Kendra looked at the clock on her desk.  She still had a few hours before she was supposed to meet max, but she didn't think it was enough time.  Her hair was a mess and she didn't have anything to wear.  She didn't have anything except casual clothes and a few pairs of pajamas.  She wasn't about to show up for dinner in a pair of short shorts featuring hello kitty and a bit night shirt.  Her wardrobe was decidedly unimpressive. 

"I'm in trouble here."  She moaned as she decided that she didn't have to be super dressy.  "I'll just go super cash."  Casual worked she supposed.  Kendra grabbed a button up blouse and a pair of jeans and then decided to do something with the mess that was her hair. 

52 minutes later......

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Ok I'm not going. That's it! I'm not going."  Kendra finally declared to the empty room.  No pressure or anything, but this was only like her first official date in god knows how long.  She ran a brush through her hair and looked at herself in the mirror on the vanity as she thought about what happened the last time they hung out.  It was such an eventful day.  Attacked twice?  She was excited for a simple, quiet, dinner.  No excitement only getting to know each other.  She was nervous.  How much did she want him to really know about her.  Her story wasn't really first date material.  If this is even considered a date.  Kendra corrected herself mentally. 

She got her hair to something that she considered presentable.  She honestly looked amazing, but she was to hard on herself.  She didn't see beyond her imperfections.  It was getting closer now to when she was supposed to meet him.  Get it together!  You got this.  So what, you have a date.  That's ok.  People do that.  People date.  It was her first date with a mutant though, she could be herself around him.  She didn't have to hide herself from him.  Then why oh why did she want to crawl in bed and pull the covers over her head? "Tonight's going to be a disaster."  She said with a sigh.

Max looked at himself in the mirror, making sure he looked okay. He had on a black button up that he had left untucked with the sleeves tolled up. He hadn't put on his fanny pack, tonight was a night he was hoping not to have to use his powers. A purple tie hung loosely around his neck and he donned a matching flat billed hat to accent it. He promised to never again mock the style magazines that he had found in the Haven registration waiting room again.

"Dinner huh? Aren't you acting like a grown up?" He said to his reflection.

He went downstairs and hailed a cab. Business had been good at Inferno so far and Max had brought in some decent tips. Patrons of the club seemed to like him and aside from a few drunk advances he had mostly found it a pleasant set up.

As he rode along he thought over his last time with kendra. The girl was drop dead gorgeous that was for sure, and sweet as could be. It was the assassination attempt in her that had Max worried.

He'd done his homework on the address to the building the assailant had gone to. It belonged to a company known as Nexus, which according to a less than informative website was a temp agency. Aside from a business liscence which dated the company starting roughly five years ago and a number of dull testimonials from secretaries who had landed their "dream jobs" by using their services there wasn't much to go on. They had apparently purchased a number of buildings all around the country, but it just didn't add up.

Max would go to dinner and talk with kendra. If she was involved in any shady corporate espionage maybe she would slip and Max could figure out what was going on. If she was into some shady business Max could dig a little depper. If not well, did he mention she was gorgeous?

He got out of the cab outside the resturant and waited for her. He had given her the address. Fazios had been a recommendation of one of Max's Haven friends and though it was a bit swanky he had gotten a good reservation. He had a planned a few surprises for the evening and was mostly just hoping things would go well.

Kendra was woefully underdressed she felt when she finally showed up and saw the outside of the restaurant. She saw Max. Purple tie on black?  He looks handsome.  Kendra walked up feeling like a fish out of water.  She was thinking more about what was going to happen over the course of the evening she wasn't exactly thinking about what happened last time.  She didn't know that Max was going to question her about it or that he even saw.  Kendra smiled and greeted him warmly.  "Hey, glad you called." 

She said trying to hide her nervous bravado.  This wasn't her element, this wasn't her comfort zone.  She was way outside of that and she was trying to push herself to be more outgoing.  Ever since she got to the mansion she could feel herself coming more and more out of her shell.  Her comfort zone was getting a little bigger and a little bigger.  Here she was on a proper date. 

