The New Girl (Lady In Red)

Lyv Nouvelle's fingernails were tapping out a random tune against her thigh, her nervousness growing exponentially with every city block that the car passed through. For the hundredth time, she shifted on the seat, smoothing out the red silk material of the dress she'd chosen specifically for the occasion. A riot of butterflies had taken up residence in her stomach and she was actually thankful her day had been so hectic that she'd barely had time to stop and think, let alone eat something.

Pulling out a little compact mirror from her purse, she checked her hair, making sure that she looked good— it was silly at best since she'd actually had drinks with him just last night. Glancing down at her phone, she couldn't help but smile at the flirtatious messages that were still displayed on her screen. She scrolled through them again, wondering if going to his place was the best idea. Before she had time to reconsider, the car pulled up to the curb.

"Here ya go, Miss Nouvelle." The driver said, glancing back at her. "This here's the place I was told to bring you to."

"Thank you." She said politely and reached into her purse, looking for her wallet.

"No need, Miss. It's already paid for."

Feeling slightly overwhelmed at the gesture, she stuffed her purse into the pocket of her overnight bag, grabbed it and got out onto the sidewalk. The lavish apartment building loomed in front of her, causing her eyes to go wide as his words to her replayed in her head. He'd called it cozy, but the twelve stories that stretched towards the night sky looked anything but. "Cozy? Yeah this is cozy, alright." She said to herself in disbelief and then laughed softly. As she walked, the heels of her open-toed red pumps echoed on the concrete and when she made it to the door, the doorman let her in, smiling in welcome as though he'd been expecting her. She gave him a nod as a greeting and continued on towards the elevator that he pointed her at. As she watched the floor numbers crawl past on the display, she nervously toyed with a strand of her hair.

The elevator doors opened and she was let out. Thanking the other man who had brought her up to the correct floor, she walked down the hall until she came to his door. Before she entered; she slipped off her coat, rolled her shoulders a little, and ran a hand through her hair for the millionth time.

It's now or never, she thought to herself.

Putting her hand on the knob, she turned it and swung the door gently open. Peering in, she could see that his penthouse was anything but cozy. The central living room was gigantic, bracketed by floor to ceiling windows that gave an impressive view of the Manhattan skyline. "Holy shit..." she managed to say to herself as she eased the door shut behind her. Clearing her throat, she set her coat and bag down by the front door, looking around in awe.

"Hello?" She called out, feeling the pit of her stomach drop. It was go time.

In answer to her voice, there was a squeak somewhere in the huge loft apartment and then the white noise of falling water cut off into an abrupt silence. A few seconds later the unmistakable sound of bare feet on the hardwood floor came to her ears before the nearly naked and heavily tattooed Jackson appeared from the direction of what was likely the bedroom. Wrapped in nothing more than a towel around his waist, he left nothing to her imagination.

"Hey," he said softly, stopping in the middle of the giant living room as he stared at her, letting loose a low whistle, "wow. You look amazing. That picture definitely didn't do you justice."

Her face went beet red and she bit down on her lower lip. After about five seconds of silence and staring on her part, she shook her head and gave him a smile. "Yeah, you," she had to pause and lick her suddenly dry lips, "you said you liked red and I thought you might like this." She crossed her bare arms against her chest and glanced around the penthouse.

"I do. Very much," the grin on his lips matched his warm tone as he studied her.

"So this is your cozy place?" She asked with a smirk, taking a few steps closer toward him. "It's not quite what I pictured, but I like it. And the street name... was it named after you?"

He actually chuckled at the honesty of her question and that wide-eyed innocence. His grin was teasing, but she didn't know him quite well enough to get that, "oh yeah. They definitely did. I'm a pretty big deal, you know. Could probably get you those reservations at Dorsia any night of the week." Closing the gap between them, he bent down and picked up her coat, somehow managing to keep that towel from slipping. Acting like a perfect gentleman, he went to hang it up in the closet beside the door. With his back still to her, he started talking again, "I wasn't sure if you were hungry or not, so I took the liberty of ordering some Chinese from the place around the corner. If you're not, it'll keep."

"I don't really feel like eating right now," she glanced around, taking the whole place in. Inhaling, she let out a deep breath and gave a smile his way. Her eyes were also taking in the tattoos on his back. The picture he'd shown her definitely had not done him justice, either. "I'm getting kind of thirsty though," they both knew she needed something to loosen her up a little and she needed it fast.

