just_muse_me | 14.3.1. Read between the lines...
14.3.1. Read between the lines...
Co-written with withlightson
[Follows THIS]
Kara watched Harri and Marc walk away with a small smile on her lips. Truth was in all the time she'd worked for Harri she'd never really seen her boss happy with a man. Her boss had been a maneater for lack of a better term, and Kara supposed she understood it. When you looked like Harri with legs that went on forever, why the hell wouldn't you fuck your way through the male population. Speaking of...
Her gaze returned to Alex, the very hot, tall, and naughty doctor. "So about taking your shirt off..."
Alex ran his tongue slowly across the inside of his cheek as that unreadable, mischievous smile appeared on his lips again. "It's awfully presumptuous of you, Miss Kara, to assume I'm such a naughty boy. I'm totally innocent. No sex before marriage." He coughed, as if the words choked him.
Kara raised her eyebrows as she folded her arms under her chest and cocked her hip. "Oh, really? You know, it'd be more believable if you didn't have that smile on your face. And please don't call me Miss Kara. Makes me feel like a teacher, and not the sexy kind."
"One must resort to drastic measures when one is not privy to one's surname," Alex pointed out. His hands were still in his pockets and they likely wouldn't come out. At least, not on this encounter. "This is how I smile at my patients. I doubt they think I'm naughty. They just want to know if I prefer Ninja Turtles or Transformers. I host a mean Barbie tea party, though."
"Well, one needs to pay more attention in the first five minutes instead of thinking about your cock," Kara retorted as she looked at him. "Harvey. Kara Harvey. And if that's how you smile at patients, I can see why their moms would keep dragging them back to see you. A Barbie tea party, huh?"
Alex watched her closely, still smirking. "A man of many innocent talents," he assured her. "You'd be amazed what you can get a kid to cooperate with if you remember their Barbies' names and know what their dog did on their birthday. It's all about listening and observing. In this day and age, people don't listen to other people enough. We're always too busy."
"I'm trying to remember the last conversation I had with a guy who listened, or even asked me what my Barbies' names were... but then I'm not a kid, am I? I'm also just a little guilty of not listening lately, but I promise you have my ears at attention now." Kara tucked some her hair behind her ears. "So why kids?"
Alex wondered what she would say if she knew what he was really dealing with. "Innocence. Honesty..." He paused for a moment. Opposite to crims, he added silently in his head. "I love kids. Granted, it's a difficult job working with seriously ill kids, but they're still kids beyond the disease and sickness. They still care about their dog more than their older brothers and they still want to play with their toys. Let's just say I can relate because I'm harbouring an immature brain," he added, lightening the mood a little.
Kara laughed softly and gave a nod. "I think I can see Marc wanting to agree with that last statement. He really looked like he wanted to take you over his knee and smack you. What exactly have you been doing to rub him up the wrong way?" Although from what she heard, it probably wasn't hard. There had been the fight between him and Harri the night of the Razor Christmas party.
"He's actually my boss, technically," Alex explained, choosing his words carefully. "Not at the hospital, but with my job working with his company. I didn't realise he was my boss when I met him and I may have said a few things that you totally don't say to your boss, or anyone you want to stay on side with. I think he's actually a really cool guy, if everything I've heard is true. Marcus Fraser is someone you never make the mistake of taking on face value. Still, now I have to eat my own ass and try to get back on his good side because I'll be spending a lot of time working with him in the coming months."
Kara looked impressed. "Marc never sounded like anyone who hired very lightly. He must have seen something in you to make him want to work with you. I suppose you'll just have to remind him of whatever that was. And failing that, I'm sure he wouldn't say no to a pound of flesh, a drink, and maybe your soul," she teased lightly. "I'm trying to remember exactly what I said to Harri when I first met her, because I think we started on the wrong foot as well, but more because I insulted her art director at the time. He really was an asshole though, and she soon realised I was only speaking truth. Very, atrociously, tactless truth."
Alex ran his tongue along his upper lip and laughed. "I was actually told Marc was dating a hooker and offered that information to him. My soul. He's going to suck out my soul like that scary-assed thing in Harry Potter. I'm going to have to rescue him from being hit by a bus or something to prove my worth. And I like atrocious lack of tact in a woman. It means they aren't running on empty in the brains department."