She had a few questions herself and she'd ask them over the course of dinner.  "Should we go in?"  She asked. Kendra's hair was brought up in a bun, with a curly lock of hair that hung down over one eye.  Her eyes seemed especially vibrant and bright.  Her pouty lips a light shade of pink? Yes, she actually bothered with make up as well.  That just went to show how big of a deal this was to her.  She had on a sky blue button up blouse and a pair of tight jeans.  She defiantly need to go shopping.

The inside of the restaurant was warm and lively.  It was actually pretty fancy.  She didn't realize at first just how pricey this place looked.  Kendra raised an eyebrow at Max.  This was lavish and expensive looking.  She felt more underdressed than ever.  "Um..Nice place."  She barbed.  She wasn't one for flashy cars or money or things.  That stuff wouldn't impress her.  She had to admit though.  He seemed to be trying to impress her just a little bit. 

Max greeted her when She approached. She looked great, though Max knew she would. She had been stunning in pajamas of course she'd be easy on the eyes when she was all dolled up. The attendant at the front desk took his reservation name and brought them back to a table.

-"Um..Nice place."

"Thanks. Though I got the recommendation from a friend so if the foods bad it's not my fault." He joked.

They were seated at a table that was spaced out well enough to allow privacy. Max and ordered a drink as he glanced over at Kendra. He thought he would be more nervous, dating had never really been Max's strong suit, but for some reason he didn't feel the pressure. Maybe it was that she had already kissed him the day before, or the fact that they had hit it off immediately but he found himself relaxed.

The waiter left for a moment and Max looked at his menu. Damn, sure enough this place was going to cost him a pretty penny, but as he looked at his date he decided it was money well spent.

"So shall we skip the awkward small talk and just get into the real getting to know each other part? Where are you from? What do you like to do when you're not visiting beaches?" He said with a grin.

They were seated at a table that was spaced out, yet still found itself in the middle of the room. Kendra sat down and tried her best to conceal the smile that threatened to take over her face. Her muscles betrayed her and she felt the corners of her mouth pulling upward in a giddy smile. The fact that she was new to the prospect of dating couldn't been more apparent if someone wrote "I'm rusty at this." on a big rubber mallet and beat you over the head with it. Kendra glanced around the room. All of these people just out on the town.

For once she felt... Normal. Not like a mutant, but a normal person. Going on a date. She placed her hands on the menu and opened it up. She didn't know what Max's expectation were.  She had kissed him.  And by god she had lingered on it.  She pulled away from the kiss reluctantly and struggling to catch her breathe for a moment, but she didn't really know him.  She just spent the day with  him on the beach building a sandcastle, soaring over the ocean and topping it all off with him trying to defend her from a group of assholes.  It was like a romantic novel almost, she read quite of few of those a guilty pleasure of hers if she was being completely honest. 

Max was cute, he wasn't chiseled or build out of stone, he wasn't the next Brad Pitt, but that's not what she was attracted to either.  She found herself drawn to his sweetness and his genuine charm.  When the waiter came by Kendra asked for a glass of water and moments later he was gone.  She could feel the stifling static between them.  She felt like she had to say something, anything.  Don't be weird!  She scolded herself, but thankfully he broke the silence and told her to skip the small talk and asked her questions directly.  That was a relief. 

"I'm from Georgia.  I'm suppose'n you prolly figured that from my accent by'now."  She said smiling.  The truth was he was easy to talk to.  She started to relax a little.  These were the easy questions.  She didn't know that much harder questions were on their way shortly.  Questions she honestly didn't have any answers for.  The man that attacked her had caught her by surprise, that was the first time something like that had happened to her.  She was rattled at the time, but that was then and this was now.  She had been through worse.  She was a big girl.  She didn't think about such things now.  She was on a date.  Like a normal girl.  A normal, simple, average girl.  She supposed she should have felt a little guilty for having this human fantasy.  Just wanting to pretend for one night that she wasn't a mutant. 

No matter how this night ended up she'd be dreaming at some point.  The ruiner of even the best of good days.  Kendra was still looking at the menu when she answered his second question.  "I read, I'm a photography nerd, and on the riskier side of thangs.  I'm an urban explorer.  Exploring abandoned and haunted buildings.  You dream every night you find yourself with a lot of time to walk around and explore."  Kendra smiled when the waited came back.

