OOC - Trip godmodded Hope everything I did was okay! And welcome back to the land of novel length Kealey posts!


Kealey half shook her head when Jacen said that you know because even though the other emotions are there, yours are underneath. ”Easier said than done Jacen. If it were that easy I wouldn’t be having to ask you for lessons.”

Background noise. If only it were all background noise. Kealey wished that just for a few minutes Jacen could have a clue what she felt when she was in a group of people. ”Maybe.” she said, as they walked up to the truck and she waited for Jacen to unlock the doors, ”I’ll keep hoping. Twelve years hasn’t been enough for that to happen…though I can’t say that things haven’t improved. They let me out of the psych ward, didn’t they?” Let’s see how Jacen handled that tidbit.

Jacen pointed out that his ‘social calendar’ wasn’t full and Kealey had to laugh, she looked at him with exaggerated surprise, ”And all this time I felt special because I thought you were squeezing me in. Frankly sir, I’m a little hurt.” All joking aside though, it was an incredibly generous offer, ”We’re going to have to figure out something I can do for you in return. she said, with a smile. ”I just don’t feel right, you giving me all this time, and me not doing anything in return. That’s your job right now, think of something I can do for you.”

Jacen pointed out that he was curious to see where she lived and Kealey laughed out loud, ”Prepare to be severely disappointed. I’m a librarian, I don’t make the kind of money to have anything impressive around here. Just a dumpy little studio over a pawn shop. There’s only like six other apartments in the building.

The drive was an easy one, she’d picked her apartment for its close proximity to the library and despite the crush of the afternoon traffic. Parking was another story and in the end they ended up walking a little ways down the street to the side entrance that led upstairs to the apartments. Kealey had her keys out and ready and it was only a few more moments before they were heading up the stairs, then standing outside the door.

Again, don’t be too unimpressed… Kealey said, then pushed the door open.

The floors were natural, hardwood and they looked like they’d seen some wear and tear over the years. The plan of the apartment was open, to say the least, the kitchen running into the living room, which ran into the sleeping area. The little red couch and wooden coffee table that Kealey had bought at the pawn shop downstairs dominated the living area as did the kitchen counter that separated the kitchen from the sleeping area. The appliances were old and as if on cue, the cooling unit in the fridge rattled to life and introduced a steady hum to the previous quiet.

Kealey realized she’d left her bed down in her rush to leave that morning and let out an embarrassed little squeak, dropping her purse in the entryway and hurrying over to pile the blankets on top of the double bed and push it up into the recess it hid in during the day. Closet doors shut to complete the hidden illusion and Kealey turned a slightly embarrassed face back to Jacen.

”Sometimes I get in a hurry in the morning. Two more closets occupied the space on either side of the door and a little desk sat against the windows. Kealey looked around and realized how odd the place probably looked, there weren’t things on the walls like you’d expect in a person’s home. Kealey had grown up simply, in a convent, and since she spent all her money on clothes and shoes, she really didn’t have the money for interior decoration. A simple crucifix, that she’d brought from the convent, was the only thing adorning the wall, and it was right over her desk, between the two windows which were covered with plain white drapes, again from the pawn shop downstairs.

Kealey moved to sit on the edge of her desk and looked around, ”I told you it wasn’t much.” she said candidly, ”This is it…oh, and that door leads to the bathroom. My favorite thing…the apartment came with one of those old claw footed tubs…my water bill is outrageous when I do it…but if I fill the thing full I almost feel like I’m swimming. So. What do you think?”

The drive over to Kealey's apartment was relative short, even with the normal New York City traffic. However, even with the short drive it took some time, and at least a block or two to find a parking space.

"You keep warning me to not be impressed. I think I get the idea." Jacen said with a chuckle as he prepared to follow the young woman into her home. What would it have? Did this sweet, innocent young woman actually have a devilish side? Maybe she enjoyed Gothic stuff and so her whole apartment would be painted black. Or maybe she was into self punishment or maybe self pleasure an the necessary instruments and tools would be spread around her abode.

The real answer was far less exciting and revealing than Jacen had hoped. It was basically a one room apartment as everything was opened wide into the other. On the positive side, at least there was a door going into the bathroom so that if Kealey decided to go ahead and change clothes he wouldn't have to step out into the hallway or anything.

"It's very... understated." Jacen said with a slight grin, doing his best not to pay attention to the bed that Kealey had just hidden. After having talked to her and now seen the apartment, he thought it was a pretty safe bet that she had never used that particular piece of furniture for anything other than sleeping.

"But it's nice. Homey." He continued as he glanced around and then wandered over to look out the window at whatever view there might be. "Besides, like you said, the apartment has a redeeming factor in that tub. If you find a guy you really like you may find yourself happy that you've got a tub large enough to swim in."

That comment would most certain bring about a blush but Jacen focused on looking out the window, pretending that he didn't realize he might be embarrassing the pretty blond.

