Homefires Burning (Closed for Jezebel1669)

LucianDevine

Happily Owned/Collared
Joined
Dec 19, 2007
Posts
3,775
557full-asher-book.jpg


Damon Grant let out a soft sigh of relief when he stepped out of the airport. The cool breeze was a welcome relief after the six hour flight from New York to Washington state. He lifted his gaze to look at the sky and let out another sigh, this one heavier than the first. The sun was thoroughly hidden by clouds, and there wasn't a doubt in his mind that it was going to rain soon. He couldn't really be surprised though. Rain was something that he'd long since gotten used to and expected after having grown up here, even if he had been gone for the better part of the past five years. There wasn't anything to be done about it now, though. So he simply slung his large duffel bag over one of his shoulders and walked towards the line of cabs waiting to take people where they needed to go.

The cab ride was about as short as one could expect given the weekend traffic moving in, out, and around the airport. Damon's destination wasn't that far from the airport, so things definitely could have been worse. He paid and tipped the driver, grabbed his bag, and headed inside the building before him to pay for the rental car that he'd pre-ordered online.

The next order of business for Damon was the drive to the hotel. He'd given himself a fair bit of spare time to account for anything that might have changed since the last time he'd been here, and he was glad for that. Between the road work, detours, and traffic he was glad to have every bit of time that he'd allotted himself. He made it to the hotel with just enough time to shower, change clothes, and head out once more.

The last and most important part of Damon's day was the talent show that he'd specifically timed this particular visit for. He wasn't going to be participating in the show itself, but he'd always enjoyed going to them in the past. He enjoyed seeing the different acts people prepared, particularly the musical ones. He was a singer who had finally come into his own, but sadly found himself lacking in inspiration. It was for this reason that he was going to the talent show.

The drive itself felt even longer than it should have for Damon. He couldn't resist the urge to listen to the radio, but found himself having to flip through the stations constantly, specifically trying to avoid certain songs that kept playing on all the popular stations. Every time he heard one of those songs he let out another heavy sigh, changed the station, and kept going.

Damon was almost as happy to get to the location of the talent show as he had been to get off the plane earlier that day. He had so many things on his mind that he found himself truly looking forward to the acts he was going to see and the music he was going to hear. It wasn't long before he found his seat and closed his eyes, and gladly waited for the show to begin. He closed his eyes because it helped him focus more on what he was listening to, but the first thing that caught his attention wasn't anything that was happening on stage, but rather a voice that he hadn't heard in over five years.
 
Last edited:
Q1pxKK7.png

"...and he's at the ten yard line, the five yard... and... Touchdown!" The television blared as Eva felt Jack's hand pressing hard against the back of her head, forcing her face down into his crotch as he let himself loose inside her mouth. She gagged hard, almost choking on him as he held her in place, his free hand waving a half-empty beer can in the air jubilantly.

"Hell yeah! You see that? You see that?" Her fiancé cried out, finally letting the young woman out of his grip as he started to clap his hand against his wrist, before chugging down the last of his suds.

Rising to her feet Eva brushed her hand over her mouth as she quickly made her way to the kitchen, ignoring his question as she always did. It wasn't like he was actually talking to her after all, he hardly ever did unless he wanted something. Leaning over the sink she spat out Jack's offering before reaching for a bottle of soda and swishing her mouth clean while running the tap for a moment to dispose of the evidence.

"Hey honey," Jack voice can ringing out from the living room, "Could you get me another can while you're there?"

With a heavy sigh Eva moved to the fridge and pulled open the door. The bottom shelf was still almost half full of unopened crates of beer and she quickly pulled one out, holding it gingerly as the cold metal bit at her hand.

"I'm going to be home late tonight," she said dispassionately, stepping through the door with her eyes coming to rest for a moment on her fiancé’s flaccid prick, still hanging out between his legs where she'd left it. "I've left you're dinner in the oven, you just need to heat it for twenty minutes whenever you want it. The dials are all set, you just need to press the button to get it going."

Jack looked up at her sternly, "Really? You couldn't even finish one little job for me?" He asked her sharply, his hand moving down to stroke the side of his knee pointedly as he did.

Eva's eyes couldn't help but follow his motion, and a twang of guilt shot through her yet again as she recalled the night of the injury. "I'm sorry, but the paper's paying good money for shots of the show and I can't let them down again."

With a grunt Jack turned his attention back to the TV, reruns of an old game still dancing on the screen. He held up his free hand and Eva quickly snapped the ring pull on the beer and placed it in his grip before turning away. "Would it be okay if I took the truck?" She asked hopefully. Moving the camera gear from the studio would be a lot easier if she could take the pickup, but even as she asked she already knew what Jack's answer would be.

"Sorry honey, I'm heading out hunting first thing and need it here for the night." Came the expected response, Jack's gaze never faltering from the game. "Your bike'll be fine, won't it?"

Eva didn't even bother responding, instead heading out to the garage to get ready. Her bike did well enough to get around town, but tonight she'd need some of her heavier equipment and it'd be risky carrying it all, especially if the weather took a turn for the worst.

