Manhatten: Roof Garden of the Met -- then Gramercy Park Hotel [Monday Evening]

[icecoldfrost]

It was a beautiful, clear night. The best possible kind of night to take in Manhatten, in Emma's personal opinion, and they had the best possible party to enjoy.

Ben Nishimura's charity benefit was a veritable Who's Who of interesting and powerful people, ranging from socialites to politicians and businessmen from across the globe. The cream of society had the run of the Met for the evening, and after a few rounds of the floors, Emma found herself in her favorite spot of the entire museum: the roof garden, with its sculptures and perfect view of the park.

She leaned on the ledge, looking out at the trees as she sipped her drink. Tonight was going fantastically, at least on her end. They hadn't had a single issue getting into the party, Nishimura had remembered her from Cumberland's gala (and she'd spent a good two hours with his hand on her waist as he introduced her to various people), and there was no sign of Leland. Plus, she had more than enough information to make this trip profitable, and she was definitely calling her broker in the morning.

Best yet, still no migraine. She was getting better at this.

< Jack, you ought to come up here, > she sent out, keeping her touch light so she wouldn't startle him. < The view is to die for. >

[For the other party-crasher. NFB due to off-island shenanigans. ETA: Getting NWS in the second thread, because they're a pair of delinquents with four months of UST.]

Comments

[bitten_notshy]

< On my way >

Without a start, Jack turned away from the dark-haired, slim-hipped young man he'd been having a most entertaining conversation with. Nothing Emma could use, but he now knew who was being named in who's divorce and had a date for the next time he was in town -- which was almost as good.

"Would you mind if I excused myself? I promised I'd find my friend," he said, and climbed up to the roof.

"Emma," he told the girl, when he found her, "this is beautiful. I would get over my prejudice against New York if it were like this at home."

[icecoldfrost]

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Emma asked, looking out over her adopted city with fondness. "It's not all this glamorous or posh, but it's home."

"And I'm glad you're having fun. Made any interesting new friends yet?" she teased, holding out a hand for him to come wander the statues with her. "I'll be very cross if you leave with more invitations than I do."

[bitten_notshy]

"A few. No one I'd give up on you to stay near," Jack answered carelessly, then thought, < That girl over there swears she's the reason the CEO of the Amex group is leaving his wife, if that means anything to you. >

He snagged a glass of champagne from a roving waiter, signaling him to wait for Emma to take one if she wanted.

"How are you doing?"

[icecoldfrost]

< Might be useful eventually, > she mused, already filing the girl's face away in her memory, < But if I'm resorting to blackmail, I tend to prefer it a bit juicier. Is she legal? > With this group, it was a legitimate question.

"Ah, so I won't be abandoned on the curb once the party's over?" Emma teased, handing over her empty glass and selecting a flute from the waiter with a murmured 'thank you.' "I'm flattered, Mr. Priest, and having a fantastic time. Mr. Nishimura knows how to throw a very nice party."

[bitten_notshy]

< I didn't ask. She might not be. > Jack's eyes skipped over the girl again before returning to the current company.

"He does," Jack agreed. "How do you know him?"

[icecoldfrost]

< Bonus points if she's in the family way, > Emma replied cheerfully. < Although I would bet that he pays her off and she's gone by the end of September. >

Emma did not have great faith in humanity, no.

"We met at the last party I attended," she replied, glancing about quickly to make sure no one was listening in on them. "He's a scientist of some sort, I think, or at least used to be. He knows more about his investment projects than most people do, and he understands the science behind them all."

"And he didn't seem surprised to see me, which makes me think I might have actually been invited, or that his personal assistant handled all the invitations and he doesn't have a clue who is or isn't supposed to be here." Emma winked at Jack impishly. "Either way, we haven't been thrown out yet!"

[bitten_notshy]

< She did pass up the champagne >, Jack noted hopefully.

"Who would throw us out?" he laughed, and leaned on his arms over the wall so he could look down at the city. "We're young, we're friendly, that man over there is looking at us like he wants to eat us... is he anyone?"

[icecoldfrost]

"Let's find out," Emma giggled, eyes going unfocused for a moment as leaned against the wall and rested one hand on Jack's arm for support. Nice wall, it was definately time to slow down on the champagne if she wanted to make it through the rest of the evening.

"...well, he's trying to decide if you're my pimp, my lover, or my brother, and how much it would cost him to have us both. You don't look anything like my brother. Clearly, he's an idiot, whomever he is," she answered. "And he works for the UN in some fashion, although I'm rather sure he's less important than he thinks he is."

[bitten_notshy]

< If you can get a name I can convince him he knows us >, Jack thought. < He's government. Even if he's a bottom-feeder, they're useful. >

"I do not look a thing like a pimp," he said in a soft but haughty voice. His fingers trailed along her arm. "How's your head?"

