She sighed as she moved, groaning as her body ached. She closed her eyes and leaned against the stone wall outside, the brisk air chilling her exposed legs. She was even wearing the same damn dress- sleek and slim- black and velvety to the touch- hot underneath his touch.... Her body trembled as she thought of him, but the shivers of pleasure soon turned to shakes of anger. What the hell was wrong with her? What was it- about him? What was it about Michael?

Why did he make her so-- willing, so eager to be with him- even if it wasn't just for sex.... she liked just being in the same room- adored the sparking tension between them every time their eyes met. Everything in this game made her exited, anxious-- and it didn't make sense....

How could this happen?

It couldn't. It simply couldn't.

Aldonza Henandez opened her eyes and sighed, her chest falling as her breath ran hot along her chest, her chin dipped. It was her night off. She was far too sore to work tonight. So, she was taking a night off. She was free for tonight- free of his presence- free of his eyes- free of his voice. But the memories- the aches and pains. She'd never be free of them. The painkillers didn't erase everything.

She shook her head as well as her troubles away as she stepped up the the entrance of the White Mice. She gave another sigh and smiled as she heard the music inside. Her strappy black heels clicked lightly as she stepped into the club, her long dark hair curled and gracefully falling over her shoulders. Deep and dark brown eyes scanned the moving crowd once, then twice- before she decided to join in. She get a drink in a minute. Now was the time to forget- to leave him behind. He was just a good lay. That was it. That had to be it- she was just obsessed with the sex. It wasn't him. It had nothing to do with his blonde hair, so easy to tangle his fingers in--- his icy stare that burned through her skin every time she met his gaze....

Drink. Now. Alcohol. Now.

She wasn't going to be able to deal with this coherent madness that was her mind. So, she'd simply have to become incoherent. Her proud eyes smiled as she ordered a tequila from the bartender, grinning confidently, her white teeth flashing.
She simply had to forget. Tonight was supposed to be fun.

Fun.

Jerome, too, had given himself a night off that night. He was tired of dealing with teenagers. He needed a social dose of adults that night. It wasn't often Jerome made his way into clubs. He guessed it might be a good place for business, but he didn't want to taint it with that. It was always a way to relax, to shake away stress... and to meet women. Not customers.

He decided on a wife beater and a pair of jeans that actually fit that night. Well, fit for the most part. He still needed a belt. It didn't take him long to dress and only moments after he had stepped out of the shower, was he grabbing his keys and making his way outside to where he had parked his slick, silver RX-7.

It was a short drive to White Mice. Too short and he almost decided to forget the dancing and take a drive up to the mountains. But he wanted social interaction, needed it. After two and a half weeks with hardly doing anything but making deals he at least wanted to talk to someone with more intelligence than a cow.

He parked and climbed out of the car, taking care to lock it, before he made his way into the night club.

His eyes drifted over the crowd as he pushed open the door. It was larger than normal and he was going to need a drink before he got in the middle of that mess. Jerome was always good with people, but it often took him a while to warm up to someone he wasn't trying to make a deal with. He was a good actor, but that was often as far as it went.

Jerome pushed his way through people and to the bar, sitting a seat away from a pretty woman ordering tequila. That sounded good to him.

"Petrone, please," he ordered from the bartender.

OOC: Sorry, I had a hard time with this post. It's late. I hope it's coherant at the very least.

Aldonza flashed the bartender a brilliant smile, her attractive lips twisting as she laughed.
"Thanks...." she replied, sliding her money across the table before. The caballito was lifted by her slender hand and in a few seconds, she had downed it. Al smiled. That was nice- but it wasn't going to do the trick. She certainly didn't want to get shit-face tonight, but she certainly needed to fuzz over her memory- make everything a little less sharp. A little less painful.

If only she could wash him off her skin with alcohol. He crawled over her- all the time. The smell of his house... the smell of him... it drove her crazy. She shook her head and turned to look at the man sitting beside her. Mexican. Interesting.
He wasn't instantly sexy, but handsome enough. But she wasn't working. She just wanted to have fun. Maybe she should socialize, make more male friends- or lovers, because Michael.... well, he couldn't possibly have all her attention. He couldn't possibly be worth all her attention. But... No, no buts.

