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Post by Jon Brunner on Feb 4, 2009 16:10:02 GMT -4
Jon woke up a few hours later as the sun was rising. He pulled himself out of bed with a silent groan as his muscles reminded him of how sore he was. He walked into the bathroom and got a quick shower before getting dressed. He wanted to go get his truck back before he could do a few things. He went down to the shop to borrow some clothes since he couldn't walk back to his truck barefoot in sleepwear. He slipped on a shirt and some slacks, and borrowed a pair of shoes. He knew Alexis would understand but he would pay her back for the clothes since he was going to get some anyway.
Just as he was about to leave he saw the security system was armed. He went back upstairs and lowered himself from the bathroom window. He landed with a crouch and began the walk to his truck. A half hour later he saw where he'd left it, he couldn't help but feel a wave of relief roll over him as he saw it was just as he left it. He opened up the door and began to check that nothing was missing. He checked his phone and saw he'd missed a bunch of calls. Mostly his business associates and his banker. He dialed his banker first since any business contacts he had would go to his banker if he couldn't be reached.
"Damnit Jon where the hell have you been? I've been trying to reach you for days."
"Personal business Jackson you know how it is. I need you to do something for me. I need an apartment in Greenwich, furniture and buy me some clothes. I'll be sending Al along for a payment, usual procedure, just put the money in a bag and hand it to him. Cut yourself ten percent of it."
"Jon Brunner settling down? You're kidding me right? Why do you send that old geezer around, you know he creeps the hell out of me. When are you going to tell me what it is he gets your money for?
"Just do it already Jackson, I'll tell you when I think you can handle it. You've been working with me for years now and I hate to get a new banker."
"Whatever Brunner, tell gramps to show up at two."
Jon hung the phone up and made a list of what he'd need from Al. He'd met the old man through some contacts and ordered any specialized stuff he needed from him for hunting. Al never was a big talker so it wasn't a very long conversation. Jon drove to a small diner to get some breakfast, it was still early so he'd leave Alexis to sleep in. He climbed back into his truck and pulled out his laptop, he ran his fingers over the keyboard realizing how lost he'd become without it. He'd have to copy the information into a journal in case he lost it again. He pulled up Alexis's file and saw that the information had been updated.
"Thank you Miss London..."
He read up on the different Aliases and saw that she'd been around for a while. He saw the oldest one, Alexia Meridia Bathory-Nadasdy, and after a quick search found out who she had been born of. He realized he had been holding his breath and let it out as he finished reading the article.
"I've been spending nights with not only a vampire but the Blood Countess's daughter as well."
He drove out to a small shopping district and made his way to a tiny unknown shop. He was only in for a few minutes before he left again. It was Al's shop but very few people knew what that meant. The place had iron buried around it to prevent demons getting in.
Just as he was heading back to Alexis's, his phone rang.
"Jon got you a place in Greenwich, it's a pretty sweet deal and I got it for a good price.
"Great, order the furniture and I'll check it out later."
He made the turn that would lead to Alexis's boutique, he hoped this was the right decision.
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Post by Alexis London on Feb 4, 2009 20:34:32 GMT -4
Alexis opened her eyes slightly. Rolling over, she flipped herself across the pillow on the other side of the bed. As she became more fully awake, she realized she was laying in the space where Jon had been sleeping a few hours ago. But apparently, he'd already gotten up.
Getting out of bed, Alexis threw on a pair of black silk pajama pants and a matching tank top. It didn't take long to determine Jon wasn't in the apartment. It bothered her slightly, but she kept her temper.
Alexis settled herself on the sofa with her laptop and her cell phone. She began checking both her business and personal bank accounts as she turned on the phone. There were about 6 drunken messages from Clinton. She called him back.
"Are you sitting down?" There was no greeting when he picked up.
"Yes, why?" Alexis hit delete on a few emails.
"I have the biggest news in history."
So do I. She thought as she began doing an Ebay search for handbags. The thought of her settling down was nearly unheard of.
"What?"
"Guess who's closing?"
"No idea."
"Colton's."
The phone literally fell from her hand. Alexis threw the computer aside far too hard and grabbed up the phone.
"What?"
Clinton was laughing.
"Did you drop the phone?"
"Yes, now what happened?"
"One of his investors going down for fraud. Apparently he's scared to death. Getting out of business before someone else can get ahold of his assets. He's got a huge sale going on. Want to meet me at 10?"
