Kindness and Charisma

[Aela Talith]

[member="Alexia Santiago"]

He was in fact still sleeping, or rather he was half sprawled out on the king sized bed.

The artist didn't sleep all that often, but when he did sleep it was akin to what a rock might feel. Wes looked like it too. The blankets only half covered his naked body, his face was buried in a mountain of pillows and his arms were struck out on either side of him. He was motionless save for a small curl of his toes and the rise and fall of his torso as he slowly breathed.

If he noticed Alexia coming in, he certainly didn't show it.

There was only one bed in the room of course, so if she wanted to lay down she would be hard pressed to do so without at least nudging him a little bit.

 

[Alexia Santiago]

[member="Wes Spalding"]

Eyes rolled slightly at Wes' sprawled out form. They had a king-sized bed and the man still managed to take up a little more than half of it. Dropping her stuff on the spare chair, she slipped into the refresher to go through her typical night routine: teeth brushing, flossing, hair brushing, creaming, primping. Everything was immaculate per her slightly OCD nature.

A final rub of that strawberry vanilla moisturizer on her skin. Clothes were peeled off and her silk nightgown was slipped on. Stepping free from the refresher, she surveyed her options. She didn't exactly trust Wes and sleeping in the bed next to him.

She wasn't a floozy!!

Still. If someone happened to come in and she was on the small couch or sleeping somewhere other than the bed, there might be questions they didn't want. Or need. She had to play her part for this job and that meant sharing close quarters with....him.

Sighing, she grabbed her comm and a glass of water and placed it on the bedside table before sliding into the large bed. Hip with that silk gown hugging that curve brushed against Wes' arm. Sitting up in bed, she turned and placed her palms against him to try and shove him over a bit.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Alexia Santiago"]

Wes responded to this action quite simply.

He let out a series of grumbling groans, followed by a half snort as he attempted to get more air, and then he scooted over just a little bit. The action however was not without his consequences as the arm that had formerly occupied the space beside him reached out, and suddenly looped around Alexia.

The act itself was likely unconscious, something that Wes was used to doing with other women he slept him. He wasn't completely heartless, and usually he let them stay the night at the very least. His bed back home on Coruscant however was very small, just big enough for himself really, and thus he often had to sleep very closely with whomever he was in bed with, this lead to the natural arm wrapping around the other person in order to be comfortable.

Of course, that all could have been made up and Wes was actually wide awake and simply trying to annoy Alexia.

Either or.

His arm looped around her, and with superior strength she would quickly find herself pulled down into the bed to squish up besides the Forger.

 

[Alexia Santiago]

[member="Wes Spalding"]

"Ooooop," a disgruntled protest left her mouth as she was suddenly pulled into his side. His arm looped around her waist as she rested on HER side. Her face was inches from his.

That scoundrel!

She tried to maneuver her way out but that arm of his wasn't budging. Hand came up, finger went to poke against his ear. "Wes. Wes," she whispered. She'd seen men sleep like that before and she was worried there'd be no waking this one. She poked him lightly again.

If not, she'd just have to deal and try to make herself comfortable with her front pressed into his side. Good thing was, she could sleep anywhere. Bad thing was, she usually did like her space.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Alexia Santiago"]

Wes did not budge.

Again it was pretty unclear whether or not he was actually asleep, but his face remained entirely impassive save for a few twitches when she poked him. His hand however didn't move to grab her rear, nor did it slide upwards towards more delightful options.

Instead his palm rested on the small of her beck, fingers curling slightly.

In all fairness to the forger he had been awake for somewhere around fourty eight hours. Time had weighed heavily on him, and exhaustion had likely pulled him into its grasp. It was only fair that he got some sleep now, especially considering all the work he'd done to actually keep this from falling apart.

Couldn't really blame him.

 

[Alexia Santiago]

[member="Wes Spalding"]

A hot breath of frustration left her mouth. Ugggh. Fine. Finefinefinefine. Grabbing hold of a pillow, she yanked it free and managed to curl it under her own head. Silk nightgown shifted slightly on her form as she got as comfortable as she could.

