Katey Willow
May 15, 2021 7:17 PM
Mixing business and pleasure
by Katey Willow
Co-written With: Lorcan Row
OOC: Possible CW for misogyny and general bad-person-ness. BIC:
Katey’s thesis and field of direct expertise was the comparison, alternatives, and incorporation of approaches between magical and Muggle methodologies in medicine. She had done well in med school to defend this topic and had, with her research into potential magical alternatives to chemotherapy, in fact pushed herself toward the forefront of the field. She was not involved in a research capacity anymore in her position at Sonora, but she remained dedicated and up to date on advancements in the field. When she learned of the conference being held in Las Vegas over the holidays where a Squib in the Muggle medical field would be presenting his recent findings, she was quick to add her name to the list.
And as refreshing as it was to be among her peers and blend into an ocean of lab coats, between sessions and discussions, well… she was in Las Vegas, and she had some extra cash to spend, so why not let herself have some fun, especially during a time of the year she hated so much? Soften the blow with some cocktails and gambling.
So she kept her room reservation for an additional two days and decided to enjoy herself. Katey slid into a slinky dark purple dress with fake diamond straps and a slit to the high, finalized the look with some bolder night makeup, silver high heels, and a silver clutch, and took to the casinos.
It wouldn’t have been exactly true to say Lorcan had never seen the sort of woman that walked into the bar that night, because that was about the only sort of woman that walked around bars here and he made a point of seeing them on his nights off. Still, there was something different about this woman, even if that was true of all of them. Usually, the sort of people Lorcan met were trying to pretend they were someone else for the duration of their stay, like their real life just didn’t exist and this was the only persona they had. This woman seemed almost like she wanted someone to know who she really was and that this persona was the least interesting part of her story. He wasn’t sure what made him think that, except that she held herself with a lot less shame and a lot more naivety than the average bird he’d seen around here.
Throwing back the last of his whiskey, Lorcan stood up to intercept the woman with his arms out as she walked by. He had only stopped by his own room long enough to take his jacket off, so his white suit trousers and vest stood out over a black button-up shirt and purple bowtie. He grinned predatorily, not hiding the fact that he wasn’t interested in whatever that story was she was trying to tell. Both his teeth and his smooth shaved head gleamed in the low bar lighting. When he spoke, he let a whole lot more of his Irish accent come out than usual because in Vegas, everyone was a little exotic and the more exotic you really were, the more likely you were to find yourself sharing a room that night.
“Legs for days,” he commented, tweaking his bowtie, “and we match. Let me buy you a drink? You a miss or missus?” he added, because he didn’t feel like getting punched in the face by a cuck tonight.
Katey stopped abruptly to avoid hitting the arms in front of her, and despite the level of apparent sleaze, she smiled. “Doctor, actually,” she replied coyly. “But you can absolutely buy me a drink.” His accent reminded her of someone she knew, but nobody was anybody in a Las Vegas bar, and she had no commitments or tethers. Between her studies and Ethan, she had never spent much time in places like this, and this guy was pretty attractive, so maybe it was about time that she lived a little.
“Doctor,” Lorcan smiled, gesturing for the woman to take a seat. He didn’t really care at all that she was a doctor, and it hadn’t helped him find out whether she was single, but he figured that a woman who was so enthusiastic about him buying her a drink was unattached, either because she had no partner or because she wanted her partner to see her with someone else. Either way could be fun. He sat beside her and waved down the bartender. “Another whiskey for me and . . . what’s your potion of choice, doctor?”
“Dry martini, thank you,” she ordered as she sat down. She crossed one leg over the other and sat her bag on her lap. Now seated beside him, Katey looked the man over a bit more thoroughly. He was definitely a little older than her, although not enough that she was concerned his baldness was anything more than a choice. Something in his eyes felt both safe and dangerous, which was somehow exciting in all regards. She felt both at ease and nervous to please him, but she was hopeful the drink might quell the latter. “So,” she said casually, “are you in a habit of picking out non-locals to buy drinks, or am I just special?” She wondered when she should ask his name, or give hers, but decided to let the mystery linger for the moment.
“Dry martini,” Lorcan repeated as if he were impressed by this choice. He would’ve had the same reaction no matter what because women liked to seem impressive (and rarely were) but this particular catch didn’t know that. He took a drink of his whiskey when it arrived, nodding at the bartender who didn’t hardly look at him. Bah. “Those two things can’t go together? I’m in the habit of picking out non-locals though, that’s true,” he admitted. “Of course, this is Vegas. There’s more non-locals than locals and those of us who live here are hardly as special as those who come to visit.” He let his eyes give a suggestive, appreciative wander to the more fleshy parts of her getup before smiling and landing his eyes back on hers. “Why? Are you in the mood to feel special?” Reaching a hand out to introduce himself as the answer to that particular problem, he smiled again. “I’m Allen.”
Katey accepted her drink from the bartender and took a sip, partially as a stall tactic because wow this guy was a lot better at this than she was. “Just not used to a welcoming committee on a vacation,” she settled on. “Nice to be so well-received. Katey.” She gave him her free hand, and his warmth and tangibility made her flush. This was real. She took another sip. “It must be exciting, living in a place like this. I’ve just been here a couple days, and it seems pretty incredible.” It was, admittedly, a bit of a miracle for Katey to keep this calm externally, given her tendency to… well, not. But this place was temporary, and there was less pressure, just a wave which she was curious to ride out.
There was something incredible about this place, and it only seemed to get more so as the lights twirled and their drinks emptied and filled and emptied again. It grew late very suddenly, but fortunately, her hotel was attached to this particular casino, so there was not too far to go. And since she hadn’t actually spent much time at the betting tables, Katey gambled on him instead, and finding him so charming, she let him keep her company.
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Katey Willow
Mixing business and pleasure
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Lorcan Row