Kara snorted as she rolled her eyes. "You're lucky Harri hasn't ripped off your balls yet. She will though when she hears. She is no hooker, that's for sure. She did used to enjoy a very populated sex life until Marc came along. It's been interesting watching her adapt to being in a relationship. I don't know about a bus, but I think there will defintiely need to be some life saving." Kara laughed. "Lucky for me then, huh? I'm the youngest and have two older brothers. Tact was never going to be in my genetics."
"This is the first she or I know about each other," Alex revealed. "There will be time enough for her to rip off my balls. Hell, they can have one each as a mirror ornament. I don't know much about Marc beyond the fact he's the epitome of a male slut. A high profile male slut. Someone could write a book on his sex life. I'm a middle child, but really the oldest now. I love my family. Hopefully I can pull off parenting as well as my Mom and Dad one day."
Kara's eyebrow lifted in interest. "So you do want children." She filed that little tidbit away for future reference. "Marc was most definitely a high profile slut. They both were, so it's really quite something for them to have stopped in order to be together. First time I've met him, so I guess we're even."
Alex laughed. "I'm a kid doctor. Of course I want one of my own some day. Just right now, inconvenient as all ass. I hardly have time to jerk off these days." He walked around a little, his pace slow as he looked at some photos lining the mantel. That was something Marc lacked, as one does when you kill yourself off and take on a whole new life. He made a mental note to not-so-tactfully tell Marc he needed some pictures of him and Harri, with maybe a sweet picture of his new partner to brighten the room. That would go down like a dose of laxatives in a chilli milkshake.
"Sometimes people work with kids because they don't want their own. It's weird, but it happens." Kara couldn't help but smirk as she watched him, eyes focusing on his ass for just a moment. A very lingering moment. "You should get someone to help you jerk off. I'm sure there'd be someone willing to assist while you finish paperwork, or something. It wouldn't be right to do it in front of the sick children."
"Yeah, freaks," Alex couldn't help but snort. "What sort of person likes kids and doesn't want their own?" He turned around and smirked at her, catching the line of her sight. "My housekeeper is a middle-aged gay drag queen. I'm sure he would oblige."
"Probably the female kind that doesn't want to ruin her figure?" Kara asked as she managed a sheepish smile at being caught. "I'm sure he would, but the question is whether or not you'd enjoy it."
Alex just raised an eyebrow. "Who wants to look as horrific as Madonna in her middle age? Gravity is going to take over us all at some stage. A woman's body is made to carry a child. It's the men that should be more supportive of that." He tilted his head. "Yeah, my body isn't always as cooperative as I like to think it is."
Her tongue slipped out as she pulled a face. "Fuck, no one! God, she looks awful now. All gristle and bone. Personally I am all for the support and not making men carry the babies. I can't really get a pregnant Arnie out of my head when I think of guys giving birth." Kara's eyebrows went up. "Oh?"
Alex scrunched his nose up. "There is a reason guys weren't given the uterus. It's called Man Flu. The woman would end up beating us to death before the birth and the human race would die out from lack of procreation." He just smirked at her again. "Oh," he confirmed.
Kara laughed as she thought of her brothers suffering Man Flu. Yeah, she'd maybe been guilty of hitting of them a couple of times. "Good point. That alone is reason enough to argue against equality of that kind." She ducked her head and touched her fingers to her forehead as she shifted her weight onto the other foot. "So not going to ask... or think on it too much. First meeting after all."
"Probably the safe option," Alex agreed, amused. First meeting was right. He didn't know her any better than he knew the doorman's big toe. Hell, he hardly knew Marc and only had case briefs to work on in that sense. He was treading water comfortably right now. Patience was a virtue and all that shit. "So, have you known Harri for awhile?"
She nodded. "Few years, she gave me my big break, really. We've always been able to talk and be comfortable with each other. Actually helps at work since she's just as tactless when she has something to say."
"What do you do for her again?" Alex asked and leant against a nearby armchair. "My life is transitioning right now. I've been tied up in a lot of different things. I'm looking forward to at least having a stable base for a little while, even though I'm yet to find out if Princeton is my scene."
