VIII-Sin With A Grin (Andy)

[Gwen Matthews]

I never noticed, until I focused
On everything you did, you said,
You lit the fuse inside my head

Several months had passed by since her divorce had been finalised. It was weird when she thought about it, because her marriage really hadn't lasted all that long. She had truly believed that she and Travis had belonged together and maybe once upon a time they did. But, times changed and so had the both of them. She had changed drastically and the more she thought about it the more she realised the changes weren't all her. Travis had changed her, some ways for the better but others not so much. She stopped being Gwen Matthews and simply was known for being the blonde who was married to the head of the Watchers..whose brother was a fucking psycho.

She tried, she really did but with Travis constantly disappearing it made her realise that married life was exactly what her mother had told her it would have been. It wasn't a walk in the park, it changed people and unfortunately sometimes marriage told you that the person you'd vowed to spend your life with wasn't always the right person for you. They may aswell have been from two different worlds.

Regardless, Gwen would have always loved him, cared for him but she wasn't going to be with him. To be honest, she didn't see herself settling down, not just yet because she needed to find herself again. She had a lot of things to carry, her job, the people in her life and the last thing she needed was to get married to someone she thought she loved for it all to blow up in her face again. No, it wasn't about that at all. She was still young, she had her whole life for settling down, now wasn't the time for her at all.

Gwen had sought a lot of advice from her best friend Ruth. She had encouraged Gwen to..'get back on the horse' it was a scary thought at first but, she started going out more, getting her old life back and it got a little easier. That wasn't to say that Gwen was going to start jumping from guy to guy, she had far too much self respect for that crap. She did however, appear to take a shining to one guy in particular. It was complicated for one main reason, you see, when Ruth told her to get back into dating and seeing other people...she wasn't referring to her brother.

She often wondered that if Ruth found out, she'd use the whole 'you started it' bullshit because Ruth was now engaged to Gwen's own brother. However, she knew saying such a thing would result in probably feeling the end of Ruth's claws in which case, she wanted to avoid it.

It wasn't anything serious, she and Andy just got along really well and he seemed to bring back that sense of excitement that her life had been lacking for a long ass time. She felt like her old self around him, it wasn't all about the physical stuff because it wasn't always the case, he understood her, he got her sense of humour and they both made fun of Ruth which was a release the two of them. Neither were ready to really make anything happen from what was currently going on between them, it was refreshing to be on the same page as someone for once.

Andy was definitely boyfriend material, but they two of them had heaps going on that right now it wouldn't have worked, things were going good for what they were in the moment and she wasn't going to change that anytime soon and Andy seemed to feel the same way.

The blonde had arranged to meet him at a bar, taking some time out of work. The guys could handle what was going on back in New York, she made sure of that before she left. She wasn't ever going to leave them in the lurch, she wasn't that type of person. Her work was her life, her friends and family worked in the same environment so she always ensured that everything was well back at the office.

Gwen was seated at the bar, sipping on her bottled beer as she waited for Andy to arrive.

[Andy Rizzo]

This whole "chairman of the board" thing or whatever Andy's official title was just simply working for the chosen heir of the Rizzo empire, or whatever was left of it. But certainly not for a lack of trying. Andy spent hours that turned into days that turned into weeks that turned into months trying his damnedest to re-create what his father had built.

Back when Andy was a kid, his father had basically run the state of Texas. The law firm was the biggest in the state and one of the biggest in the country. His father represented some of the biggest and brightest in the court room. There were car dealerships, restaurants, even a few hotels in the works when everything came crashing down. Gambling debts had brought Rizzo Enterprises down to it's knees and completely crushed whatever was left of the marriage between Andy's parents.

And when Andy was handed the keys to a shattered kingdom, he just couldn't do what his father had done. Maybe it was because his father was not only a damn good lawyer, but a smart business man to boot. Andy was neither of those things. Andy could have been a shoe in at Harvard Law consider his father was a proud alumni, but it had long been established that Andy was not the kind of guy to use his last name to get anything. Andy was about as independent as one could be, so he drove cabs and took a few classes at a community college.

Looking back on it, maybe Andy should have gone to college because it would have prepared him better for the day that he knew was coming; the day he took over. But he didn't. And now here he sits, in a bar, contemplating selling whatever was left of what was once his father's true pride and joy off to the highest bidder.

At least he was in the bar for a much better reason than that. He hadn't been waiting for Gwen long, only about five minuets or so. The empty booth at the far end of the bar wasn't the best place to wait for somebody consider it was a good ten to fifteen feet away from the door, but it was a nice place to be alone inside his own head for a minute.

Unfortunately, he got a little bit lost inside his own because he didn't notice Gwen strolling into the bar.

Gwen was a childhood friend of Ruth's, much like Andy's ex had been. The only difference between Andy's ex and Gwen was that Andy was not pursuing Gwen out of malicious intent. Hell, he had barely recognized her when they ran into each other a little under a year ago. But with Ruth, none of that mattered. Her friends were told to steer clear of Andy and it was clear that if something ever did happen, Ruth would do everything she can to ruin it.

Andy, however, wasn't entirely sure what was happening between him and Gwen. Gwen had gone through a divorce that while it wasn't particularly messy, it was something that came out of nowhere to giver her a really bad shock to her system. Andy himself was getting out of a long relationship and was having to deal with the everyday stress of commanding a bunch of people that even he wasn't sure of what they did. So for right now, I guess we could all just say that Gwen and Andy were just having some fun.

