5/29 Instance: Elite Promise

[Slarti]

Timelined a few hours after Part of the Job

<Shaw> When Sebastian awoke, some time later, he was alone. It was hardly surprising that Monet had left, yet as he rolled onto his back and stretched, he found himself unsettled. The alcohol should have burned itself out of his system, yet he had a dull ache behind his eyes that didn’t go away when he pressed the heels of his hands into the sockets.

<Hope> Hope had found herself at the club after yet another sorta breakup with Chris. What was his deal!? She was pretty sure she was done this time. Enough was enough. She downed another swig of rum from the bottle, scanning the room for familiar faces... or unfamiliar faces.

<Shaw> He supposed he should go home, and if he did that, he should most certainly take the time to reprogram his security system. There would be no more surprise visitors. He reached for his phone to check the time, only then remembering he still didn’t have one. Emma was falling down on the job and he would need to deal with that as well …but in the morning.

<Hope> Well there was a cute blonde across the room. But blondes reminded her of Johnny. He probably had a cute accent too. Fucker. She took a swig and glared at him. Probably lousy in bed too.

<Shaw> Dragging himself from the bed of his private suite, he wandered, nude, to the door of his office. Despite the well-insulated walls, he could hear the faint thump of music, indicating there were still members of the Hellfire Club unwilling or unable to go home. After checking the time on the security monitor, he turned back for the bedroom to locate his clothes, but stopped short at the note on his desk.

<Shaw> Remember the rules of our game, amant. There was no signature, only Monet’s flowing handwriting, and as he picked up the paper he snorted under his breath. Ah, yes, this game of fidelity. Somehow, he doubted the rules applied to her in this diversion, only him.

<Hope> Well this dark headed man looked nice enough. She sidled up to him, grinning and striking up a conversation.

<Shaw> “Promises, promises,” he tutted, dropping the note and returning to the bedroom. At least she had left his clothing in one piece, which was a rarity for Monet when she had a single goal in mind. He smirking, recalling he had not returned the courtesy, and quickly dressed.

<Hope> Brunette dude was alright. Billy? Bobby? Rambo? What had he just said his name was? Crap. She flirted away regardless.

<Shaw> The faint throbbing in his head persisted and he decided the best treatment was scotch. Though he was perfectly capable of getting his own from his personal supply, he decided this was what his bartender was for. Luckily, as soon as the man saw him, he realized this and soon there was a drink in his hand.

<Shaw> Surveying the room, his eyes stopped on a redhead.

<Hope> Jeffrey? Wayne? Peter? Her mind struggled for the guy's name as she laughed at his joke and poured herself a shot for show.

<Shaw> Why on earth Hope Stark was talking to that idiot he didn't know, but it looked interesting. He downed his drink and called for another before he pushed himself off the bar to meander in her direction.

<Hope> Her eyes caught sight of Sebastian as she glanced up, mouth closing immediately into a smirk. "Mr. Shaw." She drank her shot, not taking her eyes from him.

<Shaw> "Miss Stark." As the last time he'd seen her he'd ended up curled up in a ball on his own bathroom floor, nude, his smile held an edge.

<Hope> "I didn't know you were here this evening," she kept her smirk in place, eyes on him. "Have you met um," it was only then that she noticed the guy already slinking away. "Aww... he was cute."

<Shaw> "Aww, pity, that." Sebastian cast his gaze toward the other man for just a moment. "But it saves me the idle threats." He paused to take a drink. "Although, those are often entertaining in and of themselves."

<Hope> "Usually are. Their face especially." She switched back to the bottle since it was just Sebastian. "You used to make threats to me too. Those were cute."

<Shaw> He raised an eyebrow at the slosh of the bottle as she drank. "Oh, those weren't idle." Flashing the predatory grin again, he took the bottle from her hand, took a sniff, then a drink of his own.

<Hope> "You have yet to make them come true," she pointed out, nudging him gently with her toe.

<Shaw> Making a sour face at the rum, he gave her bottle back. "I should, considering you tried to emasculate me." he said with a chuckle.

<Hope> She waved her hand off. "Technicalities." She took her rum back and took a drink. "Chris is a rage monster. Think we're done done this time."

<Shaw> As he hadn't cared who Chris was the last time they'd had this conversation, he cared even less now. "How unfortunate." He took two drinks of his scotch to wipe the taste of the rum from his mouth. "How do you drink that cheap swill?"

<Hope> "It's... kind of a comfort drink," she admitted. "It's what I could get most frequently before I went to Xavier's."

<Shaw> "Ah, I see." Considering this for a moment, he got the bartender's attention. "Find the bottle of Legacy for my Black Rook," he ordered, finally taking a seat and making himself at home beside her.

<Hope> She slid her hand to his with a smile. "Thanks for joining me."

<Shaw> "Oh, I'm never one to leave a beautiful woman unentertianed, especially in her hour of need." His attention was on their hands and he rested his on hers for a moment.

<Shaw> The bartender arrived with the bottle and two fresh glasses, pouring them each a measure, and Sebastian thanked him with a nod and pushed a glass to her before picking up his own.

<Hope> Hope nodded her thanks to Shaw and picked up her own drink. "What shall we drink to tonight?"

<Shaw> "To overcoming adversity," he said after only a moment's pretended thought. "And misunderstanding." With a bright grin, he clinked his glass to hers and knocked back a healthy gulp.

<Hope> Hope laughed and drank with him, downing it. "Freedom from baggage!"

<Shaw> He watched her face with rapt attention as she drank it down. "So, was that an improvement, or did you taste it at all?"

<Hope> "Much improved," she assured him with a grin. "Much smoother."

<Shaw> "As it should be, as it's imported from Trinidad, made from sugar cane apparently blessed by the gods, and costs sixty thousand dollars per bottle." He refilled her glass and topped off his own, taking a sip.

