allbedestroyed | A black tie adventure with doesntsing

Midge doesn’t know what to expect from tonight. It was surprising that Robert asked her, but maybe she’s a calming presence to him. That’s kind of surprising in and of itself, but Midge does know how to take charge of situations. She’s an extrovert and she likes socializing. Robert said that he just wanted someone to talk to so that he can get through this obligation, but if Midge can help smooth anything over, she will. Unfortunately, she hates rich asshole businessmen too, so she might end up not making the situation worse for him instead. It’s a crapshoot!

Speaking of rich, Midge’s building on the Upper West Side is clearly on the higher end of the socioeconomic scale. She answers the door quickly when he rings the bell.

“Hey.” Midge grins at him. “Let’s go.”

“Miriam,” calls a female voice from within the apartment. “I thought you weren’t leaving for another hour?”

“Nope, leaving now!” Midge calls back as she steps into the hall. “Bye Mama, bye Papa.”

“Aren’t you going to introduce-?”

The closing of the door cuts off the rest of the sentence. Midge exhales and looks at Robert. “Trust me. If you’re already stressed enough about this party, you don’t need to add meeting my parents to it.”

Both of them have decided that this isn’t a date. Midge told her parents it isn’t a date. Still, she knows that they would be analyzing him like a potential suitor, and Robert doesn’t need that if he’s already on edge.

She’s wearing a red evening gown with a pearl necklace and pearl earrings. She also has on long opera gloves and a fur stole to help keep her warm against the chilly December air.

“You clean up well,” Midge tells him, putting her hand in the crook of his arm. He is, undoubtedly, older than her. Even though she’s only 27, she has a maturity about her that was born of being divorced with two kids. Getting married, having children, and then separating helps a person to grow up really fast. “Shall we?”

She'll have to excuse the way he brightens when he sees her. After all, when she's looking as beautiful as she is, it's impossible for the warden not to be impressed. Thankfully they're both distracted by the other voice, and Muldoon's brow lifts just a little at hearing her parents are both nearby. Especially with Midge's warning. Yes, best head on before he has time to make a bad impression.

"Thank you," he says a bit belatedly as he starts them back to the car. "You look stunning."

Date or not, he will open the door for her, and close it once she's gotten herself and that lovely dress inside, before getting into the driver's seat himself. He waits until he's gotten them on the road before glancing over at Midge. "How are you?"

“Thanks,” she replies. Midge meant what she said about him cleaning up well. He looks quite sharp in a tux.

Opening the door for her is the polite and gentlemanly thing to do, and she appreciates it. “I’m well, thanks,” Midge says, looking over at him behind the steering wheel. Robert’s always rather serious, but he looks particularly stiff tonight. “It’s going to be fine.” Midge reaches out and pats him on the arm. She’s going to try to read the room and help him in the best way that she can.

“Is it weird driving on the right side of the road?” Maybe a subject change will help.

A smile is about the height of what people get from Muldoon. He's not a laugher. Seriousness is too embedded into his features and demeanour, and he often forgets how hard his expression is. He definitely doesn't realise he's showing how worried he is until Midge pats his arm. The gesture is enough to get a brief, appreciative smile and for him to try and look like he's relaxing even if he isn't.

The subject change does help. Mostly because it takes him a second to realise that she doesn't necessarily know that Kenya drives on the left, but it's his accent which gives the habit away. Still, the double take means he takes a second to answer.

"A little, but I've had a lot of practice. Especially recently. I've been in Costa Rica and they drive on the right as well." Sticking with the subject change, he glances over at her. "Have you ever been?"

Well. Now Midge feels like it’s her mission to get a laugh out of him. What kind of comedian would she be if she didn’t take on that challenge?

She knows that Kenya and England were somewhere in his childhood, based on his accent and what he had told her previously.

Midge shakes her head. “No. I’ve been up to Canada and to Europe. That’s it. I’m sure you’ve been to far more exotic places.”

"I've been all over the place," he confirms. It's a privilege he's well aware he has, though he hasn't been to many of the stereotypical holiday spots. Besides, he finds it much easier to talk about other people.

"Canada's nice," he offers. "Where in Europe were you?"

The drive won't be long, but he does want to get to know her better while he has the opportunity. It will be a bit more difficult around other people.

“You must have some incredible stories.” Midge thought she was worldly, but she’s got nothing on him, even if New York seems like the center of the universe.

“Mostly France because my mother speaks fluent French. Paris. Switzerland for skiing. I’ve also been to London. Where in England did you say you were from?”

It wasn’t London, if she recalls correctly.

"I like to think so. Many of them aren't suitable for polite company, though." As his boss often reminds him in preparation for things like this.

Paris, London and Switzerland seem very fitting for a classy woman like Midge. They're some very city-centric answers, too, he notes. Before he can ask any follow up questions of his own, Midge has beaten him to it.

"Leeds, in Yorkshire," he answers. Just in case that doesn't mean anything he clarifies, "It's up in the north of England. I haven't spent much time in London, but I remember the museums."

She gets another glance before he asks, "Do you speak French?"

“Good thing there’s no polite company here,” Midge says. If Robert’s seen her act (and she’s not sure if he has), he would know that her sense of humor is ribald. She’s not easily offended.

Midge nods. “I’ve heard of it, though I’ve never been there.” Most of her life has been spent in cities and that’s generally where she prefers to be. Maybe she just hasn’t been to the types of rural places that would hold her interest.

“Non,” she replies. “Tres petite.” That’s probably not how to say that she knows very little French, but that only underscores her point. “I speak Hebrew and Russian, though I read and understand them far better than I can speak them.”

Midge turns to look at him. “What other languages do you speak?” It’s an assumption that he does, based on the fact that he travels so much.

Although he hasn't seen her act, he suspected she has a rougher side. That she happily confirms as much gets a small smile from him. As does the confirmation that she's never been to Yorkshire. It's not exactly a glamorous destination.

"Très bien." Some French is always better than no French, after all. A sentiment felt across the world.

His brow lifts, clearly impressed by her skills. Neither language is familiar to him, and they're not common choices in the circles he usually frequents.

"I speak Swahili, decent French, and a bit of Spanish and Portuguese." With his answers rattled off, he lets his brow furrow as he asks, "Why Russian?"

Russian is the odd language out there, isn’t it? “My degree is in Russian Literature. Yes, it’s exactly as useless as it sounds.”

Midge hadn’t gone to college so much to get a degree as she did to find a husband. And she had. Then, after 5 years of marriage and 2 kids, he cheated on her with his secretary. There’s been a lot of wasted time in her life, something Midge is keen to not continue.

“My father’s family is Russian and my grandmother used to tell me folktales when I was a kid.” Russian Literature had seemed like an easy enough major, though it really wasn’t. She had to learn at least some Russian to do it.

They pull up in front of the hotel where the party is going to be held and a valet approaches the car.

Ah, here's where things get unfamiliar. Private conversations suit the warden perfectly. Everything that happens as soon as he steps out of the car? Not so much.

Both their doors are opened for them, and Muldoon hands off the keys before offering his arm to Midge. He's never been to this part of the city, or to a building like this. It looks like it could be a hotel, but more private, for the upper echelon only. The two of them are guided along to a sprawling room filled with well dressed people, mostly of the older generation. Midge might feel Muldoon get tense as he looks around, trying to see past the expensive suits and glistening jewellery to see if there's a quiet spot out of the way he can hide in.

Instead a familiar face appears from the crowd, a short, white haired man with a cane and a smile full of character. "Robert! There you are! And you brought a friend!" Muldoon doesn't get a chance to say anything before Midge is offered a hand for a warm, firm shake. "John Hammond, delighted to meet you."

"John is my boss, and the reason we're here tonight," Muldoon finally gets in. "John, this is Miriam Maisel."

Robert looks like he’s about to go to his own funeral. Poor thing. She squeezes his arm as they walk in. It’s a typical black tie affair with people dressed to the nines and waiters walking around with glasses of champagne and hors d’ouvres.

The man who approaches them seems gregarious and is not, she presumes, one of the asshole businessmen that Robert’s company is trying to get money out of tonight. He confirms her assumption and she shakes Hammond’s hand. “Midge, please,” she says. “It’s nice to meet you.”

It occurs to her that she doesn’t know exactly what this company does. Robert is a game warden. Perhaps it’s some kind of large animal breeding scheme for hunters?

"Wonderful, wonderful!" John is all smiles in greeting Midge, pausing only to flag down one of the waiters so that he can pass both of them a drink. "Maybe you can help Robert blow his own trumpet. He's never been very good at showing off, but that's why he's here today."

Muldoon opens his mouth to protest (mostly to stop the conversation being focused on him), but John ignores him and presses on. "Did you see the Sunday Times article on him? What was it they said? Ah! Yes! 'What Robert Trent Jones is to gold courses, Robert Muldoon is to zoos'. Really very impressive."

Impressive or not, Muldoon is putting all his effort into trying not to cringe. It's not helped by John turning to Muldoon and adding, "There are some people I'd like you to talk to. You wait here while I find them."

It's an order, not a question, so he doesn't wait for an answer before he heads off.

Muldoon frowns down at the bubbling drink and sighs. "This isn't going to be strong enough."

“I’ll try my best,” Midge replies. The problem is that she doesn’t know about all of Robert’s accomplishments. He pretty famously doesn’t like talking about himself. “I didn’t,” she says regarding the newspaper article and turning to look at Robert, who looks like he just wants to sink through the expensive carpet.

Hammond hurries off and Midge sips her champagne. “You’re a zoo design maverick,” she says, a note of wonder in her voice.

He’s right about the champagne though. Thankfully, there’s a bar. Midge catches one of the waiters as he walks by.

“Say, would you be able to get us a martini and…” Midge glances back at Robert and makes an educated guess. “A whiskey, please?”

The guess is right on the nose, and Muldoon relaxes at the very mention of it. He nods. "A whiskey would be great."

As the waiter heads off to get them proper drinks, Muldoon nods again to Midge's statement. "I'm a wildlife consultant. I design enclosures and habitats and try to make sure both humans and animals are happy. But I'm much better at dealing with the animals..."

He trails off as he spots a couple of older gentlemen heading their way. The champagne is downed, since that's all he has to work with. Soon enough there are hands being offered and the night begins in earnest.

"Good evening. I'm James Dixon, this is Dax Gilbert and Mason Bennett. You're Hammond's man, aren't you?" One of them starts. Muldoon only gets so far as to answer in the affirmative before the attention is switched to Midge. "And who is this beautiful thing? You're definitely not one of Hammond's."

Midge doesn’t get a chance to ask him more about that before Robert is downing his drink and the bigwigs are approaching.

They’re introduced and Midge shakes their hands, knowing that she won’t remember any of their names.

“I’m not,” she confirms with a dazzling smile. “I’m Midge.”

“Is this your kid sister, Muldoon?” Asks one of the guys, making the other two laugh. “Is she joining us for the negotiations?”

The three men look from Robert to Midge trying to figure out what they are to each other. Surely they’re not a couple?

Muldoon opens his mouth to answer, probably with something far less witty than the occasion calls for, but he's interrupted again.

"Definitely not his sister," another pipes up. "Unless she got all the good looks!"

That gets a laugh out of his friends who are certainly enjoying this game. The third man, buoyed by the others, chimes in with the faux scolding of, "Now, now. Don't make assumptions. He probably just met her in the foyer. You're not hogging her all to yourself, are you Muldoon?"

"No, I-."

And again gets interrupted with chuckling and a, "Of course not. Good man."

Midge wrinkles her nose, because these guys are more disgusting than she expected them to be and they’re treating Robert awfully. He can’t even get a word in. She makes a split second decision, the consequences of which she does not think all the way through.

“He’s my boyfriend!” In the silence that follows, Midge composes herself and rephrases. “We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks.” The hand that’s on his elbow moves discreetly down to slip into his.

The men are absolutely stunned, which is the response that Midge was hoping for. They’ve finally shut up.

“Did you want to say something, darling?” she asks, turning to Robert.

Muldoon's head swivels to join in on looking at Midge in surprise. He's quick to school it into a more neutral expression when she elaborates on her bluff. It is, however, difficult to form words when she turns the attention back onto him.

"Yes," though he has no idea what. He has to think up something quickly. "We've been going out for a few weeks now, and they've been wonderful." Finding his feet again, he turns his attention back to the other man. "I was hoping to show her the nicer side of my work tonight."

Finally the waiter reappears with their drinks and Muldoon seizes onto it. "Ah, here we are. We can start the night properly now."

It took him a second, but he improvised wonderfully. She grins, trying to look adoring, though she really is proud of him for not completely freezing.

“And what a nice side it is,” she agrees, mostly playing it up for the jerks they need money from. “Far cleaner, I’m sure.”

When the drinks come, Midge is just as grateful as Robert is. They swap out their champagne glasses and Midge takes a swig of her martini.

“I have to say, Muldoon, I didn’t think you were capable of pulling this caliber of woman,” says Dixon. The jerks look impressed, but also suspicious. “I hope that you and your… girlfriend will have a lovely evening before we discuss how much money we’re going to give to your wonderful organization. Pleasure before business tonight, right?”

If he wasn't trying to get back at them, Muldoon would be inclined to agree. Midge is much younger, prettier, and sophisticated than he would expect to go out with, but they don't need to know that.

"I'm going to make sure she does," he answers in complete and utter honesty. He already owes Midge and they've only just stepped in through the door. "She deserves the best."

Spotting the barest glimpse of his boss, Muldoon takes the inspiration for a getaway. "If you'll excuse us, I think John is looking to make some introductions." He gives a polite nod before putting his hand on Midge's back to help guide her away.

Once they're a safe distance, he leans in as surreptitiously as possible to mutter a quiet, "Thank you."

Midge is expecting that he’s about to let her have it, so hearing him thank her is a surprise. Apparently her little stunt didn’t make him angry.

They stop a few feet from where Hammond is in conversation with someone else and Midge reaches up to straighten Robert’s bow tie - something that doesn’t need to be done but can be interpreted as an intimate gesture.

