Desired Stubbornness

Desire had been intrigued to hear that one of the Hanged Men's crew was coming to visit her that evening, and while a few had actually booked her, here and there, they hadn't made such a show of it. She knew by the decorum exactly who it was and exactly why he was coming. Sadly, it wasn't because he was going to be 'coming' in any other sense of the word.

Maybe it was just because she'd been doing this job for too long, but she honestly was disappointed that Silas Drake wasn't a customer, and not just because he was one hell of a treat to look at. No, she actually liked the quiet giant of a man. He reminded her, just a little, of her one male genuine friend, Cedric. Some of the same challenges that had drawn her to annoy Ceddy also pulled her to Silas--the silent consternation, the determination to ignore her, the strong sense of morality. And yet, the two were opposites in more ways than that.

Ceddy, a trim man, perpetually exhausted, with a savior complex to rival the Savior himself, was a policeman, the literal representation of the law in the city. Silas, on the other hand, represented the city's shadow--the criminal underground that flourished on back streets and alleys, dealing in things that the law Ceddy served deemed too far beneath them. Maybe that was what made her feel comfortable teasing Silas the way she did, treating him like a person, a friend, instead of just a customer. She and Ceddy had hit a wall where his ideals and hers just couldn't meet in the middle. But with Silas, there wasn't such a canyon in between.

She prepared herself meticulously, the same way she would for a highly valued customer. Her hair was done up in a high ponytail, leaving her long, red curls to cascade down the center of her back and swing as she walked. The purple dress she wore was little more than a slip; thin straps held the square neckline just at the edge of her cleavage. The silky fabric pulled taut over her chest while the rest cascaded dreamily down her body, ending with a lace hem at the knee. It crept upward on her hips if she took anything wider than a baby step, which, of course, she did.

She slipped quietly down the stairs, gliding through the crowd to try and sneak up on Silas before he noticed her reflection in the mirror. Her distinctive colouring made it hard to blend in among the others, but she moved along with one of the other girls who was carrying drinks far enough to get behind him, then stepped quickly toward him, draped herself onto his back, and rested her chin on his shoulder. At the same time, she slid her hands over his eyes and purred into his ear, "Guess who!"

Of course, he'd know exactly who it was--she just wanted to get on his nerves.

Silas might have looked like a meathead, but he was far from it. He had a silent intelligence about him, even with his Romani roots that often had people thinking he was dumber than a rock with their racial slurs. Those people didn’t last long, however…

He sat patiently, waiting for Desire to come to get him, and he resisted doing the impatient leg bounce he was known to do if things took too long. He hated waiting when he was anxious, and this woman knew just how to get under his skin. Not that he’d ever tell her that of course. Desire really was something else. A force to be reckoned with that was for sure, and she took care of her own. They were her number one priority, and for that, it was one of the things Silas admired about her. He also admired her ability to likely rip a man in two without lifting a finger. He wouldn’t know of course. He always made a valid point to never get on her bad side even if it meant suffering through her flirts and practically throwing herself at him.

The woman downright terrified him and not in a way you would think. She terrified him because of the strong feelings she provoked from him so effortlessly. He barely had a defense against her, and he didn’t understand the way he felt about her. It was different and not something he ever thought himself capable of experiencing. That’s what scared him. The lengths he would go to if she so as much asked…

He was so lost in his own mental torture that the normally observant man, who was aware of his surroundings at all times and would have seen her coming a mile away, was not expecting her arrival.

Apparently, the saying had changed. Think of the devil and she’d appear. The moment he felt that soft body pressed into his back he knew it was her. Her perfume wafted around him, and he took a sharp intake of breath, however, he did his best in keeping his breathing natural. Normal, he was chill. Cool as a cucumber. His hand still tightened into a fist as she shielded his eyes, and her skin felt hot against his own.

