I've Got Some Real Bad Intentions...

[Karma Jayne]

Maybe it was the way his sweaty, sticky hands dragged down her arms, or the way he cupped her face and looked at her like she was a fragile flower. Maybe it was the way he cut his nerf steak, like he wasn't hungry, like he didn't really want it, or the way he'd pose like a model in front of the mirror before getting in the shower, or his utter lack of ambition and passion. Maybe it was his insistence that she wear her hair up in a tight bun, or the way he'd suck her face when he kissed her.

Maybe it was all of those things.

One thing was for sure. Karma Jayne was not having fun.

She'd been at it for weeks, slipped successfully into his life, said all the right things, made all the right moves. He'd been easy to hook, they were all easy to hook, these spoiled, inexperienced rich boys that sat lazily on their fortunes and hadn't a clue what was going on around them. Korrin Vron, for instance, had no idea he was neck deep in a very particular small-time crime syndicate with ties to some very elusive people, people Karma desperately needed to get in contact with. The Vron funds were bottomless, feeding various black markets and crime groups on a slow drip of credits. Not that Korrin knew much about any of it. The rest of his family took care of the details. But what he did know were names, routines, likes and dislikes, and how to approach the people in question successfully. Information, and so many credits he probably wouldn't notice if a few went missing.

She'd get both out of him, eventually. She had to.

But that's why it's work, right? Conning could be fun, it could be thrilling, but it was still a job and not every mark was exciting. A pity this one would take time. Usually, the long cons were the most fun, the anticipation, the slow build. But Vron? He had yet to cough up anything helpful despite her charms. She'd been holding back, unable to find that magical combination of what he liked and what he needed to push him over the edge and under her control, but she was close.

Hopefully.

Vron locked the door behind them as they entered the vast VIP suite on the highest level of the hotel, shrugging out of his designer jacket. Karma brushed past him with a sigh, tugging her colorful tresses from their restraints and kicking off her heels. Parties were never boring. So many people to play with, never enough time to watch the outcome. But the gathering tonight had left her feeling strangely…pent up. Fidgety. In need of something spontaneous.

"So," he said, coming up behind her. Vron snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her close and moving to slip the strap of her gown off her shoulder. "How about we make a few drinks, take off these clothes, and see how sturdy that bed is?"

Karma rolled her eyes a little. It sounded good, but it was just bravado. The man hadn't a damn clue what kind of sex it took to break a bed. She slipped through his fingers, pushing the strap back up. "Mmm. Let's do something fun!" she enthused, turning with a bright smile.

Vron looked offended. "That's what I just said."

Karma was oblivious, sapphire eyes sparkling with ideas as she looked through him. "Something…else, something out of the ordinary! No beds, no drinks, let's just…" She bounced a little on the spot, twirling around, grabbing handfuls of the silky, buttery material draped over her figure and hiking it high so she could run across the plush carpeted sitting room unencumbered and leap onto the long, flat chaise lounge with a squeal, a tumble of vibrant fushia, violet, shapely limbs and expensive fabric. "Let's be spontaneous! We have the whole of Coruscant at our disposal, and you want to have me in a bed?" The bubbly little minx peeped at Vron over the edge of the lounge, her face full of mischief. "How about here?" Karma walked two fingers slowly along the ridge, raising one finely arched eyebrow. "No? Well, how about…" She rolled off the couch, a spring in her step as she sashayed towards the bar counter and draped herself suggestively over the cold metal. "…here? Hmm?"

Vron looked amused. Sort of. He shook his head, pointing towards the bedroom. "Karma--"

She ignored him, high on her own excitement, cheeks flushed as she left the bar behind, hiked her gown up, and made a mad dash for the small soaking pool near the windows.

Vron figured it out too late. His dark brows came together, anxiety creasing his forehead. "No, Karma, that dress was too expensive—"

There was a splash. Vron sighed. Karma came up from the hot water, her gown billowing around her like a million credit cloud and pushed her hair back from her face with a sly smirk. "How about right here?" She trailed her fingers through the steaming water, playfully flicking droplets towards him, but he was too far away to be touched. "We've never done it here…aren't you curious?" Karma cocked her head at him. And suddenly, the fun-loving, vivacious creature melted into the background, and something far more sensual came to the forefront. Her pheromones slithered towards him, snaking around his senses, soaking the space around him with their enchanting venom…

Vron's mouth went dry, lust pulsing deeply through his body as he changed his mind, moving towards her like a moth to a flame.

Every quivering bead of water came into focus as it slid down her flesh, glittering in her hair, gathered on her plump, pink lips. Silhouetted by the bright Coruscant lights outside the suite window, she stood a vision in the water, gown wetly gripping her form, outlining every scrumptious curve in erotic detail, her voice the only sound in the universe he could ever care about. Her scent was intoxicating, drawing him in as he crossed the room and neared the pool without realizing it, breathing deeply. He felt his body react, didn't care about his shoes or his pants or her expensive dress as he stepped into the water, drinking in every inch of her…

The doorbell rang, followed by a sharp knock.

Karma blinked, startled. Vron reached for her, clearly not caring, but she reeled in her lures and looked her mark straight in the eyes. "Door first. Fun after." He looked unconvinced, but she let loose a winning smile and bit her bottom lip lightly. "Please? For me?"

Vron blinked a little, nodding. "I think I'll get the door first," he said as if it were his idea.

"Good! Go on," she said, flicking water at him as he sloshed out of the pool. "I'll wait here…"

"You better." He gave her a grin that he probably thought was charming and jogged for the front door. "Who is it? What do you want?"

"From the front desk, sir. There's a problem with your credit chit," came the male voice. Quite cordial but regretful.

"What?" Amazing how fast lust can change to anger. He heard Karma call to him from the pool, but he waved her words off. "That's impossible, there's no way that can—"

"The chit was declined when we tried to charge for your last order, sir."

Did he just interrupt him? Vron's face grew stormy. "Impossible." He fumbled with the locks, yanking open the door, all rich boy rage. "I have more than enough money on that chit. You must be doing something wrong."



<3 [Member=Varik Ryjin] <3

 

[Varik Ryjin]

"I'm afraid that's what the computer said, Sir. Perhaps you have another credit chit we could try?" He held out a portable scanner in an attempt to be helpful, and the irate young man threw up his hands and turned to storm back into the room to find such a credit chit. He got as far as one step inside before the hotel employee closed the gap between them and slipped an arm around his neck. The hand found the elbow of the opposing arm, and the choke hold tightened as his head was pushed forward and down, preventing any kind of outcry. He struggled momentarily, but was out cold in a matter of seconds.

Kicking the door shut behind him, Varik once again reflected on how useful it was that all these posh hotels included white linen gloves as part of their standard uniforms. It made it far easier to blend in without the risk of leaving evidence behind. Now that he had him though, his next stop was the balcony, snatching a half-filled wine glass off the counter as he pulled the unconscious man across the room and out into the open air. Once there, he propped him unceremoniously against the railing, placed the wine glass in his hand, and gave him a little push over the edge.

It was the perfect murder, really. When the authorities found him on the streets far below, there would be a shattered wine glass not far away and he'd have the blood alcohol level of a severely inebriated party-goer. No defensive wounds or bruising, and no fingerprints or DNA on his person (or the crystal shards) save his own and the woman he was with. Clearly it was a simple matter of too much to drink and a dangerously low balcony railing.

He turned around and stepped back inside, not bothering to watch the man fall and risk creating a witness to his perfect crime. It was then that he took in the woman standing drenched in the suite's hot tub. He'd known of her before, having watched her depart the party with his target, but given that she hadn't interfered thus far he'd had no reason to pay her mind before now.

Except now, she was a witness.

With no hesitation, he turned his full focus on her and began to close the distance.


| [member="Karma Jayne"] |

 

[Karma Jayne]

She ran. It was useless, but she ran, watching Vron and all her chances at repaying the debt she owed to her 'employer' tumble over the balcony again and again in her mind's eye. Sloshing out of the pool, her soaked gown sticking to her legs and hindering her process, Karma made it only a few steps before she realized she'd never be able to reach the door in time. She could feel the man's cold intent follow her as she scrambled to the bar, hoping to put the counter between herself and the killer, buying precious moments for her to scrape up some kind of plan that would keep her from death just a little longer.

Except that part of her didn't want to.

A familiar thrill built in her middle, breathless and intense, spreading like wildfire through her being, igniting her senses. Already, she could feel her control slipping. Karma grabbed the empty champagne bottle they'd forgotten to throw out on their way to the party, smashing the end on the counter and brandishing it at the intruder, eyes wide. "I won't tell anyone!" she said quickly, dancing around the bar to avoid him. "I swear, I won't tell anyone, I'm a very good liar, just...don't touch me. I'll go and you'll never see me again."

<3 [member="Varik Ryjin"] <3

 

[Varik Ryjin]

"Well, I suppose I can just take you at your word then. Nothing more honest than a woman afraid for her life." He didn't stop, or even slow down, when she grabbed the bottle and smashed it on the counter, no doubt hoping to use the jagged edges as a weapon. "Watch your step." Both the countertop and the floor where she stood were littered with the broken shards of glass. Due to the hotel security, he'd been unable to bring a weapon of his own, but honestly that mattered little. She was clearly not confident in her ability to defend herself, and the bottle was a last ditch effort to scare him away. He did stop when he reached his own side of the counter, placing his hands atop it and running through his options.

The bottle could be a problem in the long run anyway, not because of the threat it posed but because of the chance of leaving evidence behind. She'd already littered the floor with it and potentially ruined his planned story of an innocent accident, but a lover's quarrel would play just as well in the news. It was his own blood he was worried about leaving. Even a small cut would leave evidence in the room, and that would assuredly not make this murder look accidental. He wasn't planning on throwing her over the balcony with her lover, two bodies would needlessly increase the suspicion that foul play was involved, but a young woman fleeing the authorities to avoid being accused of murder? That was an all too common story, and nobody would miss her three months from now. All he had to do was get her out of the hotel and dispose of her elsewhere. Perhaps the undercity. There was a good chance her body wouldn't even be discovered, and if it was, her death could easily be attributed to a gang of thugs or the many other dangers that lurked below. Just the final chapter in the tale of a night gone terribly wrong.

Yet he still had to deal with the bottle before any of that could play out. "Unfortunately, I can't take the chance on you. If the authorities find you...." He stopped mid-sentence, caught unawares by a scent he hadn't encountered in years. The aromas of petrichor and cinnamon instantly sent his mind farther back than he'd cared to go in an age, to a time before the bounty hunting, when he'd still lived with his mother and father on that scrap heap they called a home. They'd traveled the galaxy taking the jobs that paid too little to get the best mercs, the ones where a village needed a gang of thugs dealt with or a family out in frontier space had a monster problem. They'd said it was to help those who couldn't manage it themselves, but he'd always known that was only half the truth. His father was the kind of man who couldn't live without the violence. He needed the thrill in order to feel alive.

Now here Varik was, following in the footsteps of the man he'd clashed with one time too many, and entirely giving up on trying to make it seem like a noble pursuit. He was only in this for the credits, none of the moral quandaries even occurred to him, much less kept him awake at night. Then all of a sudden, that one scent brought back years of memories he'd forced behind him. In an instant he vaulted the counter and snatched at the wrist holding the bottle, then snaked the other hand up to grip her neck and push her back against the wall. A dangerous mix of fury and lust swirled in his eyes as he glared into hers, fury at being reminded, and lust because of her influence.