“They don’t believe us,” Midge says. “They think we’re lying or that you paid me or something. We’re going to have to make them believe that we’re actually dating.”

Before he can protest, Midge puts her hand on his chest. “Men like that think that their money can buy them whatever they want. One of them’s probably going to try to buy me tonight. I’m predicting the weaselly looking one. They’re probably already on second wives that are younger than me and have mistresses the same age. You’re not going to be able to appeal to any sort of love of animals they have. But if they think you’re like them, they’ll at least respect you enough to open their wallets.”

From Muldoon's perspective she'd just gotten him out of a little embarrassment. It's not until suddenly she's touching him and explaining things to him that he starts to realise that this isn't a one-conversation solution.

She even predicts his impending protest, placing her hand on his chest and reading out the behaviours of their prior company with the same ease and confidence he does a pack of hyenas. It's impressive, both the knowledge and the calmness with which she suggests they might try to buy her. That might be a problem. He would probably do something ill advised if someone insulted her like that.

Muldoon looks from her to the men and back again, blinking a little. After a second to take it all in, he focuses on her and offers, "We could leave? I won't have them being rude to you, and the last thing I want is for you to be uncomfortable."

“No,” she says with a shake of her head. “Your boss wants you here because he thinks you can be helpful. We can’t leave until those guys decide how much money they’re going to give you. It’s very gallant of you to be concerned about me, but don’t be. Trust me. I can handle them.”

Midge looks up to find Hammond staring at them. She takes her hand off of Robert’s chest.

"I don't mean to interrupt," John says with a smile.

Muldoon shakes his head, hoping he isn't going red around the ears. "No, it's fine."

"I just wanted to introduce you to a few friends of mine..."

Hammond pulls them neatly into a conversation with a small crowd of older men and their wives. Being the skilled salesman he is, John smoothly gets Muldoon talking about the complexities of making enclosures for animals that suit a constant stream of visitors. It's clear the two of them have worked together for a while. John can both pull the normally quiet man into a sharing his work in decent detail, while neatly rounding off anything that might veer into the dull.

It's after an explanation of building a park to help with the conservation of tigers that one of the wives starts to look a little glassy eyed. Taking the initiative, she turns the conversation onto something she deems more interesting.

"You mustn't stay in one place for more than two minutes!" Looking at Midge curiously she asks, "How did you two meet?"

These men, at least, don’t seem as nasty as the other ones. Midge keeps her hand on Robert’s arm and mostly stays silent, especially after Robert starts talking about his work. It’s clear that he feels great passion for it and Midge smiles a bit to hear him speak so much.

It’s an abrupt change of topic, but Midge adjusts quickly. Fortunately, she doesn’t have to make up a story for this. “It’s funny that you mention tigers,” she says. “I was at the Bronx Zoo with my son and we were at the tiger enclosure and we happened to strike up a conversation with a guy there.” She points to Robert. “My son likes tigers and Robert started telling him about how natural enclosures are better for the animals because it simulates what it’s like for them in the wild. My son is 5, so I don’t think he understood much about enclosures. He just wanted to pet the big kitty cat. After that, Robert and I talked a bit more and I saw that he had a badge. I thought he was an employee, but he said that he was a consultant visiting the zoo since it’s one of the most advanced ones in the country. He also said that we missed feeding time and should come back the next day at 10:00 if we wanted to see that.” Midge shrugs. “So we did. And we exchanged numbers.”

Edited 2024-12-24 00:36 (UTC)

One of the men is immediately wavering between sceptical and impressed. "You wooed a woman as beautiful as that by talking about animal enclosures?"

"I think it was talking about the animals themselves that got her attention." Though Muldoon glances at Midge to confirm if that's the case.

The man remains unconvinced. "Talking about animals? Not exactly the most exciting topic."

"I don't know," one of the wives pipes up, eyeing Muldoon thoughtfully. "There's something to be said about seeing a man get passionate about something."

This time it's Hammond who's about to start blushing, and he turns to Midge. "You have children? Just the one?"

The woman is right. Robert’s passion drew her interest. She didn’t know if it would turn into anything romantic - still doesn’t - but they had an easy conversation and she enjoyed his company. Midge invited him to come out to one of her shows, something he hasn’t done yet, but she isn’t taking that personally. He’s clearly an introvert and probably enjoys his quiet time in the evenings after work.

“Two,” she tells Hammond. “Ethan and Esther. She’s two. I’m divorced.” In case they’re wondering about the father of said children.

"It's hard to get a man when you already have children," laments one of the women in an attempt at sympathy.

"I've worked with children before," Muldoon blurts out to try and help their cover. He's not as smooth as Midge at lying like this. "I used to give talks at schools."

Eager to get onto a topic he prefers, one of the men asks, "Are you working, Miriam? In the same line of work as Robert here?"

“I’m a stand up comedian,” she says, waiting for the inevitable reaction of disbelief from people. Midge supposes that she is working, even if gigs are sporadic and one of her steady sources of income is being the hostess of the show at a burlesque club. (Her clothing stays on.)

“Wait… I think I’ve seen you before,” one of the men says. “Mrs. Maisel, right?”

“That’s me,” Midge admits with a smile. Her stage name will always be a tribute to her ex-husband, whether she likes it or not.

“Hey, you’re pretty funny,” the man continues. “And uh… uncensored.”

“Until the cops show up,” Midge says, laughing to make a joke of it when it’s not a joke at all. She’s been arrested for obscenity twice.

There is indeed some disbelief, Hammond is the first to voice his surprise. "A comedian? And you're dating Robert?" To be fair, it's a reasonable thing to be surprised about. The man so rarely smiles, never mind laughs. "Well I suppose if anyone is going to make him laugh it would be a professional."

"We should go to one of your shows sometime soon," one of the wives pipes up. The 'uncensored' comment has her eyeing the woman suspiciously, and it's hard to tell if that's an excited suggestion or a threat.

Evidently the men don't seem to have twigged. "That would be an eventful night out."

“Exactly,” she replies with a grin. “I have my work cut out for me.” Midge turns to Robert, just to make sure that he isn’t upset by the teasing, but he seems amused. It’s clear that he has a genuine affection for his boss. Midge puts her hand on his chest again briefly.

“I can leave some dates of my upcoming shows with Mr. Hammond,” she continues. Now she has to think of which ones are at suitable clubs and not dive bars or the strip joint. Susie did manage to get her some decent gigs recently, if Midge can remember when they are.

The conversation continues until eventually the two of them excuse themselves. Midge is glad to have Robert to herself again. “You did a good job,” she tells him. “Some people really do like hearing about your passion for animals.”

"I think they enjoyed talking to you more." Which is an honest assumption and one he wouldn't be surprised about either. Midge is a natural conversationalist.

After a healthy swig of his drink he feels the need to add, "I really didn't mean for you to be pretending to be my girlfriend all night." He looks at her with earnest gratitude then. "But I'm very glad you're here. I'd really much rather deal with lions and tigers. Yet you seem to know exactly what you're doing."

“It’s alright,” Midge says. “Maybe I don’t mind pretending.” It’s her first hint of real flirtation that she’s done with him all night. “Especially if it helps to seal whatever deal Hammond is trying to make. People can be like lions and tigers sometimes.”

Midge has to be able to read a room, otherwise her sets would flop every time. Sometimes she has to pivot in the middle of a set too, if a crowd isn’t responding to something like she thought they would.

“Maybe it’s the unpredictable nature of people that unnerves you.”

She puts her hand back in his as they walk slowly around the ballroom, just in case any eyes happen to be on them. And maybe she kind of likes holding his hand, just a little.

Unlike Midge, Muldoon doesn't have to be as good at wordplay. He's not sure what best to say back, but the fact that he goes a little red behind the ears should be sign enough that he hears the flirtatious undertone.

"Animals are unpredictable," he points out, because that much he does know. "But at least they make sense when they do something unpredictable. People at these things never come out and say what they mean."

Looking at her he gestures with his free hand as he explains. "For example, you're beautiful, and exciting, and charismatic, and independent. But rather than say any of that, everyone else here would rather make jabs about us being together. It doesn't make sense! Anyone who talks to you for two minutes could tell you do what you want, so that's why you'd be with me. It's a terrible way to compliment you."

What he’s explaining is practical and makes sense, but Midge remains stuck on the way he describes her.

“Am I?” She asks, a smile playing at her lips. “Those things?”

A band is taking its place at the end of a makeshift dance floor and some of the couples in attendance shift over to it.

“Not a lot of people say what they mean, and there are different reasons for that,” Midge continues. “Some people see someone unconventional, like you, and think that it’s an opportunity to make themselves feel better about whatever faults they have.”

She pauses to sip her martini. “Someone like me being with someone like you doesn’t make sense to them because they’ve used money to get women to pay attention to them. If you don’t have money, why would we be together? There isn’t a lot of genuine affection in their world.”

He looks a little incredulous at the question. "Of course you are."

While her surprise might make no sense to him, the explanation of people tearing others down rings true. He tips his head in a shrug of agreement. That much he's seen plenty of, even if it's not usually in this context. Even women looking for men with money is familiar enough, but to this extent? Less so.

She's got him all thoughtful now, evening out his pace as he walks with her hand in his. He doesn't really register the band.

"I suppose if genuine affection got into their world it would wreak havoc. Love is probably the most unpredictable thing there is."

It’s one thing to hear people give you compliments, but another when it comes from someone like Robert, who doesn’t just say things to flatter people. “Thank you,” Midge replies, her cheeks turning pink.

“Love is very unpredictable,” she agrees. Midge wonders if he’s ever been in love before.

They leave the ballroom and enter an atrium that serves as a sort of greenhouse with a number of plants and trees lining the walkways. A place like this might make Robert feel more comfortable, even if there are no animals.

“Would you like to sit?” She asks, pointing to a pair of comfortable chairs. There are a few people milling around, but they’re away from the crowd of the party now.

"Sure," is the easy answer. Really he could stand all night, but she's the one wearing heels. If she wants to sit, he's not going to stop her.

Muldoon lets Midge sit first before following, being careful not to sit on her dress. It's really very pretty and he doesn't want to ruin it. That would be a poor way of thanking her for coming along.

The atrium is a much more peaceful place, and it gets a sigh out of him. "You've been to this sort of thing before? Voluntarily?"

They’re seated together on a bench, close, though not close enough to be touching. She appreciates that he’s taking care with her dress, considering that it’s Dior. Not that that probably means anything to him.

“I have,” she confirms, biting her lip a little so as to keep a straight face. “Voluntarily.”

Poor thing. He seems miserable. Midge hopes that she’s able to at least bring some joy to him tonight.

“You go into cages with lions voluntarily,” she says teasingly.

That means nothing to him, but then it could be home made and he'd still be careful.

"Yes, but I can punch a lion in the jaw if he gets too cocky," he points out in a mumble. "You go somewhere where someone insults you to your face and you have to smile." Tilting his head at her he reiterates, "Voluntarily."

Midge’s martini glass stops halfway to her mouth.

“Have you punched a lion before?” Midge asks incredulously. He’s not the type of man to joke about something if hasn’t done it or wouldn’t do it.

“Yes,” she confirms. “I can’t punch them in the face, but I can insult them subtly. Or tell them to fuck off if they don’t get the message.”

Midge isn’t sure if she’s used that kind of language around him before. Surely the words themselves won’t shock him, but he may be shocked to hear them coming out of her.

The image of Midge telling someone outright to fuck off does get a smile out of him. He's been around women who've cursed before, but she manages to make it sound a lot sharper, even when not directing it at him (and that fact is the only reason he lets himself smile).

"I wouldn't mind seeing that. To get tips, of course." Then he can hide his smile behind a sip of his drink.

"And yes, I have punched a lion before. But I generally try not to let things get that close."

“Of course.”

She likes getting smiles out of him. Maybe eventually she’ll get a laugh.

Meanwhile, the fact that he’s punched a lion is really doing something for her. There are men and then there are men. And he does it without being a hypermasculine idiot. Can anyone really wonder why a woman might be attracted to a man like that? Midge feels her pulse pick up and a longing begin to form deep inside of her.

“I’m sure you only would do it as a last resort,” she says. “You carry a gun too, right?”

"Well the lion was trying to maul my friend so I feel it was justified." He can joke too, even if it is a lot drier than most people prefer. It's the British streak in him.

The question about the gun gets a bemused sort of smile. "Yes, I carry a gun. Usually a pistol just in case, or a rifle as well if things are more dangerous..." Then he has to know, "Why do you ask?"

Midge enjoys a dry sense of humor. “That does seem impolite, so yes, you were justified.” British humor is lovely.

She shrugs. “Just making sure that you’re staying safe out there,” she replies. “I’m sure that’s a last resort as well.”

Despite being an American, she’s not enamored by men with guns, though the idea of Robert carrying one around is also attractive to her. She’s probably making it a lot more romantic in her mind than it actually is. They can blame Hollywood for that.

Though he pretends to nod seriously, it doesn't smother his smile at all. Hopefully now she can rest easy knowing that she made his night more enjoyable.

"It is. I don't want to kill animals if I can help it. Sometimes a right hook saves both man and lion." There's a small smile and a shrug before he admits, "It was my father's great disappointment. He wanted me to shoot professionally. Got me into competitions. He'll tell anyone who'd listen that I could have gone to the Olympics." Before Midge can get the wrong idea he adds, "I couldn't have, but that doesn't stop him from saying so."

Midge grins at him, not able to hide it anymore. What’s the point? He probably already knows that he makes her smile.

“So you’re a good shot too.” It’s not a question, but a confirmation of facts. Midge rests her arm on the back of the bench and then props her head up with her hand. She leans in towards him. “A man who punches lions and is good with a gun. I’d say those are qualities that someone might find attractive, no?”

She knows that she’s probably going to have to spell it out for him, since he doesn’t seem to think that there’s any reason why someone like her would find him attractive.

"In the African bush, yes." With that bemused expression back, it's safe to say that Midge has got him down. The silly man is clueless.

