The Star Party

Lower Bay - The Sapphire Star

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Characters

Ariel Johnson-Lowell	Siobhan Donovan	Jenna Donovan	Harper Donovan	Preston Van de Mark	Cooper Montgomery	Chance Harper

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As per usual, Ariel is fretting. Now that she's in The Dress and standing in front of the mirror, she's having second thoughts. The witch is worrying that it's too much (or too little, depending on how you look at it). It's showing a hell of a lot of skin and clings in places where she doesn't usually have things clinging. She's not sure if she's more worried about showing too much, or if it's a worry that she's not showing enough to get her boys' attentions. And by that, she means Cooper, because he has a wandering eye and she wants to be the one that makes his jaw drop.
"I should change," Ariel says, biting her lip. If she wears something she's used to wearing and being seen in, she won't be setting herself up for disappointment.
♦
"You are not changing, Ariel." Siobhan steps in front of her cousin, blocking the younger woman's view of herself in the mirror. The hybrid is wielding a curling iron, and she coils it in the last thick lot of Ariel's hair. "You look sexy. Hot."
Beat.
"Well you would if you stop chewing off your lipstick and stop worrying about it." Siobhan clamps the curling iron and watches the timer. "You were strutting when you tried the dress on. What happened to that girl?"
♦
"Just use an illusion spell for the lipstick. That way she can chew on her lip all she wants, and it won't come off." Jenna finishes curling her hair, and glances over at the two witches. "If I had that type of power, you know I'd be using it. Especially if I were nervous."
Her own dress is a little showy; sort of. The parts that would be showing too much skin have skin-toned inserts under them. The only part that doesn't is the heart area that shows off her cleavage nicely.
"Ariel, you are gorgeous and both those men out there aren't going to leave your side the entire evening. Besides, if you change, then I should change too, and then I'll have to redo my hair… and do you know how much of a pain it'll be?"
♦
"She ran head first into a brick wall of reality," Ariel answers her cousin with an eye roll. She does calm down a little when she can't actively scrutinize how she looks.
"That's easy for you to say, Shiv. You could walk out there in a bright day-glow orange garbage sack with bed head and Harper would think you're the most beautiful woman out there. He wouldn't look twice at another woman if you were in a full body cast." The curling iron beeps and when Siobhan doesn't release it right away, Ariel gives her a look. "Don't burn my hair."
Beat.
"You really think so?" Ariel asks Jenna. She smooths her hand over the skirt and tugs at it a little. "Cooper's probably seen plenty of dresses sexier than this …"
♦
Siobhan makes a tsking sound. "I'm not going to burn you hair. You act as though I haven't done this before."
Beat.
"She doesn't like using illusion magic around Coop," Siobhan tells Jenna with a shrug, releasing the curling iron. "Because it's sustained magic and he might start to pick up on it." Siobhan can understand her cousin's concern. They're trying to introduce Cooper to magic and the supe world in small increments. Revealing his magical heritage isn't on the agenda yet.
"If she'd use magic, she wouldn't be worried that I'd burn her hair." Siobhan gives an exaggerated eyeroll and looks over at Jenna. "Speaking of hot and sexy … I am so under dressed compared to the two of you. I may as well be wearing that garbage sack." The hybrid smiles to show she's teasing, and hardly feels that way. The lace black dress she's wearing is modest, but pretty and it's a fair compromise. It shows off her curves so she doesn't feel un-sexy, but covers all the important bits of skin that will keep Harper happy.
She frowns at Ariel, "How come you trust her opinion and not mine?"
♦
"Oh. That makes sense then. I just thought… it'd be better than her having to apply lipstick every time she nibbles on her lip."
Beat.
"Lip gloss then. Cover it with a thin coat of lip gloss, because people expect you to keep applying it. Especially after you've been drinking or kissing someone. It'll seal the lipstick in a bit better and you'll chew it off instead. I think I've got one to match your color in my bag."
"I really do think so. It's sexy, and it's you. I think if you went a little more over the top, it'd be too much. The subtlety of it suits you, and I think you're going to knock their socks off. I really do." Even if Cooper has seen far sexier dresses, Jenna's pretty sure that he hasn't seen Ariel in anything quite that sexy. Not including her being naked which is entirely different.
"Pfft. As if, Shiv. She's right. Harper only has eyes for you. You could be wearing a garbage sack and he'd still only have eyes for you. That dress? Is sexy and gorgeous. It shows off your figure, and your legs, but is modest enough to leave things to the imagination, which you know my brother loves."
♦
"Thanks, Jenna," Ariel gives a genuinely grateful smile to the empath. For the offer of the lip gloss and for re-assuring her that the dress is perfect. She loves Siobhan, but the second opinion helps. Also Siobhan doesn't always get it. "I don't trust her opinion more. It's just nice to have a second one that's understanding instead of demanding." It's as nice as Ariel can be without pointing out that Siobhan's in a class by herself. She's never had those sorts of concerns.
Ariel actually laughs. "See? Jenna agrees with me. No matter what you're wearing, you don't have to worry about getting Harper's attention."
Beat.
"You look great too, Jenna. I think that Chance is going be wowed." The red dress is probably the sexiest of the lot, and Ariel wishes she had the confidence to wear something like that. There's also that secret, tiny little fear that Jenna is going to get more than just Chance's attention, but she's not vocalizing that.
♦
Siobhan gives Ariel's hair a tug and a flip, letting the locks cascade into fat, loose twisting curls over one shoulder. "There. Now you're a complete knock out."
Looking between the pair, Siobhan shakes her head with a smile and crosses the room to slide her feet into her heels. "You two know that I wasn't really worried about it, right? I know what Harper likes and he's the only one who's attention I'm trying to get." She winks at her friend and her cousin.
"There's no way that Coop and Pres aren't going to have their jaws hit the floor when they see you, Ari." Siobhan's brain takes pause even as she says the words because it's hard to imagine Pres in that scenario. Yes, drooling over some hot guy with a six-pack, but not being overwhelmed by a hot girl in a sexy dress. She's accepting it, and being the supportive friend all around, but it's still an odd scenario. "Like Jenna said, it's nothing that they've ever seen you in before and that makes it really different."
She winks at Jenna. "As for you … try to avoid crawling across tables and remember that there are bedrooms. I know how hard it is for you and Chance to keep your hands off of each other, and wearing that dress …"
♦
"You're welcome." Reaching into her makeup bag for the lip gloss, she tosses it toward Ariel. "It'll also give that perfect shine to your lips, and has just a hint of color so even if you do chew off a bit of lipstick, no one will notice, I promise." Jenna knows how that is. She nibbles on her lower lip quite a bit, so she's gotten used to the lip gloss.
"That's exactly the point. To keep his eyes on me all night long." Winking at the younger woman, she smiles. Then her attention turns to her BFF and she turns a deep shade of crimson.
"There are bedrooms. There's also spells…"
Beat.
"Besides, wearing this dress? Means he'll likely take his shirt off and make me wear it all night."
♦
Ariel catches the lip gloss, then frowns prettily at it. She looks down at her dress and giggles. "I'm not sure where I can carry it." She does add some to her lips, however.
"I don't think you'll have a problem keeping Chance's eyes on you," Ariel says. She's seen how the couple is when Jenna isn't dressed quite so sexily. She can only imagine how the sorcerer will be with Jenna dressed the way she is.
Ariel's attention shifts between the two women, eyes rising with curiosity. Then she connects the dots of what they might be talking about and she looks away with a blush of her own. "so … um … yeah … are we ready to go out now?"
Beat.
"Please no crawling across the table in front of my boyfriend?" Ariel asks after a moment. She does her best to make it sound like a joke but she is partly concerned about it. Her goal is to keep the attention of her boyfriends, and she knows how Cooper is.
♦
"Ariel, stop worrying." Siobhan tosses a black garter at her cousin. "Slip that on and tuck the lip gloss inside the band."
Beat.
"If the boys don't see how good they've got it, I'm sure someone at the party will." Also, Siobhan will smack them both upside the head if they don't notice how sexy Ariel is tonight. And she will strangle Cooper if he spends too much time looking at the other women (and men) at the party.
"Shall we go, ladies? Time to make your grand entrances …"
♦
Slipping her own gloss into the tight, red garter, Jenna beams. "We also have ankle 'holsters' for our cells," she tells Ariel. "They come in handy if we're going to the club. Those, or the little wristlet purses." Because they do have to carry their ID with them, and sometimes having a larger purse doesn't work. Especially when everyone wants to dance.
"If I crawl across any tables, I'll make sure Coop isn't sitting at it, alright? I promise."
Beat.
"Preston won't care if I do it, except to laugh and tease, and we all know that."
Checking herself in the mirror one last time she slips her shoes on and adjusts the straps.
"Ready as I'll ever be, but let Ariel head out first so she gets the attention that dress deserves."
♦
"I'd appreciate that, thank you." Ariel blushes at her insecurity as she slides on the garter, but she's giving herself points for being brave enough to speak up about it. It wasn't Preston she was worried about, but she thinks that kind of goes without saying.
To try and put a lighter spin on things, she jokes, "I promise not to crawl across any tables in front of Chance either." Not that Ariel would do such a thing, or that she even thinks the sorcerer would give her a second glance if she did. Ariel simply doesn't see herself the way that others do; she's still reeling from the waiter's attention and the two guys at the club earlier who very much wanted her attention.
"Oh no, your dress deserves attention too. Yours is sexier. You should go out first." That way not as many people will look at Ariel, and Cooper can get gawking over Jenna out of his system. Hopefully.
♦
Siobhan rolls her eyes. She has a good idea of exactly where her cousin's mind is at the moment. Whipping out her phone, she snaps two quick pictures of the witch. "A year from now, I'm going to show you these pictures. You're going to look back at them and laugh at yourself for even questioning how hot you are right now."
Beat.
The hybrid tosses her hair over one shoulder. She grins at them, "Before there's an argument, I'll go first. I'll set the bar low, and the only place you can go from there is up." Siobhan isn't putting herself down by any stretch of the imagination. The little hybrid knows her dress looks good and knows that she looks good in it. However, she also knows that her dress is nowhere near as sexy as what Jenna and Ariel are wearing. Considering that Siobhan does dress to thrill and tends to like to show to skin, her appearance will give a bit more of a buildup and surprise for the other two.
With that, the dancer exits the cabin and heads to the stairs leading up to the main deck where she can already hear the music going.
♦
Harper isn't stupid. He's known all day that something was up. He's avoided prying, because generally when Siobhan and Jenna get to giggling they want it to be kept a secret.
But he's not stupid, which is why he's waiting at the top of the stairs for his wife. If only so he can veto her outfit if it's too much.
When he sees her coming up the stairs, he whistles loudly.
"Flutterbee, you look stunning as always. I love that dress on you."

