Guarded: Neon Sunset Ep. 03

Welcome, my lovely reader!

Our wolf and ram seem to be having sparks fly at every turn, but they managed to make it through their first performance together. I wonder how they'll handle their first time together alone without Maximillian or any of the roadies around?

Hm... A jaded wolf that shut everyone out, and a prickly ram with an ego problem. It could be a dangerous thing to put together, or... maybe they'll help each other, eh? Well, only one way to find out!

Let's jump right in!

—♥—

Episode 3:

First Date

"When you smile, I melt inside, I'm not worthy for a minute of your time."

Leo strode over to the check-in desk of the hotel lobby. He was still in his leather pants, his jacket open and plainly exposing his sculpted muscles for all to see. The front desk girl gave a polite bow to him not seeming the slightest bit surprised by the display. "Good evening, Mr. Montone, your room is ready for you. The penthouse suite on the top floor. Shall I send for someone to collect your and your partner's bags?"

Tracey flicked an ear at the mention of his last name, the first time she had heard it. Her cheeks darkened slightly at the commentary for calling her his partner and took a few polite steps back so as to not give the wrong impression.

"Good to hear. Does the suite have an adjoining bedroom or only the master?" He spoke casually, seeming not the slightest bit put off by the partner comment.

"The penthouse floor plan has two bedrooms, each breaking off from the central living room. Both bedrooms have king-size beds along with also having a private bathroom with hot tub and shower facilities. The central room has a complimentary wet bar and a fully stocked kitchen. Of course, we will be happy to bring you anything you request as well." The young feline clerk artfully described the accommodations as if she had spoken the lines hundreds of times in the past.

Leo turned and looked back at Tracey with a questioning glance, his eyes all business and confident as he gazed into her own icy blue pools. "Is that acceptable, or would you prefer your own private suite?"

She found herself blushing at the words and looking away quickly. "I don't want to cost you more money, that will be fine if I have privacy."

Leo turned back to the clerk and gave a nod. "See that both our sets of bags are brought up to my room then." The young feline bowed to him again as he turned and moved towards the elevator. Tracey followed a few steps behind him, not saying a word.

Stepping into the elevator Tracey pressed the topmost button for him and it began it's ascent upwards. She looked back behind her, it was one of the glass-lined elevators that faced outside while it moved up the building, she had always loved this kind of elevator ever since she was a child. Resting her fingertips on the handrail she looked out the glass wall, watching the view of the city slowly spread out before her while they ascended.

Glancing over at her casually, Leo found his eyes fixated on the wolf next to him. She was gazing out the glass, a sad look in her eyes, but her heavy white tail seemed to be wagging faintly while she watched the view. The neon lights of the city made her white hair and ears look reflective and shiny. He found himself just staring at her, a stoic guardian taking a moment of respite.

Tracey didn't notice the elevator halt and the doors open, she just looked out over the sprawling view of the city silently. Her ears finally perked up and she came back down to earth a few moments later, taking a quick look around the elevator. Leo was standing there smiling at her, his boot over the threshold of the door, keeping the elevator held on the floor so she could take her time to enjoy the view.

Tracey looked into his eyes awkwardly, then she huffed out and moved a hand to hold the elevator doors, a cue for the ram to go out first. Leo turned and strode from the elevator without a word, his bodyguard taking up her position behind him.

The elevator opened to a small square lobby with a set of double doors. Tracey moved for the door and Leo threw a hand up in front of her, halting her. He then gave the wolf a grin and pulled the door open himself and held it for her. "It's just us, no need to put on airs." He spoke gently and motioned for her to go in.

She perked her large snow-white ears again as she felt her cheeks burn slightly, trotting into the suite. The room opened up into a large den that could fit her studio apartment in it twice over. There was a sizable sectional sofa in the center, a TV on the wall that looked about three times the size of hers, and two small desks.

Leo shut the door behind her and walked past with a smile. "I think I'm safe here, so you can cut the stoic guardian dog act."

Tracey eased her shoulders and put her hands on her hips. "Holding the door for me?" She spoke the words, cheeks a little red as she grinned at him.

"Can I not be a gentleman to you?" Leo asked with an amused grin, mimicking her and putting his own hands on his hips.

