This wasn't what she was expecting. Not this. Not an actual home, not an apartment with views of the very human city. She didn't know precisely why she thought that the fae man she had accepted a night with would whisk her off to some kind of magical forest where the trees had been bent and whispered into providing a perfect shelter and the air shimmered with a glamor she could only begin to imagine but that was not remotely what was happening.
Wait
, she thought as she stepped through the threshold and into the admittedly spectacular penthouse loft.
When did I start believing this story about faeries? Do I really think he is a faerie?
She glanced at him as she walked further into his home. He was very attractive. If someone asked if he were attractive in an otherworldly sort of way she might be forced to say yes. But she was very, very far into her cups and that might be the booze speaking.
"Are you trying to figure out if I am telling the truth?" he asked in that husky voice as he closed the door. He turned to her with a smirk that she could read plainly. He was having fun with this.
Smiling back she cocked her head to the side. "Wouldn't you be doing that yourself if you were me?"
He simply shrugged at that and moved to take her coat. "I can't imagine a situation where I would be in your position."
"Right." She had to physically stop herself before she rolled her eyes. "Because you're a fae lord."
Why am I even here?
"Yes." His response was smooth, as smooth as his steps as he glided toward his bar and as smooth as the whiskey pouring from bottle to tumbler. "Because I am a fae lord and while I am fascinated with humanity, divesting myself from my own... gifts to such an extreme extent is something I simply cannot fathom. Can you imagine giving up all of your cognitive abilities and sinking to the level of an insect?"
She snorted but accepted the glass. "I wouldn't try to woo an insect."
"Is that what I'm doing?" he asked coyly. Then he shrugged again. "It is indeed an imperfect metaphor. You are not an insect in most senses but when it comes to my... gifts, well, there you are, shall we say, at a disadvantage."
"And what exactly
are
your gifts?" she pressed. She took a sip without thinking about it then stared down at the liquid she was holding. "Humans aren't supposed to accept food or drink from the fae, right? Did I just fuck up?"
"Oh, my dear, you've been accepting drinks from me all night. I was the one who paid the bar tab after all."
He had her there, she realized. Well... In for a penny, in for a pound. She took a long pull of the liquor and savored the smokey taste on her tongue. At least however she was damning herself was going to be an exquisite experience.