—PHOENIX

BEA TORRES 28. Owner of the Phoenix Club. 

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA  Current Residence: Brooklyn, NY Gender/Pronouns: Cis Woman / She/Her  Traits: passionate, honest, clever, jaded, stubborn, haughty 

“Can’t blame you. This little old man makes me want to tear up on a daily basis.” Jack grinned as he continued to scratch behind Biscuit’s ear, who was content in the man’s arms. “Why would I ever say no to that? If I do that, just throw me away, cause I’m clearly not right in the mind.”

**

Fine, she was willing to admit Jack was more than his gruff, masculine exterior. Any man who could confess to crying over a dog clearly wasn’t all bad. “Fuck, I want to, but where will I keep it when I’m at work all night? I can’t leave ‘em in my apartment. That would kill me.”

Setting the paper he finished grading, aside, he heard his phone vibrate and reached over to pick it up. A notification showing on his screen from Bea which brought a smile on his face and a feeling of relief of not being weird to reach out after one night. A feast sounded good. “A feast you say? Well i’ll happily join you on that. Anything you’d like me to bring? Also your address please.” He texted back before he started collecting his things.

It was an interesting beginning of whatever this could be for them. Sleeping with her once and now heading to her place for a feast. A good start of a friendship he knew for sure, at least he had hoped she would like too. He didn’t want to seem to weird or awkward. He had a fair share of one night stands where running into them or waking up and it being awkward. But Bea didn’t seem like the woman who would feel that way. 

**

She texted him back with her address and the instructions to come as he was before making her way to the bathroom to make herself at least halfway presentable. She didn’t bother with a whole to-do with hair and makeup and a slinky outfit that screamed ‘I only want to make you think I wear something this impractical around the house’; as far as she was concerned, he’d already bought the goods when he slept with her, and so long as she put in the minimal effort of not looking like refried death, she was holding up her end of the bargain.

The food came just 10 minutes before he did, leaving her enough time to arrange it all on the coffee table with her preferred items hoarded in front of where she’d be sitting. (Sharing had never been her forte...)

A knock on the door alerted her that Adam had finally arrived, and she greeted him with a friendly smile as she opened the door. “Hey! Thanks for coming on such short notice. Come on in.”

Jonas narrowed his eyes at her. He had a sarcastic comment on the tip of his tongue, ready to be unleashed. He hadn’t known Bea for long but their relationship was based on arguing and bickering so how was he supposed to react to… that? This behavior from her was news ne unexpected to him and had definitely caused his brain to stall for a second. He stared at her as if to say who are you and what you done to Beatriz Torres and wouldn’t be surprised if he looked slightly distraught. “I thought you were allergic to the whole panel of human emotions. Except anger”.

**

She rolled her eyes. Okay, moment passed. “Funny, I thought you were allergic to everything but being a dick, dick.”

Maybe he was right, but he brought it out in her.

“No no, no.” Theo repeated, as he shook his head. “And I can’t express this enough, but no.” He was adamant, “That’s how they reel you in, they give you that dumb sad puppy eye look, and before you know it, you’re bringing one home, and It’s wreaking havoc on your life, and before you know it, your house is turned upside down, you shoes? practically become a chew toy, your bed? no longer yours, you’re just a guest.” 

**

“Is it wrong that that actually sounds kinda nice?” Bea asked, surprised by the words coming out of her own mouth. She was usually self-sufficient to a fault; she didn’t get ‘lonely’... “Fuck, I need to get fucked, don’t I? None of this would be happening if I got dicked down regularly, right?” She was well and truly living in an alternate reality...

“Today, I saw a puppy on the street, and I straight up just almost started crying.” She loved dogs, but this was like a whole new level. Work stress was wreaking havoc on her emotions. “Do you wanna go to the humane society with me?”

~ Time Skip ~

Some time has passed since Adam last saw Bea He was lucky enough to get her number to reach out to her again. Though he had a few one night stands, this one felt different. He wanted to reach out to her again and see her. See how she was, befriend her.