Cerulean eyes gave one final, silent glare at his twitching and sleeping face. He'd better not get used to this. Fingers came up and flicked a strand of dark hair away from her face. With one final sigh, she began to relax beneath his arm's weight. Eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep, dreaming of paintings and paying off debts.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Alexia Santiago"]

Wes didn't actually wake up when the sun came. By the time it rose he'd slept nearly twelve hours, a significant chunk of time, and yet he still seemed to be eager to get even more rest. It was probably a mix between the alcohol, extreme comfort of the bed, and the fact that he was coming off about half a dozen different stimulants that had managed to keep him awake for all that time.

So as the sun came up and the room flooded with natural warmth, Wes kept sleeping.

In fact he seemed to become even more comfortable, his body more relaxed and his arm barely hanging on to Alexia as he slept. It wasn't too unusual, mostly because one could easily figure out that Wes probably slept most often during the day rather than at night.

It was just how he was.

Another small quirk.

 

[Alexia Santiago]

[member="Wes Spalding"]

Wes might've met his match in heavy sleeper. It's why she could sleep anywhere. When she was out, she was out. She had to be careful on long cons and take stims to keep herself half awake and more alert.

But not for this trip.

She too didn't wake up as the sun filtered through their hotel room. Instead, she shifted in her sleep. Arm stretched and whacked lightly against Wes' face, staying there. Foot came up and pressed against his thigh as if kicking him away in her sleep.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Alexia Santiago"]

The smack to the face did finally wake him up.

Rapid blinking ensued as he tried to figure out exactly what was happening, his head poking up from out of the pillows to observe exactly where he was and what he was doing here. He frowned for a moment as he observed the lavish hotel room, his gaze falling to the woman laying in bed beside him. He looked confused for half a moment, his lips thinning as if he tried to recall what he and Alexia had done the night before. Eventually he recalled that they hadn't infact slept together and simply figured she'd gone to him for warmth.

Women always did that. "Hey."

He nudged her gently, trying to wake her up. They had three hours before they had to meet the Countess, but Wes wanted to get dressed and check around the estate for anything suspicious just in case there was something to see.

"Hey." He repeated again, frowning as she didn't wake up. Eventually he simply got tired of waiting, and his hand went smacking onto her rump.

 

[Alexia Santiago]

[member="Wes Spalding"]

She didn't stir with his voice. It was definitely...

"HEEE-EEEEEEY!" She yelped and suddenly sat up in bed, adrenaline coursing through her body. Fight or flight fight or flight!!!!!!!!!! Panicked gaze searched the bed, eyes finally falling and focusing on Wes with that huge roguish grin on her face. Sleepy mind slowly put two and two together between the slight sting on her rear and that grin of his.

Fingers quickly pulled the sheets up over her silk nightgown clad self as she cast him a glare.

"Ouch. I swear Wes Spadling I need to start charging you for every time you do that. I'd be rich by the time this little trip is finished without ever selling painting!"

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Alexia Santiago"]

In truth, he was just having fun now. The fact of the matter was that Wes was about to have a lot of money. More than triple what he had squirreled away in his lifetime. This was about to be something very very good for the both of them.

"Lighten up." He told her with a grin.

Wes just smiled at her. "I can kiss it and make it better if you like?"

The idea of that...wasn't too bad really. He'd proposed worse things to better people.

 

[Alexia Santiago]

[member="Wes Spalding"]

"I'm sure you'd really like that!" Running a hand through her messed up hair, she gave the painter one last glare before scooching out of bed. "You taking the refresher first? What time is the meeting?"

Grabbing her comm off the nightstand, she scrolled through the messages. Two from Rekali the hutt this time. "Feth," she swore and began typing out some responses. Bare toes scrunched on the carpet as she stood in front of the window, hips swaying slightly as she munched on her lip in agitated worry.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Alexia Santiago"]

"We can go at the same time." He offered. "I can help you wash."

He was rather good at that. His shower back home probably didn't indicate it that well given the mess of his bathroom, but well he usually ended up showering at womens apartments that he slept with. It was easier that way, saved on the water bill too.

Curiosity filled his eyes as he watched her, his lips pursing for a moment. "Help you relax."

The words came as Wes sneaked up behind her, his arms wrapping around her stomach.

 

[Alexia Santiago]

[member="Wes Spalding"]

Heart nearly leaped from her throat. She almost dropped her comm. was he naked behind her?!