After locking the door, he returned to her side and caught her hand, giving it a squeeze before leading her into the kitchen. "I've got Corona, Bud Light and a decent Chablis. Or..." he shrugged, "I can make you a drink. One of the perks of owning a bar is that you get to sample all sorts of shit. I've got lots of liquor, so whatever you want, it's yours." The last few words were said with a twist that made it clear he wasn't just talking about beverages.

"Something strong, I think." Hell, if there had been a bottle of Tequila in front of her, she would've taken a swig of it just to get things going. "And you know that whole whatever I want thing? Well it goes both ways." She straightened up and rolled her shoulders back. "So... yeah..." she placed a hand on the counter and kept her focus on him.

"Duly noted," he quipped with another crooked smile. "Pick your poison, babe."

"Whatever you're having, maybe?" She felt herself melt at the casual way he'd just given her a pet name. Yeah it wouldn't take much for him to seduce her. He pretty much already had.

"Well, you were enjoying the Cuervo a bit too much last night," he said with a wink, moving away from her to open a cupboard, "but I've got some lemons in the fridge if you want to do a few shots with me. I know I've got an unfair advantage over you on that. I've got to have at least two hundred pounds on you." That smirk grew as he set down three shot glasses, uncapping the bottle of Tequila as if he'd read her mind. He filled all three and then set down the bottle, going over and opening up the fridge to pull out some wedges of lemon that had already been cut up and were resting in a little glass bowl.

"So, here's what we're going to do: I'll drink two to your one. Fair enough?"

Lyv gave him a soft smile and nodded. "I think it sounds very fair." Without hesitating, she placed a hand on his bare shoulder and looked up at him. "How could I say no to that?" Taking her hand off of his shoulder, she reached over and grabbed one of the glasses. With her other hand, she took a lemon wedge. Holding her shot glass out toward him, she thought for a moment. "Well here goes nothing."

Bringing the glass to her lips, she threw the shot back and slammed the glass onto the counter. Quickly, she put the lemon wedge in her mouth and sucked on it for a moment. Tequila wasn't her favorite drink by any means, but it did get her buzzed quickly. This way she'd be relaxed for him. Wincing a little, she took the wedge out of her mouth and looked back up at him. "Your turn, Sweetie Pie." Yep the aftereffect was good.

His eyes didn't leave hers as he picked up one of the lemon wedges and rubbed it across her lips. Before she had time to react, he shot-gunned both of the glasses and then leaned in to kiss her, licking the taste of lemon from her lips. "Nice," he murmured, hesitating for a few seconds there before pulling back, leaving her hanging.

She stayed frozen for a moment; her lips were still pursed as she looked up at him. Disappointment flashed across her face for a split second and then was replaced with a smile. "Yeah, I'll say." Grabbing the bottle, she poured herself another shot. "Real nice, in fact." Another lemon wedge went into her other hand as she did what she had done before. Luckily for her, this one went down a little smoother.

Once her glass had been put back into the countertop, her eyes drifted back up to focus on him. "So..." a flirty grin crossed her face, "your turn. Think you can keep up?"

"Fun fact," he said as he picked up the bottle and filled his glasses, "this is what got me through my first couple years as a wrestler. Couldn't afford painkillers. Didn't have any insurance... so I got loaded every night after I wrestled and slept it off. Guess what I'm saying is: I can handle it."

He downed the first one, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. The second one followed right after and then he shuddered, reaching for the lemon wedge he'd rubbed over her lips. This time he put it into his mouth and bit into it, sucking out the sour juice. "God," he said as he spat out the rind, "that stuff still tastes like shit, even after all these years."

"Then..." she put her hand back on his shoulder and slowly slid it down until it met with his hand, "how about if we take a break with the shots? To be honest, I just wanna get a little more comfortable." She leaned in closer to him so that their arms were touching. "That is unless you had any other ideas." She couldn't stop herself from glancing down at his towel and then back up at him. "Though I'm thinking maybe not?" A little giggle escaped her lips as her head rested against his arm as well.

"Oh, I'm easy, babe." He chuckled, the sound more a deep rumble in his throat, "if you wanna get comfortable, you can. If you wanna sit by a fire and sip wine and listen to jazz, we can do that, too." His hand closed over hers and he lifted it to put it against his chest. "But I'm starting to think you're afraid of me, and that's not good. I don't bite," the look in his eyes said otherwise, but when it was coupled with that crooked smirk, she couldn't resist his charm.