♦
Downstairs, Jenna actually giggles. Shaking her head, she nudges Ariel. "Go on, you next. I have one more little thing I need to add to my outfit." She wants to add some red straps between her panties and the garter, just to make it a little more tease-worthy.
"Trust me, Ariel, once Coop and Pres see you? They won't even notice me coming up the stairs. I promise you that."
Beat.
"If you're really worried though, cast an illusion that only works on them and have me look like Medusa." Winking, she gives the slightly younger woman a hug and ushers her toward the stairs.
♦
The party has started. It's not going full swing yet, but a good number of their guests have begun to arrive. Preston expects the rest to be there very soon, because this isn't the sort of party where you can trickle in and out. The captain will be moving the Sapphire to deeper waters, and the guests will be taken back to shore on a speeder when the party dies down for the night.
Preston knows that the girls are up to something as well. He's been friends with Jenna and Siobhan for too long to not know the signs of their plotting and scheming. He snickers when he sees Harper perch at the stop of the stairs, knowing that his friend is probably going to end up sending his wife back down to one of the cabins to change her clothes.
"You realize by now that nothing good ever comes from Jenna and Siobhan plotting like they have been right?" Preston addresses the question to Chance, who's been watching the stairs for a sign of his girlfriend. Preston has to say that he's a bit relieved knowing that Ariel prefers to dress modestly. It's been hard enough today keeping his hands off of her and not reacting when other men start to pay her attention. He's not entirely sure what he'd do if she fell prey to Jenna and Siobhan's antics.
♦
"Did you miss me that much that you had to wait at the top of the stairs?" Siobhan sidles up to her husband and wraps her arms around his neck. She presses a kiss to his lips, playfully kicking back her foot as she does so, if only because she knows they have an audience and it's a very cute thing to do. Yes, Siobhan can do cutesy sometimes.
"Or were you worried that I might be getting risque?" Siobhan does know her husband. She glances past him to look at some of the party goers and then smirks, "Would you believe that I'm going to be among the most modestly dressed here tonight?"
Beat.
Now, let's clear the stairs. I want to get video of Coop and Pres. And Chance. The latter will be fun, but she really wants to get the former two.
♦

Ariel isn't so sure about Jenna's statement, but she knows they could stay there and argue about it all night. Taking a breath, she heads out of the cabin and up the stairs to the party.

"Yes," he replies, wrapping her arms about her waist as she kisses him. Smiling, he adds, "Yes to the latter too. I like you modest like this. It means I can spend all night undressing you with my eyes, without worrying that everyone else is doing it too."
You got it, Flutterbee.
Lifting her up into a bridal carry, he swings her just past the stairs and sets her on her feet.

♦
Jenna is positive about her statement. She doesn't want to make a big show out of coming up the stairs, except to Chance. Ariel isn't the only one second guessing her outfit. There is another downstairs if it's needed, and she will go change if she has to. She knows her dress is fairly risque.
Waiting mid-way up the stairs to hear the response that Ariel gets, she sends the girl as much confidence as she can.
♦
"Yes, I know." The sorcerer in question is well aware of exactly the sorts of things that start brewing when Jenna and Siobhan plot. They're not always bad things, but sometimes they are things that he would like fair warning about. Which is why he's positioned himself to watch the top of the stairs and have a first look when the ladies do emerge.
He takes a pull from his bottle of beer. He was surprised to find beer on board, until he realized that this isn't just any beer. This is top of the line, imported European beer. It makes all the difference in the world.
Chance tilts his head and blinks when Siobhan appears and wraps herself around her husband. The hybrid looks good, but it's nothing over the top. That makes him relax a bit, settling back comfortably against the bar where he's leaning. "Didn't see that coming…"
Then Ariel appears, her arrival heralded by the sharp wolf whistle of one of the party goers. Chance has to do a double-take if only because that's not how he would have ever expected to see the witch dressed. Then his head snaps to the side, his attention immediately going to zeroing in on Preston's reaction.
♦
"You can undress me with your eyes as much as you want," Siobhan purrs, giving a sweet little kiss to Harper's cheek. She laughs as he lifts her in his arms and hugs him tightly. Once she's on her feet, she pulls out her phone and scans the crowd finding Cooper and Preston. Unfortunately, they aren't together, which is going to make capturing the perfect footage a bit difficult.
"Eeny meeny miny moe …" The dancer sweeps her attention between the two men, finally settling on Cooper as Ariel finally appears at the top of the stairs.
♦
"I plan on it, and undressing you completely later," Harper points out. He lets her go to take her pictures, keeping an eye on her. He doesn't mind if other men look, provided they don't get designs on his wife.
Thankfully most of the people here he knows, and he won't have to worry about it at all.
♦

No, Cooper's not standing near Preston, if only because some of the dancers aboard are in awe of his boyfriend's boat, and he wanted to make them feel more comfortable, rather than having the steward show them where to put their things. Nick was asking if he could crash in one of the additional rooms, which Coop will have to pass by Preston first, but that's where he was.
He hears the whistle, and his attention immediately turns toward the stairs. Expecting it to be Siobhan, he blinks when he spots her with Harper.
Then he sees who just came up the stairs.
"Jesus."
It's definitely not something he expected Ariel to be in. Without saying another word to Nick, he hurries across the deck and grabs Ariel about the waist. Planting a rather pronounced and heated kiss on her, he carries her right over to Preston. Not caring what anyone thinks.
♦

The wolf whistle makes Ariel startle, then blush, then war with the idea of turning and fleeing right back down the stairs. It's a compliment, and she knows it, but she's unaccustomed to that sort of attention and has no idea of what to do with it. Biting hard at her lip, she looks around for Cooper or Preston. It's not their reactions or attention she wants now; she wants their company so that she doesn't feel so awkward and so she doesn't lose her nerve and take refuge down below.
She doesn't have long to look or wait before she's being swept up in Cooper's arms. She swears the kiss sucks all of the air right out of the room, leaving her light headed and dizzy, with every part of her body tingling and vibrating. All of it in a very good way.
The witch's eyes are slightly glazed when the kiss breaks and she licks her lips, blinking in surprise at her boyfriend. "Wow …"
♦
Preston is rendered completely speechless. Years of acting training fly right out of the window and over the deck, landing somewhere in the cool waters of the Atlantic. His jaw drops and he just stares when he sees what Ariel is wearing. How little she's wearing. Yes, it's more than half the girls at Purgatory were wearing last night but . . One, Preston had no interest in them; two, this is his girlfriend. Modest and shy Ariel.
After a few seconds the actor does manage to snap his jaw closed. He licks his lips, tries to form words and fails completely. He's pretty certain parts of his brain have just short circuited, and only the autonomous functions are still going at this point. The actor is happy that Cooper has the presence of mind to take control of the situation and stake a very obvious claim on their girlfriend. He doesn't even care that people are going wonder about that, and that they might ask questions.
Trailing his fingers over her bare back, Preston waits for the kiss to end. His gaze meets Cooper's briefly over the top of Ariel's head, and then he just doesn't care. Grabbing her by the waist, Preston spins her around and kisses her just as heatedly.
♦
"Promises, promises," Siobhan winks at her husband and tickles her fingers down his arm. "I'm going to hold you to that. You'd better make it worth the wait." It's a light, playful tease. He always makes it worth the wait. Or it's simply that she can't get enough of him. Mores so now than before.
She leans against Harper, grinning broadly at Cooper's reaction. This is going to be a told you so photo moment if there ever was one.
Then her jaw drops when she sees what Preston does.
"That's going to complicate things …" Siobhan murmurs as she keeps filming.
♦
"Maybe," Harper agrees. It's going to make things awkward for Preston for a while, especially if one of their friends leaks things to the press. Harper steps back, wrapping his arms around Siobhan's waist, and nibbling at her shoulder.
"I always make it worth the wait. It may not be like Comic-Con, but it'll definitely be worth the wait." They were alone there, and while there was still a chance of being caught? It's not like it would be on the Sapphire Star.
I hope Preston plays it up in getting caught in a moment with his boyfriend…
♦
Once the kiss ends and Ariel is set on her feet, he says, "My sentiments exactly." The little Mermaid looks stunning, especially since it's so out of character for her to wear something like this. Yes, it may not be as showy as he's seen others wear, but for her to step out of her comfort zone even a little is an amazing feat. Never mind that she looks gorgeous.
He blinks a moment when Preston kisses Ariel as well, but doesn't say anything or move away from either of them. He just twists his body so that he's blocking them the best he can from the majority of the guests, so that Preston doesn't get too many questions.
♦
There's a knowing smirk on Jenna's face as she hears the whistle, and can 'feel' Cooper and Preston's reactions. She stays where she is, mid-stairs, for a good few minutes until she knows that the boys are distracted. Slowly, she makes her way upward, scanning for Chance as she does so. Just from the general 'feel' of things, she knows that Harper and Siobhan aren't far from the top of the stairs, and that Preston and Cooper are occupied.
There's a second where she nearly changes her mind and scoots back downstairs, but instead she just quietly steps up.
♦
Cooper's response was just what the little witch needed to feel a sense of confidence. In how she's dressed, in the sexiness that Siobhan and Jenna kept telling her she possesses, in knowing that she really is the most desirable woman in the place to Cooper right now. That's the effect she wanted to have. That she was hoping to have.
Preston's response is even more surprising than Cooper's. They are in public, surrounded by people that aren't in their inner circle. In addition, it's a very raw, primal kiss with the sort of heated intensity and hunger Ariel only identifies with Cooper.
Her eyes are wide open for a few moments, and then upon realizing that Preston has no intentions of letting up and obviously doesn't care if they have an audience, she closes them and throws herself into the kiss. One hand reaches up to set to the back of Preston's neck and the other arm reaches around to grasp and wrap around Cooper as she presses back against him, creating a link between the three of them.
She's certainly breathless and weak in the knees after being kissed like that by both her boys.
"You like the dress?" Ariel asks breathlessly.
♦
Like is an understatement. It's not the skimpiest sexiest thing she could be wearing, but it's the fact that she's wearing it. Preston's thoughts echo Cooper's. When she steps out of her comfort zone and does something like this, it is amazing.
"Christ yes," Preston chuckles. He trails his fingers along the low vee of the dress, tips lightly skimming the hinted at inner curve of her breast. "You look amazing, Elle."
Beat.
"I'm trying to decide if I should cover you up or let you show off."
He grins at Cooper, "What do you think, Coop?"
Preston knows that he's just probably set the rumor mill churning, but he really doesn't care at the moment. He probably will later, if only because it's not the spotlight he wanted to put Ariel in yet.
♦
Chance blinks and nearly chokes on his beer when Preston grabs Ariel and kisses her. Chance has known for years that a beautiful woman in a sexy dress can render men completely stupid and irrational. Seeing Preston affected like that by Ariel just drives it home that his friend is quite serious about how he feels about the witch.
He's still standing beside Preston, however, so he can do a bit of damage control the moment that he recovers from his shock. A quick illusion spell is thrown up. He can't make anyone not have seen the kiss take place, but he can make it look like it didn't last as long as it did.
Like everyone else in the room, Chance is distracted by and focused on the trio at his side. It's the reason that his eyes aren't on the stairs when Jenna steps up. Something however, tugs his attention in that direction. Turning, Chance catches his breath, and straightens up out of his lean.
"Fuck."
He barely pays attention as he puts his beer on the bar, and hurries across the boat as fast he can to get to Jenna.
Grabbing her around the waist, he pulls her to him and dips his head to kiss her soundly. One hand trails down to her backside and he gives it a firm pinch as the kiss breaks. "I knew you were up to something."

