Who Has More Money? (Adrian)

[Kate]

An empty classroom was always good for a student who didn't want to go to another class. Kate had often found herself in these sorts of rooms, and his was no different. She was sitting on the teacher's desk, back perfectly straight as she sat there trying to imagine herself on the beach instead. Her hands were placed on the desk behind her and she leaned back, relaxing. She was wearing simple clothing. A pair of khaki shorts that stopped mid-thigh on her, a white tank top with silver thread weaved into the scoop neck, and a pair of silver and white heels on her feet. The white jacket she normally wore was laying on the desk next to her. Her long blonde hair was loose, and hanging about as normal.

She was minding her own business, relaxing. Her car keys were on the table, right next to her D&G handbag. Expensive stuff all around, with her emerald jewelry. Big emeralds, all real. She was a rich bitch, and damn if she didn't know it!!! The girl's emerald green eyes flashed straight at the door as someone opened it.

Forgot to lock it...

[Adrian]

"I'm sorry, this must not be the right-"

Adrian's mouth shut up really quickly and hung open for only half a second, thankfully, as he regarded the girl sitting alone in the room at the teacher's desk. Tall, curvaceous, and the very definition of an extremely attractive girl, and one that new it. Adrian, however, had seen many hot girls in his life. Not that many hot girls, however, who accessorized in Dolce & Gabbana so effortlessly.

And the real emerald jewelry? Anyone born into wealth can usually tell the difference between a fake and the real deal at a glance. And this blonde bombshell was, in fact, the real deal.

So, was it her expensive tastes or her classically beautiful appeal that caught Adrian's eye?

"Excuse me," Adrian began, closing the door behind him, somehow not immediately switching into super-suave mode right away. In fact, he became a little self-conscious, tugging at his Armani silk shirtsleeve in some sort of nervousness, unintentionally (or maybe completely intentionally) showing off the rather (read: extremely) expensive Blancpain watch.

In all honesty, this was the first time he'd met someone who seemed to enjoy flaunting their wealth as much as he did, that he didn't know how to act. He had been so acclimatized to insulting the peons that he couldn't react properly to a princess.

"Umm... so what exactly are you doing in here? Or... here in general? I mean... that's not a knockoff D&G, that's the real thing."

Okay, so maybe not the most tactful entrance, but hopefully the boy could clean up his act in the moments to follow.

[Kate]

One eyebrow rose really quickly, emerald eyes staring at the new comer. Blonde hair, blue eyes, tall... well dressed. Expensive clothing and all that sort of thing... The watch caught her eye. She knew the brand right off the bat, and had a feeling this guy was one of those types. He liked to show off what he had, same as her. Those full lips twisted into a smug little smirk.

"You'd hardly catch me with anything fake."

She slid off the desk and onto her feet, hands resting on her hips. Those emerald green eyes never left the boy. That's right, boy. He was younger than her, call it a gut feeling. Taller than her too though, like every other male she had run into. What did they feed guys around here?!?!

"My purse isn't a fake, not anymore than your," she moved forward, a few strides to where he was standing. Just an arm length away, still smirking. She leaned over, and tapped a finger on the watch, well manicured nail making a slight, soft click on it. "Blancpain watch."

She leaned back and stood upright again, waiting on some sort of answer. Kate was use to leaving men speechless... by why was this one trying to point out name brands? Was that all that was interesting in this room? Was he gay or something?

[Adrian]

"Careful," Adrian said, pulling his arm away well after she touched the watch, a smirk on his face. "You might scuff it."

There, there was a spark of Adrian's charm. It all just felt so new to him. The usual attitude he found himself adopting around here was one of scorn, or superiority. Chanced with a meeting of someone he would consider to be right on with his social strata, Adrian would usually be charming and witty, but, unused to it as he was, he was still stumbling to get back on that bike, so to speak.

"You're an unusual sight for sore eyes, I must say," Adrian began, still unsure of how to really begin conversation. Usually this wasn't so much trouble, even with attractive girls. "Forgive my... my speechlessness, though I doubt that's anything new to you," he said with a smile, showing his perfectly aligned white teeth. Another benefit of belonging to one of the richest families in California is having access to the nothing but the best dentists and orthodontists. Being personally health-minded to a point that bordered on being obscene didn't hurt, either.