It's not that he thinks he's entirely unattractive, or completely devoid of charm, but... just look at her, listen to her. She probably knows how to eat with more than one set of cutlery at the table. Not to mention how young and pretty she is. Men are most definitely clamouring to get a date with her. Richer, younger, more handsome men.

That doesn't mean he's scared off having fun with her. He leans in, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Are you getting ready to defend my honour against the men we met earlier?"

He has a point, of course, and Midge isn’t blind to that fact. But it’s not as if he’s a bridge troll or a gargoyle. He’s a nice guy with attractive qualities. His stoicism gives him an air of mystery, something else that a lot of women find attractive. A man could be young and rich but a complete asshole. She wouldn’t want anything to do with a man like that.

Midge realizes that he thinks she’s trying to come up with reasons that she might find him attractive, not realizing that she does find him attractive. “I am,” she replies. She’s about to try to clarify herself when she notices Hammond approaching.

“There you two are,” he says. “I hope I’m not interrupting an intimate moment, but I wanted to let you know that the dancing has started.” Hammond pauses. “Well, I wanted to let Midge know, at least.”

“Perfect,” she says, eying Robert with a slightly devious smile. “Shall we?”

Muldoon is ready to continue out this hypothetical knight-Midge conversation when Hammond appears. The new of music and dancing is enough to wipe off his expression into one of concern again.

"I don't really dance very well..."

"Oh come on," Hammond insists, waving the two of them over to the ballroom. "You're on your feet all day every day, you just need to move them a little. It's easy, Midge will show you."

Uncertain as he is, the pressure is enough to get Muldoon to his feet and heading vaguely in the right direction. Once Hammond isn't talking over him he feels obliged to give Midge fair warning.

"I'm not a good dancer. I don't want to step on your toes."

Midge isn't terribly surprised that Robert doesn't dance. She's sure Hammond knows that, so maybe he's just trying to intercede on her behalf. Little does he know that Midge would try to make him dance with her if she wanted him to. She's not a shrinking violet.

She takes Robert's arm. "He's right. I'll show you."

Thankfully, when they get back into the ballroom, a slow jazz song is just starting. That's much easier to dance to than something upbeat. They pause at the edge of the dance floor and Midge leans in to speak to Robert quietly.

"When we're out there, you need to hold me," she says. "You're not dancing with your sister. You understand?"

If he doesn't, she'll show him that too.

"Alright." He thinks he understands, but given that he can't remember the last time he danced with a woman he's still making a bit of a guess.

Taking her hand, he leads her out into a space on the dance floor before taking her up in his arms. The hand on her back is a bit on the high side, but at least he doesn't have any problem holding her hand, or holding her close.

None of which stops him from asking, "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"It's fine, unless you're really that bad of a dancer." Their bodies are pressed together, which is what she meant. A man wouldn't hold his girlfriend at arm's length. They have to look comfortable with each other. Midge hopes that any discomfort that might be portrayed will be chocked up to Robert's nervousness about dancing.

Their faces are close together, though he's taller than her, so her eyes reach about where his nose is. "Don't worry about steps," Midge says. "Just move with me." She's going to try to subtly lead without it being very noticeable.

It quickly becomes apparent to the warden that he needs to focus on Midge. Glancing around at the other people around them only manages to make him nervous and distracted, and after a few small stumbles he gets the hang of only looking at Midge.

Well, sort of looking at Midge.

He hadn't quite realised how close she would be, and how inescapable her gaze is with those big blue eyes. Trying to stare at her lips certainly doesn't help, and by the time he settles on keeping his eyes on her shoulder his ears are definitely burning. At least he's not stepping on her toes.

"Put your arm around my waist."

When Robert moves his arm, Midge is thrown off her game for the first time all evening. She hadn't thought about the fact that being close to him like this would mean that she could smell his aftershave. She hadn't considered that his arms would feel so strong and secure around her, or that his chest would feel as solid as it does. Her heart is pounding, and she wonders if he can feel that.

She swallows before speaking again, talking quietly into the ear that is nearest to her lips.

"See? You've got the hang of it."

Lowering his arm seems reasonable enough, since she's the one suggesting it. It's when she speaks again, lips so close to his ear, that it feels like her voice sends electricity down his spine.

"It's not as bad as I thought it would be," he admits. "The dancing, I mean. Mine, not yours. You're a great dancer."

He shuts his mouth then before he starts rambling any more.

"Thanks." She's not doing too much, all things considered. They're holding each other and moving slowly across the dance floor. "Just don't ask me to sing."

Gently, Midge rests her head on Robert's shoulder and lets out a slow breath. His arms feel warm and safe and she relaxes a little bit. "This is nice," she says. "You... feel nice."

It's easier to say things when she isn't looking right at him, when her eyes are focused on his lapel and the room beyond.

This isn't a date, he has to remind himself when she leans against him. This would be a terrible date. He wouldn't be impressing anyone if it were, and she agreed to come as a favour to him, that's all.

It would be so easy to hold her closer, to support her a little better so that she could rest her head on his shoulder for longer.

"It is nice," he agrees, because he's not sure what else to say at first. "Much, much nicer than being here alone. Thank you, again, for coming."

They had decided explicitly that this wasn’t going to be a date. It might not be a date, but definitions don’t stop Midge from feeling the way that she does. The thing is that he has impressed her tonight, and not by how he wears a tuxedo or how he dances. She’s impressed by how he’s handling all of this, despite being so far out of his element. She’s impressed by his knowledge and skills when it comes to wildlife. Midge doesn’t expect him to turn into a person that he’s not.

“Of course,” she replies, her head still on his chest. She can feel his heartbeat like this. “I couldn’t leave you to flounder all by yourself, could I?”

With a song this slow and a dance this gentle, and Midge relaxing against him, Muldoon finally starts to calm down. He could happily spend the evening like this, as long as the tempo doesn't pick up.

"You could have. But you didn't. You wouldn't. You're not that kind of person."

“I like to help, if I can,” she says.

Midge notices Hammond watching them, a smile on his face. It seems he’s happy for his friend. Midge hopes that this lie doesn’t cause any hard feelings later. She isn’t trying to hurt anyone. She just wanted Robert to feel more comfortable and confident at this party.

Midge picks her head up so that she can look at him. “You’re doing fine. When we talk to those guys again, just pretend that they’re hyenas or something. Just try to refrain from punching them.”

The older man has been Muldoon's longest employer, even beating out the warden's own father. They clash, as any long standing companions do, but they look out for each other too. That Midge is a particularly pretty woman certainly doesn't hurt.

"If they were hyenas they'd do whatever you told them," he grumbles before realising he should explain. "Hyenas are matriarchal. Women rule in their society."

Conceding to her advice, however, he sighs and nods his head. "I'll be good. I've had plenty of practice biting my tongue."

She raises her eyebrows. “Really? I guess I’ll have to handle them.” Midge doesn’t know a lot about business negotiations. She has Susie, her agent, to do negotiations for what she’s paid for shows.

The song ends and Robert lets go of her. There’s an overwhelming desire to crawl back into his arms where she feels warm, but she resists for the sake of decorum. She puts her hand on his arm again, leaving the dance floor as Hammond approaches them.

“Mr. Dixon would like to discuss his financial contribution with us.”

Well that puts a damper on things. But they're here for business, and so business takes priority. Muldoon nods to Hammond and turns to Midge to assure her, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

There's no need to doubt it, either. He hates these things. Here's just here for Hammond to show off that he's hired the best of the best. An impressive expert in lieu of a pretty face to distract the investors. Hammond's lucky that Muldoon brought someone to get him the best of both worlds.

For now all Muldoon can do is hope to get through this as smoothly as possible and get back to Midge.

Midge squeezes his arm and smiles at him. “You’ll do fine. See you soon.”

After Robert and Hammond leave, Midge goes to the bar and orders another martini. Sure enough, one of the three men from earlier approaches (the weaselly one) and starts to chat Midge up. She indulges him for a few minutes, until he starts to talk about his home in the Hamptons and the Cadillac that he drives.

“I’m taken,” Midge tells him, looking down at his hand. “And so are you.”

They can come to an arrangement, he says. Midge is so beautiful. She deserves to be with a man who can buy her anything that she desires.

“Listen, buddy, are you sure that you want to piss off a man that has punched lions in the face and carries a pistol with him everywhere he goes?”

A slight exaggeration, but it does the trick. Weaselly man looks worried now.

“That’s what I thought. Robert makes me happy and I’m not looking for anyone else right now.”

Midge wonders if someday that could be true.

The weaselly man leaves her alone at the bar.

Business meetings are excruciating. Usually Muldoon gets left out of these things for the same reason Midge gets into trouble: He often ends up saying something Hammond would rather he didn't. This time, thankfully, their prospective partners manage not to say something stupid enough to prompt Muldoon. That is apart from a brief moment as they start to part ways.

"... you should come over some time." Dixon slaps Muldoon on the back. "You too. But only if you bring that pretty lady of yours."

Muldoon's glare is enough for him to take his hand back as if worried the man might bite it off. Hammond, of course, runs interference and separates the two before anything worse happens. The warden is quick to seek out Midge to make sure she's ok.

He’ll find Midge looking at the huge Christmas tree in the ballroom. She’s always liked Christmas trees, even if she doesn’t celebrate the holiday. The white lights make it seem to glow and there must be a hundred glass ornaments on it, all reflecting different colors in the light.

She looks up and smiles when she notices Robert, Hammond not too far behind him. “How did it go?” she asks.

A lovely lady standing in front of a Christmas tree is a very picturesque sight. Muldoon slips his hands into his pockets, relaxing as he steps up beside her.

"Nobody needed to call any ambulances, so I'd say rather well." After pausing to enjoy the view, of both the tree and Midge, he glances around. "You didn't get ambushed, did you?"

“I did,” Midge replies, “by the weaselly one. I told him that you’ve punched lions and that you carry a pistol.” She takes a casual sip of her drink. “He left me alone after that.” Midge could have probably told him to fuck off of her own accord, but it was easier to make the other man think that Robert would kill him.

“He did quite well,” Hammond says as he approaches, “and I feel that I should warn you that the two of you are underneath the mistletoe.”

Midge looks up. Sure enough, hanging high on the tree above their heads is the little parasitic bundle of leaves, wrapped in a red bow.

“I’ll give the two of you a moment,” Hammond says, a sparkle in his eye.

Once Hammond is out of earshot, Midge turns to Robert. “We.. don’t have to. Your deal is done. We don’t have to pretend anymore.”

The two of them are standing close together though and her eyes go instinctively to his lips.

That is not the answer he expected, but no sooner has he started to get indignant on her behalf than she explains how she got rid of the man. It seems Muldoon managed to be of some use even when he wasn't with her.

Worrying about assholes soon becomes the last thing on his mind as he follows Midge's gaze up to the mistletoe. He hadn't even noticed.

Thankfully Hammond leaves them to it, and Muldoon ends up blinking at Midge as she hastily tries to give him an out. Which is ridiculous. He's not the one who would want and out.

"I suppose that depends," he says, keeping his voice low. "Would you like a kiss?"

“I…” Midge bites her lip, feeling her heart start to race. “I wouldn’t say no to one.”

They’re in a rather public place, but nobody’s really looking at them, save possibly Hammond somewhere. Midge briefly wonders if he orchestrated this, but that seems ridiculous.

She moves in closer to Robert and puts a hand on his chest. Midge is a bold woman, but she wants him to make the move.

That's all he needs.

Muldoon is stressed and anxious about fancy parties and people who would ruin your life in ways he doesn't understand. But this? This he's alright with. This is just him and a smart, beautiful woman who isn't going to be offended if he ties to make a move.

He cups her head with a warm hand and leans in for a kiss. For her he'll try to be gentle. He's not good at gentle, but he'll try. For a moment he gets lost in her lips and the kiss lingers before he pulls away and takes in her reaction.

She feels warm all over when he kisses her. He keeps it very gentle, though she wouldn’t have minded if he was a bit more rough. She’s okay with the fact that he’s rough around the edges.

Her eyes meet his when he pulls back, but she says nothing. Instead, after catching her breath, she leans back in to press her lips to his again.

The hesitation in the first kiss is much fainter in the second. He's firmer, hand pulling her close by the waist. He is more than happy to kiss her properly.

She appreciates that he seems less hesitant with the second kiss. Midge kisses him for as long as she dares in public, then releases his lips from hers.

She pulls back a little, just to breathe and to talk to him quietly. “Do you wanna get out of here? Get a drink somewhere?”

Robert’s done what his boss asked him to do. They’re no longer obligated to stay.

When she pulls away Muldoon isn't sure what she's about to say, but the suggestion to leave is the best thing she possibly could have opened with. Which means that she gets the most genuine and enthusiastic answer of, "Yes I do."

Then he takes her hand and immediately heads to go and get to the car. While they're waiting for it to be returned, Muldoon adds, "I'm not local here, so if you have any idea of where you'd like to go, I'll follow your lead."

Midge grins. “Is that the most attractive thing I’ve said to you all night?”

Then, he’s got a hold of her hand and is pulling her towards the door. “You’re not even going to say goodbye?” Midge glances over her shoulder and happens to catch Hammond’s eye. She gives him a little wave.

Outside, Midge stops Robert so that she can get her bearings. “We’re in Midtown… there a lot of bars and clubs here. I think we’re about two blocks from one I’ve been to a few times.”

"If I hadn't already done so, I would have kissed you for suggesting it," Muldoon is quick to quip in return.

Having left them at the mistletoe and now watching Muldoon hurry off with his pretty lady in tow, Hammond can't help but grin as he waves back to Midge. Goodbyes aren't what Muldoon's concerned with. Especially now his job is done. "They won't miss me. Maybe you, but not me."

One of Muldoon's favourite tips to people travelling somewhere unfamiliar is to make sure they get a good guide. It seems like he's managed to do just that tonight. So he nods, getting into the car as staff open the doors for them.

"Tell me where to go and I'll get us there."

“Well, there’s no limit on kissing, you know. You could do it again.” Just in case he didn’t realize that.