♦

Siobhan's filming falters at the nibbling. It's definitely a 'shaky-cam' moment as she gives a delighted little purr and winds her free hand behind to rest at the nape of Harper's neck.
"Yes," Siobhan whispers, "You always do." It doesn't have to be like Comic-Con. It just has to be with Harper.
It takes her a moment to track the conversation as her brain goes on a tangent, replaying Comic-Con and then substituting a few naughty ideas for right here on the yacht. It's the reason she misses Jenna's arrival, and Chance's reaction, only catching up to the couple when Chance is kissing her bestie senseless.
I'll talk to Brooke, see if she can't be on the lookout for a little damage control. It means she'll have to let Brooke in on the situation with the trio, but she doubts that the woman who's living with a vampire is going to judge.
♦

Good idea. I think Chance tossed an illusion, but I can't tell for sure. No magic here, he points out, mid nibble. Harper lifts his head, resting his chin against her shoulder.
"Just wait until they see Ariel in formal wear for the Gala. I'll be surprised if Pres makes it there at all."
Beat.
"Were you aware my sister was going to dress like that?"
♦
Cooper continues trying to hide the pair, even as Ariel touches him to keep them all attached. He smirks a little, and slaps Ariel's backside.
"Let her show off. If anyone tries to get handsy, I'll toss them overboard."
♦
When Chance doesn't notice her right away, Jenna nearly runs back down the stairs to change. It's his attention she wants, not anybody else's. It takes her a few seconds to realize that he's trying to help their friends, which is something she can forgive him for.
Tugging at the bottom of her skirt, she turns her eyes down. Squeaking as he grabs her, she stares at him wide-eyed and breathless as the kiss breaks.
"Dressing for my boyfriend… isn't up to something," she tells him quietly.

♦

Siobhan focuses across the room, sensing the magic and gives a nod of her head. He did.
Beat.
I should have thought of that. Except she was too busy being stunned and then being distracted by her husband.
I'll still give Brooke a heads up.
"Formal wear pushed your buttons in all the right ways," Siobhan giggles and sighs at the memory. She tilts her head back and kisses the side of his neck. "You know I needed that that night? Getting that reaction from you. It was an affirmation of how much you found me desirable." Just like Ariel needed the reactions she got from Cooper and Preston.
Beat.
"Yes. Very much aware. I went shopping with she and Ariel, though I didn't pick out Jenna's dress."

♦
Ariel gives a little yelp at the swat, then leans back against Cooper. She can feel the magic dissipating around them. Ariel thinks it was a sorcerer spell, and she'll check with Chance and Siobhan later to see which of them she owes a thank you.
Her fingers tease lightly down the front of Preston's shirt and she turns up a shy little smile at them. "I wanted to surprise you both."
♦

"Consider us surprised," Preston smirks down at her. He rests his hand on her hip, and it's taking a good bit of willpower to stop his hands from roaming.
He slowly licks his lips, raking his gaze over her from head to toe. It's definitely a hungry, devouring gaze. "You look amazing, Elle. You really do."

♦

"Is that what this is?" Chance asks in a low voice. He drags his hand over her backside and leans in to nuzzle lightly at her neck. He places a kiss on her pulse point, then one directly above. "I'm trying to decide if I want to share you and show you off or cover you up and keep you all to myself."
Beat.
His other hand, the one hidden from the room at large slides up to gently graze the outside of her breast and he kisses his way up to her ear. "You're fucking hot, Jenna. Always."
♦
I was distracting you.
Harper is well aware that he can easily distract his wife, and he wasn't honestly trying to do it at the moment.
"What can I say? You look sexy in an evening gown, Flutterbee."
Beat.
"Ariel needed that. I don't know if Preston's reaction is going to be good for them, but I agree that she needs to feel more confident."
♦
"Definitely consider us surprised," Cooper agrees. "And if you even remotely think that you're leaving my side at all tonight, you've got another think coming. I'll spank you in front of everyone."
♦
"Mmhmm," Jenna agrees with a soft, happy sigh. "That's what it is. Dressing for you."
Beat.
"If it makes you feel better, the only place that actually shows skin is the cleavage. The rest is skin-toned material."
Shifting slightly against him, she smiles at him. "Good. I'm glad you think so." She honestly can't wait until he sees the garter and strap later.

♦

You're good at that. Siobhan presses another kiss to the side of his neck. That is not a complaint.
"I've heard that I look good out of one too." Siobhan smirks and turns, wrapping draping her arms over his shoulders so she can gaze into his beautiful blue eyes.
"She did, and it might be nothing to worry about. Pres has had years of spin-doctoring. He knows how to play the game. Besides, we know this crowd. They may be curious, but it's not like they're going to want to cross Preston Van de Mark. If he says it was a joke or bet, then who's going to argue with him?"
Siobhan glances over at the trio and shakes her head. "Provided he doesn't devour her in the middle of the party."

♦

The way Preston is looking at her has Ariel's body temperature rising a few degrees. He looks he might just eat her up right here and right now. Literally and figuratively. Her fingers tremble just a bit as she rests her hand against his stomach, and grabs one of Cooper's arms to wrap around her. "I'm glad you guys like it."
"I - I'm not?" Ariel tilts her head back to look at Cooper. A little thrill races through her, and her stomach flutters when he says that. The hitch in her voice can be plainly heard.

♦
"We more than like it," Preston is pretty sure that Cooper's in agreement with that. He leans in and whispers, soft enough to not be heard by anyone else, but loud enough that Cooper will hear. "You have no idea the things I'm thinking about doing to you right now. Or asking Cooper to do to you while I watch."
Beat.
Preston gives her hip a squeeze. "You are not slipping off to your own room and leaving us tonight, understand?" It's phrased like a question, but it really isn't.

♦

Chance draws back a little to rake his eyes over her. They move slowly, lingering at her cleavage, and then traveling lower. They trace every inch and every curve. He reaches out a hand and traces his fingers over the little heart on her hip and then to tickle down her thigh and over the hem of the dress. Blue eyes darken with lust. "It's a damn good facsimile."
Then he pulls her in again, burying his hand in the back of her hair and kissing her long, and hard. The kiss is marking and claiming. He's not going to make her change or cover her up, but he's damn well going to be sure that everyone here knows that she's with him.
♦

"You look great out of one," Harper says, running a hand along her side. "Maybe if we can slip off to somewhere a little quieter later, I can show you exactly how great I think you look both in and out of your dress tonight."
Beat.
"You're right. It may be nothing to worry about, but it won't hurt to let Brooke in on things so she can keep it out of the media for as long as possible. There's no point in your cousin having to go through that just yet." It'll happen eventually, but Ariel needs to figure out where and what this relationship is before everyone else starts trying to tell her what it should be, or that she's doing something wrong.
♦
"No, you're not."
Cooper catches Preston's eye, and then nods.
"She'll be joining us tonight if I have to throw her over my damned shoulder and carry her there myself, sweetie. There's no question about it. Besides, I told Nick he could crash on the boat, which means one less bed, so she's staying in ours anyhow." After all, they do have the king suite, so it's not like they'll be having to squish into a smaller bed.
♦
"I thought so." Jenna beams at the way her boyfriend looks as though he wants to devour her. That's the look he gave her at Purgatory, and while he does do it from time to time, it gives her a little thrill when she can make him act that way.
"Siobhan suggested it, and I hired a seamstress to put it in so the coloring would be right." Her words cut off due to the kiss, but she's not complaining in the least. She likes that he's claiming her in front of everyone.