"So which outfits were you trying to decide between?" He asked as he turned back around to face Kealey and casually leaned up against the desk. He was actually sitting on the piece of furniture, just leaning against it for some extra support. "Do I get to see you model them?"

Jacen was polite about her apartment. That really was the best she could expect, considering the bare walls and lack of ornamentation. ”The only thing I’m good at decorating is myself.”

Jacen seemed to be looking out the window and Kealey laughed again, turning slightly on her perch on the table to look the same direction as him, ”Do you like my fancy view of the building next door?” she asked, then peered closely across the way, ”If I concentrate hard enough, I can tell what they’re feeling. Someone over there is really guilty about something. I’ll do that…try to pinpoint where each emotion is coming from. It helps sometimes.”

Then, Jacen made a comment about the tub. Unbidden, Kealey wondered if two people would fit in there. Then the blush hit, luckily Jacen was staring out the window so he was oblivious. That really did help. ”I’d never really thought about that.” she admitted candidly, ”I’ll keep it in mind.”

Jacen switched the conversation to clothing, something Kealey felt much more comfortable talking about than sharing a bathtub with someone. He wanted to see the options? Kealey moved to the closet on the left side of her bed closet, ”Well, you can…but it would help me a lot if you’d tell me what kind of place we were going. One of the outfits I have in mind is pretty dressy."

That said, Kealey pulled open the closet. If the rest of the apartment was lacking in color and decoration, the closet was an absolute exception. Arranged by style from sleeveless to sleeved, the colors of the rainbow and many more were displayed in Kealey’s closet and hanging from the door…and then there were shoes.

Three shoe racks sat on the floor, each one filled to overflow with all manner of footwear, and there were more stacked in front of the racks. Kealey knew her way around though, and after only a moment looking, she dug in and came out with several hangers containing several pieces of clothing. Toward the bathroom she went, but paused and looked over her shoulder, ”I can just try these on though and you can tell me if they’re too much…or not enough.” Jacen said it was supposed to be natural, and he was the one who knew where they were going. ”There’s some soda in the refrigerator and bottled water, feel free to help yourself while I change.”

She was blushing... Kealey was cute when she blushed Jacen realized with a slight grin as he watched her redden out of the corner of his eye. He had expected that sort of reaction after his bathtub comment but it was still interesting to see. Of course, it would be more interesting to actually see it take place, but that was another thought for another time.

"Well, I was thinking about the night club Home." Jacen offered as Kealey walked over and began to look through her overloaded closet, "The whole place is done in red tones with red dyed wood floors, brick walls, and black leather seating. It's romantic and a touch dressy but I wouldn't call it formal."

A few moments later Kealey had a couple of selections and was making her way toward the bathroom. For a moment he thought she might have forgotten about him but then, with a quick look over her shoulder, she told him about the drinks in the fridge.

"Thanks." Jacen said with a grin as he stood and made his way over to the fridge. Even with the current status quo of their relationship, he had to admit it would be interesting to watch Kealey change but, since that didn't seem to be in the cards a bottled water would be good.

A few moments later, after Kealey had dissapeared behind the closed bathroom door, Jacen wandered back into the bedroom area with the water in his hand. Taking a sip of the cold liquid, he made his way over to the closet and gave it a brief once over. "Yeah, I would say she likes to shop." He said with a chuckle, "Although, I don't see anything I would label as being particularly daring..."

Jacen did have a place in mind, and it sounded like any of Kealey’s options would work for the place they were going, even if she was a little worried about the blue dress with the red tones. Blue could be striking in such dramatic light. In fact, that was the dress Kealey was leaning towards personally. It still had tags on.

Into the little bathroom Kealey went and as she stepped through the door, gasping slightly as a wealth of emotions washed over her. Kealey hadn’t thought about that, it was too easy, too comfortable to be normal. It didn’t matter though, she got dressed every day in these conditions. Background noise Kealey said to herself, using Jacen’s words, background noise. It helped, if only a little and Kealey concentrated on getting her clothes changed.

First went the neutral colored little halter The colored accents had been what had drawn Kealey’s attention at first. That, and the fact that even thought the dress was mostly flesh colored, it was rather demurely cut. In the dramatic light that Jacen described, the accents would stand out even more. She cracked the door, then realized that the other emotions were gone. Either Jacen had moved closer to the bathroom or she’d done a really good job of blocking out the other emotions.

”Okay…I’m coming out.” she said, ”But there’s conditions to this game. I’m going to show you all three dresses…and you can’t comment until I’m done. Just look at each one, then when I’m done, you can tell me what you think.”

Out she came, slowly and suddenly very self conscious as she came into the light in the apartment. Kealey twirled slowly, realizing that the last time she’d probably tried on clothes for someone was when she was a little girl, showing off her school uniform for her parents. This was way different, Kealey realized she really wanted one of the dresses to induce a ‘wow’ moment like people had in movies.