"I'm not." She said softly, looking back up at him again, "I'm just kinda nervous… hence the shots. I can talk a really big game on a computer, but now that it's happening— just anxious, I guess." Her body turned so that she was now facing him, hand still in his. "But I'll be fine and to be very honest with you, I'm really happy to be here right now, " she blushed, hastily adding, "with you." She averted her eyes as she revealed this next little fact. "Kind of haven't been able to stop thinking about you since yesterday."

"Good." He said with a grin, "since we're being honest, you've been on my mind pretty much nonstop since that first DM a couple days ago." He took a step back, still holding her hand and led her from the kitchen, towards the black leather couch that rested in front of the floor to ceiling windows. "Sit down. Take off your shoes... and whatever else you might like. I'm going to slip into something a bit less... wet."

"Okay, sounds good." She made her way to the couch and took a seat, unstrapping her red pumps and slipping them off. It felt good to free her feet. She brought her legs up underneath her and sat on them, contemplating whether or not she should do away with the dress or wait a little bit. "So, are you going to put on pants or are we keeping to that house rule about no pants after ten pm?" She was grinning as she called out the question, obviously getting more relaxed with the liquid courage in her system.

He paused in the doorway of his bedroom, leaning against the jamb as he turned to look back at her. "No pants then. Can't break all the rules on our second date, now can I?" Before she could say anything else, he disappeared into the darkened room, leaving her all alone with the view of the Manhattan skyline beyond the windows.

As he disappeared, she thought for a moment and quickly hopped off of the couch. He had surprised her when he came out in just the towel. Now it was her turn to change things up on him. Slipping out of the red dress, she tossed it on a chair and sat back on the couch, dressed in nothing but a crimson silk bra and matching panties. Only this time, her back was propped against the arm of the leather couch and her legs were in front of her, one crossed over the other. "This couch is really comfy." She said in his direction as she shivered; the leather was cold against her skin. "I may have to try to bargain it out of you to let me take it home," she was obviously joking.

"As much as I'd love to give away my-" he fell silent as he reappeared in the doorway, dressed in a pair of black workout shorts. Eyes widening, he took in the sight of her posing on his couch and then grinned as he reached into the pocket of his shorts and pulled out his BlackBerry. He snapped a picture, still smiling, "now that's a view I want to commit to memory."

He crossed the room in a few long strides and held out the phone to her, letting her see the picture he'd just taken before the screen went black. "You ever thought of modeling? I mean, hell, could you imagine how quickly this couch would sell if this was the image in the commercials?"

"Nah, I think there's only one guy I wanna model for right now." She lifted herself off of the couch and got to her feet. "And it looks like he just got his first shot." She took a couple steps in his direction and grinned up at him. It faded slightly as she looked up at him seriously. "Hey just do me a favor and make sure that just stays with you, 'kay?" She bit down on her lower lip, "please?"

"Like our little game of secrets," he said, powering off the phone and tossing it on the coffee table, "just between you an' me." Looking down at the screen as it darkened, he nodded before meeting her eyes again, "I'm all yours. No interruptions. No outside world or Twitter. Nothing on my mind right now other than making you the happiest girl in the world."

She stared at him for a moment and then nodded. "How about if we go into the bedroom? I'd say the couch but it's kinda cold." She took both of his hands in hers and turned so that she could lead him backwards toward where she had seen come out of before. "And on that making me happy subject, you're doing a damn good job of it right now. Ya know, a girl could get used to this kinda treatment."

"I hope so," he said with that rough laugh, "because the way things are shaping up, I'm gonna want to make you mine." As they passed through the door, she saw that there was a red lava lamp going on the night table beside the bed, just enough to provide mood lighting. Cocking his head in that direction, Jackson made an attempt to explain it, "I'm big on nostalgia... so don't mind the lamp. It's as much a part of me as my muscle cars."

The bedroom was huge, and so was the bed— it had to be at least a California King-sized, maybe bigger, and it had half a dozen pillows arranged at the top of it. Like he'd told her on the Internet, the sheets were black and white. Other than the red lamp, the entire room was black and white.