<Hope> "You could buy a nice car for that too," she pointed out, taking a smaller sip.

<Shaw> "I have a nice car. Several in fact." He slid his remaining scotch beside the tumbler of rum. "Waste not, want not, yes?" In quick succession, he finished his scotch and picked up the rum.

<Hope> "When does liquor ever go to waste around us?" Hope asked with a scoff, taking another drink.

<Shaw> "It would certainly be a crime against man and nature, though perhaps not our livers," he said, picking up the glass to study the liquid. It did smell better than whiskey. Spicier. More... feminine. Smirking at the thought, he turned on his barstool to better watch her.

<Hope> "Ah, but in a snap of the fingers, I can have a new liver," she tapped the tip of his nose gently.

<Shaw> "And you're welcome for that." He nipped at the finger.

<Hope> She grinned at him, then laughed a little. "Yes, thank you. You give me... many gifts," none of which she wanted to use at the moment. Except the rum. It was good rum. She took another drink.

<Shaw> "I could give you many more," he said, leaning close to watch her face. Lovely girl. It still made sense. So perhaps he had just startled her.

<Hope> "You know your money doesn't interest me, Sebastian." She flicked his bangs back very gently.

<Shaw> Ah, the game was afoot. He smiled and captured her hand, holding it between them. "No? My portfolio is unimpressive? You do so wound me, Little Stark."

<Hope> "I didn't think it possible to wound egos such as ours," she smiled back at him. "Why would money impress me when our resume is near the same? No you'll have to do better than that." She left her hand between his, content with it there for the moment.

<Shaw> "Well then, as we're so very much the same, perhaps the draw is in that very similarity. Like attracts like. One predator knows another on sight, or scent." He brought her hand closer, brushing his nose over her knuckles to almost touch.

<Hope> She shivered at his breath on her fingers, eyes never losing his. "Some would argue that it is a combination of both that heighten the attraction."

<Shaw> "Is the hunt afoot then?" He smirked, kissing her fingers individually, all while maintaining eye contact. Most definitely, he was feeling something stirring.

<Hope> She broke eye contact long enough to look down at him kissing her fingers, then back up at him. "Absolutely."

<Shaw> "Good." Sebastian nipped a knuckle lightly, then freed only her index finger from his grasp. Using her finger as his tool, he traced along his own lower lip, then gave the tip a playful flick with his tongue. Looking up to gauge her reaction, he sucked the end of her finger into his mouth, licking and swirling just at the tip.

<Hope> Genuine surprise spread across Hope's face. She quickly disguised it with a sip of her rum, controlling herself before she did something embarrassing like blush.

<Shaw> "Delicious," he decided, releasing the finger from his mouth with a last teasing lick. Her reaction pleased him, on many levels, and he watched her with hooded eyes. "Perhaps rum is simply an acquired taste after all."

<Hope> "Rum is indeed an acquired taste. Only for the elite." Finally brave enough to look back at him, she was once again locked in. Her nimble fingers closed around her glass to bring it back up to her lips for a slow, careful drink.

<Shaw> Sebastian met her eyes, leaning closer as he watched her mouth as she took the sip, the movement of her throat as she swallowed. Then he smiled and carefully wrapped his fingers around hers on the glass, pulling it away just enough to replace its rim with his lips.

<Hope> Hope pressed into the kiss just enough, relaxing beneath his touch on both of her hands. Her eyes closed and she leaned in just a bit more to him.

<Shaw> This was excellent, and he repeated his earlier performance, licking along her lip and teasing. Twining the fingers of their empty hands together, he dipped his head sideways just enough to gently deepen the kiss.

<Hope> What control and composure she did have was quickly fading with being kissed like that. She squeezed his hand, sliding just a bit closer to him.

<Shaw> In no hurry, he kissed her thoroughly, stroking her fingers as he moved. The bar stool was the perfect height for him to touch the floor without standing, yet the simple shift gave him enough leverage to straighten his spine and tower over her.

<Hope> She pulled her hand from the glass to slide it to his chest. Deciding it was okay for him to be over her, she relaxed again and enjoyed the kiss, returning it fully. Thoughts ceased in her mind finally, all her attention and focus on him.

<Shaw> With one hand now freed, he threaded it into her hair, cupping her jaw to urge her mouth to better align with his. This was glorious, and without the subterfuge of his encounters with Monet. Ah, Monet. Sebastian smiled into the kiss before taking it deeper.

<Hope> Never one to take the lead with him publicly, Hope pressed it into his mind that perhaps they should move out of public eyes. She never broke the kiss, only deepened it and tried to get closer to him.

<Shaw> The flicker against his shielding gave him a split second of surprise, then he found he was proud, for no truly discernible reason. Never one to over analyze a good carnal impulse, he stood, scooping her up with one hand supporting her fantastic ass and the other still buried in her bright hair.

<Hope> Hope held onto him, though not too tightly for there was no need. She made sure she hadn't left anything behind while still in the kiss. Satisfied, she shut her mind off again. With her free hand, Hope ran her fingers gently through his hair and to his cheek.

<Shaw> As there was no way to negotiate the club, kiss, and carry her at the same time, Sebastian satisfied himself with getting a feel for her. He pressed the occasional kiss to her mouth or throat, and once he reached the door of his private rooms discovered he didn't want to put her down. So, he kicked it open.

<Hope> Once they were inside the door, Hope made sure it was closed and locked. Out of the public eye, with no show to put on, no-one to impress, any tension left in her just melted away. She smiled and kissed him again. Just a good night ahead.

[Svartfreja]

Hope is in sooooo much trouble if this gets back to Jess ¬.¬ Her list of people to punch is growing.