of him.” Sanders shrugged one shoulder. “I worry about him less when I know Dru has prepped his dossiers.”

He sipped at his beer while he considered her other points. “As for Owen being dangerous. I’ll admit he is. But not to her. He cares for her. If you saw them together you’d know.” That was all he could say before Renton and Drusilla were making their way back towards the bar. Sanders quickly reached for Aphrodite’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “She’s lucky to have a friend like you looking out for her. And if he ever did anything to her I’d fuck him up myself.” Sanders winked before smiling some encouragement at her. Hopefully she could accept his side of things.

When Drusilla leaned into Renton and asked to go home, he threaded an arm around her back and promised in a whisper that they could leave. “Yes, I’ll take her.” Renton answered Aphrodite before collecting a tired Drusilla and her purse. He arranged for a Lyft to pick them up and took her back to the apartment she shared with Aphrodite leaving the two not quite as intoxicated blondes behind.

Renton walked Drusilla to her door and followed her inside to play caregiver to the drunk catgirl. He sent her to get into her pajamas while he found water bottles and some ibuprofen. “I got some water babe.” He cooed from outside her bedroom door as a warning that he was entering in case she felt embarrassed for any state of undress he might find her in. Renton pushed open the door which was only half closed and sidled carefully into the room to respect her privacy. "Did you have fun?"

Back at the bar, Sanders didn’t feel quite ready to call it a night. He was wired from the excitement of a burgeoning crush on the sexy Brit and wanted to keep company with her as long as she would let him. “And then there were two.” He said with a sly smile. While they made small talk and nursed drinks late into the night, Sanders found occasion to sneak touches to her arm or hand from time to time. He never ended up asking her to dance because the music and crowd wound down and the bartender informed them of last call. Sanders paid their tab and slipped from the barstool.

“Can I walk you back to your car?”

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RE: Strictly Business [Closed] - megs - 06-24-2017

Drusilla had succeeded in following Renton’s instructions if by getting into her pajamas he meant remove her most hindering items of clothing. Articles removed included her boots, her jeans and her jacket, all of which she’d left in a pile on her floor before curling up in the middle of her bed. When Ren entered the room, she forced herself into an upright position. She swayed slightly as the mattress gave way beneath her weight, but she was for the most part, successful.

Normally, she would have had more concern for the abstract pattern of pale scars that crisscrossed most of her back, but she was drunk and right now her only concern was the water that her friend was tempting her with. “Yeah, I did,” she replied, ears falling to either side of her head as she pawed at her face. It was very obvious that the kitten was tired. “Thanks for taking me out.” Her ears pushed forward, tailing picking up to sway behind her shoulders as she smiled up at him.

Aphrodite was perfectly fine with their party splitting and having Sanders to herself. Continually enjoying drink and conversation with the handsome pilot and cowboy. Genuinely sweet and charming weren’t qualities she came across enough, and he seemed to like her as well, and she certainly enjoyed the attention. The venue was playing against them, however, and the night was drawing to a close. Dite thanked Sanders for the drinks and stood with him, delicately smoothing the clinging skirt down her thighs.

“That would be lovely, thank you.” They’d traveled on foot quite a bit since meeting up at the first bar, she was pleased to have the entirety of the walk back with him.

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