Thread: To Finish the Job {{Soul +&+ The PG}}

As if on a fast-forwarded blur, the evening passed in the blink of an eye, and as Jai stood quietly by the bar, focusing very carefully on putting a few bottles back away, everything started to come back in a hazy fog. To start, it had just been a really long night, with exhaustion and dread, and in the blink of an eye the world had turned upside down and a heart-stopping terror had filled the void. Then came Brandon, and Mel, his apartment, her apartment, booze, Michelle, talking, tears, laughter, more talking, more laughter, more booze. Then the chief called, and everything went to a sobered back-burner for a long moment as she considered heavily the terms of her protection. It had sounded like a good plan, and indeed it was, but for Jai, it wasnt enough, and she had idly wondered if anything was going to be enough. Tony wasnt the type to take no for an answer, and he didnt even take resistance and fighting for an answer either. He took what he wanted and he didnt care who tried to stop him or tell him no or get in his way. There was no doubting it either with knowledge of her existence, he was definitely going to want to go after her again, and she doubted if anyone was going to be able to truly protect her from him. The night surged on though, filled with food, more talking, more laughter, and even more booze , and before long everything had seemed to slow down to a crawl, concluding with a quick clean up, insisting on Michelle staying just a few hours more, being unable to convince her, giving of hugs and assurance, and finally it seemed that it had ended right where it began- at the island bar. Something about alcohol gave Jai the ability to more heavily reflect and think, set her mind into a hyperdrive of sorts, with the gracious benefit of lowering her ability to truly sink into her thoughts and emotions, numbing feelings to a tolerable degree. And as she stood there, swaying just slightly on her feet, fumbling with the bottles carefully, she was able to keep a straight face, keep from sinking into the dangerous pit of fear and anxiety and doubt. Brandons sudden suggestion brought her out of her thoughts, and she looked over her shoulder at him with a doe-like gaze before a slow and lazy grin etched across her expression, a melodic laugh escaping her throat. I could do that, she responded, her own words a bit slurred, though still easily decipherable. But I would have to charge a fair price, and Im sure you guys at the station wouldnt like hauling rambling drunks back and forth all night every night. There was a pause then, and she acutely noticed a shift in his gaze, her smile faltering just slightly as she observed the expression on his face. As he started walking towards her, she froze in her stance, the sudden worry coming over her mind that maybe it wasnt her that he was giving that funny look maybe hed seen something behind her, through the door out on the balcony, or in the kitchen, maybe hiding behind the couch. She swallowed hard, feeling a bout of mild nervousness, but as he got closer, he stopped before her, and she tilted her had back to search his gaze. There was something there, that was certain, something shed never seen before in anyone, and it left her in a bit of a heavier haze until his hand came up and brushed her hair behind her ear, eliciting a soft shiver to trail down the length of her spine, and magnifying in strength when his hand slid down over her cheek and around the back of her neck immediately after. There was no time to decipher or even think really before he got even got even closes, blurred out by the lack of distance, and she could suddenly feel his lips press to hers. Her eyelids fluttered, falling slowly closed, and she felt her breath hitch, her heart stutter, and a flood of warmth rushed through her blood stream. So this is what its like to be really kissed Just as quickly as it had happened though, it was over, and she found herself forcing her eyes back open to look up at him in a haze of slight confusion and unfulfillment. His question seeped in gently, and she found herself half-nodding in mute response before managing to find half of her voice. Perfect She whispered distantly, unable to help herself from getting wrapped up in the smile that he was offering her, or the sudden ache and burn of desire that was coursing through her blood stream. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the way he was looking at her, or maybe it was the fact that she had gone nearly her entire life without ever so much as even fantasizing about what real intimacy was like, and now it was teasing itself right in front of her with what seemed to be complete opportunity. Whatever it was, she didnt fully know, and she didnt care either, all she knew was that what little, fleeting kiss he had given her was simply enough, and she wanted more. Slowly, Jai reached her arms up between their bodies, softly laying her palms against his chest, and she edged a step closer to him, rising up on her tiptoes as her gaze lowered from his to glance over his lips, falling closed once more as she pressed her mouth back against his. It was soft, with just the slightest sense of firmness, urgency, pressure, and behind it was an immensity of desire that, to her, seemed strong enough to all but taste.