"Hey," Aldonza said, trying to keep her voice from the usual purr. Her welcoming smile, however, suggested otherwise. She couldn't help it. It was her nature to scream sex with her smile. It was just-- a habit. He looked familiar. Had he worked with Benny before? Not that it mattered- Benny was dead and gone now but... He did look slightly familiar. She hadn't fucked him... No, that wasn't it. Benny could have bought something from him- or used him as hired help or something?

It didn't matter. So why was she guessing? Why was she analyzing? It must be so nice to be a regular-spread-your-legs-happy-go-lucky-slut, but she wasn't. She thought far too much- felt way too much- and smiled the most.

"I'm Aldonza," she introduced, figuring conversation was best. Al had nothing better to do.

He downed the shot, ordering another immediately. One shot would do almost absolutely nothing to him. Mexicans knew how to hold their own when it came to alcohol. He didn't want to get drunk that night. Just buzzed enough to hold a regular conversation without the natural shyness that was his nature.

He downed that one too and put the money on the table as he ordered another. That's when he heard her voice. At first he wasn't sure if she was speaking to him, but indeed it would seem that she was. He turned too look at her, immediatly dazzled by her smile. It seemed to welcome him in and he couldn't help but give his own large grin in return.

"Hey," he returned softly. She was pretty. Hispanic and her large, dark eyes seemed to invite him even more as he looked at her. He found himself not wanting to look away. Did he know her? He didn't think so but he wouldn't count it out. There was something familiar about her, and comfortable. Maybe that was just the alcohol talking.

"Matthew," Jerome gave her the name he often went by, "Pleasure to meet you, Aldonza." He almost purred her name. It was habit for him, to try his best to be charming and alluring when he met a woman. Even if he wasn't trying to sleep with her.

"Can I buy you a drink?" He didn't want to sound as though he was trying to get into her pants. Just friendly. Not that he wouldn't have tried... but as soon as he thought that, he pushed it away. He didn't have to make it his goal to sleep with every woman he met. He could have a casual conversation with a woman in a bar.

His huge grin made her smile wider at his expression. It was adorable- the way his smile lit his face. Not the thing she'd expect from someone she thought was "familiar."
"Matthew?" she asked, arching an eyebrow, but she let it go. Her curious eyes wondered though. He looked more like a Juan, a Carlos, a Zorro.... Wouldn't the name go with the face? As hers did? Speaking of names, he purred hers as it was meant to be spoken- with a flare. She smiled. "It is a pleasure."

"Yes, actually another caballito would be perfect...." she requested, her eyes warm and delighted with the idea of a free drink. What a gentleman- buying her a shot.

Okay, so maybe he wasn't a gentleman, but when had she ever been attracted to one of those?

ooc: sry it's so short

He chuckled softly as she questioned his name, "It's Jerome actually. I just get tired of the English slaughtering of my name. Everyone expects it to be the Greek pronunciation. With a hard J and without the rolling of the R."

He ordered her drink for her and then one for him, putting the money down on the table. He'd probably brought too much with him, but he did that often. Just in case of emergencies. He only ever carried cash. He did have a bank account. But it was a saving account and since his money didn't come from a legitimate place he didn't like to deposit money often.

He sipped silently at his New Castle, deciding he didn't need any more shots for the moment. He wanted to slow down. He had a slightly fuzzy feeling after three shots. No more than a really light buzz, but it was enough to help him relax. Years of being anti social with anyone but the members of his gang gave him little experience with people. If only they could see him now... not the same kid from all those years ago. Then again, if they could see him now he'd probably be dead.

"Do you like to dance, Aldonza?"

"Jerome...." she tried, her voice pronouncing his name perfectly, lingering on the "r" for a moment as she rolled it, her eyes smiling. “Now- that fits the face...."
Her drink was slid across the table by the bartender and was gone in a matter of seconds, her hand readily bringing the clear glass to her red lips.
"Thanks," she said, smirking at her companion. He was quite good looking- now that she thought about it, now that she took time to notice. He really was suave- possessive of a Mexican flare that she found attractive. She had a thing for dark hair. And maybe- maybe that’s why it was weird that she was attracted to Michael. She hadn’t ever been a fan of blondes- and now? Now blonde hair and blue eyes were all that haunted her- tortured her.