"I dunno, does that actually work for you with your groupies?" The wolf gave a toothy grin and turned to walk into the open den area, making movements towards the balcony.

"Hey... can you lay off with the groupie commentary?" Leo spoke out behind her, following after her. There was a bit of heat in his voice now.

She placed a hand on the balcony door but turned back to huff at him and give him that flat look she did back at the venue. "Yeah? Does it rub you the wrong way?"

"Yes, it fucking does!" He showed his teeth, crossing his arms over his bare chest.

Tracey moved from the door and faced him dead on, putting her hands on her hips once more, looking into Leo's eyes. "Why does it bother you?"

His green eyes meet her blue ones and there was hesitation in his voice before he shored up his resolve and spoke out pointedly, "Look, Tracey. I know the pop star stereotype, but I'm not some groupie banging, drug snorting, raving alcoholic!"

"Oh?" Traceycrossed her arms over her stomach, having the same effect it always did. "Then what do you do?" She looked upon the ram curiously now, then flicked an ear as he blushed and averted his eyes from her, trying to understand the sudden shift in his posture.

"W-well... When I'm on the bus between shows I like to read books. I also play my guitar." The idol spoke and moved next to the wolf. She blinked at him as he grabbed the door of the balcony and pulled it open for her.

The information surprised her, she didn't see him as the scholarly type, and never saw him with an instrument in his hand the whole show. Tracey moved out onto the balcony, placing her hands on the guardrail, and looking out over the cityscape. The rain had stopped for the time being; the cold crisp air of the evening having fully set in. "Books and a guitar eh? I didn't see you playing one at the show."

"I didn't say I was good at it." Leo shrugged a shoulder while moving over to the guardrail, also looking out over the view next to her. The cold didn't seem to be bothering him despite his chest mostly being exposed.

Tracey could still smell him, he hadn't cleaned up yet and even in the cool air, he stunk of musk and sweat. It wasn't a bad scent by any means, in fact, she found herself wanting to get closer to him. She clenched her teeth growling at the internal struggle and thrashed her tail about a few times thinking to herself, 'What are you, a teenager? Knock it off you dumb dog...'

"What do you do for fun in your downtime?" Leo returned the question, prodding to learn more about his new bodyguard.

Tracey thought about it for a moment, happy to have the distraction from his scent. "Well, I clean my guns, watch baseball, and study on my phone."

"Again with the guns..." Leo clicked his tongue and looked away.

"Yes, Leo. Again with the guns. I like guns. I like to clean them and I like to shoot them at the firing range. I enjoy taking them apart and putting them back together. It doesn't mean I enjoy shooting people with them." Tracey growled, the agitation in her voice evident.

"Uh huh... I hate them." He spat the words out in a matter-of-fact tone.

She flicked her pierced ear curiously. "Why is that?"

"If I tell you, will you tell me why you freaked out about my stars earlier?" Leo looked at her with a raised brow, proposing a trade for the knowledge.

"I don't care that much." Tracey quickly shot the trade down, turning and walking away from the ram, leaving him on the balcony.

"H-hey!" Leo quickly gave chase after her while she walked back into the suite. "Is it really that bad?"

She remained silent as she moved over to the wet bar attached to the kitchen area and dug around in the shelves before finding some rum. "Yes, it's that bad," She growled while pulling down a glass and filling it with ice from the freezer before pouring some rum into it.

"Does it have to do with your shoulder?" Leo prodded the topic curiously, moving to the other side of the bar.

"Can you mind your own fucking business, sheep?!" Tracey barked out, showing her sharp canines once again. She then returned to the fridge digging around in it and letting out a frustrated huff.

"What are you looking for?" He said dryly.

"Cola, I wanted rum and cola." She fussed the words with a childish pout and pushed the door closed.

Leo walked over to the phone and snatched it up. "Yo, bring me a bottle of cola. I dunno, just bring both kinds. Yep." He hung the phone up and returned to the bar.

"Thanks..." Tracey sighed and looked down at her partially made drink.

"Will you make me one too?" He asked her pointedly.

"Sure, that's no big deal." She said as she got down another glass and filled it with ice, adding a few shots of rum to it and setting it next to hers.

"I only prodded because I want to know more about you. We're going to be working together for a wh-"

"I never agreed to the fucking tour!" The wolf barked and slapped her hand down on the bar, tail fluffing up, her teeth showing as the glasses rattled.

