Jade Hastings sat at a table, alone in the half light of the club, surveying her options. This was her last night at Towerflats; tomorrow, she would be promoted to the elite squad, charged with guarding the government city of Sloverville against the vampire onslaught. Tonight, she was looking for sex--glorious, uninhibited, no-strings-attached sex. Several men had already begun to approach her then veered off at the last minute, warned away by a withering glance. To be fair, she was a pretty intimidating sight. Nearly six foot tall, she sat with her long legs, encased in khaki pants, stretched out on the chair beside her, complimented by a standard-issue vest top, which struggled to contain her wonderful breasts.

She must have looked as if she didn't much care to be there as she reclined back in her seat, a glass of spirit in her hand. In fact, Jade had been to this club several times before and had always managed to find some fun in the end, but tonight she was less than hopeful. She was about to knock back her drink and go to her digs when a man entered the bar who immediately caught her interest. He was at least four inches taller than her, always a good start, and from what she could see looked pretty fit. His hair was black and cut short around his handsome face, but it was his stance that attracted her. He looked coolly around the room, much as she had, and didn't have an air of desperation, unlike some of the other patrons.

He took his time in ordering from the bar; Philip Pierceson had always been curious as to what sort of people frequented these places, clubs set up with the sole purpose of pairing complete strangers off for sex. Personally he much preferred the thrill of the chase; plus, although he'd die rather than admit it, he was also a bit of a romantic. Still, he didn't know the city and couldn't be bothered to wander around aimlessly looking for another bar. It didn't do to get caught outside too far from your accommodation anyway. So he stood and let his gaze drift around the room.

Several women kept trying to catch his attention, but he didn't let his own gaze linger too long. Actually he was surprised by how full the place seemed to be; all the booths around the walls were taken, mostly with couples in the first stages of lust, and there were very few free tables. The protocol seemed simple: you approach someone, and if they seem to welcome it, you carry on, sit down, and engage in conversation or a quick nod of both heads and you disappear up the stairs. If your gaze seemed unwelcome, you merely fixed it elsewhere and started again.

It was on his second sweep of the room that he noticed her and felt as if he had received a body blow to the stomach. The woman seemed to exude sex as her gaze locked with his. For a moment, he worried he might have actually been staring with his mouth open. She was extremely fit, and her body seemed to go on forever. Her hair was black, short and choppy, framing a square face with strong features. He found himself swallowing under the intensity of her stare. She rose slowly to her feet and started to prowl toward him. Despite her height, her movements were graceful but also very predatory. His palms started to sweat a little. Maybe these clubs weren't such a bad idea after all.