”That’s option one.” she said softly, then skittered back into the bathroom and shut the door. The emotions stayed gone and Kealey decided that Jacen had probably gone to get something from the fridge before. Out of the first dress Kealey went and into the second one. This one was probably the most sheer of the three, and while the skirt appeared longer, the slit and sheer fabric showed way more skin than the first dress. Was this what Jacen had meant by ‘too blatant’? The top was absolutely demure, and draped becomingly. Besides, the way he’d explained the club they were going to, it would be dark, and the only thing that would reveal just how sheer the fabric was, was bright light. Adjusting the dress in the mirror, Kealey opened the door again and made her way out, bare feet not making any sound on the wood floors.

”Option number two.” she said, walking further out to face Jacen, then turning slowly, looking at Jacen over her shoulder. ”Only one more to go…”

Back into the bathroom Kealey went, shutting the door with her foot and pulling the dress over her head. Off the hanger came the blue one and Kealey grinned at the flouncy blue material. Over her head the dress went and as Kealey straightened the skirt and adjusted the straps, she smiled. It really was a nice dress, but then again, the other two were also. This one draped in the front, much lower cut than either of the other dresses, it draped in the back too. The skirt was asymmetrical and scalloped and the tags dangled. One final adjustment and the door opened and out Kealey went into the apartment to model the dress.

”And three.” she said, turning slowly as she had with the other two dresses. She didn’t move back towards the bathroom when she was done this time, though. Instead she stayed, standing where she was, self conscious again suddenly as she looked at Jacen. ”Which one do you think would work best? I have wraps to put over the tops, so don’t worry about temperature…” Kealey grinned and held out a bare foot, ”And I’ll probably wear shoes too…but that depends on the dress.

"Absolutely... no comments until I've seen all three." Jacen said with a smile as he turned away from the closet and looked over at Kealey as she was peeping through the bathroom door she had just cracked open, "Bring on the show."

The first dress that Kealey came out wearing was a little flesh colored number with some flashy accents to grab the eye. In the dim lighting of the club it was quite possible that a first glance might make her looked nude with just colorful strands around her body.

"I don't think that one's quite right." Jacen thought to himself, offering Kealey a smile as she turned and headed back in to the bathroom.

Moments later she returned in a pink and flower type number. As she spun, Jacen began to realize just how sheer the dress was. It wasn't indecent or anything but it did push the borderline just a touch.

"Not a big fan of pink myself but... we'll see."

Sipping at his water, Jacen turned his attention back to the closet, idly scanning the brightly colored fabrics as he waited for Kealey to come out with her final dress. At least she wasn't bothering to try and match undergarments to each dress which meant that her changes in between showing were relatively quick.

Hearing the door open again, Jacen turned back around and then fought the urge to let his jaw drop. To say that the blue dress was sexy would have been the understatement of the year. The way it was cut revealed more leg than either of the previous two garments and its playfully sheer sleeves made you think you were seeing more than you actually were. Dressed like that, the young blond was quite simply, a knockout.

"Wow... I vote number three all the way. If you want to grab the attention of some guys to give you some flirting possibilities, that is most definitely a great choice!"

Suddenly Jacen's mind was racing about what he would grab out of his own closet once he got to the apartment. If he was escorting a woman this lovely to a night club then he would most definitely need to be bringing his 'A' game. Sure, technically they weren't going as a couple, instead having a strange 'teacher/student' relationship but still... she definitely deserved the best to escort her.

"Since that's decided, I guess you can just grab what you need and we'll head over to my apartment. I'll give you the same warning you gave me... don't expect to much."

Jacen had kept up his part of the game admirably, but Kealey couldn’t help but grin when his opinion meshed with hers on the dress she was going to wear to the club. She grinned and made a show of digging out the still-attached tags and ripping them off. She felt all warm and fuzzy inside at Jacen’s approval of the dress, it was nice to receive validation from someone whose opinion you valued. ”I was hoping you’d say that…” she said, ”You don’t think the blue is going to look odd with all the reds and blacks? He pointed out that the flirting possibilities were good in that dress and she flushed again, then giggled slightly,”With the dress and the accent I won’t be completely hopeless, then?”

Jacen said he was ready to go as soon as she was ready and Kealey instantly ran through a mental check list. She needed jewelry, makeup, shoes, and she needed to get her hair ready to go out. Just how long would all that take? ”Fifteen minutes?” she said, already moving to the closet to bend down (in the ladylike way, of course) and pick up a pair of silver strappy heels that would make her a good four inches taller. From there it was a quick stop at the second closet which was full of more clothes, outerwear, and her jewelry, to pick out accessories, and into the bathroom.

Her hair was already curly so it only took a couple of touch ups to put the curls where she wanted them and make Kealey happy. For a moment she debated putting it up, at least the sides, then grabbed a large barrette from the little linen closet in the bathroom and did it, sweeping the curls on the sides of her face back and securing them there. She already had makeup on from work, so it only took a couple of minutes to touch things up and apply some slightly brighter tones to bring out her eyes.

