Alluring Challenge -- Red Wine (KR crossover, PG)
Okay, here's my response to the alluring challenge. Yes, I'm cheating. ;-) This is the opening scene of a WIP I've had around for a long time now. Maybe someday I'll finish it.
Title: Red Wine (just for this scene, it will get its real title later)
Author: knightshade
Rating: PG (for now, might get to R)
Disclaimer: I don't own Devon. I also don't own Darya, although, I did come up with her name.
"Hey, pretty,
Don't you want to take a ride with me,
Through my world."
-Hey Pretty, Poe
The hotel bar was filled, but not crowded. There were still a couple of empty tables and several scattered stools around the U-shaped bar. The shiny marbled wall and the mirrored surface on the bar reflected the light in the room, making it brighter than the typical drinking establishment. The glasses were all hung in neat rows overhead and there was a constant, pleasant clinking sound as the black and white clad bartenders pulled them down to fill orders.
Despite the constant din of friendly chatter, and the in and out bustle of people, Devon Miles found it easier to work in the bar than his room. In his room, there were too many interruptions. The phone was always ringing and there were always old friends and acquaintances knocking, so he found it expedient to hide in the one place few people thought to look for him. Most of the people who had the time for reminiscing had gone out for dinner, making it unlikely that anyone he knew would discover him here.
Devon paused from his work to sip from the glass of expensive cognac sitting in front of him. It was his second and he had been nursing it for quite a while. He had bought two glasses of very expensive liquor and had tipped the bartender handsomely, so no one had complained about him taking up space for so long. Devon glanced back down at a particularly vexing paragraph in his presentation. He had been too busy to spend the proper time to polish his speech, and now here he was at the last minute trying to get it done. The trick was to put just the right spin on the Foundation for Law and Government's involvement in artificial intelligence research. Every year the Foundation attended the International Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Conference and every year he ended up tiptoeing around just how much to expose.
Devon was only dimly aware that someone had come up next to him to place an order, until he heard the woman speak. She had a subtle British accent, much like his own. He looked up just in time to see a beautiful young woman with curly black hair spill a glass of red wine all over his presentation.
"Oh, excuse me. I'm very sorry," the woman said. Devon quickly located his napkin and mopped up the red liquid.
"It's quite all right, really," Devon replied and smiled at the woman's surprise. "It isn't often that I get spilled on by someone from the old country."
She turned her head and studied him for a moment. "Yes, I'm sure that is rare." She held out her hand. "Darya Leh Selvowe. It's lovely to meet you."
"Devon Miles." Devon extended his hand and for the first time took a good look at Darya. She had alluringly large eyes and delicate features. Her conservative, but elegant red dress stood out in the crowd around the bar. If Devon were any judge of age, he would have guessed her for late twenties or early thirties.
"So what brings you to the colonies?" she asked good-naturedly.
"I've been here quite a while actually. A good friend of mine asked me to help him start a company. And you?"
"I love London, but I needed to get out and see a little more of the world. Washington, DC seemed as good a place to start as anywhere."
Devon nodded politely. The bartender brought over more napkins and another glass of wine for Darya. She looked down at the red stains across Devon's pages. "I'm terribly sorry about your papers."
"Not to worry, my dear. I prefer to make all my changes on actual paper, but the original is still safe on my computer."
"Anything interesting?" she asked.
"Oh, it's a presentation for the Artificial Intelligence Conference that's being held here this week." Devon was surprised when she set down her glass of wine and took the empty seat next to him.
"Artificial intelligence? That sounds like a very interesting field. Are you an engineer?"
"No," Devon laughed. "My company does research in that area. I'm afraid I have to leave the real work to the experts."
Darya smiled and took a sip of her wine.
"So what field are you in?" Devon asked politely.
"I've been in sales for the last few years. It's wonderful work, but I get tired of living out of hotels sometimes."
"Yes, I know the feeling," Devon said as he started to collect his papers. She was a very nice girl, but he really didn't have time for idle chitchat. "It's been a pleasure talking with you, but I really must have this presentation ready by morning." Devon glanced up to find Darya looking him directly in the eye.
"Well, I am in sales. If you'd like, maybe I could help you with it. I probably wouldn't understand much, but it might be fun. We could have a few drinks?"
Devon paused, a little shocked at the seductive quality of her tone. He couldn't help but be flattered by the attentions of a beautiful woman, but he knew this was a dead end and he knew enough to leave it alone. "I appreciate the offer, Ms. Selvowe, but I think I'll just be putting the final touches on it and calling it a night. It was a pleasure talking with you though." On impulse, Devon took her hand and kissed the back of it, before turning to leave the bar, a part of him wishing he were many years younger.
'Darya' watched as Miles made his way through the lobby, and stopped to wait for the elevator. She sighed and moved the syringe of Sodium Pentothal from its hiding place in her sleeve to her purse. She briefly entertained the idea of going after him and giving him the drug anyway, but quickly decided against it. She couldn't risk anyone seeing her inject him. She knew this approach had been a long shot anyway, but she had seen Miles sitting in the bar by himself and had impulsively decided to change her plans. She needed to find out what that man knew, and any opportunity was worth taking, even if it now meant that she was going to have to use a more indirect approach.