"I've been out of private schooling for months now, and I must say you are, without a doubt, the first girl I've seen to really know how to accessorize." Adrian nodded approvingly, before realization of what exactly he had said hit him.

Once again, back to nervousness and weirdness. "Wait, no, that's not what I... I mean... I sounded really gay just now, didn't I?" The boy laughed, somewhat nervously, frowning a bit in frustration. How lame was this?

[Kate]

She took a step back, those emerald eyes losing just a bit of their warmth. He spoke about being rather speechless, which was normal to her. However, everything he was saying suggested exactly what was in his last line. Gay, gay, gay. She took another couple of steps backward and hopped back onto the table.

"I must admit, silk shirt, nicely dressed, tall, manly, and yet all he seems to talk about is the details of my current wardrobe? It screams gay darling. You're doing a good job convincing me you are gay."

A burn? Maybe. She was almost use to men man handling her. Trying to "sweep" her off her feet without words, and only with brute strength. And it would explain so much, once again, if he was gay. She crossed her legs, and smirked at him. One eyebrow arched again, it was a normal thing for the blonde bombshell. She arched her back, leaned on her hands, and well smiled. Showing off? You better damn well believe it.

"So are you gay? Or are you just a bit... girlie?"

Yeah. She went there.

[Adrian]

Adrian's eyes went wide as she started to, at least in her eyes, put two and two together. And the 'four' that the girl was coming up with was simple - Adrian was a flaming homosexual. Adrian frowned. Simply put, she couldn't have been farther from the truth. Adrian was very fond of the company of females, and just as shopping partners, either. In this situation, way too many factors collided together to turn Adrian from being his usual cocky, suave self to a blustering mess. Adrian shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs and the fluster that he had accumulated in the short few moments being alone in this room with this girl.

And the way she leaned back like that....

Damn!

Something about that beautiful figure seemed to snap him out of his fluster. She was so cool and confident, something Adrian was sure she used to put guys ill at ease when around her. Adrian, however, was prone to rising to challenges, and the way she was teasing him, it was just another battle he had to win, the stubborn prat.

"Gay? Girlie? Please," he said, smirking and meeting her arched eyebrow with one of his own. It was definitely a facial expression those well off had perfected for looking down at people. He strode forward, coming closer to the girl until their eyes could look into each other's. His bright blues met her icy emeralds. It was clear, both of these two people knew exactly what they had and what to do with it. He smiled at her, flashing his pearly whites yet again.

"I'm sure you wish I was gay. That would make it easier to stomach the fact that you've probably never seen a straight man as well-kept as this, right?"

[Kate]

And there he was, all up in her face like she wanted. She grinned the moment they were looking eye to eye, emerald eyes dancing with humor. And then he cracked his little comment about being well put together. She cocked her head back and laughed, deep in her throat. Once she was done with that she leaned forward, challenging the small space he had created. Dominating it, or at least trying to.

"Hardly darling. You're well put together, but I've had ex's just the same as you. No different in the least sort. At least... some of them."

And she had dated the most scruffy guys too. She liked them aggressive, no matter who they were or what they looked like. Looks could be changed after all.

"I think that you've never met a girl like me, and it makes you feel rather weak in the... knees."

There was something in her voice that suggested she wasn't talking about knees at all. But Kate was perverted, so that's how she rolled. She waited, still smirking, wondering what he was going to do next. Oh! So much fun this one was!

[Adrian]

The girl moved forward, closing further the small space Adrian had initially created between them. She taunted him with her words, causing a grin to split Adrian's features. She spoke of having guys just as well put together as he was, which only made him shake his head. Like him, maybe - but just like him? Not a chance.

She spoke again, a teasing little sentence filled with innuendo, to which the boy raised both eyebrows, his eyes glinting in interest. This girl was definitely a keeper.

"I'll be honest, sweetheart, it's been a long time since I've seen a girl like you. You're quite the welcome change from the much more common people that love to prance about these halls."

As Kate leaned forward, so too did Adrian, not willing to give up the control of the rapidly lessening personal space to this spunky girl.