Moving over to the locker she pulled out her riding leathers, pulling the tight padded suit up over her firm body. She didn't put too much work into keeping herself in shape, but Eva still looked good for her age. The little extra padding she'd picked up over the last couple of years only adding to the appeal of her feminine curves.

As she kicked off and sped out into the night Eva felt a wave of relief wash over her. She kept telling herself she loved Jack, after all they were going to be married just as soon as he decided on a date and scraped together the money for ceremony, but leaving the house they'd lived in together since the accident still felt like an escape of sorts and as she sped down the road heading to her studio to pack up her gear, Eva began to smile for the first time that night.

After a couple of hours carefully choosing the right lenses, filters and film, and packing them carefully into the protective saddle bags, the young photographer was ready to go. The studio was an old converted barn just outside of town and not far from the venue so the trip shouldn't take too long, and as she set out Eva eyes the clear starry night's sky with hopeful optimism.

Before long she was pulling up outside the club and as she pulled off her helmet she smiled over to Danny, the bouncer she'd been dealing with for years. "Hey big guy, care to give me a hand with these?" She asked, waving her hand over the gear filled saddlebags.

"No problem, babe," the burly bodybuilder replied, mirroring Eva's smile with one of his own, "Jack not with you?" He asked with genuine concern, eying the motorcycle pointedly.

"He has a hunting trip in the morning," Eva answered, unstrapping the bags and hoisting one up onto her shoudler, twisting her hips as she did to carry the weight on her thigh as much as she could. "Needs to be up before dawn."

Danny nodded his head, his brow creased as he contemplated the young woman's words. Eva could tell he wasn't happy with the situation, but Danny knew better than comment on other people's lives and instead reached out and lifted the second saddle bag with one giant hand, seemingly without effort.

Making her way into the club Eva saw that the tables were beginning to fill up nicely. There should be quite a crowd once the show got started and she could already hear the place beginning to buzz with the comforting sound of murmured conversation. Quickly easing her way along the side of the room, she lowered her gear down into one of the lesser used booths, unzipping the lid and quickly taking stock of the contents as Danny slipped the other onto the bench.

"You good?" He asked, with a tip of his head.

"Yeah, great thanks." Eva answered, reaching for the saddlebag and quickly repeating her inspection. "But who do I have to fuck around here to get a drink?" She asked with a playful wink.
 
Last edited:
The first three words that Damon heard from Eva caught his attention. He might have been able to shake them off as just his mind playing tricks on him now that he was back in town. There could be no doubt about the reality of the situation when the second batch of words came, right down to the cuss that he could barely believe came from her mouth.

Damon turned his head and found himself briefly shocked at the sight of Eva. She looked just as beautiful as the last time he'd seen her, and in just a split second his mind flashed back to the last time he'd seen her.

With a quick shake of his head, Damon pull the hat off that he'd had pulled down to hide the majority of his face from the general crowd, stood up, and turned towards the aisle that she stood just on the other side of.

"Well I'll be damned." Damon started as he took his first step across the aisle towards Eva. "Eva Morven as I live and breathe, When did you start talking like one of the guys?"

Damon didn't introduce himself right away as he approached Eva and the large man she was standing next to. His dark brown gaze sought out hers, wanting to see for real those light brown eyes that he'd thought about so many times in the past five years. At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder as if she remembered him as much as he remembered her.
 
Unzipping her leathers, Eva reached behind her back with both hands, gripping the sleeve cuff as she tubbed it off. Just then she heard someone calling her name, a voice cutting through the hum of the crowd in a moment of recognition. Quickly turning, expecting the worst, she found herself facing a handsome young man maybe a couple of years older than herself.

"Oh, hi there," she replied conversationally as she scanned his face carefully. He seemed a little familiar to her, but for a moment she couldn't quite place him.

Realising that she was currently bent forwards, her chest thrust out with her arms trapped behind her back inside her leathers Eva turned her gaze away bashfully. "If you'll just give me a moment," she plead with a smirk, yanking on her sleeve but only making matters worse as her shoulder caught on the tight outfit painfully.
 
Last edited:
The smile stayed on Damon's face even as he saw Eva studying his. He knew that she didn't remember him, and truthfully, he couldn't blame her. He'd changed a fair bit over the past five years, not so much physically, but psychologically. He was so much more confident now than he had been when last they'd seen each other.

Despite Eva's current position, with her chest thrust down as it was, Damon kept his gaze on hers. Seeing the embarrassed look on her face, with the slight glow to her cheek as she excused herself and turned away was absolutely adorable. He said nothing as she excused herself and tried to remedy her predicament. He saw her pull against the leather and saw it get caught on her shoulder in a way that looked painful.

"Woah woah, slow down." Damon said without hesitation. He stepped up to her and moved one hand to the leather and the other to her shoulder, trying to touch her as carefully and innocently as he could.