"Princeton's not that far away. Not like you couldn't drive back if you got bored with the night scene," Kara reasoned. "I'm her head graphic designer. Basically I make it all look pretty, and artistic."
Alex nodded slowly. "Very impressive. I can't say I've ever read the magazine. I have very little to do with women's fashion beyond wondering how it comes off," he admitted, but it was also a blatant untruth. He had read Razor in the course of his work and was familiar with the company. "I did have a twelve year old patient once who read it religiously, though. I wondered about the logistics of that. Should she even know what a suspender belt is?" he laughed.
Kara laughed and shook her head. "No, she really shouldn't. That's kind of below our target demographic. I'm not offended if you've never read it. Most guys wouldn't read a woman's fashion magazine which is cool. Although, I'd like to think some of our underwear shots have more class and appeal than Playboy these days. But that's just me."
"You realise class and appeal are the last things guys are seeing when they look at underwear adverts, right?" Alex laughed, shaking his head. "There we go. That Venus and Mars factor again. I'm sure women are hardly looking at the tautness of the elastic waist when they look at male underwear ads, either, however."
Kara shrugged and waved a hand as if indicating an underwear model that wasn't there. "Well, alright... so maybe I just think our models are better looking? I don't know how you mean can possibly get turned on by fake breasts that look like overblown balloons."
"Maybe I'm an ass guy," Alex sniggered. "Or legs. Would you not fuck a guy if he had a hairpiece or caps?"
Kara tilted her head. "Would you like a woman with ass implants? And I don't know... would the hairpiece come off during the sex?"
"Ass implants aren't as regular in our society as push-up bras these days," Alex pointed out reasonably. "You live in a place like LA and swearing off fucking fake boobs is just like deciding to become celibate. Someone with fake boobs can still be a nice person who just hates themselves physically." He smirked. "Depends how hot you got, huh? He might be a bit of a tiger and you wake up with it on your face. Now fake boobs don't sound so squeamish, do they?"
"Just painful," Kara answered as she scrunched her face up. She cupped her own, non-push up bra enhanced natural breasts and waggled her eyebrows at him. "I'd still rather have the real thing. Hairpieces can't be helped. Massacring your body can. However, if we are talking things on my face I really don't mind a guy with a porno moustache."
Alex's eyebrows rose and he smirked. "I think I'll stick to fake boobs, but who am I to judge a moustache? We can't all be blessed with taste."
Kara giggled as she let her hands drop back to her sides. "Blame having to watch my brothers' porn stash. I'm surprised I don't automatically like pizza delivery boys."
"You had to watch your brother's porn stash?" Alex laughed. "Did he tie you to the chair and threaten to shave your eyebrows off? I spent a good portion of my late teens and twenties trying to creatively hide my porn stash from my sister."
Kara rolled her eyes playfully as she laughed. "You always jump on wording so readily? I didn't have to in that I was strapped to a chair, but I did have to in that my brothers' stash was about as creative as I wanted to get in finding porn. They weren't so good with the hiding, and pretty much told me to watch whenever."
"I'm good at reading between the lines," Alex offered. Though, it was more the fact he was trained to hear about ten different meanings in any one speech pattern. It was amazing how often people meant things in a literal sense. "And they were into pizza delivery boys, huh?"
"Ah, well... that's a little less annoying." Kara shook her head as she moved around and smoothed her hands down the back of her skirt. "No, no. They were into the blondes that wanted to pay in services rendered for the pizza."
Alex just continued to smirk at her. "And you liked that too? Is that where your graphic design skills stem from?"
Kara shrugged a little as she swept her hair over her shoulder and faced him again. "I guess so. The liking it, not that that was where my skills came from. I am a woman of many interests, doctor. My graphic design skills came from owning an Etch-a-Sketch when I was a kid. And collages of all my posters."
"Hey, I owned one of those too. I used to just draw boobs on them until Mom found me one day and took it off me," Alex laughed. "I'm not exactly what one would call artistic. My skills came from wanting to do too much at once and never really knowing how to properly make up my mind."
