get better

❛ castillo, rule number one… last call doesn’t always mean last call. plus i don’t think last call applies to me. perks of being the princess. ❜ jordyn hummed watching as almost the last of the people from the club staggered towards the exit. her coffee-colored sights lingered on the few still sitting around chatting up the dancers before looking at the clock on the wall with a sigh while she absent-mindedly saturated another glass and relinquished it to ares with ease. the femme almost missed his last comment, but eventually, her brain caught up and a leer painted itself on her red-tinted lips, ❛ you know, flattery gets you everywhere. especially with me. so just for that, you can finish your drink and go home… i’ll clean up and do inventory for the night. seems only fair after you played security tonight too. ❜

“okay, fair enough, princess,” he chuckled. ares sarcastically waved to the last of the drunks making their exit. the longer he had this job the more he couldn’t stand drunk old men. they were the worst to deal with and horrible tippers. ares returned his attention to jordyn and the glass she just pushed in front of him. he picked it up and quickly tossed the drink back. “god, that shit’s so smooth,” he groaned and pushed the glass back toward jordyn. ares chuckled at her offer, but shook his head, “hey, compliments are the only free thing you’ll get from me at this bar,” he winked. “you’re sweet to offer that, but i get paid down to the minute and i need my full eight hours,” he laughed. “but if you want to help, we might get done right on time? and then maybe you and i can go grab a bite to eat? there’s a twenty-four hour taco truck on the way to my apartment and their food is unholy.”

it was only a half an hour before closing, the bar never really died down but to her surprise, jordyn found a sacred five minutes to herself. breathing a slow sigh of relief, the brunette turned behind her and grabbed a bottle off the extensive liquor shelves. almost mindlessly she poured a half glass of bowmore - a beautifully aged 52 year old scotch. jordyn geller could say a lot about her boss, but his taste in alcohol was absolutely impeccable. that was evident as she cautioned herself not to kill the entire glass because of how smooth it was. the sound of a bar stool pulling out brought the femme back to reality and mechanically turned her awareness to the person occupying the chair and beaming a smile over in their direction. “what can i get you, babe?” she asked, placing her hands on the bar top with an ever so slight tilt of her head.

ares was beyond ready to go home. his shift at the bar had been long and chaotic. he was lucky if he had more than a whole minute between drink orders being shouted at him. it had to be a full moon or something, because the crazies were definintely out that night. he had to cut off about ten duded who looked like they could break his spine like a tooth pick. he decided to close the bar a little early, so he could use the restroom and pick up his check from the manager. there wasn’t much time till close, so it wasn’t a huge deal. when he returned to the bar, he was a little surprised to see someone behind it, so he sat down with a small smirk on his face. “you know, i called last call about ten minutes ago,” he chuckled, “but that scotch looks pretty damn good. not as good as the lady pouring it, but i digress,” he winked. 

cleo’s blue orbs gazed up from her sunglasses as she heard a voice coming from the side of her. her eyes flickered to the empty white chair beside her then back to the man before her. “yeah, whatever,” she shrugged before putting her sunglasses back on her face then leaning back into her lounge chair. “it is, that’s exactly why it’s my cabana area. it’s the perfect spot where the sun hits and it’s right near the dj for when the sun comes down.” explained cleo while pointing over at the empty stage. “pool party night, he’ll be setting up in a few hours.” 

ares grinned and sat down on the edge of the chair, “thanks.” he wasn’t too fond of small talk, but he had gotten good at it over the years. it was definitely part of the bar tender job description and he definitely faked it till he made it. “well, i won’t be here too long. just long enough to get a little bit of color and then i’ll be out of your hair, princess,” he winked. ares made himself comfortable on the chair and closed his eyes. there were few things he enjoyed more than the feeling of the sun warming his skin. “the dj any good?”

open: to anyone.

where: the kiss hotel, the strip. 

it was in the middle of the day when cleo slipped out of her pjs and into her red bikini then dawned her black robe over her body and into some high heels. living in a hotel really did have it’s big perks and one of them for the twenty-five year old was the pool. quickly, she kissed her father’s cheek before walking out the door with her bag in her arms. soon, the woman found herself in her regular cabana near the dj area. sadly, no one was playing until later tonight but cleo laid out in the sun in front of the cabana. she was overcome with the warmth of the sun for awhile until she felt opened her eyes and pulled down her sunglasses. “can i help you?”

ares usually spent his days off in bed, catching up on all the sleep he missed. today was a beautiful day, though. the first in what felt like forever. so, he decided he would spend some time at the pool. he expected the pool to be more packed than it was, but there was hardly anyone there. not that he was complaining. he walked around to find the best chair available. when he found on that was perfectly in the sun, he noticed that someone was in the one next to it. he didn’t want to take someone’s chair if she wasn’t alone. he cleared his throat and smiled when she acknowledged him, “i was just going to see if this chair was open? i’m just trying to get a bit tan,” he chuckled, “and this spot seems to get the best sun.”