"I don't remember you having this much trouble taking an outer layer off the last time I saw you, and that was with a floor length dress with a corsage on your wrist. What have the past five years done to you?"

Damon couldn't help but add the little bit of a verbal jab at her, hoping it would help jog her memory as he slowly and carefully eased the leather back off of her shoulder, backed it up just a bit, giving her time to adjust the position of it before he made to pull the leathers the rest of the way behind her and off.

"Do you remember me yet?" Damon asked, a small half smile on his face.
 
As soon as he mentioned the corsage everything snapped into place and Eva's eyes shot back to look deeply into his. "Damon..?" She asked still a little unsure that the handsome young man in front of her really was the same gawky teenager who'd stepped up to save her for social embarrassment the night of senior prom, "Wow. I mean, you've certainly grown."

As his hand slipped up her arm, easing the leather suit off her shoulder, Eva's gaze travelled down his body. From what she could tell he'd filled out quite a bit in the last five years. His gangling limbs were now far more well defined, his muscles not bulging out from under his loose top but at least visibly present, unlike his previous look.

With her arm finally free Eva nodded her head in thanks and quickly stripped out of the riding gear, before passing the whole thing over to Danny, who was just returning from the bar with a couple of large bar mugs in hand. Leaning forwards the muscular man let the protective gear flop easily over his forearm without breaking stride, well experienced at handling it.

"Here you go, babe," he said, his eyes locking onto Damon with suspicion, "Everything okay here?"

Stepping over to Damon, Eva slung one arm around her old friend's as she took one of the offered drinks from her newer one. "Danny, I'd like to introduce you to Damon. He's the white knight who saved my from prom night humiliation."

The bouncer's face cracked apart as Eva spoke, the solid stare of a professional arm breaker transforming into a toothy, friendly grin. "Ahh, so you're the Damon we've all heard about," Danny exclaimed bombastically, thrusting the second drink forwards with enough force to splash a little over the singer's shirt. "Are you here for the competition, or just enjoying the show?"
 
Last edited:
The look in Eva's eyes told Damon that she recognized him even before she said his name. He simply kept that half smile of his and nodded. He couldn't help but laugh at her words about how he'd grown. "Heh, it's amazing what a little work and confidence will do for a person isn't? He asked saw her eyes flick down over his wiry but defined body. He took the invitation and let his own eyes look her over as well. She looked much the same except that each one of the lovely curves of her body that he'd admired so many times back then had matured and become accentuated just a bit more.

"And you..." He started, spreading his arms briefly as he looked her up and down for her to see. "Look exactly the same, just as beautiful as you were that night."

The sight of the larger man that Eva had been talking to previously approaching them put Damon a little on edge for reasons he didn't quite understand. The man was intimidating to be sure, and Damon was certainly a bit on edge when the man asked Eva is everything was okay. That feeling got worse when the man easily hefted her leather gear with a single massive arm as he offered her a drink with the other.

The sound of Eva's voice helped calm Damon down a bit, though, especially when she mentioned the same night to him that they had just been talking about. The arm she put around him caught him off guard, and he acted out of reflex, moving his own arm over and around her shoulders, an easy feat now that he was a bit taller than her, another thing that had not been true five years ago.

The man's demeanor changed the second Eva spoke up for him, and Damon couldn't help but be surprised that the man had not only heard of him, but so had several other people, whoever they were. The man's enthusiasm at his introduction definitely showed when the man shoved the beer at him, a large mug that had been full to the brim until then. There was no chance of stopping the splatter from hitting his shirt, not with the way he and Eva were standing. He couldn't help the flinch that came with the splash of cold liquid hitting his chest, but he took it in stride as he grasped the large mug.

"I just did what Jack should have done that night." Damon said, trying to accept the compliment as gracefully as possible. "I mean really, what red-blooded man wouldn't want this beauty as their arm candy for an entire night, am I right?"

The last part was naturally rhetorical, and after a brief chuckle and a deep drink of the beer for courage, Damon spoke up once more. "Heh, just enjoying the show..." He started with a smile before continuing. "Besides, participating in local talent costs is forbidden in my contract, duh."

Even as he spoke Damon couldn't help but marvel at the situation he found himself in. How the hell did the trip that he'd started on focusing on how to further his career end up with him seeing Eva of all people and have him holding her almost as close as they'd danced on her prom night?
 
As soon as Damon mentioned Eva's fiancé Danny demeanour changed again, his eyes darting away as if embarrassed for the man who wasn't here to defend himself.

"Err... yeah, yeah..." The bouncer mumbled in response before turning his attention back to Eva for a second, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "I'd better get back to the door. You're good here, right?" He asked in a distracted tone before turning away and darting off as quickly as he could politely manage.

Sliding her arm off of Damon, Eva quickly shrugged her way out of his grasp and turning to take a long slug from her drink moved back to her equipment, her back to her old friend.