"What will you be having tonight miss?

Kendra smiled bigger.  It was kind of unexplainable why tonight was so special.  She had gone places and not been recognized as a mutant before, but being out on this date and doing it, made her feel like just a normal human.  She was relishing the feeling.  "Yes, I'll have the Cesar salad." Kendra said handing him the menu.  She wasn't terribly hungry.  She was to nervous, but she did like salad.  The waiter took her menu and turned to Max.

"And for you sir?" 

Kendra looked out the window and watched the city zooming by.  The traffic, the noise.  New York was a interesting place.  Nothing like home.  Not, that she missed home. She got out of there and she was never going back to that hell hole, but it was still going to take some getting used to New York.  It was truly a unique city.  Kendra turned back to Max.....

 

Max listened intently as Kendra spoke.

-
"I'm from Georgia. I'm suppose'n you prolly figured that from my accent by'now."

He smiled as the southern bell became apparent in her voice. It wasn't incredibly pronounced but now that he was listening for it he could hear it.

"Georgia girl eh? I'm originally from Virginia. Dad's a doctor and Mom's a lawyer. At least they were last time I heard from them." Max explained.

He hadn't talked to his parents in over a year. He knew they loved him but things has been stressed between them when he moved. After being dead for a year Max hadn't mustered up the courage to call and let then know he was alive. They would want to see him, they would want answer, and Max didn't have any. He decided to focus on his current company rather then dwell on the past.

- "I read, I'm a photography nerd, and on the riskier side of thangs. I'm an urban explorer. Exploring abandoned and haunted buildings. You dream every night you find yourself with a lot of time to walk around and explore."

So an artist huh?

"I'd love to see some of your work sometime. I'm big on art. My passion is dance and acting though though. One day I'm gonna make it no matter what." He grinned proudly.

The waiter came and took Kendra's order.

"I'll have the lasagna." Max told the man.

He departed to put the meal in and Max took another drink of his water.

"Do what brings you to the city?" He asked curiosly.

Kendra hadn't been in an intimate setting in some time. She had that nervous fluttery feeling again.  Just when she was starting to relax. He asked what brought her to the city and she told him that her work had brought her here. She kept it vague. "I'm actually a freelance photographer." She wasn't here on assignment or anything like that. Honestly she just wanted to get away from Georgia. The bigoted south, since the civil rights movements and Martin Luther King, the south and found a whole new thing to be bigoted about.... Mutants. And though she didn't really have a visible mutation, she still wanted to get out of there. She could have said this, but instead of telling Max that her own father hated her when he found out she kept things light. She didn't want to bring up the stories of a screaming drunk throwing dishes against the wall.

Kendra reached up and rubbed at her neck.  The elegant gentle slope of her neck was tense and she absentmindedly rubbed at it while she listened to him talk about growing up in Virginia.  Southern boy too huh?  He probably knew what she was running from then.  That simple minded southern ignorance that seemed to spread down there like wildfire. Growing up in the south was the reason she knew so much violence.  Shaped the person she was, and was partly to blame for her shy secluded sometimes skittish nature.  Still, she didn't back down.  She might be slow to warm to people, but she was curious and inquisitive and wouldn't shrink away from finding out more about things that really peeked her interest.  Like Max.  One of the things that drew her to him was how she instantly felt comfortable around him.  She didn't have that awkward, weird "Hi my name is Kendra" phase.  Ugh!  She hated having to introduce herself.  She felt like she was standing in front of a crowded room whenever she did slowly suffocating.  Max made her feel safe, like she could be herself.

Max said he didn't want to waste time on small talk, yet all of his questions had been small talky questions.  What do you do for fun?  What brings you to the city?  It was like a survey and she was going down a check list.  What does he REALLY want to know?  Kendra wondered.  She hadn't been on a date in awhile, in fact.... The last time was actually with a woman, but the routine was slowly coming back to her.  The courtship dance of pretending like you were interested in boring hubba-baloo.  Kendra wanted to up the antie a bit.

