Even if Lee was not going to be interested, the attention they could garner together would be something they could both enjoy for the rest of the night. Free drinks, curious suitors, and a dance with a beautiful woman. Certainly not a loss by any means, though Stephanie was still hopeful she could pique her new companion’s interest.

Proving she could knock back drinks with the best of them, she polished off her beer and agreed to a dance. All it meant was that Lee was open to a good time, which was one thing Stephanie was confident she could provide. Accepting Lee’s hand, the two women made their way to the dance floor.

Steph settled them in near the center of the floor. She liked being surrounded by the bodies, with all the other dancers moving around her. Drinking was the best way to numb herself to her troubles, but dancing was how Steph escaped. The music had a fast beat and she undulated to the rhythm, her body kept close to Lee. Her hand rested on Lee’s hips so she could feel the music as it moved through them both.

It did not take long for Stephanie to lead her to the dance floor, even with the number of people in the bar. Though Lee had not expected to end up right in the center of the dance floor. Definitely not a place that Lee was used to being; honestly, Lee couldn't remember ever being in the middle of a dance floor before that night.

Still, as Stephanie turned to face her, Lee focused on the music as she started to dance as well. Even as she felt Stephanie's hands dropping into her hips.

Well, that was unexpected.

She only hesitated for a second before her body continued moving to the music. Lee liked this song to much to miss hearing it by walking away. Or causing any kind of scene. So Lee just continued to dance, lifting her hand to Stephanie's shoulder as she moved.

”Looks like we're already drawing attention,” Lee said after a minute.

Lee was taking Stephanie in stride, but she was not enamored with her. The dancing was fun and she was able to lose herself in the music, but Stephanie knew what it was like to dance with a woman who was into her. There was just a different, less overwhelming exchange of heat with Lee confirming what Steph knew going in.

Still, Lee was right; they were garnering attention. A cursory glance found at least seven sets of eyes looking their way. ”Please, you’re drawing attention. I’m just here to make you look good,” she replied with a grin.

The two women danced their hearts out on the floor and when they returned to the bar, sure enough, the bartender was handing them two drinks. Compliments of two men at the other end of the bar. Neither was quite Stephanie’s type, but she smiled and held up the drink in thanks regardless. She was polite and never turned down a free beverage.

Returning her attention to Lee, Stephanie took a sip and smiled. ”So is there any chance of hoping you aren’t tragically straight?” Her voice was still light and playful, with a hint of disappointment since she already had an idea of the answer.

Lee knew that she was quite capable of drawing men's attention, especially with how she had dressed that night. That was never in question. However, Lee wasn't so sure that she was the only one drawing that attention as her and Stephanie danced. ”I doubt they're all looking at me, but thanks,” Lee smiled toward Stephanie as they continued to dance.

But finally they made their way back to the bar, to be welcomed by new, free drinks handed to them by the bartender. Raising her bottle, Lee took a quick look down the bar toward the men who had bought them. One of them wasn't too bad looking, to be honest. I could definitely get used to this, Lee thought. Getting free drinks without having to put up with annoying, drunk men hitting on her was definitely a plus.

As Lee took a long sip of her beer, she turned back to Stephanie just in time to hear her question. ”Completely straight, and eternally single,” Lee said with a small shrug and slightly apologetic look on her face. ”Though this has turned out to be a much more enjoyable night than I was expecting.”

The last of Steph’s hopes dwindled away, confirming that Lee was straight. It was disheartening, but not a surprise. She was hardly the first straight woman Steph would flirt with, and honestly, her time with the lovely brunette was pleasant enough that she did not feel it was time wasted.

Taking a long sip of her drink, Stephanie looked at Lee over the rim of her glass. ”I thought so. Such a shame,” she lamented behind a smirk. ”You’re enjoyable company yourself, Lee. We could always keep having more fun, even if it’s just to keep every man’s eye on us. Though I promise, there’s more fun on the table if you change your mind.” Special emphasis was placed on the world table, but Stephanie was not picky. Table, bed, wall. Plenty of options.

”So, men. What’s your type?” Stephanie gestured to the gentlemen responsible for financing their last round. ”Those two do anything for you?”

