Bad Pennies - Part Two

Posted on Sun Jun 3rd, 2012 @ 10:16am by Jackson Banning V & Cassidy Wilde & Jono

Mission: Sections of the Delta Quadrant
Location: The Wormhole Bar

Rolling her head on her neck and getting rewarded with two small pops, Cassidy picked up her bourbon and held it out towards Jackson and proposed a toast. “Ta knowin’ the proper way ta take out the trash,” she offered with a big smile.

“You can say that again, darlin’.” He drained the bourbon, then coughed and wiped his eyes. “Not as smooth as mine but it’ll do.” He waved to Seyla for another round. “Keep ‘em coming, Seyla!”

Tipping the glass to her lips, she downed her drink, immediately feeling the fire burn its way down to her stomach. Definitely not as smooth as Banning Reserve, but not rough gut either. Glancing over at him, she sat back in her chair.

“So Jackson...ya gonna show me a good time or what?” she asked with an impish smile. “Com’ on. Ya know ya wanna cut loose and have a good time. Ya look like ya need it. No questions, just a good time. I promise I won’t get ya drunk and take advantage of ya, either. Not my style.”

“If ya wanted ta get me drunk, you’d have to race me to get there first.” The next round of drinks appeared and he took a hefty pull on it. Following the two martinis, and a double bourbon, this one eased him nicely into a good solid buzz. “And thanks for not askin’, Cass. It’s a long story and you don’t have the clearance for it.” He drank down the rest of the bourbon and set the glass down. “But since you mention it, good time it is. Feel like dancin’?”

“You’ve got a head start on me for gettin’ drunk, mister.” Smiling, she reached over and took his hand in hers. “Yeah, I do feel like dancin’. Com’ on, Charleston. I promise not ta complain too loudly if ya stomp on my toes, but if ya do it too many times I might have ta kick ya in the shins.” Tugging on his hand, she pulled him out of his seat.

They moved over to the dance floor and in a show of Jono’s warped sense of humour, he changed the music to something slow. Well, when in Rome.....Jackson took her hand in his and wrapped his arm around her waist.

“Actually, I am a hell of a dancer.”

Curling her fingers lightly around his hand, she looked up at him. “Everybody says they’re a good dancer...even the ones that move like three-legged elephants.”

Sliding her hand up his arm to rest on his shoulder, Cassidy started moving with him, matching his rhythm and not trying to lead. She didn’t have to look down to know he was exactly what he claimed to be - a good dancer.

Grinning after a few more steps, she relented. “Oh, alright. Yer okay,” she teased, drawing out the words. “My toes thank ya in advance.”

“They damn well should.” He pulled her in close against him and they twirled around before he turned her under his arm, then pulled her back in. “Cotillion to start, and then I kept with it. Some...times....it came in handy. And given the style of the Nexus, I dance a lot.”

Dancing with him was effortless. Cass’ own natural grace and hours of dance training finally paid off. Most of the time, she had run off to ride her horse or ones that she had in training. Her mother would simply squeal with delight if she could see her dancing like this.

“It shows. I’d give ya a compliment about what a fine dancer ya are, but then I’d be left here all by myself when ya float away because yore head blew up like a big ol’ balloon.” The very idea of that image made her toss her head back and laugh. Despite the outburst, she didn’t miss a step. After a few seconds, she regained her composure...mostly.

“I’m sorry. I’m just teasing. Yer a wonderful dancer. I bet yore dance card is positively filled.”

“You might be surprised about that Cass.” Oh yeah, the buzz was in fine form tonight and Jackson welcomed it. How long had it been since he had just gone out, enjoyed himself, left his worries at home? Too damned long, he realized. Granted, one of his worries had turned up here, but Rio had taken care of it easily. And here he was, dancing with a lovely woman who wasn’t asking any questions he couldn’t answer, simply enjoying his company. Well, he was usually better company. Thanks to the bourbon, the thought came right out. “I’m usually better company, Cass.”

The smile she aimed up at him was gentle as they danced, pressed close together. “Jackson, there is nothin’ wrong with yore company.” Reaching up, she cupped his cheek. “Yer too hard on yourself. I just met ya and I can tell that already. Whatever yore troubles are, they’ll work themselves out just fine. Until they do...” She followed him through another twirl, her hand dropping to his shoulder again. “Relax and just breathe.”

She was more right than she knew with that assessment of his being hard on himself. He also did his best to take care of everyone around him. When was he going to look after himself? Take some time to do what Jackson wanted to do? Well, that was a hard question. Too many things had come up in the past weeks and then today alone to overload a dozen Jacksons. And there was only one of him. Just breathe. Good advice. Enjoy himself, relax. He sure as hell needed it.

“Thanks,” he said at her ear as they continued to dance. “I needed to hear that.”

Cassidy squeezed his hand. “You’re very welcome,” she turned her head slightly to meet his gaze. “Tell ya what...I’ll make ya deal. Anytime it looks like yore little black cloud is hoverin’ over ya again, I’ll help ya chase it away.” Another turn, and she caught sight of Jono and lifted her hand off of Jackson’s shoulder to wave at him and smiled. “Aaand..I might even spoil ya and bring ya a home-cooked breakfast. A real one, not replicated.”

“Why?” His eyes held hers as they continued to dance, but slower now. “You barely know me, Savannah.”

“Why not?” she answered simply, as if it was the easiest answer to give. For her, it was the only one. “I don’t need a reason ta be nice to someone, do I?” She shrugged. “Ya didn’t know anything about me, yet ya hired me to work in yore club without knowing if I can even carry a tray full of drinks or dinners without droppin’ them.”

“We’ll know that soon enough, won’t we? Fair warnin’, Vic’s very particular about the servers. On the flip side, we don’t put up with anyone hasslin’ them at all. If anyone does, he’ll be more’n happy to have security toss ‘em.” Jackson smiled now. “Thank you.”

Would he or Vic flip out if they knew she’d never waited a table in her life? Hell, the only drinks she’d ever served had been ones back home during her family’s parties. “Yer thankin’ me again. What for?”

“Puttin’ up with me tonight, mostly.” The song faded into another, this one slow as well, but with a far more primal rhythm to it. “And a thanks ahead of time for agreein’ to smack me if I get outta hand.”

“Yer not that bad, Jackson. Everyone’s allow to have a shitty day once in a while. Unfortunately, today was yours,” she smiled and changed the way she moved to match the music. “As far as gettin’ outta hand, sugar, I’ve got four older brothers...trust me, I’m very good at smackin’.”

“Good deal.” He studied her face a moment, then nodded. “How about we go see if Seyla refilled our glasses yet?”

“Okay.” Cassidy tucked her arm into his, then grinned mischievously. “Come to think of it, I already owe you a smack.”

“Really? What for?” They reached the table and found four drinks waiting. Jackson smiled knowing the drinks would keep showing till someone passed out. He helped Cass into her chair, then sat down and reached immediately for a glass, taking a sip.

Looking at the drinks, she smirked. Drinking with him was going to be like drinking with her brothers, though probably not as loud or rowdy. She glanced to the side at him sitting there in his tuxedo sans bow tie seemed to confirm that idea, but she knew more than anyone not to judge a book by its cover. Sighing, she picked up a glass and drank half of the amber liquid before she had to stop and take a breath. Fanning herself, she smiled despite the scrunched up funny face she made. “For thinkin’ I look like a cream puff.”

“But you do.” He drank down half the drink and let out a contented sigh as the bourbon burned its way down. “Creamy skin, golden hair....delicious. Cheers.” He clinked his glass to hers and had another sip.

“Cheers.”

Cassidy blinked at him, then shook her head and took a tiny sip. That wasn’t the type of cream puff she had been talking about, but at this point, she wasn’t about to argue with him. Besides, his description of a cream puff kind of gave her the warm and fuzzies...or maybe that was the bourbon?

“Yer buzzed, Jackson. Somewhere along the way tonight, I’ve become dessert. First Jono and the pumpkin pie comment, and then you and the cream puff.” She smiled and started laughing again. She really shouldn’t have said that. It could be taken the wrong way and it sent her mind in a direction it shouldn’t go. She laughed even harder. Dessert indeed.

“Jono started it. Well actually, you did with the cream puff statement. Puttin’ ideas in my head.” He finished off the drink, set it aside and pick up the next. “And yer wrong, I am not buzzed. I passed buzzed about four sips ago.”

“Heh.” Yeah, he had a big head start on her, but the fact she was smaller than him was starting to level the playing field. “Ya better drink faster or I’m gonna catch up ta ya.” If that happened, she might really start putting ideas in his head and that could make things...awkward.

“Yes’m.” He drained the second glass and set it back on the table. With his eyes closed, he took a moment to savor the bourbon, which tasted much better now that he’d had three doubles. In fact, everything felt much better all the way around. Harding? Fuck ‘im. He’d worry about Harding tomorrow. Tonight, he was gonna do as instructed. Relax with the creampuff...er...Cassidy. “That better?”

“Yes, much. No more little black cloud and that little frown line between yore eyebrows is gone now,” she murmured, reaching over to rub the area above the bridge of his nose with her thumb. Taking another small sip of her bourbon, Cass was careful to nurse her drink now. “Do ya feel better?”

“Gettin’ there. You keep doin’ that, I’ll get there a hell of a lot sooner.” He reached for his drink and it wasn’t until it was up to his lips that he realized what he’d said.

She smiled, knowing he didn’t mean it. That was the bourbon talking. Still, she didn’t pull her hand away. Instead she placed her fingertips on his forehead, then slid them into his hair, scraping lightly along his scalp all the way to over the top and down the back of his head. Only then did she drop her hand to the table again.

“I promised ya I wouldn’t take advantage of ya if I got ya drunk, but I also told ya ta relax and breathe. I’m just wonderin’ if yer gonna ta be able ta tell me ya feel better before or after ya pass out?” she asked quietly, watching him.

“Hmmmm?” He murmured, still relishing the feel of her hand in his hair. It had been a long time since Jackson had indulged to the point of getting plastered and he was very nearly there. He had plenty of reasons, but mainly because he knew his tendency to get amorous when he was drunk and he had always feared it would make him go looking for someone he shouldn’t be. That was no longer an issue, he’d done well at moving on and was proud of himself. So tonight he’d felt safe in cutting loose except that the dessert cart had dropped by. He would have to be careful here. He reached for his glass and took another sip, then smiled brightly. “I feel jus’ fine creampuff.”

Awww, hell. Either she was getting drunk or she wasn’t as immune to him as she led herself to believe. His smile was causing all sorts of interesting reactions to her body. Cassidy found herself returning his smile, though she doubted hers lit up the room the same way his did. She was even starting to like the way he called her creampuff.

“Uh-huh. Did ya like me runnin’ my fingers through yore hair? Did it feel good?”

Jackson propped his arms on the table and leaned in closer. “That, darlin’, is a dangerous question. I answer it and I’m likely to get smacked. Thanks, Seyla,” he said without skipping a beat as two more drinks appeared.

She grinned at him after nodding a quick thanks to Seyla. “Which is more dangerous? The question, or the answer?” Cass reached for a glass, not paying attention to which one was where and took the one closer to Jackson. “You can answer without fear of gettin’ smacked since I asked the question.”

“Both.” He reached for his glass, only to find his fingers wrapped around her hand instead of the glass. Oh boy. He looked down at their hands, then released her and reached for the other drink. “You were warned, Sav...Savannah.”

Raising an eyebrow, she brought the glass up to her lips, pausing before she took a drink. “Chickenshit.” Her eyes flashed a challenge for an instant, then she downed the entire contents of the glass.

“You keep that up, your promise to drag me home and pour me into bed may not come to pass.” He drained the drink and set the glass aside. His coordination was a bit off and he tipped it over onto its side. “Whew, good thing that was empty, woulda been a terrible waste.” His accent had grown heavier now, his words slightly slurred.

“No sugar, I’m doin’ fine. I’ve been nursin’ my drinks, while you’ve been downin’ yores...and several of mine, too,” she laughed and righted the tipped over glass. “That promise ta pore ya inta yore bed meant that I’d make sure ya got home safe and sound. That means it’s not my turn ta get drunk. This is yore night for that, though I’m not sure yer gonna thank me for it in the mornin’.”

There was no question she was quite buzzed, but definitely not drunk. However looking at him, she wondered how much more he would drink before she would need a direct transport to his quarters to get him home.

“That all depends on whether yer there for me to thank or if I have ta call.”

Scooting her chair over next to his, she draped her arm over the back of his so she could reach up and run her fingers through his hair again. She had gotten the strong sense that he had enjoyed it earlier, which was why she had asked him about it.

“It would be downright rude of me ta get ya really drunk and then leave ya to fend for yerself, now wouldn’t it? The hard part is tryin’ to figure out what yore limit is.” Cassidy marveled at how silky his hair felt as she stroke along his scalp. Men shouldn’t have hair that pretty. Then again...men shouldn’t be as good looking as Jackson either.

“The entire purpose of tonight is for ya ta have a good time and cut loose. Now if ya end up sick as a dog in the mornin’, well that kinda ruins it. Wishin’ ya never were born because yore feet come up outta yore mouth while yer pukin’ ruins everythin’.”

That set Jackson off into gales of laughter. “Honey, I grew up in a distillery. By the time I was ten, I could tell which batch was which just by taste, and what was missin’ and would make it better. It was expected that Evan and I would take over the business but we had other ideas, and left it to the other boys.” He closed his eyes as she played in his hair. “I’m lucky, I don’t get sick. So where ya takin’ me?” She really should be smacking him right now, he thought. If she knew what was in his head that shouldn’t be there, thanks to the bourbon, she would have already done so. Repeatedly.

Biting her lip, Cass was grateful his eyes were closed so he couldn’t see her expression. While she wasn’t drunk, she was fairly buzzed and that meant she had forgotten to be careful about reading him. What had started out as just sensing an emotion here or there had ended up sitting on his shoulder...right next to his little bourbon marinated devil. It had taken incredible self-control not to react to the thoughts staggering through his mind.

Suddenly, her own little devil plunked down next to his, but its words came out of her mouth. “Does it matter where I take you, as long as I take you?” Awww shit. There was a special place in hell waiting...just...for...her.

“Long as it’s outta here, it could be hell for all I care.” He grinned at her and opened his eyes. Then he leaned closer to stage whisper to her. “And we should go while the gettin’s good. I’ve been here two hours and no fight yet. Gotta be a record.”

Laughter escaped before she could stop it. Oh damn. It was worse than she thought. Not only was she reading some of his thoughts, but some of hers were finding their way into his head. Yeah, it was time to go. Standing up, she pushed her chair back in.

“If that’s a record, then I don’t wanna see it get broken. Com’on, up ya go.” This time, Cassidy took both his hands and pulled him to his feet, ready to steady him if he needed it. “Let’s get ya home ta yore place. You’ll be more comfortable there.”

“I’m sure we will be.” He was mostly steady on his feet but he held on to her hand as they made their way out. “Jono, see ya later.”

“You will. Next Saturday’s game. Enjoy your day off tomorrow, looks like you’ll be sleeping in.” Jono waved as they went out through the door.

______________

Jackson Banning V
Owner & Very Relaxed Dude
The Nexus Club

Cassidy Wilde
Server & Remedy For LIttle Black Clouds
The Nexus Club

Dr. William Harding
Slimeball
Starfleet Medical

Jono
Dessert Lover
Owner, The Wormhole

Seyla
Resident Tiger