Perching on the edge of the tub, Kealey put on and fastened first one shoe, then the other, standing up and testing them to make sure they weren’t too tall before she picked her things up and opened the door, making her way back out to Jacen.

”Ready.” she said, already digging in her purse to pull out her wallet, ID, and keys and switching them to a smaller, more decorative, handbag.

Jacen told her not to be disappointed in his apartment in much the same way she’d said it to him when they’d first gotten to hers. Kealey gave him a look, then made a point to look around the little studio she called home, ”Jacen, I’m the last person you need to worry about not being impressed. I think we’ve already established that you’ve got something of a talent for impressing me.”

"I think the blue will look wonderful with all the reds and blacks. Besides, if everyone else is going along with the red and black theme it'll make you pop out of the crowd. Nothing draws attention better than being different from the norm." Jacen said with a quick grin. He didn't even bother to respond to her 'dress and accent' comment since he felt that the answer should be pretty obvious. After all, what guy in their right mind was going to ignore this blond beauty that had suddenly turned into a blond bombshell?

"Well, I don't know..." Jacen said, quite obviously teasing as he glanced at his watch, "Fifteen minutes might be pushing it."

Turning away, Jacen wander back into the kitchen, idly taking in the cabinet and old appliances while he waited for Kealey to get ready. With her having worked in a library he really sort of expected her to have more books laying around. What in the world did she do to entertain herself other than work or shop? If the apartment was any indication then the answer was 'not much'.

Kealey actually took a little under fifteen minutes, which was something of a nice change. Jacen was used to girls that estimated how long it would take and then went over it by a good five or ten minutes but here Kealey was proving that she was a good judge of time.

"Well, consider yourself warned." Jacen said with a laugh as they headed out the door and began the walk back over to his truck, "It's a bachelor pad after all."

***

After about ten or fifteen minutes or fighting New York City traffic, Jacen pulled his truck into the parking lot of a slightly older brick building. The outside was well taken care of, as were the interior hallways as they took the stairs and made their way up to the appropriate floor.

"Home sweet home." Jacen said with a grin as he unlocked the door and led the way into the room.

The front door opened up directly into a small living room. The floor was carpeted with a deep, royal blue carpet that blended with white walls. Various pictures and small pieces of artwork, mainly forest or mountain landscapes, were hung on the wall though it was obvious that none of it was very expensive. In the far corner was a TV, DVD player, and collection of various movies and TV show seasons. A black leather couch and one dark blue fabric easy chair sat facing the TV, with a cedar coffee table set up right in front of them. A doorway right next to the TV opened up into what must have been the master bedroom. Off to the left was a small kitchen that looked like it would be a tight fit for even two people to get in. A short hallway next to the kitchen ran off to the guest bedroom as well as the guest bathroom.

Over all the apartment was clean and relatively well maintained. It was the typical, comfortable home that most any middle-class American would live in. The only oddity was a table that sat right next to the front door. Three or four different bottles of various alcohol were set there along with glasses for serving. It was apparent that these were probably one of the few things Jacen splurged on because this wasn't your normal beer and wine.

"Make yourself comfortable while I see about changing." Jacen offered with a quick smile as he began to turn toward the door that led to his bedroom, "Drinks are in the fridge and the bathroom is right down that hall."

***

Jacen didn't frequent a lot of night clubs but he had attended them often enough to invest in some nicer clothing. While it was true that for the most part he would be more comfortable at some western style bar, he had found that a high percentage of women preferred these fancier clubs.

Walking back into the living room, Jacen gave Kealey a quick smile as he slowly turned to show his club wear. Black dress shoes led upward to designer jeans, an untucked button up white dress shirt with an extra button or two undone at the top, and an embroidered black sport coat.

"So, do I pass the test to escort you to a night club?" He asked with the smile that always seemed to appear so easily when Kealey was around, "Or do you need to take me shopping first?"

Kealey couldn’t help but think that if different was a good thing, she was going to take the cake in that category. She didn’t know exactly how to categorize ‘normal’ in New York City , but she had a feeling if she looked it up in the dictionary, there would not be a picture of her. So, she just nodded, and followed Jacen out of the apartment, making sure everything was locked and shaking her head when he pointed out that she should just consider herself warned about his apartment.

Jacen’s apartment really wasn’t all that far from hers, Kealey noted as they pulled into the parking area and got out. The traffic had been horrible and it was probably more than a comfortable walk, but still, pretty close. Kealey wondered for a minute if everyone felt like they lived close together in the mass of urban buildings.

Jacen’s building, at least, was nicer than hers and Kealey looked enviously at the well maintained hallways and stairwells as they made their way up to what had to be Jacen’s door and he proceeded to unlock it.

