The sound of music echoed off concrete walls, filling the air inside the abandoned building. What was once supposed to be the site of a new law firm in New York City was now an unfinished eyesore at the edge of the county. Construction had lasted long enough for three levels to have been built before the project came to a screeching halt when the benefactors had lost the funds to continue it in a multi-million dollar law suit. It was a pretty ironic way for the story to end: lawyers who were so bad at their jobs that they couldn’t even represent themselves. However, it had worked out for the best, because the jilted job site had turned into a home for quite a few of the region’s most opportunistic vagabonds.

Alexandra Banks was one of them.

Sitting cross-legged in front of a broken mirror, she squinted her olive green eyes with focus as she touched up the burgundy lipstick at the edge of her mouth. As a long-time resident of Casa de Hobo, she had turned her room on the second floor of the building into a homey little space. An old mattress laid in the corner, torn at the seams and stained by a mysterious bodily fluid that she both couldn’t and didn’t want to name; the concrete walls were decorated with chalk artwork, created by her and a few other tramps who’d come and gone over the years; string lights hung from the ceiling; and she’d even set up the full-length mirror that she was currently using to get ready for her night out. For a homeless woman, life was about as good as it could get.

She pressed her painted lips together and smiled at the dimly-lit reflection that stared back at her, pleased with her own handiwork. In addition to the lipstick, she’d also carefully crafted the rest of her look with a smoky-eye palette and full contouring from her forehead to her jawline. Her dark, wildly curly hair, a tribute from her beautiful mother, had been tamed as much as was possible with a comb and fell across her bare shoulders in thick waves. Despite the amount of time and effort she’d put into achieving her look, she’d still managed to make it seem just natural enough that she didn’t look as gaudy as the streetwalkers who paraded around in nothing more than thongs and body paint. She had to have at least a little decency, after all.

Just as she capped her lipstick and stuffed it back inside the bag where she kept the rest of her ‘weapons of mass attraction,’ she heard the sound of footsteps approaching from the adjacent room. Without looking up, she knew the owners of those feet were her friends, Caden and Whitney. Caden had been living at the abandoned construction site even longer than she had, and Whitney had moved in about a year ago. Although they were all very different people with very different histories, they’d bonded quickly over the fact that they were some of the youngest bums in the building.

“Selena Gomez?” Whitney whistled, tossing her weight into her left hip and folding her arms over her chest as she grinned at her friend with a classic feral charisma. Her long, ginger hair framed her face, highlighting her bright, blue eyes and freckled skin. Out of all the people Alex had gotten to know on the streets, the redhead had adjusted to homeless life the quickest. She was a natural thief, swift and nimble and able to outrun the police every time she was chased. It would take nothing short of an act of God to stop her when she had a target in sight. Even though she was only twenty-one, there was no doubt that she would survive for a long time on her own.

“Girl, you know this is my jam,” she said, moving in time with the beat of the song as she danced along to it. Even though she was just being playful, every move she made was so smooth, it practically oozed sex. Alex wasn’t one to perpetuate stereotypes but, well… Whitney had always been the poster child for the things that were said about redheads.

“Girl, this is your playlist,” Alex shot her a sarcastic shake of her head. “You know we all share the same iPod.” Standing up from the floor, she brushed the dust off her rear and primped her clothes. That night, she’d chosen to don a pair of form-fitting black jeans and a dark green, shoulderless top that further showed off her hourglass figure. A pair of strappy black heels and a gold necklace completed the ensemble. On a few separate occasions, she’d been approached by agents who had wanted to sign her on as model, but she’d turned down the offers every time. As amazing as it probably would have been to enter the world of Victoria’s Secret, any chance she had of having a job like that—or any job at all—had ended the second she’d met Matt DeLuca. Now, life on the streets was her past, present and future.

“Hot damn, Alex,” Whitney gawked. “I almost feel like I shouldn’t let you out of the house looking like that.”

“You like it?” she grinned back at the other girl, arching her back in a sultry pose. “I was going for a cross between basic bitch and Babylon whore.”

“You’re definitely leaning more toward the whore,” Whitney judged.

“That’s alright,” Alex shrugged, bending down to pick up a black leather purse. “I’ve got you to make up the difference.”

“Hey!” Whitney’s blue eyes shot wide open.

“Bitch, you just came in here to dance to Selena Gomez,” Alex laughed, stepping over to nudge the other girl’s arm as she shouldered the purse. “If that isn’t basic, I don’t know what is.”

“Whatever,” Whitney scoffed. “Anyway, are you ready to go yet? If you make us sit around any longer, Caden and I might change our minds about coming with you.”

“No, I still need to put on my falsies and botox my face,” Alex replied dryly.

“Oh my god, get your rude ass out the door,” Whitney threw back her head with a groan, and Alex snickered as she ushered her into the hallway.

Behind them, Caden took a moment to turn off the portable generator that powered the lights and music player and followed along with an exasperated sigh. Between the three of them, he was the strong, silent member of the clique. Neither of the girls knew what he’d been through, but he was a loyal friend and a trustworthy man to have on their side when they ventured out into the city. When Alex had first found the abandoned building, he’d been the one to take her under his wing in a sense, and had helped her adjust to being homeless. He’d also been the first man she’d come across who hadn’t been nice to her just to get inside her pants, and she knew she would be forever grateful for his genuine kindness. She sometimes repaid him in the form of food when she scored leftovers after going out.

Heading downstairs and into the brightly lit streets of the city that never slept, Alex fell in step beside her friends as they made their way to a nearby bar, Devil’s Share. A common side effect of being homeless was that one usually didn’t have a job. All three of them were afflicted with the unfortunate symptom, which meant they didn’t have any money either. Most city drifters resorted to petty thefts and pickpocketing to get by, but the thought of stealing had never sat well with her. Of course, she was guilty of committing a few misdemeanors, mostly when she and Whitney shoplifted cosmetics, but she tried not to make a habit of it. Not only did she feel bad for the people she robbed, she also knew that she risked drawing the attention of the police every time she stole anything. Unlike her friends, she had a lot more to lose if she was arrested.

That was why she’d come up with her own clever alternative to thievery. Guys at the bars around NYC were suckers for a pretty face and a hot body, and she’d learned to use her natural gifts as a tool to get free meals. All she had to do was bat her eyelashes and pretend to be interested in them long enough to convince them to migrate from the bar to a restaurant for a late night “date,” scarf down a hot meal, and escape with the leftovers under the guise of getting food poisoning. It wasn’t enough to feed her every day of the week, but it was better than going hungry or sticking her neck out to swipe a bag of chips from a bodega. With her friends tagging along to make sure she wasn’t roofied at the bar by a sleazy bastard, it was her best option to stay alive without drawing attention to herself.

And tonight, she was dressed up to lure out a cash cow that could buy her a Kobe beef dinner. With a sly smile on her lips, she tossed her dark curls over her shoulder and stepped up to the door, showing the bouncer her ID before she headed inside the Devil’s Share night lounge to go fishing.

The bar was rather busy that night. Loud music filled the room almost as much as people. The Devil’s Share was a popular stop for many who lived in this area of the city. It was a high end bar that was always lively. Daniel had visited it only a few times, all mostly in his college days. While he enjoyed the good—but expensive— drinks and music, bars weren’t usually his scene of choice. Namely because he disliked going to them alone. After college, it was always difficult to get schedules to align with his friends so the few times he did go out had dropped down to nearly zero. Tonight he was out for a special occasion.

“Alright everyone get a shot!” Jamie, one of Daniel’s friends from college, instructed grinning ear to ear. His face was already slightly red from the alcohol he had consumed. Raising the small shot glass in his hand, he looked over to the man besides Daniel. “This one’s for Trevor finally growing the balls to propose! And to Brandy for actually accepting!”

“To Trevor and Brandy!” Daniel voiced his agreement with a sly smirk as he raised his glass as well. With two of his closest friend’s getting engaged, it had finally brought everyone together for the night despite their busy schedules.

“You guys are such assholes.” Trevor rolled his eyes before cracking a grin. His gaze shifted onto Brandy, the woman on the other side of him, and wrapped arm around her as he held the shot in his other hand. In response, Brandy smiled and leaned into his side as she grabbed her own glass. He leaned in and clinked the glasses with the rest of the group and then quickly downed the shot.