Midge turns to him once they’re in the car. “I think Mr. Hammond would miss you. He seems very kind. Did you ever realize that he’s got a kind of Santa Claus look going?”

Robert pulls the car out into the street. “Go straight and make the first right,” she directs him.

Well that will get a curious side-eye. He'll make a note of that for later.

Alright, that almost gets a snort out of him. Almost. "He'd love that you said that, you know. But he's my boss. He can see me whenever he likes."

Despite being a rather independent man, Muldoon is good at taking direction. It's much easier in a place like New York, the city is laid out so neatly.

She’s so close! She’ll get a laugh out of him one of these days.

“I liked him,” Midge says. “And he likes you, Robert.” That much is obvious to her.

Midge is good at giving direction, so this ought to work out well. “You need to go about two blocks. It’s called The Alchemy and it’s between 8th and 9th Street. Hopefully you can find a parking spot.”

"I'd hope so. He has me running his park."

Hammond has that charming side of him. It's only having to work with him that causes issues. The man is a dreamer, and Muldoon is the one who has to make sure that dream can work in the real world. There are bound to be spats occasionally.

Muldoon's brow furrows in concentration as he takes her directions and then starts looking for somewhere to park the car. It takes a little bit, but he's used to places with worse traffic than this, so he's able to park with minimal hassle. This time he's the one opening the door for her.

"Is this a favourite hangout of yours?"

She takes his arm with a smile as he helps her out of the car. Their not-a-date has seemingly now turned into a date. Midge doesn’t mind. She got to see a vulnerable side of Robert tonight that only endeared him to her even more.

“Not a favorite, per se, but I’ve been here a few times and it has a nice atmosphere. It’s usually pretty quiet.” Intimate. They can get a booth and not be bothered by anyone else. “Where is this park that you run for him?”

A nice, quiet place for drinks sounds pretty good about now. Having Midge on his arm certainly doesn't hurt. He's certainly a bit calmer as they head towards The Alchemy.

"I've been the warden at his park in Nairobi for years now, but he's setting one up in Costa Rica. Hence the need for investors."

Midge can tell that he’s much less tense now. He really didn’t like being at that party. She glad that they can get some time alone where he might feel comfortable enough to loosen up.

“Which is why you were down there recently,” Midge says.

He opens the door to the bar and they step inside. It’s dimly lit with a dark wood and burgundy interior. Definitely way toned down from the party that they just left.

“We can order at the bar and then go sit at one of the booths,” she tells him. “They probably have a better whiskey selection here. I’ll have what you’re having, by the way.”

She likes a good whiskey.

Muldoon nods in the affirmative at her deduction. She really is good at paying attention to what people say. Probably no bad thing for a comedian.

The new surroundings are much more up his alley. The smell of old alcohol and the close air a far more familiar atmosphere. It's Midge's request which gets an eyebrow raise from him. Not quite asking if she's sure, but not far off it.

"You pick a booth and I'll get the drinks." It really is the least he could do.

It isn't long before he's following her down with two whiskeys. Hopefully she doesn't regret her choice. He's used to drinking rougher alcohol than she's likely used to.

When he approaches with the drinks, Midge slides further into the booth and pats the vinyl seat next to her. No need for him to sit on the other side when they can be much closer on the same side of the table.

“Thank you,” she says as she takes the drink and holds it up to him. “To you surviving the party and making your boss happy.” Midge clinks her glass against his and takes a sip.

It’s definitely not as smooth as the whiskey she usually drinks. Midge feels it burn the whole way down, but she’ll still drink it.

Sitting next to each other feels a bit strange, but it's not like he would deny Midge anything right now. Plus it does make it easier to clink his glass against hers.

"To not having to go to a party like that for a few more years," he toasts before sipping his own drink.

Watching her reaction, he smothers a smile. "Is it alright?"

Midge clears her throat after the sip. “It’s strong,” she says. “But I guess that shouldn’t surprise me. It’s a masculine drink and you are quite masculine.”

She cozies up to him, very close but not quite touching. Now that they’re alone and the night has shifted from a stressful party to a comfortable intimate evening, he’ll find that she’s a lot more flirtatious with him. It probably also helps that he kissed her, which confirms, at least, that he’s interested. Midge hopes she’s made it obvious that she’s interested too.

That only gets his smile to tug wider. "Is that your way of calling me stereotypical?"

It's starting to dawn on him that she's not entirely repulsed by the idea. He does wish she hadn't invited him to sit next to her though. It makes it difficult not to want to just lean in and kiss her all over again.

“No,” she answers honestly. “There are a lot of men who think they’re masculine, but they end up overselling it, trying too hard. You don’t have to sell anything because this is who you are. It’s effortless for you.”

Midge takes another sip of the drink and tries not to wince. (She probably fails a little.)

“Fake masculinity gets on my nerves. Real masculinity is very attractive.”

She’s very much not repulsed by the idea. He probably ought to not fight any urges that he has to kiss her.

He'll try to fight it a little. Just a little. It wouldn't do to just kiss her the moment they sit down.

"You like real people, that's why. You can deal with the fake ones, which is an impressive skill by the way, but that's not what you're drawn to."

"Lucky for me I wouldn't know how to be fake if my life depended on it," he says with a cheeky grin before he sips his drink. "Which is extra lucky for me you don't want me to be fake."

Well, that’s disappointing for her, but it’s probably best if he doesn’t indulge her in everything. She might get too used to him giving her whatever she wants.

That grin is nice. Midge hopes she gets to see it more often. “You’re exactly right,” she tells him. “That’s one of the things I like about you. I think you’re surprised that I’m attracted to you. Why?”

She’s fairly sure that she knows why, but she wants to hear his thoughts on it - and maybe reassure him a bit.

That gets him to pause. He was pretty sure, but hearing her say she likes him so directly catches him out.

He takes the moment to gather his thoughts and put down his drink so that he can give her his full attention.

If she's being straight with him, he'll give her the same courtesy. "Because I'm forty and not a model, or actor. Or particularly rich, though I don't think you care too much about money so long as I have a stable job."

"You're nothing like the women who usually give me attention," he summarises. "And as a rule, I don't want to act like those men back at that party, who chase after young women they can dazzle with gifts."

"Plus, you're young and beautiful and independent, and wicked sharp. You could have any man you want. And this is New York. There are a lot of good choices here."

Midge is curious what sort of woman usually gives him attention, though she won’t ask for now. At least he’s used to getting some attention. “I’m not looking for a man to dazzle me with gifts, although-“ She raises her pointer finger. “-I do enjoy and appreciate gifts. Attraction and feelings don’t always make sense, or at least not in an obvious way.”

She pauses to take a deep breath. “You’re… solid. You know exactly the type of man that you are and you don’t apologize for it. You’ve been a gentleman to me all night, very willing to fight for my honor. That kind of loyalty is something that I’m looking for.” Midge doesn’t want to tell him about Joel cheating on her, at least not right now. This is about him.

“I’m glad to hear that you think all that about me,” Midge continues, “but I think you have some of those qualities as well. You’re worried about how you look compared to me, but a person only becomes more physically attractive the more you get to like them, and I’ve liked you ever since you stopped to talk with me at the zoo.”

The descriptor of 'solid' get raised eyebrows, and Muldoon is ready to make a dry comment before Midge continues on. It's really not the sort of thing he would expect Midge to be worrying about, loyalty. Any partner who isn't loyal to her is an idiot, that much Muldoon is sure of.

Muldoon eyes her thoughtfully, propping up his chin with a hand as he considers her and everything she's said. It deserves a moment to take in, after all.

"My work tends to be a problem for people, for partners," he says finally. "I really like you, Midge, and I don't want to accidentally hurt you."

“I know,” she replies. It’s not as if she hasn’t considered that. She’d just hoped she wouldn’t have to think about it for a little while. “How long are you in New York?”

Midge knows she wouldn’t be able to go with him to Kenya or Costa Rica on a permanent basis. She has her kids and her career to think of.

Muldoon would never ask her to come with him, the same way he hopes she understands why he can't stay.

"I've got the rest of the week and then I have to head back." He offers a small smile. "If it's any consolation, the only ladies I pay attention to over there are the animals."

“Hopefully it doesn’t get that lonely out in the savanna,” Midge says with a wry smile.

She does understand. His work is important to him in the same way that hers is important to her.

Midge is quiet for a moment, mulling everything over.

“I guess that means we ought to take advantage of the time we have.”

That’s how she feels, though he might disagree.

That small smile widens just a touch at her conclusion. "I agree completely."

He takes this as his cue to cup her face and kiss her. Properly, this time. Slow and deep, savouring the moment between them.

Midge is glad that he’s in agreement. She puts a hand on his chest when he leans into kiss her. Her lips part against his when they press against hers. It’s a deeper kiss than the one he gave her at the party and she can taste the whiskey on his mouth.

“I guess this turned into a date after all,” she says once her mouth is unoccupied.

If she'd let him, he would fall utterly and completely into that kiss, but when she takes a break to breathe he can't help but smile.

"I'm sorry about that. If I'd known, I wouldn't have brought you there. I would have taken you somewhere more interesting. Don't hold it against me?"

“It was a nice party,” Midge replies, “just not your idea of a good time.” She cups his cheek briefly, then takes another sip of the whiskey.

“Where would you have taken me, if it was a date?” she asks, out of curiosity.

The notion that that was a nice party gets a raised eyebrow, but she knows his opinion on the whole thing. It's not his idea of fun, just like she said. The fact that she could enjoy it is a marvel to him.

He focuses instead on her question, leaning on the table as he considers. "I'm not sure."

"Maybe to a shooting range, to show you something very different to what I expect you're used to. Lunch and a walk in the park would be a safer bet."

Midge raises her eyebrows. “I’ve never been to a shooting range.” She pauses. “I don’t know if I’ve ever shot a gun. We still have a few days.”

She’s not opposed to it. Midge is open to new experiences. Plus, she’d kind of like to see him shoot.

"That's the point. It might not be the fanciest thing to do, but you'd remember it." He offers a smile then. "But I'd never make you do anything you're not comfortable with. I'd have more ideas for outside the city, but that's not for a first date."

Though to be honest, he feels like it wouldn't hurt for a woman in a city like this to know how to use a weapon. It's unlikely Midge would end up in that sort of situation, but he's someone who plans for the worst as a matter of course.

“Let’s do it,” she tells him, “the next day we’re both free.”

Midge is curious what Robert is thinking of that might not be suitable for a first date, but chances are it’s not as dirty as whatever she might be thinking of. Plus, she’s fairly sure they don’t have to leave the city to do any of that.

“Perhaps if you come back sometime I can take you out to the Catskills,” Midge continues, her voice low and sensual. “Some parts are very remote and private. You and I could get up to all sorts of things, I’m sure.”

He can't hide that he's pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm. His words might be minimal, but his tone is clearly pleased in his, "Alright."

Her own suggestion has Muldoon's brow furrowing for a moment as he tries to recall where he's heard that name from. It takes him a second for the recognition to sink in and he's surprised all over again.

"Aren't they the mountains near here?" He raises a curious eyebrow. "You like going to the mountains?"

He’s a man of few words, but that’s okay. Midge is a woman of too many words.

The only thing he seems to pick up on in her tone is the mountains, and not her sexual innuendo, and honestly it makes Midge smile wryly. “My family goes to a camp in the Catskills every summer,” Midge tells him. “As long as I’m camping in a cabin, it’s enjoyable.”

There’s a resort vibe to the camp she and her family go to. It’s not roughing it. Tent camping doesn’t really hold any appeal for her.

Unlike Midge, the idea of camping in a tent in the remote, mountain wilderness is very enticing. And also more common than a pretty lady flirting with him. Hopefully she'll excuse his distractedness. Only when she mentions the kind of holiday she likes does he snap back into the present and remember who he's talking to.

"Camping in a cabin isn't really camping, you know," he teases. "But I won't lie, I'm impressed you like to go out every summer. That's commitment."

Maybe you can get her there someday, Robert. She just hates the idea of looking less than her best. There’s no room for curlers and hair dryers and creams and makeup in a tent.

“Do you mean because there’s a salon on the camp grounds?” She asks with faux innocence. “There’s swimming and boating and tennis and archery, things like that. It’s nice to get out of the hot city for a while in the summer.”

He'll start with a big tent.

"There isn't," he says in disbelief. The more she talks the more he smiles, until he's trying to cover the grin with his hand. It's the least camp-like camping he's ever heard about.

After a second all he can think to do is clarify, "And this is for adults?"

It’s the least camping-like camping ever, but it’s the only type of camping that Midge has ever done.

“What’s so funny?” she asks playfully. If describing her summer camp is what gets him to laugh, she’s going to feel disappointed in her abilities as a comedian. “It’s for adults and kids. It’s leisure in the woods, okay?”

She rolls her eyes and sips her whiskey. “Not all of us are rugged outdoorsmen who have punched wildlife.”

Midge isn’t offended. She’s sure her camp is practically civilization compared to what Robert is used to.

In her defence, it takes a lot to get Muldoon to relax. The kissing and the whiskey definitely helps, though.

It is becoming difficult for him not to smile.

"You're really stuck on that, aren't you? I've done that maybe twice in my life. I don't recommend it." Taking another sip he concedes, "But then again, I don't think you'd be excited by my idea of camping either. It's usually the lack of a mattress that gets people. There's definitely not been a salon anywhere I've ever camped."

“That’s twice more than most people have done it,” she says. Midge leans in and puts her lips to his ear in order to whisper to him. “I’m stuck on it because I think it’s very sexy.”

If he needs it spelled out for him, then she can do that.

Sleeping on the hard ground isn’t really her idea of a good time. It’s something she’s done after a night of drinking a few times in her life.

That whisper sends a pleasant shiver down his spine, as he goes red behind his ears.

"Careful," he warns, voice low. "Talking like that will give me notions."

He'll hide behind his whiskey glass as he takes a sip, watching her carefully.

“That’s exactly what I want though,” she murmurs. “Notions. Actions.”

They have such little time. Obviously, Midge will not push him to take advantage of it if he doesn’t want to, but she wants him to know where she stands.