She laughed as she set the shot glass back down on the table, bottom-up, shaking her head and smiling as her reverie faded and died. She smirked and looked up at Jerome. Aldonza watched him sip his drink silently, grinning and crossing her unending legs before leaning on her elbow to glance at him again. She was feeling a little giddy- not fuzzy yet, just giddy. And she liked it. Pretty soon everything would be dulled- and she wouldn’t be able to feel Michael’s hands on her skin anymore. She could find someone else’s hands for the time being.

“Dance?” she asked, her voice a velvet purr. “Of course I do. And do you like to dance Jerome?” she inquired, arching an eyebrow playfully at him. Her white teeth winked at him as she smiled. His name felt so good on her lips- a remnant of her first language- a remnant of the language she didn’t speak anymore- Well, she spoke it in Michael’s house occasionally- and he never really understood what she was saying. He just knew her- knew every move she made- every thought she had- he just- was so like her. It was uncanny. It was wrong. It was impossible.

She was with Jerome tonight. She needed another drink- or a dance. Michael was seeping into her thoughts again.

Jerome grinned, not his normal wide smile, but that alluring sideways grin of his as she answered his question in the affirmative.

"I don't know," he replied with a shrug, "Would you like to find out?"

He downed the rest of his drink, not wanting to leave it there to come back to knowing that someone could put something in it. And maybe that was just the paranoia of a drug dealer, but he couldn't afford to lose his head. It could cost him his freedom.

Standing up, he held out his hand for her to take and when she did he wrapped those delicate fingers of hers... long slender fingers... in his, and led her out onto the dance floor like a gentleman. But as soon as they were in the middle of the throbbing crowd, he let her hand go and took her hips to pull them against his. He had actually learned ballroom dancing a long time ago, but this was his beat and his kind of music. Body to body in the middle of a hot, sweating crowd. It made his heart race and the alcohol hit him harder- fuzzing his head just a bit more as he wrapped his arm around her waist and turned her facing away from him.

[sorry I'm distracted. I promise you a better post next time. I gotta go to work for now.]

Aldonza laughed, her dark eyes casting themselves up at him. When she spoke, her voice was smooth and just as charming as his own tone. She gave him a sexy smirk, her red lips twisting attractively.
"I'd love to find out...."

Jerome downed his drink and she watched him attentively as he held out his hand to her. She took it and was slightly surprised when the hand in hers wasn't cool to the touch- rather- it was hot. Heat. She smiled- eyes meeting his as their fingers intertwined pleasantly. He led her and she followed willingly, hips swinging, her heart racing as the music grew louder- their steps taking them closer to the speakers- and into the crowd....

It was so hot and the mesh of bodies didn't make it any better, but Aldonza liked things this way- hot and heavy. His fingers slipped away from hers and he grabbed her hips and pulled her against him. Their bodies collided and she could help but grind against him as they touched. She placed her hands on his chest with the motion and flashed another smile before laughing softly. He sure knew what he was doing- at least- with her. She liked how he grabbed her- but it wasn't hard enough, but she supposed everyone couldn't live up to Michael's standards. Michael. The thought was brushed aside as Jerome's fingers shifted on her hips- her body suddenly very aware of his hands on her body. She could almost feel his skin through her dress as he turned her, wrapping an arm around her waist.

He knew how to dance. She'd give him that. Aldonza let her hands run over his lightly, before she grabbed his wrists and led his fingers just a little lower on her body as she let the music move her hips. He moved with her and she could feel the heat escaping his body- could feel how feverish they both were. It was so hot in the crowd.... and it was wonderful. She hadn't been this.... warm.... in a long time. Because Michael- was strangely cold.
Aldonza leaned back- letting her body press against Jerome's before speaking, her volume elevated so that Jerome could hear her over the loud music.
"You sure know how to dance--"