Home sweet home, Jacen had said, and Kealey smiled as she walked in and looked around. Yeah, this place looked like a home. It had all the personal touches that Kealey’s apartment lacked, the little things that made it personal. There were pictures on the walls, a TV with movies, well matched furniture and carpeting…Kealey couldn’t help but smile. Jacen had called it a bachelor pad, which it probably was, but at least he had taste. She’d read and heard horror stories of ply-wood tables laid out over stacked beer cases in bachelor pads. That was definitely not the case here.

Jacen went to change and Kealey winced slightly as he moved more than that special amount of distance away from her. Jacen had neighbors, and they were home. Several emotions rolled over her at once and Kealey started chanting her internal mantra of background noise again. This time it didn’t help as much though, so she settled into her regular routine of simply trying to figure out where each emotion was coming from.

Sinking down onto the handsome leather sofa, Kealey leaned back and crossed her legs, then concentrated. Someone upstairs was busy and anxious, and Kealey’s leg bounced as she sat, the anxiety spilling over. Moving on, Kealey grabbed onto the serene emotion she felt coming from what had to be Jacen’s next door neighbor and she almost felt sleepy. Kind of the way she felt when she was relaxing in a bath with a good book. On and on she went, picking out each emotion down to the faintest one, and then it was silent again.

Kealey looked up, slightly jolted from her concentration as Jacen emerged. Sitting up straighter and uncrossing her legs as he turned to show off his ensemble, Kealey couldn’t help but smile. ”Hmmm” she said, then stood, crossing her arms and giving Jacen a thorough once-over, as she’d seen designers do to their runway models before a fashion show. She’d known immediately that he’d done a very nice job dressing himself and once again she mentally congratulated him on his good taste.

Kealey didn’t ignore the sections of the magazines that dealt with men’s fashion and Jacen looked like he’d probably stepped right off the pages. As he smiled, Kealey couldn’t help but think that she wasn’t going to be the only one flirting as the night went on. Jacen was very attractive. The thought surprised her, and Kealey found herself blushing even as he asked if he passed muster to be her escort for the night.

”I think we’ll be just fine.” she said, a slow smile crossing her features, ”If the men I’m supposed to be flirting with can wade their way through the flood of woman throwing themselves at you.”

This was already fun, Kealey decided. She’d gotten to dress up, she was getting to go to a club, just like normal people did, and she didn’t have to worry about getting caught up in everyone else’s emotions.

On impulse, Kealey moved forward and gave Jacen a hug, just a quick one, but she’d suddenly felt so grateful it was the only thing she could think of to do. Then she stepped back, suddenly sheepish and looked at the floor, ”Thank you so much for this…” she said sincerely, ”I just feel so…normal around you.”

"I doubt there'll be a flood of women after me, Miss Kealey." Jacen said with a chuckle as he gave Kealey one more admiring glance. There was just something about that blue dress... the way it hung on her curves and was revealing and yet modest all at one time. Yeah, there was no doubt about it... he could almost guarantee that Kealey would be getting the attention of at least four or five men with probably two or three of them wanting nothing more than to find out exactly what was under the blue dress. In fact, if he was totally honest, he even wondered that question himself.

Out of nowhere, Kealey suddenly stepped forward and gave him a quick hug, retreating before he even had a chance to lift his arms and return the show of affection. The fact that she was even willing to do that with him after their earlier issues was amazing and Jacen suddenly found himself smiling at her for reasons other than her sexiness.

"You're welcome Kealey. I enjoy spending time with you too so its just a bonus that I happen to be able to help you while monopolizing your time." Jacen replied with a smile before walking over and offering his arm to the lady just like any good gentleman would, "But enough gratitude for this evening. Let's get you out in the game!"

***

Sipping at a brandy, Jacen watched out of the corner of his eye as Kealey chatted with the first of what would most likely prove to be many gentlemen of the evening.

The club had been busy with a line leading up the door just like it was most evenings and as the line slowly moved forward they could see couple after couple being turned away because of just how full the place was. Jacen had been pretty sure that he and Kealey would most likely be turned away as well but with an accidental slip of his wallet that momentarily flashed his badge, Jacen had assured their entrance. Carefully ushering her over to the bar, Jacen had given the young woman a reassuring smile and a quick, "Have fun." before moving a couple seats down. He was close enough that his aura would still be canceling out her abilities but far enough away that it would be clear to the other guys that he had no claim to the beautiful woman in blue.

"You all alone tonight?" A sultry voice broke through Jacen's observations. Looking over he offered a smile at the stunning red head dressed provocatively in a black dress with patches cut out and replaced by a gauzy type material in all the right places. It was revealing but not quite trampy looking. "Something like that." Jacen replied with a grin as he took another sip of his drink, making sure that Kealey never left his peripheral vision even as he spoke to this other woman. Hey, if he could manage to enjoy himself while still making it possible for Kealey to have fun, what was the problem?

OOC - I'm so sorry this is so long...lol. Good luck.