Daniel did the same as he downed the shot before placing the now empty glass back on the table. He scrunched his face slightly at the harsh liquor. Shots had never been Daniel’s strong suit but somehow, he managed to force them down. The group had secured one of the bigger tables at the right corner of the bar. There were only four of them at the moment but they had about four more still coming to join them that night. He let out a small breath and leaned his elbows on the table. His dark gaze shifted to look around the bar, just beginning to take in the crowd when he felt someone nudge his side. Looking to Trevor, he raised an eyebrow as his friend leaned in.

“Hey Danny,” Trevor began in a lowered voice. This conversation was clearly just meant to stay between the two of them and luckily Jamie was already wrapped up in a separate conversation with Brandy. “I don’t think I ever said it before but thank you for introducing me to Brandy. I really owe—“

“Save that sappy bullshit for your wedding day, Trevor.” Daniel cut in before his friend could say anymore. It didn’t feel like the time nor place for it. Plus he was far from drunk enough to give Trevor the reaction he wanted. Trevor was a more emotional person than himself and a simple ‘no problem’ would likely disappoint him. Daniel flashed him a teasing smirk. “You’re not already drunk are you?”

“Man fuck you.” Trevor scoffed and gave his friend a small shove. “I’m not drunk, you’re just an ass.”

Daniel laughed and shrugged his shoulders in response. “Never claimed not to be.” he grinned, patting his friend of the back. “I’m going to go grab a drink.” He slowly rose from his seat and straightened his attire. Physical appearance had always been important to him. With ambitions to one day be a congressman, he wanted to give off a feeling of importance even though he was only a measly field director. He was clean shaven and his hair was neatly combed back with a small amount of gel added to keep it in place. He wore a nice, dark blue dress shirt with black suit pants. As far as accessories, the only thing he wore was a Rolex watch he had received as a present from his parents. Despite the expensive brand, the watch itself wasn’t particularly eye catching. It had a toned down design, a simple but quality leather band with a golden center. Over all, he made sure his appearance was simple yet sophisticated.

Stepping away from his group of friends, he turned just in time to catch a glimpse of the people just entering the bar. Among them was a rather attractive woman. Despite the distance and the low lighting, he could still make out her features just enough to cause his gaze to linger. Her jeans and shoulder-less top seemed to accentuate the curves of her body. In the next moment, he turned away from her though and continued on his path to the bar. She had been accompanied by two other people, one of which was a man, so it turned him away from making any approach towards her. Besides that, he had come with the intent to celebrate his friends’ engagement. It’d be rude to merely leave them behind.

Daniel stepped up to the counter, squeezing into a less dense spot. Leaning an arm on the counter, he waited for the bartender to finish serving another customer. “Jack and coke please.” he told the other man as he stepped over to take his order. The bartender gave a silent nod and stepped away to prepare the drink. Waiting patiently, Daniel let his gaze drift around the bar, entertaining himself by looking over the people around him.

As soon as Alex stepped through the door to the bar, she could practically feel the pulse of the music wash over her. It was desensitizing in its loudness, and the bass resonated in her bones. A broad grin spread across her face, and she turned to Whitney, who looked equally as excited to mingle. She’d always loved coming to places like this where, just for a few hours, she could feel like a normal woman who wasn’t hiding from her psychotic ex-boyfriend in the streets of New York City. The hypnotic music, the numbing alcohol, and the friendly people were the perfect cocktail of distractions to help her forget about the harsh realities of life. It was why she and her friends had scrapped together the money for fake IDs. All three of them were of legal age to drink, but since they didn’t have a permanent address or proof of citizenship, they’d had to seek out the best forger in the county to have false ones made. The guy had done such a good job that not a single bouncer had ever questioned the plastic cards’ authenticity.

Looking past the oscillating lights to the crowded room beyond, she was elated to see that Devil’s Share was crowded that night. There were quite a few other sizable groups milling about at booths and dancing in the center of the room, all dressed up in various stages between casual and formal. Right now, it looked like they were mostly sticking to the groups they’d showed up with, but it was only a matter of time before everyone loosened up and started mingling with one another. Alcohol had a funny way of making someone forget they were surrounded by total strangers. It was that moment of total drunken bliss that she was so eagerly expecting. That was when she would hopefully find herself in a conversation with the next man who would be buying her dinner. Her empty stomach growled in anticipation.

“Let’s hang out at the counter,” Whitney shouted over the deafening music, elbowing her in the side to get her attention. “I want a drink, and a couple of those guys have already been staring at my ass since we walked in.” Like Alex, the redhead knew how to take advantage of the guys they met in the bars to get free drinks. She wasn’t quite as dressed up as her friend, but she’d still put on a mini skirt to turn a few heads while they were out.

“Oh yeah?” Alex followed her gaze to see that there were, in fact, two men glancing not-at-all discreetly in their direction. “How do you know they’re not looking at me?” She asked with a smirk.

“I’m having a great ass day,” Whitney answered simply, linking her arm with Alex’s. “It doesn’t matter anyway. There are two of them and two of us: my favorite kind of math. Come on, I’ll let you have the ugly one.”

“Ooh, too bad the ugly one just waved at you,” Alex clicked her tongue with mock sympathy. “Don’t feel too bad though, Whit. I bet he’s really funny.”

“Bitch, don’t you dare!” Whitney squeaked as Alex slipped out of her grasp to get to the counter ahead of her.

While they swam through the crowded room, Caden took a seat by himself in the corner of the room to keep watch. He wasn’t the type to drink in public, so whenever they went out, he volunteered to make sure they stayed safe. Living on the streets, their lives were already dangerous enough as it was, so the trio was always careful to have each other’s backs. At bars and nightclubs, the girls kept tabs on each other up close, while Caden kept an eye on both of them from a distance. They were the only safety net they had, so it had become a habit for them to be especially cautious when it came to their safety.

Knowing there was someone in the room making sure she didn’t get forced into a situation she didn’t want to be in gave Alex the peace of mind to approach drunk men at the bar. So, she rolled her shoulders back confidently and strode up to the counter, leaning up on her toes as she pretended like she was trying to find an open spot where she could squeeze in to get a drink. Beside her, Whitney followed suit, falling easily into their rehearsed act and taking on a discouraged expression.

Not five seconds later, the men who’d been eyeing them hollered over the music to get their attention.

“Hey there, pretty ladies,” the not-ugly one, a man with a chiseled jawline and tousled brown hair, flashed a handsome smile their way. “Can my buddy and I buy you girls a couple drinks?”

Alex turned to them, raising her brows as she feigned a look of surprise. “Wow, that’s so sweet of you guys. What do you think, Whit?”

“I think you two are lifesavers!” her friend exclaimed excitedly. “Thank you so much!”

“Not a problem,” the man stood up a little straighter, his ego thoroughly stroked. “my name is Chad, and this is Paul.”

Oh my god, his name is Chad, Alex bit her lip to fight the urge to snort as her olive green eyes landed on the man’s bulging muscles. Hanging onto her composure by a thread, she offered up her best smile, “It’s nice to meet you guys.”

“Likewise,” Paul jumped in while his friend turned around to flag down the bartender. Unlike Chad, he had an obvious dad-bod, which wouldn’t have been deterring by itself if not for the fact that it was paired with a noticeable unibrow on his forehead. “What would you angels like to drink?”

And not a single question to find out what our names are, Alex sighed. If she had a dollar for every guy she talked to who didn’t ask about her name when she didn’t volunteer it first, she could have bought all her own meals. “I’ll have a Manhattan,” she answered, hiding her judgmental thoughts with the smile that was still plastered on her face.

“A Cosmo for me,” Whitney pitched in with her request.

While Paul turned around to relay their drinks of choice to Chad, Alex let her gaze wander over the other patrons at the counter. The two men they’d just talked to had been the first of the evening to buy cocktails for them, but she rarely stuck with the first people she met for the entire night. Chances were, she would be having conversations with a few of the other guys around her later on as she figure out which of them would get clingy enough to pay for her dinner.

