Joey stood looking at her small bed in her small apartment. She had done her best to turn it from a dingy little hole in the wall to a comfy bright little oasis. Her posters of film stars and favorite piano recitals clung to the off-white walls. But her attention this evening was on the three outfits laid out before her, a buttery yellow skirt with crop jacket with her white ruffled blouse and smart leather flats, or a red fire cracker dress, with a high neck and flounce just below her knee or a her "Little Black Number". The LBN was one of her favorites but she had yet to wear it out. After a long day at the office she wore it once around the apartment while she cooked herself dinner and sang along with the poor radio she had, it had been an ego boost at the very least. The dress itself was quite simple, but on her slender but attractive form she was more than just pretty in it. She sighed and tilted her head as she fussed with a wild lock of hair that just wouldn't stay pinned up. Deciding to play it relatively safe she picked up her red dress and tossed her housecoat to the bed, taking the dresses old place. She slipped into the dress, and buttoned up the back easily and then began looking for shoes. She pulled a face when she found her boring black heels, tossing them away gave her an impish little grin. She fussed with her hair again in the mirror by the door for a moment then almost satisfied that she looked fine, she took her red lipstick from her clutch and dabbed it onto her full lips. With a wink to herself she opened her apartment door, stepped out, locked it and went on her way to find a piano bar and some good conversation.

Pins stared into the night with his back to a brick wall. Couples were passing him on the street in a hurry, the black Pontiacs and Cadillacs drove by, their lights only leaving a streak of yellow a quick moment after the car itself had vanished. These people really know what's good for them. He thought, lighting up a cigarette and tossing the match onto the sidewalk. But the night's just started. He grinned to himself.

He watched a beautiful woman in a red dress exit her apartment and head off down the street. Pins turned and walked across the street and into an alley not far away. He stopped for a moment before being swallowed up by the darkness. She was beautiful wasn’t she? The image of the woman he just saw flashed through his mind. But there’s probably a hundred more just like her. He tossed the cigarette and entered the doors on the right. This was his usual haunt, love was made and destroyed within these walls, blood had been spilt just outside the door soon after steel was drawn and almost everyone was looking for action. Pins loved it here.

He walked to the bartender and ordered his usual, a scotch on the rocks. He wasn’t even three sips into the drink when someone spoke to him and not at the best time either. “Pins, you’re as ugly as ever.” It was Dennis, a young, wanna-be Valiant who had his ideals out on display for the world to see. He’d made some mistakes in the past, most of them forgivable but he had no idea what he was getting himself into. Pins could see the man’s fly was undone, his shirt was sticking out in places and he had no tie. “You lost your woman tonight Dennis? Or you never had one to begin with?” Pins turned back to his scotch as Dennis planted himself on the stool next to him with much effort. “You’re an idiot, she’s in my room, and she’s finding all her clothes hot.”
“They why are you down here with me?” Pins didn't even look at him; Dennis was still young and stupid. He still hadn’t slept with anyone. The man stared at Pins of a second before walking away.
Pins only grinned.

As he stepped off the train, james looked around nervously. "i hate new places" he thought to himself. "Too many people ive never met, too many places ive never been" He had no luggage, so it was easy to maneuver through the croud. he looked down the street for a decent-looking hotel. He saw one that advertised clean, warm beds, so he made his way to the door. He checked in and walked upstairs. Sitting down on his bed, he ran his hands through his black hair. For a moment, he thought he heard something, but it was nothing. Just a ghost. A whisper from his dark and lonely past. He sat this way for several minutes, reflecting on how far he had come, wondering how far he had to go. Then with a long sigh, he lay back on his bed and fell asleep.

