Jada/Ayano Pt. 02: Playing Rough

"I like being with you." she said. "I hope I'm wearing a cute bra. I didn't know I was coming over here when I got dressed."

"You have cute everything." he said, bringing her up the stairs.

They fucked like bunnies in bed, as they always did. Jada went to sleep the moment they were done. When she awoke the next day, she remembered very little about arriving at Ayano's house. She asked for some reminders.

"You showed me you could get out of the handcuffs without a key. It was very impressive." was all he would tell her as he was getting dressed.

"Was I any good in bed?" she asked.

"You were a hellcat. It was mind-blowing." he said in an even voice.

"Really?"

"No."

"Thanks a lot!!" she said, hiding under the sheets.

"No, it was fine!! It was just funny because you told me if we went upstairs I was going to have to do all the work. And it was true!" he said, trying to tickle her from over the sheets. She groaned.

Ayano drove Jada home. She wanted to be unattractive and didn't want to do it in front of him. She changed into her pajamas. She recovered from her hangover eventually, after eating a lot of junk food and watching all of the Die Hard movies.

AYANO SAYS GOODBYE

At the end of June, things were winding down for Ayano at work. He told Jada that he had almost everything set for the end of the financial year and the next projects he'd be working on would be in Romania. He and Jada had barely spent more than a few hours apart lately. It had just happened that way- every time they parted ways, they made plans to see each other soon. He told her he would have to leave the first weekend of July. She didn't want to think about it. It seemed like he wanted to talk about this time limit, but she dodged him as much as she could.

And then, the date had crept up on her before she knew it.

"Your flight is tomorrow night?" Jada asked, in bed with him in her apartment.

"Yes, it's tomorrow already. I don't suppose I can interest you in coming back to Romania for a while?" he added persuasively. He stroked her hair as they were lying face to face.

"What would I do in Bucharest all summer?"

"Well, there is art everywhere in the world, you know. And you could come to the beach, meet the rest of my friends, and keep fucking me, I'd hope..." he said smoothly.

"I don't know... I was just away from the gallery for the Răz-nevă and the fall is our busiest time of the year... I really want to. When can you come back to Gotham?" she smiled, trying to be sensible.

"September at the earliest." he told her. "I thought you liked me... and you'd like Romania."

"I do like it, I just have a whole life here." she said, thinking of a project she was working on as Cheshire. She had been planning it for months and the piece was worth $4.2 million on the current market. There were things she would bail on for a man, but this wasn't one of them.

"What are you going to do without me?" he pouted.

"I don't know. I think if it's meant to be with us, it'll work itself out." she said lightly. But she was torn. Why did he have to be from somewhere so far away?

"You're going to miss me too much." Ayano said confidently.

"We'll figure out something..." she halfheartedly assured him. He kissed her as though she were his one and only devotion. He kissed her neck, lingering for a long time, and then held her closely, as if to show her the tenderness she'd be missing.

THE AUCTION HOUSE

The day Jada said goodbye to Ayano and let him go back home to Romania was one of the most challenging ones in her recent memory. Luckily, that night, she had a Cheshire thing to do. It would keep her from pining away all night.

At 2:30 AM in midtown, hardly anyone was on the streets. Almost total silence. On the roof of a large, gray stone building stood a woman wearing green and silver body armor, a mask, and a cloak. Her long black hair was beneath the hood, trying to stay dry in the pouring rain. The building was a well-known auction house, Adnet-Cerf, a French company that had the most valuable items for bidding from all around the world. The woman in green was watching a group of men dressed in black break into the building on the sixth floor, entering from the roof of a smaller neighboring building.

Despite her access to high society, she also made sure she had access to the secrets of the underworld of organized crime for the other part of her life. Tonight, for example, the men a few flights below worked for Mario Regetti, a Gotham crime boss. They were after a painting by a famous Brazilian painter that was speculated to sell for around $4.2 million tomorrow. Jada had heard about the heist through a friend of hers who worked at a day spa frequented by Regetti's loose-lipped mistress.