Since the Devil’s Share was packed, there were quite a few men there that evening, but only a few caught her eye. One of whom was a younger man at the other end of the bar. Unlike the people surrounding him, he was dressed to the nines in professional clothes that both flattered his physique and gave the impression that he had just come away from an important business meeting at the same time. If there was anyone in the building who could afford a dinner at a five-star restaurant, it was most likely this guy. From a distance, she couldn’t see his face very well, but it seemed like he was looking around the room just like she was, which meant, hopefully, he wasn’t here with a partner.

Before she could even think about sidling over to the other end of the counter, she was drawn from her scheming by the sound of a voice.

“Here’s your drink, gorgeous.”

Turning back around, she saw that Chad had left his station at the bar to personally hand her the Manhattan she’d ordered up. It looked like he’d been eyeing her after all. She couldn’t help but cast a subtle wink in Whitney’s direction to acknowledge the victory before she paid Mr. Muscles-for-Brains for the drink with a shallow conversation in uncomfortably close proximity. She just hoped he wouldn’t get bold enough to try to close the distance between them already more than he already had.

The crowd that night was rather lackluster. There was a large variety of different people there but none seemed to be of importance. Scanning crowds like this was one of Daniel’s specialties. He liked to keep aware of the people around, always looking for an opportunity to get closer to people that had influence whether he knew them by face or simply by the clothing they wore. Since the Devil’s Share was also near his old college, quite a few other old classmates frequented it and he was never against seizing the chance to speak with them about work. That being said, it was also a great way to check out women too, namely if there were any that he wanted to introduce himself to.

It had been a while since the last time he had had any type of relationship, be it as small as a one night stand or more serious venture. Work had taken up a good deal of his life that getting out like he was now wasn’t common. Despite telling himself he’d stick with his friends, he couldn’t help but at least take a look at his possible options that night. His gaze was soon drawn away from the crowd as a soft clink made him turn to see the bartender set his glass down in front of him.

“Did you want to open a tab?” the other man asked as he slid the jack and coke over to him.

Daniel paused, debating how much he planned to drink, before nodding his head. He dug into his pocket for his wallet and pulled out his credit card, familiar with the process at the Devil’s Share. “Yeah I’ll go ahead and open a tab.” he said, handing over his card. The man nodded his head and accepted it before turning to put the card away. Daniel wasn’t planning on ordering a ton of drinks but he knew his friends could rope him into changing said plans. He’d rather not have a hassle with payment when he was wasted. He lifted his drink to his lips and took a small sip before he’d have to return to his friends. Just as he was planning to step away from the bar, a new voice surprised him.

“Ayyye! Daniel!” Turning around he spotted Eric walking over to join him at the bar. The other man had his usual goofy, broad grin on his face. Of course that was the only way Eric could ever sneak up on someone. The dude was big, both tall and muscular, someone who could easily be intimidating if not for his usually goofy demeanor. Of course, his goofy demeanor was also a product of being apart of a frat for his four years of college, something Daniel believed most people could pick up on from first meeting him.

“Hey Eric, I didn’t know you were coming to this thing too.” Daniel greeted his friend with a small smile. It hadn’t been that long since the two had crossed paths. In fact, Eric was the one person Daniel saw almost regularly due to their work places being located only down the street from each other.

“Of course! I had to celebrate the two taken people in our group getting engaged. It’s sort of a big deal.” Eric smirked as he slid up besides Daniel at the bar, subtly flagging the bartender down as they spoke. His smirk faded a bit as he looked at Daniel with a little more seriousness. “So how are you feeling about all this?”

Daniel raised an eyebrow at him. “What do you mean?”

Eric rolled his eyes and leaned against the counter. “Oh come on Daniel, I know you and Brandy used to date. Surely it’s got you bummed!”

Daniel paused before laughing at Eric’s assumption. “Dude we dated in high school and I broke up with her because we sucked as a couple. I’m happy that they’re happy, nothing more.” he explained with a shrug. He eyed Eric as he turned to order a beer from the bartender. “Are you upset?”

“Well a little.” Eric admitted rather honestly. “Not over Brandy of course but you gotta admit, this engagement reminds the rest of us of how single we are. I mean, when’s the last time you’ve even slept with someone?”

Daniel shook his head. “I’m not discussing this at our friend’s engagement party.” he said with an amused smirk.

“Fine, fine.” Eric sighed, holding up his hands defensively. As his gaze strayed, a new light flickered in his green eyes. He nudged Daniel’s side eagerly. “Buuuutttt I say we ditch the engagement party and go fishing. There’s a lot of pretty faces here tonight.”

“You’re a terrible friend.” Daniel scoffed. “Brandy would kill us. Specifically me first and then you.”

“Oh come on! Brandy won’t even notice we’re gone and you know Trevor wouldn’t give a shit.” Eric encouraged. “I mean look at them! Annahita’s here so her and Brandy are going to be talking all night. And Trevor’s got Jamie. Let’s slip away for a bit and see what our options look like tonight. If it goes nowhere, then we can go back.”

Daniel wish he could say he wasn’t interested but mingling with a few pretty faces did sound more enticing than sitting around and drinking while the couple talked about their future wedding. Though he cared about both of his friends, it did seem like a waste of night for him. As he placed the glass back down, he eyed Eric before letting out a sigh of defeat as he caved. It was his first night out in a while, he wanted to make the most of it. He’d just have to make sure to throw Trevor a killer bachelor party when the time came. “Fine… We can slip away for a bit.”

“Great!” Eric beamed and without skipping a beat, nodded his head towards two women towards the other end of the bar. It seemed that Eric had set his sights on them long before he had even brought the idea up to his friend. You sly, goofy bastard… he thought amusedly. Daniel was a bit quick to recognize the one woman as the one he had eyed coming into the bar. They already were accompanied by two men from what Daniel saw. “Let’s introduce ourselves to them.”

“They look preoccupied with those other two guys though.” Daniel pointed out as he picked up his glass.

Eric snorted. “So? Those two guys are pathetic.” he mused mercilessly as he picked up the whiskey that the bartender had set down. He paused to open up a tab as well before turning back to Daniel with a mischievous smirk. “I’m pretty sure one of them had a unibrow. Can you not compete a guy with a unibrow, Daniel?”

Daniel shot an annoyed look at Eric. Personally, he found it a bit rude to simply cut in but there was a clear hint of challenge in his friend’s voice. And Daniel wasn’t one to back down from a challenge. Especially when he believed the odds were stacked so highly in his favor. He had only been trying to be polite when it came to the other men around them. But if Eric wanted to make it into a competition, then that no longer mattered. With another look towards the women, he eyed the dark headed girl from the end of the bar before looking back to his friend with a smirk. “I can but that’d be too easy. I’ll handle the other guy, you can deal with unibrow.”

Eric laughed, thrilled by his friend’s sudden change of attitude. “Alright, fair enough. The redhead’s more my type anyways.” he used as he picked up his drink to follow his friend. Daniel now took the leading in casually moving down towards where the two women were. He assumed that they weren’t in over their heads with inserting themselves. From the glimpse he had gotten of the other two men, they didn’t appear particularly threatening, both look and strength wise. Sure the one was muscular but he wasn’t quite as large as his friend, Eric. If he tried to intimidate either of them, it would sooner be met with laughs than them backing down. Provided the women they were talking to took more of an interest in Daniel and Eric than them.

The competition side of it all made Daniel more willing to step up. So as they reached their side of the bar, he wasted no time in stepping up to them. “Hey,” he greeted, flashing a charming smile—something he was rather skilled at—with his gaze solely focused on the woman in front of him. “mind if we join you guys here? The bar’s a bit crowded tonight, hard to find an open spot.” he asked, smoothly lying through his teeth. Behind him, Eric stood with a flirtatious smile, shamelessly casting a wink towards the red haired woman.

It took a total of three seconds for Alex to conclude that Chad had about as much intellectual depth as a cucumber. He prattled on and on about his job as a firefighter, how much he could bench at the gym, and his high-rise apartment in the city that he’d apparently bought with his winnings from some bullshit lawsuit he’d won against a restaurant that had given him food poisoning… or was it that he’d burned his tongue? She had a hard time remembering the details when his stories were all so dull that she spent her time counting down the seconds until she could find an opening in his endless jabbering to leave instead of paying attention.