Leo looked away and said nothing, just tapping his fingertips on the bar while she glared at him, clearly biting his lower lip to not say anything. Tracey grunted and slid her hand off the counter to put the bottle of rum away. "I didn't say I wouldn't either..."

"What's your problem? Do you hate me that much already?" Leo asked her point-blank, shifting his gaze back to hers intently.

Tracey met his sharp green eyes and chewed on her words for a few heartbeats before answering, "Why do you seem to give a fuck one way or another? When I first saw you, you were just barking orders like some sassy little diva. Now you're sitting here acting worried about me. What's in it for you?"

Leo gritted his teeth while pushing away from the bar, walking out into the den as he pushed his arms out. "Because if I act like a fucking diva and run everyone off; no one gets in the cracks and hurts me!"

Tracey scowled at the words and moved over around the bar, looking the ram over with a calculated look, hesitating before asking, "Then why are you trying to get into my cracks?" The dog growled out looking serious, then blushed and flicked her ears up, the words processing in her head.

He snorted out a laugh and gave the wolf a grin. "W-wow... that was..."

"Shut the fuck up!" Tracey barked, fists clenched and tail thrashing about, her cheeks flushed red.

Leo fought back more laughter and gave Tracey an amused grin before composing himself. "I don't know..."

"What?" The dog huffed out, trying to compose herself as well.

"I don't fucking know, okay?" The idol opened his hands as he looked her over. "You said it yourself. I can have a groupie any time I want. I could have cherry-picked from any of those girls backstage tonight and they would have willingly come along and done anything I wanted. It's not because I'm hard up to get laid. I can tell you that, it's something I could get any time I wanted."

A knock sounded from the door and Tracey instantly shifted her posture as she gripped one of her gloves, tail going rigid with her teeth showing. Leo rolled his eyes and walked past her to get the door. "Relax guard dog, it's just the room service."

Leo collected the two bottles of cola and moved over to the bar, setting them down near the drinks. He then gave the wolf an expectant look and smiled at her, his eyes meeting hers with a playful glint in them. "So you were going to make me a drink?"

Tracey stared at the ram for a long moment before easing her shoulders and moving over to the bar. She ignored the diet cola and went right for the normal one. A few moments later she had stirred up two rum and cola, sliding one to Leo.

He accepted the drink with a smile and took a sip of it, then fought back a cough at the burn. "Damn... how much rum is in this?"

"Two shots worth, you're just a sissy," Tracey spoke the words in a matter-of-fact tone as she drank on her own cocktail, moving from the bar wagging her tail about, happy for the burn. Truth be told hers had about five shots worth in it and was probably more rum than cola.

"Fuck you! This is a lot more than two shots!" Leo growled the words defensively as he collected his drink and followed after the wolf.

Tracey gave the idol a grin, showing her sharp teeth. "Nah, it's just not pansy-ass beer. C'mon sheep, I even added extra cola to yours to kill the burn." She held the glass near his own letting him see the darker color of his drink compared to hers.

Leo glared at her before he took a big gulp of the drink, his eyes watering and almost coughing as he swallowed it down. Tracey pursed her lips and let out a snort of laughter. "S-shut up damn it!" The ram snapped out, his cheeks growing redder.

The two settle onto the sectional for several minutes. Leo occasionally sipping his drink, trying to get used to the burn. He noticed her staring at him as he looked back at her, his cheeks a little darker thanks to the small amount of alcohol in his system from the cocktail and the two beers he had earlier.

Tracey watched him all flushed and embarrassed, giving him a small smile before taking a long look in those green eyes of his. Leo saw her staring and broke eye contact first, looking away. He finally spoke up, "What?"

"You smell..." Tracey huffed the words with a grin, feeling the confidence well up in her chest from her finished drink.

Leo blinked and lifted his droopy ears, looking at her in confusion. "Is that an insult?"

"No, it's a compliment. I'm saying you stink of sweat and musk and it's driving me crazy..." The dog growled the words, rolling the ice around in her empty glass.

He awkwardly shifted in his seat and scooted down from the wolf. "W-why the fuck are you smelling me!?"