"I'm not supposed to say anything, but he's getting a lot of money from paintings these days. From some artist in South America. It's just fruit or something, for all that money!" the woman blabbed one day to her friend after a few glasses of complimentary champagne. The woman thought nothing of mentioning it, especially in front of a latina woman folding towels. Jada looked into the possible lead and it turned out Regetti was, in fact, planning to steal an abstract painting of fruit from Adnet-Cerf when it arrived in July.

As Cheshire, she was going to make sure that this didn't happen. She surely couldn't stop the sale of every Brazilian work of art, but sometimes she heard gossip that was too good. Regetti was known to have killed many business owners on the Upper West Side who didn't pay for his "protection services." Jada was not so innocent herself-- she planned on selling the painting to a private collector in Argentina-- but fuck Regetti! He had no business profiting from South American artists.

As Cheshire, she worked alone and kept a low profile. She hadn't even had to kill anyone lately. An expert in poisons, she needed only to scrape an enemy with her daggers or shuriken to debilitate them. If the occasion called for it, she would use a gun for dramatic effect but when it came down to it, they were less reliable than her blades. Poisoning followed a generally predictable set of symptoms whereas a gunshot may or may not kill somebody.

As for this evening's criminal activity, she had discovered several details about the heist. Her plan was to let these guys do most of the work and reap the benefits herself. It certainly wasn't "fair," but what on earth was fair? Stealing from thieves may not be completely honorable, but neither was taking a painting that they had absolutely no respect for.

Regetti's men had done tons of research on the auction house's security system. She was confident they were going to handle that just fine. After the six men had collected the painting-- and whatever else they might choose to grab-- Cheshire could either knock out a few of them as they left the side door, follow them to the safehouse and try to get it there, or just play a recording of the alarm going off and let that scare them into messing up. She was going to play it by ear.

Cheshire used a grappling hook to scale down to the 6th floor of the building, watching what the men had already accomplished. It looked like it was going fairly well, they had gotten in without the alarm sounding. The rain was coming down hard, making it difficult to see anything from far away. She decided to disable the getaway SUV, debilitating the driver and locking it, and wait above the side door. She had also ascertained that these were probably Regetti's best men, so she applied a dangerous but easily reversible poison to her weapons in order to prevent retribution for murder. The one she had mixed today would burn like hell, very painful, but not do permanent damage if the antidote was administered within 4 hours.

When the men hurried outside, she hit one of them with the poison-tipped shuriken. One of the remaining four had a hard plastic case strapped to his back. All of them attacked Cheshire. She had trained in capoeira for years and considered herself an expert. Against these men, in the rain, she was having a hard time defending herself. These guys were unexpectedly fast and sturdy. Then, without warning, Batman appeared from above.

Batman was inadvertently doing her a favor by attacking these guys. She had never met Batman and wasn't sure if he knew she wasn't there in any kind of heroic capacity. She scraped one of Regetti's men across the chest with a dagger, but he must've been wearing a bulletproof vest. She landed a hard kick to the guy's head while Batman tangled with the other two.

A car full of more of Regetti's men came screeching down the street to retrieve the painting. The auction house's alarm started to sound loudly. Regetti's men seemed to view Batman as a higher priority. Seeing the opportunity, Jada cut the case off one of the fallen men's back and ran for the rope she had used to get down to bring her back to the roof. Batman was still fighting the other guys but she knew he'd be right behind her. As she got to the highest roof to access her planned escape route, Batman threw something at her ankles. It flew around them, tying her up and tripping her. She fell hard to the ground. She frantically started to cut the rope with her dagger, but it was very tough. He was gaining on her.

Cheshire freed herself and ran only a few feet when Batman tackled her.

"Shit!!" she yelled, possibly breaking a rib or two.

"I don't believe we've met. Who are you?" Batman asked, turning her around and pinning her arms above her head on the roof to get a look at her. She groaned in pain.

"Would you believe I'm a museum worker?" she grunted.

"Not in the slightest." he said. "What's your name?" he asked more insistently.

"Cheshire."