Dully swirling the remains of her cocktail in its glass, she rotated between responses of “oh” and “yeah” and “is that so” while he boasted about some sort of award he’d won for something or another. He may have been objectively more handsome than Unibrow Paul, but she was starting to wish she’d switched guys with Whitney after all. They wouldn’t be going home with either one of the men, so having a conversation with substance was better than listening to an attractive mouth that spewed nothing but conceited crap. If he didn’t stop talking long enough for her to make an excuse to get away, she was going to take the toothpick that had held up her olive garnish and shove it through her ears.

“Speaking of awards, I should tell you about the time the guys at the station and I competed to be featured in a shirtless calendar. Spoiler alert: You’re looking at the face of February.”

And that’s my cue to get as far away from here as possible, Alex cringed, not even remotely interested in hearing the story that went along with that brag. She’d done her part by sticking around long enough to repay him for the drink he’d bought her, but she didn’t owe him any more of her time. Some of the men she met at the bars around NYC were genuinely interesting people who she could chat with for an hour without getting bored. Chad wasn’t one of them, so ten minutes of his self-centered company was more than enough for her for a lifetime.

Fresh out of patience, she opened her mouth to interrupt him. “Actually, I—” she started and then stopped when someone else finished the job for her. The sound of another male voice seemed to bring Chad back down from whatever planet he’d been on. He stopped rambling and turned at the same time she did to see that two new guys had walked over and asked to join them.

Recognizing the blue button-down on the man standing in the front, Alex quirked a brow. He was the same person she’d spotted across the bar just before she’d been swept up in the torturous conversation with Chad. From a distance, she hadn’t gotten a very good look at him, but now that he was standing close by, she could tell that he was even more well-groomed than she’d first thought. He must have either just come from an important meeting, or he really cared about his appearance. Not that he needed to. With a tight, athletic-looking body, bold jawline and million-dollar smile, she had a feeling he could roll out of bed and still be hotter than damn near every other guy in the room. And he’d just waltzed across the bar to talk to her.

Hello, tall, dark and handsome. Concealing a smile behind the rim of her glass, Alex’s green eyes swept down and up his masculine frame. There may have been other people standing nearby, but she hadn’t missed the fact that his eyes hadn’t left her face the entire time he’d spoken. This man was here to play ball, so who was she to deny him the chance to step up to the plate? She’d been thinking about approaching him anyway, and now he’d just made her job a whole lot easier by talking to her first. The only question was whether or not he was the cash cow she had been prowling for.

Her eyes flicked down to the Rolex on his wrist. Jackpot.

A part of her was tempted to blow off Chad in exchange for this promising stranger, but she hadn’t planned to end her game this early. There was no rush when she still had the whole night ahead of her. She supposed she might as well see how things played out. The human brick standing next to her seemed to be on the same page too.

“Actually, man, we do mind,” Chad crossed his muscular arms over his box-like chest, brazenly sizing up his competition. “We were kind of in the middle of a conversation, so you should go find someone else to interrupt.”

Bold of you to assume you can speak for a woman you just met ten minutes ago, jackass, Alex sipped her drink again as she fought the urge to roll her eyes. While she watched her alcohol benefactor square up to the well-dressed challenger, Whitney, ever the opportunist, had already slipped away from Paul to chat up the better looking man who’d tagged along. Although Alex had a personal rule that she wouldn’t go so far as to sleep with anyone she’d just met at a bar, her friend had no such restrictions. She wouldn’t have been surprised if Whitney had been hoping to get some strange while they were out. If nothing else, it meant the homeless girl could sleep in a real bed for the night.

Now face to face, Daniel had a chance to get a better glance of the woman who had caught his eye that evening. Her figure was what had caught his eyes originally but she had a pretty face to match. He found her olive green eyes attractive, both due to the makeup that surrounded them as well as how the few small lights of the bar reflected in them. The only thing he liked better about them was how they swept over him. It was a silent stroke to his ego that she was already eying him with interest. Based on that alone, he had been expecting for her to welcome him in and brush off whoever this other man was. It was a bit of a curve ball to him when this other man spoke up first, already standoffish about his sudden appearance.

It was then that his gaze finally pulled away from her to look over the other man. He was muscular but a tad shorter than Daniel and in his opinion, annoying looking. Daniel could pinpoint exactly what it was that made the man in front of him rub him the wrong way—aside from a similar interest in women of course. Perhaps it was the lacking care of his appearance or the way he was clearly sizing up his competitor in such an obvious way. Daniel glanced towards the woman again, expecting her to voice her own opinion only to find her sipping at her drink. So she wants a show… he realized, stifling a snort. Fine by me.

Though he was hoping she’d be direct enough to shoo the other man way, it seemed like he’d have to put in more of an effort or do it himself. He should have expected as much when he had insisted on leaving unibrow to Eric—who was already making the most of his conversation with the redhead. Daniel didn’t plan on backing down from this box of a man though. Instead, he met the other man’s gaze. "I'm sure that conversation was a dull one. I should make it clear that I wasn't talking to you anyways." Daniel said smiling politely but having a sharp edge in his voice as he spoke.

“Excuse me?” The box glared at him hostilely.

Daniel sighed and crossed his arms. “I’m saying I’m asking her, this pretty lady right here, if it’s alright I cut in. Not you. Do you understand now or do I need to simplify it more?”

It was amusing how red the other man was getting. If he had had a few more drinks, Daniel fully believed that man would have tried to punch him. Luckily he seemed to be sober enough to yield what little control he did have over his temper. “Hey asshole, I gave you her answer. It’s the same as mine so go bother someone else.” he growled.

“Huh. Interesting, I didn’t see you ask her about it.” Daniel mused. He was beginning to see why this man had annoyed him so much right from the start. The dude had no regard for the woman he was speaking with. And apparently speaking for in this situation. Whatever guilt he may have harbored from cutting in was gone now. When a hint of confusion flashed across the other man’s gaze, Daniel bit back a chuckle. This guy was not sharp at all.

Assuming that he wouldn’t mentally catch up in time with his words, Daniel smirked. “Listen man, point is I’ll leave if she wants me to but it’s gotta come from her mouth not yours. And she hasn't said it yet.” he sneered, putting as simply as he possibly could after all the poking he had done at the other man. Daniel shrugged his shoulders in a careless manner and looked over at the woman who's attention they were vying for. It wasn't a battle he needed to fight for her but she had clearly been looking for the two men to argue over her. Daniel was merely trying to met her expectations. He flashed her another charming smile and winked in a sly manner rather than a flirtatious one before looking back to the other man. The square was slowly turning into a rectangle with how tensely he stood. Daniel's words were clearly getting to him so he couldn't help but take one last jab at the other man. “So maybe stop acting like a douche and step aside.” he remarked with a simplistic tone of voice as he took a final dig at the other man.

Right away, Alex’s patience was rewarded when the new guy got snippy with Chad. It seemed like he had quite the sharp tongue on him. Wonder what else that tongue can do… she thought and then immediately furrowed her brows. Damn, one drink hits hard when I haven’t eaten in two days. Realizing belatedly that she was a little tipsy, she made a mental note to slow down. She may have had her friends around to keep an eye on her while she drank, but that didn’t mean she could disregard her own safety. No more than fifteen minutes after she’d stepped into Devil’s Share, she was already the prize in a battle between brain vs brawn. She didn’t want to get wasted when she was surrounded by total strangers.

There were some obvious reasons for her caution, since she knew about date rape drugs just as much as any other girl did, but her leeriness to compromise her own state of mind in public stemmed from more than just a healthy fear of scumbags. She needed to be careful because she didn’t know who could be connected to Matt. Her ex-boyfriend had a lot of “friends” who might be just as eager as he was to get their hands on her, so, just in case any of them were around, she preferred not to let herself go and completely forget the danger that was going to chase her down for the rest of her life.

Listening passively while Chad and his competition took shots at each other, she glanced subtly up at the former when he was told to step aside, curious if he would back down. In the next moment, she blinked as she felt a meaty hand grab her by the hip and pull her into his side. Apparently not. His unsolicited touch made her skin crawl, and she seethed silently as he cocked his chin and sneered at the other man, “Entitled prick, it doesn’t matter what you want because I was here first. Beat it before I have to show you why she picked me and not you.” While he spoke, he flexed his swollen muscles, squishing her against his torso, and she wrinkled her nose. The competition had been fun while it had lasted, but now he’d gone too far.