She laughed as well, already imaginging the scene in her head. "But with doctoring you do find that you are able to properly make up your mind?"
The bridge of Alex's nose scrunched up a little before he answered. "We-ell, yes and no," he told her. "Kind of fell into that, too. I'm actually a qualified psychologist. I just went on to do an internship in Peds."
Kara just stared at him for a long moment before her mouth dropped open. "Who the fuck are you, Superman? Do you wear your undies on the outside at work?"
If only she knew... "No, I save that only for social events," he said with feigned seriousness. "It's more living with a restless nature. I get bored easily." Or something like that, he added silently to himself.
"Then it must take something pretty special to hold your attention." It wasn't a comment aimed at herself, but she was kind of thinking about what it would take for him to be interested in someone past a couple of fucks if he really was that restless. "Still pretty amazing you've been able to utilise your nature so effectively."
Alex wet his lips around another smile. "Quite," he agreed. "I'm lucky with the opportunities I've had... have," he corrected. "Scoring this current job was great. I know it's going to keep me busy. But what about you? What keeps you busy beyond your computer screen at work?"
"Pretty much anything artistic. I don't just use a computer screen. I'd be a shit artist if that was all it came down to. It think that's what's missing out of a lot of modern graphic design. Everyone seems to have forgotten how to draw, or paint, or just use paper and a pencil, you know? I like to go out when I can, hit the clubs. More for the dancing than the drinking. And sometimes a guy keeps me busy, but not right now."
"Sounds a lot like medicine," Alex agreed. He glanced up the hall. Was he hearing sex noises or was that the air conditioning. Fuck. If Marcus Fraser was getting fucked, it so was not fair. Weren't they on the clock with work? Still, maybe it would help dislodge that bug up his ass? "I'm supposed to believe your single?" he laughed. "Wow, there is hope in life yet."
"You guys use paper and a pencil a lot?" Kara asked with a grin. She heard the noises too, and cleared her throat quietly as she tried not to look at Alex's ass again. "Yeah, you're supposed to believe I'm single. Hope, huh? Does that mean you see something you like?"
Alex nodded. "Yep. And that's where our problem is. Too much documentation, nurses doing more and more of the hands on. It's a shame." His hands were still in his pockets and he made sure he kept his face impassive. "It means I'm glad to hear not all females in New York are taken or lesbians," he said. He couldn't let a flirtation distract him the day he was walking onto a new case under a new guise. Plus, he was going to be living in Princeton. She was here. Hardly convenient for a fling.
Kara's nose crinkled in distaste. "Ugh. Paperwork kills everything, I swear. No job can ever get done with the amount of paperwork they think up for it." She gave a nod in understanding, and tried not to look hurt. The Princeton thing hadn't escaped her mind, but still... wasn't like it was a long drive. Oh, well, just another missed opportunity. She was getting used to those. What was one more? "No, not all of us are taken, or lesbians. Some of us females are still single and straight."
"That's really good to hear," Alex smiled, his eyes still holding her gaze. "You'll thank me for that. Long distance is... fucked, basically. Trust me, I'm a doctor."
Kara tilted her head. "I'll remember that the next time I meet someone cute and find out they're leaving town that day. Still nice to meet you, doctor."
Alex smirked. "Never underestimate the power of fate. If we're meant to meet again, we will. And I'll take you for a drink."
Kara smiled. "You better keep that promise, or else you're really going to throw that trust line out the window."
"So, you do trust me?" Alex took his hands out of his pockets and folded his arms across him. "You really shouldn't."
"You just told me to," she pointed with a confused look. "And frankly, I have no idea. Guess we'll see if that drink ever happens."
Alex just laughed, shaking his head. "Would you launch yourself out of one of these windows if I told you to? Never trust strangers, love. Never. Get to know them first," he added pointedly and then reached into his pocket to pull out a business card with his details. "If you ever find yourself in Princeton."
Kara took the card with a smile. "Fuck off, I launch myself out of a window for no one. Not unless there's a bungee cord. Me and jumping of any sort don't always end well. Thanks for the card. If I am ever in Princeton consider it used."
