Your Addiction...

He couldn’t help but chuckle when he heard her words, shaking his head slightly. “If only I could do that for you. I would.” Antonio smiled over at her. “But since I’m sensing that it is your first time. Anything you want is on the house. So do you want me to chose or do you want to take some time to look at the menu?”

Michelle smiled brightly when he said anything she wanted was on the house. “I’ve always been a fan of surprises, and I find when I tell someone to surprise me, they generally will show you their best work so that you’re a repeat customer, so by all means, surprise me. Though everything here has to be much better than a trip to Taco Bell, so I won’t complain no matter what it is. I’m Michelle by the way, and thanks for the free taco.” 

Amari smiled at her.  “I could say the same about you,” she told her.  Nodding once, Amari felt comfortable with her.  “Yes, I’d love that,” she admitted.  “I’d never say no to a beautiful woman buying me a drink.”

Once the song they were dancing to died down, she gestured to the bar. “Follow me, Gorgeous?” she asked her as she started walking in that direction. All of the stools were occupied so Michelle draped her arms across the shoulders of two bar patrons, sweet talking them both into giving up their stools for her and Amari. Once she did, she gestured to the seat. “What will it be? When the bartender comes over, I’ll have him get you your drink.”

“I know,” Astrid said softly with a little shrug, no judgement in her voice as she spoke. “Oh. Um…” She trailed off, starting to panic as she looked over at the games laid out across the table, not sure if she’d find anything there that her sister wouldn’t find lame. Twister had been her best option. At least it included someone shirtless to distract her if the spins got boring. “Extreme truth or dare?” She chocked out, hoping she wasn’t completely out of the park with this one.

Michelle waited while Astrid thought up a new game to play. She’d eyed the selection and she wasn’t hopeful. She was starting to regret that she hadn’t chosen twister as she eyed the shirtless form over there. Her attention was drawn back to Astrid when she mentioned extreme truth or dare. A wicked smile appeared on her face then. “I’m intrigued. Sounds like fun, but only if you promise not to wimp out and pick truth every time.” She didn’t know Astrid very well, but something told her that the other woman wasn’t very daring.

“Oh um… that’s okay!” Astrid said, with a little smile as gave her sister a little shrug. “And yes. Game night. How do you feel about twister?” She asked, glancing over to where Noah was already setting up the mat on the ground, tugging his shirt off over his head as he rearranged all of the tables and chairs in the store to make room for the game. “That’s Noah. He’s a bottle service boy. At Saints and Sinners actually. So maybe you two will work together?” Astrid told her with a innocent little smile. “Or we could always play something else, instead?”

Michelle grinned when she mentioned twister. “Well I’m flexible, so I’m pretty sure I’d win at a game of twister. Her eyes traveled over to the man she pointed out. “I’ve seen him around. I strip there,” she said nonchalantly not sure if her sister even knew what she did for a living. “Hello, hot bottle service guy. But I have unfair advantage I’d just use my assets to distract him and I’m pretty sure that he’d lose. My arms and legs are longer than yours so I can reach more places and you’d lose. I need more of a challenge. “What else you got?” She asked.

Not once did the words you need to remain indoors, nova lynn seemed to ring true up until the moment that small Nova Thompson found herself stuck in a crowd of people during a full moon. Her mother was out of town on business so she’d gotten bored stuck indoors but she’d failed to remember that once a month things seemed to get far too overwhelming. Ten fold for her. She clung to her crossbody bag for dear life when she almost bumped into a dancing woman. “D-Dance? Me? Oh.. I-I.. No, thank you,” she said as loudly as she could muster - which wasn’t that much given the noise around them. “I don’t mean.. I’m not trying to be rude but I’m just not much of a dancer.”

Michelle chuckled. The girl was kind of adorable as she spoke. She twirled around to the ending notes of one song as it melded into another. “Oh, don’t even worry about it. Not every gets the gift of dance. I spoke to one girl that said she had 3 left feet, so it’s completely alright. Are you lost?” The other girl’s body language told Michelle that this wasn’t her scene.

Amari chuckled.  Over the centuries if there was one thing she became sure of, it was her beauty and how she could use that to influence others just as easily as magic or anything else.  “Maybe, but you’re beautiful,” she told her while they began swaying to the beat.  “Michelle,” Amari repeated, hoping for the name to remain in her memory.  “I’m Amari.”

