The Mean Streets of Fandom, Sunday Afternoon

[gunslingerpose]

So, last night Katherine brought food from the restaurant downstairs up to Nick's office, knocking lightly on the door. She hadn't seen him downstairs at all, had figured he was working on her case, and had figured food would be helpful. Nick had eaten the thickest, juiciest steak he'd eaten in his whole damn life last night, served with creamy mashed potatoes and crisp, buttery green beans.

While he ate, she went through his notes. After he finished eating, they kept talking, just spent hours bumping gums about whatever came to mind. Nick was surprised to find that she had a sense of humor. He was less surprised to hear things that suggested her father was up to some shady stuff in NYC, even if she seemed pretty sheltered from it herself. She convinced him to let her try a little bit of his whiskey and it knocked her on her adorable little bottom and they wound up dancing a bit in his office until she went and fell asleep on him. Like, right there on him. Girl couldn't handle her whiskey. But he settled her down on a couch that had seen better days, the one he normally slept on, and got back to work.

A few hours later, she woke up and shocked the hell out of him. Kissed him on the cheek thinking he'd fallen asleep at his desk (he was just closing his eyes, damn it), whispered good night, and tiptoed out of the room, leaving him there to come to terms with the fact that, damn, he'd only been on the case a day, and already he was halfway dizzy over the dame.

No, he corrected himself as he walked his beat down Fandom's streets, following one of his leads. Not a dame. Katherine was a lady.

Of course, it was right about then that he came across that very same lady, crumpled in a heap, soaked through with rain and sobbing her eyes out on the side of the road.

"Katherine? Jesus, Katherine, what happened?"

[For the dame lady, who also happened to write most of this post!]

Comments

[gunslingerpose]

"What, me? I'm fine. I had something soft to land on."

He was going to... grope around - not at her - for something to get a handhold on so that he could pull himself up to his feet again.

Any minute, he'd actually find something, too. It was just difficult with his eyes closed like that.

"You, doll? You're the one that took the topple, here. You could've cracked your head open."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Oh no," Katherine said, her voice warm. "You caught be before I could land. I'm pretty sure this is where I swoon a little and call you my hero. Again."

Her hand brushed over his cheek, whisper-soft and gone in an instant. "Thank you."

[gunslingerpose]

"Picking you up and bringing you inside hardly makes me a hero," Nick pointed out, but he didn't duck his head until he realized it was her hand there on his face.

He opened his eyes and stared down at her, into hers.

"But, uh, you're welcome."

Damn, this dame.

[spin_kick_snap]

Katherine smiled up into his for another long moment. "Didn't your mother ever tell you that it's not polite to argue with a lady?" she chided. "If I say you're a hero, then you're a hero."

Her eyes drifted away from his to focus on his mouth, tongue darting out unconsciously to lick her lips. "My hero."

[gunslingerpose]

Well, shit. Nick couldn't just let that go without comment. God, look at the look on her face. The way she was looking at him. He'd have to be dead to not react.

"You know, the hero usually gets a reward for rescuin' the princess in all the stories, baby."

Smooth.

[spin_kick_snap]

"I guess they do," Katherine said, flicking her eyes back up to his. "That is, if you want one... I mean, it wouldn't do to let you think I wasn't properly grateful for all the things you've done for me today."

[gunslingerpose]

"And I might start to worry, you know, if you didn't," Nick held her eyes with his, grinned down at her, leaned forward just a little. "You going to keep me worrying, baby?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"No, I don't think I will," Katherine's said, licking her lips once again, this time deliberately, and raised her face to his.

It was a soft kiss, one that practically screamed 'inexperienced', just the pressure of her lips on his. It was almost chaste in its own way, save for the hand that wound its way around Nick's tie and refused to let go. That gave more insight to Katherine's state of mind than her kiss possibly could.

[gunslingerpose]

Damn, damn, she was so new. Nick almost felt guilty just asking for the kiss. But then her hand wrapped around his tie, and there wasn't any more room for guilt. He leaned back just slightly, just enough to grin down at her when that kiss was through.

"Ah, but I saved you twice, didn't I?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"You did," Katherine said with a coy smile. "And it would be rude not to thank you quite thoroughly."

This time when she kissed him, her other hand came up to cup his cheek. Which meant that they had about ten seconds of kissing before her towel fell open completely. Katherine, however, didn't seem to notice.

[gunslingerpose]

And at this point, Nick was far more invested in the kiss than whatever her towel was up to. Maybe once this kiss was over, which was going to have to happen after he leaned in, kissing her a little more aggressively, a little more thoroughly. A peck on the lips was a nice starter, but if she was going to grab his tie and put her hand on his cheek?