The elevator came, and Devon Miles disappeared into it. The woman at the bar finished her glass of wine and grabbed her purse to leave. She mused that if the rumors were true, then what that man had was worth its weight in gold.
To Be Continued . . .
Title: Red Wine (just for this scene, it will get its real title later)
Author: knightshade
Rating: PG (for now, might get to R)
Disclaimer: I don't own Devon. I also don't own Darya, although, I did come up with her name.
"Hey, pretty,
Don't you want to take a ride with me,
Through my world."
-Hey Pretty, Poe
The hotel bar was filled, but not crowded. There were still a couple of empty tables and several scattered stools around the U-shaped bar. The shiny marbled wall and the mirrored surface on the bar reflected the light in the room, making it brighter than the typical drinking establishment. The glasses were all hung in neat rows overhead and there was a constant, pleasant clinking sound as the black and white clad bartenders pulled them down to fill orders.
Despite the constant din of friendly chatter, and the in and out bustle of people, Devon Miles found it easier to work in the bar than his room. In his room, there were too many interruptions. The phone was always ringing and there were always old friends and acquaintances knocking, so he found it expedient to hide in the one place few people thought to look for him. Most of the people who had the time for reminiscing had gone out for dinner, making it unlikely that anyone he knew would discover him here.
Devon paused from his work to sip from the glass of expensive cognac sitting in front of him. It was his second and he had been nursing it for quite a while. He had bought two glasses of very expensive liquor and had tipped the bartender handsomely, so no one had complained about him taking up space for so long. Devon glanced back down at a particularly vexing paragraph in his presentation. He had been too busy to spend the proper time to polish his speech, and now here he was at the last minute trying to get it done. The trick was to put just the right spin on the Foundation for Law and Government's involvement in artificial intelligence research. Every year the Foundation attended the International Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Conference and every year he ended up tiptoeing around just how much to expose.
Devon was only dimly aware that someone had come up next to him to place an order, until he heard the woman speak. She had a subtle British accent, much like his own. He looked up just in time to see a beautiful young woman with curly black hair spill a glass of red wine all over his presentation.
"Oh, excuse me. I'm very sorry," the woman said. Devon quickly located his napkin and mopped up the red liquid.
"It's quite all right, really," Devon replied and smiled at the woman's surprise. "It isn't often that I get spilled on by someone from the old country."
She turned her head and studied him for a moment. "Yes, I'm sure that is rare." She held out her hand. "Darya Leh Selvowe. It's lovely to meet you."
"Devon Miles." Devon extended his hand and for the first time took a good look at Darya. She had alluringly large eyes and delicate features. Her conservative, but elegant red dress stood out in the crowd around the bar. If Devon were any judge of age, he would have guessed her for late twenties or early thirties.
"So what brings you to the colonies?" she asked good-naturedly.
"I've been here quite a while actually. A good friend of mine asked me to help him start a company. And you?"
"I love London, but I needed to get out and see a little more of the world. Washington, DC seemed as good a place to start as anywhere."
Devon nodded politely. The bartender brought over more napkins and another glass of wine for Darya. She looked down at the red stains across Devon's pages. "I'm terribly sorry about your papers."
"Not to worry, my dear. I prefer to make all my changes on actual paper, but the original is still safe on my computer."
"Anything interesting?" she asked.
"Oh, it's a presentation for the Artificial Intelligence Conference that's being held here this week." Devon was surprised when she set down her glass of wine and took the empty seat next to him.
"Artificial intelligence? That sounds like a very interesting field. Are you an engineer?"
"No," Devon laughed. "My company does research in that area. I'm afraid I have to leave the real work to the experts."
Darya smiled and took a sip of her wine.
"So what field are you in?" Devon asked politely.
"I've been in sales for the last few years. It's wonderful work, but I get tired of living out of hotels sometimes."
"Yes, I know the feeling," Devon said as he started to collect his papers. She was a very nice girl, but he really didn't have time for idle chitchat. "It's been a pleasure talking with you, but I really must have this presentation ready by morning." Devon glanced up to find Darya looking him directly in the eye.
"Well, I am in sales. If you'd like, maybe I could help you with it. I probably wouldn't understand much, but it might be fun. We could have a few drinks?"
Devon paused, a little shocked at the seductive quality of her tone. He couldn't help but be flattered by the attentions of a beautiful woman, but he knew this was a dead end and he knew enough to leave it alone. "I appreciate the offer, Ms. Selvowe, but I think I'll just be putting the final touches on it and calling it a night. It was a pleasure talking with you though." On impulse, Devon took her hand and kissed the back of it, before turning to leave the bar, a part of him wishing he were many years younger.
'Darya' watched as Miles made his way through the lobby, and stopped to wait for the elevator. She sighed and moved the syringe of Sodium Pentothal from its hiding place in her sleeve to her purse. She briefly entertained the idea of going after him and giving him the drug anyway, but quickly decided against it. She couldn't risk anyone seeing her inject him. She knew this approach had been a long shot anyway, but she had seen Miles sitting in the bar by himself and had impulsively decided to change her plans. She needed to find out what that man knew, and any opportunity was worth taking, even if it now meant that she was going to have to use a more indirect approach.
The elevator came, and Devon Miles disappeared into it. The woman at the bar finished her glass of wine and grabbed her purse to leave. She mused that if the rumors were true, then what that man had was worth its weight in gold.
To Be Continued . . .