Just For Tonight
Part XIII
She could feel his eyes burning through her back as she twirled around the pole in front of the crowd of drooling, desperate men. She wrapped her leg around the pole and bent backwards, teasing the men tantalizingly and only allowing them to touch her when they tipped her. Pulling from her leg she came up and twirled around again, sliding down the pole until she was sitting on the ground, her hands still holding onto it. One of the men jumped up and started shaking his pelvis like a rabbit against Tiffany. She stood up, grabbed him around the collar and jerked him to her. "Do that again and I'll personally make sure Mr Taylor doesn't let you leave here alive again." she whispered in his ear. With a brutal shove she pushed him onto another man. "Alex! Dispose of this randy bastard!" she yelled to the bar as she wiped her brow. Alex jumped to attention and dragged the man by the back of his shirt outside. "The rest of you can thank your friend here for the short length of the show tonight." she said to the men as she jumped off the stage and walked to the bar, a wail of dispute trailing behind her.
"You're really good at.. that." Alex said nervously when he returned from throwing the man out. "Thank you." Tiffany replied, brushing her hair from her face and taking a long draught from a bottle of ale. His eyes never left her. She took another drink and gave him an odd look. "Are you oogling me?" she asked, offering him the drink. He took it and smiled, looking her over. "Maybe. Is that a crime Miss Tiffani?" he grinned mischieviously. Tiffani opened her mouth to speak but was disrupted by a brawl that broke out. She darted to the growing group of men and tried to break them up, an elbow smacking her in the ribs. She doubled over as Alex jumped into the crowd and tried to disperse them but failed just as badly as Tiffani's attempt.
A large man picked Alex up and threw him to the other side of the room, Alex's crumpled form sprawled on the floor. Tiffani stood up, withdrew her daggers one in each hand with the point of the blade pointing behind her and crossed her arms forcibly in front of her. Two of the men's backs were sliced shallowly but it stopped them throwing punches at the others and they both turned to her, anger imprinted on their faces. "Get out!" she snapped. One of the men laughed. He was larger than she was by far. "And yew're gonna stop us?" he looked over his shoulder and got the other men to laugh with him. Tiffany narrowed her eyes. "You've obviously never seen my temper." she said quietly. "Oh. Imma scared. I hope I dun anger the pret'y, li'l, wussy gurl." he chuckled loudly with a hint of sarcasm. "Try me." she dared through thinly slitted eyes.
The sound of metal sliding against metal, four blades unsheathed so each of the group were armed. The man smirked as he reached out and touched Tiffani's hair, a short sword drawn and pointing at her. "Pretty gurl. I wun't kill yew if yew get me mah drink fer free." he said, a laugh still in his throat. "Enjoy the touch of me, it's the last thing you're gonna feel before you feel cold. Real cold." she said, letting him caress her hair. He gripped a clump of hair tightly and pulled her close to his face, the men behind him cheering and egging him on. "Are yew threat'ning me Miss?" he asked, his eye twitching. "No." she said, swinging her arm back so one of her daggers stabbed the side of his arm. He bellowed in pain and the moment he released her she dropped to the floor. Tiffani gripped the dagger so tight that her nails dug into her palm. He cursed loudly, the room falling silent. He dropped his arm after examining it and she took her opportunity to gain an advantage. Tiffani twisted on the spot as she stood up and slit the man's throat with the bloodstained blade in one fluid motion. "Okay, I lied." she said, holding her dagger out defensively.
The man dropped his weapon without even having a chance to use it and put both hands to his throat. Blood oozed through his fingers and dripped in large drops to the wooden floor before he too fell. The group of armed men looked at his comrade with widened eyes, their blades still drawn. "Now, no fighting in my tavern unless you want the same fate as him." she said, spitting on the dead man. "He wuz a pussy! Ya jest saved us frum killin' 'im. Ya can't kill us all gurly." one said as he kicked the man on the floor. "Is that a challenge?" she asked inquistively. "Nah, I kin tink of much better things ta do wid ya." the same man winked. Tiffani rolled her eyes. "I'd much rather you left." she said, pointing a dagger at the door, the other one dripping blood on the floor. "You heard her. Out!" Alex said groggily from behind her. Tiffani glanced over her shoulder briefly. The three of them grudgingly left, followed by the few other customers who had gathered around to watch the fight. Alex and Tiffani dragged the dead man out the back and tossed him out with the chickens. "What are we going to do with him?" Alex asked, rubbing his head. "I'm in the mood for a bonfire, aren't you?" she grinned and dusted her hands off.
"Tiffani. There is one thing I want to know. How did you not get killed? He was twice your size!" he asked in awe. Tiffani shrugged. "It's not the size of the opponent, it's how determined they are. I can't afford to fail, whereas he obviously could. It was Akroth's will. He was obviously destined to die tonight." she said as if it was nothing. "Oh." Alex said, just nodding. "You're good. I hope to never go against you." he said, not meeting her eye. "Don't betray me and you'll be fine." she smiled. Alex's gut wrenched. Tiffani grabbed a cloth and started to clean up the blood puddle on the floor. Alex stood at the bar and just watched her. At first Tiffani was enjoying his constant staring and even encouraged it but the novelty was staring to wear off. She threw the bloodied towel onto the floor, stood up and faced him.
"I know what you're doing." she said matter-of-factly.
Alex glanced up from her chest to her eyes. "I'm not doing anything." he said innocently with a shrug of his shoulders.
"You're a horrible liar. If you want to fuck me just say it already." she said as if it was no big deal. He walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders.
"I would like that." he said, a grin coming over his face. She grabbed his hair and kissed him passionately, pushing him on the floor and sitting on top of him. Small slivers of glass pierced his back but his cry out in pain only seemed to make Tiffani want him more. She pulled out one of her twin daggers and cut the string that kept his apron on, tossing it to the side while he undid hers with his teeth. Every item of clothing was removed within minutes. He put his palm on her waist and slid it down her thigh, the warmth from his hand generating a shiver down her back, his other hand caressing her chest. Tiffani allowed him to touch her soft skin. It wasn't because he desired her, because many people desired her, it was that he was taking his time to appreciate her body. Most people she fucked she did for herself and didn't care less about the person she was doing. Actually, it was much the same in this instance, only he seemed to enjoy it just as much as she did. They spent the entire night on the wooden floorboards, the windows fogging up more than once.
Tiffani woke up at sunrise. She brushed the glass chips and splintered bits of wood from her arms and back before getting dressed and going home for some decent sleep. The bonfire would have to wait a day.
Alex woke up cold and alone, unusual for one of Tiffani's partners. Most never woke up.