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The large man’s smile seemed to wilt at Riley’s rejection. The sparkling stones of his teeth snuck back behind his lips as they tightened into a thin, hard line. From behind him, Lucas noticed several other individuals that were dressed similar to the giant crowding in. One of them reached forward and placed his hand on the large man’s shoulder to get his attention.

“I don’t think the lady likes you T-bone.” He offered as a sarcastic suggestion. “Maybe she needs some convincing?”

T-bone didn’t strike Lucas as the kind of gentleman who negotiated peace at the U.N. so the thought of him being convincing wasn’t something he was looking forward to. Not liking the direction the conversation was going, Lucas decided to attempt to diffuse the situation quickly.

“Thank god!” He exclaimed with a huge relieved exhale of breath. “I thought T-bone was talking to me there at first.”

The three men in the back began to snicker and T-bone turned his bulk to address the dissent in his ranks as the light turned green. Lucas took the opportunity to turn and cross the street with Riley while the man was suddenly busy.

“So do you do a lot of modelling in those kinds of magazines?” Lucas inquired, as if they were never interrupted. “I was thinking of asking you to see a portfolio later but now, it feels a bit awkward.”

“I’ve been told I can be a bit direct at times.” Lucas answered Riley with a shrug. “I find it more effective than the standard social ballet. If I say something that makes you uncomfortable, feel free to tell me of course. I won’t mind.”

Lucas wanted to ask her what kind of modelling she did but as Riley had been a bit elusive twice now, he assumed it was best left alone. If they were still getting along after dinner, he might ask to see a portfolio but it was more a curiosity item then any real interest in her job. Not wanting to derail the direction of the current conversation yet again, the thought was abandoned as quickly as it formed.

They were approaching the intersection at 59th street and the normal late afternoon traffic was whirling past at a standard New York pace. A taxi swapped lanes and cut another commuter off to be rewarded with a barrage of horn honks. It was a part of the tapestry that made up the city and Lucas had grown accustomed to the sound.

Crossing the street now would be like playing Frogger 3.0 on speed but luckily, the light was about to change. They were moments from Central Park and a quieter evening of hot dogs and caged animals without the orchestral brass section of a hundred vehicles to follow them.

Rather than let the time pass in silence while they waited, Lucas continued to question Riley on her life. He was confident that if he went too far now, she would tell him after offering her the option.

“So it is reasonable to assume you have an idea of the type of guy to bring home to mom then? What are you looking for...if you haven’t given up and resigned yourself to short-term of course?” he asked her casually as he surveyed the cars as they rushed by.

The sideways glance Riley shot him was noticed through peripheral vision but Lucas decided to pretend otherwise. Had she expected him to press her when she obviously didn’t want to talk about it? Of course he could have asked more questions but by responding with short and seemingly pained sentences while rolling her eyes, the young woman had made it obvious she didn’t want to discuss it further. Maybe that was the point though. Was Riley trying to catch Lucas’ interest with topics and then fain a willingness to discuss it so he would be the bad guy by bugging her? Strange behavior but it fit with her prickly demeanor. It was kind of rewarding to know that he had inadvertently taken her away from the expected script if that was indeed the case. A derisive snort broke off the young man’s psychoanalysis.

” I don’t date.” Riley stated flatly.

Another short and dismissive sentence that created a myriad of questions yet closed the door on further discussion at the same time. Shooting a quick glance back over to Riley now, Lucas saw how the young woman looked forward and walked with her chin held high. It almost felt like it was a challenge somehow as she waited for him to question her lifestyle choice. Riley seemed to want a soapbox to argue how she didn’t need a man in her life and waited patiently for the chance to voice her opinion after laying out the bait. From what Lucas knew about this woman so far, she probably didn’t need a man. Her head seemed to be on pretty straight. She was a bit argumentative and full of herself maybe but some guys liked that sort of thing. It was unfortunate that she felt a need to prove her point by being alone. She was a pretty enough girl and could probably have her pick of guys if she wasn’t holding herself back. The question of why she acted this way was still there but Lucas didn’t expect he would get an answer soon.

