xp_logs | Domino and Jake, Friday night

Domino, blowing off steam while searching for a certain Brit, happens to run into a certain shapeshifter. Small world! Old poker games are discussed, mild flirtation is had, and it all winds up in a wrestling match over cake. Really. Stop looking at us like that.

She'd call Nate in the morning, Domino thought, leaning back against the bar and sipping at her drink as her eyes roamed the packed confines of the club. He hadn't known she was going to be in the country, after all, so he wasn't expecting her, and to be honest she needed to blow off some steam - very few of the feelers she'd put out trying to find Pete had paid off, and she was starting to get seriously frustrated. Oh, well, maybe in the morning... For now, this, as far as blowing off steam went, would do nicely. She'd gotten a few interesting offers already, and could have half a dozen more, she suspected, if she wanted. It was just a question of what she wanted to spend the evening doing to whom.

Somewhere without files and children, that was what Jake had wanted. He had both of that, plus drinks, so he was pretty happy. He leaned back in his chair, and watched people dancing on the floor in front of him. And best of all, he didn't know a single soul in the place.

Domino tossed back the rest of her drink and kept sizing up the prospects. As she turned her attention to the tables along the side, her eyes widened in pure glee as she spotted a familiar face. "Well, damn," she murmured, and left a tip on the bar before heading over there.

Jake was idly eyeing one of the girls on the dance floor, when a pair of long legs covered his view. He admired them for a moment, then looked up, taking in the tiny black dress, and the very familiar face. "Domino! Fancy meeting you here."

Domino tilted her head, gazing down at him. Still cute, she thought. "Gavin," she said, and sprawled elegantly across the empty chair. "Small world, isn't it? Although, I don't see any poker tables in this place." She pretended to look around inquisitively. "Don't you usually need to be able to cheat at cards to call it a good evening out?"

"Oh, please. Just because I'm better at keeping a poker face than you are..." Jake trailed off. "I won fair and square, and you just can't stand that, can you?" he smirked at her.

Oh so smug. But still cute. Domino gave him a woeful look, complete with lower-lip tremble. "Meanie. You take such joy in crushing my fragile self-esteem."

Jake laughed. "Like you have a fragile anything at all. Oh, hey, I met a friend of yours," he remembered. "Anika. She smells things."

Domino's eyes widened a little. "You met Ani... you're back at the mansion?" She leaned back in her chair, regarding him thoughtfully. "Huh. All roads lead to Xavier's, it seems. I'm planning to be there tomorrow." Unless she hit paydirt between now and then, in which case the mansion could wait for a couple of days. Although she did want to check on Nate.

"It pulls you back in," Jake nodded. "Of course, in my case, they had some help from Remy LeBeau, but... Well, it's a good place."

"Ah. LeBeau." A waiter chose that moment to arrive, and Domino smiled cheerfully at him as she ordered another drink. Once he was safely away again, she raised an eyebrow at Jake. "I've managed to avoid him quite successfully the last few times I've been at the mansion," she said, still pleasantly, "and I plan to keep right on doing it. Best for everyone."

Jake's eyebrows rose. "I didn't know you two have a history? This wounds me. I thought I knew everything about you."

"A girl has to have some secrets," Domino said, batting her eyelashes at him. "But seriously, I like being able to drop in and out of Xavier's and see Nate and Moira when I like. So I behave."

"That must be a new and interesting experience for you," Jake grinned back at her.

"Less than you'd expect." The waiter came back with her drink, and she took it, sipping at it, her eyes never leaving Jake. "Lots of changes in the last year, Jake... I've been working solo more often than not, so indulging myself is getting less and less feasible."

Jake tilted his head, eyeing her back. "Life is all about indulgences, my dear. Coming from a sworn workaholic, this doesn't sound all that convincing, perhaps, but never-the-less..." That was a very tight dress, that was. And very well cut. Very... He tilted his head again to get a better angle. Well cut indeed.

"Jake, dear," Domino purred. "If you're going to stare at my chest, you could at least have the decency to drool a little. It's only complimentary."

Jake dragged his eyes back up to her face, unrepentant. "I have too much good breeding for that," he grinned. "And did I mention that you look very nice tonight? Because you do. See how smooth that was?"

"Positively gentlemanly." Domino sipped at her drink, giving him a long, measuring up-and-down look. "So tell me, am I monopolizing your time? Do you have somewhere to be? Because I could make myself scarce." She smiled brightly. "There are at least nine people in this room who've already made it quite clear that they'd love to take m home tonight. I could always be on my way..."

"Yes, but are any of them quite as pretty and incredibly funny as I am?" Jake smiled back. He had nothing against dangerous women, in fact he rather liked them. It was one thing to want a break from the mansion, it was another thing entirely to let her disappear now, just as things were getting fun.

"So make me a better offer." She sipped again at her drink. "You know me. The price is high, but I'm well worth it."

Jake hoped she appreciate the fact that he didn't make a hooker joke right about now. Something he mostly didn't do because Domino had a mean right hook. Left hook, too, for that matter. "Well, personally, I was going to head back to the hotel and take advantage of the dessert menu.. but I'm open to suggestions."

