slightly soiled

Xinyi slid beside them without their notice. They were too distracted by the flower arrangements in front of them. He didn’t usually make a point to attend these town events, since they hardly made for good business. But there were currently some very enthusiastic potheads behind a bush that begged to differ. “Boo.”

Sam flashed a bright smile when he realized who was next to him. He hadn’t been expecting to see his new boss at the festival, but this was certainly a pleasant surprise. Who wouldn’t like a handsome, well off man coming up to their side?

The last time Cierra had danced with a man had probably been with Adam, back when they were engaged. That was seven years ago. Normally, Cierra did not dance with anyone who was not a friend, feeling it was an honor best bestowed on people she deemed worthy. Sam clearly did not care to ask. “Oh, alright. Just so you know Sam, I am a harsh critic.”

“Nah,” Sam said as he shook his head. He was smiling and still holding her hand. He didn’t particularly want to let go. He hadn’t known Cierra long but he felt comfortable with her. It meant something, to Sam, who had grown up in a world that taught him again and again that is was a mistake to trust. “You’re a big softie. You’ll be nice to me.”

Rose spilled her ginger ale all over the floor, surprised by Sam’s sudden arm around her. She was not sure if he would ever speak to her again after she had broken the news about the baby. Rose had only come out tonight because she needed to get out, needed to distract herself from the shouting match she had with James. He had made her so angry. She hadn’t spoken to him since she broke the news. She wasn’t sure she wanted to. “Hello Sam. Are you alright? Feeling steady?”

“I’m feeling great!” Sam said, even as he let the much smaller Rose take on some of his weight as he leaned onto her. “Not really feeling much of anything anymore!”

Sam spoke as if that were a good thing. He looked down at Rose, almost proud of himself. He’d drunken himself into such a state of numbness that he only just barely hurt to see her. His eyes were dry, hear beat normal. His chest constricted only the tiniest bit. Sam felt clever for having found a way to deal with his normally overwhelming pain.

“Happy to see you too, Sam.” She shot him a small smile, impressed that he seemed so happy considering the news he had just gotten. Cierra knew it was the alcohol, but it still made her relieved. She was not sure why; it took a lot for her to develop attachments to anyone. That being said, he was like a giant puppy. “I have to say, I prefer you smiling.” 

“‘Course you do,” Sam said, head flopping to the side. “Everybody loves smiling.” It was more than likely that Sam had misunderstood Cierra, but it hardly mattered. Sam was just glad to see a friendly face. 

“You wanna dance?” Sam asked, rather abruptly. He took one of her hands into his own and began leading her to the dance floor, giving Cierra little choice in the matter.

“Hey!” Sam shouted, smile wide. He walked over to the other person and wrapped one of his long arms around their shoulder. “I’m so happy to see you!”

“… I’m having a baby.”

It was the second time she’d done this: broken his heart with just a sentence. Sam couldn’t speak right away. He felt tears sting his eyes, though none had yet fallen. When he did speak, Sam’s voice was strangled, broken. “...co....congratulations.....” 

@slightlysam

Kit leaned in, whispering in Sam’s ear. “Don’t worry kitten. I’ll definitely take care of you.” His fingertips grazed his leg beneath the table. “But let’s finish dinner first. I’m not that kind of guy. You don’t want to make me feel cheap do you?” Except that was a load of bull. Kit would be more than happy to fuck Sam into the next week as soon as he saw him, but it was so much more fun to tease him, to make him want it until he was a hot little mess. He wanted to make him want it so badly, he would go mad by the time they made it to the hotel suite.

“You’re being mean,” Sam whined. His bottom lip protruded out in a pout. He didn’t give a damn about the stupid dinner. It was too fancy for him, anyway. It felt wasted. He wasn’t the kind of date anyone took out to dinner. He knew what he was good for and small talk over weirdly tiny plates of food wasn’t it. He reached across the table with his long arm, grasping at Kit’s hand and playing with his fingers. “I thought you promised me a good time.”

@slightlysam

“I can honestly say this is my first time having breakfast in a strip club. Why exactly did you drag me down here on a Monday morning?”

Sam just smiled at her. “Don’t you remember? You said you’d help me learn how to be a gentleman.”

Rose wondered if it was the liquor making it difficult to push Sam away. He was surprisingly strong. She had never noticed. He had never touched her without asking, had always seemed too shy to before he made his move. She tried to think. She could not let him keep doing this. He was worth more than that. She had a boyfriend. She cared about them both, but she had chosen to make a commitment to James. Why? Even she did not fully understand. 