♦

Siobhan lifts her brows. She smiles, a slow and sultry lift of her lips as her eyes glitter impishly. "Are we talking about escaping to one of the cabins or is my husband suggesting a dark corner for a little hanky panky?" She stretches up on her toes, leaning in to graze her teeth lightly across his lower lip.
Dropping back down, Siobhan twists again and settles against her husband. Her attention falls to the trio who seem to be not quite as interesting to the crowd of partygoers now that they're just talking. Even so, Siobhan can see the chemistry and charge between the three of them. That's going to be harder to explain away, unless it's something that she notices because she knows Ariel, Cooper and Preston.
"Yes," Siobhan agrees. "They do still need to figure themselves out before anyone else finds out and tries to interfere." It's going to be difficult when they do go public; it's an unconventional relationship and plenty of people just won't understand it. Siobhan doesn't understand it completely, but she can tell that Preston's happy. Ariel's happy aside from her bouts of insecurity, and even Cooper seems to be calmer and more settled than he has been in all the time she's known him.
Beat.
"Maybe we should go mingle a little? Welcome our friends and have a drink?"
♦
"Okay," Ariel agrees. She's not going to argue it. The little witch has been following Siobhan's advice, but she thinks that she has her guys' full attention now. It makes her feel a little giddy that she affected them that way. They both felt the need to claim her, even if it's going to be weird for Preston explain.
Ariel knows that it might be awkward, and a part of her really doesn't want Preston dealing with the media and that sort of thing. Another part is really happy though, that for a few moments she got to be with him publicly. Even if he is going to have to cover it after the fact.
♦
"It's not getting her there, it's keeping her there," Preston reminds Cooper with a wink. Ariel's been a slippery little eel the past few nights. Presenting herself for kissing and light petting, then slipping away quickly and easily enough. If it was a build up and prelude to this moment, it worked; though honestly, she didn't need to build up to anything.
"I'm sure you'll find a way to do that," Preston winks at Cooper. He dips his head and kisses the top of Ariel's head, a far more expected gesture from him. After a moment, he lifts up and captures Cooper's mouth in a promise laced kiss. There's something hot about Ariel being pressed between them and Preston takes full advantage. Cupping the back of Cooper's head as he deepens the kiss, he sets his other hand to the one Cooper has pressed between Ariel's body and Preston's. Angling his body just right to hide his action, he guides Cooper's hand up to her breast, and squeezes.
Preston breaks the kiss with a suckling to Cooper's lower lip. "Christ," the actor breathes out. Chasing the taste of Cooper with his tongue, he groans. "I really should do some damage control, though …" Green eyes flicker between his boyfriend and girlfriend and Preston pushes the wayward thoughts right out of his head. He's ready to deal with whatever comes their way, but he can't put Ariel through that yet. She's not ready for it. Cooper may have a devil-may-care attitude, but frankly, Preston doesn't think their boyfriend is ready to come out this way yet either.
♦
Chance is claiming her. He's going to let her show off, but he doesn't want anyone getting any ideas. Sliding his hands under her backside, he lifts her and carries her to the nearest spot where he can sit her back down. It turns out to be the bar, at one of the bar stools, and it's only then that Chance lets up the kiss.
"You look a little thirsty," Chance teases, tucking hair behind her ear. "What would you like to drink?"
♦
"The latter," Harper replies. He knows that's a bit unusual for him, but the yacht is large enough that they can slip away and no one would possibly find them unless actively looking for them.
"They will. They just need a little time to decide how they want to present themselves publicly. Preston's going to need to do damage control tonight though."
Looping his arm about her waist, he nods. "If we have to. You know I'm not half the social butterfly that you are," he teases.
♦
"I've got a few ideas for that. We're on a boat. There's plenty of rope. Enough said on that matter sweeties." Cooper is not going to let Ariel slip away again. Even if that means tying her to the bed all night until she's too exhausted to leave.
Allowing his hand to linger on Ariel's breast, he groans as the kiss breaks. "Fuck…"
Beat.
"You go do that, sweetie… I'll take care of our Little Mermaid here." His eyes rove over Ariel's body once more and he finally steps back so that he can adjust himself.
♦
There's a squeak of surprise that's swallowed up by the kiss. Once she can feel the barstool beneath her, Jenna's eyes open and she smiles at her boyfriend a little shyly. It's strange, that she can dress so boldly, but that simple claiming has her feeling just as shy as their first date.
"Something light for now. Maybe just a sparkling wine?"
Beat.
"Will you kiss me like that after I'm off the stage tomorrow?"

♦
Siobhan's heart skips and heat immediately pools in her center. It is unusual for him and Siobhan will positively leap at the chance to take advantage of the opportunity and his open mood. Tracing her fingers over his soft beard, her smile heats up a bit. "Whenever you're ready," the hybrid says with a wink. Her words are teasing and flirty, but she knows Harper is picking up on her every emotion.
She nods at his words. "I don't think Ariel or Cooper is ready to go public yet." Nor do they need to do such a thing. Preston's always had that annoying confidence with just a hint of cockiness and sort of dominant control freak that she has no doubt he'll handle whatever comes his way. The only thing that makes him flounder is his mother, and that's more of an annoyance/frustration factor than anything else.
Giggling, she leads him 'into the fray' as it is, stopping by the nearest and first group who happen to be the familiar faces of Nick and Taylor, and an old classmate from Dalton.
"Ok, so what's the sitch, Shiv?" Taylor doesn't even wait for Siobhan to greet them. She's sipping on a martini, her long legs showed off in a silvery shimmery dress that she can't possibly bend over or sit down in. On anyone else it would look trashy, but somehow Taylor pulls it off. "We all know Coop's open and easy, but I thought his boyfriend was totally into boys."
Siobhan shrugs, wishing for a drink of her own. "I'm not a mind reader, Taylor. You all saw what we saw and know what we know."
♦
Watching the men kiss, Ariel mewls softly and squirms between them. Her body responds even before she feels the hand on her breast, which elicits another little moan that's immediately followed by a blush. If someone had told her a year ago, or even six months ago that she'd so completely enjoy the sight of two men kissing, Ariel would have told them they were crazy. Yet here she is, getting turned on when she's only a spectator.
"You won't need rope," Ariel promises, her voice just a little bit higher than usual.
Lifting her eyes, she seeks out Preston's gaze. "What are you going to say?"
Beat.
"You could say it was a dare."
Feeling a touch bold, she turns a challenging smile on Cooper, "Is that what you're going to do?"
♦
Between Ariel's noises and Cooper's groan, Preston knows that he needs to break away for a while. He's the host. This is his party, but if he hangs around he's going to drag them both off to screw them senseless, to hell with the party. Between not having been with Ariel for a week, and just how he generally feels around the both of them, it's a dangerous situation right now.
The question is a distraction. Preston smirks, folding his arms across his chest. It's a way of keeping them to himself. "Maybe I'll say that you're so hot you turned a gay man straight?"
Beat.
"No." The actor shakes his head. "Saying it's a dare makes it sound like it's something I might have opposed or found distasteful." He shrugs his shoulders, "I'll probably say I got caught up in a moment or that I wanted to see just how you and Coop would react . .. and discovered that you're not a bad kisser." Preston winks.
He laughs and looks at Cooper. "I think the dress is making her saucy, sweetie." That sort of teasing confidence looks good on their girlfriend though and Preston isn't going to object.
♦
Chance turns to the on duty bartender and flashes the woman a smile. "One sparkling wine for my sexy girlfriend please, and a glass of scotch for me?"
While their drinks are being prepared, Chance tickles his fingers over Jenna's thigh and back down. His fingertips dance beneath the hem of her dress. "I'm going to kiss you like that for the rest of your life."
Beat.
"If I told you that I will, you'll be expecting it. I'm just going to have to surprise you with my reaction after your performance." After all, part of his intense response comes from the surprise of seeing her and the primal need to make sure that everyone knows she's claimed, and the animalistic urge to show her how hot she is.
Beat.
"I still haven't decided if it's a good idea to allow you ladies to dress unsupervised or not," Chance teases.
♦
"I'll let you know," he tells her, already thinking about where to drag her off to. He spotted a few places earlier when he was re-familiarizing himself with the yacht.
"Cooper?" Harper glances at the trio, and shrugs. "I think Coop can handle it if it came out now. As long as people weren't pointing out to him that he was committed to two people."
The two dancers are given a nod, and Harper greets the old friend from Dalton easily.
"Pres isn't above trying to shock his boyfriend now and then, though." It's also said with a roll of his shoulders.
I think that's the 'story' they've decided on.
♦
"No saying it was a dare. That's not fair to you, Mermaid." Cooper strokes a finger over her cheek, and glances at Preston.
"Just tell them that you were trying to shock me and get me going… both of which are true." Pressing a kiss to Ariel's shoulder, he glances back up at his boyfriend and laughs.
"I'm not complaining. I like her like this." Swatting her backside again, he leans in and whispers, "What? Fuck you, or take care of you? I could do both very easily right here."
♦
Jenna gives the woman a smile as well. "Thank you," she tells the woman.
Raising her eyes to her boyfriend slowly, she smiles. "I'll be expecting a kiss either way, you realize."
Beat.
"But if you see me coming out in a peacoat, and you can't see what's underneath? I'll be wearing something similar to my costume. Just saying."
Looking down at her dress, she flutters her lashes at him. "What? You don't like my dress?"
♦
There are advantages to having a telepath for a husband. Times like these, there's an inside track and Siobhan can easily 'play along' with the story. Siobhan nods her head in agreement. "No, he isn't. I think he likes being able to surprise Coop. Which, let's face it, isn't easy to do."
"His boyfriend isn't the only one he surprised," their old Dalton classmate, Theo, remarks. He knew Preston in high school and while they weren't part of the same groups, they sometimes ended up hanging out together by default friendship group overlap. "I don't think I've seen Van de Mark kiss a girl since he came out except on stage."
Siobhan arches a brow at him. "That was high school. I think we're all willing to step outside of our comfort zones since then. You know Pres has always been comfortable in his own skin."
♦
Ariel giggles and then sighs happily at the brush of Cooper's lips over her shoulder. "It worked too." The witch almost presses back against her boyfriend, but stops herself at the last moment. she's bold enough to tease and play a little, but teasing Cooper is different from teasing Preston. Whereas Preston is a calm that slowly builds to a storm, Cooper is a tempest that comes up out of nowhere.
"Cooper!" Ariel tries to chide him but the sharp hitching of her breath gives her away. "Let's try and enjoy the party for a little while before … you carry me off to a dark corner." That's not what he said, but it's where she draws her line.
♦
"It worked because I know what buttons to push," Preston remarks, waggling his brows. He leans in and presses a kiss to Ariel's cheek and steals a quick kiss from his boyfriend.
"Bold looks good on her," Preston agrees. "And she hasn't even had a drink yet."
Beat.
"You two try and behave yourselves." He lowers his voice and leans close so that only they'll hear his words. "I really don't want to find you two having sex on the bar or on the upper deck unless I'm there to watch." With that, he heads off to greet his guests, leaving his boyfriend and girlfriend to their own devices for a brief, short while.
♦
"Do you really think that you have to worry about getting a kiss?" Chance questions. "That's not even a question."
He stares at her a long moment, but doesn't say a word until the drinks are delivered. Once the bartender is out of earshot, Chance places his hands to either side of her thighs and presses into her space. His lips are beside her ear as he whispers. "If you do that, you'd better be wearing a thong or crotchless because you will leave me with no choice other than to take you right then and there."
That being said, the sorcerer slips back onto his barstool. He sips his scotch and runs his fingers over her thigh. "I love your dress. A little too much."
♦
"We all like to be able to surprise our significant others from time to time," Harper says, pointing his head in Jenna's direction. "She would never have worn that in high school."
Beat.
"Well of course he's not. No one expects something like that from Preston, but can you blame him for wanting to titillate a man like Cooper? For one, according to my wife here, he's 'hot'. For another, he's got a roving eye. Preston's just guaranteed that Coop's going to remember that kiss and use it for fantasy fodder until they can slip away together later."
♦
"Fine," he sighs, heavily. "I promise I won't fuck you here in front of everyone. I'll at least take you behind the bar." Winking at her, he kisses Preston and then brushes his lips over Ariel's shoulder again.
"It does look good on her."
Beat.
"Are you thirsty, Mermaid?"
♦
"No… but… you know I'll want to be all over you after the performance." Jenna blushes and looks down at her drink. Taking a small sip, she nearly chokes at his whisper. Closing her eyes, she nods. "Alright," she whispers breathlessly.
"Do you? Is it the hint of skin, or the fact that it looks more daring that it is?"
♦
"No, she wouldn't have," Theo agrees with a huge note of appreciation in his voice.
Siobhan blinks at him and laughs. "You're too late, Mr. Archibald. She's completely spoken for." Turning to Harper, the dancer bumps her husband with her hip. "Looks like I'm the one slipping up tonight. Should I be trying to surprise my significant other?" I'm sure I could alter this dress with a little bit of magic …
She loves Harper's approach and how he's helping with Preston's damage control. "But Preston has given Coop something to think about." Of course that doesn't explain Cooper's attention to Ariel, but that's something else entirely.
♦
Despite the rapid fluttering in her gut, Ariel giggles at Cooper's words. "Pun intended?" The shared reactions and the attention is good for her. She's feeling a little more outspoken and playful, and is confident enough to express herself vocally at the very least.
"Yes, I could use a drink."
♦
"Because I'm going to object to having my beautiful girlfriend be all over me?" Chance stares at her as though she's crazy if she thinks such a thing. "I'm going to be there with the hottest woman in that show on my arm as we leave. I want to show that I'm proud to be with you."
Chance pretends to consider it, taking another drink as his eyes move over her. "Yes."
♦
Chuckling at their friend's attention of his sister, Harper shakes his head. "Entirely spoken for, which is likely why she's brave enough to wear something like that."
Squeezing Siobhan's side, he grins. "If you were to surprise me any more, Siobhan, I'm liable to have a heart attack before I'm thirty." Only if I'm the only one that can see it. I don't envy Chance, or Pres and Coop, having to hide their women all night.
♦
"Absolutely. You know I'd do it if I could get away with it, and didn't think you'd be too embarrassed by it, sweetie. It's a thrill, doing something like that. Knowing that anyone could see you at any time…" Nipping at Ariel's pulse point, Cooper grinds against her a little.
Twisting suddenly away, he takes her hand.
"Come on then. I'll let you have whatever you want."
♦
"Well you might if I was in lingerie and we were in the alley outside," Jenna points out. Her thighs press together at the thought and she looks upward at the deck above to try to clear her head of the thoughts.
"You're really good for my confidence, you know that? Now I'll go into tomorrow feeling like the hottest woman in that show, and it'll come through in my performance."
Beat.
"Maybe I'll buy another dress like this sometime then. When you least expect me to wear it."
♦
"I wouldn't go there, Theo," Siobhan shakes her head. "Chance can be quite … protective." Then again, Jenna does like it when Chance gets into one of those moods. She leans over and kisses Harper's cheek. "So can this one."
And Ariel was worried. Siobhan never doubted for a moment that the dress would be a hit. She knows that it's not always about the dress; sometimes it's also about the woman in the dress.
"Siobhan? You know which way I swing, and I can honestly say that if you were my wife? I'd be protective too," Nick snorts. "We had a pool going when you first joined the Company. To see how long it would take before Coop got you into bed."
Siobhan's never heard that before. She gapes at her fellow dancer for a moment. "Seriously?!" There's not even a beat of guilt or embarrassment; the thing with Cooper has been put behind her in light of everything else.
Beat.
"Who got the money when nobody won?"
Taylor laughs. "I think we went drinking with it."
♦
"I know you would," Ariel nods her head. The witch doesn't know whether it's the attention to her pulse point, the suggestiveness of his words, or the teasing grind that has her all aflutter, but she likes the feeling. "Maybe someday …" When she's bolder and more confident than she is right now. Which might not be for a good long while. Or at least until she's got a handle on privacy and illusion spells.
Weaving her fingers through his, Ariel peers mischievously over at Cooper. "Whatever I want?"
♦
Chance smiles at her. "Two words: privacy spell."
Beat.
"You should feel that way because you are."
Beat.
"Yes, but the next time I might not be so laid back." Chance leans toward her, resting his elbow on his knee. "The next time, I might just rip it off of you and really claim you."
♦
"Me? Protective?" Harper grins, because he knows he can be. Hell, he was protective of her before they even started dating. Years before, even.
"Then it's a damned good thing I married her when I did, because I would have hated to have to break Coop's nose for getting my girl into bed with him." The telepath squeezes Siobhan, to let her know that there's no jealousy there. What happened, happened, and it was a magical occurrence that no one had control over. While there's a hint of annoyance still, he's past the jealousness.
"And you didn't take Shiv with you?"
♦
"Definitely some day, Mermaid. You may not be ready for a while, but I'll definitely give you the experience at least once." Cooper licks his lips, leading her toward the bar.
"That's what I said, sweetie. Whatever you want."
♦
Jenna swallows a sip of her drink slowly, and locks her eyes to his. "Deal then." She's still trying to shake the thought from her mind, because that's just not a good idea. At the same time? It's thrilling to think about and she can't help that she has to push her legs together a little more.
"Oh?"
Beat.
Blue eyes widen, and she stares at him for a good minute. "O-kay," she manages, hoarsely.
♦
"Hey," Siobhan gives her husband a nudge. Touching her hand to his cheek, she draws him in for a sweet, tender kiss albeit a brief one. "He never would have succeeded. I'd been waiting for you forever. I wasn't about to screw that up."
She gets the meaning behind his squeeze but still needs to let him know that he was her endgame.
"You do realize that at our ten year high school reunion, you're going to be the envy of half our class, Harper?" Theo asks, watching the couple. He glances over at the dancers. "Half the boys in our school wanted to be with Siobhan. She really was one of the hottest girls in school."