"Yes, I'll be there." Alexis clicked off the phone. This was too big of a deal to sit on. Hurriedly she showered and found the most immaculate vintage dress she owed. She grabbed a pair of shoes from downstairs that hadn't sold and she'd been eyeing for weeks now. Quickly changing purses, Alexis headed off to the other shop. As she headed out the door, she changed her sign to read she'd be back at 1. Jon could call her cell phone if he was looking for her.
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Post by Jon Brunner on Feb 5, 2009 2:32:58 GMT -4
Jon pulled up in front of the boutique and saw a sign saying it would be open again at one. He picked up his phone and dialed her number, he got her voicemail. He wasn't worried so much as he was curious, what would make her rush off so fast in a hurry.
"Alexis it's Jon, I'm sorry about this morning but I didn't want to wake you. I can understand if you're upset about it, just call me back when you can."
He decided to check out the place Jackson had gotten him. He trusted the banker as much as he could, Jon had met him a broken man, up to his neck in debt and a failing marriage. Jon had helped him in the stock market and now the guy ran a nice banking branch in New York. The guy didn't push any questions he had or it would've been bad for business. He just hoped the guy had good taste as well.
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Post by Alexis London on Feb 5, 2009 8:36:14 GMT -4
Alexis knew that her phone had been vibrating that it had a new voicemail for some time now. As she was on her way home, she pulled it out of her purse and listened. There were two new messages from sales executives following up on potential distribution, a customer calling to see if they could pick up an on hold item at 4:30 and one from Jon. She called the customer first and then left Jon a voice message.
"Jon, it's Alexis. I got a business tip this morning I had to follow up on. I'm on my way back to the store now. I'll meet you there."
Alexis disconnected the call. So far, it had been a successful 24 hours. A solid relationship and a high profile business deal.
She let herself into the shop and disconnected the alarm system. She'd have to give Jon the code so he could turn it on and off himself. Which made her wonder how exactly he'd left that morning, but her phone rang again and the thought got pushed to the back of her mind for later.
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Post by Jon Brunner on Feb 5, 2009 20:18:44 GMT -4
"And that is the end of our little tour, I hope your happy with everything Mr. Bartholomew."
"Of course thank you very much."
Jon had just gotten a tour of his new apartment, more specifically a loft. Two floors with full bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, living room, and an office. Jackson had outdone himself this time, Jon was going to have to give him larger cuts.
He had his phone turned off the whole time and saw he had a message.
At least she didn't sound mad at me.
He left the apartment and went to his truck. He pulled out of the parking space and drove back to Alexis's boutique. A few minutes later he was parking across the street. He opened the door and made his way between the customers milling about. He decided to do some shopping while she helped out some other people. After he had picked out some suits, a few pairs of shoes and some other things he made his way to the checkout. He waited until she came over before apologizing about everything.
"I'm sorry about this morning but I didn't want to wake you and I had to borrow some clothes. Besides I needed some new clothes for my apartment anyway and I figured who better to help me pick them out. So how was your day so far?"
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Post by Alexis London on Feb 5, 2009 21:08:21 GMT -4
Alexis decided that picking up these shoes for herself had been an excellent idea. They were beautiful and they looked amazing on her feet.
She caught Jon's scent before she caught sight of him. She had a desire to remove everyone else in the room so that she could kiss him. But people were spending money, and Alexis liked that.
When Jon appeared at the counter with several items, she raised an eyebrow. An apartment? He'd gone through with it? Impressive. He didn't waist any time.
"I'm impressed." She smiled, as she pulled the shirts towards her and began folding them carefully. "One that you didn't wake me this morning, and two because you got your apartment."
She hung the suits up that he'd selected and covered them with garment bags.
"Don't worry about this morning. I'm usually such a light sleeper, I notice everything. My day's been well. A huge competitor is closing down and I got an amazing deal on some of his merchandise. How about you?"
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Post by Jon Brunner on Feb 5, 2009 21:37:33 GMT -4
"Well if I had woken you up before you wanted to, I didn't think you'd let me stay in bed with you. So I played it safe and let you lie in. Which reminds me I wanted to give you this..."
He pulled out a shiny key from his pocket and slid it across the counter.