Yes. Definitely naked.

Elbow nudged back into his stomach and her free hand slapped lightly at his wrapped around her stomach. "Wes! Puhlease. We need to keep things professional. Remember? And what makes you think I need to relax!"

Teeth clenched.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Alexia Santiago"]

"I never said anything of the sort." He reminded her. "That was all you."

Being professional was far too convenient anyway.

Wes didn't do this job for being professional, if he did then he would've gone to art school or done something legitimate. Instead he was here, selling a stolen painting for as much money as he could intending to go back home and forge it to sell it another time right after he got back.

This was supposed to be enjoyable. "You're wound a bit tight."

He said as he leaned down as kissed her neck, ignoring the strikes.

"We're about to be rich." He reminded her. "Enjoy it."

 

[Alexia Santiago]

[member="Wes Spalding"]

She started to ignore him, finishing off the message to Rekali's hitman. Thumb mis-typed on the comm as his lips found her neck. She smacked lightly at his hand again but it was clear he wasn't going to stop. Thumb back-typed and hit send.

'Yeah. About to be. I've got too much riding on this just to relax right now."

Cerulean eyes rolled and neck tilted to the side a bit, almost on instinctive reaction to allow his lips easier passage...neck immediately stiffened as she realized what her body was doing. No, no, NO. Get a grip.

"How about we make a deal?" She elbowed him again to make her point and to make sure he was listening. "I'll let you give me a massage after we make the sale."

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Alexia Santiago"]

"Hmm." He considered for a few moments. Of course for him this was all just a game. Even if they didn't get the money Wes still had his little nest-egg, more than that though he had the sills to keep doing whatever he wanted to. He wouldn't be rich or anything, but at the very least he'd be able to eek out his existence. A smile decorated his face as he suddenly pulled her closed into him, pressing her body against his.

"How about..." He leaned down and whispered into her ear. "I get some oil and massage you now."

His fingers floated over her stomach, Wes ignoring the slight pain in his side from her elbow. The Forger didn't know about the Hutt breathing down her neck of course, and if he did he might have understood why she was so tense, but right now he thought she was just nervous. Something he could rectify. "Don't need you all jittery when meeting the Countess."

Another kiss.

"It'll be nice, trust me." His voice was soft, soothing.

 

[Alexia Santiago]

[member="Wes Spalding"]

She gasped as he pulled her against himself. Yup. Definitely NAKED! Fingers tightened around her comm to keep it from dropping to the floor.

"Pffft. I AM a professional. I would NOT be jittery." She elbowed him again and this time reached down, managing to pry one of his hands off her stomach, she spun to face him. "One. We don't have time for this. Two. I've got two hutts comm'ing me right now about wanting payment for debts I owe them."

Palm reached up and pressed flat against his chest, giving him a light shove.

"So get your clothes on and PLEASE shower."

Yes, he definitely needed a shower.

"Talk to me about oil rubbing and partying AFTER We make the sale. Capiche?"

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Alexia Santiago"]

Hutts?

Now that was an interesting fact. Wes knew of a few Hutts, actually more than a few. Jorba didn't have any contacts on Coruscant except for him, but that didn't mean Wes didn't know about the Hutt community at large. He frowned for a moment, his hands lingering on her lower back and sliding down just a little bit more.

"Which Hutts?" Wes asked, completely ignoring everything else she said.

They still had a few hours before they met the Countess, though she was right in saying that they had to leave soon. Wes still wanted to stake out the Estate before they actually had to go to the meeting. He wanted to make sure there weren't going to be half a dozen security officers waiting.

Still, if there were Hutt's after her he wanted to know.

 

[Alexia Santiago]

[member="Wes Spalding"]

She was a bit perturbed when he didn't immediately step away and hop to. Cerulean gaze flickered to the comm screen in her hand out of habit then drifted back up to Wes. She made no move to shove him away again - not yet.

Would she lose anything in telling him? Probably not. If he did enough digging he could probably find out on his own. He probably didn't know them anyway. She doubted he had much personal experience with hutts. He lived on Coruscant for crying out loud.

Arms crossed a little defensively beneath her chest.

"Rekali and Rasho."