♦
"Okay," Ariel says. "Whatever I want." It's a very simple, quiet response. She was hoping for a little more teasing and feedback from him; it makes it easier for her to relax and be comfortable. Therefore it takes her most of the walk to the bar to build up her courage.
Before they reach the bar, she stops and turns to Cooper. The little witch bites her lip and then lifts up on her toes to whisper in his ear. "I want to try spanking."
She doesn't look at him as she turns away, though her heart is pounding and she's blushing profusely.
♦
"You'd really like that, wouldn't you?" Chance notes his girlfriend's reaction and chuckles. He walks his fingers up her thigh and over to her hip, tracing the heart there. "You would absolutely love it if I did that, wouldn't you?"
♦
"One of?" Harper raises his brow a little and leans in to nuzzle Siobhan's neck. "She was, and still is the hottest woman I know."
I know you weren't going to screw it up. Just be happy I got scared of Jesse coming back into your life.
♦
Cooper frowns a little when Ariel gets quiet, worried that he's screwed something up. When she stops him, he raises his brow a little.
Then he freezes for a second at her words.
Cupping her backside, he twists her back toward him, and looks down at her semi-seriously. "Right now? Or did you want to wait until we're alone?"
♦
Worrying her teeth over her lower lip, Jenna nods slowly. "Yeah…" It's really all she can say in regards to his question, because she would like it. She's a little embarrassed and ashamed of the fact that she likes the idea so much.
"I really would."
♦
The dancer giggles, and reaches back to wrap an arm around her husband's neck. Siobhan colors in a rare blush under the compliment, because Harper's words have that effect on her. "You're the hottest man I know."
Every day.
"Oh god, you two are so cute it's sickening," Taylor teases.
♦
"N - n - no, not right now," Ariel gives her head a frantic shake, her voice nearly squeaking, and her blush seems to get darker.
"Later. When we're alone."
She chews at her lip, her gaze sliding from his briefly. Then she pulls it back to his, trying to fight against the shyness that wants to rear its head. "I thought it would be something new to try … tonight."
♦
"Are you sure you're not as hedonistic as Cooper?" Chance teases.
Before she can answer, he draws her in and kisses her deeply. It's slow and long and passionate and Chance refuses to break the kiss until they both have to breathe.
"Then one day, when you least expect it, that's exactly what I'm going to do."
♦
"You think that's cute? Have you seen the other couples around here?" Harper knows what's going on around him and he's doing his best to ignore it. He nips at Siobhan's shoulder again, and then looks up with a grin.
"Just imagine what we'll be like after the wedding and honeymoon…"
♦
"I didn't think so," Cooper replies. Lifting her up, he kisses her quite soundly, trying to get the shyness to disappear again. "We'll try it tonight then. Surprise Pres with it." Waggling his brows at her, he leans in and whispers, "Now did you want to try spanking in the scenario I painted earlier, or did you want to try just regular spanking?"
♦
"Wha — ?!" Jenna turns bright red, and reaches for her glass of sparkling wine. Chance catches her off guard with the kiss and her fingers drift away from the glass. One hand comes up to rest on the back of his neck, and she kisses him until he breaks it. Looking at him, breathlessly, she nods slowly again.
Once she's stopped being so dizzy from the kiss, she reaches for the glass again and finishes off sparkling wine really quickly.
♦
"There's a difference between cute and hot and bothered," Taylor points out. "I'm willing to bet money that your sister and her boyfriend will be sneaking off within the hour if they last that long."
Beat.
"Then there's Coop and, your cousin, right Shiv?" Taylor looks at her friend curiously after watching Cooper with the younger woman a few moments. "What's going on there?"
Siobhan leans against Harper and rolls her shoulder in a shrug. "You know Coop. You can ask him. Though whatever it is, if Preston isn't up in arms about it, then I'm not sticking my nose in it."
She's right though. We aren't crawling all over one another.
♦
The kiss surprises her, though Ariel promptly throws herself into it. Wrapping her arms around his neck and attempting to take control of the kiss. She is feeling confident and she hasn't had anything to drink yet.
Ariel whines in protest when the kiss ends, but she does focus on his words. "I don't know … what do you think would be better? Maybe I should … ease into it?" The witch is embarrassed; it's a natural response for her. But she also talking about what she wants which is a plus.
♦
The sorcerer really does love how he can affect his girlfriend. He gives her a smug little smile as she downs the rest of the sparkling wine. Waiting until he has her attention, Chance reaches down and slowly adjusts himself. Making certain that she's aware of just how much she affects him. His little bit of teasing isn't one sided.
"You know, I think the crew goes to bed eventually," Chance whispers to her. He pats the bar. "This is a perfectly good bar."
♦

