A couple of hours after their first date had abruptly ended, there was a blurb on the late night news about the incident, stating that someone known as "The Shadow" had broken into Logicorp Headquarters and threatened the CEO. Logicorp, the audience was reminded, was being investigated for so-called "illegal practices", but nothing more was known at this time. If anyone had any information about the presumed vigilante, they were urged to contact the authorities.
Holli kept an eye on the news when she got home, making sure nothing incriminating was being broadcast unintentionally by well-meaning but ignorant reporters. She still had to go through the information she had picked up at Logicorp, but she would do that in her super secret bunker - essentially just a basement she had rented on the other side of the city. It was better to keep the dangerous stuff away from home.
It was after midnight when there came a knock at her door, a faint rap of knuckles so as not to wake the neighbors. The knock wasn't accompanied by any shouts or anyone claiming to be the police, but it was a little late for a social call.
Holli's head snapped up, a curious frown on her face as she moved across the living room toward her door. Cautiously, she peered through the spy hole, though she knew she wouldn't see anything if someone was there with malicious intent.
There he was - standing outside her door with a paper bag in one hand and a six-pack in the other. He knew he probably shouldn't be here, but something had drawn him here and it wasn't just a desire for company.
Despite herself, despite the surprise, she smiled, shaking her head almost in disbelief even as she undid the locks and opened the door. What he was presented with was a much more relaxed version of the woman he'd met twice that day - blonde hair down, wearing Christmas pajamas out of season, bare foot, and smiling. "Aren't you supposed to call ahead of arriving for the booty call?"
"Is that what I'm here for?" he asked, a grin on his face. He held up the bag and the six-pack. "I came bearing gifts," he told her, though he did not step inside and wouldn't unless and until she invited him.
Chuckling, she stepped back, jerking her head to invite him inside. "C'mon in. You look exhausted." And edible, she added to herself, but held that one off her tongue. She still wasn't entirely sure he would be comfortable with her playfully objectifying him just yet.
"Exhausted and hungry. I hope you don't mind. I brought take out," he said, though that much was obvious. It smelled like Chinese, though there weren't many Chinese restaurants open this late.
"Come in, take a load off," she told him, gesturing for him to make himself comfortable. Her apartment wasn't huge, but it was big enough that she had a separated living room, kitchen, and bedroom, and her couch took up most of the living room space. Clearly she was a woman who liked comfort.
"Thanks," he said, as he stepped inside and paused just inside the door. "Do you want me to take my shoes off?" he asked, polite enough to ask and willing to abide by her wishes. It was her home, after all.
"Whatever makes you comfortable," she told him. "No shoes on the couch or the bed, though. If that happens, I will have to spank you with a frying pan."
He winced. "Ouch, that sounds painful. I didn't realize you were into that sort of thing," he said, as he toed his shoes off and left them by the front door.
She laughed. "Well, it wouldn't be a punishment if it was going to make you get off, would it?" She took the six-pack from him so he'd have a hand free to take off whatever he wanted to take off easily.
"Thanks," he murmured, handing her the paper bag, as well, so that he could shrug off his jacket. "You like Chinese?" he asked, as he looked around for someplace to put his jacket.
There was a short row of hooks against the wall beside the door where she clearly hung her own jacket and coat, with room to spare for his. "Who doesn't like Chinese?" was her reply. "You still haven't eaten?"
"Duty calls," he replied, tossing his jacket over a hook. "I know it's late," he added with a small frown. "Like I said before ....insomniac." Maybe he had other reasons for being here, but if she hadn't answered the door, they wouldn't be having this conversation.
She held his gaze for a long moment, charmed by the almost guilty hesitation he expressed without actually apologising for his presence. A slow smile curved at her lips. "It's fine," she assured him. "Weekend starts tomorrow - you can keep me up all night if you need to. Now sit your butt down and eat something, you ridiculous man."
"Yes, ma'am," he told her obediently, gesturing in the general direction of the kitchen. "Kitchen?" he asked, unsure if she wanted to take a chance on his eating Chinese from her couch.
"Sure." She waved him in that direction with a smile, following along to flick on the light and reveal a square kitchen with a small but sturdy oak-wood table set beneath the window and padded chairs. "Are you a barbarian who eats Chinese with a knife and fork?"
"When in Rome," he said in answer to her question, a smirk on his face. He set the six-pack on the table and claimed a seat. "A little early for Christmas, isn't it?" he asked as he tugged two bottles of beer from the case. Yes, he'd noticed the silly holiday pajamas she was wearing.
She laughed, leaning over to tweak a couple of sets of chopsticks out of a drawer. "What, you actually have PJs you wear only at Christmas time?" she asked impishly. "I like these, they're comfy."
He smirked further at her reply to his question. "So, that makes it okay to wear them in July?" he asked, as he cracked open a beer and handed it over.
"Yup." She grinned, swapping him chopsticks for the beer. "Thanks." Taking a slow sip, she thumped down into a seat herself. "You don't need to stand on ceremony. Eat."