Aw, nuts. He hadn't taken the opening, which mean that she didn't get to wax indignant and hit him. Oh, well, there were other entertaining things that could be done... "I could go for something chocolate," she admitted. "I'm a very depressed little mercenary these days." She summoned up the woeful look again. "Chocolate would be good."

"Chocolate is always good," Jake agreed. He drained his glass. When Domino did that thing with her eyes, she looked like Puss-in-Boots. He grinned at the comparison. "Shall we?"

~*~

There were a distinct giggle from the scantily clad mercenary sprawled across the bed. "Oooh. Oooh, now this is serious chocolate, Jake." Domino looked up from the molten chocolate cake mischievously. "And you're not having any. I've decided that I don't share with card cheats."

There was an indignant noise from Jake, who was sitting crosslegged beside her. "You just can't stand losing, can you?" He was going to contest her claim to the chocolate cake as soon as he'd finished with the creme brulee. But first things first.

"Oh, how'd you guess?" Domino grumbled and licked her spoon, savoring the warm chocolate. "I have to accustom myself to it far too often as is. I mean, look at Nate... all domestic with Moira, teaching a cooking class. And Pete..." Whoa, no. Not going there with someone who was working with LeBeau, even if Jake was still awfully cute.

Jake was nodding along. "I just spent two weeks attempting to figure out his handwriting. At least he could have made computer print outs, even if he believes that computers are the devil," he bitched. Thank god I'm done. It's all smooth sailing from now on. ...yeah, right.

"Lucky you," Domino muttered, stabbing viciously at the chocolate cake before she managed to smooth out her expression. Replacing him already, were they? But no... alcohol and excessive amounts of sugar aside, her self-control really was better than this. "You're going to eat all the creme brulee, aren't you?" she asked, more brightly.

He swallowed anoter spoonfull. "You betcha." He winced at the sight of what she'd done to the chocolate cake. She seemed a little... agitated. "And don't do that to the cake. What did it ever do to you? It's not like it could refuse to get eaten."

"It looked at me funny." Domino gave a tight little grin, despite herself, and managed to get some of the mangled cake on the fork. "So what are you going to do to me if I flounce into the mansion tomorrow and announce to all and sundry that we spent the night together?"

"Do to you?" Jake blinked.

Domino gave him an innocent look. "Freudian slip?"

Jake finished up the creme brulee, and sat the bowl aside. It was time to do battle with Domino over the remains of the chocolate cake. He studied her carefully, took in the innocent look and all. She was a wily one, but if he could catch her by surprise... He launched himself at her.

Domino yelped. Loudly. "AAH! No! Get off!" She managed to hold the cake back out of reach... almost out of reach. "Mine!"

"Mine!" Jake protested, attempting to hold her down, and reach for the cake at the same time. His knee was pulling her dress up on the right side, the other leg was trying to keep her feet in place, and his left hand was getting very familiar with her chest. "Would you stop wriggling?" he panted, exasperated, as he elongated his right hand to grab the cake.

"I can't... gah... stop groping me and I'll stop wriggling!" Domino realized she was laughing, but couldn't help it. "Or, you know, don't... but MY CAKE! Mine!"

"Ha!" Was Jake's response to that, as he was victorious in the cake battle. He sat up, straddling her, beaming down at her. The way she was trying to look grumpy while laughing was a pretty fascinating sight.

"Well, now I see where your priorities are," she giggled, trying to muster a pout and failing as she grinned up at him, her violet eyes sparkling.

"You're a gorgeous woman, Dom, but this is chocolate cake," Jake said solemnly.

"Then at least get your admittedly attractive ass off me so that I can get something else off the dessert cart, Gavin."

Jake crawled off her, careful to keep hold of the cake. He eyed her warily over the cake, as he didn't quite trust her to have given up so easily. Especially not for a cake that was quite tasty indeed.

Domino sat up, adjusting her dress, and slipped off the bed, going back over to the dessert cart. "Cheesecake, cheesecake... there's got to be cheesecake on here somewhere," she murmured.

Sitting back on his heels, satisfied, Jake began eating for real. "There was one behind the strawberry one," he said, helpfully.

Domino sniffed at him, then her eyes brightened as she spotted a slice of what looked like some sort of mocha or cappuccino cheesecake. Good enough. "Cake thief," she accused, coming back to the bed with the plate.

"You're going to add that to your 'card cheat', aren't you?" Jake sighed. He eyed her selected cake. That one looked pretty good too... "From now on, every time I see you, it's gonna be 'card-cheating, cake-stealing son of a bitch', isn't it?"

"Unless you give me a good reason to forgive you." Domino squirmed as she flopped back on the bed. "Damned dress... looks good, but it's hellishly uncomfortable...."

"Feel free to step out of it any time you like," Jake offered generously, blue eyes glinting merrily.

"Don't tease me." Domino tried the cheesecake. Definitely mocha. She'd preferred the chocolate cake.