"Since we're going steady I figured a key to my new place wouldn't be out of the question. I'll take you around there later and show you the place. I still need to pick out some furniture."
He was glad he'd gone through with it, just being closer to Alexis made his life seem more worthy.
"Well let's see got my truck, got a place to live, and I have the most amazing woman on Earth. So my day has been pretty amazing. I've got some errands to run before I get settled, I'll be back later tonight. Love you..."
He leaned over the counter and gave her a soft kiss, he would've jumped her right on the counter but he tried to keep it low key in front of the customers.
"I'll be back, any problems call me."
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Post by Alexis London on Feb 5, 2009 22:13:24 GMT -4
Alexis smirked.
"I'd always let you stay." She put the shoes he'd selected into a shopping bag. Turning around, she saw that he'd placed a key on the counter.
"Thank you." She smiled, looking up at him. Reaching under the counter, she pulled out a piece of paper. Writing a few numbers and a word on it, she pushed it towards him.
1171600
Bathory
"It's the alarm code." She told him. "I have a key upstairs. I'll get it later."
Love you? Her eyes light up. She wasn't sure a man had ever said that to her before.
"I love you." She murmured, letting her hand brush his lightly. "I'll be here. Call me or stop back. I can't wait to see your place."
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Post by Jon Brunner on Feb 5, 2009 23:33:48 GMT -4
Jon slid the piece of paper over and put it in his jacket pocket. He couldn't help but grin at the code, nobody in their mind would guess that.
"That's fine, I'll have you over for dinner to celebrate. I still need furniture so I'll do what I can to get that taken care of."
He moved out of the way as a large woman dressed up in some fake furs practically pushed him so she could get to the counter. The tiny dog that had been in her purse stuck it's head out to yap at him. Jon looked at Alexis and felt a pang of sympathy at the things she dealt with. He went back out to his truck and decided to look for some furniture.
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Post by Alexis London on Feb 7, 2009 12:17:13 GMT -4
Alexis was intrigued by Jon's reaction to the code. She wondered if there was some possibility he'd figured out her human identity. She'd have to ask him later.
"Just tell me where and when, I'll be there." Her smile was distracted when a very familiar woman joined them at the counter. Alexis's eyes fell immediately on the dog in the woman's bag. Personally, she liked dogs and wanted one of her own, but there was nothing likable about this particular dog.
"Mrs. Filmore, I see that despite my frequent requests for you not to bring your dog into the store, and your frequent threats not to shop here any longer, both you and the dog are here again. While I'm happy to see you and your wallet, kindly ask your dog to wait outside."
The woman didn't bother to comment as she pushed everything she was carrying across the counter as well as her credit card. They both knew she'd be back a hundred times or more with dog in tow. Alexis rolled her eyes. It was moments like this that she was sorry she couldn't openly murder someone.
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Post by Jon Brunner on Feb 8, 2009 1:32:09 GMT -4
God, this man is insufferable.
Jon followed a small, squeaky man by the name of Hansford around the furniture store for what seemed like the nine millionth time.
"I'm sorry but do you not understand the word 'no'?", the salesman was going to sell him the ugliest couch he'd ever seen if it was the last thing he did. Jon had already gotten everything he wanted. He stuck with a simple clean look but Hansford was intent on selling him something Jon's dead grandmother wouldn't have bought when she was alive and the woman had been blind.
As Jon left the store he pulled out his cell phone and called Jackson.
"Next time just send me a catalog and I'll give you a list of what I want. Have the delivery guys set everything up, tell the company I'll pay them extra to have it done tonight."
"Ya, I'll do you one better and have it done by dinner."
"It's why I keep you on the payroll."
Jon hung the phone up and decided to text Alexis. He wanted to sit and talk with her but a text would be easier in case she was in the middle of work.
Hey gorgeous, you doing anything tonight? Thought maybe we could catch a show or something. Maybe after that I can show you my new place. Text me back when you get the chance. Love you.
Jon decided to take a walk around the block, it wasn't to dark and he doubted there was anything to bad out there. Nothing as bad as he'd ever seen. He loved the way the city was at night but there was always the depressing spots, muggers that thought they were hidden in the alleys, people begging for change to get at least one meal a day. Jon took a step down an alley and decided to play a little Charles Bronson.