“Amari,” she repeated the name. “I have absolutely no doubt that I’m going to remember the name. It’s actually fitting. Incredibly stunning woman with an incredibly beautiful name. Can I get you a drink after this dance,” she asked her.

“Guess we’ll have to see.” Nodding her head back and forth to the beat, she put her hands on Michelle’s hips.  Falling into rhythm with Michelle as they danced to the music that was still playing while her ears tuned into Michelle’s hums. “Then we should do this more often if we can do this whenever I want. Say Friday at Saints and Sinners?” She questioned with a raised eyebrow, a smile was still on her face. “Serena is my name. What is yours?” 

“Friday at Saints and Sinners, beautiful? Of course I’d love to. It’s a date.” Michelle grabbed the woman’s wrists, guiding her hands to her backside instead of her hips. As she did so, she very slyly removed her watch and sliding it into her pants pocket. “I’m Michelle. The pleasure is all mine, Serena.” She lifted her hand to caress Serena’s cheek. “Your smile is more radiant than the full moon, I hope you know that.” That was Michelle’s game. Sure she could entrance, but it only did so much. It was like a one-two punch. Entrancing and then complimenting, making the person feel good about themselves so much so that they didn’t realize that she was after something. “What are your plans after this?”  

There was just something about this girl– and River noticed it wasn’t just her. Everyone around them was staring openly, and River tipped her chin down at her Shirley Temple. “I do. Sometimes, but–“

She always had to be collected. In control. But maybe tonight–

She pinched herself. It grounded her, and River tossed her head back. “Hit me.”

Michelle followed the other girls eye to those that were staring openly at her. She grinned. That grin grew more pronounced when she said that she would take a drink. “Great! I’ll get you something fruity like a sex on the beach. One of my favorites.” She looked around at the guys in close proximity and in a sing-song voice she asked, “Who’s going to get me my next drink?” One of the guys rushed forward and she patted his cheek. “Oh, Darren, you’re so sweet.” She ordered two drinks and when he came back from the bar with them, she smiled at him. “Okay, now, go away.” She made a shooing motion after she haded River the drink. Michelle took a drink of hers and nodded. “Yep perfect. Tell me about yourself, River. You’ve got three left feet and you’ll be twenty-one soon, how long have you been in town?”

“If need be yes. Well considering you have the intelligence of a fifth grader I figured I should treat you like one. Did I say you have to be nice to her? I said I don’t dance with girls who are mean to my best friend. Nowhere in that statement does it imply that I want you to be nice to her.” At her insult Liv just laughed, she flicked her hair back over her shoulder. “Please if anyone is stealing my money it’s my husband who in your so kind words would be Bootleg Ken. So take a number. I’m sure you can get in line right behind him which I’m sure given both of your sparkling personalities you’ll be great friends. Hey maybe you both can try to steal my money and fail epically together. I mean it’s totally working out well for him right now and I’m sure it’ll work out great for you too.” Liv remarked with a smirk. 

“Excuse me, I just met you, so there’s no way you know a thing about my intelligence, Bootleg Barbie. But quite frankly, you don’t want to go toe to toe with me. I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty. But looks like fifth grade intelligence goes to you. If you have a problem with me being mean but don’t want me to be nice…what’s the issue? Obviously logic doesn’t live in that dome of yours. Lights on but nobody’s home, huh?” Michelle was trash, she came from trash, and that meant that she never had anything to lose. This girl on the other hand, prissy barbie of sorts? She would never be able to sink to the depths that Michelle had and could. Charlie made her do unspeakable things to people quite often. She was numb to hurting people whether that be just with her bare hands, or whether it be manipulating them to do what she wanted them to do. “You have a husband that’s trying to steal your money? Oh, don’t flatter yourself, sweets. I don’t associate with men that can’t finish the job. I get what I want and I always finish. Plus, I’d never marry a man that needs to steal from me. That’s a fail on your end and an episode of Jerry Springer.” Which was pitiful, who in their right minds marries a man that’s trying to steal their money and then boasts about it? ”Sweets, Astrid is my sister. Unfortunately, she’s my blood, and I can say what I damn well please to her. These are family matters, so you can try to think that you’re family that you’re sticking up for your sister from another mister or whatever dumbass sayings are these days but fact of the matter is, she’s not your sister and you don’t step to me and tell me what to say to my family. I’m a grown ass woman who will say and do what I please.”