"So you're back in town then?" She asked without looking back, her hands dancing between her cases as she quickly assembled a camera, switching out lenses and loading film with a practiced grace of a seasoned professional. "You should come over the house and have dinner with Jack and I sometime." She continued, hoping he'd take the heavily dropped hint.
 
Damon noticed the change in both of the people he was talking with the second he said Jack's name. He didn't have time to say anything to Danny before the man headed back towards the door. He could have tried to maintain his hold on Eva, but when she made to pull away and shrug his arm off, he let her do so without a fight.

Eva's question sounded more rhetorical than anything else, especially with the way she kept her back turned and took a long drink from her mug.

"Uh...yeah, for a while at least..." Damon started before taking another drink from his own glass. "Life in New York was fine, but I needed a break from it all...just too many people...everywhere, always around..." Damon let his words trail off as he watched Eva move from case to case, setting up her camera, lenses, and all of the other things that she needed. This was a side of her that he'd never seen back then. She'd always been upbeat and chipper, the life of any party, this was so unlike her that it made him really worry about her.

Any suspicions that Damon might have had about the cause of Eva's change in behavior and attitude was all but confirmed when she invited him over to dinner with her and Jack sometime. He was truthfully surprised that she was still with him after what had happened that night. Most girls would have broken it off with the guy on the spot.

"Um...sure Eva...I'd love to have dinner with you guys sometime..." Damon said with obvious uncertainty as he stepped towards Eva once more. He stepped in front of her and spoke again, hoping to change the subject in the hopes that it would help cheer her up.

"So...photography huh? When did that happen? When I last saw you you preferred to be on the other side of the camera. You made that poor guy on prom night take our picture five times, remember? You made everybody else wait behind us.
 
Eva looked back over her shoulder with a quick smile. It was strange to have Damon back again, and as he started talking to her so uncomfortable she wondered for a moment how she'd ever not recognised him.

"It's something I picked up in college," she began to explain, setting aside her main camera as she moved on to assembling the back-up. "Originally I signed up for political sciences, but Jack convinced me that photography would be a better fit for me."

Her fingers trembled for a moment as she talked about it, the memories of those times coming back to her with a sting. Fumbling for a second, Eva felt the lens she was holding slip from her fingers but was frozen in the moment, unable to stop it from falling.
 
Damon studied Eva intently as he listened to her speak, trying to analyze what he was seeing versus what she was saying. Despite the robotic way she seemed to be going through the motions of assembling and setting up the cameras he could tell that it was something she was passionate. The robotic nature of her motions were definitely caused by something else, something to do with Jack.

The effect of the words that Eva spoke had an immediate effect on her. He could see how uneasy she was feeling, especially with the way her hands were trembling and fidgeting, despite their task.

As Damon was looking at Eva's hands, he saw her fumble the expensive looking lens as she was moving it from one hand to the other. He reacted immediately, moving even before it started to fall. He darted forward and down, reaching out his hands to get them beneath it. In his rush to catch it he was almost afraid that he was going to crush it when he felt it land in his cupped hands.

Once the lens was securely in his hands, Damon took a long slow breath before he rose back to his full height, his dark brown eyes searching out Eva's lighter ones as he put the lens back into the case that he'd seen her take it from. Only once the lens was safely put away did Damon dare to take a chance.

"Come here..."

Damon said softly as he opened his arms, stepped forward, and went to hug her, hoping desperately, for her sake, that she would let him.
 
At first Eva pulled back, her body flinching as Damon pulled her into his embrace, but as his arms wrapped around her she felt herself melting in his grip. She began to move her shaking arms up to return the gesture when she heard the first chord ring out from the stage, and was suddenly reminded where they were.

Reluctantly the yonug woman pulled herself away from her old friend, smiling to him sadly as she pulled herself back into the present. "Thank," she said, her voice soft and low, barely a whisper, "But I think I have to get back to work now." Nodding her head towards the stage Eva indicated the first act of the night, a young man sitting on a stool with an electric guitar which looked far too big in his hands, plugged into an amp which showed clear signs of having lived a rough life.

Reaching back Eva picked up her back-up camera before picking the lens back up out of its case and slotting it quickly into place. "Hang around after the show," the photographer called back over her shoulder, "And maybe we can continue this a little more?"

Without giving Damon a chance to reply Eva quickly moved off down the side of the room, taking up a better position before snapping off some quick shots of the performer as they began pounding their strings probably far harder than was needed.
 
Damon felt Eva flinch, but he felt so relieved when she didn't pull back or push him away. He let out a soft sigh of relief into her hair as he laid his head against it. Her arms moving around him would have completed the picturesque moment if not for the guitar chord that sounded from the stage and pulled the two of them back to reality.

Sad as he was to let go, Damon didn't stop Eva from pulling away. He met her gaze and sad smile with a comforting smile of his own. "You're welcome." He said simply and softly as he took a step back. "If you must..." He followed as more of an afterthought in response to her needing to get to work.

Damon's eyes followed every one of Eva's movement as she picked up one of her cameras, the lens that had almost fallen, slotted it into place, and started moving to get a better shot of the stage.

Damon didn't miss her words, and couldn't resist a soft chuckle before responding.
"Looking forward to it." He offered up loud enough for her to hear as she walked away.

No sooner did Damon make it back to his seat than the music on stage began. Another soft chuckle slipped from his lips as he analyzed what he was hearing. The notes themselves were right, but louder and harder than they needed to be, even for a rock song. Despite that, though, they weren't the worst band he'd ever heard.

As much as Damon actually enjoyed the show itself, despite it's ups and downs in the quality department, it was hard to tear his mind away from the encounter he'd just had with Eva, and the hope that the show would end soon so they could spend some more time together.

With the exception of the thoughts of Eva popping into his head every now and again, the only other nagging thought was how much he wanted to get up on that stage and let loose. It was so damn tempting, especially with Eva here, but that wouldn't really be fair to the other contestants. Besides, his agent would not be happy at all if he got wind of something like that. So sadly, there was nothing for him to do but sit back, pull his baseball hat down a little lower over his face, and enjoy the show as best he could.
 
The show seemed to go on forever, and for some reason Eva's eyes kept wandering from the stage and over to Damon. From where she stood he looked a little funny, hunched down in his chair with his hat pulled down over his face, and she noticed several other people sitting near him were shooting the stranger the odd glance, whispering between themselves in a way that suggested they were commenting on his strange behaviour.

It took a moment for her to realise, remembering the comment he'd made about New York, that Damon was probably used to far more attention than the people in the small town were likely to give him. In the Big Apple, he was probably hounded by fans all the time, with girls queued up around the block to spend time with him.

Eva suddenly felt strange, and it took her a second to realise that she was actually feeling jealous. Shaking her head with a wry grin she pushed the feeling aside. There wasn't anything to feel jealous about with Damon, she barely knew him anymore, and when she did know him all they ever had together was that one night of dancing, finished off with a kiss good night.

It had been a good kiss though, she heard herself thinking, turning back the clock to a happier time, before the accident and before she'd been trapped here in her hometown due to her obligations. She began to wonder whether she'd made the right choice in sticking with Jack all those years ago, or whether another option had been starring her in the face.

Caught up in the moment of contemplation, Eva didn't even realise the music had stopped. As she suddenly snapped back to reality she saw the band had finished their set and were walking off the stage, a couple of the musicians helping their lead man as he struggled to wrestle his oversized, aging amp out of the way before the next act took over entertaining the crowd.

Glancing over at Damon and then at her watch Eva realised she probably had a few spare minutes while the next act set themselves up and she quickly made a decision. Heading back to her pile of gear she snapped the HD card out of the side of the camera and filed it away in the case's inner lining before stripping down the lens, flash and other attachments and stowing them safely away.

Taking a moment to plump up her hair, and reaching down inside her top to make sure her breasts were evenly balanced inside her bra, before slipping her hand into her purse and pulling out a makeup case. It didn't take long to add a little colour to her face, Eva rarely used more than a dab to highlight her natural feature, and after adding a touch of red lipstick she turned back to the room and made her way over to Damon's table.

"Hey," she said, hoping Damon didn't hear the slight nervous tremor in her voice, "Buy a girl a drink?"
 
Damon's eyes had slowly drifted closed as he was listening to the band on stage. Unlike what normally happened when he was listening to music, though, the notes and the melody had another thought to contend with...Eva. It was true that he'd thought of her often over the past five years, thought of that night, and of course that kiss.

Thinking about the single kiss that the two of them had shared pulled a soft sigh from Damon. He knew it had been wrong, but he couldn't help himself. He'd been admiring her beautiful form the entire night, especially the way it had been accentuated by the dress she'd worn. Her face had the slightest bit of makeup on it, something he'd always liked about her. She, unlike so many girls, didn't have to cake it on by the pound to look good in her own eyes. She had a natural beauty that he was glad she didn't try to cover up.

Damon's thoughts drifted then to the hug he'd shared with Eva earlier. The feel of her body against his as the scent of her shampoo combined with the smell of leather made for an interesting and enticing combination.

With thoughts of Eva fully on his mind now, Damon didn't even notice when the music stopped playing. He did hear beside him, making adjustments to the camera, and had to force himself not to look at her. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

The single word greeting that Eva opened up with caught Damon a little off guard. It wasn't a surprise that she'd done it, but mostly the nervousness it contained. It seemed like such a foreign thing coming from her. She had always been confidant in herself. He didn't show any sign that he caught on to what she was feeling, but simply turned towards her as she asked him to buy her a drink. He let out a soft chuckle and nodded, pushing himself to his feet.

"Sure thing, but only if your bouncer guy can keep this batch off my shirt." Damon gave Eva a wry smile, letting her know that he was joking of course, in case she wasn't in the right head space to catch up on it. He moved to walk beside her as she headed towards the bar. "How bout that first band, eh?" He offered up with another smile just before they reached the bar.

When the pair reached the bar, Damon gestured towards the bartender, and when the man approached he spoke. "Rum and coke and..." He turned back towards Eva. "What's your poison?"
 
Turning towards the bartender, Eva gave the man a conspiratorial grin. "How about a bottle of the good stuff, Danny?" She asked, in a low, guarded tone.

"You sure?" The guy responded, his eyes darting in Damon's direction for a moment as if something was wrong.

"Only the best for a returning lost son of the town," Eva replied with a theatrical salute in her old friend's direction. "Besides, the pop star can afford it, I'm sure." She concluded with a playful grin.

Moving over to a fridge in the corner the bartender pulled out a couple of bottles of brand name spirits before reaching behind where they'd been, almost climbing inside the cooling unit as he dug out something hidden way in the back. Finally Danny pulled out an unlabelled bottle which looked as though whatever the clear liquid inside was wasn't the first thing it had contained. Heading back to the counter the bartender placed the bottle down with almost reverential care before scooping a shot glass from a nearby shelf and, giving it a quick wipe with a cloth hanging her his belt first, placed it down beside the bottle.

As he moved away, reaching for a bottle of brand name rum from the display behind him, Eva picked up the bottle and gripped the rough, homemade cork stoppering it and gave it a hard tug. Splashing a finger of the liquid into her glass she lifted it to her lips and in one graceful motion tilted her head back and downed it in one.

For a moment nothing happened, but then Eva's eyes dilated and her whole body seemed to relax in one motion, almost as if her bones had momentarily turned to jelly only to solidify in a looser, more comfortable posture a second later. Turning to Damon Eva smiled a little sloppily, "Man, that's the good stuff alright."

Danny placed a tumbler glass, the dark blend of his rum and coke swirling between the ice cubes for a moment before settling into a rich umber coloured mixture. "That'll be $25," the barman stated, not asking for payment but just stating a fact, leaving no room for argument.
 
It was hard not to laugh at the look that came to Eva's face before she ordered what she wanted. Almost as funny as her face, though, was the bartender's reaction to it. Damon didn't miss a beat, though, and after she followed up her statement with a couple of boisterous ones and a playful grin. "I'm a man of my word man. If she wants it, she gets it." He said with an equally playful smile as he pointed to the section of the bar in front of them.

As Damon watched the process the bartender had to go through just to get the bottle that Eva had asked for, he couldn't help but comment on it. "Damn girl, what did you order?" He asked, not even close to reconsidering his option. In fact, it was impossible not to be curious about what it was and what it was going to taste like. In fact, he couldn't even be bothered to watch the bartender prepare his own drink. He was too busy watching Eva take her shot and see how she handled and enjoyed it.

"The good stuff eh?" Damon asked before taking a quick sip of his own drink followed by a longer one that felt damn smooth and good going down. He heard the price, and rather than be intimidated, it really only made him more curious about it.

"Twenty five it is..." Damon started as he reached for his wallet and pulled out the money. "And how about a glass for me as well. I can't not be tempted after seeing her take a shot like that." As he finished talking he grabbed another ten dollar bill and put it in the tip jar that was sitting on the bar beside them.
 
Danny placed a second shot glass down in from of Damon, as requested. "Careful how you go," the bartender said, his tone genuinely concerned as though there was some danger ahead for the young man.

"This is a local specialty," Eva said, her tone far more relaxed how than it had been earlier and Damon could see as she reached out her hand to tap the side of the bottle that her motions were far more fluid now than they had been before. Not unsteady, but with an ethereal grace which seemed to indicate a slight disconnection from reality.

"Do you remember Barry? The nerdy little chemistry geek with the..?" As she spoke Eva waved her hand next to her eyes, as if trying to remember a word but not quite placing it. After a second she seemed to dismiss the point, and continued on regardless. "Well, anyway, he set himself up outside of town and started brewing all kinds of mixes. Nothing illegal," she clarified, holding her hand up palm first in a halting gesture, "Just a little... experimental."

Her arm snapped out, taking hold of the bottle in a firm grip as Eva served herself another glass, before spilling a portion into the new shot glass for Damon too. "And this is his magnum opus," she said, lifting the glass to eye height as if inspecting the contents, or worshipping them. "He won't tell anyone what he puts in it, but the flavour... and the effect..."

The young woman let the words hang in the air for a moment, letting the impact on them settle for a long second before tilting her long, graceful neck back and downing the second shot. She placed the shot glass carefully down in front of her just in time before the hit took her, eyes dilating just as they had before. This time a shiver ran down her body, making her jiggle in all the right places before she placed her hands down on the bar to steady herself.

"A true gift from the gods," she said with a wry smile, glancing over at Damon from the corner of her eye with a mixture of expectation and teasing one-upmanship.
 
Last edited:
It was tough for Damon to decide how exactly he wanted to handle the predicament he found himself as he picked up the shot glass that Eva had poured for him. On the one hand, he had Danny's warning, but on the other hand, he had the innate curiosity that came from seeing her take two shots and the effect it had on her, not to mention the words that she spoke about it. He did in fact remember the guy she'd been talking about.