She leans against her arm propped up on the table and gazes at him.

“Is there something else I should do to show you that I’m attracted to you?”

"No, I think the next move is with me." She's being refreshingly honest and he feels it's only fair to return the favour. Though usually that gets him into trouble, and he'd rather not offend her.

So he debates between politeness and bluntness and makes a go at something between the two. "I want to invite you back to my hotel room. Would that be alright?"

A grin slowly spreads across her face. “Did you think I’d say no?”

In case that isn’t direct enough, Midge leans back against the booth, her body pressed to Robert’s side. “Yes. I’d like that.”

His own smile appears to mirror hers. "I'm not going to pretend I can predict a thing you do."

That answer, perfect as it is, earns her a slow, deep kiss. Then he downs the last of his drink and slides out of the booth so that he can offer her a hand.

Midge downs what’s left of her drink and places her hand in Robert’s. He pays for their drinks and then they head out, back to the car and his hotel room.

She’s nervous now. It’s nothing to do with him, only the typical jitters that a first time can bring. What if she does or says something silly or he doesn’t find her body attractive?

Muldoon is not worrying about Midge finding him unattractive at this stage. He's certain she will tell him one way or another if there's something she doesn't like. She's outspoken like that, and he appreciates it.

Instead he's focused on, as they said earlier, making the most of the time they have. As soon as the door is closed, he cups her face in his hands and kisses her. Deep, careful kisses as he walks her backwards to push her against a wall so that she doesn't have to worry about keeping her balance as they get to know each other better.

Midge’s heart pounds in her chest as he backs her against a wall. Now that they’re in private, she doesn’t have to be as polite with her touches and kisses. She runs her fingers through Robert’s hair as her mouth opens against his. Her tongue darts against his lips, seeking entrance. Her other hand rests on his chest, feeling his heartbeat under her fingertips.

Lips part for her tongue, and for his, all while his hands slide down along her body. She must be the slimmest lady he's ever seen, ever felt. All his own desire barely held back does little in the way of keeping his naturally rough touch light. Though the more he touches, the closer he wants to get.

Soon enough he's pulling off his jacket and getting it off and away, littering the rest exceptionally neat room. An effort which he has to pause after to kiss Midge all over again.

Midge has a slim waist, but curves where it counts, as Robert will soon find out. Feeling his hands on her body makes her shiver in delight.

Once his jacket is off and he returns to her, their kisses turn hot and desperate. Midge doesn’t care if she’s messing up her lipstick, though her cosmetics are high end. They tend to stay in place. Without removing her mouth from his, Midge paws at his bow tie, digging at the knot blindly until shes able to get it undone and pulls it off.

Muldoon is more than happy to continue kissing Midge while she figures out his bow tie. When her hands move to his shirt he lets himself get distracted by her neck.

Then, without warning, he scoops her up so that he can continue kissing her as he brings her over to the bed. When he sets her down, his hands move along her body, seeking out how to get that lovely dress off of her.

She lets out a little cry of delight when he picks her up and she wraps her arms around his neck. He places her down on the bed and is feeling around on her sides. Looking for the zipper, she realizes.

“It’s in the back.” Midge rolls onto her side so that Robert can find it and pull it down. “There’s a corset sewn into the dress, so you’ll need to unhook that too.”

Once he gets the zipper down her back, he should see the black mesh-like fabric held together with eye hooks. Hopefully he knows how to undo those. It’ll be practice for undoing her bra soon afterwards.

"Thanks for the tips."

Maybe it's been a while, but he doesn't remember undressing women being as involved as disassembling a gun. He's going to do his best to continue trying to keep things sexy. It helps that his touch is firm, not wavering, and he has an excellent poker face.

If none of that works, he can hope that his slow, deep kisses can distract her until he gets the last hook loose.

There are a lot of underpinnings that help make women look good in clothing. Robert should be thankful they’re not living a hundred years earlier, otherwise he’d have far more layers to take off and an actual laced corset to untie. This is relatively light by comparison.

Midge returns the kiss while he works. When she feels that he’s unhooked the dress completely, she pulls back and sits up. She takes her arms out of the dress and lets it fall to her waist, then puts her feet on the floor. Standing up, she takes the dress off fully, stepping out of it. She lays it carefully over a chair. As mentioned, it’s a Dior. Midge would prefer that nothing happen to it.

She’s less concerned about the underwear that she’s left in, white lace bra and panties with a matching garter belt and nude colored stockings. More things for Robert to undo, but if he’s rough with these, she won’t be that upset. Midge takes a moment to slip off her heels, then rejoins him on the bed.

“You’re overdressed.”

There is a split second where he almost worries when she pulls away. Concerns which vanished immediately upon seeing what she was doing. He's certainly not going to disapprove of someone taking care of their clothes. He values tidiness as much as she apparently does. Though at this particular point his thoughts are elsewhere.

It takes a second for him to stop admiring her when she speaks.

"I needed the head start," he insists with a smile.

The shoes are quickly dealt with first, to tuck them neatly to one side. He can, at least kiss her while he takes off his shirt, half folds it and tosses it onto a nearby chair. His chest is one of dark, soft hair which trails down his stomach, interrupted by scars here and there, mostly of the mauling or biting variety. It's a miracle he managed to keep most of them in places easily hidden by his uniform.

All of this is forgotten by the warden who is far more concerned with pulling Midge close to kiss her, and to let his hands roam across her soft skin.

“That’s fair,” Midge concedes. She watches as he undresses, as fastidious about his clothing as he is about everything else. Midge wonders if he was ever in the military. He would probably enjoy that sense of order.

Then he’s half naked and she’s wondering about other things.

Her eyes scan over his chest, marking the scars, but also the definition of the muscles in his arms and his chest. Her fingers tangle in his chest hair as she kisses him. Yes, she likes what she sees.

“Very masculine,” she murmurs. “You even smell masculine.” Midge buries her face in the crook of his neck, breathing in his aftershave and kissing the stubble there.

Feminist though she may be, Midge can appreciate a man who has masculine qualities and is a true gentleman as well.

Muldoon would share his thoughts that being a gentleman a key part of masculine if the topic were being discussed. Instead he's enjoying the beautiful woman kissing him.

Being someone who lives and works primarily around men who need to stay fit for work, it seems a little strange for Midge to be fixated on his masculinity. But then, this is the city, and it wouldn't be the first time a city woman has enjoyed the difference between him and the average city man.

All of these thoughts are fleeting compared to the focus on the here and now. Muldoon rolls them over so that Midge is laying down and he has free rein to let his hands explore her all over again. He'll get to removing her remaining clothing, but he's doing his best not to rush things. Although that may become difficult as his hands move over his bra and he immediately wishes it wasn't there. He's getting the hang of this now, though, and he slips a hand underneath her back to deal with the offending piece of clothing.

There are probably men in the city like him, ones who work jobs that are more blue collar, and thus Midge does not have a lot of interaction with them. Seems she’s been missing out.

Midge finds that she enjoys being on her back with Robert on top of her, running his hands all over her body. When she realizes that he’s trying to take off her bra, she raises up off of the bed a little in order to aid him. He’s able to quickly undo the eye hooks and then pull the bra off of her.

Her breasts are fantastic, something that she knows to be a fact, and she stretches out underneath him so that he can get a good look. They’re slightly bigger than her frame, full but perky, with perfect pink nipples, now hardened to peaks thanks to his attention and the cool air of the room.

Midge looked wonderful in her dress and shoes and makeup, but this is so much better. If it wasn't for how much tighter his trousers feel, Muldoon would forget them completely as he gives Midge all due attention.

There's a bit of a growl when he descends to kiss her again, his palms enjoying the fullness of her breasts. He trails kisses down her neck and to her bosom and he gets a little distracted there before his own discomfort overcomes his preoccupation.

The warden slides away (albeit reluctantly) to stand and get the rest of his clothing off. Briefs, trousers and socks come away at the same time. Efficiency so that all it takes is one fold, one toss, and he can return to Midge. While he does this Midge's concerns about his interest can be thoroughly put aside. His cock stands ready and eager and large, though his muscular thighs proportion things out nicely. He isn't thinking about this, and so he doesn't pause for her. Instead he sees one more set of clothing to be removed and if Midge wants any care for her clothes she might have to interrupt his playfully rough removal of her own underwear.

That growl goes straight through her, ending between her legs where she can feel herself practically throbbing for him. Midge’s eyes flutter closed as he cups one of her breasts in his hand, his lips making their way down to the other one. A little sigh of pleasure comes from her mouth as she sifts her hands through his hair and down his back.

When Robert pulls away to take off the rest of his clothing, Midge props herself up on her forearms to watch. The image of him naked before her is very distracting, her eyes on his hard cock. She lets out a little “oh” at the sight of him. Being a Jew and having slept with Jews, Midge has never actually seen an uncircumcised penis before. It does nothing to dampen her enthusiasm. Altogether, he’s very well built and there’s obvious desire in her eyes as he returns to the bed.

Robert reaches to pull her underwear off and Midge is broken from her reverie. “Wait,” she says. “Garters first.” They’re attached to her nylons on top of the underwear, and if he tries to pull her underwear down without undoing them first, it will probably not so much rip as become a tangled mess. Midge reaches down and quickly unsnaps her garters, then puts a hand behind her back to undo the eye hooks holding her garter belt together.

“Now,” she tells him, indicating that he call pull the underwear down her legs.

[ OOC: I made an assumption about his body there that I can change if it’s incorrect. ]

It would never occur to Muldoon that Midge's experience might be with a different kind of cock. The only thing that matters is that she still looks interested after that little 'oh'. Since she seems more than happy to continue, he won't give it another moment's thought. Especially not when there are other things to pay attention to.

Everything is so complicated. He's glad for her help, otherwise he might have snapped something elastic somewhere uncomfortable. Instead he's able to pull down her underwear without incident.

Now, with them much more free, Muldoon climbs back on top of Midge so that they can feel skin against skin, where there is warmth and wetness in all the right places. He gets back to kissing her, to feeling her, as if reminding her how much he likes her after their brief time apart.

((No problem! 100% right!))

Midge’s stockings are still on, but she’s not terribly concerned about them. They’ll come off eventually.

Her hands run over his chest and she lets out a ragged breath. She wants to feel his hands all over her body. Midge is used to a bit more chatter in bed, but Robert is much more stoic. She won’t push him to talk, but hopefully he won’t mind if she has a few things to say.

“Robert…” Midge picks up one of his hands and kisses the back of it before moving it down between their bodies, below her waist and between her legs. “Touch me?”

Not only does she just enjoy the idea of him touching her, she wants to show him how wet she is for him, how aroused he makes her. Robert doesn’t seem to doubt it at this stage, but she wants him to feel the tangible proof.

Unlike Midge, Muldoon has never been one for speaking more than he has to. Especially with something so primal and intimate, he much prefers to show his enthusiasm rather than tell it, where he'd almost definitely say something stupid. He has no such concerns about his partners speaking, certainly not Midge.

As she learned in the car, he is good at taking direction, and follows her hand down to touch her. This, however, is something he's not practiced in a long, long time. His hands are warm, at least, but he'll gladly take any more direction she gives. As his calloused fingers touch the thick wetness and use it to smooth his touch when he rubs her clit, he asks in a low rumble, "Like this?"

“Yes,” she gasps in response. Midge can tell that he seems a little hesitant. She knows nothing about his love life, but would hazard a guess that it’s been a little while since he’s been with someone.

One of her legs slides up over her hip, opening her further for him. Robert’s welcome to touch her all over, however he wants to, though she will give him some direction to start with. Midge reaches down again and adjusts his fingers, moving them up slightly.

“Yes, there,” she says when he starts to rub her again. “Like that…” It’s a more direct touch than before and Midge can feel her pleasure rising in response.

As Muldoon demonstrated in the car, he's good at taking direction, and Midge is very good at giving it. She gasps and moves beneath him with each touch, and he chases those sounds, that confirmation of her pleasure. It transfixes him, watching her react to every motion his fingers make, so that he almost forgets to kiss her. Almost, except that it only makes him want her more.

To release some of that growing need, he descends on her again, the kisses along her neck peppered with light biting. His free hand returns to feeling out the roundness of her breast, and he savours each part of her he can touch.

Eventually, though, he can't resist. He ends up growling in her ear, "I want you."

His touch is so thoroughly enjoyable that Midge finds herself getting lost in it. Her pleasure only rises when he kisses her again and lays little bites down her neck. Robert’s lips on her ear, the words he growls to her - she can’t help but moan in response.

“Take me,” she gasps. Midge is sure that he’ll move her into whatever position he wants her in to do that. She trembles with the anticipation of feeling him push inside her.

Given how comfortable and happy she is right here and now, he's not about to move her. Not yet.

Hot and ready and already slicked up for her, he takes her splayed leg in his arm to help support her and as an excuse to hold her. He does his best not to go too fast, letting her adjust as his cock enters her, until he's so close to fully inside of her that he can't help the last thrust.

Here he pauses, to make sure she's ok, to kiss her and let her breathe before he pulls out again, and thrusts back inside. Slowly at first, but that won't last.

She feels herself open even more widely when he grips her leg, and then he’s positioning himself to push into her. Her walls stretch around his cock and the expression on her face changes as he moves further and further into her. There’s a little gasp and a soft oh when he pushes in to the hilt; having given birth to two kids, she can take him. It’s just the sensation of being filled for the first time by him that makes her gasp.

He pauses to let her get used to him, something she appreciates before he starts moving again. Midge returns the kiss, then nods eagerly to him.

“Yes…” Robert can keep going. She’s ready to push back against his thrusts.

That gets a smile, and he eagerly rises to the task. The thrusts become deeper and faster, pulling a grunt and then a growl from him. But as nice as it is to take her like this, he soon wants more, wants faster.

Taking her hips in his hands, he pulls her back to the edge of the bed. He takes her there, both arms holding her legs, until again he finds himself unable to fuck her as thoroughly as he'd like. So, in one swift motion he lifts her up and carries her over to the wall. It's not difficult, she's ridiculously light. But there? There he can press her against the wall and fuck her in a much more satisfying way.