"And maybe I am weak in the knees, love, but we both know you're the one who's going to do the falling for me when its all said and done."

His eyes met hers, they were very close to each other currently. His eyebrow rose up, almost challenging her to say otherwise. The tension and the heat both seemed to rise to astronomical levels as the two attractive rich people faced each other down.

[Kate]

She laughed again, not moving an inch, and laughing out loud. Fall for him? Kate McHallin fall for anybody? Hardly, with the likely chance of being never. Her heart was ice, frozen over by many events in life and by many men. Her hand moved forward, one finger pressing lightly under his chin, lifting just slightly. Her skin was soft and smooth, like one would think from looking at it. Her voice was just as soft.

"Darling, you're probably a fun tease. You're probably a good kiss. Hell, for all I know you're a good fuck too. But that's one thing that will never happen, I promise you. I will never fall for anyone ever again."

She stayed like that for a moment, not moving an inch. There was something within her voice that hinted a spot of ice. He could try, oh he could try. Just like all the others. Those emerald eyes just started at him calmly when she spoke again.

"But you're free to try darling. You're free to try as hard as you want."

A challenge? Some people would take it that way.

[Adrian]

She has very soft hands...

Adrian did his best to fight a blush as her finger touched his chin, lifting his head slightly. He lost the battle, a teensy bit of red showed through. The boy, however, wouldn't let it phase him. This was more than a conversation. This was a game, between two people who knew all too well exactly what they were doing. Any false step here meant losing the game. And if there was one thing Adrian didn't do well, it was lose.

The question was, however, exactly which challenge he would rise to: Being on top of the flirting game, or the challenge of having her fall for him.

As she finished speaking, Adrian pulled the glove from one of his hands, and took her outstretched hand in his own. His rather well-kept skin would touch hers as he softly removed her hand from his chin and placed it on his chest, holding his hand over it lightly, so that she could react and move if she wished to.

"I don't know, love," he began, his voice challenging, but his face looking soft and almost caring. "Are you worth it?"

His eyebrows rose, meeting her challenge with one of his own. His lips parted in a genuine smile once more. Something about this girl... well, all Adrian knew is that he hadn't smiled this honestly so much in a long time.

[Kate]

More laughter, and she pulled her hand away. Leaning back once again and smiling at him all the same. Kate was always full of smiles with the boys she played games with, and teased. Was she worth it? Hardly. Damaged goods and all that jazz, and not a touch of it reached her pale face.

"Careful, you might scuff it."

A joke, turning his words around on him. She jumped off the table, stood to her full height... which was still a bit more than a bit short of his. But the heels helped, a tiny little bit. The blonde flicked strands of silvery hair out of her emerald eyes and just looked at him.

"To be honest, it depends darling. I'll be up front and honest with you, as I am to everyone. Because I don't give two shits on what people think of me. I've been used and abused, and any man who ever does that again is going to loose his little friend in a painful sort of way. I'm flirty, a big tease, but if I'm attracted to you enough I'll give you a night or two you'll never forget. My heart is ice, and no one is going to thaw it..."

She tilted her head to the side just slightly, still smiling.

"If I'm not worth your time, then why haven't you walked out already?"

Kate chuckled and reached inside her back pocket. Pulling out a card, ivory with silver printing on it. High quality for a business card. She tucked it into his front pocket deftly, quickly. If he pulled it out, it had her name and number on it, with a silver rose etched in. Like Kate, then the rose, then McHallin. And if he was a rich snob, he would have heard of that name before. Her father had made a name for himself with it after all.

[Adrian]

Adrian smiled at her first comment, a wry grin at her twisting his words against him in a more clever fashion than he'd heard from too many others before. The next few things she said, however, did not strike to boy as humorous. The things she told him, spoken in truth, unnerved the boy somewhat. As much of an asshole as he could be, Adrian definitely had a chivalrous streak, instilled in him somewhat from his father, and infinitely more so from his boxing trainer. In short, the boy was a gentleman at heart, and the thought of people using and abusing a girl as beautiful as this...

His eyes narrowed visibly at the thought. If Kate was looking, and considering the distance between the two, there was likely no way she wasn't, it would be quite obvious that her rough past clearly unnerved and upset the boy, as if he was genuinely angered at the way she had been treated. What that meant to her, Adrian had no idea, but he at least knew what it meant to him.