Kiss number two, Nick had decided, was going to be a good kiss.

[spin_kick_snap]

And what a good kiss it was! Katherine gasped in surprise at how good a kiss it was--which had the excellent consequence of opening her mouth to his. The hand resting against his cheek moved up into his hair, circling round to the back of his head and keeping his face close to hers.

[gunslingerpose]

Oh, well, if she was going to gasp like that, and open her mouth like that, what else was there for Nick to do but see exactly what the inside of her mouth tasted like? He'd been wondering, he realized, and now was a golden opportunity to find out.

Part of his reward, maybe...

[spin_kick_snap]

The feel of his tongue on hers resulted in a low, throaty moan, Katherine clutching him even closer to her. Her breathing hitched and stuttered, but she barely noticed, not when Nick was kissing her like that.

Her foot slid around his leg and slowly caressed his calf. The bathtub was probably not the best place for a prolonged seduction, but Katherine didn't seem to be complaining yet.

[gunslingerpose]

Well, he could carry her out to his couch in a bit, if she didn't mind that the going would be slow. For the time being, he was echoing her moan with a pleased hum of his own, kissing her deeply, and then daring to run one of his hands up gently over the skin of her hips, up her side, hesitating for a moment just before he could reach her breast.

She was a lady. She deserved more reverence than a quick groping in the tub, here.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Oh..." Katherine looked up at him with eyes gone dark and hazy. "Why did you stop? I don't think I want you to stop..."

Immediately, her words sank in and she looked away. "Now you must think I'm a wanton."

[gunslingerpose]

"Not even a little bit, baby," Nick murmured, leaning in to nip at her ear. "Just wanted to be damn sure I wasn't pushing a lady into something she wasn't ready for."

Because who the hell was he to get his rough hands all over a proper dame's naked body?

[spin_kick_snap]

"I don't want you to think of me as a lady," Katherine whispered, head lolling back. "Just Katherine. I think I very much want to get down off this ladylike pedestal I've been on all my life and actually live a little."

And then she nudged his elbow with her knee, pushing his hand up a little higher.

[gunslingerpose]

Nick's fingers brushed her breast and he couldn't help but hold his breath for a moment. Here she was, wanting to live, and wanting him to be the one to show him how. And who the hell was he? Some down-on-his-luck private dick who couldn't scrape enough together to make rent month by month. He'd managed to kick an opium habit, sure, but he still walked with a limp and keeping up with the other PIs these days was a challenge he was too stubborn to admit he might not be up for.

And here he was with one hand on Katherine's breast, and she was telling him that she didn't want to be a lady?

"You know," he murmured, whispering in her ear before nibbling his way down her jawline, "you can still live and be a lady. You just have to find yourself a gentleman to show you how."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Are you a gentleman, Nick?" she asked, showing him her throat so he could continue nibbling down her suddenly-sensitive neck. "Because if you're not, I'm not sure I'm interested in looking elsewhere for one."

[gunslingerpose]

"You know... I have my moments?"

An exposed neck, right there for him to nibble at? Nick didn't mind if he did, thank you. And if his other hand was moving downward to caress her thigh, well, he was doing it in what he figured was a very gentlemanly way.

Really.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Umm..." Katherine gave an embarrassed chuckle. "Would it be possible to continue this elsewhere? The bathtub is getting a little uncomfortable."

And then his teeth were catching the skin of her throat and she gave a happy little sigh instead. "Never mind..."

[gunslingerpose]

Yeah, that's what Nick thought she meant. He grinned against her throat, and then shifted his weight, slipping the hand that had been caressing her thigh around so that it was resting on the small of her back.

"We can move," he murmured. "Any preference?"

He wasn't going to stop nibbling to let her think about her answer, mind.

[spin_kick_snap]

"I don't think I'd be able to complain if we just moved to the bathroom floor," Katherine murmured breathily. "Though that might also get cramped."

A hand made its way into Nick's hair, twining the coarse curls around long, delicate fingers. "Where do you want me?"

[gunslingerpose]

Where? Right here, right where they were, anywhere he could get her, he wasn't choosy. But if she was suggesting the floor, then he was going to be the gentleman he had claimed to be, slipping his other hand under her shoulders and then leaning back to lift her out of the tub.

His leg wasn't terribly thrilled by this, but to hell with his leg. It wasn't as though it was going to get any better than it already was, either.

It was with a surprising amount of care that he was laying her on her back on the floor, at least. He wasn't even going to attempt to carry her out of the room.