So far they had exchanged where they lived, what they wanted to aspire to.  But they haven't really broken the ice.  Call it nerves of being on a first date, but Kendra came out of left field with a completely random question.  And though it may seem trivial, Kendra could tell everything she needed to know about Max by his answer.  This was a deal breaker too!  Kendra didn't mess around with this if he answered wrong he was dead on arrival.  Kendra looked Max in the eye.  A warm devilish smile spread across her face.  "Ok. Ima ask ya a question.  How ya answer's gone determine how the rest'ta the night goes.  Do ya understand?"  Kendra said.  Her Georgia twang, relaying that Max only had one shot to get this right.  Kendra would be able to tell if they had any kind of future at all based solely around this one single solitary question.

"What combination of fixings makes up your perfect burrito?"  Kendra asked as the smile spread deeper across her face.  She was being completely serious.  Burrito creation was high on the list of qualities she wanted in a man.  Suddenly Kendra was laughing.  Obviously she was kidding, but she still waited for his answer the same.  To find out he was a no sour cream man would just be a travesty!

Max fell for it hook line and sinker. Kendra had given him this sultry look as she hyped up a question that would determine the fate of his evening. He was leaning in slightly towards him when she asked for his preference in burrito toppings. He let out a laugh.

"See you're approaching the question all wrong," He said wiggling an eyebrow mischievously, " The secret to the perfect burrito isn't the toppings, everyone can throw some lettuce and tomato or beans in a tortilla. It's the meat that makes it. you gotta cook it just right to get a solid flavor, and spices, don't even get me started on the spices."

He leaned back in is chair confidently.

"Next date shall be Mexican Fiesta at my place I'll show you what I'm talking about. Mrs. Dominique who used to baby sit me didn't raise no fool." He said.

Things were going well. He was having fun. It seemed like a rather pleasant surprise to him. He could see that Kendra was still the clumsy nervous girl he had met at the beach. The thought of her being involved in shady corporate deals seemed so far out there.

"So I forgot to ask did you end up in trouble that day at the beach?" He asked taking a moment to pause and gauge her reaction to the question, " I mean you bolted from the mansion pretty quick when you woke up didn't know if anyone had gotten onto you."

Kendra rolled her eyes when he presumed to tell her about the complicated art that was making a burrito. She was a dam good cook. Though, she had a few signature dishes, cooking wasn't something she loved, but her cooking was probably the best you'd ever taste. Kendra was smiling. Things had settled down and the tension was gone. Whatever nervousness she was feeling had slowly faded away until it was just the sound of her laughing.

The waiter came back and set down two plates. He set Kendra's salad in front of her and a plate of lasagna in front of Max. She was glad she didn't order it.  She would have had spaghetti sauce all over the fancy white table clothe by time she was done eating.  She was a not coordinated woman at all.  She couldn't even walk and chew bubble gum at the same time. 

Then he hit her with a question she wasn't expecting.  He asked her if she got into any trouble the other day after the beach.  Kendra stopped laughing.  She looked at him for a moment and sighed.  That was such a good day, and such a bad one.  "Some creep followed me on the way home, but I managed to get away from him.  Nothing too scary."  Kendra lied and started in on her salad.  She stabbed a tomato and a few leafy greens hoping to avoid that conversation.  She had no idea what the guy wanted.  Why he pushed her into the alley and pulled a gun on her, but it was something she would better off forget.  She googled the name Roger Cahill; the name on the ID.  All she found was a death certificate on line for one Roger Cahill. There wasn't much to search and she was no private investigator. 

Her search had turned up a dead end and she dropped it.  She chalked it up to a case of mistaken identity and tried her best to just forget about it.  Kendra looked up, stealing a glance to see if Max had bought her story.  She didn't know what to say, but it was a oddly specific question to ask if she got into any trouble.  Did he know something?  Kendra wasn't paranoid enough to think that Max was the one that sent some guy after her.  Why would he?  Still, she redirected.  "So you said you work for Haven.. I don't even really know what they do there."  Kendra hadn't heard about Haven, having only gotten to New York less than a week ago. 