"No time like the present." Damon said at last as he moved the glass to his lips. He gave himself just a moment to reconsider, but couldn't even come close to talking himself out of tilting his head back and downing the glass in one go.

Though he wasn't sure exactly what he'd expected, Damon was slightly surprised that there was no burning sensation, as often came with what sounded like an alcoholic beverage as strong as this. It went down smooth and easy, and he didn't have to wonder for a second when the liquid hit his stomach. His eyes dilated, and the world spun for a second. He closed his eyes and took a slow deep breath, lowering the glass to the bar as he braced himself against it with the other. When he finally exhaled and opened his eyes, he was not at all surprised to find the world a little blurry. He took it in stride, though, and let out a long and slow exhale, closing his eyes for another couple of seconds before opening them again and speaking.

"That's the good stuff alright..." Damon started, slowly tracing the rim of the glass with one of his fingers. With all the shit that I deal with on a normal basis, I now understand why a lot of celebrities turn to drugs, and goddam what I wouldn't give for a bottle of this after the hard days...

Damon took a couple more long and slow breaths before turning slightly sideways, leaning against the bar, and setting his gaze on Eva once more. "That being said, though, I wish like hell I could get up on that stage right now..." Damon let go of the shot glass and picked up his own drink, giving it another long sip before setting it down and speaking again. "I guess I could let you take me to a karaoke when this show is over." He offered up as he gave her a playful smile. It seems only natural to return the favor since you were nice enough to let me buy you a drink."
 
Eva felt herself smiling as she considered Damon's offer, despite herself she was enjoying spending time with him and was about to point out that the small town didn't actually have anywhere which did karaoke that later at night when again she was interrupted by a blare of noise from the stage.

Looking over at the performers she saw two girls who seemed a little too young to be wearing as little as they were in front of a crowd, but who seemed to be getting quite a lot of attention from the rowdier men in the audience.

"Shit," she exclaimed passionately, quickly reaching out to grab up her empty shot glass and the bottle of... 'fine liquor'. "Looks like it's back to work for me. Coming?" Shooting a glance over her shoulder and nodding in the direction of the booth with her gear Eva started to make her way across the room, half expecting Damon to stay propped against the bar.

As she walked a playful idea entered her mind, and with the bubbles of alcohol popping in her brain she couldn't think of any reason not to follow through with it. Swaying her hips with each step, the young woman made sure Damon wouldn't get too distracted by the jailbait singers bouncing around the stage with their meagre assets threatening to slip free of their clothes at any second.

Stepping up to her table Eva lifted herself on her toes slightly, just enough so that as she bent over to pick up her main camera her well rounded ass stuck up at just the right angle to give anyone standing at the bar a nice clear view of it. With a mischievous grin she surreptitiously shot a look back towards Damon, trying to gauge how well her little act had managed to upstage the actual performers competing for his attention.
 
Damon was right there with Eva turning towards the stage when the loud blare of music suddenly sounded. He couldn't help but scoff at what he saw on stage. The young girls dancing to the music on stage weren't exactly talented, but given what they were wearing, they weren't exactly relying on their talent to do well in the competition.

"Heh, the work never stops does it?" Damon asked jokingly as he grabbed his own empty glass and his rum and coke and started after her. "Right behind you Eva."

Damon didn't exactly need an extra reason to keep his eyes locked on the beautiful woman in front of him, but he certainly wasn't one to pass up the opportunity to admire the way her ass and hips swayed with every step she took. Though she never looked back while they were walking, he had no doubts at all that she was doing it intentionally, just for him. Any doubts he may have had, though, would have certainly been washed away when she lifted up onto her toes a bit so that when she bent over the table he had a perfect view of her well rounded ass.

As if those two physical signs weren't enough evidence for Damon to know that Eva was intentionally teasing him, the mischievous grin that was on her face when she looked back over her shoulder at him told it all.

"And what are you so smiley about Eva?" Damon asked her softly as he walked up beside her, making sure that his shoulder brushed against hers. He reached for the bottle that she'd set down to tend to her cameras and poured each of them a generous shot and giving her the same teasing glance of expectation that she'd given him at the bar before his first shot.
 
"Just enjoying the show," the photographer responded as she straightened up and turned to face her friend.

One hand traced its way up the side of her body, fingertips accidentally catching on the underside of her breast for a second, lifting it half an inch before letting it drop back down on its own. Something about the way it moved caught Damon's eye, a certain looseness beneath Eva's tight top which suggested that the thin fabric of the t-shirt was the only thing obscuring the view of her rich chocolate flesh.

"Keep an eye on that for me?" Eva asked, turning away from the booth as though nothing was going on between the two of them. Lifting the camera to her eye she focussed on the stage, twist slightly at the waist as she did causing her top to stretch even more tightly over her body to the point where her pert nipple was clearly framed beneath.

