"I'm not picky," she said with her rosy face close to mine. She grinned, more than a little tipsy.

The bar was hot, crowded, and very noisy. I pressed closer to her so I could hear what she was saying.

"I'm a bit drunk, too, I think, Danny."

"I think you might be, Nan. What were you saying before?"

"It's Nancy. And I said I'm not ... I said I'm not picky."

"Aren't you?" I watched her face moving in that way you can only do under the influence, her round face nodding, and the curly black hair on her head quivering with the movement.

"No. I'm not a slut, though."

"No, I'm sure you're not."

"Usually."

"Oh."

"Look," she whispered to me, far too loudly for any normal conversation, though it worked well enough in the bar. "I went out this afternoon and did some shopping."

"What?"

"Shopping," she repeated, pulling my shoulders towards her, and bending my face down. Her short black skirt was up around her waist, careless of anyone who might see, and she was showing me her panties. Navy satin briefs with a slightly paler blue lace trim. "They cost me twenty dollars."

"Did they?" I stared shamelessly. "Well worth it."

"You think so?" She wiggled, then stood up and showed me the rear view. Her butt was round too. And the satin was stretched wonderfully over her buttocks as she wiggled again and sat down. She smoothed her skirt down over her thighs again, ignored the looks from all the guys in the vicinity, and stared at me. "Well?"

"God. Are you always like this?"

"No, I said that already."

"So what's it about tonight?"

"Listen, if you don't want to..."

"No, no. I'm just ... I don't want to, you know, take advantage."

"Oh, God, I wish you would. I spent money, you know."

"You said."

"Yeah. Sex money."

"Oh? How does that work, Nan?"

She leaned in and kissed me, her hot sticky lips wonderful against mine, her tongue forcing its way into my mouth, her arms pulling me close. She explored in and around my teeth, her tongue finding mine and twirling with it before sucking hard and forcing me to explore her mouth in return. Not that I was arguing. It was wonderful. She was relaxed in a way that only those under the influence could be. She loosened her mouth from mine just enough to speak.

"Call me Nancy. And it's basically a backup."

"To what?"

"To the kissing. If that doesn't get me into your apartment, then the panties are my twenty dollar backup."

"You ... you don't need them."

She pulled herself back. "You don't like them?"

"Oh, I never said..."

"Hold on, hold on." She turned away from me, hoisted her skirt up again, and waggled it at the older man sitting on the other side of her. He'd been playing plenty of attention the first time, but he got an eyeful now. "Danny doesn't like my panties. What do you think?"

His grin was enough of an answer, and she turned back to me. "You're gay?"

"No!"

"Married?"

"Oh God, are you a priest?"

"What? No, I'm not. Look, I love your panties."

She stopped then, pressed herself close to me, and whispered loudly again. "Well, take me away from here, and you can get in them. Now."

It seemed, despite her lack of sobriety, that she knew what she was doing, and I was all out of resistance in any case. I climbed to my feet, took her hand in mine, helped her up, and we left.

As soon as we were outside, we could feel the drop in the temperature, and we must have both felt a little more sober. I looked at her and asked. "You sure about this, Nancy?"

"Danny, are you always like this?"

"No, not at all."

"Then shut up."

"Got it."

"Listen, three options that I can see. My place, your place, or here in the carpark."

"You have a car?"

"Nope. You?"

"No. I live just a few blocks from here."

"Ah. That's a plan then, right?"

"Yeah, if you like."

"Which way?"

We walked hand in hand to the apartment building, chatting about mutual friends, and what they were likely to say tomorrow. Neither of us minded too much though, so mostly we were just laughing.

I felt decidedly sober by the time we got to the building, but Nancy certainly wasn't. My card got us through the front door, and into the elevator. By the time the door closed on us, Nancy had my hands on her thighs, having slid them up the sides of her legs. My fingers felt over the narrow waistband of her panties, and she sighed as she leaned against me, just in time for the doors to open. A woman was standing there and looked disapprovingly at my hands on Nancy's thoroughly visible panty-wrapped ass.

I dropped my hands as we walked out into the dim carpeted hallway. Nancy just laughed and smiled at the woman before taking my hand in hers again.

We didn't waste any time in getting to my apartment, and once we were inside I gathered Nancy into my arms and gave her a long hug, and another marathon kiss.

"Oh, I thought you were reluctant," she said huskily to me. "I figured maybe I would have to use my backup."

"You won't," I whispered, kissing her lightly on the neck. "You won't, but don't let that stop you."

She straightened a little then, obviously not as incapable of thought as I had figured. "Danny, listen, I don't want anything rough, you understand? I'm a nice girl. A romantic. I want it to be nice."

"So, no whip?"

"No whip. You have a whip?"

"Uh uh. I have a neighbour who might lend me one."

"No whip."

"Got it.Handcuffs?" I kept teasing.

"No. Well ... you have those?"

"Ah ... I do, somewhere. A gift."

"From your girlfriend?"

"I don't have a girlfriend."

"Ah." Nancy pulled herself in close again, and I breathed close to her and listened. "I have a boyfriend."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. So this ... thing. It's not ... you know, long term."

"The boyfriend thing?"

"No silly. This thing."

"Ah."

"That's alright?"

"I'm not about to resist you now, no matter what rules you make up."

"You think not?"

"Nope."

"Hmm ... do you know Lisa?"

"Yup, a little. Why?"

"She once ... I'm not sure I should say. She made someone pay to have sex with her."

"No way."

"Yeah, she did."

"Who?"

"Oh, I'm not telling that part, Danny."

"Oh, go on. Tell me his name."

"How do you know it was a he?"

"What?"

"Yeah, alright. A guy. But I can't tell you who it was. It would get around."

"Nonsense. I can keep a secret."

"Nope."

I was strangely comfortable standing there. We were pressed together still, and speaking quietly, closely. Our hands were wandering too, while we talked. "Tell you what, Nancy. How about if I agree to your rule, whatever it is, then you tell me."

"What rule?"

"You make one up."

"Oh. I see." Her eyes lit up as she thought that through. "You'll agree to abide by the rule before I tell you what it is?"

"Ah ... there's going to be sex, right?"

"Oh, yeah. Well, so long as you agree."

"You couldn't walk out on me now, could you?"

"Try me."

"Shit. Listen, afterwards, could you remind me about how I should keep my damn mouth shut?"

"Except when kissing?" And she gave me a quick peck on my lips.

"Yeah, except then."

"So it's a deal?"

"Yeah. Deal. Con artist. You got me up here on false pretences."

"You live here."

"Yeah."

"Okay, here's the deal. You know how I spent twenty bucks to get laid?"

"Oh, the panties again?"

"Yeah. You need to reimburse me."

"What?"

"For the panties. You need to give me back the twenty."

"Oh."

"And then, I'll tell you Mark's name, and we can have ... oh, shit!"

"Ha!"

"Yeah, yeah. Mark. Big deal. Anyway, I still have the sex to bargain with."

"Mark, huh? He must have been desperate. Sold."

"Yeah?"

"You bet." I dug in my pants pocket and pulled out some notes. I didn't even look at them. Just shoved them into her hand.

"Hold on a second." She looked at the money and separated the notes. "Too much here, Danny. What kind of a girl do you think I am?"

"That's a trick question."

"Yeah. Hold on." Nancy took some of the notes and pushed them back down in my pocket. That felt very nice. Then she lifted her skirt on one side, folded the remaining money, and slipped it under the narrow waistband of the blue satin panties.