"Or you could get comfy pajamas you can wear all year round," he pointed out, though it hardly mattered. She sure did look adorable in them though - and a little more fit than he'd expected her to be. He took a seat and reached into the bag, pulling out a couple of cartons of food, as well as the obligatory fortune cookies. "Did I wake you?"
Holli kept an eye on the news when she got home, making sure nothing incriminating was being broadcast unintentionally by well-meaning but ignorant reporters. She still had to go through the information she had picked up at Logicorp, but she would do that in her super secret bunker - essentially just a basement she had rented on the other side of the city. It was better to keep the dangerous stuff away from home.
It was after midnight when there came a knock at her door, a faint rap of knuckles so as not to wake the neighbors. The knock wasn't accompanied by any shouts or anyone claiming to be the police, but it was a little late for a social call.
Holli's head snapped up, a curious frown on her face as she moved across the living room toward her door. Cautiously, she peered through the spy hole, though she knew she wouldn't see anything if someone was there with malicious intent.
There he was - standing outside her door with a paper bag in one hand and a six-pack in the other. He knew he probably shouldn't be here, but something had drawn him here and it wasn't just a desire for company.
Despite herself, despite the surprise, she smiled, shaking her head almost in disbelief even as she undid the locks and opened the door. What he was presented with was a much more relaxed version of the woman he'd met twice that day - blonde hair down, wearing Christmas pajamas out of season, bare foot, and smiling. "Aren't you supposed to call ahead of arriving for the booty call?"
"Is that what I'm here for?" he asked, a grin on his face. He held up the bag and the six-pack. "I came bearing gifts," he told her, though he did not step inside and wouldn't unless and until she invited him.
Chuckling, she stepped back, jerking her head to invite him inside. "C'mon in. You look exhausted." And edible, she added to herself, but held that one off her tongue. She still wasn't entirely sure he would be comfortable with her playfully objectifying him just yet.
"Exhausted and hungry. I hope you don't mind. I brought take out," he said, though that much was obvious. It smelled like Chinese, though there weren't many Chinese restaurants open this late.
"Come in, take a load off," she told him, gesturing for him to make himself comfortable. Her apartment wasn't huge, but it was big enough that she had a separated living room, kitchen, and bedroom, and her couch took up most of the living room space. Clearly she was a woman who liked comfort.
"Thanks," he said, as he stepped inside and paused just inside the door. "Do you want me to take my shoes off?" he asked, polite enough to ask and willing to abide by her wishes. It was her home, after all.
"Whatever makes you comfortable," she told him. "No shoes on the couch or the bed, though. If that happens, I will have to spank you with a frying pan."
He winced. "Ouch, that sounds painful. I didn't realize you were into that sort of thing," he said, as he toed his shoes off and left them by the front door.
She laughed. "Well, it wouldn't be a punishment if it was going to make you get off, would it?" She took the six-pack from him so he'd have a hand free to take off whatever he wanted to take off easily.
"Thanks," he murmured, handing her the paper bag, as well, so that he could shrug off his jacket. "You like Chinese?" he asked, as he looked around for someplace to put his jacket.
There was a short row of hooks against the wall beside the door where she clearly hung her own jacket and coat, with room to spare for his. "Who doesn't like Chinese?" was her reply. "You still haven't eaten?"
"Duty calls," he replied, tossing his jacket over a hook. "I know it's late," he added with a small frown. "Like I said before ....insomniac." Maybe he had other reasons for being here, but if she hadn't answered the door, they wouldn't be having this conversation.
She held his gaze for a long moment, charmed by the almost guilty hesitation he expressed without actually apologising for his presence. A slow smile curved at her lips. "It's fine," she assured him. "Weekend starts tomorrow - you can keep me up all night if you need to. Now sit your butt down and eat something, you ridiculous man."
"Yes, ma'am," he told her obediently, gesturing in the general direction of the kitchen. "Kitchen?" he asked, unsure if she wanted to take a chance on his eating Chinese from her couch.
"Sure." She waved him in that direction with a smile, following along to flick on the light and reveal a square kitchen with a small but sturdy oak-wood table set beneath the window and padded chairs. "Are you a barbarian who eats Chinese with a knife and fork?"
"When in Rome," he said in answer to her question, a smirk on his face. He set the six-pack on the table and claimed a seat. "A little early for Christmas, isn't it?" he asked as he tugged two bottles of beer from the case. Yes, he'd noticed the silly holiday pajamas she was wearing.
She laughed, leaning over to tweak a couple of sets of chopsticks out of a drawer. "What, you actually have PJs you wear only at Christmas time?" she asked impishly. "I like these, they're comfy."
He smirked further at her reply to his question. "So, that makes it okay to wear them in July?" he asked, as he cracked open a beer and handed it over.
"Yup." She grinned, swapping him chopsticks for the beer. "Thanks." Taking a slow sip, she thumped down into a seat herself. "You don't need to stand on ceremony. Eat."
"Or you could get comfy pajamas you can wear all year round," he pointed out, though it hardly mattered. She sure did look adorable in them though - and a little more fit than he'd expected her to be. He took a seat and reached into the bag, pulling out a couple of cartons of food, as well as the obligatory fortune cookies. "Did I wake you?"