[icecoldfrost]

"Are you offering to put on a show, Mr. Priest?" she purred, leaning into his touch just slightly. "Don't worry, darling, my head is fine. I'm just a little tipsy on too much excitement and champagne."

[bitten_notshy]

"Not at all. Watch this." After contradicting himself, Jack deliberately set down his near-empty champagne glass and wandered over to said young man.

Emma might overhear, "Excuse me, you look familiar. We were introduced at the UN holiday party last year, weren't we?"

The man seemed to say yes. It might have just been that Jack was attractive; it certainly wouldn't bother Jack if it was. They made small talk for a few more minutes before Jack came back with pink cheeks.

"He liaises with the Saudi government on humanitarian issues," he explained softly. "And we're both invited to his hotel room after the party, if we don't have other plans. I think he decided on the first theory about us."

[icecoldfrost]

Emma clapped softly, keeping it hidden from the other man's view. "Bravo, darling," she replied, amused. "Very, very impressive."

[bitten_notshy]

"I didn't get anything from him he didn't want to give up," Jack said. "All I did was flirt a bit."

Still. He couldn't entirely keep the pride off his face.

< He gave me the name of the corporate partner they're to announce next week, if you're interested?... >

Later That Night....

[bitten_notshy]

Even though she looked beautiful and the night had him high on adrenaline, Jack was good and did not leap upon Emma in the hotel lobby, or even in the elevator.

It was not the same story when they got to the room. They had hardly closed the door before he tried to back her against the wall, hand on her waist. "We're alone."

Re: Later That Night....

[icecoldfrost]

"You noticed," she retorted, letting him back her up. "Gold star, Jack, you clearly passed detective school."

Re: Later That Night....

[bitten_notshy]

"I'm glad to know you think so." And now his hand was snaking under her skirt and up her thigh, mostly because it could. "You're the telepath -- what do you think is on my mind just now?"

Re: Later That Night....

[icecoldfrost]

"I thought I wasn't supposed to look," Emma answered, shifting against his hand. "Changing the rules on me isn't very nice, you know. A girl could get in a lot of trouble that way."

Re: Later That Night....

[bitten_notshy]

"I don't think" -- and that hand was going higher, now, trying to part her thighs -- "we're being entirely proper at the moment."

He leaned in to kiss her before she could answer.

Re: Later That Night....

[icecoldfrost]

Emma responded by reaching out to wrap her arms around his neck, fingers tangling in the curls at the back of his head. Proper would not be kissing him back, or letting his hand keep wandering under her skirt.

Re: Later That Night....

[bitten_notshy]

And proper definitely was not pressing into her while his fingers found the way to the tops of her thigh-high stockings and traced lightly over her underthings.

Unconsciously, he was murmuring against her neck in Spanish. //So beautiful, so precious, I need you, Emma...///

Re: Later That Night....

[icecoldfrost]

She had no idea what he was actually saying -- she had taken French in school, not Spanish -- but Emma had a pretty good idea as to the intent behind his words.

She was already drunk on the adrenaline from the party, and with her telepathy already on overdrive, there was no way she could ignore the thoughts and ideas swirling about his tricky little brain.

"Jack..." Emma squirmed against the wall in a most improper way, biting her lip to keep from outright whimpering. He was going to drive her insane if he kept doing that, and she wanted it.

"Yes." More kisses, then, all over his face and down his neck, anywhere she could reach. "Yes yes yes yes."

Re: Later That Night....

[bitten_notshy]

One of his hands found its way to the back of her dress and yanked on the zipper so it would fall to the floor.

The other was still occupied.

"Bed," and his voice was fierce and low.

Re: Later That Night....

[icecoldfrost]

Having his hand still occupied like that made stepping out of her dress harder, but she managed without falling over, kicking off her heels at the same time.

"Bed," she moaned in agreement; kissing him hard for a moment, then placing her hands on his chest and giving him a light shove to propel him through the suite. She couldn't exactly go anywhere if he kept her pinned to the wall like this.

Even if it was incredibly sexy, and she wanted to stay there forever.

She could, however, start trying to get his jacket off, and his shirt. Emma was already down to her lingerie while Jack was still fully dressed, and she found that most unfair.

Re: Later That Night....

[bitten_notshy]

Jack removed his hand from where it was and helped her get the shirt and jacket off as they walked backward. If he did this in part so he could neatly drape them over a chair as they came to his hands, rather than let them fall -- well, he was rather fastidious.

A few more steps backward and they were near the bed. He sat down, trying to pull her onto his lap without breaking contact.

Re: Later That Night....

[icecoldfrost]

The careful discard of his clothing -- especially compared to the near ripping-off of her dress -- got a smirk, but Emma went willingly into his lap.

She pressed herself against him, hands sliding over his sides eagerly. Emma had been wanting to touch him all night, and now she didn't think she could stop. He was positively addicting.