"Granted, but when they're not so hot and bothered, they're sickeningly cute." Harper looks over his shoulder, then shakes his head.
"Cooper is being Cooper," he answers. "He's a hedonist. What do you expect him to be doing while his boyfriend is off making the rounds?"
No, we aren't. We're being good friends and visiting. We'll crawl all over one another later.
♦
"Let's start slow, and if you feel up for it or enjoy it enough, we can go for anything else." Squeezing her backside again, Cooper lowers her to the deck and then winks.
"Come on, Mermaid. I promised you a drink." He can't help but watch Chance and Jenna as they come up to the bar, but his attention goes right back to Ariel.
With a smirk, he turns to the server and says, "Can I get a Spank That Ass?"
Beat.
"Make it two, actually."
♦
The empath slowly lowers her eyes, watching his hands. She can't help but blush as he does it. She nearly reaches out to touch him, but then she hears Cooper's voice and stops herself.
Jenna shifts her gaze toward the bar, and swallows.
"Yeah… it is…"
♦
Preston has been making the rounds. Being the good host, mingling and doing a bit of damage control following his lack of control. He's trying not to be obvious whe his attention strays back to Cooper and Ariel, and hopes that the partygoers assume that it's Cooper only who's captured his attention. Not that he's enjoying how Ariel looks in that dress, or the sight of his lovers together. Certainly not that he's imagining a good many ways that they would look hot together.
Reaching the small group with Siobhan and Harper, he greets everyone and then fixes Siobhan with a look. "We need to talk later, sweetie."
♦
Siobhan grins brightly at Preston's words. No doubt he thinks she was behind Ariel's style statement tonight. He's right about that too. Though as near as she can tell, he's not exactly disappointed in it either. "Whatever you want, Pres."
♦
Ariel can't help but notice Chance and Jenna at the bar, or the way Cooper's attention shifts to them. She can't really blame him. Jenna's dress is sexy and Chance is hot. The witch is happy that she captured his atention while she did and she tries not to fret over it too much. He doesn't watch them for long, which is a bit of a relief and helps her relax a little.
There's a giggle, and probably a permanent blush when Cooper orders the drinks. Ariel doesn't think it's a real drink and gives a slow blink of surprise when the bar tender turns away to make the drinks. "There's really a drink named that?"
♦
"See what you do to me?" Chance points out. "I can't even mess with you without messing with myself."
He gives her knee a squeeze and his gaze slides over to Cooper and Ariel. "Hey Coop. Ariel." Beat. "You look great tonight, by the way, Ariel. At a guess, I'd say Coop and Pres like the look too."
Chance keeps his hand on Jenna's thigh, stroking up and down her leg. He's being friendly and polite, and Ariel deserves the compliment for her boldness. The sorcerer isn't ogling the witch, and he hopes that Jenna picks that up. Jenna's the one he's with, the one he wants to be with, and the one he's having trouble keeping his hands off of.
♦
Harper raises his brow at Preston, and then looks at his wife. "I knew you were up to something," he murmurs, giving his head a shake.
Looking back at the group, he rubs his hand down Siobhan's back.
"Why don't you tell Theo about your theatre, Pres?" If only to keep Theo off of why their 'gay' friend was kissing a woman.
♦
It would be very difficult for anyone to not notice Chance and Jenna. The couple is all over one another, which Cooper can definitely appreciate. His attention, however, is on his girlfriend.
"You bet your sweet ass there is," he teases with a grin. "I thought you'd enjoy the… humor in it, Mermaid."
♦
"Because you like the idea too?" Jenna raises her eyes, looking at him curiously.
Noticing Cooper and Ariel, she smiles. "Hey, you two!"
Beat.
"See? I told you they'd like the dress. It's sexy."
♦
The theatre is a topic that Preston can easily launch, however, he's just as ready to deal with questions regarding his interaction with Ariel. He tells about the theatre and its location, also slipping in that he won't be able to give it the sort of attention that he'd like due to his new role. That launches the conversation into a round of congratulations and speculations, and a promise to get open-ended tickets for those who aren't already on the ticket list, like Siobhan and Harper.
♦
Just the dresses, Siobhan tells Harper. You've seen the products of my plotting. Pres probably wants to chastise me for not giving him fair warning. Which would have defeated the purpose of putting Ariel in that dress.
Beat.
Well … that and I might have advised Ariel to be a little hands off with the boys for a couple of days. Really build up her lure and their anticipation. That's likely the reason that Preston's composure slipped the way it did. The man is dating Cooper; being hands off and denied is not something that he's used to experiencing lately.
Cooper probably isn't either, which makes it amazing that he isn't all over her cousin and hasn't dragged her away from the party.
♦
"I do. I just didn't think it was a real drink," Ariel smiles at him.
Her face darkens at Chance's compliment and she gives him a quiet thanks and a smile.
"Yeah," she says to Jenna, "I guess they do like the dress."
The witch slowly climbs up onto the bar stool and crosses her legs. She reaches a hand out and strokes it down Cooper's arm. Just a bit of tactile contact in making sure his attention doesn't stray from her.
♦
"No," Chance says. He takes a large swallow of his drink, blue eyes watching her over the rim of his glass. "Because I love the idea."
Beat.
"Was this some massive girl plan? Sexy dresses all around?"
♦
I've already told them that you were trying to surprise the hell out of Cooper, Harper tells Preston with a dip of his head while his friend is being complimented on his starring role.
Siobhan…
Beat.
If you ever do that to me… The telepath doesn't think he needs to explain to his wife that she doesn't need to do that.
"Does anyone need a drink?"
♦
"You wouldn't believe the drink names they come up with. Anything to sound sexy, or alluring, or comical. There's plenty of them." Cooper wraps an arm around Ariel as she climbs up on the stool and shifts his stance so that he's standing behind her.
"Fucking right I like the dress."
Beat.
"Know what I'd like more than that dress though? Getting her out of it." Teasing his fingers over her shoulder he slides the arm down just a little before setting it back in place.
♦
Jenna blushes and her entire body trembles at what Chance says. Pushing her glass toward the server, she silently asks for another.
Thighs press together again as she locks her blues to his. "O-okay…"
Beat.
"Yes. Sort of."
♦
Thank you. There are depths of gratitude in Preston's 'voice.' It's the story he's been sharing with people.
"Are we already for the Gala?" Preston asks the dancers in the group.
♦
Siobhan gives Harper a surprised and indignant look, then leans against him again. I won't, but I'm confident in our relationship and don't second guess whether you're having sex with me because you want me or just because you want sex. Ariel needs to know that they want her. If tonight doesn't give her cousin a little firm footing and confidence, Siobhan doesn't know what will.
"Yeah, we were trying to head to the bar eventually," Nick says. "We got distracted by good company and conversation."
Siobhan shakes her head at Nick. "I already like you. You don't have to suck up to me." The hybrid dancer nods her head toward Preston and giggles. "He's the one you want to suck up to."
♦
"Like what? I've heard of Sex on the Beach, and Blowjobs and Orgasms," Ariel says with a giggle. "I thought those might be the most outlandish ones out there."
She leans back against her boyfriend with a smile, and trails her fingertips over his arm where it rests around her. "I could dress like this more often?" She won't, not just because of the amount of courage it took for her to put on this dress. She likes the reaction she received and doesn't want it to become common place.
Ariel shivers as he teases at her shoulder and shifts on the stool. "Later… I don't think Jenna and Chance want to see that."
Beat.
"We wanted to impress our boyfriends," Ariel admits, her eyes dropping down a bit shyly.
♦
The bartender removes Jenna's glass and takes it to refill without a word. The crew on the Van de Mark yacht is well-trained and well-paid for their services. Services which include knowing when to fade into the background.
Chance leans in and presses a kiss to the side of Jenna's neck. His mouth hovers there, tongue teasing over skin before he draws back and gives her knee a squeeze.
"I'm always impressed," the sorcerer tells the little empath. "I do appreciate the dress and how great you look in it, though."
Beat.
"Yes, as much as I like you, Ariel, that's far more intimate than I want to be acquainted. No offense."
♦
I did 'hear' your story, and figured we'd play along. Harper winks at Preston, and then squeezes Siobhan's side.
It's definitely the sex, he teases, lowering his head so he can nip at her neck.
"Why don't we move in that direction then? Get everyone a drink, and then let you get distracted by more conversation."
♦
"Multiple Screaming Orgasm, Slow Screw, Creamy Blowjob, Slippery Nipple, Red Headed Slut, Suck Bang Blow, Piece of Ass, Fuzzy Dick, Handjob, Leg Spreader…" Cooper waggles his brows at Ariel. "It's a rather long list, and I could go on and on."
Beat.
"I'd suggest it. Dressing like this more often, or at least wearing sexy clothes when you're comfortable in them. You look hot, and I don't mind showing you off as mine at all."
Cooper glances at the other couple and then leans in and whispers, "Then they don't have to watch."
♦
Catching her breath, Jenna squirms on the bar stool. There's just something about Chance being so attentive, and turned on by what she's wearing that makes her feel powerful and sexy.
"Thank you," she tells her boyfriend quietly.
Giggling, she nudges her boyfriend. "You know, you did see Siobhan, Kay, and Pres naked… but I don't think getting undressed here at the bar would be a good idea… maybe if we go skinny dipping off the boat later…"
♦
It seemed like the best since it rings most true. That wasn't the reason that Preston descended on Ariel like he was a half-starved man and she was a seven course meal but it's all that anyone outside of his group needs to know right now.
Preston gives Siobhan a mock horrified look. "Bite your tongue, Mrs. Donovan! I am not that bad. I don't require any extreme amounts of brown nosing. Just a touch will be just fine."
He motions toward the bar, in agreement with Harper's suggestion. It's going to test his willpower keeping his hands off of Ariel, though he can use Cooper as a buffer. Then again, he might just have to pull them both off to the makeshift dance floor. There's always excuses for touching and being close then.
♦
Figures, Siobhan 'laughs.' She reaches back and gives his backside a squeeze. Same here. But the sex is really fantastic.
"We can intrude on Jenna and Chance and force them to pay attention to someone other than each other," Siobhan remarks, only half-teasing.
♦
Ariel listens to the names and starts to laugh before Cooper gives up listing them. She takes a sip of her newly arrived drink and considers. "I think that a Slow Screw followed by Multiple Screaming Orgasms would be … good." Her joke does make her blush, but she manages to get the words out.
Beat.
"You might get used to it if I dressed like this more often, then it would just be commonplace," Ariel suggests, tickling her fingers over his arm and up to stroke the short hair at the base of his skull. She has thoughts and temptations, but she's not feeling bold enough to follow through on the random ideas that flitter through her mind.
She giggles again, with a bit of breathlessness. "I'd like to keep my clothes on in public for now, okay?"
Her eyes go wide with the suggestion of skinny dipping and she takes several sips of her drink.
♦
"And again with that," Chance rolls his eyes in faux exasperation. "You realize that I was focused on you, right? You were parading around naked, and drunk, and I just wanted to get you indoors and sobered up." He's not saying that he didn't notice, because it was hard not to notice a patio full of naked bodies, and human curiosity. However, he didn't pause to ogle or commit to memory.
"We can definitely go skinny dipping," Chance grins at her. "That can be fun." Even as a whole group, it's always fun. Chance has no doubts that Cooper and Preston will be fond of the idea; Ariel might not be. He doubts that Harper and Siobhan will join them, because he can't see Harper wanting to indulge in skinny dipping, and if Harper doesn't, then Siobhan won't.
♦
"They're talking to Ariel and Cooper," Harper points out. His sister and her boyfriend may be entirely wrapped up in one another, per usual when Jenna wears something outrageous, but at least they're not so intent on one another that they're ignoring people.
♦
Cooper likes the laugh, and raises his brow at her suggestion. He brushes his lips against her ear and whispers, "That's what we'll do then. Spank that ass, a slow screw, and multiple screaming orgasms." It should be pretty obvious that he's not talking about the drinks at that point, but he motions to the server and orders the other two anyhow.
"Fine. For now. But you'll be coming swimming with us, even if you keep your bra on."
♦
Giggling, Jenna wraps her arms around her boyfriend and gives him a sweet kiss to the cheek. "I know. You wanted me wrapped up, sobered up, and in bed. It was sweet, and I really appreciated it." Because she knows that out of all of them, she was worse off. Even though she didn't drink as much as everyone else, she was feeling what everyone else was drinking too.
"Then it's a plan. Later, though." Once most everyone else is gone.
♦
"I think it's rather sweet that the Cowboy gets all protective when Jenna shows a risque side," Preston remarks, glancing over at the bar. It's not Jenna and Chance his gaze lingers on, however. "It's good for him to be reminded that Jenna is hot and can turn heads, no matter what she happens to think on the matter. And it's good for her to know she can knock him off his feet that way."
Preston glances over at Siobhan, giving her the sort of look that only friends in on the same conversation can understand. It's a look that says he didn't need that particular sort of reminder.
♦
"Yes, they are being social," Siobhan will give her husband that. "That doesn't mean we can't crash the party of four."
Siobhan pretends to either not see or to misunderstand the look Preston is shooting her way. As far as she's concerned, he needed the reminder as much as Cooper did. And Ariel really, really need to get that sort of reaction from her boyfriends. The fact that Cooper hasn't left her cousin's side, and for once doesn't seem overly observant of the other people at the party? Shows just how much the whole triad needed it.