She wasn't being playfully cute or coy anymore, her eyebrow was raised quizzically. She was always to nosey for her own good.  She couldn't resist asking the question, but she figured that it was something innocent.  For all she knew it was a clothing company or something innocent like that.  It really didn't help her investigative skills much that she was apparently living under a rock. 

She gave him a partial truth. He had expected a lie. Sure she hadn't gone into all the details bit if Max had been in her place would he not have done the same. Everyone keeps secrets it's a part of life. He scolded himself for his paranoia and for thinking she might have been up to something. He didn't go around gushing all his issues, he couldn't very well expect her to.

He looked into her eyes and felt guilty. Man he could be a real creep sometimes. But if he wanted to build something with this girl honesty was important. He would be straight with her from now on. She asked about his job. Well shit.

"Technically I'm a waiter at the Inferno club." He began.

He wanted to make something up, but he couldn't lie to her. He also knew he couldn't tell her everything. Instead he settled on telling her what he could and what was relevant.

"Haven is an organization that does community outreach and helps people with rehabilitation and finding opportunities to further themselves and their education," He explained, " when I was living at the mansion I wasn't in the best place, I was unemployed, wasn't going to school. See my parents when I moved to NYC they gave me an ultimatum, law school or I was cut off. I wanted to be a dancer, so I told them what they could do with their money."

He looked away embarrassed. That had been a bad fight and Max hoped it wasn't the last memory he would get to have of his parents.

"I met the founder of Haven and told him my story. He really is an amazing guy, he's not the usual corporate asshole who only does volunteer stuff for the tax credit. He wants to help make a difference in people's lives. He helped get me my apartment, got me a job at the club. It was great. I felt like such a mooch at the mansion, I'm not cut out for that X-men stuff. I work for the organization planning fundraisers and filing reports and such. I'm still letting them help me with my living arrangements but at least pulling my weight a bit helped me not feel like such a loser ."

Wow that had been a bit more than he had planned on saying. Something about this girl made him feel like spilling his guts, and he had. As far as first dates go he knew better than to tell his sob story. All he could do now was hope she didn't think poorly of him.

"Hmm.  I see."  She said with a bit of amusement in her voice.  Kendra wasn't smiling, but she was slowly formulating opinions.  She took another bite of her salad and set her fork down.  Taking her time she could see the look of anxiousness on his face.  It was kind of cute, that he was literally waiting for her to say something.  She was taking her time because it was adorable watching his face scrunch up in worry.  It was mean, but she was flattered.  "Well...  At least you have your own place!"  She finally said.  She didn't mind that he was a waiter or that he was working with Haven.  Honestly most of what he had said went over her head. 

The way he talked about Haven, it made him sound like a public relations agent who was trying to put a positive spin on something.  Haven is a non profit organization with many ties to the community, they help rehabilitate and encourage the social change of.... blah blah blah!  She did notice how his eyes seemed to light up when he talked about his work with Haven though.  She wouldn't mind taking a tour of the place.  She was actually kind of curious now what his passion project was.  He was helping people, couldn't be all bad.  At least he wasn't in a crack den shooting up or something.  He was working with a community outreach program? 

"So, could you give me a tour of this Haven place?  Is that allowed?"  Kendra asked.  She wasn't doing it on purpose but when she asked her question her voice took on a seductive tone.  Her eyes softened and seemed to burn into Max.  Kendra reached over and took a sip of her water, without ever taking her eyes off Max.  Okay so you're supposed to be taking baby steps.  Calm down girl.  Kendra crossed her legs under the table and she rubbed her thigh with one hand.  Her fingers dug down into the fabric of her jeans.  This is not taking baby steps!  She thought to herself.

Kendra set the glass down and felt the redness of her cheeks.  She was blushing and she knew absolutely why.  It wasn't because the ease of which they talked, how safe she felt around him.  She just felt as if she had known him her whole life.   Kendra could see them taking a walk in the brisk cool night air and eventually heading home.  When you have nights that are a perfect dream, you don't want them to end.  Kendra slid the hand that was squeezing her thigh onto the table and reached across to grab Max's hand. 