The line had been so long when they’d gotten to the club Jacen had picked out that Kealey had wondered if they were even going to get in. Apparently their outfits were even better than Kealey thought, because even though lots of other people had gotten turned away, Kealey and Jacen walked through the bouncers with very little trouble whatsoever. Once inside, Kealey had taken in the décor and the people milling everywhere, and the fact that the only emotions she was feeling were excitement and slight terror at the thought that she could get separated from Jacen. At the thought, Kealey moved closer to her companion as they made their way through the crowd and to the bar. Kealey perched on one of the stools and crossed her ankles, turning to tell Jacen what a great place this was…only to realize that he’d placed himself a few seats down.

He was more than close enough that his powers would block out everyone else’s emotions, but Kealey looked at him with wide, slightly terrified eyes for a moment before she turned her eyes to the rest of the bar. There were so many people there, suddenly she felt self conscious and Kealey reached a hand up to toy with her hair as she flipped around on the stool to look at the bar. The long island iced teas that she’d only learned after the fact were alcoholic had been good when she’d been out with Elle…and Kealey was a nervous wreck. She was just about to order one when she heard a voice on her left side.

”Is this seat taken?”

It took Kealey a moment to realize that the voice was talking to her and when she did, she turned to her left, carefully keeping Jacen in her peripheral vision in case he moved. There was a man there, his collar was popped, his hair was spiked, and he looked like one of the guys who walked down red carpets for a living. ”Uh…no, go ahead.” Kealey said, and watched as the young man took the seat next to her. Kealey marveled slightly at just how blond some of his hair was and how perfectly it was sculpted.
”How is it possible that someone who looks as good as you do in that dress is sitting there without a drink in her hand? Is your boyfriend in the bathroom or something?”

Kealely blushed, determined not to miss her opportunity now that it was sitting next to her, ”No…” she said, turning a bright smile on the man next to her, ”I’m not here with a boyfriend…and I don’t have a drink because nobody has offered me one yet.” Kealey felt so daring…so forward…so…so…absolutely out of her league. She looked out of the corner of her eye to see Jacen still there and took a deep breath.
The guy smiled, ”Let’s fix that up right now, what are you having?”

Ten minutes later, Kealey was wishing she hadn’t been so eager to try her hand at flirting with the first guy who came up. He’d introduced himself as Marcus and in the time it had taken to get her drink, Kealey had learned that he was a model…and that was about it. Kealey cast a look at Jacen out of the corner of her eye again as the conversation with Marcus hit yet another awkward lull. He was all about fashion, but if she was honest with herself, Kealey was bored. She was half done with her drink too. After a few more moments, Marcus excused himself to go to the restroom and Kealey nearly sighed with relief, turning to go over how things had gone with Jacen only to see that he was already occupied.

The woman had worn black to a club that was decorated in all dark colors. In fact…with her titan red hair she looked like she could have blended into one of the walls. That was if it weren’t for all the flesh hanging out of the sections of her dress it looked like she’d taken a cheese grater to. Kealey realized that all those instantly malicious feelings were hers and just sat on the bar stool, mildly stunned with herself…but that woman was standing so close to Jacen.

”Don’t worry about him, baby, with a dress like that you don’t have to worry about catching a ride home tonight.” the voice was way too close for comfort and Kealey swung around to find herself nearly face to face with a new person. Casting a quick glance, back in Jacen’s direction, Kealey took another sip of her drink and set it on the bar. Something about the way that the newcomer had made his comment made Kealey want to pull her dress down so it was longer, but she wasn’t going to be rude.

”Oh…no…I was just…I’m glad that my friend is enjoying himself too… she said, casting yet another look in the direction of Jacen and the redheaded harlot who seemed to have attached herself to him. There it was again…that unbidden hostility. It was puzzling.

“Well, then stop looking at him and look at me.” the new guy said, and Kealey did it, mostly out of shock and he was so close that she could smell the alcohol that he’d apparently already drank on his breath. He was way too close. Kealey leaned back instinctively. ”You’re awful close, could you back up?” she said, he didn’t.

”Honey…you don’t wear a dress like that to a bar, then tell a man to back up.” he said, then dropped his hand onto her knee. Kealey reacted instinctively, both hands going out to shove the man backwards. He didn’t move far, then walked forward again. Kealey turned to look at Jacen and the redhead, she didn’t want to bother him…but he’d said he’d be there in case this happened; the guy was right in her face again, Kealey turned, climbed off the barstool and made her way two stools down, creep in tow. Now she was sitting right next to Jacen.

”I told you to go away” she said with emphasis, turning to Jacen, redhead or not and giving him a pleading look.

(OOC: Looks great to me! I hope this works for you!)