Her last quote ended the repartee on a more upbeat note, though the weight of her prior words still held heavy over the boy's head. With a flourish, the girl produced a business card and slid it into Adrian's vest pocket, bringing a smile to his lips.

"Seems like you've answered your own question, love," Adrian replied to her last spoken sentence. "And if we're trading business cards, look in your other hand."

Adrian winked at her casually. In the hand opposite from the one Kate had put up to his chin earlier, Adrian had reached into his own pocket with a card of his own, and as softly as possible slid it into her hand. His card was a clear plastic, inlaid with gold and silver filaments, without much else fluff, just his name, Adrian Hanlon, phone number, and e-mail address. As their eyes would meet again, Adrian's eyebrows would raise and lower in something of a seductive fashion, as if the card was just bait for a much bigger purpose.

"I find you an intriguing woman, Miss..." Adrian paused to inspect the card given to him. His eyes widened slightly, giving an expression of surprise mixed with satisfaction. "Miss McHallin. There's no doubt, of THE McHallin name. I believe I've heard of you."

Adrian tapped the girl's nose with his index finger as he said the word 'you', once again daring to breach personal space. He enjoyed Kate's company already, despite how little time they'd spent together. Not only was he attracted to her beauty and wealth, and he was also moved by her tale. It had been quite a while since anything had actually really tugged at Adrian's heartstrings. Their relationship could end up an interesting one, indeed.

[Kate]

"You've probably heard of my father more than anyone else."

She chuckled just slightly, under her breath. Her fingers flipped the card around a few times before bringing it to her eye sight. Her lips pursed for a moment as she read the card. Adrian Hanlon... a name that she had heard before. At least the last name... Hanlon, more than the first.

"I've heard of you as well darling."

She smiled just a bit, coy and cute all in the same moment. The blonde tucked the card in her back pocket for safe keeping. The pale woman smiled at him, not sure what else to do at the moment. So instead she once again, parroted back at him with a saucy sort of look in those emerald eyes.

"I find you an intriguing man Adrian."

It was true. Kate was finding Adrian to be interesting, making the afternoon better by leagues. She pulled her legs up on the desk, cross them under her by the ankles. Almost every moment she had was graceful, unlike when she had been a freshman. She had been such a clumsy girl then. Oh how the times had changed!

[Adrian]

"The sins of the fathers, and all that..."

Adrian smiled, loosely quoting from the bible. As the girl leaned back into a more comfortable state, reclining back upon the teacher's desk, Adrian could feel the state of the conversation flow back from a competitive state to a much more casual one. Easily picking up on this social nuance, the boy stepped back a pace or two himself, leaning against a nearby student's desk. Her card went back into his pocket, and he regarded the beauty with eyes anew. No longer attempting to challenge the girl who flirtatious dominance, he could intake her beauty from a more objective standpoint. He nodded outwardly, clearly pleased with what he saw.

"You know, Kate, you never did tell me what it was you were doing in here all by yourself, before we got started on your taste of handbag."

Adrian grinned and shrugged, willing to open fresh wounds on his manliness for the sake of conversation.

"Please don't tell me it was anything... scandalous..." he let the word linger in the air between them. Maybe he wasn't done playing with her yet, after all.

[Kate]

Her nose wrinkled, and not because she was disproving something. It's what happened when she was holding back a larger laugh. She chuckled, and her smile twitched. It was hard not to laugh outright, out loud, and as loud as she could. Those emerald eyes twinkled brighter than they had before.

"My life is one big scandal. I have friends and men to thank for that. But no, I just didn't feel like going to class."

One eyebrow arched, again. Paired with that smug smirk of full lips, you had to wonder what Kate was thinking exactly. The pale woman was having fun with this. However, she moved, and her hair revealed her tattoo on her upper right arm. Rose vines, and thorns spiraling it. Hardly something an elegant woman would have. Kate had gotten it way back when as a birthday present from her mother. Without her father knowing. On her back was the finishing white rose, covered by hair still. Next to that? The scar. R.O.B. carved into her back. Her life had been one big scandal after another.


"And how about yourself? What brought you here?"