She smiled at him, there were so many thoughts going through her mind, but the one single dominating thought was that she wanted to kiss him again, and she didn't even know why she had this one singular domineering focus, but in the moment it was all she could think about.

Max let out a light chuckle as she put her optimistic spin on his life. She always seemed to do that, take a bad situation and make it sound like a positive. He took a bite of Los lasagna which was spectacular. He could see why the resturant was so pricey.

-"So, could you give me a tour of this Haven place? Is that allowed?"

There was a subtle change in her tone as she asked, like a unspoken offer of something. She held Max's gaze and it was like a sultry fire was burning behind those beautiful eyes. The real answer was a hard no. He'd be facing some major trouble if he snuck someone into Haven. The "and Max Rosewood was never seen again kind" but as Kendra sipped her water, somehow making even that menial task look sexy as hell his primal side said to hell with the consequences. Luckily he wasn't a prisoner to his desires. She took his hand and he smiled.

"I don't know about a tour. The facility is mostly just boring offices and apartments. The Inferno club is where the real fun is. It's members only but I can invite guests to the place. I'll have to take you sometime." He added.

Hoping he had properly dodged the question Max leaned forward across the table. He gave his best knowing smirk.

"What is going through that head of yours?" He said slyly.

Things were heating up. She could feel an electrical pulsing shooting through her. Almost like her body was coming alive. Tiny neurons firing signals to her body.  She squeezed his hand tighter.  For the first time in so long she feel not only needed, but wanted.

When Max said that they couldn't go, he suggested they go to a club instead.  That could be fun.  It was still early.  She didn't have any pressing need for sleep.  She had nothing on the books for tomorrow so why call the night when it was still young.  Kendra nodded.  She didn't realize it, but she was chewing on her bottom lip now as the thoughts rolled through her mind like a freight train.  He asked her what she was thinking and it was something she would be to embarrassed to say out loud at this point.  Kendra pushed her plate aside and stood  up.  Leaning over the table in one graceful, swift motion her hand glided up.  The tips of her fingers ran across the softness of his cheek and nestled the of his face as she cupped it.  Kendra directed his lips to where she wanted him and her lips touched his for the briefest of moments.  It was enough to give him an idea of what she was thinking without outright saying it.

Dinner was done.  At least for her it was.  She wasn't hungry for what was on the menu, she wanted what wasn't on the menu.  She was all pent up and ready to explode if she didn't do something.  "You should pay the check."  She said as her lips pulled away from his.  The pink of their lips pulling apart slowly as she pulled away.  Kendra's single swoopy curl dangled over her big bright doe eyes that stared at him innocently.  The smile that spread across her face plainly stated her intentions.  Her hand fell away as she excused herself from the table.  "Going to freshen up a bit."  She said, excusing herself to the bathroom. 

Kendra needed a moment to collect herself.  She was often so neurotic and in her own head.  She had acted on impulse, but was she ready for this?  As ready as she was going to be she supposed.  She was perhaps coming on to strong, but 90% of her life was lonely and the 10%..... The 10% was sitting at the table as she pushed open the bathroom door.  Kendra stepped into the bathroom and put her bag down on the counter.

She leaned over the counter and stared at herself in the mirror.  She looked pretty.  She couldn't even deny that herself despite how hard she usually judged herself.  The entire night was up in the air.  She had no idea what was going to happen tonight, but she wanted something to happen.  Even if that something was just a walk through the park.  Kendra wasn't from New York.  She didn't realize that walking through the park at night was probably one of the more dangerous and stupid things you could do.  Still, a night time walk under the stars seemed so romantic. 

Kendra straightened her hair a bit and spent several minutes looking in the mirror to satisfy her need to make sure she looked ok before she sighed with a heavy heave.  Kendra reached in her bag and pulled out her phone.  Looking down at it she saw that she had no new messages.  Was she expecting any?  Kendra jumped a little when two other girls came into the bathroom mid conversation. 

"What did he expect?  He makes seven figures and thinks I'm ok driving an Acura?" 

"Well, he should know that you're a girl of sophistication.  You need at least a Bently to not feel like a unloved troll right?"