♦
"O…kay." Swallowing, Ariel nods her head. She can't quite form words, with the heat of Cooper's breath at her ear and the seductive promise behind her words. The thoughts and images that it provokes have her squirming on the barstool and taking several large swallows of her first drink.
Setting the glass back to the bartop, Ariel reaches back and sets her hand to Cooper's hip. She gives his hip a squeeze, because that's as bold as she can bring herself to be in the moment.
"I'm not wearing a bra." She gives a somewhat shy laugh. "This isn't exactly a bra dress."
♦
"Later, definitely," Chance agrees. "I'm not going to share you with everyone."
He really doesn't think that will be a problem. Cooper may have joked many times about seeing them all naked, but he thinks the dancer will be plenty distracted by Ariel. Just as Chance will much rather focus on Jenna than drooling over the nudity of his friends, no matter how good looking they might be naked.
♦
"See," Harper says to Taylor with a grin, "They are sweet." It's just hard to miss a lot of the time when the pair gets wrapped up in one another.
"Touche, Flutterbee. Let's go crash then."
Scooping her up again, he starts to carry her toward the bar.
♦
Cooper looks down the top of her dress, and smirks. "Then I guess you'll be going topless regardless. You can keep the panties on though."
Beat.
"Besides which, I happen to like the fact you're not wearing a bra. It means later on, I can slip my hand under your dress and roll your nipple between my fingers while we're dancing."
♦
"Good. I don't want to be shared with everyone. I trust my closest friends though." Even if Jenna were worried about Cooper, once the boat anchors, there's plenty of water around them. Preston, Cooper, and Ariel can take one side of the boat, she and Chance can take the other. If Harper and Siobhan want to join? There's always the bow or stern.
♦
The group descends on the small gathering at the bar, and Preston encourages everyone to step up and place their drink orders. He slips behind his boyfriend, wrapping arms around his waist and pressing a playful kiss to the side of his neck. "Miss me?"
The positioning allows him to twist his hand and tease his fingertips along the dip in the back of Ariel's dress, enjoying that momentary contact with her as well.
♦
"Cooper!" Ariel squeaks. Her attention darts between Jenna and Chance and the bartender, wondering if they've heard him and hoping that they haven't. The fact that the suggestion makes her squirm a little and wiggle in her seat just makes her bite her lip and duck her head.
♦
"I think that you're safe in this crowd," Chance laughs. "Even with Cooper here."
Beat.
"Hell, I'm safe."
♦
Setting Siobhan down on a bar stool, he waits for her order and then gets a scotch for himself. Harper stands behind her, so that Taylor can take one of the other stools, not wanting to make her stand all night if she doesn't want to.
Even though she may have to in that particular dress.
♦
"What? I'm just being honest. I can cop a feel later, and no one would even realize." Cooper hears everyone coming before Preston wraps arms around him. Leaning back a little, he smirks. "Maybe a little. Ariel's been keeping me great company. I've almost convinced her to go skinny dipping later."
Beat.
"Mostly skinny dipping. I told her she could leave her panties on."
♦
"I don't think you're as safe as that, Cowboy. You still have me to contend with," she teases lightly. Jenna plants another kiss on his cheek, and then looks up as everyone arrives.
"Hey, Theo! I haven't seen you in forever." A nod is given to Nick and Taylor, whom she doesn't know quite as well.
♦
Preston laughs and swats his boyfriend's backside. "I might have known you would suggest skinny dipping." He tops the swat with a pinch and reaches around Cooper to grab the side of Ariel's barstool. Just enough to turn it so that she's able to look at them without having to twist or lean backwards.
"Has he gotten to the co-ed naked hot tub party yet?" Preston teases.
♦
Siobhan watches in amazement as Taylor manages to settle on the stool without flashing the entire room. "I have to learn that trick."
She accepts her drink, a wine spritzer, from the bartender with thanks and shakes her head at Preston. "Do you really think it's a good idea to encourage him?"
Beat.
"You know if you wore a bra and panties, it would be like wearing a bathing suit," Siobhan points out to her cousin.
♦
"No, not yet," Ariel says with a shake of her head. She reaches out to touch Preston's hand briefly, and crosses and uncrosses her legs. Her free hand sets for a moment to Cooper's abdomen, right above the catch of his pants before she withdraws it.
She's quiet for a moment as she looks down at her lap. Then she looks at Siobhan and says, softly, "If I wore nothing at all, it would be like skinny dipping."
♦
"I'm never safe with you around." Chance tickles her side and over her hip, a genuine tickling touch that's meant to illicit laughter.
"Coop can't take the blame this time," Chance continues. "It was my lovely lady's idea."
♦
"Preston! Don't give him ideas," Harper says with a laugh and a shake of his head. When his wife admonishes their friend as well, he laughs again. They all obviously know Cooper too well.
♦
"What? If we're all going skinny dipping does it matter if we all share a hot tub to warm up in later? I mean, skinny dipping is a co-ed naked sport as is." Cooper rolls his shoulders in a shrug and finishes off his drink. Sliding the glass to the side, he pulls the slow screw over and hands it to Preston. "Now that I'm done Spanking that Ass, you can have a Slow Screw," he teases.

"Besides, skinny dipping was, as the Cowboy stated, Broadway's idea."
♦
Blushing deeply at being called out on her suggestion, the little empath swats at Chance's hand and giggles.
"No, no you're not. I'm such a seductress," she tells him with a roll of her eyes.
"Iiiiiididmentiontheskinnydipping," Jenna admits, finishing off her second drink just as quickly as the first.
♦
Preston is briefly distracted by Ariel's words. He stares at his girlfriend a moment, and flashes her a smile. "I think someone is feeling emboldened." It's not a complaint. He likes her like this. He likes the sweetness and shyness too, and it's sexy in its own way, but this is a change and one to enjoy for the night. Since he well knows tht Ariel hasn't had a personality change.
This is that little hidden side showing through. The side that first reared in Vegas.
Thinking about that makes his body start to react, and he's glad for the distraction regarding Jenna. "Jenna?! You suggested skinny dipping?"
Beat.
"I'll bet you weren't expecting it to turn into a full party, hmm?" He accepts the drink from Cooper, and shakes his head at the name of it. Reaching down, he cups his boyfriend's backside. "Later, sweetie. As slow as you want it."
♦
Siobhan shrugs and then says, "There are plenty of other ways to warm up." She has a sweet, innocent look on her face and gives an innocent bat of her eyes. She expects no one to fall for it, but she pulls the tactic anyway.
♦
"No," Ariel says, taking a sip of her next drink. "I'm being logical. If everyone goes skinny dipping and everyone is naked, I'm not going to be the only one dressed. Even if it is in my underwear."
♦
Harper smirks and then wraps his arm around his wife's midsection. "Siobhan, no one believes you're that innocent." Pressing a kiss to her neck, he murmurs, "But I can think of plenty of ways to warm you up after a dip in the water."
♦
"That's the plan," Cooper tells Preston with a wink. One that Ariel's mapped out through their teasing, but one he fully intends on taking advantage of. "And for Ariel… Multiple Screaming Orgasms…" That glass is slid over to her, and he grins. "I'll just order one of the others I listed off for myself."
Beat.
"That's right, Mermaid. If you want to be naked, you be naked. I'm not going to complain, and we all know that." He'd invite Taylor and Nick, but not if Ariel's not comfortable with the pair.
♦
Dipping her head down, Jenna nods.
"It's not like most of us haven't been naked together before."
Beat.
"I mean with the Hamptons, and the stage, and the dressing rooms, and putting on outfits tonight… and… you know… just add water?"
♦
Siobhan purrs and reaches out to comb fingers through her husband's hair. "Keep talking like that and I'm going to start trying to find an excuse to ditch our friends …" She's half-joking. She likes when he talks like this, and acts like this and …
Wait. Are you considering skinny dipping?
♦
Preston catches himself before he can publicly comment on the multiple screaming orgasms. He has to bite back his reply and take a long, large swallow from his drink. Then he places a solid kiss to Cooper's neck, still hugging his boyfriend from behind.
"The day you start complaining about such things, we'll all be worried about you, Coop."
The actor is in a terrible, wicked mood. He can't resist poking at his friend a little. "Yes, way to recover, Jenna and make sure that no one learns that we're all secret nudists and exhibitionists."
♦
Chance slips off his barstool and crosses the short space to stand in front of Jenna's. Smiling, he presses a kiss to the top of her head. "I think that we all know what you meant."
Beat.
"I think we've all had plenty of exposure to others seeing us half or fully unclothed. Others that we aren't intimately involved with."
Beat.
He tilts her chin up and kisses her sweetly. "Just add water."
♦
"Not yet," Harper tells her with a wink. "You made me promise to be social tonight, and so I'm going to be social." Smiling at his wife, he shrugs his shoulders a little.
//Maybe. Not with the group, but maybe."
♦
"What?" Cooper grins again, and points out, "She asked for it." It's the truth, though he's skewing her words just a little bit. Pinching Ariel's ass, he looks over his shoulder and smirks.
"You know I'll never complain about something like that."
♦
There's a moment where Jenna just wants to hide in a corner. It's a long moment until Chance is standing right in front of her. His words, and the way he says them make her relax a great deal.
"That's exactly what I meant. It's not like I've got oodles of time between acts for costume changes and all that. You do what you have to do."
Beat.
"Right. It's not going to be titillating or whatever is all I'm saying."
♦

"I'm sure some people will find it titillating." Preston tickles his fingers over Ariel's side in a playful manner, grinning when his girlfriend squeaks and tries to avoid the tickling while staying on the stool. "For those to whom it will be a new and exciting experience."
He looks around at the group and slides away from his boyfriend. "Though right now, what this group needs is … shots." Leaning on the bar, he smiles at the bartender. "The Comisario Blanco please, limes, salt and glasses all around."