A few minutes later Jon was walking out with the cash he'd 'confiscated' from someone that decided to prey on others. He dropped the wad of cash into a woman's hand that was holding her kids close to keep warm. Before she knew where it had come from, he was gone. He got into his truck and went to his place to change into a different suit. He decided to dress casually formal so that whatever Alexis wanted to do he'd be up to. He threw some extra clothes into a duffel in case they did any jobs or something. Thirty minutes later he was shaved and washed up sitting across the street from the boutique as he waited for the last customers to leave.
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Post by Alexis London on Feb 8, 2009 12:21:45 GMT -4
Alexis had pretty much decided she needed to stop shopping for herself in her own store. A delivery boy from another shop had brought over a few pieces she'd picked out and a navy and white dress had ended up on the stairs to be taken up to her closet. She was going to lose money if she spent so much time hanging onto things that would get a higher price.
She'd just finished unloading a pair of red patent leather boots that she couldn't stand to have so close to her property when she heard her phone beeping. There were only a handful of other people in the store and no one needed her desperate help, so she slipped behind the counter and picked it up.
Hey gorgeous, you doing anything tonight? Thought maybe we could catch a show or something. Maybe after that I can show you my new place. Text me back when you get the chance. Love you.
She smiled, liking the thrill that went through her a his words. Jon certainly had a hold over her she wasn't expecting.
I could be persuaded to do anything. Think on it and let me know. Call me. Love you.
She couldn't deny she was relieved to get rid of everyone for the evening. Not only because she was anxious for her plans with Jon, but because people had been particularly irritating that day. She'd caught herself several times making a list of people she wanted rid of, and then reminded herself that those actions were inappropriate now.
Alexis turned off the lights in the shop, locked the door and flipped the sign to closed. Upstairs, she took a quick shower. After drying her hair, she pulled it into a low ponytail which she tossed over her right shoulder. Then she selected a black and white print dress that was backless except for a black strap across her shoulder blades. It looked casual from the front, but more evening in the back. For shoes, she grabbed a pair of python stiletto heels. Now as soon as she had Jon, she was good to go.
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Post by Jon Brunner on Feb 8, 2009 13:14:58 GMT -4
Jon watched as the last of Alexis's customers left and the shop shut down. He pulled out his cell phone and called her up to see if she was ready.
"I thought we might go catch an opera tonight, it's called the Devils of Loudon. We can do that or maybe dancing, I wasn't sure what you'd be into so I have a couple of places set up. I'll be at the front door."
He pulled the truck into a nearby parking lot and locked up for the night. He pulled out his cell phone and called the limo he'd ordered for the night to pull up outside the door. He grabbed the bouquet of roses he'd picked up earlier for her. The flower shop owner had helped him pick one out, he was told to get a particular shade of red so dark it appeared almost black. He checked himself once more before waiting for Alexis to come down.
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Post by Alexis London on Feb 8, 2009 20:48:23 GMT -4
Alexis was reapplying her makeup. She needed to go out this weekend so she could get some more. She had tons, but her favorites were running low and that was unacceptable. Somehow, she doubted Jon would be interested in coming with her for that particular excursion.
Alexis heard her phone ringing and went to pick it up.
"The opera sounds good. I'll be down in a few minutes."
She sprayed on another coating of Chanel No. 5 and headed downstairs. Outside, she found Jon waiting. Her eyes widened with surprise as she saw that Jon had called a limo.
"You look amazing." She told him as she kissed him gently. "And I think you've gone to way too much trouble for me. You're going to spoil me."
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Post by Jon Brunner on Feb 9, 2009 4:13:18 GMT -4
Jon was always astounded by Alexis but she sure knew how to impress.
"If I'm amazing then I'll need a thesaurus for every language out there to describe how you look. I have to say you certainly look ravishing in anything you wear or don't wear", he added with a sly wink.
"If you aren't careful Miss London, I may have to take you upstairs and we'll never get to see the opera", he whispered in her ear.
He held the door open for Alexis to get in and went around the other side to get in. A little while later they were pulling up to the playhouse and going straight through the doors without waiting in line. They were escorted straight to some prime box seats over looking the theater. Before the lights began to dim, Jon put a white gold chain with a heart shaped diamond around Alexis's neck.
"I love you and the spoiling's just begun, I've never felt as happy with someone as I've been with you."
He had timed it just enough that she couldn't reject the present without missing the beginning of the opera. He held her hand throughout the play glad to have her company.
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