When Lee confirmed that she was straight, Stephanie didn't outright turn away and move on. Instead, she offered to keep having an enjoyable night how they had been so far, getting all the men to stare at them.

”I had planned on drinking more than this tonight,” Lee said before taking another sip. ”It's always a good night when I don't buy my own drinks.

“But men?” Lee shrugged a bit as she turned to take another quick look at the two who had paid for their current drinks. ”The one on the right,” she said with one last look at the man with light brown hair before turning back to Stephanie. ”He wouldn't be my first choice, but he's not half bad looking.”

Stephanie had found herself a partner in crime! Maybe a step down from a bedmate, but still a worthwhile addition to her night. On jobs, The Silhouette generally worked alone, but her time at the bar was supposed to be fun, and fun was best shared with others. ”Well, there’s no reason for a woman like you to be buying her own drinks, anyway,” she agreed.

Glancing back at the buyers of their last round, Lee picked what sounded like the lesser of two evils when it came to preferences. Stephanie chuckled at the reply, but her attention was snagged by a sound from her purse. Reaching for her phone, she recognized the text tone as her babysitter’s custom jingle. There were many people Stephanie would ignore a text from, but short of the big boss, none mattered more than whoever was in charge of watching Malia.

”Sorry about this, one second,” Steph apologized, her tone tinted with nervousness. She slid her thumb across the screen, unlocking it, hoping the message was nothing serious, given the time of night.

Malia had a little bad dream about the Halloween tentacles you mentioned. I got her stuffed tiger and told her tigers eat tentacles. Seemed to help, so for future monster dreams: tigers.

Steph let out a small sigh of relief. Nightmares were not good, particularly when they were associated with their recent Halloween experience, but Malia was not sick or injured and her babysitter handled the nightmare well. She would tuck away the news of her daughter’s new dream protector so she remembered it the next time monster-filled dreams plagued her daughter.

Sending a quick reply, Stephanie tucked her phone away and reacclimated herself into the conversation. ”Where were we? Oh, right: if he’s not your first choice, then let’s not bother. There’s no reason for you to settle for anything less than the best,” she assured her new friend with a wink. If she was not going to be the one bedding Lee, the guy who got that privilege, (assuming she went home with someone at all,) would have to be worth it.

Stephanie commented that she didn't think that she should be buying her own drinks, but rather having said drinks bought for her.

But then she was pulling out her phone apologizing. So while Stephanie was busy with that, Lee continued to drink her beer as she glanced around the bar. It was quite busy,a decent looking crowd in the bar at this point, and especially after touching Stephanie as they danced, Lee had quite the energy buzz going on.

It was a good question, though. What was her type? The men she ended up going home with, when that did happen, weren't all the same type. There were definitely multiple factors Lee considered.

It was about that time that Lee heard Stephanie's voice again, asking where they had been before her phone had distracted her. ”No guarantees we'll find a winner,” Lee said with a slight smile. Then she nodded toward a man sitting a few tables away with brown hair, dark eyes, and a couple tattoos visible under his rolled sleeves. ”But he does show promise.”

Lee was not deterred by Stephanie’s little distraction, allowing her the time to respond to a text without a fuss. As much as the night out was an escape for Stephanie, there were some things she did not want to actually run away from or neglect. She might have been questioning herself as a parent, but that did not mean she wanted to escape Malia.

The delay gave Lee the chance to pick a potential prize from the crowd. Stephanie was interested to see what she might be in the mood for and she did not disappoint. The man was of the tall, dark, and handsome variety with tattoos on his arms. So she was not necessarily interested in clean-cut.

Steph had a tattoo of her own, but it was on her back shoulder for occupational reasons. As a career thief, the last thing Steph needed was an identifying feature visible every time she rolled up a sleeve.

”Oh, I see definite promise there,” she agreed. She hummed to herself as she thought of the best plan of attack and beamed when the idea solidified in her head. ”Okay, I can totally make this one happen. Just…”

Grabbing a napkin, Stephanie wrote down her personal mobile number with a pen she kept in her purse. She slid the napkin to her drinking partner before picking up her drink. ”Well, if this works, and it will, have a very satisfying night. And if this guy sucks, shoot me a text or something. We can grab coffee. Or, you know, whatever.” The whatever was suggestive because she really had nothing to lose by being playfully persistent.