IC:
The conversation with the read head was providing an interesting distraction while he continued to keep an eye on Kealey. 'Jennifer', as she had introduced herself, was a professional dancer that did background work in music videos. She was also an extremely forward woman that made it quite clear with her little innuendo's just where she was hoping the evening with Jacen would be heading. Right after getting out of the military and moving to New York, Jacen had found this type of woman intrigueing and had ended up having more one night stands that he really would want to admit to anyone. However, after having met both Lori and Kealey, he was now finding this type of woman to be more annoying than anything. What, did she think just because she had a great body and lots of exposed skin absolutely every guy in the world would want to sleep with her?

So far the S.W.A.T. officer had managed to keep from looking directly at Kealey, which meant that Jennifer still had no clue he was even watching another woman but then he caught a change of expression on Kealey's face and immediately looked over to assess the situation. Turning back to the red head, who he had just forgotten the name of, Jacen smiled even as his attention remained completely focused on Kealey. For the moment she seemed to be handling the situation without wanting or needing any help from Jacen. The guy was trying to get fresh with her and even a firm shove seemed to do nothing to deter him. Jacen was just about to get up and go over to her when Kealey suddenly got up and walked over to take the seat right next to Jacen.

”I told you to go away” The pleading note both in Kealey's expression and voice was all the confirmation that he needed. Without even a word of apology to the red head he stood up and pivoted, moving forward to step between Kealey and the offending man. The other guy was momentarily shocked as he moved forward, standing chest to chest and nose to nose with the annoying individual.

"The young lady asked nicely so I suggest you listen before I ask not so nicely." Jacen's voice was calm but there was a dangerous undertone as his deep brown eyes drilled into the other man's muddy brown orbs. For a moment the man was silent but then a slight sneer appeared on his face as he puffed out his chest and reached up, giving Jacen a firm shove in the chest. "This is none of your concern, bub. Go back to your own slut and leave this one to me!"

If the man had been smart he never would have suggested the idea that Kealey was anything but a lady. Sure, that derogatory term might apply to the woman Jacen had been chatting with for the past twenty or thirty minutes but Kealey was most deffinately anything but. The shove made Jacen rock backward but nothing else. Moving quickly his arm snaked out, grabbing the man's wrist and spinning him around to put him in a perfectly executed hammerlock. The man's cry of pain was audible to those nearby but not so loud that it would interupt the whole bar. "I told you I wouldn't be asking nicely." Jacen murmured quietly as he leaned in closer to the man's ear, "Now apologize to the lady for being a jerk and for the comment."

For a few moments all the man could do was grit his teeth against the pain but finally he was able to gasp out some semblance of an apology. "Sorry! I'm sorry about the comment and about touching... aaah... touching your knee!" Glancing over at Kealey, Jacen waited until she had decided that the man had apologized adquately and then with a firm push sent the offending man stumbling into the crowd.

Red head's mouth was hanging open in shock as Jacen walked back to his seat and picked up his drink. "If you'll excuse me, I believe a friend of mine needs me." Jacen said quietly before turning in his chair, putting his back toward the woman and his whole undivided attention on Kealey. "You OK?" He asked quietly he asked as he reached over and grabbed her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. After that situation, Jacen figured that the lesson was probably over for the day. Even if Kealey felt up to flirting with some other guys, Jacen wasn't sure he would be OK with watching any other men make a pass at her.

Jacen acted quickly and Kealey wondered for a minute if this had been part of the lesson and he’d been watching all along, waiting for her to ask for help. He seemed to have forgotten the redheaded harlot for the moment though and that made Kealey happier than she would have admitted. Then he was moving toe to toe with the creeper and Kealey’s eyes widened. She had definitely not wanted a fight. Instantly, instinctively, she tried to reach out to the emotional climate of the room to calm things down, then remembered that she was with Jacen and that definitely wouldn’t work. Then the guy reached out and shoved Jacen.

Kealey nearly leaped off of the barstool and skittered a little backwards as she watched, slightly horrified, to see what Jacen would do. She didn’t have to wait long, and she actually felt a slightly perverse sort of pleasure when Jacen grabbed the guy’s arm and did what was no doubt some kind of fancy police or military move. If they hadn’t attracted attention before, they definitely were now. As the creep cried out in obvious pain, all the eyes around them swung to look. Then Jacen asked the guy to apologize. Kealey felt the color flood to her cheeks for what she thought was probably the hundredth time that day but she did her best to fix the man with a haughty look and raised an eyebrow like she was waiting. It was that, or have the whole place think she was some kind of simpering school girl who’d let things get out of hand. Kealey chose the assertive role.

”I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry….” the guy whimpered and Kealey was almost sure she saw tears in his eyes. It was difficult not to laugh. The man looked ridiculous. Served him right though, she gave a curt nod and looked the man in the eye, ”Obviously you never learned that no means no. Learn it now.” That was enough. There were a fair number of raised eyebrows around and more than one bartender looked poised to take some sort of action. Jacen shoved the guy off though, and in what seemed like no time everyone was acting like nothing had happened.