"I've never heard of you. Brand new and heading to Arkham already. It's a shame." he said, holding her with one hand while he got the cuffs off his utility belt.

"Well, at least I got pinned by a hot guy first. Doesn't this kind of thing turn you on?" she asked coyly, trying to distract him.

"Not in the slightest." he continued, unperturbed. Cheshire wasn't too worried. Her mask was able to read her eye movements, so, with a specialized sequence, she activated a spray from an insignia on her chest. Poison sprayed on Batman's face. She used a well-placed knee to get him off of her while he was disarmed.

"So sorry! You should really get to a hospital. I recommend CroFab and fast!" she said, telling him the proper antidote and hastily heading to her escape route from the roof of a nearby building. The only problem was that the painting was on the other side of Batman. She had to leave it, she couldn't risk getting caught and sent to Arkham. Batman was a serious problem.

AFTER THE HEIST

When she got back home safely as Jada Versailles, she was pissed about losing the painting. Her next score would have to be big. She was eager to start researching a few ideas, but coming home to her empty apartment was heartbreaking. Ayano. For the last three months or so, she could get a fix of him very easily. When did she get hooked? He was usually available for her to see within a few hours, ready to make every mundane or unpleasant part of her day disappear.

At work, she found herself daydreaming about him and then came crashing down when she realized she didn't know the next time she'd see him. When they had said goodbye, they both promised they would figure something out. She hadn't predicted how urgent this would become.

She liked living alone and being self-employed- independent. After her first serious boyfriend turned out to be married, she ended it and he spitefully told her she had "daddy issues," an over-reliance on men. She made a conscious effort to appear aloof. Other relationships came and went with nothing to write home about, on her part, anyway. She wanted it to seem like she was an actress who signed on to guest star in a series but never became part of the cast. She was exciting and beloved, but too cool to stick around for the slow episodes. But really, she couldn't handle the slow episodes, the deep intimacy part of a relationship. And the behind the scenes stuff? Could she share about herself like that? Guest starring was the way to go.

But Ayano. He was a fascinating prospect. Was it possible that he wanted to know everything about her and could do all the fun stuff? The thought haunted her mercilessly. She was going to follow his lead and where it went.

Jada's day-to-day life was unbearable. She was constantly in a terrible mood. One of her employees at the gallery told her "I've seen heroin addicts that were more cheerful than you." It was like withdrawal, she thought.

Grace and another friend, Natalie, were happy to have her around again, having hardly seen her for weeks. They gave her shit about neglecting them for her man, but it was her older friend, Raquel, who verbalized an Ayano-specific problem. She brought it up unexpectedly. The two of them were having coffee and talking about how it was easier to learn languages when you were younger.

"When you're young, your mind is like loose, fertile soil. Seeds can get in very easily. As we age, our minds become like clay." Raquel had said. She was a very close friend but she did say serious stuff like this all the time. "This is why when an older man dates a young woman, it can be a problem. His mind is already clay. He knows what he wants, who he is. The young woman may not know herself as well and find one day that most of the seeds in her head are his."

Jada had heard Raquel, of course, they were sitting only a few feet apart. Yet, she wasn't ready to believe that Ayano would be an impediment to her in any way. He loved her, and yes, he guided and taught her stuff, but he happened to be a teacher! Besides, what did Raquel know? She was one to talk. Her husband, Tavi, was five years older than her! The conversation with Raquel was quickly buried in her mind.

I MISS YOU CALL

Since Ayano left, Jada had been able to put on appearances that she wasn't struggling as much as she actually was. She had spoken with him twice so far, trying to keep the topics light and sex-oriented. Yet, on the fifth day apart, she couldn't keep it together anymore. She missed so much about him: his companionship, his touch, his devotion to her. Jada had never had a man who wanted to unwrap her like Ayano did. He was spontaneous and fun and liked to spoil her. Not to mention one of the most physically attractive human beings she had ever encountered.