He sets down his pen and glances at his phone, deciding whether or not if he should text her now. He didn’t know much about her but he figured lunch wouldn’t hurt, right? He finally decided on his decision and grabs his phone, sending her a text if she wanted to grab a bite to eat. He sets the phone down and waited patiently. Grabbing his pen again and continued, grading. Every now and then, he tapped his pen on the desk as he continued to wait, glancing at the phone every now and then. 

**

She must have gotten the summer bug that’s going around... It would make sense — she was constantly stressed out about work, her immune system must be going haywire. Her body ached, she was tired constantly, her stomach was off. She needed a vacation. A proper one, not just a night off.

It was true desperation that had her calling out sick from the club, leaving Rich in charge for the night. The plan was to not leave her apartment unless absolutely necessary, and instead have all the junk food she could stomach delivered. The plan was to spend the whole day on her couch watching telenovelas. At least, it was until the text from Adam came in.

It had been about a month since she last saw him, which meant it had been just as long since she’d last gotten any. The idea of sex in her current state was less than appealing, but the perverse side of her thought maybe that was all she needed to get back on her feet again. Either way, she weirdly wanted to see him again, and she blamed whatever strange malady she was suffering from for the forward offer she texted back.

I can do you one better. I currently have a feast making it’s way to me at my apartment. Wanna drop by?

“Are you kidding?” Akio asked, “A no-shame night is exactly what we need.” He missed those, terribly, like the way he could miss an ex. Those brilliant memories of doing the whatever-the-fuck they wanted, regrets and shame be damned, because they were young, and beautiful, and fun. When the environment was so incredibly full of the most beautiful people he could see, too…that helped. “So, Miss Bea…shall we make terrible decisions and have a state-of-the-union this week?” he could almost taste the sips of bottomless mimosas in between gossip, scandalized gasps, and laughter that would come. “Kiss before you go?”

**

“Whoever has the lamer story had to pay,” Bea said by way of confirming. “I look forward to you buying me dinner.” With that, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek and made her way out into the crowd, looking for trouble.

Jonas closed his eyes and threw his head back. “Why?”, he sighed. He didn’t need to think about that. He really didn’t, and for obvious reasons. But yes, he did put his foot in his mouth but that was only because he was trying to convey a message without really saying it. He was jealous that she’d had so much time with his dad, that he actually wanted to spend that time with her but on the other end had neglected his own son for several years. For most of Jonas’ life.

He stood and made his way over, only stopping a few inches away from her. Her lingering gaze didn’t go unnoticed and while it was a bit strange, it was also nice and exciting. He was towering over her, looking directly into hers eyes. “You’re not my sister because Hal was more of a dad to you than he’s ever been to me”, he explained, face falling for just a moment “He’s your father. Not mine”. It really hurt to say that even if it was the truth. His truth. “So don’t worry, there’s nothing weird about the way you’re looking at me”, he added.

**

There was a moment, as she felt the electricity prickle between them, that she wondered if it was more than just hatred, or jealousy, or whatever it was that existed between the two of them. Whether they had more in common than the man between them they would never see eye to eye about. But Hal was the only thing that brought them together, and he would always stand between them.

Just like that, the moment fractured, and Bea took a step back. “You’re such a dick,” she said dismissively, not sure why she said it other than to say it. It was easier to write him off that way than to acknowledge there might have been more to Hal than what she knew of him.

A laugh escaped the male at her threat. After setting the glass down, he lifted his hands up and nods, “Alright alright, i won’t touch my nose. I’ll keep it like this just for you.” he responded as he lowered his hands to rest on her hips. Adam hundred percent sober would usually grow nervous and become awkward at the physical tough and closeness but now, the alcohol kept him calm and open to anything.

