Take It With Me

"You sure you don't want anything? To celebrate?"

Tom raised his tumbler full of whiskey up in front of Kitty's face. She grimaced.

"No, I think I got a belly full the other night. Thank you though," she said, smiling. "You were great, Tom. Just great."

Tom laughed.

"Thank you!" he said, knocking back a mouthful of Wild Turkey. He looked around, watching the act behind him pissing around on the stage. Their singer was looking a little sick. He had seen him hanging out at the bar while he was doing his set. The drummer was out of rhythm, and their guitar had just busted the first string of the night.

He was better. That was for sure.

Kitty smiled up at him, her face all lit up.

"This is the first time you've ever been in a place like this, isn't it," he said, laughing at her, all excited like some snot-nosed kid on Christmas morning.

"How'd you know?" She asked, crossing her legs and smoothing out her dress.

"Just can tell," he said, watching her eyes dart around the room. For a split second, her eyes landed on a man across the room, and she grimaced. He followed her gaze, seeing a sleaze of a man with his arm around a pretty little redhead.

"Who's he?" Tom asked, finishing off the last of his whiskey with a grimace and a hiss.

Kitty raised an eyebrow.

"Earle. Earle King," she intoned, adopting a strange growl. "He wanted to know if I was interested in dancing with him."

"Dancing?" Tom asked, laughing.

"Oh, no, not dancing. Dancing. I think he meant... you know," she said, her cheeks flushing.

"Oh, yeah. The horizontal tango. I know it well," Tom grinned, waving the bartender back over. Kitty narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, what a wonderful subject for mixed company," she murmered, rolling a piece of ice around in her mouth.

"Well, you see, the horizontal tango is a dance most commonly performed in mixed company, so I consider it a perfectly fine subject for conversation," Tom said, enjoying seeing Kitty squirm.

"Oh, haha. You're so funny."

"I know it," Tom beamed. "You want to dance?"

Kitty's face went white.

"Uh, not the tango, kid. Just dance. On a dance floor?" Tom guffawed, watching her turn from white to red. "Come on."

He grabbed her hand and led her out on the dance floor. A lot of other couples were twirling around, and Tom wanted to join them. He couldn't stand sitting on the sidelines.

And besides, he might not even mind tangoing with Kitty before he left. Seeing as he probably wouldn't see her again.

Yeah. A tango with Kitty wouldn't be a bad thing at all.

-

When the sun came up, Kitty and Tom were walking back to the hotel. Tom's tie was loose and he carried his newsboy cap underneath his arm. Kitty could barely keep her eyes open.

"What time is it?" She asked, yawning. Tom pulled up his sleeve and peered at his watch.

"A little after six. Time to go to bed!" he said, wrapping his arm around Kitty's waist and pulling her close. She giggled nervously.

"What's up with you?" she asked, her heart pounding. He had drank a lot. A little much, in her opinion.

"Just... excited. It was a good show," he said, stumbling a bit.

"Easy!" Kitty said, helping him regain his balance.

"It's cool, it's cool," he said, grinning again. "Let's just... stop for a bit."

Tom leaned up against the edge of a building, watching her. Her hair was falling out of the combs and her skin was flushed and she was so damn pretty.

Even if she was a priss.

He straightened up, putting both hands on her waist. She looked a little confused, but didn't move to brush him off, so he inched them around to her back, pulling her close to him.

"What in the world are you..."

Before Tom knew it, his lips were on hers. It was inevitable, he thought. She was pretty, he was a red blooded, American man, and... things happened. He kissed her, and for a moment, she kissed back. She was warm in the cold morning light, and she didn't taste like liquor, which was new for him, and best of all, he could bring her back to the hotel with him.

Pulling back, he looked at her. She didn't seem mad. He grinned, and plopped his hat on her head, pulling the brim down over her eyes.

"Let's roll, kid."