Joey had walked up the street only to turn back and walk the other way. Her tendency to walk this way to work had almost overridden her hunt for a good bar; she knew none that were up the street this way. Her heels clicking on the sidewalk, she saw a faint glow of a older neon light. A bar, if it doesn't have a piano, it will do just for tonight.She thought to herself before pulling the door open. She paused, waiting to adjust to the dim and smokey lighting. She brushed the bangs from her porcelain skin and gave a small smile. She took a few steps into the bar and was nearly bumped into by a messy looking man, his clothes were in disarray and the overall stench of him made her nose wrinkle. She tried to avoid the brute but he seemed hellbent on colliding with her. She might have been a woman but she wasn't a total lady. She pushed him away with an annoyed look on her face "Why do you go sleep it off pal." The man merely looked her up and down with a nasty grin. She hadn't seen him before and didn't want to again tonight. She jabbed her thumb at the door she'd just entered "There's a girl outside asking for you." She lied. She gave a sly wink "And she's mighty pretty, I think she's been out there for a while..." She hoped the lie would help hurry the bastard out the door. He glanced to the door foolishly and hiked his pants up some before stepping away and out the door. She laughed a little as she watched him. Satisfied she'd have no more troubles from the messy man she sauntered to the bar and asked for a Sicilian Sunrise, a fruity little drink that was mixed so that you couldn't tell if you tasted the alcohol or just the ripe fruit. Paying the bartender she looked for a seat, her attention paused on the man seated at the bar not too far from her. He seemed to be content enjoying his drink alone...Her red lips curled up slightly as she watched him, her head tilting some, Who are you? She wondered. She turned away and moved to an empty booth, her drink in hand.

Pins pushed the lit end of his last cigarette into the ashtray in front of him. He pulled out his wallet and handed a few bills to the bartender.
"Thanks Ted."
With a toothpick in his mouth he walked to the door, scanning the room for anyone he might know, or want to talk to. He opened the door and took a step outside when he stopped and stared at the wall opposite. He backtracked a couple of steps and looked to his left. There, sitting in a booth was the woman he had seen walk away from the bar earlier that night. He had seen just about everyone else come in here more than once and knew who the regulars were, the dealers, who to watch out for, who were the idiots and the tools. She seemed like she could fit in the second category. But she was new, and alone.

Maybe he'd hang around a little longer before heading to his place. Just to see how things would turn out for her. He walked back to the bar across the room and ordered another round from the jovial bartender. He swiveled the stool around so that he was looking at the entire room. There was a momentary lull in the noise made within the bar. Pins heard a grunt from beyond the door, if a man had just been stabbed it wasn't his fault so he resumed drinking.

"You packing tonight Pins?" The bartender asked.
"Always, you?"
"I have the Winchester under the counter. Don't mind settling the mess that's happening outside if things get worse?"
Ted was asking Pins a favor without paying him; something not many people did. But if Pins wanted the bar to stay open then he had no choice but to agree.

She lounged casually in the booth. She took a long sip of her fruity drink and raised a brow as she watched the dark gentleman walk to the door, stop and then return to his seat. She glanced down before he caught her gaze and waited for his drink to be made and handed to him. She couldn't hear the conversation from the bartender and the man but she did hear an odd grunt from outside. Thinking it as nothing more than a drunk finally giving up for the night, she set her drink down and ran her long red nailed finger along the slick side of the condensation of her glass. She raised her chin and looked squarely at the man at the bar. He seemed to have a displeased look on his face as he spoke with the bartender. With a sly grin she slide further into the booth and waited for the man to glance back.

If he did, she'd pat the empty space of seat next to her, inviting him to join her. Young women didn't go to bars and drink alone; she knew better. She needed to make the right friends. And even if the guy at the bar wasn't the right kind of friend, she knew she'd be able to steer clear of him and find others. She let her eyes wander over him, looking for rings, watches, any name tags, anything that would give away what he was. A businessman? A husband? A bookie? She was too curious, she had watched him walk to the door and watched him return to his seat. What was he doing? Waiting to go home? Maybe there was a deal going down...She watched quietly with her coy smile helplessly curled on her too open face.

Pins stared blankly at the layer of smoke that hovered above the heads of people in the bar, the smoke from his cigarette only added to the bar’s hazy canopy. He brought his eyes straight down to the floor, or that was his intention. They stopped at the woman he had seen earlier, she was looking right at him.

She patted the empty space beside her and Pins blinked. He put the cigarette between his lips, grabbed his glass and walked towards her. Before he sat he put his elbow on the headrest of the booth’s seats and leaned on it. She was a new face in these parts and seemed to have this aura of innocence about her, but he knew looks could be deceiving. Pins had a problem; he was a sucker for women, and amazing smiles.

Regardless of that he decided to act friendly, contacts were important. Sure she could have been looking to hire him and he’d most likely accept, depending on what he was doing and how much he was getting paid. “A woman like you alone at this hour; you don’t seem apprehensive one bit.” He smiled back and pulled the cigarette out of his mouth. “We don’t get very many women like you in these parts.” He sat down next to her and got rid of the smoke.

In a dark alley, a shady figure came out. It was a mime. He was carrying a cigarette in one hand, and a bloody balisong in the other. The mime looked at Joey exiting her apartment and quickly hid the balisong. He then tried to find his mechanical larynx and found it right when Joey was getting closer to walk up to him.

