West Richland Tavern.

[feistyphoenix]

Eric turned to pull out a chair for Tess, his eyes met hers with a warm smile. ''My Mom is a Scot, so it was Scotch after dinner for her. I didn't drink wine till of got to Rutgers, Coaches Dinner at the athletic directors house.'' Pushing her chair up to the table as she sat, serving a filet onto Tess's plate, roasted rosemary potatoes, then vegetable medley parmesan. Eric lifts his wine glass to Tess. ''To our first meal cooked to together.''

Tess gently clinked her glass against his and smiled. She remembered what he had said that morning about being on the court.

"You played basketball, right? What did you get a degree in?"

She didn't know much about colleges but vaguely remembered Rutgers being a really top notch place, if Eric had gone there and graduated he must be very smart.

 

[Wolfias]

''Yeah shooting guard and I got a degree in finance.'' Lifting his fork he digs into the dinner they'd prepared. ''Was as fun in class and it was playing basketball.'' Eric took a sip of wine it accented the food perfectly, Tess had added just the right amount of butter and parmesan. ''You know, I couldn't have seasoned the vegetables any better myself Tess.''

 

[1millionsecrets]

The man stood and his weasilyness seemed to radiate from his body. His crooked nose from too many fights, his scars, and his cold blue eyes. All the features she could ever recall from him were features of a malicious state.
He stepped nearer to her and took her long hair in his honey fists. "You need a hair cut..." Her.pulled her nearer by it, and released on wad of curls and gripped her wrist. "And you're still fat... Maybe you should try to better yourself..."
She flinched and didn't dare raise her eyes. She held her breath and flinched as he squeezed her wrist. His words stung but they always did. "Yes Papa..." She spoke softly and trembled.
He grinned broadly and his white teeth glinted, he had spent so much on them and kept.food from her for two weeks so he could afford them. It made no sense to her, they always had so much extra money...
Her father raised his thin hand and smacked her in the face. "Look at me when you speak to me bitch..." His voice was cold, demanding.
Hannah's face stung, but it was a familiar sting. One she felt multiple times, everyday in her life. She looked up at her father, her eyes soft and nearly tearful. She forced a timid smile. "Y-yes Papa." She realized in this moment how dangerous this man was, and how unlike other men she could not just take care of him. She was afraid, and alone...

 

[gearhead73]

Ethan Summers stood across the street leaning against a lamp post and taking a long draw of his cigarette. He had been standing there for close to an hour just looking at the entrance of the West Richland Tavern, trying to muster up the courage to walk inside. He saw patrons come and go, each one looking up and down the empty street as if making sure no one they knew would see them enter.

From the outside the dingy bulding looked like an of a hundred other bars in the city, but if the rumors were true the atmosphere inside was much different. He had heard about the tavern from a couples guys he worked with at the local Ford dealer. They had even asked him to join them when they planned on venturing out to see if it was tru, but he declined. Ethan had never even entertained the possibility of going to brothel, until recently. He threw the butt on the ground and ground it out with his shoe. He took a deep breath while absent mindedly running his fingertips over the wedding ring on his left hand.

Out of habit, he looked both ways before crossing the dimly lit street to the entrance. The weathered wooden door creaked as he pulled it open and stepped inside.

 

[feistyphoenix]

''Yeah shooting guard and I got a degree in finance.'' Lifting his fork he digs into the dinner they'd prepared. ''Was as fun in class and it was playing basketball.'' Eric took a sip of wine it accented the food perfectly, Tess had added just the right amount of butter and parmesan. ''You know, I couldn't have seasoned the vegetables any better myself Tess.''

"Well I had a good teacher," she said as she smiled at the compliment.

Tess didn't waste any time finishing her food, she tried to remind herself to slow down but it had been over 12 hours since her last meal. Everything was delicious.

"This was amazing Eric," she sipped her wine and leaned back in her chair. It had been fun cooking with him and being close to him had made her forget about the incident earlier.

She checked the clock out of habit and realized DJ had been gone for over 2 hours with Alexa. She guessed what they were up to, so much for his offer to keep her company. Men were so one track minded, figures he would ditch her for a girl who would put out. She turned her attention back to Eric and watched him in the low light, wondering if she gave him the same feeling she'd had when he pressed himself against her in the kitchen. She sighed softly.

 

[wombat9966]

Troy had been downstairs working on the taverns keg system. During the evening shift the pressure had started to play up but he had reckoned he could fix it. Sure enough some of the lines just needed bleeding and tightening and now everything should be good to go for the next shift. As he made his way up the stairs he noticed Hannah standing in front of a man in a darkened corner. By the looks of her body language she was not enjoying herself but she was not moving away from him. Walking over to stand behind her he put his hand on her shoulder. "Everything okay here Boss," He asked her giving her the heads up that she was in charge about how she wanted to play this and that he had her back.