Kendra rolled her eyes.  Why was everyone so shallow?  She was always a simple girl with simple tastes.  Even Max was trying hard to seem suave and cool when it was his goofy charm that she liked about him.  Still, he was trying to impress her.  She had her reservations, of course she did.  She was a neurotic clumsy mess who spent way to much time in her own head over analyzing things, but not Max.  She trusted him.  Even if there were things about him she didn't know yet.  She felt she knew him enough. 

Kendra grabbed her things and shoved her phone back down into her purse.  Leaving behind the bathroom and the two shallow women.  She didn't exactly feel normal, but if being normal meant being like them she was glad she wasn't.  Kendra came back to the table to see that her plate had been taken away already and she smiled.  "Ready to go?"  She asked innocently.  Where else is this night going to take us?  She wondered.

In response to his question Kendra stood and kissed him. It was a quick kiss, but a passionate one. He felt his pulse quicken in response isn't it strange how you can get an answer without the person ever speaking a word. She pulled away from him and excused herself to go freshen up. The waiter came by and Max asked for the check. He produced it from his apron and Max looked it over, handing him a wad of bills as his mind was elsewhere.

"Keep the change." He mumbled absentmindidly.

Things were apparently going better than he had ever hoped. Max felt a burst of frustration rum through him. He couldn't bring Kendra back to the apartment through Haven security and he doubted that the mansion was a nice private place to uhhh....talk. he felt like a pent up teenager again loving at home under mom and dad's watchful eye.

The waiter returned and cleared the plates. Max had made some plans for the evening, and given the lack of alternative he figured it was best to stay the course. If things intensified, if they found themselves too far in the throws of things he would come up with a solution then. For now he took a calming breath and smiled as Kendra returned looking as spectacular as he remembered.

She asked if he was ready and he stood.

"Absolutly." He replied.

They walked out and he hailed another cab. As they entered he placed his hand on Kendra's leg and grinned.

"I have a surprise. I wanna take you somewhere special." He told her.

He gave the driver an address and after a quick drive exited outside a massive warehouse. Max walked to the door and opened it.

"Trust me?" He asked as he entered.

Inside the place was full of poeple and noise. Max had heard about the party from some patrons while at Inferno and the warehouse had been decked out for the occasion.

It was a Mexican Fiesta extravaganza. Stalls stood in the warehouse with food, hats, sashes and all the Spanish flare you could imagine. Red streamers and lights hung from the railings of the balcony that ran around the interior of the building creating a canopy of color and illumination.

An entire half of the warehouse was a dedicated dance floor and a live band played salsa music as tons of people danced. Couples danced in the frenzy of the sensual tones while others moved about giving unto the beat. Max laughed, now here was a place he could let loose.

"Care to dance?" He said, gesturing.

"Care to dance?" Oh jeez! Kendra thought. She was certainly less than graceful and she was about to embarrass herself in front of a room full of people. "Sure!" She said enthusiastically. You only live once right? Kendra took his hand and she was actually the one that led he out onto the dance floor. Inhibitions be damned.

Moving out onto the floor Kendra tried her best to see cool but that was just impossible. Not with her dance moves.  Starting off by twisting her hips she shimmied down a little with her hands at her sides. Her fists clinched and her but a shaking!  Am I really doing the twist right now? She thought. But it was really the only dance could do without bringing up that chicken dance nonsense. She laughed a little and moved to the music. She bet Max had some moves. She had seen the way he fought it was like watching a ballet of dangerous kicks.  He was graceful, no way he'd do the chicken dance. 

Shouting over the music.  "I'm havin fun! Thank you!"  She said laughing.  She had easily forgotten her stress and problems.  None of them existed as she made a fool of herself out there spanking the planks on the dance floor.  Kendra was shaking her groove thing and she danced to the music.  She had all but given him the green light to go back to his place.  Instead he brought her here.  A gentlemen who was interested in more than just one thing.  He too was full of surprises. 

Kendra laughed so more as he seemed to just look at her for a moment.  Was her dancing really that bad?  "Come on show me what you got.  I'm sure you've got a few moves."  If she had to she would challenge him to a dance off right here and now.