"Beautiful night, this is...no?" the mime said as he grabbed his cigarette and took a puff out of it.

"I guess so," Joey replied. She then walked away, trying to ignore the mime.

"Where are my manners? Je suis Mike," he said while walking alongside her, "Mike Senavarge." Joey still ignored Mike and walked to the piano bar.

"Perhaps it was wrong of me to speak to strange lady like you. After all...it is the middle of the night. My apologies," Mike smirked as he removed his mechanical larynx and headed off the the piano bar with Joey. Joey looked at Mike a few times, but headed to the bar. Once they got there, Mike opened the door for her and headed straight for the bartender. He tapped the table and soon the bartender turned.

"Ah, you again." The barkeep said. "The usual?" Mike nodded his head and then waited for his drink.

Joey attempted to hide her smile as he leaned the booth. She could already tell he was somewhat charismatic. "What's to be so apprehensive about? Can't a gal enjoy a drink and have a good talk with a stranger no matter what time of day?" She asked raising a slender brow. She picked up the clutch next to her and pulled out a cigarette box; Slims, the girly kind. "Do you have a light?" she asked as she replaced the box inside her clutch. She liked the 'Tall, Dark, and Handsome' kind. Looking at him she guessed he was older, which was fine with her. Meant he was experienced in some form or another. But it also meant he might have some kind of baggage.

She cast a wary glance to the mime at the bar. "Mike the Mime", she'd try to remember him. And hopefully avoid him in the future. She wasn't sure if it was the cancer kazoo or the attempted french accent, but he gave her a cold shiver up her spine. She leaned slightly into the man who had just joined her, given the latter she'd choose to be walked home by the gent than the mime.

She shifted some in her seat and pursed her lips waiting for her cigarette to be lit.

Mike got his drink from the barkeep and looked down at it. He then nodded his head and took a sip from it. Afterwards, he took his mechanical larynx out and came up to Joey. He "cleared" his throat and then decided to sit down with her.

"Sorry about giving you that scare, madam," Mike smiled as he took another sip. "Want me to light your smoke?" Joey nodded to Mike. Mike then took a deep breath and said, "It's the voice box, isn't it? Look, I can't fix the voice, and this was the best I got to getting my real voice back. My larynx was removed from me at a young age, so I have to use this. And no, it's not from smoking." Joey then looked at him. Mike took a gulp out of his drink and looked at Joey. "Perhaps it's the teeth. I know it's creepy, but I really don't want to pose a threat to you. I'm just a regular guy." Joey was still quiet, she just leered at him.

"Dude, I think you should just leave the lady alone." the man said.

"She didn't tell you, so I can stay here all I want," Mike growled.

"Hey, don't you talk to me that way." the man snarled. Mike apologized for his outburst and kept drinking his beverage.

Joey took another sip of her drink. "I don't remember asking..." she added slightly annoyed. But she couldn't help but pity the mime "So, how is a mime ever regular? Or is it just a good past time to avoid talking?" she asked tilting her head some. She wasn't about to look stupid or like she could have the wool pulled over her eyes. The fact that he had stumbled out of a dark alley and seemed to want to be near her was more than enough of an excuse to make sure she wasn't followed back to her apartment. She might have to go to drastic measures to ensure that her night ended mime-less but possible not alone. She glanced back to the men with the bourbon and hoped he would play along with her next trick. Taking another drink of her fruity little concoction she thought of other things to ask and tell him. She tapped her shin as if mocking him.

"I also do not recall inviting you to sit with my friend and I. This is a private drink with private matters, and none that involve a mime. Pity about your larynx, but you should move along." She waved her hand in a shooing gesture back to the bar.

Mike's eyebrows sank to a dissapointed look. He tried to say something else to the woman but froze for a slight second and then closed his mouth. Joey was still looking at him to go away. Eventually, he got up and walked away. He then drifted off, finding her apartment. He spat at the doorstep and then went into an abandoned bar. There, he opened the door and locked it with a key. He then dusted off the table in there and grabbed a chair. He then sat down and slowly rested, waiting for something to happen.

Mike woke up after two hours. The night still was young and he was bored. He exited the building and locked it as he walked down the lane. He looked around, only to find Joey opening the door to her apartment. Rather than going up to her, he walked past her. He then got back into the bar, and ordered up a drink. As he waited for his drink, a man came alongside him.