She did not want to hurt Sam, but she was not some harlot who was going to cheat on her boyfriend. She wasn’t that kind of girl. “I do love you Sam,” she said. “It’s just not… I can’t.” How could she let him know that she cared about him, but could not love him in the way he wanted, the way he was so clearly desperate for? “You deserve much better Sam. Go find better.”

Sam let out a desperate whine. God, why wasn’t it working? He needed it to. His heart felt heavy, as if it were weighing his whole body down. He pressed his forehead against Rose’s; his breaths came out in pants. It was as though this attempt was taking everything out of him. Rose was taking everything out of him. He was giving all of himself to her and getting nothing in return. It hurt so much. 

His eyes closed, Sam’s hands moved from Rose’s hips, looping around her whole body and pulling her into a strong hug. He couldn’t let her go. 

Rose’s entire mind went blank as he leaned in to her. She had never expected this from Sam, even after the first time, even after seeing him practically naked and oiled up from his job. She adored Sam, had watched out for him, had even considered him a man in some respects, but she had not thought of him as dangerous. She had never felt unsafe with him, not in that thrillingly dangerous way she sometimes felt with James. But she felt it now, felt it rushing through her body as his mouth locked into her. Three people she had only ever kissed in life, but Sam’s had always been a surprise. 

She felt like his prey. It was so different from the first time he approached her, when he was confessing how he felt about her. Her head throbbed as she started to lose oxygen. How was he so good at this? Finally, her brain restarted and she pushed him away, mouth gaping in surprise.

“Sam, we can’t… I have a boyfriend. I’m here with him.”

Sam’s brows knit together as he pressed his lips into Rose’s neck. He didn’t want to hear about that. Lobo said this would work. Maybe he needed to try harder. Sam nipped at Rose’s skin before making a trail of kisses up her neck and along her jaw. 

“Don’t talk about him,” Sam in a low tone in between kisses. “Please, please. I need you, Rosie.”

Sam ran his hands down Rose’s body, stopping at her hips, before pulling her even closer to him. There was no longer any space between their bodies. He continued to pepper kisses along her face and neck. 

Rose looked down at him, her hands shaking as she reached out slowly to him, petting his head. This would be one of the few moments she could probably get away with this, considering he would probably go back to avoiding her once he sobered up. “I missed you too. Have you been okay? Aside from… your job?”

Normally, Sam’s cheeks would’ve flushed at Rosie’s comment. She was the one person he felt any sort of shame around. But in his drunken state, Sam couldn’t seem to bring himself to care. He was just so happy to see Rosie again, to have her care for him again. He grabbed the hand she used to pet him, bringing it to his cheek. He relished the feeling. Lobo’s words echoed in his mind. He’d have to act if he wanted to keep her near. 

Cierra had not seen Sam since the unfortunate tattoo incident, which had thankfully involved her managing to get him to not put it on his ass. “You know, a gentleman would offer to get a lady something first. Preferably nice Cabernet, maybe a chardonnay. But for you Sam, I’ll let you get away with a Smirnoff.”

Sam subconsciously rubbed his knee, where his tattoo was. He pouted at the memory of the pain. “I dunno how to be a gentlemen...” Is that why Rosie didn’t like him? Maybe if he learned how... “Could you teach me?”

Kit looked Sam up and down. They knew each other in passing; it was hard not to when he spent all his time at Bare Necessities. He had even gotten a lap dance or two from him, before Lobo kicked him out for ‘ruining the atmosphere’. He grinned widely and leaned towards him, whispering in his ear.

“Wouldn’t you like something a little bit stronger?”

Sam knew Kit. Kind of. He knew he hung around Kitty, knew that Lobo didn’t like him. Knew that he was fucking hot. Sam was grateful for his attention. He’d take anything Kit had to give him. Metaphorically and literally. He batted his eyes at Kit. “What are you offering?”

@slightlysam

Rose would never be prepared to talk to Sam, not after what she did to him. Not after their moment. But when she saw his figure stumbling in the empty hallway, she couldn’t help but walk over to him. “Sam, are you alright? Are you drunk? Say something.”

@slightlysam

“It’s not that complicated Sammy. If you want her so bad, just go and do what you do best. She won’t even remember that other guy’s name after you’re done with her.”

Tapping on the bartop, Sam spoke, “Hey, man, can I get another?”

Rose wasn’t entirely sure why her job now included delivering to the Bare Necessity, except that her boss clearly hated her. She now had a delivery because a lonely guy wanted to impress a stripper. Her eyes shot up straight to make eye contact at a surprising person. She stuttered. “Um, flower delivery.”

Sam had never wanted to be swallowed up by a hole in the ground so much as he did in that very moment. Of all the people who saw him at work, half naked and greased up, the only person he’d ever mind would be Rosie. The one person he thought he’d never have to worry about showing up at a place like Bare Necessities.