Though some response was expected to the not dating comment, there wasn’t many viable options. Riley had set a pretty good trap. If Lucas contradicted her, he was some jerk who questioned a girl’s right to independence or was flirting to get in her pants. If he went along with it, he was suggesting she wasn’t worth dating at all and was insulting. Asking for details would invite further eye rolling and snorts of annoyance. The safest choice was saying nothing or changing the subject again but that would just reaffirm she should go on believing she was better off alone. It was masterful in its complexity and Lucas had a suspicion that he wasn’t the first guy to be tested in this way.

Refocusing his view on the street ahead, Lucas decided to play Riley’s game for a little while. There was only one more block to the park. Opening his mouth meant they might not make it that far...but where was the fun in playing it safe.

“That’s funny coming from the girl that agreed to dinner with me an hour ago.” Lucas said stone faced. “I was a bit surprised you didn’t put up more of a fight actually.”

He kept his eyes straight ahead and saved his joking smile for after he received the shocked objection or sarcastic remark that would undoubtedly follow. Riley wasn’t the only one that could mess with people’s heads.

Lucas hung on every word Riley said but his hopes were dashed almost instantly as the woman’s power seemed to be proximity related. She couldn’t turn off mutation like she had inferred, just dampened them for a short time. The misery that seemed to creep into the woman’s voice was not missed however. It seemed her gift was a curse to her as well and Lucas’ excitement at the possibility of a way to help his friend had offended her. Inadvertently, he had treated Riley as he always feared people would treat him so it wasn’t a big leap to understand what had made her upset.

This was still a good thing though. Riley couldn’t ask or expect Lucas to do anything different from anyone else when they were hanging out together. If what she said was true, he was just like any other guy to her. It was even better than that! If someone could understand wanting to hide an ability so as not to be used for it, Riley probably would. This made the young man almost giddy.

"Well I am." Lucas shared pleasantly, almost skipping back up to walk beside her again. Didn’t really matter if he admitted to being a mutant now. It wasn’t like she could be scared of his powers after sharing that.

"You probably guessed that from my reaction though. I can heal people. Usually I don’t tell anyone because when they find out; they tend to call me for every cut or bruise to save on the cost of a band aid. It’s pretty great that I don’t need to worry about that with you if that makes any sense."

If that was Riley’s deepest, darkest secret then she was probably one of the more normal people Lucas knew but he had a suspicion that she was still hiding something. The picture still didn’t make senses. She still hadn’t explained her very vocal berating of him earlier or her somewhat harsh demeanor. There was some kind of man issue there but Lucas doubted she would share it with him. He decided to take a light hearted stab in the dark and then drop it altogether. If she didn’t want to talk about it, there was no reason to push her and make the evening uncomfortable.

"Is that the worst of it?" Lucas asked as he strolled along beside her. "No crazy stalker ex-boyfriend who is going to put an axe in my back while I am feeding a Llama or something like that?"

Somewhere in the last few seconds, Lucas had lost control. He had thought he was helping out Paul by extracting him from the pleasant and refined older woman. But now, things weren’t as nice. Gretchen had suggested breaking him in before giving what was left back to Paul as if he was the man’s possession. He had gone from savior to play thing, being traded between these two people for undisclosed future considerations. Lucas couldn’t help but ponder how thing had gone so wrong while being pulled through the crowd by the deceptively strong woman. He needed to get things back in hand before he ended up living the rest of his life in someone’s basement with nothing but chaps and a gimp mask.

Looking around as Gretchen yanked him further into the crowd, Lucas noticed a familiar person close by. Paul seemed to be just ahead of them, pushing through the partygoers as well. His goal, the lovely young blonde that Lucas had caught him checking out earlier. Unfortunately for Paul, the black veiled woman seemed to be right on his heels, bringing Lucas along for the ride. What the hell was going on? In the end, the only thing Lucas knew was what his role in this little game was. He was Paul’s wingman first and foremost, and he didn’t take this lightly. Having the veiled temptress interrupt Paul while he introduced himself was not going to happen if he could help it.

Planting his feet, Lucas pulled back on Gretchen’s arm suddenly, spinning her around and back against his chest so they were facing each other in an intimate fashion. His free arm wrapped around her waist and he tried to hold her gaze as he spoke. “I hope you don’t find it to forward of me but I find you absolutely stunning.” He lied.