"Are you that guy that does those dirty tasks?" the man asked. Mike nodded his head as he obtained his drink. "Listen...I need you to take this person out for me," the man whispered. He then showed Mike a picture of a person. Mike looked at it and then grabbed a piece of paper from his pocket and a pen.

"How will I locate this man?" Mike wrote down.

"I hear that some dame near here knows about him," the man smirked. Mike only recalled one woman that was near here and knew about this man.

"Where should I kill him?" Mike scribbled on the paper.

"Preferably in his house," the man said. "If you take the job, I'll pay you $5000 for your services." After some time, Mike agreed to the offer and shook hands with the stranger. The stranger then gave Mike his phone number. "Call me when the job is done. Make sure you have some sort of proof that he's dead. I don't want to be screwed over." Mike got his drink and slowly sipped it down. He was thinking about the job he just got, the strange man and the picture of the person he had to kill. Ideas kept passing his mind and he was waiting...waiting for right time to confront Joey since he knew the two were connected somehow. He then got his mechanical larynx and placed it on his neck as he then walked out of the bar and to Joey's apartment. There, he knocked the door and waited for a response.

OOC: ((Whoa! DryChris you're not giving others a chance to do anything, go with the flow of the rp, not your own! I'm going to take it back a little here guys.))

Pins turned to the woman and leaned back on the backrest. “You have some strange friends.” He smirked when he recalled her annoyed expression at the man with the voice machine mere moments ago.

“Look why don’t we go someplace-“Pins was cut off, a gunshot was heard from the ally. He looked at the bartender, who was pulling his Winchester out from under the counter. It was game time; no doubt the people in the other bar had had an argument and decided that a piece of lead in someone’s body was the way to end things. Pins swore under his breath and got up. He walked towards Ted and told him about his current situation; he hadn’t met with a woman like this in a while and didn’t want to leave her so soon. Ted argued that he had to keep a promise. Pins knew he had a reputation to maintain. They had a short but heated conversation before Ted finally pushed Pins aside and called on some other men. Pins watched them leave the bar, armed with various weapons; he knew they had many more that were concealed. He took off his hat and brushed his hand through his hair as he went back to the woman. He’d mend things with Ted later.

“I believe that me opting to stay with you tonight has at least earned me the right to know your name.”

Joey rolled her eyes as the gent called the mime her friend. She laughed some and was about to take a drink when a gunshot erupted outside. She flinched and narrowly avoided spilling her drink in her lap, but being quick it landed mostly on the table, and a little on her clutch. With a quiet groan she dabbed up most of the mess with a couple napkins that had been under her glass. She watched slightly wide eyed as a small army of men left the bar carrying a lot of firepower. She felt somewhat bad that the gent argued with the bartender and then returned looking a little put-off.

"And you call my friends strange..." she teased as the last of the men filed out and he returned to the booth. With his hat off he was even better looking, now that she could actually see him. "What's going on, all those guys aren't flatfoots are they?" she asked curiously. She moved the soggy napkins to the side and wiped her hands off before offer her hand to introduce herself. "Jo-ann Hawkins...But I only get called that when I'm in trouble." she gave a crooked playful grin "Joey is just fine."

Pins took her hand and shook it. "I'm Jimmy Styles; everyone here just calls me Pins." It would take a lot for him to forget her name now. She seemed to have this way of attracting males. Pins noticed the men staring at not just her in the room but shooting jealous looks his way. He didn’t really like the attention but he didn’t want to move either. The decision to stay with her wasn’t exactly a hard one to make.

"You don't have to worry about them," Pins nodded in the direction of the men leaving. "You could call them the cops, but they're nothing like the real ones. This bar's gotta keep from being thrashed somehow. It's got its employees but not all of them are waiters."
He moved a little closer to her, the attention he received from the other men had started to grow on him. He had never been a man looking for the spotlight but he could get used to this.
"So, what is it you do exactly Joey?"

Inwardly he hoped she never asked him the same question. To most women being a hired killer was a huge turn off. As he waited for her reply he tried to think of some realistic lies if she asked him. But he couldn't think of any at all, he just kept looking at her.

Joey grinned and squeezed his hand some "Nice to meet you Pins." She was oblivious to the eyes on them. She wasn't deft or thick...but when she met new people she liked to give them all her attention. Eye contact was a big deal for her. You can't trust someone who won't look you in the eye. It was one of her many motto's. She nodded quietly understanding about the bar's "cops". She let her knee brush against his as he moved closer. She wondered if she was being overly friendly, but...She was flirtatious by nature and what was a girl to do when her type was talking to her could carry on a conversation?