“Hey, meathead, take your grubby hand off my ass,” she growled, firing a scowl his way.

“Come on, baby, you know you like it,” Chad purred disgustingly.

The instant she felt his fingers twitch in a manner that suggested he was going to squeeze her rear, Alex threw the remains of her Manhattan in his face and slipped out of his grasp while he spluttered. “What the hell?” he snapped, wiping bourbon off his brow. “I bought you that drink!”

“And you think that gives you a free ticket to do whatever you want to me?” she asked dryly. “Even the girls who sell it in the streets aren’t that cheap, dumbass. The only thing your seven dollars bought you was a ten minute conversation, which I only gave you because I was nice enough not to take the glass and walk away.”

Chad glared at her, “You owe me—”

“Don’t even go there,” Alex jabbed him in the chest with her finger, narrowing her eyes warningly. “I don’t owe you anything and, by the way, your ten minutes is up, so I suggest you make like a tree and leave… You’re certainly smart enough to be one.”

Chad stared at her, seeming unsure how to react now that she wasn’t pretending to be a sweet, naïve little girl anymore. When he gathered enough brain cells to make his mouth work, he tried a different approach, “You seriously want this guy over me? I can show you what it’s like to be with a real man.”

He just doesn’t give up, does he? She sighed. It looked like she was going to have to push him away one last time. “You know what? You’re right. Since you’ve got… so much to offer, I’ll cut you a deal. If you can tell me what my name is, I’ll skip right out of this bar and go with you back to your place.”

That seemed to work. Chad grew red in the face as it finally hit him that he didn’t know her first name after they’d spent ten minutes talking. He blubbered for a minute until he had to accept that he wasn’t going to win and then sneered, “Dumb bitch. You’re not worth my time anyway.” Casting one last glower at the other guy, he turned around and stormed off with his friend.

“Toodles,” Alex waggled her fingers in a cheeky wave as he left. A soon as he was gone, she turned to her better looking company and rolled her eyes. “Boy do I know how to pick ‘em, huh?” she snorted, setting her empty glass down on the counter and propping one hand on her hip as she eyed the fresh meat. Chad had struck her as the type of guy who liked an easy target, so she’d pretended to be one when she’d approached him. In contrast, the intelligence behind this man’s eyes told her he probably wasn’t looking for a woman who would giggle at everything he did and say ‘oh my god, you’re so funny!’ So, she adjusted herself accordingly.

Flashing him a coy smile, she asked, “To what do I owe the pleasure, hotshot? I hope you’re not here to buy me a drink and expect that I’ll tear off all my clothes for you like that idiot did.”

Of course when backed into a corner, this man had reacted in a rather heated way. Daniel watched as he suddenly grabbed the woman they were both vying for by her hip and pull him into his side. It made Daniel’s calm and slightly arrogant demeanor break as his eyes widened in surprise. He wasn’t sure what to make of this new situation until she finally spoke up against the other man for the first time. Now knowing where she stood with this other man made Daniel tense up at his next words. This guy’s revolting. he thought clenching his jaw slightly. “Hey man lea—“ he began with a stern tone, taking a small step forward to intervene when the woman suddenly threw her drink onto the man holding her.

Daniel blinked, caught off guard, and quickly took a step back to avoid the additional splash as the liquor hit the other man’s face. Now standing back, he watched the exchange between the two with a hint of interest. It seemed that not only did the box of a man lack brain power but he was terribly full of himself. Apparently even enough to expect that he was entitled to something from just buying a measly drink. Daniel wasn’t the most upstanding gentleman—though that was more due to his pickiness in partners—but even he looked down on such scumbags. He watched as the man struggled at her words, unable to give her name before finally giving up. As he shot one last glower at him, Daniel smirked at him tauntingly in response.

As the silent victor of the petty competition over a woman at the bar, Daniel moved to take up the now open spot next to her, albeit leaving a little more room between them than the previous man had. Though he had just been attracted over by her looks, he had to admit that she had spark his interest even further by how she had chosen to handle the last guy’s unwanted advances. It wasn’t every day he got the satisfaction of seeing a well deserving asshole getting a drink splashed in his face after all. Daniel even took a little pride in knowing he had caused for that to happen sooner rather than later.

“Hardly. I'll just take whatever amount of time you're willing to give me.” Daniel chuckled. He paused glancing towards the bartender before looking back to her with a grin, flashing his pearly whites in the process. “Although I’ll buy you a refill on that drink if you’d like. You know, just in case you need to throw it at me or someone else.” He added jokingly. It might have been a while since he had last had the chance to mingle with women at the bar but he wasn’t one to forget just how to act. Whether it was just for a short time, the night or even longer, Daniel had the intention to win her over.

Setting his drink down on the counter, his smile softened slightly as he met her gaze. “I’m Daniel by the way. May I ask who you are?”

“Ooh, good answer,” Alex grinned as the new guy took Chad’s place beside her. Already, she could tell she was going to enjoy talking to him much more than she had the last man she’d wasted her time on. Not only was he eye-catching, but his subtle aggression made him all the more intriguing to her. Just the fact that he’d approached her while she’d been in the middle of a one-sided conversation with another man was proof that he was the type of guy who knew what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to do what it took to get it. However, he wasn’t a raging douchebag like Beefhead had been. There was a delicate balance between smoldering confidence and flagrant forcefulness, and he was already proving to be a master at walking that line. She wanted to see what else she could uncover behind his charming smiles while she had him at the bar.

“I can’t turn down an offer for free ammunition,” she winked at him playfully when he volunteered to refill her drink. “Just keep up that smooth talk, and I’ll think about saving the next splash for someone else.” She may have been a little tipsy from the first drink, but one more couldn’t hurt that much, right? She wanted to convince Moneybags to pay for her dinner later, and in her experience, accepting an offer for a drink was a quick way to imply enough interest in a man to keep him around for a while. Although, she didn’t need to do much pretending in this case. If she’d been a normal girl out on the town, she would have been genuinely interested in getting to know the debonair man standing next to her. But, alas, she was a homeless tramp who would have to return to her construction site castle at the end of the night. Woe is me, she thought exaggeratedly as her eyes found their way back down to the expensive-looking shirt that fit his frame so nicely.

The sound of his urbane voice coaxed her to lift her gaze to his face again, where she saw that his smile had softened into something friendly. Apparently he had body language down to an art too. “Wow, two for two,” she mirrored his expression, though the smile that decorated her lips was a little more enthusiastic. “My name’s Alex. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Daniel.” The line she used on most of the suckers she hooked at the bars around New York City flowed effortlessly off her tongue when she said it to him. It was easy to walk through the routine when she was looking into the eyes of someone who truly fascinated her rather than the men she pursued just for the free food.

Keeping up the flow of conversation, she went on, “So, what brings you to Devil’s Share tonight? Celebrating a successful business presentation?” As she posed the question, she reached out to touch his arm in a simultaneous indication of the clothes he was wearing and a believable excuse to find out if he was as fit underneath the sleeves as she’d guessed.

This night was proving to be much more interesting than Daniel had originally expected it to be. He gave a small chuckle as the woman besides him responded to his joking with a playfulness of her own. As she spoke, he found himself wondering why she had even chosen to entertain the previous man’s advances. He didn’t dwell on the thought long, ultimately chalking it up to her prior words about giving the other man time merely because he bought her a drink. Instead, Daniel focused on her as she introduced herself to him. The smooth sound of her voice as she spoke made him listen with a little more care.

“Good meeting you as well.” he responded. Pulling his gaze away from her, he casually flagged down the bartender, motioning to her empty glass for a refill. His gaze didn’t stray from her for long though as she carried on the conversation. Turning back to her, he raised an eyebrow as she questioned about a business presentation until she made it clear she was inferring from his clothing with a touch to his arm. A smirk tugged at his lips, feeling a sense of satisfaction that his appearance had managed to convey a sense of importance. Though she likely hadn’t meant any stroke to ego with her words, it was still nice to know that his work to his appearance paid off. Even if it did nothing for him career wise at the moment, at least it had caught her attention.