He reached up with both hands and gripped her wrist gently with his massive hands before he pulled them away from his face, starting to turn around to face her. There was a role he had to play considering where they were at, and the appearance he had to keep up. He fell into it easily, as to Silas part of it wasn’t a game…

He swiveled around on that stool, snaking an arm around her waist and letting his hand rest on her hip before he pulled her between his legs nice and close. His other arm wrapped around her, essentially caging her in as his arms were draped loosely around her and his dark eyes looked down at her.

Lord have mercy… Was she trying to kill him? The answer was yes. That silk felt like butter beneath his palms and she looked beautiful as ever. “We gotta talk Des.” His voice rumbled out quietly. Typical Silas, getting straight to business. He wasn’t here for pleasure even if he soaked up the feeling of her in his arms as much as he was able.

Desire didn't protest when Silas took her wrists lightly but determinedly in each hand and pulled them away from his face. She just sighed and pouted a little. He wasn't being any fun. She did like that he didn't try to run away, though; he acted like he was perfectly fine with having her right where she was--as long as it was on his terms.

She kept her hands on his shoulders, lightly toying with the hair at the nape of his neck as he settled in. She liked the feel of his arms around her, boxing her in. With anyone else, she might feel cagey, trapped, but somehow she felt right at home here in this little space made for her. She knew Silas wasn't going to do anything she wouldn't enjoy--well, except maybe push her away. This was as close as she was going to get, for now, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to keep testing those boundaries. Who knew, maybe she'd finally get a glimpse of what was going on behind that sullen face.

“We gotta talk Des.”

She huffed. "Do we have to talk? There are so many other things we could be doing with our time."

She made a show of straightening his collar as she drew her hands around to the front of it and tugged on it, leaning close enough that her nose nearly brushed his.

"But if we must, I suppose, I'll let you get away with it. But only because you're my favorite." She grinned and kissed the tip of his nose before straightening up enough to let him breathe. She gestured to her room with a flourish. "Lead the way, Goliath."

Ooh, that was a good one. She was little, like David. And she was still determined to topple this giant...although she was thinking more into bed than on the battlefield.

Dark obsidian eyes started down into those bright blues as Silas watched Desire huff in annoyance. He knew fully well what they could be doing with their time, given the establishment they were in, and it was exactly that reason why they had to talk. The brothel acted as a marvelous cover to the owner of the place, and the secret dealings that Calvin sent him over for to have with Desire.

His body tense as she leaned in close, her scent practically flooding his sinus’s, and Silas found he wasn’t breathing. He didn’t dare too as the infernal woman was testing him further. He watched her carefully as her nose brushed against his, and his hands instinctively tightened on her hips. Either as a warning that she was playing with fire, or a sign to himself that he had literal temptation in his hands.

That grin nearly did him in, and despite how adorable that kiss to his nose might have been, it set his blood on fire. She really was going to push him to his limits this evening. But that was okay, he could be just as pushy as she was. He was as stubborn as a mule.

The moment she told him to lead the way, he did just that. Rising from the stool, and in one quick motion, he’d bent and placed an arm behind her legs, essentially sweeping her off her feet as he held her close to his chest. A grunt was the only sign of acknowledgment she’d get as he carried her up those stairs. Knowing the path to her room maybe a little too well. He kept his eyes locked on the path ahead of him, rather then pay attention to feel of her in his arms. Making himself focus on the task at hand other then his feelings on the matter.

He stopped in front of her door and then waited for her to open it considering his hands were a little full, and once it was open, he walked in, and gave the door a small kick, so it would close behind him. The moment he heard the door shut, Desire was set down and Silas practically ran from her. Putting space between them as he went and sat on her vanity stool. He didn’t let his eyes wander the room, but rather he kept them on her. It was hard not too. Especially when she looked like that…

“How have things been goin' since my last visit?” He asked. Thinking it best to get a grasp on the situation before he told her that the Hanged man was expanding his territory and that he wanted Candlelight's with it. He knew the owner didn’t want anything to do with the Hanged man and his thugs, thus why Silas had to always appear as a customer when he came to see Desire. But, Cal said he had an offer that even Desire would be hard-pressed to pass up. All she had to do was name her price and say yes...