He’s working up a nice pace and the sounds he’s making send shivers of pleasure down her spine. Midge rocks back against him until she feels herself being moved.

She’s at the edge of the bed now and he’s got her legs in the air as he thrusts hard and deep inside of her. Midge just about gets used to that position before he’s lifting her, still inside her, off the bed. With a little yelp of surprise, she wraps her arms around him and clings to him. Her back hits the wall and she adjusts, legs up over his hips, ankles crossed at the small of his back. Midge is sure he’ll move her again if he’s not satisfied like this.

Her lips seek his, giving him a searing kiss as he starts to fuck her again.

Although he slows when their lips meet, Muldoon is more than happy to return that kiss, pulling at her bottom lip as he renews his fucking. This time he pulls back the pace, drawing out slowly and then thrusting in deep. If only to prolong this wonderful pleasure a little.

He wants to make sure she moans, to make sure she feels him, and she enjoys him. But he can't go slow forever, he'll do whatever he can to maximise her enjoyment.

She does moan, because it’s been a long time since she’s been fucked against a wall and Robert’s doing it so expertly. Midge holds on for dear life, her hips rising to meet his as much as she can. There’s not much for her to do in this position, but she thinks that might be by design. He’s taken charge and he wants her to relax and enjoy herself.

She rests her forehead against his, panting lightly. “Robert…” Her blue eyes bore into his, seeing the lust and desire there. “You feel so good.”

Muldoon is not great with sharing his thoughts, but hearing Midge say that, seeing that look in her eyes? He kisses her with a growl, and he kisses her deeply, an answer in itself.

It only makes him want her more, and although fun this is not the best position to get more. So he lifts her again, taking her back to the bed. There's a reason for traditional positions, they're reliable, even if Muldoon does come at them with more vigour than some.

Midge can’t help but huff a laugh when she finds herself on the bed again. He’s indecisive, but she’s loving every second of it. Her dark hair spreads over the pillow and she stretches out beneath him, one arm resting up above her head and her breasts bouncing with each of his thrusts. Her other arm snakes down between their bodies to stroke her clit. It’s much easier for her to come if she has direct stimulation.

She moans openly at the combined sensation of her touch and his penetration.

Hungry is more like it, hungry and eager to sate his need for her. Feeling her wet and tight around him is too perfect. From here he can see her spread below him as the tightly bunched muscles of his thighs pound into her. Seeing her, hearing her, feeling her, everything is hot and electric.

"I'm going to come," he pants, his fingers digging into her hips. "Midge, I'm going to come..."

He speeds up, going as fast as he can before finally breaking inside her with a groan. Rough hands hold her tight against him as he catches his breath. Then, after a second to recover, he bends down to kiss her, to show his appreciation all over again.

She smiles as she watches his pleasure rise higher and higher. Midge tightens herself around him, encouraging him. “Yes…”

It’s beautiful to watch him orgasm, and Midge enjoys the front row seat that she has to it. The sensation of him releasing inside of her sends a surge of pleasure through her body, though it’s not quite enough to push her over to her own climax yet. Her fingers flick faster over her clit as Robert leans down to kiss her.

Muldoon isn't going anywhere yet. As long as she encourages him, he'll kiss her deeper and run his hands up and down her, mostly to feel out her breasts again.

It takes him a few moments to realise her hand is still moving, still seeking out more of her own pleasure. She knows her own body best, but he wants to help. He nips her ear playfully before growling into it, "Tell me what you want."

The growl in his voice makes her absolutely weak. She taps on his chest, wanting them to move onto their sides. “Stay inside me,” she gasps. “Touch me.”

Midge takes his hand and moves it down between them again, positioning his fingers on her clit. “There… circles.”

On their sides, he won’t have to worry about trying to hold his own weight while touching her. Midge shifts slightly so that her leg on top can go over his side, opening herself more to his touch.

Those hands pull her as they move together onto their sides. That he doesn't hesitate to do, but he's glad that when he pulls his hand lower he shows her exactly what she wants. Especially when she lets him know when he's doing it right with the sounds trickling from her lips.

His other hand runs through her hair, tugging it a little as he kisses her. Anywhere and everywhere he can reach, almost mindlessly, while he focuses on the fingers pleasuring her.

Midge’s hips buck back against his hand, feeling desperate and wanting more as he touches her just how she likes. She can feel the orgasm building inside of her like a wave.

“Yes… Robert… Yes…”

The pleasure peaks and she falls over the edge with a cry of ecstasy, her body trembling in his arms.

The sound and sight of her is perfect as she comes. He rubs his palm over her one more time before wrapping his arms around her and kissing her again until he finally stops with a happy sigh.

He crooks a smile at her then. "Was that satisfactory?"

Midge tries to hide her smile as she lets out a deep contented sigh, though she’s sure she’s doing a terrible job of it.

“Quite satisfactory,” she replies. “Though you may have to do it again.”

She leans forward and presses kisses to his chest, even though it’s covered in sweat.

“Somehow I knew you’d be less… buttoned up in bed.”

It's a good thing she's bad at hiding it. Her smile is a lovely thing.

Muldoon arches an eyebrow at her. "Was this all a plot to see if I have a less rigid side?"

“Oh, you were still pretty rigid, Robert,” she says, her eyes flicking downwards. Hopefully he doesn’t mind a ribald joke. Midge is full of them.

She kisses his lips again, then lays her head on the pillow next to his. “You growled at me. That was very sexy.”

Edited 2025-01-06 01:42 (UTC)

Far from minding, her joke gets a breathless little laugh.

But then she's kissing him and he's kissing back with a hum before he lets her rest again. Even after sex she looks so put together, it's really very impressive, and so 'Midge' it's impossible not to smile at.

"I've been in the wild too long. I've gone feral, but I'm doing my best to hide it."

Midge’s lips form an O and then she grins and points at him. “I made you laugh…” Even if it was a tiny laugh, she is taking this win. She’s far more proud of making him laugh than making him come.

“I like it,” she tells him, her fingers stroking through the hair on his chest. “It was like having a tiger in my bed.”

The surprise makes Muldoon blink and then a wide smile spreads across his face. "Have you been trying to make me laugh?"

That's a relief to hear, though he tries not to show it. Midge is so petite that it's difficult not to worry he might have been going a little too rough. Or it would be if her personality didn't eternally remind him how brave and brazen she is.

"I aim to please."

“Of course,” she replies. “I’m a comedian.” And he’s a stoic man who never laughs. Of course she had to take up that challenge.

Midge might be a little sore tomorrow but she won’t have any regrets. “And you certainly did.” She gazes at him. “Do you mind if I ask when the last time was?”

Maybe he doesn’t want her prying into his romantic past, but they’re in bed together and Midge is curious. Even if he hasn’t had sex in 20 years, he’s already proven that he can satisfy her.

"You picked a tough night for it. I'm not easy to make laugh on the best of days, never mind while working." And nervous as all hell. Both about his company and about the party.

Of course, now that he's relaxed and already laughed once, it's easier for him to do it again. Like when she asks that question. This is not the pillow talk he expected.

Muldoon rubs his face and then the back of his head, eyes scanning a distant point because he has to search his memory. When he looks back to Midge he's pulling a bit of a face. "Five years? Give or take."

He smiles at Midge and shakes his head a little. "I won't ask the same question of you. I'd only get jealous."

Midge reaches out and strokes her fingers over his cheek. “You were great tonight. Your boss got what he wanted and he’s pleased with you.” At least that’s what Midge read from Hammond. He seemed nothing but happy with Robert.

“Did you love her?” Maybe it wasn’t like that at all. Maybe it was a one night stand. Or maybe it was the one that got away.

Now it’s Midge’s turn to huff a laugh. “Don’t be. It was a few months ago with my ex-husband. We would still… sometimes… after the divorce.”

More like they got caught up in the heat of the moment sometimes and Things Happened.

"I guarantee he's mostly pleased I didn't say anything too problematic. Thanks for keeping me in check, by the way." He likes the fingers over his cheek. It's nice. Oddly comforting.

The pulled smile says it all, but he still voices its meaning. "No. And she didn't love me. We were just seizing a moment."

It's here that his smile turns thoughtful. He considers Midge for a moment, and then asks, "Do you still love him?"

She was the one who brought love up first. And Muldoon knows his lifestyle makes flings more appealing than relationships. Sure, he'll be a bit jealous, but he doesn't really have a right to be and he knows as much.

“You’re welcome,” she says softly. It occurs to her that they’re a good team. It’s a shame that he won’t be here very long. She’s trying not to think about that.

The fling makes sense, as does his question. It’s fair. She takes a deep breath and lets it out.

“I’ll always have some feelings for him because he’s the father of my children and he’ll always be in my life, but I’m not in love with him anymore. He really hurt me.”

Midge sighs and gets comfortable on the bed. She brought this up, didn’t she.

“He cheated on me with his secretary and left me for her. Of course, it didn’t work out for them because she doesn’t have two brain cells to rub together, but by the time he figured that out, the damage was already done.”

She did bring it up, but she doesn't have to elaborate. That she does just means that she feels comfortable with him, he hopes. Besides, Muldoon is a good listener. Midge has his full attention, and with that intense gaze of his that can feel like a lot. But she deserves a lot.

Only once she's done explaining does he shake his head. "Foolish man."

With as soft a touch as he can muster, he brushes the curls away from Midge's eyes to tuck behind her ear. "Having a life with you and then leaving you? Only a madman would do that."

She smiles warmly at his indignation and leans into his touch.

“Maybe he lost his mind. I think he was bored with me and our life and thought he could find something better. I didn’t see it coming at all though.”

She furrows her brow, not wanting to dive too deeply into how inadequate she felt during that time.

"When you're bored you pick up a hobby. Leaving you is going mad."

With that reiterated, and seeing the frown on her brow, he leans forward and kisses the crease before smiling at her.

"Would you like a drink?"

It seems a pretty decent segue way from talk of exes.

She shrugs. “He never really told me his reasons. I was hard on myself afterwards.”

His kiss, as well as his suggestion, are both welcome distractions though. Midge sits up in bed.

“Sure,” she replies. “What do you have?”

There are things he could easily say to that, but he won't. For her sake. Better not keep the topic going. So instead he gets up and opens up the mini fridge.

"Wine, champagne, whiskey, vodka..." He looks back and cracks a smile. "Water, if you're feeling adventurous."

“Oh, how fancy.” Midge thinks for a moment. “I’d better have wine. I’ve had enough liquor already tonight. Red, if you have it.”

She gets out of bed and stretches, debating whether or not to put on one of the hotel’s robes. She decides not to, for now, and walks over naked to join Robert at the mini fridge.

"Of course."

Two ridiculously small bottles are pulled out of the fridge so he can close off the chill, and then he grabs the glasses and gets to pouring. He very purposefully does not look around. He can hear her moving, and see her from the corner of his eye. Only when the drinks are poured does he allow himself to get distracted.

Turning around he smiles as he looks her up and down and hands her the glass. Then he offers up his own for a toast.

"To new adventures."

She grins when he looks her up and down, then clinks her glass against his. “L’chaim,” she replies.

Now her eyes are doing a bit of wandering too. Robert is middle-aged, certainly, but his body is in great shape, if not a bit banged up from being attacked by various animals. His thighs are particularly impressive.

The more her eyes wander, the more a strange smile works across his face. It's not his scars he's thinking about (of which there are many), but he is considering her reaction.

Leaning back against the dresser, he tilts his head at her. "You made a face when we first got undressed. What was that for?"

“I did?” she asks, then remembers what he’s talking about. “Oh!” Midge laughs lightly and actually blushes a little. “You’re, um… the first uncircumcised man that I’ve ever seen. I think you’re the first non-Jewish man I’ve slept with, actually.”

Congratulations, Robert?

When a woman reacts strangely to seeing your cock, you don't forget it. So he raises an eyebrow, ready to remind her when she realises what he's talking about and explains.

It's his turn to be surprised. "Really?"

He has to take a second to consider his next question. There are many, but it would be easy to ask one which would come across badly.

"Was that by design, or...?"

Midge sips her wine and takes a deep breath. “I don’t know how much you know about Judaism or Jewish culture, but Jewish parents tend to vastly prefer that their children marry within the religion. I’d guess it’s to ensure the survival of the religion, since, you know, they tried to wipe us out about 20 years ago.” Only she can be glib about the Holocaust. “Temple becomes a big part of your social life, so that’s who you meet and date. I met Joel in college, but I knew I wanted to marry a Jewish man. That’s what good Jewish girls do.”

Midge walks slowly towards him, closing the gap between them. “Now, I’m divorced, and I can sleep with whomever I want to, non-Jews included.” She wraps her arms around his neck. “Just so happens that you’re not Jewish, and that’s not a dealbreaker for me. But your cock was strange when I first saw it.”

Jewish culture isn't something he's had much exposure to, but Midge probably guessed that. It just gives him another reason to listen, and try not to be distracted as she slinks towards him.

"I don't know how much you know about men, but that's not generally the most encouraging thing to hear."

His free hand strokes up and down her back, enjoying the curve of it. Given his smile, he's not actually offended. Just very amused.

“I’m sure,” Midge says with a smile. “But your cock works as well as the other ones, better than some of the other ones, actually.” Her gaze turns downwards to where it hangs flaccid, though still impressive. “Looks aren’t everything.”

She takes another sip of her wine and leans in to kiss along his jaw. “What turns you on?” she murmurs to him between kisses.

Muldoon's smile widens, wondering if Midge is being so critical on purpose or by accident. It doesn't bother him either way. Like she said, she enjoyed it no matter what he looks like. "Looks aren't something you have to ever worry about."

For a moment he's busy resisting the urge to scratch his jaw, but that question catches him out. He tilts his head at her with a strange smile. "Are you looking for round two?"

She likes seeing him smile like that, considering that he’s not prone to doing so. She likes being the reason that he’s smiling.

Midge raises her head to look up at him, a smile playing at her lips. “Of course I am. Did you think we were finished?”