It was then that she glanced around and saw the open looks they were receiving. She raised a brow and some would look away and return to their drinks but others would just look on, one even shook his head and Joey could distinctly read the swear that escaped his silent lips from across the dark room. She grinned to herself thinking of the 'Little Black Number' she had decided against. She would continue to save it for a special occasion.

She gave a coy grin and ran her finger around the rim of her glass. "Well I play piano...And I go to the movies." She never liked talking about her job. "Dancing is always fun, but the boys back home ruined too many of my shoes..." she paused and then added "You know, from stepping on toes..." she giggled some, her laughter like bells.

"So what do you do for fun Pins? Any nasty little habits?" she asked curiously, not meaning anything by it. She silently hoped that didn't come out too rude.

It was the "nasty little habits" that got him.
He stopped all activities for a minute, even breathing. Just staring straight ahead thoughts ran through his mind like a freight train on oiled tracks.

A detective, that's what you are.
"I'm a detective actually. That's really the reason why I was called on to check out the noise."
The piano wire suddenly felt uncomfortable in his pant pocket. The Beretta in its holster suddenly felt heavy and he realized he had no identification to show her. Talking about her seemed like the only way he'd be able to avoid his own trap.

"I love listening to the piano. I prefer jazz, but I’m open to any sound really. I played the guitar. In fact the reason I came down here was to get myself in Chicago's music scene, I guess i got a bit sidetracked along the way.” He chuckled.

What was he doing; giving her his whole life story in a day? He just said everything that had any real meaning to him.

Joey watched as he paused, her brow furrowed and she tilted her head at him. Another sly smile curled on her red lips. "Ya know Pins...I didn't ask what you did for work...I asked what you do for fun..." She was teasing him of course. She assumed his odd blank stare for a moment was just work stress. She was happy to hear that he had some background in music. She wasn't going to tell him about the many hours she used to spend just listening to the small radio she had before she got the nerve to walk into a random bar.

She shrugged and took a sip of her drink, the tangy fruit at the bottom holding most of the alcohol making her pull a small face. She wasn't much of a drinker. "I think we all get sidetracked...we're all a little wayward..." She swished the glass making the fruit, ice, and whatever else was left swirl. She glanced to the bar where the mime sat with his back to then, most likely nursing a drink. She just didn't like him. Her eyes narrowed slightly at him before turning back to Pins, trying to recover her smile before nodding towards the door "You wanna get out of here?" she lowered her voice to be just loud enough for him to hear "That mime followed me in here...And it's not just the cancer kazoo that makes me nervous." she confided in him. She pushed the remnants of her drink away and shifted ready to get up and exit the smokey bar.

“Sure.” Pins got up and waited until she was ready to go. He looked at her but in his peripheral vision the mime’s back was clearly visible.

I’m not sure where you want to go exactly. They headed out the bar, Pins once again keeping an eye on the dark places; it was his nature to be suspicious. What never crossed his mind was why he was so open with this woman.
They walked down the lamp lit streets, Pins watched steam rise from the sewers as they passed them. He pulled out a smoke and lit it. It had been ages since he walked with a woman by his side. Being alone or with other men on a night was usual for him. As well as being beside the body of a man and hundreds of dollars richer. Being with Joey was like a breath of fresh air.

He put these thoughts out of his mind and focused on her. She was elegant and witty, the perfect combination for him. They talked about their favourite songs and singers, bands and who they hope to see live on day. It was all going rather well until a newspaper, caught by the wind blew straight onto Pins’ leg. He picked it up and naturally read the headline and subtitle.

Mother and children murdered and robbed, father nowhere to be found.

Pins had seen this type of thing before. Somebody wanted information, valuable information. There was really no other reason to kill a man’s family and leave him alive. It made him sick. He scrunched the paper up and threw it away. He expected to be called about this. Even though Chicago was a world of crime he knew people who cared.

Joey chatted with Pins as they walked, she wasn't really watching were they were headed, just strolling along. She listened to the noises around them, she knew when to be on guard. She was almost waiting to hear the raspy breathe of the mime or a smokers cough of some other menace in the dark. Her heels clicked in perfect time to the tap of Pins' shoes. At some point she reached up to curl her hand around the inside of his elbow. All the vibes she got off were good ones, so she liked him enough to be comfortable.

