DARK LONDON NIGHTS // sully from top boy

16 - stubborn

London
Oct. 1st

Nora looked at herself in the mirror of the ladies' room. It was Tuesday evening, the work day had been stressful but good. Heath was waiting for her outside and she wasn't sure if she was ready for this evening.

She had let Sully know what her plan for today was and his people were waiting at the bar where Heath was going to take her. They wanted to make sure she wasn't mocking them.

It was no wonder they didn't trust her. Nora was not very friendly towards them, probably her behavior could even be described as insolent and disrespectful. But she didn't care about that. She did what she had to do, and then hopefully she would never have to see these men again.

And as for her brothers - Nora was determined to visit them in prison soon and give them the biggest lecture of their lives.

Nora wore her pitch black hair in a high bun, shining in the harsh overhead light of the bathroom. Her make up was precise, her lips shone wine red and her dark skin glowed under the pink blush. She sprayed on some perfume and took a few deep breaths before grabbing her purse and stepping out into the hallway.

Heath was waiting at the elevator, looking joyfully toward her.

During the elevator ride, Heath talked about his day, his successes, his current cases. Once downstairs, he called them a cab, and in the cab he told her about his clients, about his summer home, and about his last vacation in Dubai.

Nora found it increasingly difficult to play the impressed woman. With every word that continued to come out of this man's mouth, it became increasingly clear what a superficial loser he was. How he bragged about his family's money and acted like it was his own success. How he talked Nora down to make himself look better. How his eyes kept slipping into her cleavage.

But Nora didn't lose her composure, kept expressing her admiration, and eventually they finally arrived at the bar.

They ordered wine and nachos and continued to talk about work. Heath seemed so enthusiastic about his own successes that Nora didn't have to do much at all to put him in a good mood. He was so enthusiastic about himself that Nora hardly even had to talk.

She let her gaze sweep unobtrusively around the room, looking for Dris or Dushane (this was the other man's name as she found out the other day) or any other shady, armed men who might be watching. No luck.

Instead, she saw none other than Sully himself, sitting in an alcove at the end of the room with a glass of whiskey and a cigarette. It was farther away, but he seemed to have a good view of her. Their eyes crossed. Nora quickly looked away.

She hadn't expected Sully to be watching her himself. He hadn't paid her any attention since their encounter yesterday in the bathroom. He was generally very cold and harsh toward her. She just never knew what was going on in his head. Once she thought she was in control for a few minutes, he would say something again that made her feel like he was playing her. It was like they were constantly fighting over who had the upper hand. But Nora knew she was too stubborn to give in.

She turned her attention back to Heath's words, which she had successfully tuned out for the last two minutes.

To her horror, his monologue now seemed to have turned political. He was rambling something about foreigners and them taking jobs when Nora decided that now was the time to interrupt this idiot before more of her brain cells died from listening to him.

"Is it too much to ask for your help?" she said with a smile.

"No, absolutely not. I'd be happy to help you with one of your clients, you just have to put me in the picture"

"It's not about a client, but rather...", Nora searched for the right words. "About a private problem".

Now his interest was even more piqued and Nora was startled to find that Heath had moved a little closer to her.

She took a deep breath

Then Nora looked at him, playfully embarrassed, and put her hand on his arm. Immediately she noticed how he flexed his muscles. What a moron.

"I want to buy a car I really need, but I just don't have enough money. I'm not in such a high position as you yet, but I really need it to manage my commute," she started to tell with wide eyes and naive look. "Besides, I'm from a socially weaker family, you know. My mother would be so proud of me"

Heath nodded.

"I just don't want to burden her. I was going to ask you if you could lend me some money to make the down payment"

She let her thumb brush over his wrist.

He looked at her hand.

Then everything happened very quickly.

He pressed his lips against hers. Nora tensed up and looked at him in complete shock, but his eyes were closed and his sausage fingers were, to her horror, in her hair. His lips were dry and brittle, he didn't move them against hers, they just laid on hers for an uncomfortably long time while his hand tangled in her curls.

The disrespect she felt for herself was unreal.
After a few more seconds, he pulled back and lifted her hand firmly.

"Of course," he breathed, and Nora smiled victoriously through her pain.

Her smile faded in seconds as her gaze wandered away from Heath and immediately met Sully's, who was still watching them from across the room. He was leaning back, puffing on a cigarette.

Nora had completely forgotten about him.
His look was cold and almost angry. He blew the smoke into the air, looking at her for an outrageously long time.

Nora broke eye contact as Heath stood up and lifted her coat toward her. Nora slipped into it.

Then they left the bar.