“No, not tonight at least.” Daniel said with a shrug. He attempted to tread the thin line between arrogance and humbleness. It was a way of confirming her inferences about him while still avoiding coming off as a self centered businessman. Or rather, politician as he aimed to be. While his words may have suggested other success, his tone and body language remained neutral. “I was actually celebrating a friend’s engagement.. Although just to avoid concerns, it’s not that friend.” he smirked as he nodded towards where Eric and the redhead were. Despite the quick glance, Daniel caught how close the two were and the subtle touches namely coming from his friend in that moment. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the coyness in his friend’s gestures.

Instead, he looked back to Alex and gave a lopsided smile. “Decided to give them some time to themselves. They’re in their own little world right now so I doubt they even noticed we left.” he explained with a glint of amusement in his gaze. Of course, that was a heavy exaggeration of the truth. But he wasn’t about to tell her that he had chosen to leave the party early because she had caught his attention. He doubted that would reflect well on him. “Engagement parties aren’t exactly a thrilling once the couple starts ignoring everyone else.”

Daniel shrugged his shoulders and lifted his drink to his lips, taking another sip. “What about yourself?” he asked curiously. “Just having a night out or did you have something to celebrate too?” His dark gaze remained on her face as he spoke before discreetly drifting down lower. He couldn’t help but try to subtly admire the curves to her figure for a moment before bringing his gaze back up to met hers for her reply.

Picking up strangers at a bar could be as easy as flashing smiles and throwing around compliments or as complicated as a choreographed dance. Alex liked to think that she was intuitive when it came to determining just how far she needed to turn up the heat to get what she wanted. When the bartender stepped over to fulfill her drink request, she leaned over the counter to call out “Manhattan” over the music, so he’d know what she’d been drinking the first time. The man nodded wordlessly and swept up the empty glass to set aside to be washed by another bartender before he set to work making her another cocktail.

While she waited for her drink, she turned back to Daniel, who was looking a little smug in response to her comment about his appearance. It seemed like she’d been right about her guess that he took pride in the way he looked. She pocketed that tidbit of information away for later use just in case she needed to think of a reason to flatter him again before the night ended.

Leaning casually against the counter, she nodded along attentively as he explained that he was out celebrating a friend’s engagement—although he didn’t miss the opportunity to hint that he’d had successful presentations before. Wizard of the humble brag, she thought amusedly, continuing to fit together the puzzle pieces of who he was in her head. The allusion made her wonder what exactly he did for work though. If he was giving any presentations at all in New York City, he had to hold a position of some importance.

“Well, that’s good to know,” she laughed when he clarified that the friend who was currently hitting on Whitney wasn’t the same one who’d just gotten engaged. “If it was, I’d feel bad for his fiancée. Whitney over there doesn’t mess around.” As she spoke, she peered over her shoulder at the two, who were already practically attached at the hip as they teased and flirted with each other over drinks. From just a glance, she could already tell the redhead was ready to jump at the chance to go back to his place if he asked her. She was eyeing him as if he was a sirloin steak from Eleven Madison Park.

Turning back to Daniel, Alex pondered over his assessment of engagement parties. “I’ve never been to one, so I’ll have to take your word for it,” she admitted with a shrug. Weddings weren’t exactly commonplace among the homeless men and women of the streets, so there was no practical need for couples to get engaged either. Telling him that she’d never been to an engagement party wouldn’t give away her dirty little secret by itself though. She was sure there were plenty of other women who hadn’t attended events like that either, especially at the plucky young age of twenty-two. “If it was really that boring, I guess I’ll just have to do my best to keep you entertained over here, huh?” she added with a flirtatious wink.

The bartender returned with her cocktail, and she picked up the glass, pretending not to notice the way his dark eyes subtly wandered down to her chest. Unlike Chad, though, this man’s stare was gratifying rather than unnerving. It was funny how the same action could be perceived so differently just based on the way she felt about the person attached to it. While the first guy she’d talked to had made her want to put on a heavy coat, the suave businessman made her feel like the sexiest woman in the room. She couldn’t help but adjust her posture a little to show off the curves he was discreetly admiring.

“I just came here to get out of my apartment for a while… have some fun,” she answered his question, smoothly lying through her teeth. “What’s the point of living in the city that never sleeps if you don’t take advantage of the hot spots around town? And I have to say, this one is turning out to be quite hot.” Intentionally, she bit her lower lip as she grinned at him waggishly. “At the risk of sounding like a cliché, do you come here often? I’ve only been to this bar a couple times before, so I’m not exactly a regular.”

Daniel gave a small nod as she admitted to having never been to an engagement party. That was usually quite common for people in their early twenties. It was the only engagement party he had been to himself and likely the first of many to come if the rest of his friends followed in Trevor and Brandy’s footsteps. Pulled from his thoughts as she spoke again, he smirked and nodded his head. “I’m afraid that responsibility has fallen to you.” he agreed, with a small tilt of his drink in gesture.

As she went on to answer his question, he took a sip and listened as she explained that she had merely came out for fun. He had suspected as much considering it seemed she had only arrived with one friend. Daniel set his drink down and smiled flirtatiously in return as she commented on how ‘hot’ this particular spot was turning out. The way she bit her lower lip was plenty attractive to him, her flirting not going unappreciated. “Well, I definitely agree with you there.” he mused before giving a playful wink. “Not every day I get to ditch an engagement party and spent time with a woman as beautiful as yourself.”

When she went on to ask about how often he frequented the bar, Daniel shook his head. “Lucky for you, I don’t mind cliche.” Daniel smirked. “But to answer your question, no I don’t. Believe it or not, I don’t go out much.” He shrugged his shoulders as he answered rather truthfully to her question. There was no sense in lying about it in his opinion. If anything, he intended to use his lack of outings to his advantage. Since her interest in him didn’t seem to be wavering, he tested the waters a little more by leaning in a little closer to her, beginning to close the distance he had originally put between them. He would have started out with less distance if it hadn’t been for the scummy man that had been there before him. The last thing Daniel wanted to do was appear to be following in his footsteps.

“So I suppose we got lucky meeting here tonight.” He said meeting her gaze with an alluring smile. His expression broke slightly as his inviting smile shifted into a soft but teasing smirk. “Though if you’re one for cliches, we can call it fate.” he joked good-humoredly. Daniel wasn’t actually one for cliches himself but he knew some women were. His joke was a way of trying to determine if such things had an effect on her. She struck him as more of a realist but one could never be sure with someone they just met. Plus with a good natured joke wouldn’t have him coming off as completely corny if he tried something more direct.

“I’ll do my best,” Alex promised grandly, lifting her glass to down another swig of her cocktail. Feeling the effects of the liquor already, she knew she needed to slow down, but it was difficult to remember that little detail when she was trying to flirt with a stranger at the same time. If he offered to buy her any more drinks later, she would just have to hope she would be responsible enough to turn them down. Overindulging was safer at the abandoned law firm, where she was surrounded only by people she knew and trusted.

When Daniel complimented her, she was a little surprised by the butterflies she felt in her stomach. It was hard to tell if the alcohol she’d been drinking had anything to do with the reaction, but either way, she liked hearing that he thought she was beautiful. His wandering eyes had already told her the same thing, but there was something different about listening to the words be spoken aloud. The debonair businessman with the Rolex watch was ditching a party because he wanted to talk to her at the counter. She couldn’t help but feel like she’d won the wealthy bachelor lottery. And who wouldn’t be excited to win a lottery?

Her olive eyes dropped briefly to his shoulder as she noticed that he was getting a little bolder. He was so close now that the sleeve of his shirt almost brushed against the bare, dusky skin of her arm. She wondered if the fabric was as soft as the high thread count made it look. “I’ll go with ‘or not,’” she mused, looking back up to meet his gaze without moving from her spot. His proximity didn’t make her cringe like Chad’s had. “I find it hard to believe that a guy like you isn’t invited to parties every weekend. Your kind is the reason why girls show up to any parties in the first place… I bet they fucking fight over you when you’re not looking.”

As Daniel went on to talk about fate, her smile wavered ever so slightly. She knew he was just bantering with her, but it was impossible for her to totally hide her flinch when the word was spoken. She had a particularly hateful relationship with “fate” after everything that had happened three years ago, and she preferred not to entertain the idea that it could exist. She had to be in control of her own life, because if there was something else out there pulling the strings, there was every chance that she was going to have a short and miserable existence.