"Get out of my kriffing head." His first assumption was force user. He'd encountered enough to know that no two of them worked the same way, so he'd grown accustomed to throwing anything beyond the mundane into that category and treating it as such. If she was a force user, he was the one at a disadvantage in this situation and mistakes were not something he could afford.


| [member="Karma Jayne"] |

 

[Karma Jayne]

They say the pheromones secreted by Zeltrons have a scent that changes from person to person according to what attracts each individual, although it's impossible to prove scientifically. Sometimes, it evoked powerful responses, depending on the memories or attachments surrounding each scent. Karma could see it there, the reminder reflected in his violet eyes, things he thought he'd never look back on rushing to the surface.

In the back of her mind, she was curious, but with his fingers squeezing the air from her throat, Karma turned her focus back on the task at hand.

Control. Manipulation. Test the flexibility of his willpower.

She let go of the bottle in her hand, the sharp crack of breaking glass muffled and distant under the roaring of rushing blood in her ears. His grip on her neck was firm, limiting her oxygen, but it was hesitant and not enough to crush her throat. Conflicting ideas flashed across his face and Karma watched, fascinated by his struggle, thrilled at the jeopardy, the power of his fury and the strength of his fingers. But the high was just beginning. It was hard, keeping the satisfied smile of a junkie off her face, but she managed. The longer he touched her, the harder he crushed her back against the wall, the hotter the air around them grew.
His words gave her pause, though. The intruder seemed to think she was in his head, and perhaps she was, to a limited extent. She felt what he felt, even clearer now that he'd connected with her skin, every violent rush of fury, every hungry quiver of lust, every flare of determination to not be out-maneuvered.

Breathless, Karma wrapped her free hand around the clothed wrist of the arm pinning her to the wall, drenched the man in pheromones, and began her dangerous little game. "But you..like me..in your head, I can feel you do," she panted, chest heaving with effort to draw air. Drops of pool water running down her face collected atop his hand, glistening. She strained a bit, testing his grip, a smile growing slowly at the corner of her mouth. She sank her hooks into his gaze, ever so slightly tugging at his attention. "It feels good..doesn't it? I can..make it..even better—mm!" She wiggled as he squeezed, feeling lightheaded, aching for a deep breath. Working her fingers under his sleeve, Karma slid her hand across the skin of his forearm.

<3 [member="Varik Ryjin"] <3

 

[Varik Ryjin]

The high was intoxicating. Suddenly his senses were full of her, every rivulet of water that ran slowly down her skin, every tiny goosebump of excitement that pebbled her flesh, the soft grip of her hand on his arm, and the feel of her skin beneath his own hands. He drew in a shuddering breath as she tried to coax him into her power, raging against what he knew to be her manipulation, yet most of him didn't even care. This was a losing battle and he knew it, so he seized on the only other emotion he could feel and fed the lust into it, anger growing into a cold fury as his grip on her neck shifted. How dare she manipulate him like this. How dare she subvert his will with her seductive powers and take away his control. Even focused on the rage, it was everything he could do to not shove her over the counter and tear her dress off then and there. Instead, he shifted his fingers until he found the arteries on either side of her neck, clamping down for the few seconds it would take to force her into unconsciousness.

Unfortunately, that did nothing to lessen the feelings she'd inspired in him. His mind was clouded and it had become difficult to focus, but all he had to do was follow the plan. His breath was shallow and his knees shook with weakness as he hoisted her over one shoulder and headed toward the door, and he scanned the hallway to make sure there was no one to see before heading for the stairwell and the roof. He kept to the security blind spots as he ascended and reached the room without notice. He'd parked a speeder there for his inevitable getaway, and settled the woman into the passenger seat after cuffing her hands behind her. There was no telling when she might wake up and he wasn't keen on the prospect of having to fight her while also piloting the speeder. Once they were airborne, he forced himself to keep his eyes forward as the speeder streaked away from the rooftop and began its descent to the undercity.


| [member="Karma Jayne"] |