- agentfraser & straight2point referenced with permission
Word Count | 3,584
Co-written with withlightson
[Follows THIS]
Kara watched Harri and Marc walk away with a small smile on her lips. Truth was in all the time she'd worked for Harri she'd never really seen her boss happy with a man. Her boss had been a maneater for lack of a better term, and Kara supposed she understood it. When you looked like Harri with legs that went on forever, why the hell wouldn't you fuck your way through the male population. Speaking of...
Her gaze returned to Alex, the very hot, tall, and naughty doctor. "So about taking your shirt off..."
Alex ran his tongue slowly across the inside of his cheek as that unreadable, mischievous smile appeared on his lips again. "It's awfully presumptuous of you, Miss Kara, to assume I'm such a naughty boy. I'm totally innocent. No sex before marriage." He coughed, as if the words choked him.
Kara raised her eyebrows as she folded her arms under her chest and cocked her hip. "Oh, really? You know, it'd be more believable if you didn't have that smile on your face. And please don't call me Miss Kara. Makes me feel like a teacher, and not the sexy kind."
"One must resort to drastic measures when one is not privy to one's surname," Alex pointed out. His hands were still in his pockets and they likely wouldn't come out. At least, not on this encounter. "This is how I smile at my patients. I doubt they think I'm naughty. They just want to know if I prefer Ninja Turtles or Transformers. I host a mean Barbie tea party, though."
"Well, one needs to pay more attention in the first five minutes instead of thinking about your cock," Kara retorted as she looked at him. "Harvey. Kara Harvey. And if that's how you smile at patients, I can see why their moms would keep dragging them back to see you. A Barbie tea party, huh?"
Alex watched her closely, still smirking. "A man of many innocent talents," he assured her. "You'd be amazed what you can get a kid to cooperate with if you remember their Barbies' names and know what their dog did on their birthday. It's all about listening and observing. In this day and age, people don't listen to other people enough. We're always too busy."
"I'm trying to remember the last conversation I had with a guy who listened, or even asked me what my Barbies' names were... but then I'm not a kid, am I? I'm also just a little guilty of not listening lately, but I promise you have my ears at attention now." Kara tucked some her hair behind her ears. "So why kids?"
Alex wondered what she would say if she knew what he was really dealing with. "Innocence. Honesty..." He paused for a moment. Opposite to crims, he added silently in his head. "I love kids. Granted, it's a difficult job working with seriously ill kids, but they're still kids beyond the disease and sickness. They still care about their dog more than their older brothers and they still want to play with their toys. Let's just say I can relate because I'm harbouring an immature brain," he added, lightening the mood a little.
Kara laughed softly and gave a nod. "I think I can see Marc wanting to agree with that last statement. He really looked like he wanted to take you over his knee and smack you. What exactly have you been doing to rub him up the wrong way?" Although from what she heard, it probably wasn't hard. There had been the fight between him and Harri the night of the Razor Christmas party.
"He's actually my boss, technically," Alex explained, choosing his words carefully. "Not at the hospital, but with my job working with his company. I didn't realise he was my boss when I met him and I may have said a few things that you totally don't say to your boss, or anyone you want to stay on side with. I think he's actually a really cool guy, if everything I've heard is true. Marcus Fraser is someone you never make the mistake of taking on face value. Still, now I have to eat my own ass and try to get back on his good side because I'll be spending a lot of time working with him in the coming months."
Kara looked impressed. "Marc never sounded like anyone who hired very lightly. He must have seen something in you to make him want to work with you. I suppose you'll just have to remind him of whatever that was. And failing that, I'm sure he wouldn't say no to a pound of flesh, a drink, and maybe your soul," she teased lightly. "I'm trying to remember exactly what I said to Harri when I first met her, because I think we started on the wrong foot as well, but more because I insulted her art director at the time. He really was an asshole though, and she soon realised I was only speaking truth. Very, atrociously, tactless truth."
Alex ran his tongue along his upper lip and laughed. "I was actually told Marc was dating a hooker and offered that information to him. My soul. He's going to suck out my soul like that scary-assed thing in Harry Potter. I'm going to have to rescue him from being hit by a bus or something to prove my worth. And I like atrocious lack of tact in a woman. It means they aren't running on empty in the brains department."
