Mata had her audience spellbound. Her audience was small, a cozy group of three engineers. Bruce and Gary had been there for a while. Pepe had joined them in the last half-hour. They were all standing in the Devil’s Inn. The inn was a comfortable combination of tavern and dining hall. The dining hall section was always slinging up food and people could go as a team and whatever.

The tavern side was different, generally quieter. There were monitors everywhere so people could keep up with the game. Even when on their breaks or off duty, everybody kept an eye on the game.

Mata was a beautiful hot mess in her painted on jeans, heels and an oversized t-shirt. She kept the guys talking. They even tried to one up each other as they told her about their teams and everything else she asked about, everything. She smiled and gave a gentle touch here and there. Small flirty encouragements to keep talking. She hadn’t asked any tough questions, no deep secrets requested, yet.

Slut, Mata thought. The slut who caught her eye had just walked into the Devil’s Inn. One of her boys saw that her gaze had gone someplace else. He looked where she was looking.

Mata reached under the collar of her oversized t-shirt and made a show of adjusting her bra strap. The black strap had been doing just fine before she touched it. She just slid it an inch towards her shoulder and then slid it right back where it started from. The small gesture worked like it was supposed to. All eyes were back where they belonged, on her.

Slut, she thought.

The slut was looking tentative as she walked a few more hesitant steps forward into the Devil’s Inn.

She had raven hair and red lips, olive flawless complexion and her face was very pretty. Her outfit was simple, form fitting spandex leggings, the shiny full of spandex kind paired with a flowing emerald top. The top looked loose and comfortable and even modest, but hinted at large breasts that bounced slightly as she walked.

Every eye in the place was on her. Most eyes in the place were on her. Mata kept her audience focused on herself.

All hesitant and tentative, looking this way and that, she was clearly lost. Finally, a guy approached her. The guy was not a stereotypical geek- he had stylish glasses and a nice body. His jeans fit well- they weren’t loose fitting dad jeans and his t-shirt hinted at a toned body. He wasn't a 90 pound weakling who never left mom's basement.

"You look lost, can I help you?”

The slut in the emerald blouse smiled at him. "I hope so. I think I'm in the right place, the Devil’s Inn?"

"You're in the right place." He looked at her chest. Eyes back to her face. She didn't react to him looking blatantly at her covered boobs. "You don't have an id tag."

Seriously? Was he really just looking for an ID? She wondered. Out loud she said "I know. Joe was supposed to leave it for me and he didn't and the guard gave me such a hard time about getting in the building."

“They're not supposed to let you in without one." He fished for something to say. She didn't say anything.

"Are you meeting somebody here?" He finally asked.

"Yeah, Joe."

"What team is, uh, Joe on?"

"I don't remember. This is kind of a blind date and..." The slut in the emerald blouse managed to look embarrassed. "I thought it was a weird time when I saw all of the, all of this going on."

"It is weird timing." The next line sprung to mind. He hopefully said "You can call me Joe."

She laughed, just like he hoped she would. And the melodious laugh was everything he hoped it would be.

"Well, I think Joe is a jerk for standing me up."

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"In that case, I'm not Joe. I'm Jermaine." He held out his hand.

"I'm Jasmine." She shook his hand. When they were done shaking, she held his hand longer than needed. After a whole lot of “Mississippi's” she let it go.

"If you have some time, can you tell me what's going on?" Her arm swept the monitors.

"Sure…"

Sitting at the bar, Kayleigh snorted derisively and turned back to her drink. It was a ginger ale and cherry juice. She just wanted a comfort drink. It was her break and why not grab a dinner away from “the guys” while she had a chance.

There was movement beside her, but she hardly spared a glance. The barkeep came over. The guy next to her ordered a beer and asked for a menu.

He chuckled. She looked over at him. Just a guy, she thought. There were a few hundred guys in the dev center. Some were uber-geeky and a few gorgoeus specimens- like the one talking to the emerald slut. Most were just ordinary average guys like this one. Unfortunately, even in this day and age, too many of the guys still had an attitude about them. Sure there were a lot of women engineers and programmers, but not as many as there were men. And a lot of the men, and a lot of the women, had shit attitudes.

Kayleigh had dealt with enough attitude from men and women and everybody in the last few hours. I just want some peace.

He shook his head and turned away from the slut in the emerald top. He must have noticed Kayliegh looking at him. He smiled. “Do you believe that?”

“What?”

“That little drama over there? Girl walks into a bar and guys stumble over themselves to help her.”

She snorted again. “In this day and age?” She paused for a second. “Yeah, I can believe it.”

He raised an eyebrow. This guy doesn’t deserve attitude. She softened her tone a little. “As long as men come running, women will play them.”

“Is that so?”

“There is another slut over there.” She didn’t bother to turn around, but he did.

“Geeze, there she is,” he said. He kept watching.

After a few seconds, she thought Got a good view? More seconds later, Kayleigh finally asked, “Which one is more attractive?”

“Them? I guess the new girl.”

“You guess? They aren’t your type?”

“Hey, I’m a guy. I didn’t say they were ugly.” He took a sip of his beer. “They’re just not what I’m looking for in my life.”

The only people less represented than women are gays, she thought. “And what are you looking for?”

“I’ll let you know when I find it.”

Kayliegh raised an eyebrow. “It?”

“It,” he said with a smile. He gestured back at one of the girls, “He bought her a drink.”

Kayleigh didn’t bother to look. “Guy’s do that. Just start buying every pretty girl in the place a drink.”

“I’m a guy, so you’ll have to let me buy you one.” She looked at him, he continued, “or maybe dinner?”

She eyed him, gears turning in her mind. What the hell? He looked away, down at the menu. Is he embarrassed? Is he hitting on me? Is he gay? Is he just playing around? Maybe being around Hoff and his constant pickup lines is just making me edgy? That’s the price for being part of PepMotion though it shouldn’t be. Why can’t he...

“Hey,” he said, “I didn’t mean to… I mean I thought it would be funny if...”

She interrupted him. “A drink, sure, I guess you can buy me one.” Her eyes darted over to Emerald Blouse. “Even though I don’t look like them?”

He laughed. “Because you don’t look like them. You have some self-respect. And I’ll make you buy the second round.”

She smiled, gay guys are fun to flirt with.