The Heart Of You ♚ Jim Moriarty

Two

Jim held her hand for a moment longer than he intended. They were warm and smooth, he couldn't help himself. Blush crept over Alaina's cheeks but she didn't pull away. She took the seat next to him and they sat chatting for a few minutes.

"What do you think of this place?" Jim asked watching her over the rim of his glass. In a moment he would need another one.

"Oh, I don't know. I don't really have anything to compare it to." Alaina held her glass although her drink was practically untouched.

"Do you think it would be a smart business investment?"

Alaina glanced at him but had to look down in an instant. Every time their eyes locked her toes tingled and a smile wiggled its way on her fresh lips.

"So you're a businessman?" This explained his appearance, the expensive suit and his sharp tongue. She peeked at the light stubble that powdered his strong jaw and felt a tickle at her lips.

"In a way," he hummed.

When the bar tender came back and replaced Jim's drink she also brought Alaina a new one to try. This one was pink and had a cherry lounging at the bottom. Hesitantly she took a drink but found this one better than the last. As she drank more the feeling in her toes came back and eventually she found she could face Jim with a new giddiness.

"What makes you want to invest in this place?" Her nose crinkled when she asked.

The bourbon was hitting Jim quicker than usual. His head was light and he was finding it incredibly hard not to smile at the young woman next to him. That was all it was though, he assured himself. He was acting strange because of the booze. The pair of them were close enough to each other that when Alaina flipped her nutmeg hair over her naked shoulder Jim inhaled its deep scent. A floral aroma hovered beneath his nose. It's funny how certain moments are triggers for long forgotten memories. Ones buried so deep we can't remember them on our own. Jim breathed in as much as he could, filling every inch of his lungs with her smell. He remembered the flower garden his mother used to nurse in the backyard of their red house. How he would go out with a basket after breakfast so she could gather the ones she wanted to sell. Sometimes, if he was good, he would help lay the seeds and then use his hands to cover them.

Jim pushed the memory away, but before answering he checked under his finger nails for dirt.

"To be honest I've never had an interest in investing." Jim confided. "However, my client is the owner and he offered me this club as half his payment for my service. I figured it wouldn't hurt to look around before deciding." He was acting completely out of character tonight. He never shared this type of information, especially with a stranger. Alaina started in on her drink again and Jim tried to stop smirking.

"I'm glad I did."

"Wait, you said a client offered you this place as payment?"

"Half," he corrected.

"What is it you do exactly?" She leaned towards him and held her head with her palm, a curious glint behind her eyes. Jim cursed in the back of his mind. This was exactly why he kept to himself. Too many questions. There was no way he could tell her, no reason she needed to know.

He mimicked her and leaned forward, close enough now he only needed to whisper. Alaina's eyes were the same shade as his bourbon and so round they reminded him of coins. Two perfect coins sitting on her rose tinted cheeks.

"If I told you," his whisper was rough in his throat. "I'd have to kill you."

Alaina's laugh wasn't loud but it somehow filled the area around them, pushing away all the other voices occupying the space until she was satisfied and ended in a giggle. The musical notes didn't spark a deep rooted memory, but he wanted to hear it again.