CHEE HOO.

         the day had been one that was draining. she didn’t know if it was because she’d woken up on the wrong side of the bed or if it was because people had just been getting on her nerves, but between going to classes and then coming to work, gigi was miffed. more so because she was irritated with the amount of catch up she had to do for school if she wanted to graduate on time, and not be a sixth year senior. she could only lie to her parents for so long before they figured out that she wasn’t exactly paying much attention to her studies.

it was for that reason that she’d been off as she came out of her last client’s room, already calculating how much time she had to at least read a chapter before she got bored and sleepy and tried to sleep for the night. she hadn’t expected to suddenly be airborne, her arms immediately wrapping around her captor so that she wouldn’t fall with an embarrassing squeak. “ what the fuck ?! ” she hissed, wiggling around so that she could at least see who the culprit was.

“ you know if you’d been anyone else i would’ve kicked your teeth out, right ? ” gigi voiced as she relaxed in kale’s hold. “ i have things to do. if you’re not here to offer me food and a shower, maybe a couple of minutes of cuddles, then i’m not interested. ” which was completely untrue given that she’d much rather spend her evening with kale than doing anything productive anyway. “ why haven’t you made me any goodies recently, huh ? that’s rather rude of you. ”

He noticed how she relaxed the moment she’d realized that it was him; and it pleased him immensely.

“Like I said – I don’t care,” he huffed as he continued to stroll down the hallway, way too unbothered by the fact that someone had just looked at him as if he’d grown two heads. Although she had an adorable face, Gigi was very much capable of talking someone into a grave. She could go on and on for hours, and she could be mean, too. Kale grinned. He’d forgotten how much he’d always enjoyed her. Their time together had been limited the last year, with her working as an escort and him properly focusing on his job as head chef at the Votive.

Not today though, he thought. And when he finally stood in front of the elevator which had seemed so far away mere seconds ago, all the while expertly ignoring her ranting, Kale frowned. Suddenly, his plans to explore the establishment seemed silly and tiring with Gigi on his shoulder. He wanted her all to himself. Alone. As if on cue, the elevator doors opened and a couple of people stood inside. He raised his eyebrows to them before he turned on his heels and faced the direction he’d come from, heading for his deluxe suite again, his steps big and definite.

“See Giana, these are the ice cold facts, it’s entirely your own fault that you haven’t received any. You were so busy and forgot all about poor old me in the process that I had to take to drastic measures and kidnap you.” He shook his head and his voice oozed smugness.

“Sorry, I just… I think my pen fell down one of these cushions.” It was her favourite, one she’d had for years and years and even had her name inscribed on it. “This was the last place I remember having it and if it’s not here, I don’t know where else to look. Do you mind just…. Scooting over a bit. I’ll be done in a minute.”

Slowly, very slowly, Kale looked up from his smartphone. His gaze was intense, sort of deadpan even, and travelled along the pipsqueak’s body in a non suggestive way. When their eyes finally met, one could hear the theme song of Candy Crush Saga and a subtle ‘Delicious’ sounding from within his hands upon having finished the level. He stared at her, not sure whether he was fixing to get irritated or whether he felt in the mood to cooperate. For now, all he said was:

“No.” 

After leaving the kitchens and a well deserved shower in his suite, Kale made his way towards the elevator. He was in the mood to wind down, to treat himself to a massage maybe or to doze off to a horrible movie at the cinema which was exclusive to cloud 9. Contrary to his intimidating lone wolf appearance, he was somewhat of a social butterfly, granted perhaps not the prettiest or graceful, but easygoing. If you didn’t piss him off, that is.

His thick eyebrows raised in surprise when he spotted a familiar face emerging from one of the rooms ahead; a face he’d never forget. His expression softened, then shifted into something mischievous and playful altogether. He snuck up on her and threw her over his shoulder in one swift and easy motion, never stopping or slowing his pace towards the damned elevator.

she couldn’t help but notice how much larger he was than her, towering over her. once he was redressed she giggled a little, cocking her head as she brushed some hair out of her face. “oh… pay me back? how are you going to do that?” she asked softly. she chewed on her bottom lip before a little sigh escaped her lips. “my name is birdie… what’s your name?” she cocked her head a little, playing up her curiosity. 

“Birdie?” He repeated her name and raised a brow. “I’ve never heard of that name before. Mine’s Kale – not like the vegetable, it’s Hawaiian.” He stressed the latter fact in a dramatic way. He really did hate it whenever he found himself in a situation where people ridiculed him for his name, as ignorant and annoying as it was.

Kale shrugged a tattooed shoulder.