If he’s tired, she won’t push him, but he doesn’t seem tired. Midge can give him more recovery time if needs it.

While he's not particularly tired, he is surprised that she's looking for more. If he'd known there would be multiple rounds he might have eased up a bit on the first go. Maybe. But probably not.

"I wouldn't want to seem ungrateful for as much as I got."

Then he looks away for a moment, thinking until he looks back at her. "I get turned on by my partner knowing what they want. I get turned on by letting go of propriety and just enjoying each other. Which is usually when I get a bit overzealous."

Taking a sip of whiskey, he pauses, lips pressed together for a second as he looks at her as if considering whether to continue or not. But hell, why not?

"I enjoy a bit of biting, scratching, that sort of thing." With a vague gesture to one of his scars and a shrug, he adds, "I can handle it."

“What if what I want is to ride on top of you?” Midge asks. “I’m sure we could lose all sense of propriety with that.” He seems very active in bed, so it might be difficult for him to be on the bottom. Honestly, if he flips her over halfway through, she won’t be devastated.

The scratching and biting is a little surprising and Midge raises her eyebrows as she considers it. “We may have to work up to that,” she says, “but I do like a little nibble…”

She leans in and gives his neck a gentle bite. “I can dig my nails into your back.”

Alright, now the smile is permanently glued to his face, regardless of his instinct to smother it. "You can ride on top of me as much as you want."

To show his appreciation, he hums at the bite, and then lowers his voice to a rumble. "You can scratch me, or bite me, or pull my hair, or do none of it. Your excitement makes me excited."

Looking at her properly then he turns the question back to her. "What turns you on, Midge?"

She’s glad that he seems so keen on her being on top. Midge prefers to switch with her partner, depending on what each of them might want or need.

It’s not surprising that he asks the question in return, and Midge pauses to think about her answer. “Men who know what they’re doing in bed, though I don’t mind showing them.” A woman’s pleasure is more complex than a man’s and not as easy to achieve. She likes when a man can take instruction and learns how to please her.

Midge blushes a little as she realizes that she’s about to get somewhat graphic, but it’s not like Robert is some shrinking violet. “I like when a man goes down on me or touches me… puts his fingers inside me.”

She bites her lip. This is, perhaps, more embarrassing, but he was brave enough to share with her. “I like being praised, told that I’m doing a good job or that I’m a good girl.”

Give and take is as important in the bedroom as it is anywhere else. Muldoon usually likes to involve a little wrestling, but Midge can't afford to have bruises the same way he can.

Muldoon is definitely not a shrinking violet. He listens carefully, not blushing or interrupting as she shares what she wants. Especially since some of this is not what he's used to doing. But what's life about if not trying new things?

Still, he's careful as he speaks, keen not to make either of them embarrassed. They're both adults having a wonderfully dirty conversation.

"I haven't gone down on a woman before, so I hope you'll forgive my inexperience." Tipping his head briefly he continues, "And I'm not good at speaking during sex. I can try, but I don't want to be... condescending. Or say something ridiculous." He gives her an apologetic smile then. "You're a little distracting, after all."

“Really?” She asks in surprise. “Never?” Maybe the women he’s been with in the past haven’t been so bold as to ask for it.

“We don’t have to do anything that you’re not comfortable with,” Midge continues, “especially if I leave you tongue tied.”

And who knows? Maybe she’ll find that she enjoys a bit of wrestling in bed.

She kisses him again, a deep, long kiss that lets her taste the whiskey on his mouth. Then, she slips her hand in his and tugs him towards the bed.

"Never." Nobody had ever asked him, and he'd never thought to suggest it. Often things were so busy being hot and heavy that there wasn't much time given to anything like that.

The glass is quickly set on the dresser so that he can follow her. He lets his eyes wander appreciatively over her body. Once they get to the bed, however, he pauses to pull her close and kiss her again. Arms wrapped around her, tongue seeking out hers, for a few moments of intensity before they continue moving.

“I have to admit, the idea that you’ve never gone down on a woman before is kind of appealing.”

Midge can almost feel his eyes on her and the way Robert looks at her makes her feel like the only woman in the world.

When he pulls her close, she leans in to the kiss, her tongue moving back against his. She can feel her arousal starting to grow again. Robert is the type who likes his sex on the frenzied side. Midge doesn’t mind matching that energy, but she wonders if she can show him how good sex can be when you slow it down and make it sensual.

Well that wasn't the response he'd expected. He'd thought she'd be put off. "Why's that?"

Muldoon does fall pretty quickly into wild rutting. Most of his partners have expected it from him. Besides which, slow, sensual sex is more emotional. It's harder to hide in intimacy like that. Ironically the gentler approach is more intimidating for a man who likes to keep his cards close to his chest.

None of which is on his mind right now. Instead his focus is on her as he decides to have a bit of fun. Hopefully Midge won't mind being scooped up so that he can go to the side of the bed and scoot himself onto it before laying her down on his lap. Honestly he just wants to hear her laugh again, and a bit of cheekiness can't hurt.

It’s definitely more intimate. Maybe someday the two of them can get there.

Before she can answer, Robert is scooping her up in his arms and Midge is squealing in delight. She laughs as he puts her down in his lap.

“Because, then I can teach you to eat me out exactly the way that I like,” she says cheekily.

"Well there's no point learning any other way," he quips back before pulling her into another kiss. He brought them here, like this, to lean into Midge's desires. But kissing her now, he realises he's going to have a hard time not taking control.

In fairness, he always has a hard time giving up control.

Midge runs her fingers through his hair as she kisses him, tugging at it slightly. She moves to straddle his lap, facing him. If he ends up tossing her to the bed in the middle of sex, she won’t mind, but maybe Robert will find that he enjoys having her ride on top of him.

Still kissing him, she reaches down between their bodies and wraps her fingers around his cock. She strokes him slowly up and down, trying to get him hard for her.

The fact that she listened to him pleases Muldoon as much as the hair tugging itself, and he makes sure to reward her with a happy rumble. He takes the opportunity in this revised position to run his hands along her body. With them facing each other it's easy for him to cup her breasts and he intends to take fully advantage.

Having so recently come, he's not as instantaneously ready for her as he was before. But her hand on him, and his hands on her, get him back on track in good time. He moans a little against her lips, still restrained despite himself.

Remembering what Midge said before, he manages to whisper, "That feels good."

Midge has to admit, the growls that Robert makes in bed are pretty hot. She didn’t know she’d find that attractive, but she didn’t realize she’d find him attractive at all when they’d first met. It had grown over time, over getting to know him and seeing the kind of man that he is.

“You like that?” She murmurs. “You seem to like these too.” Midge pushes her chest forward into his hands. Robert’s hands are big enough that Midge feels like he’s able to get most of her breasts in them.

When she presses into him, he gives her a gentle squeeze, then moves his hands to run his thumbs over her nipples. "I do. A lot."

He wants to nip her lip so badly, but she didn't seem so keen on anything that might mark either of them. It makes sense. She has a ridiculous amount of control over her appearance. Instead he kisses her neck, when he isn't stopping to breathe against her touch.

She sighs happily when she feels his coarse thumbs on her hardened nipples. Even if his fingers are rough, she loves the feel of them on her soft skin.

Midge doesn’t mind little bites, but she’d rather not have big marks in places where others would see them and she would have to explain.

She releases his cock, wanting to see if he’s hard enough yet. As he cups her breasts and kisses her neck, Midge tangles her fingers in his hair, resuming her tugging.

“Are you ready?”

There's an involuntary little sound of disappointment when she lets go of him, but that's helped by the question she follows up with.

His hands slide along her body, down to her thighs which he rubs eagerly. When he answers there's a bit of a growl to his voice as he says, "More than ready."

That’s not a sound Midge thought she would ever hear Robert make, but she enjoyed hearing it. The sensation of his hands over her body is perfect, and she hopes that he’ll continue doing that while they have sex. This is a perfect position for it.

Midge rises up on her knees, then reaches down again for his cock in order to steady it and fit the head at her entrance. Her breath hitches as she slides him slowly inside of her, lowering herself onto his lap. “Fuck,” she can’t help but whisper. “You feel big like this…”

She wraps her arms around his neck as she adjusts her position, stopping when he’s fully sheathed so that she can get used to the sensation of being filled again. Her lips find his, wanting a breathless kiss before she starts to move on top of him.

He rumbles happily as they come together again. Her comment getting a smile before he echoes, "You feel tight like this."

There's no chance she won't be breathless, with how good she feels he's enthusiastic in returning that kiss. Until she moves, that is, and he has to take a moment to catch his breath. Enough at least to assure her, "You feel so good."

Her knees dig into the mattress, anchoring herself on the bed as she starts to rock on top of him. She’s glad that she feels tight around him; Midge plans to take this slow to start. Her forehead rests against his.

“Yeah?” She whispers. “I think I like hearing your voice while you’re inside me, even if you’re just growling.”

Her fingers slowly, gently, move down his back nails digging lightly into the skin.

This is not his usual way of doing things. Not slow, not letting someone else be in charge. It feels really nice, but he has to fight his instinct to immediately flip Midge over and take control.

"Good," and he does growl the word. "Because I'll growl if you keep scratching me like that."

The nails, even light as they are, help bring out that side of him. So does the hair tugging. They prompt him to be less restrained, though all his restraint right now is focused on not speeding things up.

Admittedly, Midge can be a little bit of a tease. The idea of riling him up so much that he finally loses control and takes what he wants is very appealing.

She speeds up a little, moving her mouth to one of his ears so that she can nibble on his earlobe. “Like a tiger?” she murmurs to him. Her hands stop about midway down his back, her nails digging into him, though still not too heavily. As things become more desperate, she might find herself clawing at him.

It's a good thing she's riding him or his 'informative guide' side might slip in a comment about tigers' vocal chords. Instead he just gets another growl. "Or a lion."

He kisses every part of her that he can, her neck, her jaw, her collar... His hands rest on her hips, encouraging the motion, and making him breathless because of it.

[ OOC: Robert correcting her during sex about lion vs tiger roars would be hilarious. ]

“Only if I get to be your lioness.”

Midge can take a hint, and she doesn’t plan on torturing Robert. Going incredibly slowly would be torture for her too, even though he feels so good inside of her.

One hand moves to his chest so that she has another point with which to anchor herself and then she starts riding him in earnest, pulling back to pull his cock out, though not all the way, then pushing back down into his lap and taking him in again. Midge moans in spite of herself. The penetration feels wonderful.

((Oh if he were a bit more drunk he wouldn't even notice himself doing it...))

"Of course. You're the one making me growl."

Oh that feels good! And she sounds good. Muldoon digs his heels into the bed as best he can. With his hands on her hips and his own now able to move, he matches her rhythm, so that Midge can rise more easily and they can come together faster.

Between his panting and growling, Muldoon manages to tell her, "You're amazing!"

[ That can be his pillow talk afterwards. ]

She gives a breathless laugh. “So are you. Fuck, you feel good…”

They’re able to work up to a steady rhythm, Robert thrusting up as Midge is sinking back down on him. The hand on his chest moves down between them so that she can stroke her clit. Meanwhile, her other hand grips his shoulder, nails digging into the skin more forcefully now as their pleasure rises.

Try as he might, he can't maintain this. It's too exciting. Between seeing Midge pleasuring him, and herself, her nails digging into his skin and her breasts bouncing as they fuck... He does his best to stay where they are, as they are, for as long as he can stand it.

But eventually he can't. He wraps his arms around Midge and rolls them both so that he's on top. Midge can relax a bit now as he takes over thrusting, keeping up the rhythm they'd built up. She gets one deep kiss, and then he leans up again so that she can room to keep touching herself if she wants to.

Midge squeals when she feels them moving, laughing softly when her back hits the bed. He lasted for a while, but she supposes that he couldn’t help himself. Not that she’s complaining. She adjusts quickly, hitching her knees up over his hips to open herself wide for his thrusts.

“God, yes…” she cries, her fingers flicking fast over her clit. “Don’t stop…”

She can feel her orgasm building fast inside of her as Robert thrusts hard on top of her. At least she has the wherewithal to scratch her nails down his back.

There is no way Muldoon is stopping. Not now. Not when Midge is enjoying herself so much. He thrusts hard and fast and steady, his hands firmly on her hips. She looks so good beneath him, feels so good around him.

When she scratches his back he growls and redoubles his efforts. If she wants wild he'll give her wild.

When she claws at him this time the movement is involuntary. With the way he’s thrusting so hard on top of her, it feels like he’s slamming into her cervix. Her entire body is standing on end as she pauses on the precipice before falling over into an intense orgasm. Midge’s back arches as her cries of pleasure echo off the walls on the room. For a brief moment, her mind is completely overtaken by how incredible she feels. Then, she falls back to Earth, gasping for air and completely boneless.

It doesn't take long from feeling her around him, and hearing her cry out for Muldoon to follow suit. Somehow this manages to feel even better than the first time, though he holds onto her tightly as the pleasure shakes through him.

After a few moments the fog clears a little. Enough for him to see Midge all over again and smile. He lowers himself down again to kiss her, trailing off to her neck as they both catch their breath.

She smiles tiredly back at him and strokes her fingers through his hair until she has breath enough to speak. “Shit, that was fantastic.” It was definitely a stronger orgasm for her the second time.

They lay side by side, sweaty but satisfied. Midge brushes her nose against his, then steals a look at the clock on the nightstand. “May I stay with you tonight?” she asks quietly.

It’s far too late to even think about getting back into her dress and going out into the cold.

Few things get as much of a smile as when she says that. When Muldoon does something, he likes to do it well. Especially when this is their first time together. It's important to make a good impression.

The question gets raised eyebrows for being asked at all. "Of course." He kisses along her jaw as he speaks. "You can stay as long as you like."

He’s definitely made a good impression.

Midge didn’t want to presume that she could stay, though she’s glad that Robert wants her to. “So much for this not being a date,” Midge teases. It ended up becoming far more than a date, and she can’t say that she’s disappointed about that.

