Ember Burn: Bait And Hook
A Shadowrun Tale
Something had torqued him off. His face was hard. Focused... but not on work or anything else. It was controlled. Firmly controlled... and that was never a good thing. Because it meant he was itching to lose it. And there were no shortage of people capable of doing just that.
Still... it did nothing to take away from his overall attractiveness. His shoulders seemed to shift slightly, but they remained strong. Powerful. Yet always subtle. Just like him... subtle.
As Raymond passed by, Janice smiled briefly. His eyes flicked towards her for a moment. In that one look, he pried into her... then, just for a brief second, an honest smile played across his lips. But that was only a moment... and the hardness returned.
* * * *
The end of a hectic day. Not because of mistakes, just annoying customers who refused to be satisfied. Janice logged off for the night, sighing heavily as she tried to forget the entire stressful day. After several failed attempts to massage the ache from her temples, she rose from her desk.
The kitchen felt like a war zone about to happen. Only Raymond and Xan's iron control and loyal followers kept things from exploding. Xan was new to being a sous chef. And Raymond... seemed to be a natural leader.
It was something she found curious. He did not possess the skills to be considered more than a cook, but if the chain of command ever broke down, he was there... and always did an excellent job given the drek he had to work with. Snarked off wait staff jazzed to the gills on novacoke. Sober cooks... which was decidedly worse in her thinking. Xan pretty much followed Raymond's lead, improvising here and there.
She watched as the two exchanged words. Then Raymond turned to leave. His eyes acknowledged her, but little more. She could see the control slipping... the exhaustion settling on his shoulders.
"You look like you need a break."
"That good? Huh... I feel like drek warmed over. Thrice."
"First round on me?"
"Deal."
* * * *
It should have been simple. Maybe two drinks. Shoot the breeze about the whacked out requests that made the night hell. Then... part ways. Simple. But, she got drunk. Royally... utterly smashed.
Raymond wasn't as bad. But then again, he did take several trips outside. Which meant he was probably smoking marijuana with the other cooks. Still a favorite even now... the drug was barely looked at by NOPD. Still... old habits die hard. Like her... getting drunk in a bar. Which normally meant waking up naked next to some nameless drekhead... also naked.
So it wasn't a surprise to wake up in bed next to Raymond. What was surprising was that she was dressed in a nightshirt... a long black tee-shirt that fit too well to be anything but designed for women. She looked over at Raymond, fast asleep in the old but comfortable looking comforter.
* * * *
"Did we..."
"Nah," he replied easily. "I was tempted... but I've got a really bad Honor kick. Just won't let me be that scuzzy.
"And it snarked you off... for a bit. You don't drink that often... do you."
"Occasionally. Though why I got
that
smashed..."
"Hell. That's the easy part. Sex helps relieve stress, chica. Were you sober and just seduced me... damned right." He chuckled softly.
She looked at Raymond. He'd cut his hair... sometime during the night. The black mass was reduced to semi-grayish stubble. He'd gotten dressed, but even the simple jogging shorts and tee-shirt could not hide what she knew lay beneath the fabric. Strong arms... much stronger than they appeared. She'd felt them. Caressed them. Flashes came back to her, and Janice lowered her head.