“I’m a chef, for one. A really good one, actually. And no, I’m not being narcissistic, those are the facts.” He noticed how physically expressive she was. Her expressions never seemed to stop shifting. It made him curious and he felt tempted to elicit more from her. So he went on: “I could cook you the best meal of your life. Or, you know, be the meal.”

         she hadn’t been paying attention to the other people in the pool at all, laying on her back and floating wherever the water took her. she hadn’t been in the mood to be around a whole lot of people that night, and the pool and hot tub had turned out to be the best choice. she’d stayed in the hot tub until she’d gotten pruney before switching over to the colder water and was in heaven. mika stretched slightly, her fingers brushing against something. curiosity had her dropping her feet, gaze landing on the trunks in confusion before over to the male. without being able to stop herself, she started to giggle, picking the garment up out of the water before swimming over him to hold them out. “ what a way to make a first impression. here you go. ”

She’d taken that... way too well. He blinked in surprise at the way she held herself, impressed and curious at the same time. Kale had expected disgust or embarrassment – not such a ridiculously beautiful smile. Or those adorable dimples. “Thanks,” he replied, almost a little dumbfounded despite himself. With his trunks back in his own hands, he examined them by holding them up in between himself and the girl. After a few seconds, he gave a distressed groan. The reason why he’d lost them in the first place was because of a giant snag around the waistband and down the middle of the fabric. He must have gotten caught on something without realizing it.

“And it’s getting worse, I’m afraid,” he said, his gravelly voice tinged with exasperation. Kale dropped the trunks so he could look at her again. “I’m fucked.”

Norah had just gotten off work and was ready to just decompress. Instead of a glass of wine, she elected to go for something a little nicer. She chose to go take a dip in the pool and noticed someone else there. Not seeing who it was, she kept to herself and  relaxed in the cool but not cold water. When she heard a familiar voice call out, she turned and smirked. “Kale?” she asked, smirking at the man when she saw his trunks floating near her. “I mean, I could… You should say please first.” She smirked, taking them and walking over to him in the water. Soon she had to swim over to him and then she held herself above water on the edge of the pool. “Hi,” she smirked, a smile on her face.

Whereas she was struggling to keep herself above water, he was standing comfortably. Kale was as solid as a rock. “You know, you could've just thrown them my way,” he commented gruffly as the corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement. He remembered her, they’d talked in the blue room. He shook his head gently, almost imperceptibly. She looked different without her blonde hair and he realized that she’d been wearing a wig all along. “And yet here you are, Norah, right in front of me,” he continued, then tilted his head, “nearly drowning for the sake of my trunks.” Kale offered her a wry smile, one which exuded something along the line of ’oh please.’ He reached down and lifted her up onto the edge of the pool in one smooth and easy motion, then placed his hands to both sides of her hips as he positioned himself in front of her, trapping her.

“Very cute, but I’m not convinced.”

Music and laughter were buzzing in the background when Kale stood in front of a particularly crowded booth, holding a gun. Not a real gun, of course, but one filled with water. While he was holding a bright green one, he offered another to Cassidy. He’d seen her by chance and was now looking down at her, challenging her.

“Whoever wins gets to have a wish. Everything within reason counts as valid.”

Goal of the game was to shoot down as many ping pong balls as possible, with a time limit. The actual prizes ranged from fake flowers to very much naughty little surprises.

“Are you game?”

Cassidy smiled, keeping eye contact as he took a bite. She raised a brow in challenge, a familiar glow of playfulness blossoming inside of her at his words. It really was nice being around Kale, especially amidst the chaos of her life right now. He was sturdy. Dependable. Consistent. “I sure hope you don’t see yourself as my doting uncle considering how much I’ve been attempting to flirt with you this whole time.” She said with a smirk, taking another bite from her omelette before putting it down to look up at him with a with a raised brow. 

“Is that a threat, Kale?” She asked, tilting her head innocently. “And you’re gonna wanna be careful with what you say next, head honcho, you don’t want to scandalize your staff.” She glanced over at the rest of the kitchen before meeting Kale’s gaze with her own. 

“That’s cute. Me? Threatening people? Never,” which was a terrible, terrible lie. Kale shook his head and approached her once more. This time however, he reached out for her face and tilted it carefully upwards, subtly forcing her to meet his gaze. His voice seemed to drop by a few octaves, adding a more intimate touch to its usual bass. “You could see it as a suggestion or an invitation. Because honestly? You look like you need it. To clear your mind of whatever is bothering you and is stuck up here.” His hand moved from her chin to her right cheek and he tapped a calloused finger against her temple. Then, another thought suddenly occurred to him. Cassidy was so... small. He had enough strength in his body to easily and literally break her. All it took, was a moment of carelessness, of losing control. Hesitation darkened his eyes and he put some distance between them again. “You should leave if you’re done here,” he commented after he’d briefly looked at the time. His shift wasn’t over yet, but it would be soon enough.