Nina was revelling in the dim lights interrupted by the strobes, the bass vibrating the floor of the club and making her feel like she had a heartbeat again. When her eyes locked onto a fellow gorgeous woman, she didn’t look away and danced closer, laughing at the woman’s comment.

“You’re willing to turn down a payment? I like this Full Moon discount,” Nina replied smoothly, dancing next to the girl before taking her hand. Nina would at least repay in beverages, as the night was still young. “Come here often? Please tell me you don’t. You strike me as a big-city girl.”

Michelle nodded. “I am, especially now because damn…you’re hot. Might even offer you an second free dance anytime you please,” she told her. The woman was definitely attractive so of course she was offering up a second free dance before the first even really began. Michelle happily took her hand and danced with her. “Sadly, I do come here often. This is pretty much as exciting as it gets here. And sometimes, a girl has to make her own fun and hope to catch they eye of another incredibly beautiful woman in hopes to have even more fun.”

Adam couldn’t help but laugh softly at her comment before waving a hand. “I’m sorry, that’s just adorably eighth grade. Sounds like Jonathan Peters was a lucky kid,” he smiled, relaxing a bit. His own history was a long and complicated one, not one he usually shared with strangers. His go-to, which was the truth, was much easier and more succinct. “I’m a special education teacher. Sometimes the kids use signing to communicate even if they aren’t mute. It’s just…easier than talking sometimes,” he explained.

“I’m…one of the s-c-a-r-y things,” he admitted, signing back in her style but saying the rest aloud. “Makes us one and the same?”

She playfully rolled her eyes. “It was very sickeningly cute for eight grade. To be young and careless again would be nice.” But even in eighth grade she wasn’t careless. It was just easier to pretend that she was. “I rocked Jonathan Peters little eighth grade world.” Michelle nodded at his words. “Ah. I never learned anything but the alphabet, and that one thing from Napoleon Dynamite.”

She smirked when he signed back. “But you don’t seem scary at all. But I mean looks can be deceiving. But how scary can a teacher be?” she wondered aloud. “That it does, except I can be scary,” she teased.

Who was this woman? She was all pretty faced and her hair glowed. Probably woke up that way (life wasn’t fair). But River watched with respect as pixie girl manipulated a man away with just a flick of fingers.

“It’s River. My name–I mean. And spoiler I turn 21 in October.“ Her chin tipped up. “But I drink. Alcohol.“ She clarified.

Even if the other girl wasn’t dancing, Michelle hadn’t let the party stop within her. She finished off her drink and her body continued to move to the rhythm of the song. She chuckled as the woman said that she turned 21 in October. “You’re as cute as a button, River. Do you really? Drink alcohol? Because…the offer for the drink is still open, regardless of when you turn legal drinking age. Honestly, live a little. This place is full of life music thumping almost like a heartbeat.” It truly made Michelle feel alive. “I’m Michelle by the way,” she introduced herself finally.”

“Modern dance isn’t my forte, I’m afraid. Now the foxtrot? Or the waltz?“ He held out a hand. “I’m sure I can keep pace.“

Michelle laughed as she took his hand. “How about a compromise? I teach you a modern dance, you teach me how to waltz and foxtrot? I’m a versatile girl, I can adapt.” To be honest, she had no clue what a foxtrot was. Sounded like something old people that liked to hunt foxes made up.

“Okay then,” Astrid trailed off. This was her part time job after all. So, even though it sucked when they got a bad turnout, it wasn’t like she was personally offended. She was still getting paid at the end of the day after all. “We’ll save you a seat, I guess,” Astrid said with a tiny smile as she went back to the table with the three other players. She wanted to get to know her sister, she did. But, Michelle being here, also, tended to put her on edge. The girl knew her secret and, beyond that, she was proof that Charlie was still alive. He was still out there somewhere and he could still hurt her.

Michelle nodded, sauntering toward the sole reason she had come in today. As she walked back over, she realized that she could have gotten the girl a coffee, or that would be the nice thing to do. She realized that she wasn’t so nice. “I would have gotten you a coffee, but…you sort of work here or you’re doing something here so I figured coffee must be free for you,” she said with a shrug. “So…um…game night?” she asked already figuring that this was going to be a lame occasion.