 

[1millionsecrets]

When the man walked in Hannah's father released her from his grasp. She pulled away quickly and the heels of her boots clicked. She rubbed her wrists and whimpered as she made her way to the bar. "I'm fine Troy... Thank you." She hid her reddened face with her long crimson curls.

She glanced up at the young man with her honest green eyes and in silence she blinked away her tears. Her father retreated to his table and sat in silence. Hannah attempted to smile warmly, and spoke with a shaky softness. "Welcome." She got the glasses fixed and faced and turned again to him. "Could I help you with anything?"

 

[gearhead73]

Ethan stood for a moment inside the door and took a look at his surroundings. The inside of the place was so far removed from what he had expected that for a long while he just stood and took it all in. There were no signs of carpet anywhere. Instead the floors were a beautiful oak with a mahogany or walnut inlay near the baseboards. The bar looked to be made out of cherry and the resin coated top glimmered in the modern lighting above it. The place smelled fresh and clean and as he made his way to find a seat at the bar he noticed that everything was organized and clean.

He scanned the room and noticed two man and a young woman standing in the opposite corner of the bar. One man had the woman's wrist captured in his hand and the look on her face told that she hadn't welcomed the contact. Another man stood behind her and also seemd displeased at the conversation the two were having. Ethan figured he had walked into the middle of something that he didn't want any part of and decided he had better leave. He was about to turn and make for the door when he saw the young woman pull her wrist free and start toward where Ethan was standing.

His eyes followed her as she approached. Her long auburn hair covered one side of her face, but he could still see that she was quite beautiful. The heels of her boots had elongated her legs and caused her hips to sway seductively as she walked. He could see that she seemed troubled, but when she finally spoke her voice was soft and warm.

"Welcome. Could I help you with anything?" she said grabbing a rocks glass from a cabinet behind her.

"Uhm... a burbon please. Neat." Ethan stammered. He couldn't understand why he was so nervous. This was definitely not his first time at a bar, or the first time he had been served by an attractive bartender. Maybe it was the alleged seedy nature of what supposedly happened hear and what he was contemplating doing that had him so nervous.

"Nice place." he said trying to cover.

 

[1millionsecrets]

She followed one of the easiest orders possible keeping a warm smile the whole time she then offered it to him and smiled shyly. It was obvious by her stance that her confidence was lacking. As she made his glass, her body moved with an utterworldy elegance. Her small breasts were pushed up into a silken softness of cream white flesh and crevice. Her face wad sweet and heart shaped and her eyes emerald almonds. She never dared flaunt herself or hold herself above anyone. She stood with in a reclusive manner and seemed to nearly hold her breath as he stood before her. "First one is free."
Having no other customers she sat back on her little stool. Waiting nervously for her father to go.

 

[gearhead73]

"Thank you." he said as he slid into one of the padded seats. He took a sip of his drink and his eyes closed as he relished the burn that always acompanied a decent whiskey. It had been a while since he had enjoyed a shot, so he savored each sip not wanting to rush the experience.

The young woman had taken a seat on a stool behind the bar. The smile that she had donned while serving him had faded and her face now took on a look of worry. He tried not to stare, but he found it impossible. The side of her dress had fallen away to reveal shapley legs, and her chest while small was accentuated by her bodice. Her hair was a mass of crimson ringlets framing her pretty face and igniting a spark inside her green eyes.

Neither of them spoke and after a while Ethan started to believe that all of the rumors about this place where just that, rumors. In a way he was relieved. Again he touched the golden band on his left hand before downing the rest of his drink.

He slid the glass across the bar, "Excuse me miss, can I get another one please?". He looked around and seeing no other customers he decided he would see if he could at least spark a bit of conversation to pass some time."Would be ok if I bought you one as well?"

 

[raiguy]

"I love sushi. Especially salmon," Alexa confessed, laughing. "And this is thanks for last night, this morning, the ankle brace, and the lessons on how to fight."

DJ smiled. "Well, since your ankle is better, lets start teaching you how to fight. We can head down to my basement. I've owned this house for several years, and still have the mats downstairs," he said, standing up and taking Alexa's hand as he guided her to the basement.

Once they were downstairs, he stood in front of her. "I can teach you self-defense, or how to fight. It's up to you," he said, before stepping and getting punching mitts for his hands. "Hit my hands," he said, waiting to see what she did.

 

[celestialdragon]

Alexa sized up the hands in front of her and threw a punch into his hands, biting her lip in concentration.

 

[raiguy]

DJ smiled. "Okay, first off, don't bite your lip. If you ever get hit in return, you'll bite through your lip, and most likely either choke on it, swallow it, or spit it somewhere that you can't get it back," he said, before thinking. "You had decent form. Hit with the first two knuckles of the fist, and when you hit, you want to have a bit of extension to go through the punch. You don't want to hit them at the limit of your reach, but you don't want to hit them when your arm is still bent. The general rule in MMA is you want about 3 inches of follow-through on a punch. Now hit a straight jab," he said, holding up his mitts.

 

[celestialdragon]

Alexa nodded and threw another punch, remembering not to bite her lip and trying not to overextend.

 

[raiguy]

DJ nodded, before stepping up to her. "Okay. The jab is to tell you your range. If you barely make contact, you're too far away. If you make contact too close, you're way too close. You want to have that 3 inches of follow-through. Now then, start moving around, and try to stay in range for that 3 inch follow-through," he told Alexa.

 

[celestialdragon]

Alexa nodded again and remembered where she was as she started moving and punching, not really stopping.

 

[raiguy]

DJ smiled as he moved with Alexa. She was slowly starting to get what he was telling her. Granted, it would never hold up in a fight, as she didn't know enough, or have enough confidence in herself, but she was at least trying to learn. He stopped her, before explaining the next part. "You need to put your ass into it," he said. "When you punch, step, and throw the punch. Don't cock your arm. Just step and jab," he said, demonstrating it quickly. He clapped his mitts together, holding them up for her.

 

[celestialdragon]

Alexa nodded, almost blushing, but she did as he told her, and she was amazed at how much her power behind the punches had increased.

 

[raiguy]

DJ watched Alexa thoughtfully. "Now that you know how to generate power, and how to punch correctly, start throwing what you think would work in a fight," he said, holding his mitts up and beckoning her to come test him.

 

[celestialdragon]

Alexa raised an eyebrow but carefully analyzed where he was and aimed for his throat, knowing it was a vulnerable spot.

 

[raiguy]

DJ deflected the strike, before suddenly bowling Alexa over, onto her back. He grinned down at her, before kissing her. "Smart idea to go for the throat, but only do it if you are really wanting to injure someone. That can easily turn into killing the person you are striking. Kicks and punches to the body can be just as effective, if done precisely," he said, kissing her again.

 

[celestialdragon]

Alexa smiled and giggled as he kissed her while teaching her. "I'll keep that in mind," she said, storing the information away in her brain. She kissed him again and grinned. "Can I try again?"

 

[1millionsecrets]

"Thank you." he said as he slid into one of the padded seats. He took a sip of his drink and his eyes closed as he relished the burn that always acompanied a decent whiskey. It had been a while since he had enjoyed a shot, so he savored each sip not wanting to rush the experience.

The young woman had taken a seat on a stool behind the bar. The smile that she had donned while serving him had faded and her face now took on a look of worry. He tried not to stare, but he found it impossible. The side of her dress had fallen away to reveal shapley legs, and her chest while small was accentuated by her bodice. Her hair was a mass of crimson ringlets framing her pretty face and igniting a spark inside her green eyes.

Neither of them spoke and after a while Ethan started to believe that all of the rumors about this place where just that, rumors. In a way he was relieved. Again he touched the golden band on his left hand before downing the rest of his drink.

He slid the glass across the bar, "Excuse me miss, can I get another one please?". He looked around and seeing no other customers he decided he would see if he could at least spark a bit of conversation to pass some time."Would be ok if I bought you one as well?"

A small smile touched her lips and she hopped up and carefully got him some more. When she placed it before him her lips parted slowly. "Well, I don't much care for bourbon so. You drink my glass, and save yours for later?" She then wiped down her work space and flashed him a soft smile. "Prices on the sign."

The man across the room moved two tables closer, he waited quietly for his turn to speak.

Hannah aware of his unwanted presence focused on the customer. She noticed the pretty gold band around his finger and spoke sweetly, genuinely. "Escaping the wife?"

 

[merryohmd]

Rex downstairs and saw Hannah serving drinks. He did not think the tavern was supposed to open until dinner time. He noticed an big ugly guy lurking near a couple of table and sensed Troy's tension. Hannah seemed uneasy also. Rex wondered if it was the ugly older guy or the guy getting the drinks that had them concerned. Not his worry right now.

Rex headed into the kitchen were he saw Tess eating and some guy he did not know with her. The place smelled great but they were deeply involved in conversation. Rex did take pause and check out Tess's tight top. "Nice tits!" Rex thought. He would have said it since he considered it a complement but he did not know the guy.

Rex grabbed some food and water for the dogs and headed out back. He whistled as soon as he opened the back door and the dogs started japing excitedly instead of growling like that usually did before they saw it was him.

"Hey guys, hungry?"

 

[wombat9966]

Troy moved to sit opposite the weasley guy putting himself between him and Hannah. "Never thought I would see you in here yourself, " he began. He had recognized Hanna's father as soon as he had moved out of the shadows. "What brings you to your daughter's bar Mr Foccarelli? I thought she was running this place by herself and you and Mr Dumbrell were taking a hands off approach. I would appreciate it if that was the case as it is making my job easier."

Troy looked over the guy and didn't like what he saw. He was not a tall man nor was he all that fit. He was a thin man that obviously must rule through intimidation and that made him very dangerous in Troy's mind. A big guy knew he could make threats and be believed. A small guy always thought he had to back up everything he said even when he was powerful.