She lets out a soft sigh. “I need to call my mother.” Very reluctantly, Midge disentangles herself from Robert and gets out of bed. Retrieving one of the robes from the wardrobe, Midge slips it on and ties it at the waist.

The teasing makes his smile twitch wider as well before he does his best to smother it. Hearing that she has to call her mother gets a bemused look, but he doesn't comment on it. Instead he sits up on his elbows, watching her as she gets the dressing gown.

"Want me to get you anything while you're making the call?"

“Just some water, thanks,” she tells him. She’s had more than enough to drink tonight and the exhaustion is now hitting her. “If I don’t call her, she’ll think I’m dead in a ditch,” Midge continues as an explanation. She hadn’t anticipated how this night would go and that she wouldn’t be home.

Sitting down at the small desk that held the phone, Midge dials the rotary and listens to it ring.

“Hello? Mama? It’s me…. Yes, I’m fine… I’m just letting you know that I won’t be home until tomorrow morning.”

She awaits the inevitable judgement in her mother’s response.

He nods his understanding and sets about getting them both a glass of water. Midge's is set down next to her while she listens to her mother. Meanwhile he goes back to the bed and, after a moment, throws the oversheet across him. It feels too strange to be naked while someone's talking to their mother.

Decency maintained, he sits back against the pillows and sips his water, smiling at Midge as she deals with the hassle of dealing with family.

Midge meets Robert’s eye and gives him a small smile while she continues her conversation. “We’ve been drinking. He’ll bring me home tomorrow morning… I don’t know what time… 10:00?… Yes, we’re at his hotel.” With a sigh, she gives her mother the name of the hotel and the room number. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you.”

After hanging up the receiver, Midge huffs another sigh. “Do men ever have to call their mothers and tell them where they are?” she asks.

That only gets his smile to widen sympathetically. "My father had the last say on teaching me. And when I was a child he would head back early when the two of us went camping to see if I'd learned the skills he taught me. Sometimes halfway through a trip he'd leave me with some people in a village we were passing through while he went off to do something. Knowing where either my father or I was has never been an easy thing."

"I'm sure my mother would love it if I told her where I was all the time," he offers as consolation. "She'd be very reassured."

Her eyes go wide as she stands up from the table. “He left you alone? My father let me wander off in Bergdorf’s once and my mother almost murdered him. I guess that’s—“

Midge is cut off by the ringing of the phone. She gives Robert a confused look, then returns to the phone to pick it up.

“Hello?” The voice on the other end of the line shocks her. “Susie?? How did you know where I was?… My God, you could work for the CIA.”

When the phone rings he stirs to get up, but when she heads to it before him he opens his mouth to tell her not to but it's too late. He'd expected it to be from his work. The last thing he expects is for her to recognise the person on the other end. Not a name he knows, either.

Muldoon is left sitting on the bed with an utterly confused frown. Did he just sleep with New York royalty or something? Is that why everyone is keeping such close tabs on her?

Not everyone. Just her manager.

“Yeah, well, it’s been a good night… I’m fine… Yes, I know about tomorrow night. You didn’t have to call me… 8:00. Okay. See you then. Bye, Susie.”

Midge hangs up and turns back to Robert, looking incredulous. “My manager. She’s like a bloodhound. She went to the party and got the name of your hotel from the people at the party. Unbelievable.”

If that phone rings again, she’s not picking it up. The only person she hasn’t spoken to tonight is her ex-husband and Midge doesn’t even want to go there. She unties the robe and slips it off, then puts it over the chair next to her dress. Grabbing her glass of water, she returns to Robert’s bed.

“She wanted to remind me what time I needed to be at the club for my show tomorrow night… and probably also to make sure I was safe, though she’d never say that.” Susie tends keep her emotions close to the vest, like Robert does. She can’t stand the thought of anyone thinking that she’s not a cranky bitch.

Muldoon's brows lift at the explanation. He won't pretend he's not impressed. Plus, it's good to know that there are determined people looking out for Midge, even if he's not around.

"I like her already." And he sympathises with keeping up a very particular reputation.

He reaches out to stroke her back, a thoughtful look taking over his features.

"Would you like it if I came to your show?"

Midge takes a long drink of her water. “I think she’ll like you begrudgingly,” she tells him. “After she sizes you up. Susie doesn’t want anything to distract me from my career, but I think you two will get along.” Neither of them take any shit and they both have a distaste for socializing.

Her face lights up at his question. “Yes, absolutely,” Midge says with a grin. “I was going to invite you anyway. I’ll write down the address of the club before we leave tomorrow morning.”

All of that seems fair. He's a stranger and it's clear she's protective. It wouldn't be the first time he's been treated suspiciously. "I'm not about to ask you to be a stay at home mother, so I've got an advantage."

It was a toss up whether Midge would be excited or uneasy about his going along. He's not sure which he would have preferred. It's a little intimidating knowing a performer. Especially when he doesn't know if she's good. He hopes she is. She should be. She's a fun lady, and she managed to get him to laugh.

"Sounds good." After a sip of water he asks, "Anything I should be warned about? Will I have to sit through a bunch of dry performers before you come on? I don't want to be too drunk."

“She’ll appreciate that.” Susie is one of the few people in Midge’s life who supports her and thinks that she can actually make it as a comic.

Midge is a little nervous at the idea of Robert seeing her perform, but mostly she’s excited. Hopefully he won’t think she’s too vulgar, though he doesn’t seem to mind her cursing. In her experience with him, not much shocks him — except maybe how attractive she finds him.

“If you come around 9 you won’t have to sit through them. I’ll see what I can do to get a slot as close to then as possible. If you have to sit through the other comedians, you’ll want to be drunk.”

The way she's so confident about her show in comparison to the others gets a large grin from him. It's as attractive as the rest of her. Maybe even more.

"For you, I'll wait." And given that he's definitely getting there a little bit early, he will have to wait.

Midge is normally pretty confident in herself and her abilities. She knows she’s good. Now she has to get others to see it.

She drinks more of her water, then puts the glass on the nightstand. Laying down, she cuddles up to Robert’s side, putting a hand on his chest.

“You lied to me,” she says, her fingers stroking through his chest hair. “You said you never smile and I don’t think you’ve stopped smiling since you left that party.”

Muldoon isn't generally much of a cuddler, but this is comfortable. He's quite content to sit here, sipping his water, and lazily stroking up and down Midge's back.

"I really didn't like that party. I was more than happy to leave. And then I got to sleep with a beautiful woman. Twice. It's difficult not to smile when that's the case."

Midge nods. “Your night turned out pretty well, all things considered.” Robert might not be a cuddler, but that’s not going to stop Midge from trying. Surely he can’t say no to a beautiful woman pressing her body up to his?

Her fingers move from his chest hair to trace one of the many scars on his chest. There are a lot to pick from, but the one she lands on is rather faded. “How’d you get this one?” she asks.

"I'd hope yours didn't turn out too badly either."

He will not stop Midge from snuggling up against him. He'd never want her to be uncomfortable if he can help it. When she asks about the scar he frowns as he looks down to see which one she's talking about, but relaxes with a not when he recognises it.

"That was a tiger. I was lucky she wasn't fully grown or it would have been a much larger scar." The corner of his mouth twitches in a smile. "You probably don't have any scars. Your skin is flawless."

“I’ve had a wonderful night,” Midge confirms.

She won’t ask about any other scars tonight, saving them in the hope of future nights lying naked in his arms. “And what did you do to earn her displeasure?” she asks.

When Robert talks about her skin being flawless, there’s a notable hesitation in her, as if she’s making a decision. Finally, she speaks again. “The most prominent scars that I have are these.”

Midge pulls back from him so that he can see the stretch marks on her lower abdomen. They’ve faded over time and vigorously applying various creams, but Midge has never been able to get them to go away completely.

“Not quite the same as how you got yours,” she says.

"I stole her dinner." Tilting his head at her he elaborates, "My coworker. He'd make a stupid mistake and ended up in her pen when she wasn't sedated. I got him out, and ended up with a few marks for my trouble."

Muldoon leans to better see what she's showing him and smiles at the sight of the stretch marks before he settles back again. "Much more impressive, though. And you got them for a better reason."

“Seems rude to take her dinner, but I’m sure your co-worker was very appreciative. That was very brave of you to go in after him.” That must be what he means when he says that his job makes it difficult for relationships. It’s dangerous.

“Maybe. I think Esther might have clawed me on the way out though.” It would explain a lot. “You don’t mind scars on a woman.” It’s a statement, not a question. Midge takes a deep breath and keeps talking. They’ve shared a lot tonight. She might as well keep going.

“When I was married to Joel, I thought I had to look perfect all the time. It’s not anything that he said to make me feel that way, per se, but I could tell he was proud of his hot wife.” Until he wasn’t anymore.

“I felt like I couldn’t have any scars or blemishes or anything. I tried to get rid of the stretch marks, but you can still see them. That’s why I’ve been hesitant about you leaving marks on me. I don’t… want you to find me ugly.”

It’s irrational, especially if it’s something that Robert wants to do, but it’s something that Midge will try to get over. It’s that fear of wondering if she can still be loved, even if she doesn’t look like a pin-up model.

Edited (Forgot she already told him about the cheating phewww) 2025-01-13 23:20 (UTC)

Muldoon hums, a vague, noncommittal response. It doesn't feel brave. It's what he does. It's what he's always done, and maybe he's too quick to jump into those situations. But he's not going to mention that. He doesn't want Midge to worry.

As for scars? Of course he doesn't mind them on a woman. It seems bizarre to even think such a thing. The more she explains, however, the better he understands. Even if he doesn't understand fully. There is still a bit of confusion furrowing his brow, though.

"Everyone has scars," he points out. "They don't make you ugly. They're a part of you. A part of your life. And most of my life has been spent in places where looking 'perfect' wasn't an option."

"I'll admit, I haven't seen you when you haven't been pristine..." He tilts his head at her as best he can and smiles. "But I bet you're the cutest thing when you've got messy hair and comfortable clothes on."

She giggles when he says she’d be cute with messy hair and comfortable clothes. “Well, I’m about to go take my makeup off, so we’ll see if you feel the same way after that.” The fact that she feels comfortable enough to take her makeup off in front of him is actually a pretty big deal.

Leaning over, Midge kisses him softly. Hopefully he can feel her appreciation in the kiss. “I’m going to get ready for bed,” she tells him.

"I'll practice not looking shocked," he teases drily.

Midge gets full use of the bathroom for as long as she wants. In the meantime the warden finishes off the last dregs of the whiskey floating about before he stacks the glasses. Then he throws on a dressing gown and starts tidying up. Midge's clothes first, and everything that can be hung up, is, as neatly as possible. His own clothes follow after, since he will have to return the suit.

Only once everything is tidy, shoes tucked aside, clothes prepped for the following day, does Muldoon refresh his water and wait for Midge.

Midge foregoes taking a shower, but uses some soap and tissues to remove her makeup and clean her face. It’s not the same as her makeup remover at home, and she hates putting harsh soap on her face, but it will have to do. Sleeping in makeup is worse for her skin. She freshens herself up a bit, then returns to a changed bedroom.

“Oh,” she says, looking around. “You cleaned up.”

There’s that fastidiousness again. Even her bra and underwear are folded and tucked away.

“Were you in the military?”

Well he got caught pretty quickly. The accurate observation keeps his smile in place, though.

"For a few years. Every man on my father's side has served, so I was well prepared. If the war hadn't happened I think my mother might have managed to insist I avoid joining."

He pauses for a moment before adding, "You still look beautiful."

“You were in the war?” she asks. “Britain, I’m sure. Navy? Air Force?”

When he tells her that she looks beautiful, a grin slowly crosses her face. She ducks her head a little and blushes. “Thank you.” Midge reminds herself that he’s not the type to lie about something like that.

“Ah.. do you have a shirt that I could borrow to sleep in?” she asks. That way she hopefully won’t have to worry about getting cold in the night.

[ OOC: thank you for being willing to AU him to her time period. I know we never discussed that, but I appreciate it. I love historical AUs. ]

"British forces, part of the North African campaign. But I kept my feet firmly on the ground."

To her question he just nods and heads to his luggage to start looking for something suitable. Unfortunately he doesn't have much in the way of comfortable clothing. After a bit of looking he presents her with two options, one in either hand.

"A blue button-up or a plain t-shirt," he offers. "Which would you like?"

((No problem! The AU is just begging to be used! Just had to do some maths. Plus one of my favourite pics of his PB is 50s setting military, so living the dream!))

“No planes or boats for you?” Midge asks with a smile. “Thank you for your service.” The British stood alone against the Nazis for a year until the US joined the war. She can’t help but respect that.

“T-shirt,” she replies, taking it from him. It’s big enough on her that it hangs down to about her hips. Perfect.

While he finishes doing whatever else he needs to do, Midge gets back into the bed. It feels oddly domestic, getting ready for bed with him like this. Despite the fact that she and Robert are still getting to know each other, she’s very comfortable with him and with this whole situation.

"You're welcome. And no. I'm much better on land than anywhere else." He's gotten well versed at keeping talk of the war superficial. Although he had practice from a much younger age than most at filtering out less than acceptable topics.

With her out of the bathroom he takes the opportunity to clean himself up and get ready for bed. He'll even oblige any late night cuddling she might want to do. As if he would deny her anything.

She won’t ask questions, at least not tonight. Most people who were in the war don’t like talking about it. From what little she’s heard, she can’t blame them. She’s met Holocaust survivors and hearing about their experiences is hard enough.

When he returns to bed, Midge indeed cuddles up to his side, tentatively at first. “Thank you for showing a girl a good time tonight.”

He might not be cuddly, but he does enjoy knowing he's taken care of her tonight. Though his display of gratitude worked out rather nicely for him as well.

"Thank you for saving me from the bloodthirsty upper class."

“Of course,” Midge replies with a grin. “Anytime.”

She leans over to kiss him, her lips lingering on his for a moment before pulling back and settling down next to him.

“Goodnight.”

A black tie adventure with doesntsing

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

If this doesn’t work, let me know

It's perfect!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject