"Shaun, did that bartender just give you another free drink?," Rebecca asked, laughing, her own drink nearly empty. Shaun knew she'd ask him to get her a freebie, too - he could tell by the glint in her eye. Or the conspiratorial grin. Or maybe because she followed it up with, "D'ya think he'd give me one? Maybe you should ask," she suggested, like she thought she was being subtle.
"I'm not asking him to give you free drinks," Shaun replied, like he was above that kind of thing, but they both knew he'd cave if Rebecca pushed hard enough. He glanced at the bartender in question - tall, dark and handsome certainly fit the bill there. He looked fit, a bit rough, and absolutely delicious. So of course Shaun wasn't going to do anything about it at all.
Rebecca leaned into him. "C'mon, Shaun, live a little! It's our last night in New York - so what if you have to sneak out of your own room? You've done it before," she added, and Shaun groaned, because she wasn't exactly wrong. But this mission had been a clusterfuck, and Shaun had honestly just looked forward to a few drinks and maybe some dancing to let out his pent-up aggression, and then sleeping it off on the plane. Inviting the bartender back to his room - no matter how hot - was not part of his plan.
"That's not exactly a ringing endorsment." Shaun arched a brow, and Rebecca shrugged, shameless. She'd been dancing off and on with a really built guy and his stunningly hot girlfriend, and they kept glancing back at her. His usual arrangement with Rebecca on these missions was that only one of them would 'get lucky' on their last night in town - no sense in both of them taking the same risks, after all. The other would sober up and make sure they both left on time and didn't forget anything important.
"Pffft, look at you! We both know you need to relax, and we both know he can do it. So go over there, talk to the man, and get me free drinks! While you're at it, you should get yourself his dick if you can," she added, slurping the last of her drink before heading to the dance floor again, right into the arms of the disturbingly good-looking couple who welcomed her back eagerly.
Shaun waited, though. He finished some of his drink, danced a bit, and only approached the bar when his drink was empty. Hot Bartender was there immediately, generous lips shaped around a very friendly grin. "Another?," he asked, reaching for a glass.
"Actually, my friend's a bit jealous," Shaun replied with a grin. "Told me I should let you know you're being amazingly unfair. She wants free drinks, too, and is willing to pimp me out to get them."
Hot Bartender laughed at that, and gestured to the dancefloor, right at Rebecca who was writhing between the same couple as before."That your friend?," he asked. All three of them had become very generous with their hands, so Shaun nodded and turned back to meet Hot Bartender's gaze. "Yeah, she looks like she's having a horrible time. Definitely needs free drinks to make up for it, but I can't just comp things left and right. Willing to pimp you out, you say?," he asked, and there seemed to be genuine interest there. Shaun laughed because it really couldn't be that easy, could it?
"Yes, apparently so," Shaun said. "I'm certain we could come to some sort of agreement on fair terms, though we'll have to start with your name, because I really can't enter into an agreement with someone I'm calling Hot Bartender," he offered, and the man in question laughed again, easy as before.
"Mike," was the immediate reply, and a hand offered, which Shaun took. Mike's grip was firm and secure, and he didn't let go immediately. "And yours?," he asked.
"David," Shaun replied, because of course he didn't go around giving his random hook ups his real name. He'd be gone in the morning, and it wouldn't ever matter. It wasn't the first time, and it probably wouldn't be the last. But Mike smiled and nodded, and only then released his hand.
"Well, David, tell you what, the drinks are on me, no repayment necessary. But if you're feeling grateful, we could meet up later, maybe you could buy me dinner?," he asked. Shaun's eyes widened, because that sounded an awful lot like a date, and that was both impossible and impossible.
"I, uh, actually, we're.. this is our last night in New York," he said with genuine regret. Mike's grin faltered a little, so Shaun forged on. "I was thinking something a little more along the lines of instant gratification," he said, eyes never leaving Mike's. "I've got a room and a bed and a sincere desire to show my gratitude," he added, licking his lips.
Mike's eyes flicked down to his mouth, then back up, and he nodded. "Alright, yeah. Shift's over in two," he replied. "If you can wait that long, I'll make it worth your while," he promised, and Shaun grinned.
"It's a deal," he said, and both his and Rebecca's drinks were suddenly on the counter, like Mike had been making them as they talked. Like he'd been sincere about the whole thing. Mike met his gaze and nodded once before turning to a customer who had been waiting, and Shaun wandered back to the table he shared with Rebecca. He didn't even need to get her attention, because she saw him with her drink and returned to the table quickly, a knowing grin creasing her face.
"You dog, you; look at you go! So? You goin' to your room alone tonight?," she asked, and Shaun actually flushed a little now, so long after the fact.
"No, looks like I won't. You sure you wanna miss out on those two?," he asked, gesturing to the couple grinding against each other again.
Rebecca laughed, shameless, draining almost half of her drink before setting it back down. "Eh, I think they'll be fine," she said, grin immediate and easy. She was usually the one getting 'lucky' on their last nights, so he knew she wouldn't begrudge him tonight's indulgence at all.
"Wish me luck, then," he said, waggling his brows at her because they both already knew he didn't need it.
She grinned even wider somehow and punched his shoulder lightly. "Good luck, buddy!," she offered, flouncing back to her paramours and inserting herself between them seamlessly, and Shaun rolled his eyes and glanced over at the bar, where Mike had apparently been watching him. Shaun raised his glass and Mike grinned, and that was that.
FILL: One Night in New York (PREQUEL?? 1/2)
"Shaun, did that bartender just give you another free drink?," Rebecca asked, laughing, her own drink nearly empty. Shaun knew she'd ask him to get her a freebie, too - he could tell by the glint in her eye. Or the conspiratorial grin. Or maybe because she followed it up with, "D'ya think he'd give me one? Maybe you should ask," she suggested, like she thought she was being subtle.
"I'm not asking him to give you free drinks," Shaun replied, like he was above that kind of thing, but they both knew he'd cave if Rebecca pushed hard enough. He glanced at the bartender in question - tall, dark and handsome certainly fit the bill there. He looked fit, a bit rough, and absolutely delicious. So of course Shaun wasn't going to do anything about it at all.
Rebecca leaned into him. "C'mon, Shaun, live a little! It's our last night in New York - so what if you have to sneak out of your own room? You've done it before," she added, and Shaun groaned, because she wasn't exactly wrong. But this mission had been a clusterfuck, and Shaun had honestly just looked forward to a few drinks and maybe some dancing to let out his pent-up aggression, and then sleeping it off on the plane. Inviting the bartender back to his room - no matter how hot - was not part of his plan.
"That's not exactly a ringing endorsment." Shaun arched a brow, and Rebecca shrugged, shameless. She'd been dancing off and on with a really built guy and his stunningly hot girlfriend, and they kept glancing back at her. His usual arrangement with Rebecca on these missions was that only one of them would 'get lucky' on their last night in town - no sense in both of them taking the same risks, after all. The other would sober up and make sure they both left on time and didn't forget anything important.
"Pffft, look at you! We both know you need to relax, and we both know he can do it. So go over there, talk to the man, and get me free drinks! While you're at it, you should get yourself his dick if you can," she added, slurping the last of her drink before heading to the dance floor again, right into the arms of the disturbingly good-looking couple who welcomed her back eagerly.
Shaun waited, though. He finished some of his drink, danced a bit, and only approached the bar when his drink was empty. Hot Bartender was there immediately, generous lips shaped around a very friendly grin. "Another?," he asked, reaching for a glass.
"Actually, my friend's a bit jealous," Shaun replied with a grin. "Told me I should let you know you're being amazingly unfair. She wants free drinks, too, and is willing to pimp me out to get them."
Hot Bartender laughed at that, and gestured to the dancefloor, right at Rebecca who was writhing between the same couple as before."That your friend?," he asked. All three of them had become very generous with their hands, so Shaun nodded and turned back to meet Hot Bartender's gaze. "Yeah, she looks like she's having a horrible time. Definitely needs free drinks to make up for it, but I can't just comp things left and right. Willing to pimp you out, you say?," he asked, and there seemed to be genuine interest there. Shaun laughed because it really couldn't be that easy, could it?
"Yes, apparently so," Shaun said. "I'm certain we could come to some sort of agreement on fair terms, though we'll have to start with your name, because I really can't enter into an agreement with someone I'm calling Hot Bartender," he offered, and the man in question laughed again, easy as before.
"Mike," was the immediate reply, and a hand offered, which Shaun took. Mike's grip was firm and secure, and he didn't let go immediately. "And yours?," he asked.
"David," Shaun replied, because of course he didn't go around giving his random hook ups his real name. He'd be gone in the morning, and it wouldn't ever matter. It wasn't the first time, and it probably wouldn't be the last. But Mike smiled and nodded, and only then released his hand.
"Well, David, tell you what, the drinks are on me, no repayment necessary. But if you're feeling grateful, we could meet up later, maybe you could buy me dinner?," he asked. Shaun's eyes widened, because that sounded an awful lot like a date, and that was both impossible and impossible.
"I, uh, actually, we're.. this is our last night in New York," he said with genuine regret. Mike's grin faltered a little, so Shaun forged on. "I was thinking something a little more along the lines of instant gratification," he said, eyes never leaving Mike's. "I've got a room and a bed and a sincere desire to show my gratitude," he added, licking his lips.
Mike's eyes flicked down to his mouth, then back up, and he nodded. "Alright, yeah. Shift's over in two," he replied. "If you can wait that long, I'll make it worth your while," he promised, and Shaun grinned.
"It's a deal," he said, and both his and Rebecca's drinks were suddenly on the counter, like Mike had been making them as they talked. Like he'd been sincere about the whole thing. Mike met his gaze and nodded once before turning to a customer who had been waiting, and Shaun wandered back to the table he shared with Rebecca. He didn't even need to get her attention, because she saw him with her drink and returned to the table quickly, a knowing grin creasing her face.
"You dog, you; look at you go! So? You goin' to your room alone tonight?," she asked, and Shaun actually flushed a little now, so long after the fact.
"No, looks like I won't. You sure you wanna miss out on those two?," he asked, gesturing to the couple grinding against each other again.
Rebecca laughed, shameless, draining almost half of her drink before setting it back down. "Eh, I think they'll be fine," she said, grin immediate and easy. She was usually the one getting 'lucky' on their last nights, so he knew she wouldn't begrudge him tonight's indulgence at all.
"Wish me luck, then," he said, waggling his brows at her because they both already knew he didn't need it.
She grinned even wider somehow and punched his shoulder lightly. "Good luck, buddy!," she offered, flouncing back to her paramours and inserting herself between them seamlessly, and Shaun rolled his eyes and glanced over at the bar, where Mike had apparently been watching him. Shaun raised his glass and Mike grinned, and that was that.