A quick glance over Gretchen’s shoulder let Lucas see that Paul had arrived at the two girls and had begun his play. If the woman in the black dress could be stalled for a minute or two, the older man would have a chance.

“Your perfume…that hint of citrus… is so…intoxicating.” He continued as he gave a deep inhale to exaggerate his point.

Gretchen’s body, pressing up against his chest, felt harder than Lucas had imagined it would at it disturbed him slightly. It wasn’t the fact that Gretchen was in shape, that much was clear but there was something more. Something off about how she felt next to him. He let his eyes wander to try and give the impression of interest while looking for some other sign to clear the itch from his subconscious. His gaze moved along her shoulders towards her neck. The slender, feminine curve was interrupted by the cutest little Adam’s apple underneath her collar. Lucas swallowed hard as things came into focus.

“Oh crud.” Lucas said as he quickly pulled his arm away from Gretchen’s back. Paul had dumped him with a transvestite while he went off to hook up with the blonde. That guy was such a…

Looking over, Lucas’ thoughts were interrupted as he noticed Paul ducking through the ladies room door with both the blonde and the brunette at the same time. In less than a minute, he had not only shed both Lucas and Gretchen, but turned into Hugh Heffner somehow. Paul had managed to pick up two of the hottest women at the party, who’s combined age was probably less than his, convincing them to sneak off to a stall with him for some privacy.

Turning back to face the tranny standing before him, Lucas couldn’t do anything but voice the only thought remaining in his head.

“That guy is a god.”

A quick glance over his shoulder and Lucas noticed the upcoming arboreal ambush before it was too late. His hand reached out behind him and grabbed hold of a branch and he let his momentum swing him back around to face the same direction as Riley once again.

“Thank for the heads up.” He said as he matched her pace and continued to walk beside her as before.

“So about that meal. I was thinking we could get my steak in the tubed variety if that suits you. Doesn’t break the bank and lets us do something while we eat. I’ve heard a lot about New York hot dogs and never got a chance to try them.” He offered it as a conciliatory option. She seemed genuinely nice now that they were away from the convention; Lucas would feel guilty if he made her pay for anything extravagant at this point.

“I’d be happy to cover the fee to get into the Zoo in the park if you’re interested or we can just stuff them down on a park bench and you can be rid of me quick. Whichever you prefer or something in between. With my ride off pretending to be Peter Pan with Tinker Bell right now, my evening is completely open.”

The dangled carrot was meant to be a friendly gesture but also served to deflect the attention away from her question about him, but why? He didn’t really care if she knew what he did. It wasn’t like she was asking his life story. Did it really matter if he told her? She was simply being cordial because she had lost a bet. The chances were slim he would even see her again after tonight. It wasn’t like he was telling her he was Batman or anything extreme. Being a boxer and a janitor wasn’t a huge secret. Throwing caution to the wind, Lucas figured he would be more open and see where that took him.

“I got two jobs to answer your question. I clean up at a gym over in Brooklyn and I also get punched in the face for a living. Well, at least I’m training to get punched in the face, takes a while to get into that line of work.” He joked.

The time it took for Riley to answer was longer then expected. Most of the time, when Lucas talked with women and showed an interest in them they weren’t so guarded. It was a simple enough question to start them off. Her short answer with no real information gave him the impression she didn’t want to talk....or at least not about herself. That was too bad because it was going to be a pretty boring dinner if all they gabbed about was the weather. Here they were, two people who didn’t like discussing themselves, trying to have a conversation. Something would have to give or the meal was not going to be worth the effort.

“I’ve only been in town for 5 weeks or so.” Lucas answered. “Came up on the bus from Miami and figured New York was as good a place as any to settle down. Not that interesting a story I’m afraid.” He gave a shrug as he talked, since there was no better explanation to offer. At least, none he was going to share with a stranger.

“Nothing as exciting as trying to make it as a model.” Deflecting back, he switched the subject towards Riley once more. It was like they were playing some kind of social badmington and he had just hit the birdie back across the net. “So you moved to New York when you were nineteen. I’m guessing you came here to pursue your modelling. You say you have been doing it quite a while, not that I think you look old enough to say that, but let’s say around three years or so. I know better than to ask a girl her age so we can let that one drop. How’s it going for you? Figure you are still here so you have met with some success, right? Have I seen any of your work maybe?”