Snapping off a couple of quick shots Eva stepped towards the back of the room and ducked down. Squatting in the dark she lined up a shot of the scantily clad girls on stage, who were now dancing up against each other, driving the more impressionable members of the crowd wild. The girls knew exactly what they were doing, their mouths moving even closer as they cradled their microphones together between their bodies, held up to their lips in a way which suggested they were thinking of something entirely different than the mediocre, clichéd lyrics they were chanting out passionately.

After a few more shots Eva moved back towards the table, leaning over to grab a different attachment from one of the cases. "Excuse me," she said with a slightly mocking tone as she brushed against Damon, the heat of her body radiating out noticeably as she did.
 
"Heh, me too." Damon said brazenly in response to her enjoying the show. It was safe to say that whatever had been in the shot glass was probably having an effect on him, but it was one that he definitely needed. He could really use a bottle of that stuff back home in New York. It would really help take the edge off in dealing with all the people and pressure there. Little did he know, though, that the show had only just begun. His eyes followed the movement of her hand as it slid up the sensual curves of her body, even catching ever so briefly on the swell of her breast, lifting it just briefly before it fell back to where it had been before.

"I'll make sure it doesn't go anywhere." Damon said with a playful smile as he watched her work, his gaze naturally drawn to her breasts this time as she twisted herself just so, making her shirt clings to her in such a way that her nipples were clearly outlined, despite her shirt and bra. He still made sure that he could see the stage if he chose. He wasn't so much interested in this act, but was hoping that another act might follow with a bit more talent involved, and hopefully less twerking.

"I guess you can be excused this time..." Damon started as he shifted just enough to give her the room she needed, but not so much that he didn't feel the brush of her soft and warm body against his shoulder. "You're going to have to pay the tax, though, and rumor has it this place has a tax of at least a three drink minimum." With a playful smile on his face, he nudged her glass towards her a bit as he lifted his up and took the shot clean. He felt the swimming motion again, but this time he was ready for it, and had a firm grip on the table as he felt his body alternate between jelly and solid. The relaxation he felt was utterly sublime, a feeling that he could definitely get used to.
 
Last edited:
“It’s five drinks, actually,” Eva replied with a quirky grin, knocking back the shot as if it was nothing before turning back to point her camera at the stage again.

Bending forwards she lent back slightly, meaning to get a better shot of the performers as the two girls lay on the stage together, their bodies grinding against each other in a way so obviously staged that even their most exuberant supporters in the crowd were beginning to quieten down.

It was a complete accident that Eva’s motion ended up with her curvaceous butt held in the air inches from Damon, and as she snapped away, shifting from side to side to get slightly different angles for each shot it was unavoidable that her plump rear jiggled back and forth enticingly.

As the girls finally finished their act and stood up with almost comically politeness after what they’d just been doing, thanking the crowd and taking a bow before heading off stage, Eva turned back to the booth. Slipping herself into the empty seat, twisting her body as she did to slide in under the table, her practiced hands danced over her camera, stripping down parts before quickly showing them away and replacing them with others, preparing for the next set.

“You might want to prepare yourself,” she said, smiling over at Damon with a knowing wink, “The last guys like it loud.” As she spoke Eva pulled out a darkened lens for her gear and slotted it into place, before pulling the backplate off the camera and quickly switching out the film roll.

Some people in the profession had begun questioning the validity of ‘old fashioned’ photographic film over the newer and ‘better’ digital photography, and although Eva did use a digital camera, especially for contract pieces which would need to be processed quickly, she still loved the way light reacted to film in unexpected ways. Some effects couldn’ Even be predicted until the film was processed, and working in her dark room had given Eva some of her best memories over the last few years.

Reaching for the bottle of hooch Eva quickly splashed another generous serving into her shot, before lifting it in toast. “Here’s to shitty music, good booze and old friends,” she said with genuine affection, her glass hovering in the air uncertainly as her arm tried to hold itself steady under the influence of the previous rounds.
 
The show going on on stage was utterly predictable, a stark contrast to the show going on at the booth beside Damon. The movement of Eva's curvaceous body was dance all it's own, and not as stupidly obvious as the two girls on stage. It was so goddamn hard for him not to reach out and touch her, something that he couldn't but wonder if she wanted, or even possibly expected.

When the two girls on stage finally finished their "performance" Damon couldn't help but be glad for it. He ended up even more glad than he thought possible when he was privy to the sight of Eva shifting her hips and body just so, swinging her hips around the corner of the table so that she could slip into the booth and get back to work on her cameras.

"Just how I like it..." Damon started with a sarcastic smile and a roll of his eyes. "Loud all the time and overplayed to all hell."

When Eva poured herself another shot and made to raise it as she offered up her toast, Damon couldn't help but pour himself a third shot and lift his glass as well. "I'll drink to that!" He offered up, holding his glass in that raised position as he saw her arm shake a bit in the air.

"What's on your mind Eva?" Damon finally dared to ask, still holding his glass at the ready, ready to take the shot, but only if she took hers as well.
 
Back
Top