Kara snorted as she rolled her eyes. "You're lucky Harri hasn't ripped off your balls yet. She will though when she hears. She is no hooker, that's for sure. She did used to enjoy a very populated sex life until Marc came along. It's been interesting watching her adapt to being in a relationship. I don't know about a bus, but I think there will defintiely need to be some life saving." Kara laughed. "Lucky for me then, huh? I'm the youngest and have two older brothers. Tact was never going to be in my genetics."
"This is the first she or I know about each other," Alex revealed. "There will be time enough for her to rip off my balls. Hell, they can have one each as a mirror ornament. I don't know much about Marc beyond the fact he's the epitome of a male slut. A high profile male slut. Someone could write a book on his sex life. I'm a middle child, but really the oldest now. I love my family. Hopefully I can pull off parenting as well as my Mom and Dad one day."
Kara's eyebrow lifted in interest. "So you do want children." She filed that little tidbit away for future reference. "Marc was most definitely a high profile slut. They both were, so it's really quite something for them to have stopped in order to be together. First time I've met him, so I guess we're even."
Alex laughed. "I'm a kid doctor. Of course I want one of my own some day. Just right now, inconvenient as all ass. I hardly have time to jerk off these days." He walked around a little, his pace slow as he looked at some photos lining the mantel. That was something Marc lacked, as one does when you kill yourself off and take on a whole new life. He made a mental note to not-so-tactfully tell Marc he needed some pictures of him and Harri, with maybe a sweet picture of his new partner to brighten the room. That would go down like a dose of laxatives in a chilli milkshake.
"Sometimes people work with kids because they don't want their own. It's weird, but it happens." Kara couldn't help but smirk as she watched him, eyes focusing on his ass for just a moment. A very lingering moment. "You should get someone to help you jerk off. I'm sure there'd be someone willing to assist while you finish paperwork, or something. It wouldn't be right to do it in front of the sick children."
"Yeah, freaks," Alex couldn't help but snort. "What sort of person likes kids and doesn't want their own?" He turned around and smirked at her, catching the line of her sight. "My housekeeper is a middle-aged gay drag queen. I'm sure he would oblige."
"Probably the female kind that doesn't want to ruin her figure?" Kara asked as she managed a sheepish smile at being caught. "I'm sure he would, but the question is whether or not you'd enjoy it."
Alex just raised an eyebrow. "Who wants to look as horrific as Madonna in her middle age? Gravity is going to take over us all at some stage. A woman's body is made to carry a child. It's the men that should be more supportive of that." He tilted his head. "Yeah, my body isn't always as cooperative as I like to think it is."
Her tongue slipped out as she pulled a face. "Fuck, no one! God, she looks awful now. All gristle and bone. Personally I am all for the support and not making men carry the babies. I can't really get a pregnant Arnie out of my head when I think of guys giving birth." Kara's eyebrows went up. "Oh?"
Alex scrunched his nose up. "There is a reason guys weren't given the uterus. It's called Man Flu. The woman would end up beating us to death before the birth and the human race would die out from lack of procreation." He just smirked at her again. "Oh," he confirmed.
Kara laughed as she thought of her brothers suffering Man Flu. Yeah, she'd maybe been guilty of hitting of them a couple of times. "Good point. That alone is reason enough to argue against equality of that kind." She ducked her head and touched her fingers to her forehead as she shifted her weight onto the other foot. "So not going to ask... or think on it too much. First meeting after all."
"Probably the safe option," Alex agreed, amused. First meeting was right. He didn't know her any better than he knew the doorman's big toe. Hell, he hardly knew Marc and only had case briefs to work on in that sense. He was treading water comfortably right now. Patience was a virtue and all that shit. "So, have you known Harri for awhile?"
She nodded. "Few years, she gave me my big break, really. We've always been able to talk and be comfortable with each other. Actually helps at work since she's just as tactless when she has something to say."
"What do you do for her again?" Alex asked and leant against a nearby armchair. "My life is transitioning right now. I've been tied up in a lot of different things. I'm looking forward to at least having a stable base for a little while, even though I'm yet to find out if Princeton is my scene."