While clothing in several different parts of the Votive was considered optional, bathing suits seemed to be something people here weren’t too keen on leaving behind, and, to a certain degree, Amelia was glad about it. Sure it was about fun here. Sex, pleasure, having a time out. But she herself didn’t consider herself a nudist and so her own yellow bikini was clinging to her curves as she swam, the color highlighting her olive skin beautifully. However, when she heard a male voice calling out to her, she turned, an amused chuckle leaving her. “You might have to invest in a different size,” she commented as she reached out for the trunks and approached him.

When she turned around and he was able to peer into her face, Kale paused and blinked. Perhaps his luck hadn’t been as bad as he’d assumed. This one was gorgeous. She exuded a graceful and mature sort of femininity and god knew he was weak for it. He caught himself staring like a lovestruck boy and cleared his throat, completely forgetting that he was naked, leaving little to the imagination. “Clever idea but easier said than done,” he shot back with a hint of sarcasm and gestured downwards. “It’s extremely difficult for me to get my hands on something that’s... my size.”

     “I didn’t see anything,” she spat out a little too quickly. bev usually did morning laps if she had trouble getting into a good groove before the work day. it helped shake off whatever sleep she was missing, and it kept her in shape. this morning, she slept past her alarm, so she thought she’d finish the day with a lap or two to balance the odds. batting at his trunks, she eventually got a hold on them and held them out in front of her as she swam over to the edge where he was standing. naked. her eyes burned as she forced them to his feet. “it happens to be best of us,” she said in a cheery tone. sure, it didn’t happen to her, but she was sure it happened to some people. anyway, anything to get rid of some of the embarrassment here. even if it was only hers. 

“Oh no, please don’t say that, makes me feel more self-conscious than glad,” he replied in jest. It was true, he didn’t feel embarrassed at all. Kale knew his body like the back of his hand and was rather proud of it. Although he hadn’t started working out and keeping himself strong because he wanted to, but rather because it had been a necessity for his own survival, he learned to enjoy it. It reminded him of his roots and kept him humble. Today, he was living his best life – and he cherished that fact a lot.

“Thanks,” he said genuinely, but also with a shrug of his shoulders when he took his trunks back. His usually murky green eyes looked more vibrant as he studied her, clearly imbued with amusement. “I always thought that I was a sight for sore eyes, but I guess I’m not?” He tilted his head quizzically.

A day off meant that Elia had too much energy to sleep, so she’d decided to venture down to the pool, do a few laps to try and fatigue herself. She’d just resurfaced to find a pair of swim trunks floating past her face, and she couldn’t help but laugh, turning towards the apparent owner. “Well, I could give them back,” she teased, reaching out for them. “Or I could make you put on a show for me. Like, c’mon, bebé, do a dance for me.”

Whenever Kale wasn’t working as a chef, he was one hell of a rowdy and loud sort of man. His laughter was one that could be recognized and heard from afar. He wore his hair open and kept it an untamed mess. He sported tattoos (and scars) of all shapes and sizes on his upper body, especially his arms. In a nutshell, he exuded confidence and a hint of flamboyance at his best. His gaze was surging with something primal, a challenge, as he considered her anew. He crossed his arms and a smirk grew on his lips, causing for water droplets to fall from his beard. “Stop teasing me. You don’t want to tease a guy like me, ku'uipo.”

birdie loved going on swims late at night, especially if she didn’t have a client to spend the night with. she had noticed the other in the pool as she continued to swim, not paying much attention. she had stopped for a second to take a break when she heard his voice. she brushed some of her wet hair out of her face, turning and noticing his trunks. her eyebrows raised slightly as she grabbed his trunks and swam the small distance over to him. “missing these huh?” she teased slightly, leaning against the edge of the pool. 

He felt a strong urge to laugh at himself dryly, sarcastically, as he took a step back in his mind and considered this situation. Here he was, a man of nearly 40 years old, having a young girl fetch for his swimming trunks because it was so goddamn difficult to find something which was his size in general. Kale made a satisfied hum as soon as he wasn’t as naked anymore, and he turned towards her with a curt nod, joining her. “Thanks, this is much better.” He paused for a moment as he looked down at her. She was actually tiny. “I’d like to return the favor. What’s your name, little one?”

“Hey, would you mind–?” He gestured towards his lost goods.