Rose & Thorn: Becky/Seth

Chapter 2

At first glance, the new woman wasn't his type, but maybe that's why Seth approached her. He'd had more than his share of women whose breasts were practically falling out of their dresses or whose skirts barely covered their asses. They could be fun enough to pass an hour or two with, but he quickly learned they were all style—using the term generously—and very little substance. The dress this woman was wearing definitely didn't hide her figure, but it also looked like she could wear it to a business meeting. Maybe she did, he had thought as he cut across the bar to talk to her before she left. A lot of Rose & Thorn patrons came to the club right after work, hoping to unwind.

Seth was no Rose & Thorn newbie, but he wasn't a veteran like Roman either. He knew the signs of a newcomer well enough, though, and it was pretty clear that the woman was a first-timer. Her hesitation seemed to be less about having sex with a stranger and more about not fully understanding the club. She doesn't sound like she's from here, he thought, pausing just as they stepped outside of the bar and pulling her under the glowing Flex sign, getting them both out of the way. "What's your name?" When she hesitated, he just smiled. "Doesn't have to be your real one. Just something I can call you."

"Rebecca," she replied, squaring her jaw a bit.

He figured it either had to be close to her real name or perhaps it was her middle name. Who would pick Rebecca as their sex club pseudonym? It's no worse than Colby, he told himself. "I'm Seth. Where's the accent from?"

That brought the smile back to her face. "Ireland. Just like the rest of me."

"Cool. I work with a guy from Ireland. Are you just visiting, then?" When a large group of football players approached, Seth leaned closer to hear her better—and perhaps shield her from their view. He didn't know how much American football would impress someone from Ireland, but he had been looking for almost an hour and now that he had finally found someone who piqued his interest, he didn't want to lose her to some smug quarterback.

Rebecca tilted her head to the side and gave him a shrewd look. "There was an awful lot of small print on the contract, to be fair, but I thought I remembered seeing something about not divulging personal information for security reasons...."

Seth acknowledged the point with a nod. Roman often had to remind him that even within the secure structure of Rose & Thorn, casual sex was an entirely different endeavour for women than it was for men. "Sorry. I don't mean to pry. Just trying to find out if I'll be able to get a round two," he added, "or if I have to take all my shots tonight." As the lights on the Flex sign shifted colour, his gaze dropped to her bare arms, noticing her muscle definition. She wasn't a bodybuilder by any means, but she definitely had more muscle than the average woman who worked out. He stopped himself from asking about her regime, though: it probably fell into the category of 'personal information' and besides that, he was there to fuck, not talk fitness.

"Well, fate willing, I'll be in the area for a bit," Rebecca said evasively. "Speaking of limits, though...." She glanced down at her watch—a sports-style one, Seth noted, not something shiny and decorative—and grimaced. "I do have a... designated driver of sorts, so I need to be ready to go by midnight."

Seth's mouth twitched up in a smirk. "Then we'd better get started, Cinderella."

Rebecca laughed as he slipped an arm around her waist again and they started walking to the elevators. "Must be American. You clearly don't know much about princesses."

"On the contrary, I work with too many." Once they were in front of the elevators, Seth stopped, glancing subtly at the two dark red elevators, reserved for sexual encounters. One was being used, but the other was available, so he gestured at it. "Want to start there?"