♦
"Tequila, Pres?" Siobhan stares at her friend and shakes her head, laughing. "You realize if everyone gets too drunk then it won't be a good idea to go skinny dipping?"
Chance snorts, "Then we probably shouldn't get too drunk."
♦

"Naked people are always titillating, Broadway." Cooper smirks a bit, and leans in to stage whisper to Ariel, "Especially yours."
Beat.
"If you add a deck of cards, we can play Suck and Blow," he teases.
♦
"Oh, no tequila for me please, Pres. I have to go on stage tomorrow and I'm trying to mix up my drinks with water." Which, after downing two glasses of sparkling wine, Jenna desperately needs.
"Can I just get a bottle of water for now?"

♦

"You may have whatever you want, my Broadway twin," Preston tells the actress. "We do want you to give a spectacular performance tomorrow. Even if the rest of us are in the audience popping Tylenol and aspirin." He's joking because Preston doesn't intend to allow anyone to get that drunk. Not anyone who plans on going swimming in the ocean later. Also, he's aware that in Jenna's case, she'll feel everyone else's inebriation anyway. She won't need anymore alcohol of her own.
As tequila is poured into the shot glasses, Preston passes them around. "We could," Preston agrees, with his boyfriend. "Though I think a first round of shots to break the ice."

♦
Siobhan holds up her shot glass, but doesn't drink from it right away. "All at once or one at a time?"
♦

Chance places a kiss to the side of Jenna's neck as she receives her bottle of water. "Yes, you do need to be sober. I want you to remember everything I told you and put on a dazzling performance."

♦
Harper grabs a shot glass, and glances at his twin. He knows that she feels things a lot more than he does, whether it's because she's a much stronger empath and wears her heart on her sleeve, or he's just got more natural barriers to certain things.
"There is more to do on this yacht than drink too. There's the hot tub, and the dance floor, and I believe I saw a billiards room when I was reacquainting myself with the vessel."
♦
When Cooper gets his shot, he smirks. "Only if everyone is alright with the kissing. Otherwise we'd have to make it a shot game, and if we're not supposed to get totally hungover before we see Little Miss Broadway on stage tomorrow…" Doing shots might not be the best idea.
♦
"Tonight, or tomorrow?"
Jenna blinks at herself for that tease, and blushes deeply. Clearing her throat, she sips daintily at the bottle of water and swivels her stool so that she's facing everyone else.

♦

Preston looks between his boyfriend and Harper, and rolls his eyes in an exasperated, over-exaggerated fashion that only Preston Van de Mark can manage. "I don't believe that I ever said that the intent was to get completely drunk. It's a round of shots. We don't have to play any drinking games, and there is plenty to do. Anyone who doesn't wish to partake doesn't have to do so."
Beat.
"There is a game room and a billiards room, and dancing and the hot tub is open to anyone who'd like to indulge."
Overhearing Jenna, Preston smirks. "That sort of performance should take place in one of the cabins. I should warn you, the walls are neither sound proof nor accoustical," Preston winks at his friend.
♦

"I think we need to do one shot at least. To Preston for his role of Spider Man and to Jenna for luck tomorrow," Ariel suggests, holding up her shot glass. She turns her wrist up, then changes her mind. Instead, giving Cooper a shy little smile, she takes his arm and stretches it out. Placing the lime between his lips, she slowly swirls her tongue around the inside of his wrist. Ariel sprinkles a little salt there, then says, "To Preston and Jenna." Quickly licking off the salt, she downs the shot and then leans toward Cooper, claiming the lime from his mouth.

♦
Chance can't help it. He puts his shot glass down and claps. It might mean nothing to the extra additions with them right now, but he knows that's a rare moment of boldness for Ariel. Especially in front of near-strangers. "Well done," Chance chuckles.
"Your turn," the sorcerer tells Jenna. Before she can figure out what he means by that, he spins her around to face him as he half-kneels, half-crouches at the bar stool. The lime is tucked carefully in the dipping circle of her dress. Then the sorcerer licks a line across the exposed spans of skin. He takes his time sprinkling salt there, which he uses his fingers to spread a bit.
Winking at Jenna, he holds up his shot glass. "Congratulations to Preston and … all the best to my sexy girlfriend." That being said, the sorcerer drags his tongue over the salt line before downing the shot and plucking the lime out of his girlfriend's cleavage.

♦
"I wasn't suggesting people can't drink, Pres," Harper tells the actor with a laugh. "I was just pointing out that there's plenty to do rather than sit at the bar all night."
Lifting his shot glass, he settles the glass into the top of Siobhan's dress. Licking his own wrist, he sprinkles the salt and taps the lime against her lips. Licking up the salt, he grabs the shotglass with his lips. Tossing his head back he downs the drink, and then grabs the lime from Siobhan's lips. Kissing her passionately rather than biting into the lime, he holds the empty glass out for Preston.
♦
"Ariel, what a—" Cooper just stares at his girlfriend for a moment. When she's done he plucks the lime from her mouth and lifts her back onto her seat. Smirking, he downs his shot and then bites into her lime.
"Damn, I love it when you're bold."
♦
"My turn for… eek!" Facing him, Jenna giggles, and figures out exactly what he's planning. Licking her lips, she watches as he sprinkles the salt and purposefully spreads it around. Her breath catches as he licks her skin again and she can't help but shift on the stool a little.
"Thank you," she says sincerely to everyone, blushing the entire time.

♦

Siobhan watches her husband with curiosity and amusement. Her dress isn't built for him to try Chance's antics, but she likes his approach. The dancer dutifully wraps her lips around the lime. There's a laugh, muffled by the lime as he downs the shot, which is then cut off completely by the kiss.
Siobhan doesn't hesitate or think twice about responding to it. Setting one hand to the back of Harper's head, and grasping his hip with the other, she gives a soft, throaty purr and deepens the kiss.
Her own shot glass is forgotten for a few moments, as is the fact that they're not alone. Harper's boldness is a turn on for her, and has her squeezing her thighs together as her entire body heats up. She doesn't let the kiss break until they need to breathe. Licking her lips, Siobhan holds his gaze a few moments, grinning happily at him.
♦

Sensing that the newlyweds might be otherwise occupied for a few minutes, Preston takes Harper's empty glass and plucks Siobhan's full one from her hand. The witch obviously doesn't even notice as she immediately uses that hand to grab her husband.
Laughing, Preston holds up the shot glass. "It's self-serving to toast to myself, but this one is for you, Jenna." He licks salt from his own wrist, downs the shot and follows it with the lime.
Beat.
"The next one will be for the hell of it."
With that, he grabs Ariel and lifts her up onto the bar. Gently coaxing her back, he gives her an impish grin. "Trust me." Glancing over his shoulder, he winks at Cooper, sending the impression that this is entirely for his boyfriend's benefit.
Ariel's dress is actually cut almost perfectly for this. Preston taps the lime to her lips and licks a patch along the open vee of the dress. The shot glass is placed where the vee closes off and he sprinkles the salt.
Preston glances back at his (their) boyfriend again, and gives him another wink. Then he grabs the glass between his lips and downs it. It's immediately plucked from his mouth, and his tongue trails up the salt path, and then to nip the lime from Ariel's mouth. He'd kiss her, but he knows that would be pushing the boundaries of credibility.
After biting the lime, he puts it in the empty bowl and guides Ariel to a sitting position. Preston does give her a sweet little kiss to her cheek, "Thank you for playing along."
♦

Ariel squeaks and goes wide eyed with surprise when Preston lifts her onto the bar. It's on the tip of her tongue to ask what he's doing when she figures it out. The witch can feel herself blushing over every inch of her body, in addition to being suddenly and exceptionally turned on by her boyfriend's 'playing.'
Staring up at the ceiling, Ariel giggles. It's mostly from nerves, because she doesn't want to sigh and giveaway her body's true reactions to Preston. She can't help that she's a bit breathless and has a faint tremor when he sits her up again.
"You're welcome…"

♦

Preston isn't the only one shaking his head at the newlyweds. It's a bit surprising to see them act that way, though and he can't help but pull out his phone and snap a picture. He'll send it Harper and Siobhan later. Or maybe get it blown up for a wedding gift. Or maybe both.
"I think this is for your benefit, Coop," Chance says, once he shakes off his surprise at what Preston is doing. It will help keep the rumors and speculation to a minimum. At almost the last moment, he remembers his phone is still out and he snaps a few pictures. Those are going to Cooper.
♦

When in Rome…
Harper grins at his wife, then looks over his shoulder at everyone else. "What? We've only been together for a few months." They've been married nearly a year but they've only had two full months together.
♦
Cooper whistles at Preston's antics, definitely playing up the fact that his (their) boyfriend is doing this all for show.
"That's not how you thank her," he teases. Grabbing Ariel around the waist, he dips her back and kisses her fully, tasting a bit of lime on her lips.
"That's how you thank her." Winking at Preston, he sets Ariel back to rights.
♦

Are you sure that you want to go there? Siobhan slowly drags her fingers up Harper's torso, giving him a sultry look. I think that Rome might be a bit risque around here …
Glancing around, she gives a smile to everyone, "We are allowed to be as newlywedish as we want."

♦

Preston laughs and cups his boyfriend's backside. "No, that's how you thank her."
He leans in and presses another sweet kiss to Ariel's cheek, using it as a cover to whisper in her ear. "I'll thank you properly later."
Straightening up, Preston looks around the group, and then hops up on a bar stool. Raising his voice, his announces to all the party guests, "There is dancing. There is a games room. There's billiards and there's the hot tub. It's a party, so everyone … party. Make yourselves comfortable and have a good time."

♦

With that having been said, Chance scoops Jenna up in his arms and dots a few kisses over her neck. "How would you like to party?"