Tracey gave him another grin then shrugged her shoulders before standing and moving back to the bar for more rum. "I'm a dog, it's what we do. I can't help it if my nose is sensitive." She looked the ram over as she poured a few more shots of rum straight into the glass without any cola and drank it down with a loud huff, feeling it burn all the way down.

Leo looked down at his half-finished drink then took another gulp of it, Tracey proceeding to go back over and taking a seat across from him. She propped her elbows on her knees and leaned forward, flicking her ears back and forth, small twitches coming from them occasionally. "Besides... weren't you smelling me earlier?" She huffed the words in an unusually playful tone, giving him another hungry look, her eyes wandering over his body. "Huffing and smelling the doggy so close to you that was doing your makeup, side-eyeing my tail..."

His ears lifted at the question. "Uh... n-no?" Leo shifted awkwardly in his seat from being called out, he hadn't realized she caught him earlier in the day.

"When I was doing your stars? Could've sworn I heard you breathing heavier... Am I... mistaken?" Tracey gave Leo a confused look, her tail thumping on the sofa hard now, feeling her body growing warmer from the alcohol and eager from his scent. Still, the shift in topic put her on edge and made her question her confidence, liquid infused, or otherwise.

"Y-you are! Why would I want to smell you? That would just be weird!" Leo looked away, his cheeks dark, his heart thumping as he recalled the scent of her, the wild feral odor of a predator, and how it made him eager to get closer to her.

"Oh..." Tracey folded her ears down, her tone of voice sounding disappointed, her eyes darting to the side, looking away from him awkwardly. The eager hopeful sensation in her body came to a screeching halt. "My... apologies for making you feel... weird."

He felt his stomach twist in a knot as she folded her ears and looked dejected. "W-wait a sec, that's not what I was meaning! I didn't feel awkward at all."

Tracey huffed out through her nose, taking a few moments to focus herself. She knew she was getting a little too loose with the drinking and now here she was making the poor ram feel awkward and herself look like a fool. She took a shot in the dark in her drink-infused confidence and missed badly. "Nah, it's cool Leo. I'm sorry for putting you on the spot... I was out of line." She stood with a little effort, feeling the room just ever so slightly seem to shift under her feet, but nothing she couldn't handle.

"Look you didn't make me feel awkward, Tracey. I promise!" He huffed the words and quickly rose to his feet when he saw her misstep briefly.

She gave him a sad smile as she shook her head, seeing him backpedaling, trying to not make her feel bad. "You're a sweet little sheep, sorry an old dog like me started saying such weird things." She gave him a playful wave and turned to move to the adjoining bedroom.

"You didn't say anything weird, I promise," Leo said, then bit his lower lip. "Look I was sme-"

"It's fine!" She growled the words, heat filling her voice as she pulled the door open to her room. Of course, he would be weirded out by the smells comment, of course, he wouldn't want to hear that from someone older like her, she should have kept her mouth shut. "Apologies for creeping you out Leo, but... thanks for drinking with me tonight. I'm sorry I fucked it up."

"W-wait... you don't..." The door closed and he was left standing there alone in the den, the scent of her lingering in the air and in his nose. "Have to go..."

Tracey fell into the big empty bed face down into the pillows, she didn't bother unlacing her boots or undressing. "Stupid... weak... and stupid..." Tracey groaned the words with a slur, letting out a defeated sigh as she closed her eyes. "The fuck were you even thinking..." Her white ears lifted as a loud crack of thunder filled the air and she heard the sound of raindrops starting to pelt the glass door leading to the balcony.

"Sure, why not..." Feeling her eyes burning behind her eyelids a few tears rolled down her cheeks into the bedding. The extra shots she had, finally kicked in as everything became numb and didn't matter. She slipped into an inky void of sleep, no dreams, no thoughts, just emptiness.

—♥—

It was late morning before Tracey pulled from her drink-induced slumber. She huffed out with a loud yawn before a boom of thunder rocked out, making her ears jerk upwards. She climbed from the bed, rubbing her head as she walked over to the balcony door looking out. All she saw were clouds and heard rain pouring down in sheets.

With a dejected sigh, she moved to the bed where she unlaced her boots, stripped out of her clothes, and went to get a shower. She eyed the hot tub on the way, her shoulder aching and making her lament she hadn't used it last night.