At work, the new exhibit they were showing soon was a disaster. Delivery times, catering, invitations-- everything had a significant problem. The straw that broke the camel's back was around 7:00 one night. Jada tried to set up the sound system and the whole thing didn't work. She had just bought it a few weeks ago and she couldn't get it working for the life in her. The stupid speakers didn't work, she hadn't had dinner yet, and she really liked this guy that lived too far away! Afraid she would lose it and cry in front of her employees, she stormed off into her office and slammed the door.

When she would tell this part of their story to her friends, she would say that she debated calling Ayano for a long time, but this wasn't the case. The moment she set eyes on her desk's phone, she found his number and dialed it. It was about 2:00 in the morning in Romania, but she didn't care.

"Alo?" he answered, not sounding especially sleep-ridden.

"Ayano..." she sobbed into the phone the moment she heard his voice.

"Baby, baby, what is it?" he asked in a worried voice. She sniffled, trying to pull herself together. "What happened?!"

"Ayano, I'm having a really bad day." she croaked, the crying making it difficult to speak. She hated her crying voice.

"Jada, tell me what happened." he asked.

"The sound system at the gallery doesn't work, I'm really hungry, and you live halfway around the world! I miss you so much." she choked, going into her private bathroom to grab some toilet paper in lieu of the Kleenex she never remembered to buy.

"Oh, dragostea mea... " he chuckled a little. "Jada, it's okay. You had me worried."

"You should be worried! I feel like shit!" she complained.

"I know, I know. I do, too. No one wants to be around me here, I just keep snapping at everyone." he sympathized.

"It feels like I'm about to puke up my heart." she said sorrowfully. He laughed for a moment and made a compassionate 'aww' sound like he thought she was being adorable. "Stop!"

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry."

"This is serious!!" she scolded him.

"Yes, we have to figure out something." he said.

"I'm never like this." she said defensively, still sniffling.

"I'm a wreck, too." he reassured her.

"No, you're not. You're not crying like a twelve year old schoolgirl."

"Hey, I'm... brooding. I was driving 160 kilometers an hour today." he explained. She wasn't quite sure why heartache would make him drive fast, but that is what he offered, so she assumed it was how men handle this sort of thing. Ayano sighed. "Please Jada, I'm begging you, you have to get on a plane tomorrow."

"I could come for a little while, but what are we going to do after that?" she asked, curling up on her couch. She wanted to know if she should try to get over him now, before it was even harder.

"Who cares? It'll work itself out later. We are both falling apart like this. And I can't leave here now, there are so many Romanian families counting on my company to put food on their tables. I have to get so many things set up before I can possibly leave again. Worry about later later." he reasoned.

"Okay, I'll come. Tomorrow." she agreed.

"Let's see... there are a few flights landing in Bucharest tomorrow. Can you get on a 8:40 pm flight to Frankfurt?" he asked.

"Is there anything earlier?" she said, not bothering to hide her impatience.

"Just a 6:10 pm through Charles DeGaulle."

"That's fine." she said, feeling immensely relieved.

"I'll send you a car to get you to the airport. It will arrive around 3 pm. The driver's a friend of mine, Carlo. He'll get you anything you need." he said, planning for her in case she ran late, which she would.

"What's your place like in Bucharest?" she asked.

"Oh, it's just hideous."

"I'm sure."

"Do you want to shop for some new art while you're here? I would love your help acquiring some new pieces." he proposed.

"Maybe..."

"It will be fun for you while I'm at work. I'll have one of the office girls take you around some museums and galleries."

"I can't wait to see you."

"You get in at 3:20. I'll come get you. I can't wait."

"I always used to hate people who make out at the airport..." she said.

"There's a first time for everything, my dear." he told her.

"See you soon." she said, feeling so excited she was lightheaded.

"See you soon. You're all I think about." he confessed.

"I'll be thinking about you tonight." she was in danger of gushing. It was too soon, she thought.

"Bye, iubi." he said.

The next day, Jada walked by a Barnes & Noble on the way to work. Curiosity made her look up "yoo-bee" in a Romanian/English dictionary. Once she got the spelling right, a smile spread across her face when she found out it meant "love" or "beloved." It was cute and it didn't gross her out. She bought the dictionary, feeling like she had the best man on earth.