"I actually was raised by my aunt; the old battle axe tried to bring me up as a lady, I think she wanted me to some debutante or something ridiculous...The only thing I will ever thank that woman for is all the piano lessons and..some other things." she tried to scramble to cover up what she almost blurted out. She didn't want to bring up the barbers blade she carried or her obsessive sharpening of it. They had been her uncle's and at a young age she had stolen them thinking her fluttery aunt didn't deserve such personal artifacts of the man that had made a name for her family.

When the newspaper caught on his pant leg, she was able to read the first bit in the poor street light and she frowned with a sigh. "Someone should do something about that. The flatfoots never can get anything done fast enough...Too much paperwork." she shook her head knowing about the miles of paperwork she'd had to rewrite to get one scumbag behind bars.

"A nice long vacation for those scum bag just isn't enough for me..." her distaste all too apparent. It was clear she didn't completely agree with the system, but she didn't bash the poor guys who worked the beat and brought home the bacon to their nervous wives...

Pins stared at her after she said those words.
He was so confused, she was touching him now and he certainly didn't want to lose this, but at the same time he wanted her to know him.
But he had more time, he only just met her tonight. If things went well he'd see her tomorrow, if things went very well he'd be seeing her for a long time.
He'd tell her later.

"Why don't we just forget about this tonight Joey. I'll get on this tomorrow, I'd like to start now but once the papers know about it they'll want to know everything and, well it makes my job harder. It's been a while since I actually enjoyed a night off."
He gave her hand a squeeze. He wanted to get to know her a lot more. He assumed it was just physical attractiveness that initially got him to her, but he found out that their song isn't just one chord.

Every time he took his eyes off of her he began to think about telling her his secrets.
"Look Joey." He stopped walking. "I'm not a detective alright, I'm not so clean cut in the things I do. I might as well tell you this now if things are going to carry on between us. I'll understand if you never want to see me again. I'm a hired gun, I kill people for a living." He stopped and immediately thought how stupid he sounded, he needed to make things clear for her.
"But listen that's not all. It's not like I’m some lunatic murderer. I don't just kill. I know what I do is terrible and that you're probably sick to your stomach right now but I assume you; I kill those who deserve it."
Pins had never talked to anyone like this before, not even the other women he'd been with. He felt strange.

Joey stopped walking as he started to talk to her, she turned to stand directly in front of him. She listened silently, her gaze never leaving his face, emotionless. She looked to the ground for a moment thinking. Her brow furrowed and took a breathe and opened her mouth to say something but closed it again. She crossed her arms over her chest and regarded him for a moment, her face seemed to go through a series of emotions.

She uncrossed her arms, shrugged, and made a face as if to say 'Oh well...' She reached up to touch the side of his face and leaned in to press a kiss to his cheek. "I am normally really good at spotting the liars..." That was all she said and she turned to take his arm again and continue walking.

She took a deep breathe of night air. "Well I should be honest too...I'm a typist for a law firm, very boring. But I guess we're in the same line of business, I just don't get paid to do what you do and well...I don't have anyone who would pay me to anything that I do..." she wasn't sure how to clarify what she was saying so she stopped, glanced around quickly and opened her clutch and brought out the black handled straight edge razor. With professional ease and speed, she flipped it open and stepped forward to slice a undone string from Pins' coat. As quickly as she had moved the razor was closed and back within her clutch.

"Just don't be scared of me, I like you and I know you're not a bad guy." she seemed to plead with a nervous face.

Pins didn't want the kiss to end, even if it was just a peck on the cheek.
He hadn’t felt this way in his life. Sure the women he'd been with had slept with him but none of that compared with this kiss.

All the heaviness of the moment lifted when she began to walk. Pins swallowed hard and looked straight ahead for a moment before turning to her.
"You've got some skill with a blade there Joey, you're smarter than you let on, you know that?"

Pins assumed she wanted to earn money as a singer and musician; he felt that she was not trying to look for a place to work hard enough. Either that or the owners of bars were blind.
"How could you not have landed a steady gig at a bar? Look at you." This was the first time Pins had actually looked at her body, he was amazed and opened his mouth but couldn't say anything for a moment.

"I find it hard to believe that you can't find a place to do what you love. Listen, come back to me to the bar; we don't have to go tonight. Just come back maybe we can get you set up there or have one of Ted's contacts find you a place."
Pins wasn't sure about having her in Ted's bar but he'd fight for it if he had to. He wanted to see her every night.