She looked at the lava lamp and grinned, looking back at him. "I absolutely love it, Jax. It just fits, y'know?" After a moment of silence, she sighed. "Look, I just want you know that I don't expect anything. I know you have other things to deal with and if after tonight you just want this to be it— that's okay." She didn't want him to feel pressured into them being anything, knowing that he already had a wife. She liked him; actually, she liked him more and more with each passing minute.

"Lyv…" he started, but she talked right over him.

"I just wanted to put that out there now so that we're clear. No secrets."

"No secrets," he echoed the words, nodding.

She gave him a little smile and walked over to the large bed, hopping onto it, her legs hanging over the sides. Her hands went palm down onto the soft duvet and she suddenly felt very awkward. "I like the bed," she said softly.

"In the interest of continuing this trend of honesty," he began, sitting down beside her, "I should probably tell you something." He stopped, reaching out and touching her shoulder, letting his fingers drift across to her neck before delving into her hair. "Do you want to know what it is?"

"Yeah... I do." She said with a sigh, his hand on her felt good. Her head tilted to the side— her eyes staying on him. "You can tell me anything and I promise it'll stay right here." She rested a hand on his leg and leaned against him.

"Goddamn," he murmured, looking deep into her eyes, "you keep looking at me like that and I'm having a hard time remembering my name, let alone what I was going to tell you." His other hand cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking her skin. He took in a slow breath and tilted his head back, looking up at the ceiling, "honest truth, Alyvia," the way he said her name gave her goosebumps, "I've never brought a one-night-stand home, and I'm not about to start now. The fact that you're here right now means I value you far more than that." He chuckled softly, shaking his head, "you have no idea how much self control it took to leave last night without taking advantage." He closed his eyes, taking a slow breath, "you're more than that. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Bowing his head, he leaned towards her and kissed her softly before she could reply.

When his lips met hers, Lyv's eyes widened in surprise even though she'd known it was coming. Returning the kiss, her hand slid up his leg as the other went to his arm. Her head was swimming with what he'd just said. If she had been standing when he had said it and then kissed her, her knees would have buckled for sure. Breaking the kiss, her forehead went against his. "So what umm..." she closed her eyes for a moment, taking him in, "what am I?"

"That," he kissed her again, "is up to you. I could tell you," another kiss pressed against her lips before he pulled back to look at her, "what I want, but that's irrelevant. What do you think?"

She had an idea of what she wanted but thought it was way too early to say it. After all they had technically just met less than twenty-four hours ago. He was great though, really great in fact. "I hope it means that..." she stopped herself, not sure that she could even word it right. Rolling her eyes at herself, she shrugged her shoulders. "Honestly I dunno. I know I like you and I trust you already. I think you'd keep me safe and take care of me. I know that's saying a lot because of how fast things are moving but it's what my instinct is telling me." She leaned in and gave him a kiss this time. "I just don't wanna put any pressure on you or send you runnin' for the hills."

"Baby, no…"

She silenced him with a kiss before she cuddled up against him, this time her forehead rested in the crook of his shoulder and neck. "I just wanna give you what you want, whatever it is." Her hands went around and rested on his back so that she was hugging him.

"Right now, I want you. Every stunning inch of you." His arms wrapped around her and pulled her down to the mattress as he chuckled softly, kissing her neck, "and don't worry about the running, alright? I've got bad knees. Been puttin' that surgery off for years."

She thought for a moment and sighed, a small smile playing on her lips. "I know I came here tonight and we had plans to... y'know... but I was wondering..." She stopped herself and turned on her side so that she was facing him, sitting up slightly. "You think I might be able to just lay with you tonight and you hold me?" It was something she was cautious of asking. She'd actually never asked anyone that before. "We don't have to though if you don't want. I mean, I kinda set that expectation and…" the words had just come tumbling out and she realized she felt like she could be a little vulnerable with him, despite her adherence to the truth game.

He was quiet for a few seconds, long enough for her to worry that she'd said the wrong thing and completely ruined the moment before he nodded. "If that's what my girl wants, then that's what she'll have." He pulled away from her, getting off the bed and untucking the perfectly made blankets. He crawled in and scooted upwards until his head rested on the pillows. "C'mere, then, Lyv. I've got it on good authority that my chest makes an excellent pillow."

A wide grin split across her face as she crawled up toward him, feeling completely at ease and relieved. Pulling back the covers on her side, she slid underneath and put her head on his chest. "It does," she snuggled against him, letting out a contented sigh, knowing there was no way that the grin was leaving her face any time soon, at least if she had anything to say about it.