That had been exhilarating and Kealey looked at Jacen in a whole new light. She’d known he was a trained law enforcer type from the beginning, but seeing him even sort of in action drove the point home. She sat back down on her bar stool and finished off her drink. Marcus was nowhere to be seen, and honestly Kealey was relieved.

Jacen sat back down and Kealey rooted herself to her seat. There was no way she was going any further away from Jacen than he made her go. This was not as fun as she’d thought it would be. The redhead was still sitting there, though, slightly openmouthed at the exchange that had just occurred. Jacen dismissed her rather curtly, though after taking a sip of his own drink and Kealey gave her the brightest smile she possessed in response to the scowl that she got as the harlot turned and walked away.

Jacen reached out and took her hand and Kealey smiled at him as he asked if she were okay. ”I’m fine.” she said, opting out of playing the victim with wounded sensibilities. ”I guess I need a little more practice on that part.”

People were giving them a slightly larger berth than they had before, and Kealey realized that the practice session was over. She was just about to apologize to Jacen for ruining things when she realized something. Jacen was a guy. She was supposed to be practicing her flirting, and she really didn’t want another Jezebel like the redhead coming up and talking to him, especially if the guys were going to stay away from this point on.

So. For the first time in her adult life, Kealey turned on the charm…or at least tried to. Turning slightly so she was more obviously facing him than the bar, Kealey smiled at him, purposely seeking eye contact, ”That was pretty impressive…” she said, ”Do you manhandle creeps like that often to impress pretty girls? Or did you just feel obligated?”

Redhead had accepted defeat far better than Jacen could have expected. A part of him had been afraid she might make some insulting comment about Kealey but he honestly could have cared less what the other woman decided to do. His main concern was making sure that this innocent blond was OK. While his one hand continued to grip Kealey's, his other loosely circled the glass that contained the last few sips of brandy.

"You don't need any more practice on that part." He replied with a smile, knowing that she must mean her attempt at rejecting the jerk's advances, "Most men would have accepted what you said the first time but some creeps take a little more persuasion. Just a tip, if you're every alone or just with a girlfriend, call the bartender over. They're quick to help since they don't want their establishments to get a bad name."

Lifting his glass back up, Jacen took a sip as he watched Kealey fall momentarily silent. As he lowered the glass again, those brilliant blue eyes focused directly on him as she gave him one of the most brilliant smiles he'd ever seen her turn on.

"I've had to do it a time or two before," Jacen admitted with a slight chuckle as he returned the blond beauty's smile with one of his own, "but I didn't do it for you because I felt obligated. It's like I said, I'm your friend which means I'm here to help when I can."

Without realizing it Jacen was allowing himself to further distract Kealey from her lesson. A small part of his mind was trying to remind him that they had come here so she could practice flirting but the rest of him enjoyed her presence to much to want to give her up. Besides, none of the guys that were currently at the bar looked like they were even worth a second of Kealey's time... or at least that's what Jacen kept trying to tell himself.

"But if you were just some random girl, and I was just some random guy that had stepped in to help you, what would you think of me?" He asked, his smile broadening just a touch, "I'd be willing to bet you'd be torn between thanking me and pushing me away because of what my emotions would be saying."

Kealey listened closely as Jacen gave her pointers on how to handle the situation if she was ever in a bar alone or with another woman. She didn’t point out how unlikely it was that she would be anywhere this crowded by herself. Jacen really didn’t get it still. The little slip-up at the Empire State Building hadn’t been enough to really show what it was like when she was tossed into the middle of a crowd. Getting home on the days when she got off around rush hour was miserable.

Kealey shook it off though and brought herself back to the present. She wasn’t having to deal with those things now, she was out and she looked pretty, and Jacen had just sent a redheaded jezebel away so that he could make sure she was okay. Jacen admitted that he’d had to help girls in similar ways a couple of different times and Kealey laughed, ”I’ll bet you have.” she said.

Jacen added that he was her friend and that obligation had nothing to do with it and Kealey tilted her head slightly to one side and nodded slowly, studying him as he spoke. Kealey hadn’t really looked at Jacen closely before, and she noticed that his eyes were brown. It was strange to her, that she hadn’t realized that before, but she shook it off when Jacen presented a scenario that made her eyebrows rise slightly.

”Well… Kealey said, the same slow smile from before crossing her features as she spoke, ”I’m sure that I’d be grateful…and intention means a lot Jacen. There’s a difference between flattering attraction and appropriate behavior and outright lechery after all.”

The game was still on, it was still practice time, and an opportunity arose that Kealey decided to take advantage of. Leaning forward slightly, so she didn’t have to raise her voice over the dull roar of the crowded night club, Kealey found Jacen’s eyes again and said, ”If I was some random girl, and you were some random guy…what would your intentions be?” As the words left her mouth, Kealey realized she actually cared what his reply was. It caught her off guard, but she didn't move, and couldn't help thinking that this flirting thing really wasn't half bad...at least not when the person she was flirting with was Jacen.