“Yeah… fate and I don’t really get along,” she shook her head, staring down at her drink with a smile still painted on her face to minimize the cryptic aura of the statement. “If you really have to give this encounter a cheesy name, let’s just call it a meet-cute.” Attempting to lighten the mood before he could ask about her odd response to his joke, she looked up at him again and sipped her cocktail. “Handsome man leaves engagement party to save beautiful woman from a raging dickhead. All we need is a cliché romantic tragedy and we have ourselves the plot of the next hit Hallmark special.”

“My kind?” Daniel echoed her words with a laugh. Despite questioning it, he had some idea what she meant. After all, he was a man who knew a little value in appearance could go a long way, tonight was evident enough of that. However, his appearance was more for work related success than to pick up women at bars and parties. The fact that the two overlapped just happened to be a nice bonus. “I doubt that. Mainly because I wasn’t lying in saying I don’t get out much.” he smirked with a small shake of his head.

Her flinch to his words didn’t go unnoticed. It wasn’t either of the reactions that Daniel had been expecting from her. To add to it, her reply was a bit ominous to match despite still having a smile on her face. Perhaps she’s thinking of an ex.. He thought with a small sip from his nearly finished drink. Whatever the reason, he made a mental note about her reaction. He’d have to make sure to avoid such topics unless he thought it advantageous to dig for more information from her. As she went on with a more lighthearted response, he put on another smile and acted as if her previous reaction hadn’t caused raised any eyebrows.

Daniel chuckled as she rebranded their meeting into a Hallmark special. “I can work with that. Certainly makes me sound better, much more like a knight in shining armor. And since it’s not some Nicholas Sparks shit the chances of either of us ending up in a coma or worse are at least low.” he said amusedly. It was a much more selfless take on what had transpired to say the least. Daniel was well aware of that but he couldn’t help but entertain the thought of him coming to the rescue for a second longer. Lifting his drink to his lips he took another sip before looking at her with a curious glint in his gaze.

“Alright I got an important question.” He began as he set down the glass once more. “If we’re going Hallmark special, what actress would you want to play you?” It was a silly question but it was a way of getting to know her better. At the very least, it was a way of peaking into the type of media that interested.

“Yes, your kind,” Alex reiterated, boldly sticking to her guns. “It’s less of a mouthful to say than ‘tall, fit and goddamn sexy.’” She may not have been as subtle of a flirt as other women—or subtle at all, for that matter—but she’d learned that quite a few men appreciated brazen compliments. They liked having their egos stroked just as much as girls did. Since she doubted she would ever see him again in her life, she had nothing to lose by being blunt either. If she had been out on a date or genuinely interested in pursuing a relationship with him or any other guy, she would have been a little more tactful, but all she wanted was the things his money could buy for her. It was hard to feel bad about leading him on to think she was after a one night stand when she hadn’t eaten in almost forty-eight hours.

She did find it curious that he insisted he didn’t go out much though. Daniel was too socially adept to be a recluse, so she guessed business was what got in the way of his other outings. Lucky me, she thought gleefully. Out of all the nights he could have chosen to hit the bars around Times Square, he had to pick the same time and place that she had. Now she really did feel like she’d won the bachelor lottery.

“Thank god for that,” she raised her glass when he talked about not being in a Nicholas Sparks flick. “Being in a coma sounds boring as hell. But if ‘something worse’ happened, I’d come back and haunt Chad’s dick, so he could never get laid again. He may not have shoved you up into his armpit, but let me tell you, he did not smell like daisies from an inch and a half away.” She wrinkled her nose for emphasis. If it had been any other guy, she might have felt bad for making him the butt of so many jokes, but she would never feel bad for mocking a braindead jock who thought he owned a woman after he bought her one drink.

Daniel’s following question may have caught any other homeless girl off guard, but Alex was quick on her feet. She may not have known the names of most current actors and actresses, but she’d watched a few movies before she’d been forced to uproot her life and take to the streets. She was also good at changing the subject. Without hesitating, she replied, “Jim Carrey.” Breaking into a grin, she held up her hands. “Okay, hear me out before you say anything. Hallmark movies are painful to watch, so wouldn’t you want to see one with Jim Carrey playing the lead female role? I know I would. The man is a comedy god.”

Leaning just close enough to him that their arms brushed, she met his gaze with a foxlike smile, “If we’re asking each other questions now, I’ve got a game for you… Would you rather be trapped inside a Hallmark movie or never get to watch another movie again for as long as you live?”

Daniel couldn't help but be both amused and charmed by the directness of the woman before him. Her boldness was well received and he tried not to let it go completely to his head. That was easier said than done though when a woman as attractive as Alex complimented him without filter. Most women he had encountered in the past hadn’t spoken so straight forward. While he hadn’t minded their more subtle approaches, Alex’s direct one was both refreshing and had him hoping that he was on the right track to wining her over for the night.

As she went on to answer his question, he raised an eyebrow as she gave a reply that he hadn’t seen coming in the slightest. The choice of Jim Carrey was a far out one and at first he didn’t know what to say in response. I guess her flaws revolve around her being strange.. He thought as he listened to her defend her ridiculous answer. Strange wasn’t bad though. At least not yet anyways. He smirked and shrugged his shoulders. “I guess so… It’s just going to be a weird situation when he’s paired up against Zac Efron.” he said with mock casualness as he opted to banter in response. Naturally, he had to chose Zac Efron. Daniel may not have been attracted to men but he knew an attractive face when he saw one. Of course, that made him Daniel’s go to for such questions like who he’d want to play him in a movie.

He flashed her playful wink before taking a final sip of his drink. Setting the empty glass down, he decided to wait before ordering another drink. While he had a decent tolerance to alcohol, it still wasn’t as much as most men his size. Thanks to his Chinese heritage, he was prone to what many might call an Asian glow. Really it was just an allergic reaction that caused him to be sensitive to certain compounds in alcohol that unfortunately vexed many that shared his ethnicity. Daniel was actually lucky to have a weaker case of it, much unlike his less fortunate sister who could be borderline drunk after finishing just one mild drink.

His dark gaze shifted back onto Alex as she leaned in closer to him. Daniel studied her for a moment as she posed a new question. “Well that one’s easy.” he chuckled. “I’d much rather never watch another movie. I mean, I still have tv shows, right?” They were much more his pace anyways. He enjoyed the longer stories versus the two hour ones. “Well, regardless, I think I’d like to avoid getting stuck in a Hallmark movie. Too much drama and much too slow pace.” He met her gaze with a coquettish smirk. Since she seemed to still be interested, he decided to flirt a little more obviously. “I like getting straight to the point. Especially when I know what I want.”

His dark gaze lingered on her olive green eyes for a moment longer before pulling away to eye the bar, silently debating ordering another drink. “Hallmark movies aside, what are your interests?” Daniel asked, deciding to be more direct now that his other question hadn’t revealed much of anything. “And if you answer Jim Carrey again, I will head for the door.” he added on a teasing note.

“I don’t know about that. Zac Efron made for a pretty hot woman when he did that skit with Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show,” Alex laughed. “Although I guess I see your point. This is starting to sound more like an all-out comedy than a Hallmark special. I guess romances movies just aren’t my speed.” She shrugged as she sipped her drink. Halfway into her second whiskey cocktail of the night on an empty stomach, she could tell she was getting a little loose-lipped. Whenever she got tipsy, she tended to find anything and everything amusing, and she minced her words even less than she did when she was sober. However, she wasn’t just babbling when she gave Daniel her ridiculous answer. She wanted to give him the impression that she wasn’t out looking for something long-term, so she was quick to imply that she wasn’t a romantic.

It was true, anyway. Even though she wasn’t looking for a hook-up either, she’d been a cynic about relationships ever since Matt. Love seemed to work for some people, but apparently, she wasn’t one of the lucky girls who found her soulmate and settled down to have three kids. If there were ‘plenty of fish in the sea,’ her first and only catch had been a great white, and she didn’t really feel like going fishing again. Besides, it wasn’t like she had a shot at ending up with one of the good ones now that she was a homeless tramp. She had more important things to worry about other than looking for someone to call her person.