His eyes dropped when she moved her hips in his hands then flickered them back up to meet hers. His mind clouding from both the alcohol and the beauty that was now in his arms. “Your eyes, your lips, your voice, everything about you.” he said in a low voice. His heart raced as he slowly leaned in to press his lips against hers. His arms snaking around her waist to pull her closer, closing the distance between their bodies. 

**

Bea knew she was attractive. Most days, she tried to play her looks down because fucking assholes were too sexist to take a beautiful woman seriously. She didn’t need an ego boost. If that was all she was looking for, she could just listen the next time some drunk patron at the club told her she had nice tits. That wasn’t what she was looking for. Tonight, she wanted Adam to make her feel like a woman. She wanted to feel good, to let go, and for once not to worry about the consequences.

With his lips against hers, and his arms pulling her closer, she let herself give into everything she’d been holding back. Her fingers dug into the flesh of her shoulder blades, and she pushed herself so close there could be no doubt of her intentions. “I will let you do whatever you want to me,” she whispered against him.

Closed: @bea-torres​ Location: Lunch at the Cappola Cafe

–

“I swear to God I’m going to be eternally single and you know what think it just validates my need to get the dog I’ve been wanting for so long,” she chuckled. Another poor date lit up in flames last night at a bar wanted Gillian to swear herself to forget men altogether. At this rate it was just for company and convenience. Getting love out of it would just be a win. “How’s everything with you?” 

**

“If you’re single, it’s only because no one is good enough for you, and I’ll testify to that under oath,” Bea said, her tone allowing no room for argument. “But a dog could be fun. I’m at the club too much to get one, so I might insist so I can live vicariously.” Pride had been a nice, but brief reprieve; as soon as it was over, Bea was back to the grind of daily living again. She barely had time to sleep, let alone take care of another living thing. “Ugh, working too hard, as usual. I think I need a vacation — an actual, real vacation. The stress has been wrecking complete havoc on my body: my neck is tense, my back is sore. Even my cycle is completely out of wack...”

A frustrated grunt passed his lips. Well shit. The very little hope he’d had to have gone unnoticed had just been annihilated. She was hot and she knew it. And she knew that he thought she was hot. Still, he would keep denying even if it was ridiculous because that’s how stubborn Jonas is. “Not even in your wildest dreams, Hal’s daughter”. He was going to try and ignore the fact that she just compared him to Hal. Jonas was nothing like his dad, or so he thought because it seemed that Bea knew him better than he did. Then again, Hal was the only thing they had in common so he should’ve expected her to bring him up. “Plenty of people think I’m charming”, he lied. He could be charming whenever he wanted to but for the most part, he was known as a grump. It was pretty useful to get people to think twice before messing with him. “You’re the only one who doesn’t so, so there must be something wrong with you”. He was trying hard to hold her gaze but it kept drifting south and he mentally kicked himself for that. “Nice bikini though”, he added quickly, hoping she wouldn’t catch it.

**

Hal’s death still hurt her even if it didn’t hurt him, so it stung to have his father’s memory used as what he intended to be a dig. More so because she wished she had grown up with a parental figure like Hal — these days, her relationship with her parents could best be described as ‘estranged.’

“Whatever, you basically just called me your sister, so what’s it say about you that you’re checking me out?” she scoffed, even as she gave him an obvious once-over herself. It was only fair; tit for tat, and all that...

Adam threw back the rest of his drink, sets the glass down and orders another. It had seem nothing has been going right for him the last few weeks and he was tired of thinking about everything. So he soaked up his system with the sparking looking alcohol drinks that day to be able to relax and enjoy the fun at Pride. He needed to like everyone else. He had last count of how much he had but he could definitely feel it in him. He was relaxing.

When the new cup was placed before him, he picked up and sipped it until he heard a voice. Glancing over, he saw it was Bea. At her what seemed like a compliment, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Oh yeah? You think so because i was never really happy with it but if you say it’s sexy i may just be fine with it then,” he smiled. “But i might say, it’s nothing sexier than the curves you’ve got going on.” his eyes, glancing at her up and down. He knew that he was going to regret his stupidity but he was tipsy at this point, but he did prepare himself for a slap. 