With a parting wink, Steph walked toward the man in question, shamelessly leaning against the table he was sitting at. The way he looked at her more or less confirmed that he was not gay, so the plan had no reason to fail, in her humble opinion. ”Freaking straight girls, man.”

The guy quirked an eyebrow, looking from the woman who had invaded his space to the corseted woman at the bar. After their display on the dance floor, it was not surprising to think he was aware of who Steph was talking about. “Oh, really?”

”Seriously,” she grumbled, feigning disappointment. ”Gorgeous, but I’m very clearly ‘not her type,’ I guess.”

“Bummer,” the man replied, but he was already eyeing Lee curiously. He saw a beautiful woman he had up until that moment assumed was gay and now realized was surprisingly available. She was unattainable until she was not, which was a great way to foster interest.

”Yeah. Whatever, you win some, you lose some. Gotta take your chances, right?” she mused as she walked away from the table. She hung around close by for a minute or two until, sure enough, the man stood and made his way toward the bar and a certain brunette.

Feeling accomplished, Steph stifled a yawn and looked around the dance floor. She still had plenty of night left. Maybe a fine gentleman of her own? Or maybe her display with Lee had the queer women curious? There were plenty of possibilities, though Steph turned her phone from vibrate to ringtone, just in case someone chose to reach out.

What could she say? The unattainable made her curious, too.

Lee turned her attention back to Stephanie after she indicated the man currently drawing her attention. She could totally make this happen, could she? Not very surprising, Lee was sure that she could make it work too, if she wanted to. But it seemed like Stephanie had a plan.

A fact that she proved a moment later after handing over a napkin with her number on it. And said to sit her a text if the guy sucked. Well, it was a possibility, Lee had been slowly disappointed by men before.

And then she was gone, walking toward the man. Turning away, Lee tucked the napkin into her purse before turning her attention back to her beer.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, someone stepped up beside her at the bar. Glancing over, Lee saw the tattooed arm off the man she had pointed out to Stephanie, and smiled slightly. ”Nice art,” Lee said, finally looking up at him.

“Thanks,” he said, flashing Lee a smile of his own.

”Mind if i take a bit of a closer look?” Lee asked as she turned more toward him.

“Go ahead,” he said pulling his sleeve up a bit more. Leaning over slightly, Lee lightly trailed her fingers over his arm as she looked at the tattoos; they really were quite good.

“I'm Shaun,” Lee heard him say, so she turned her eyes back up to his face. “Looks like you could just about use another drink. I'd love to buy you one.”

Lee flashed another smile at Shaun. ”I'd like that.”

Twenty minutes and another beer later, Lee wasn't quite as happy with the outcome of the night so far. Sure, Shaun was good looking, and the artwork on his arms was good (and apparently there were others that weren't visible, which was intriguing). But he was far from being intelligent, and Lee was not drunk enough to completely look past it.

But he was nice, buying her beer, so Lee figured she would stick things out a bit longer. Maybe after another couple beers, Lee wouldn't feel so bored talking to Shaun.

From an objectification perspective, Lee’s tattooed man sure was nice to look at. The girl had good taste, though whether the guy was remotely interesting would be the question. Some women were just looking for an attractive slab of man and, while Steph would not assume she knew Lee particularly well, she did think the other brunette sought out some kind of intellectual stimulation along with uncomplicated physical gratification.

When Lee’s fingers trailed the guy’s muscular arms, Steph was confident her job was done so she looked around for a new play partner. She found a man with medium-length blond hair and struck up a conversation, but he almost immediately made some incredibly lame comment about her accent, which was a deal breaker. The next girl she found was a redhead with a tongue piercing Steph kept sneaking peeks at. Promising.

Stephanie and the redhead, (Laura, apparently,) found a table near the bar so they could chat away from the mania of the dance floor. It was a superficial conversation, but the flirtatious overtones were strong, which was what Stephanie was looking for, in the end. Laura’s hand kept touching her arm and Steph’s kept touching Laura’s knee. It was all initiation, but things were looking good. That being said, Steph did take the occasional opportunity to glance at the bar to see how things with Lee and the tattooed man were going. If straight girls were truly the forbidden fruit, Steph was a very bi Eve.