"Princeton's not that far away. Not like you couldn't drive back if you got bored with the night scene," Kara reasoned. "I'm her head graphic designer. Basically I make it all look pretty, and artistic."
Alex nodded slowly. "Very impressive. I can't say I've ever read the magazine. I have very little to do with women's fashion beyond wondering how it comes off," he admitted, but it was also a blatant untruth. He had read Razor in the course of his work and was familiar with the company. "I did have a twelve year old patient once who read it religiously, though. I wondered about the logistics of that. Should she even know what a suspender belt is?" he laughed.
Kara laughed and shook her head. "No, she really shouldn't. That's kind of below our target demographic. I'm not offended if you've never read it. Most guys wouldn't read a woman's fashion magazine which is cool. Although, I'd like to think some of our underwear shots have more class and appeal than Playboy these days. But that's just me."
"You realise class and appeal are the last things guys are seeing when they look at underwear adverts, right?" Alex laughed, shaking his head. "There we go. That Venus and Mars factor again. I'm sure women are hardly looking at the tautness of the elastic waist when they look at male underwear ads, either, however."
Kara shrugged and waved a hand as if indicating an underwear model that wasn't there. "Well, alright... so maybe I just think our models are better looking? I don't know how you mean can possibly get turned on by fake breasts that look like overblown balloons."
"Maybe I'm an ass guy," Alex sniggered. "Or legs. Would you not fuck a guy if he had a hairpiece or caps?"
Kara tilted her head. "Would you like a woman with ass implants? And I don't know... would the hairpiece come off during the sex?"
"Ass implants aren't as regular in our society as push-up bras these days," Alex pointed out reasonably. "You live in a place like LA and swearing off fucking fake boobs is just like deciding to become celibate. Someone with fake boobs can still be a nice person who just hates themselves physically." He smirked. "Depends how hot you got, huh? He might be a bit of a tiger and you wake up with it on your face. Now fake boobs don't sound so squeamish, do they?"
"Just painful," Kara answered as she scrunched her face up. She cupped her own, non-push up bra enhanced natural breasts and waggled her eyebrows at him. "I'd still rather have the real thing. Hairpieces can't be helped. Massacring your body can. However, if we are talking things on my face I really don't mind a guy with a porno moustache."
Alex's eyebrows rose and he smirked. "I think I'll stick to fake boobs, but who am I to judge a moustache? We can't all be blessed with taste."
Kara giggled as she let her hands drop back to her sides. "Blame having to watch my brothers' porn stash. I'm surprised I don't automatically like pizza delivery boys."
"You had to watch your brother's porn stash?" Alex laughed. "Did he tie you to the chair and threaten to shave your eyebrows off? I spent a good portion of my late teens and twenties trying to creatively hide my porn stash from my sister."
Kara rolled her eyes playfully as she laughed. "You always jump on wording so readily? I didn't have to in that I was strapped to a chair, but I did have to in that my brothers' stash was about as creative as I wanted to get in finding porn. They weren't so good with the hiding, and pretty much told me to watch whenever."
"I'm good at reading between the lines," Alex offered. Though, it was more the fact he was trained to hear about ten different meanings in any one speech pattern. It was amazing how often people meant things in a literal sense. "And they were into pizza delivery boys, huh?"
"Ah, well... that's a little less annoying." Kara shook her head as she moved around and smoothed her hands down the back of her skirt. "No, no. They were into the blondes that wanted to pay in services rendered for the pizza."
Alex just continued to smirk at her. "And you liked that too? Is that where your graphic design skills stem from?"
Kara shrugged a little as she swept her hair over her shoulder and faced him again. "I guess so. The liking it, not that that was where my skills came from. I am a woman of many interests, doctor. My graphic design skills came from owning an Etch-a-Sketch when I was a kid. And collages of all my posters."
"Hey, I owned one of those too. I used to just draw boobs on them until Mom found me one day and took it off me," Alex laughed. "I'm not exactly what one would call artistic. My skills came from wanting to do too much at once and never really knowing how to properly make up my mind."