When Daniel answered her question, she nodded her approval of the response he gave her. It had been years since the last time she’d watched something on TV, but she could appreciate the preference. She also took note of the flirtatious comment he made at the end, yet another sign that her odds of leaving the bar with him were looking good.

“Not bad, but I think I’d choose to be trapped inside a Hallmark movie,” she smirked. “No one said I had to be the main character, so I’d be the friend who deals with the dramatic phone calls and coffee dates every once in a while and spends the rest of my time doing whatever I damn well please.” Punctuating the remark with the last swig of her drink, she set her empty glass down next to his on the counter. “That means I, too, can set my own pace,” she added, casting him a coy look as she decided to let him know that she was on the same page as he was.

At his question, Alex made a face. “Just to set the record straight, I’ll have you know those movies are not an interest of mine.” Following the initial reply, she paused briefly. She supposed she could tell him about her real interests, but he’d just inadvertently opened the gate for her to start sliding in hints about what she was really after that evening. So, she brightened theatrically as she said, “If you really want to know, I’m kind of a foodie. I like exploring restaurants around the city and trying new dishes. It’s a lot of fun to visit five-star places or find a hole-in-the-wall spot that doesn’t give you food poisoning.”

Keeping up her “interest” in the topic, she followed up by asking him, “What about you? If you don’t get out much, what do you like to do in your spare time?”

As she pointed out that she didn’t have to be the main character, he shrugged his shoulders in response and listened amusedly as she explained her point of being a side character. He was about to refute by saying that the main character’s lives usually ended up affecting the rest of the cast but stopped himself as he caught her coy look as she matched his flirtatious words. Daniel raised an eyebrow at her and smiled, pleased to see that they were on the same page. So far, it seemed that this night out would prove to be much more exciting than he had originally thought it would.

“That’s fair.” Daniel said with a chuckle as she iterated that those movies were not an interest of hers. And thank god for that. Women that actually liked those movies were usually looking for some fairytale and while he could certainly play the part, Daniel preferred not to act like prince charming. It was less troublesome to pretend like he was going to sweep someone of their feet. Daniel was far from a classic romantic, though that wasn’t to say he didn’t believe in love. He did in fact but he considered himself more aware to the pain in the ass hardships that came with it. Real love wasn’t something to fool around.

As she went on to answer his question, he leaned his arm on the counter, facing her as he listened. Daniel was a bit surprised to learn that she was a foodie. Her thin figure aside, her personality just hadn’t struck him as the type. Although, he supposed that he likely didn’t strike people as a failed rock drummer so who was he to say anything. Instead, he smiled at how she brightened at the subject. “Can’t go wrong with good food.” he mused with a small nod. “Especially in this city. I’m sure you know some really good places then.”

When she flipped the question on him, Daniel paused. The time outside of work was usually spent doing activism work as a way to beef up his profile for when he eventually ran a campaign. However, he doubted that answer would sound very… interesting. This was a woman he was trying to reel in and while his business attire had helped, it would only help him so far. Talking about his work would likely dull her so he decided to go a different route. “Well, outside of working, I play drums. I actually used to be apart of a rock band back in high school.” he admitted with smirk.

His past band used to bring him quite a big feeling of disgrace but ever since he had manage to reroute his career path, he found that he looked back on it more fondly with only a small hint of lingering regret. Too bad that small regret was still latching on. Wanting to switch the subject before she could get the chance to ask about his interest, he met her gaze with playful curiosity. “While I’m sure my musical history is interesting, I’m more curious to learn what food places you’ve deemed the best, foodie.” he grinned.

“Mhm,” Alex pursed her lips in a thin smile as Daniel commented on her “hobby.” She did know quite a few good restaurants thanks to the men who’d come before him, taking her to gourmet spots around the city in their effort to impress her with fancy, expensive dinners. Her favorite dates were the ones in which they told her to order whatever she wanted and that money was no object. If they gave her the option to order the seafood special, she wouldn’t hesitate to take them up on it, even if they were shocked when their waitress set down a pound of lobster in front of her and she scarfed down the whole damn thing.

There was no hunger like the kind a person could develop when she only ate full meals a few days a week. Every once in a while, she stuffed herself so thoroughly that she made herself sick by the time she got back to the construction site she called home. It was hard for her to pace herself when she was veritably starving every time she sat down at a restaurant to eat, and her stomach always punished her for it harshly if or when she overindulged.

When Daniel told her that he was a drummer, she couldn’t stop the brief flicker of surprise that crossed her dusky features. She didn’t take the well-dressed businessman with the Rolex watch to be a rocker in his free time. It just went to show the many layers people could have underneath their polished exteriors. She wondered if he was any good. That he’d been in a band before seemed to mean he had at least some skill, but if the band hadn’t lasted, maybe they were just hobbyists looking for a way to kill time. She didn’t know very much about rock music either. Stuck with only Whitney’s basic playlist to borrow when she wanted to listen to anything, her familiarity wasn’t much broader than Selena Gomez. At least recently. Before she’d left home, she’d had a soft spot for blues.

Rock and roll evolved from blues, right? She mused passively. However, she didn’t have a chance to question him about the subject before he turned the spotlight of the conversation back onto her. Either he found her so-called hobby more interesting than she’d thought or he really didn’t want to discuss the answer he’d just given her. If she hadn’t had an ulterior motive, she might have pressed him for more details, but the fact of the matter was that he was just her wallet for the night. They were never going to see each other again in the overcrowded city of NYC. She needed to focus on getting the meal she was after, so all other subjects were moot.

“Oh man, that’s a hard one,” she folded her arms as she thought it over. “I used to live near Harlem, so Africa Kine will always have a special place in my heart. Closer to this place though…” She paused as if she had to think it over, even though she already had a couple places in mind that she wanted to try. She was still determined to get her Kobe beef dinner, after all. “Kaikagetsu and 212 Steakhouse are definitely at the top of my list. I like a bit of everything,” she added to explain the diverse choices. “Senegalese, American, Japanese… You name it, and I’ll eat it.”

Daniel was glad to see his change of subject didn’t go challenged as Alex moved on to think over her response to his question. His time as a musician was something he preferred not to speak to openly about. Especially when meeting a woman whom he wanted to win over. The failure he had experienced back then was surely unlikely to impress anyone. As she thought over her response, his gaze wandered across the bar towards were the rest of his friends were. Of course, he couldn’t see them through the bar much less the crowd but he couldn’t help but wondered what they made of his disappearance as well as Eric’s who hadn’t even stopped to say hello before hurrying off to flirt with someone random woman at the bar. Oh well, I’m sure they’re just fine without us. he assured himself before finally tuning back into what Alex was saying, catching her listing off a couple of nearby restaurant.

Though he didn’t eat out much himself, he was familiar with both Kaikagetsu and 212 Steakhouse. They were rather popular joints around the area and their food always lived up to their reputation. “Sounds like you have good taste.” he said with a small laugh. “212 Steakhouse has the best ribeye that I’ve had so far.” It had been ages since he had last gone out to the steakhouse—he believed the last time he was there had been a year or so ago to celebrate the success of one of his friends—that bringing it up now gave him a craving for it. The alcohol in his system likely also played a large part in fueling his desire since he hadn’t had much to eat before coming to the bar in the first place. Daniel drummed his finger tips briefly against the bar counter as his gaze glanced from their empty drinks over to the bartender, thinking over his current options.

“All that talk has me wondering if you’d like to grab a bite to eat with me?” Daniel asked, focusing his gaze back onto Alex and flashing her another charming smile. He sincerely hoped that she’d agree to go with him. Hunger aside, leaving the bar for food would feel like a step in the right direction to winning her interest enough to spend the night with her. She seemed interested in him already but Daniel had his doubts that they extended that far yet. As for the engagement party he left behind… well, he had already abandoned it so it was the furthest concern from his mind. “I was thinking 212 Steakhouse since you’ve got me craving a good steak now. Plus I figure it’d be rude to ignore your excellent suggestions and go somewhere else.”

Daniel paused, realizing she may not be eager to leave the bar just yet. The night was still fairly young after all and they hadn’t been talking for that long. Not wanting to seem like he was pushing to get her alone too fast, he decided to make her another offer to balance it out. “Or if you’d prefer, I could order us another round of drinks?” he asked with a gesture towards her empty glass.