**

“Noooo!” she moaned out, almost like a coo when Adam admitted to never being fond of his nose. She laid her arms heavily on his shoulders to pull in closer, as though pulling him into her confidence. She wasn’t usually such a physically affectionate person, but she’d decided the whole night was about being out of character. “You touch your nose, and I’ll hurt you. I swear to god, I’ll break it.” As far as pep talks go, it wasn’t her best, but she meant it with as much sincere care as she was capable.

Of course she had always found Adam attractive — she did have eyes after all — but it had always been like background noise, a subliminal truth not worth bringing to attention. But alcohol was coursing through her veins, and she had said she wanted to make a bad decision. It looked like she was staring right at him... Her grin grew wild and lascivious as his words, her hips shaking playfully from side to side as if to prove his point. Clearly whatever this was, he was feeling it too. It made her bold, and she leaned forward to nuzzle that sexy nose of his with her own. “Oh yeah? What else about me do you find sexy?”

Akio listened to her laundry list of wants and nodded along with her. “Hey, far be it from me to stand in your way,” he said, lifting his hands up. “Would love to have wild Bea back with us, for one night and one night only.” He slid her another cup of the objectively shitty beer and toasted to her. “Any ideas for your objectively terrible decision, or is that gonna be a surprise for us all?” He glanced around the room; the two of them were beautiful, and this was Pride, so they were getting plenty of looks even as they stood still to complain.

**

She was lucky to have Akio to enable all her worst impulses, though she told herself today was exactly what she was missing. “I’m gonna play it by ear,” she said, as though it were an important decision — and the only one she would be making for the night. “No plans. No schedules. Better yet if I can’t remember it tomorrow to feel shame for it. Are you with me?”

Closed starter for @bea-torres​

Location: Coney Island

Jonas adjusted his sunglasses and made his way down the pier. He was rocking a pride colored feather boa he won at ring toss and was already a couple of beers in. It felt like he’d bumped into pretty much everyone he knew and given the happy atmosphere, it was hard to turn drinks down. Maybe, just maybe it had something to do with the feeling of elation that coursed through his veins. He plopped down on a bench, letting his head fall back as he enjoyed feeling the sun on his skin. He really was letting his hair down for the first time in a while and was loving it.

After a while, he looked up and caught sight of an attractive brunette nearby. His lips curled into a smile as he briefly pushed his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose. But fuck… he squinted behinf his sunnies. Not her. Didn’t campires only come out at night? Jonas pushed his sunglasses down again, mouth hanging open as it registered in his mind that he’d just initiated flirtation with his sworn enemy. There was bright side to this embarrassing situation though: thanks to the alcohol, he could’t bring himself to regret.  “Oh it’s jut you”.

**

Bea couldn’t even remember the last time she’d gone to the beach. All she knew for certain was that it had been long enough she had to go out and buy a new bikini for the occasion. While usually she dressed down her curves, trying her best to be taken ‘seriously’ in a male-dominated world, today she decided to accentuate them, and she’d noticed the difference in attention.

Even from a distance, she could tell Jonas was checking her out. He could deny it all he wanted, or pretend to be disappointed once he realized it was her, but she knew — he had liked what he saw.

“Ah, so charm’s not hereditary then,” she sniped back, taking another pull from her now lukewarm beer bottle. “Go on, you can say I look good.”

“Is it?” It didn’t take long for Jack to realise who the woman was; he had seen her before, and it was fascinating how much she stood out over something so simple. Clearly, the same was happening once more. “Why? You gonna jump in and play the hero yourself?”

**

"What are you even doing here? This hardly seems like your scene,” Bea replied, ignoring the dig. She didn’t know why it still bugged her, why he seemed to bring out the very worst of her insecurity. Tonight was not the night to examine it...