She laughed as well, already imaginging the scene in her head. "But with doctoring you do find that you are able to properly make up your mind?"
The bridge of Alex's nose scrunched up a little before he answered. "We-ell, yes and no," he told her. "Kind of fell into that, too. I'm actually a qualified psychologist. I just went on to do an internship in Peds."
Kara just stared at him for a long moment before her mouth dropped open. "Who the fuck are you, Superman? Do you wear your undies on the outside at work?"
If only she knew... "No, I save that only for social events," he said with feigned seriousness. "It's more living with a restless nature. I get bored easily." Or something like that, he added silently to himself.
"Then it must take something pretty special to hold your attention." It wasn't a comment aimed at herself, but she was kind of thinking about what it would take for him to be interested in someone past a couple of fucks if he really was that restless. "Still pretty amazing you've been able to utilise your nature so effectively."
Alex wet his lips around another smile. "Quite," he agreed. "I'm lucky with the opportunities I've had... have," he corrected. "Scoring this current job was great. I know it's going to keep me busy. But what about you? What keeps you busy beyond your computer screen at work?"
"Pretty much anything artistic. I don't just use a computer screen. I'd be a shit artist if that was all it came down to. It think that's what's missing out of a lot of modern graphic design. Everyone seems to have forgotten how to draw, or paint, or just use paper and a pencil, you know? I like to go out when I can, hit the clubs. More for the dancing than the drinking. And sometimes a guy keeps me busy, but not right now."
"Sounds a lot like medicine," Alex agreed. He glanced up the hall. Was he hearing sex noises or was that the air conditioning. Fuck. If Marcus Fraser was getting fucked, it so was not fair. Weren't they on the clock with work? Still, maybe it would help dislodge that bug up his ass? "I'm supposed to believe your single?" he laughed. "Wow, there is hope in life yet."
"You guys use paper and a pencil a lot?" Kara asked with a grin. She heard the noises too, and cleared her throat quietly as she tried not to look at Alex's ass again. "Yeah, you're supposed to believe I'm single. Hope, huh? Does that mean you see something you like?"
Alex nodded. "Yep. And that's where our problem is. Too much documentation, nurses doing more and more of the hands on. It's a shame." His hands were still in his pockets and he made sure he kept his face impassive. "It means I'm glad to hear not all females in New York are taken or lesbians," he said. He couldn't let a flirtation distract him the day he was walking onto a new case under a new guise. Plus, he was going to be living in Princeton. She was here. Hardly convenient for a fling.
Kara's nose crinkled in distaste. "Ugh. Paperwork kills everything, I swear. No job can ever get done with the amount of paperwork they think up for it." She gave a nod in understanding, and tried not to look hurt. The Princeton thing hadn't escaped her mind, but still... wasn't like it was a long drive. Oh, well, just another missed opportunity. She was getting used to those. What was one more? "No, not all of us are taken, or lesbians. Some of us females are still single and straight."
"That's really good to hear," Alex smiled, his eyes still holding her gaze. "You'll thank me for that. Long distance is... fucked, basically. Trust me, I'm a doctor."
Kara tilted her head. "I'll remember that the next time I meet someone cute and find out they're leaving town that day. Still nice to meet you, doctor."
Alex smirked. "Never underestimate the power of fate. If we're meant to meet again, we will. And I'll take you for a drink."
Kara smiled. "You better keep that promise, or else you're really going to throw that trust line out the window."
"So, you do trust me?" Alex took his hands out of his pockets and folded his arms across him. "You really shouldn't."
"You just told me to," she pointed with a confused look. "And frankly, I have no idea. Guess we'll see if that drink ever happens."
Alex just laughed, shaking his head. "Would you launch yourself out of one of these windows if I told you to? Never trust strangers, love. Never. Get to know them first," he added pointedly and then reached into his pocket to pull out a business card with his details. "If you ever find yourself in Princeton."
Kara took the card with a smile. "Fuck off, I launch myself out of a window for no one. Not unless there's a bungee cord. Me and jumping of any sort don't always end well. Thanks for the card. If I am ever in Princeton consider it used."
- agentfraser & straight2point referenced with permission
Word Count | 3,584