As beer number 5 of the evening disappeared, Shaun wasn't looking like he would work out much better than he had within the first five minutes. Normally, Lee wouldn't have spent this much time with a guy who was this… uninteresting as Shaun, but there was something very likable about him nonetheless.

”So Shaun, what about music? Play any instruments?” Lee asked, trying to find something they could talk about that wouldn't make her want to pull her hair out or run the other way.

“Nah nothing like that,” Shaun replied. “To be honest, I don't really listen to music unless I'm out somewhere.”

Nail in the proverbial coffin. Lee didn't know if her face showed any disappointment, but to cover it, she turned to the bar to finish the rest of her beer. ”if you'll excuse me, gotta run to the little girl's room.”

Not even giving Shaun a smile as she stepped away, Lee made her way through the crowd toward the washrooms. Maybe she'd end up finding another guy that night, but she was not going to be leaving with Shaun.

Things with Laura were going well! Sure, the redhead was not the brightest bulb but she made up for that with her exuberance, playfulness, and yes, that tempting tongue stud. Stephanie was even given an opening to get close, whispering in her ear and grazing Laura’s earlobe with her tongue as she spoke. It was a power mood and Stephanie was all but certain she had her prey totally in her thrall.

And yet, when Stephanie noticed Lee leaving the bar, her attention was once again stolen. She abandoned her male suitor, heading to the bathroom, and once again, Stephanie’s curiosity was reignited. It was stupid because Lee was a dead end and Laura was a sure thing. The right move would have been to ignore whatever Lee was doing with her night so Stephanie could pursue some fun with a girl whose name she would forget by the next afternoon.

”As much as I’m having such a good time getting to know you, I need to make a quick visit to the restroom,” Steph said apologetically, giving Laura’s knee a squeeze.

“Do you need company?”

Stephanie got to her feet and smiled, feeling bad for abandoning the earnest young woman. ”I will be fine, sugar. I’ll see you soon.” And with that, Stephanie departed her table, making her way to the bathroom.

The door closed behind her, muffling the music until it was just a dull background buzz in the small bathroom. Lee was the only other person she could see, saying nothing of who might be in the stalls. Steph walked to her former drinking partner and placed a hand on her shoulder. ”So how are things going with Casanova? Ready to jump his bones yet?”

Walking into the apparently empty washroom, Lee stepped up to the mirror to check her hair and makeup. Her hair was a little mussed, probably from dancing earlier, but otherwise nothing that required fixing.

A moment later, Lee started to feel energy. Though she didn't really pay attention, like it really mattered to her that someone else was coming. At least not until she heard the voice. And with the music muffled, it was much easier to hear the southern accent.

”Oh god no,” Lee said, turning back to the mirror to fiddle with her hair a bit. ”He's an idiot, and he doesn't even like music. I'm no where near drunk enough for the tats to trump that.”

Steph took a spot beside Lee, using the opportunity to freshen up her own makeup. Lee did not seem bothered to have her washroom time intruded upon, which was all Steph needed to strike up conversation with her new bar friend.

The new guy was pretty, but it sounded like that was all he had going for him. It was nice to know Lee had standards and that a brain was on the list. Steph understood the desire for an uncomplicated hookup and Laura was certainly no Nobel Laureate, but it was still nice to have a playful back-and-forth without feeling like everything you said went over someone’s head.

The last problem was just a total mood killer, though. ”No way!” She was chuckling because the very thought was absurd to her. Working in her shadowform was the main reason Steph did not thieve with earbuds in; beyond that, she loved filling her free time with music and instilling that same love in Malia. ”Seriously, who doesn’t like music? Well, deaf people, but this guy has no excuse! As your drinking buddy, I can’t let you leave with that.”

Steph carefully reapplied her lipstick before musing to herself. ”So that one didn’t work. There are still other options. Hmm…” The bar was, of course, filled to the brim with men who would love to take Lee home, but Steph could not miss one last opportunity to advocate for herself. ”It’s an absolute shame you haven’t met anyone tonight smarter than a potato with an intimate knowledge of the female body. Oh, and a kick*ss record collection,” she added, sporting a flirtatious grin.

Yes, she had a definitively queer young woman out in the club who she could have at any point, but God help her, Lee had her too curious not to make a last-ditch attempt.