"About time you should up," Andy said, strolling up to the stool next to Gwen with a smile on his face. Andy was in a pair of blue jeans and a plain t-shirt, something he liked much better than the three-piece monkey suits he had to wear all the time. "So how about we get drunk and get tossed out of the Hard Rock?"

[Gwen Matthews]

I never noticed, until I focused
On everything you did, you said,
You lit the fuse inside my head

"About time you should up," a familiar voice sounded. Gwen pouted her lips, turning to look over her shoulder as Andy slinked into the stool beside her "..Hm, well, you're just lucky I came at all..I nearly didn't.." the blonde teased with a small grin. She hadn't seen him already here, they'd arranged to meet but had clearly missed each other upon entering.

She was glad to see him, it was nice to get some time off work to blow off some steam and what better company to spend it with then Andy. It had many perks, but most of all she could let her hair down around him and not have to worry too much about thinking before she spoke or acted. Gwen was starting to get back to her normal self. Being with Travis had most definitely changed her and at the time she thought for the better but now she realised it just made her boring. Travis was a nice guy but fun wasn't a word she'd have used to describe him that was for sure. Andy on the other hand, he liked similar things to her, they got on much easier.

"So how about we get drunk and get tossed out of the Hard Rock?" He suggested. She liked the sound of that, it had been a while since she'd gotten herself into a drunken state. For a long time she didn't drink, she didn't do much of anything like she'd used to. Andy was good for her, much like Ruth which was kinda weird. The two didn't get on but they had a few things in common, the biggest being that they always bought out the best in Gwen and for that she wouldn't have given up for anything.

The blonde smiled nodding gently "..Sounds like a plan. Just don't be letting me get arrested cause the last time that happened, it didn't end well and i'd really like to avoid a repeat of that night, longest night of my life..." It sure as shit didn't, she got into a lovely brawl and ended up getting tazed. That was back in the day though, when she was a rebel..those days were over but she still had a lot more trouble to get into. The blonde took a generous swig from her bottle, tilting her head back and guzzling down the remainder before placing it on the bar.

"I was kinda hoping you'd bust out a suit for me today..but this look is good, very James Dean.." Gwen smirked. She finished the rest of her drink, gulping it down before placing the bottle on the bar and got up from her seat. The blonde gestured for him to lead the way. She wasn't often a follower, but she knew taking the back-seat here meant she'd get a good look at his ass when he got up and everyone knew that dude had a good ass on him.

She figured he'd click on right away as to what she was doing which was why she grinned like a mother fucker when he did get up. She had a feeling that today was going to be awesome.

(my post is poo cuz i siiick )

[Andy Rizzo]

The simple of idea of having to put on a three piece suit irked Andy. They were constricting, almost to the point where Andy could feel a pair of hands squeezing his throat until his head popped like a pimple. Andy rubbed his neck just slightly, the choking sensation feeling a little bit too real.

"Don't even joke about those suits. Seriously, I hate those damn things," Andy said, ordering a shot for himself and for Gwen. She said that she was more than willing to get drunk with him only to get thrown out of the Hard Rock because of how drunk they got and/or will get.

"Hey, people get thrown out of casinos all the time around here and don't end up in prison, they just end up passing out at some other casino," Andy simply shrugged before he downed his shot, winking at Gwen.

"Well . . . now that I think about it, what in the hell did you do to get arrested?" Andy said with a quizzical eyebrow raised. This was a subject that Andy was certainly most curious about. Gwen had told him that she was a bit of a wild child back in the day. And from what she had told him, the term of "hell on heels" had never been more true. She was quite upfront with her brushes with the law, but all the stories ended with her slipping away from police custody. So Andy certainly curious about the time that the police actually got her.

"Well," Andy said as he finished off his beer. "I've got a good head start on ya, Gwen," And he did. He had just polished off his second beer with a shot of whiskey in between the two. While it certainly wasn't enough alcohol to get someone drunk or even just slightly buzzed, Gwen still was working on her first drink of the night.

"Better get a move on, killer."

[Gwen Matthews]

I never noticed, until I focused
On everything you did, you said,
You lit the fuse inside my head

"Don't even joke about those suits. Seriously, I hate those damn things," Andy said as he turned to order shots. The blonde beamed at him, her gaze piercing him slightly as he turned his sight away from her and toward the tender. She smirked to herself, before replying "..I think they're sexy.." she teased playfully wiggling her brows at him before sipping the beer she'd already had beside her.

Gwen liked the banter that they shared, the fact that she could get away with joking and he didn't take it too seriously. Andy was a light hearted guy, but when serious shit needed to be dealt with he did so in his own way. Gwen had a lot of respect for him, the fact he'd had to single handedly defeat many sisters was something she had to give him credit for, the Rizzo girls were not an easy bunch to live with...especially Ruth. He was an all around nice guy, like everyone he had his flaws but the blonde did not fault him at all for them...god only knew that she had her flaws, and many much worse.

"Hey, people get thrown out of casinos all the time around here and don't end up in prison, they just end up passing out at some other casino," Andy informed her, downing his shot. He had a point, a lot of people were tossed out for simple bad behaviour or stinking attitudes, some couldn't handle their liquor whilst others became too big for their boots. Gwen..well...she did other things to get herself into trouble..things that she knew Andy would quickly grow curious of.

"Well . . . now that I think about it, what in the hell did you do to get arrested?" He quizzed raising a brow at her. Gwen had been brief on her experiences, telling him of some of the brushes with the law she'd had but never going into much detail. He knew about the Sommers gig, about her being paid to use her abilities for things other then good deeds, robbing people blind..taking on gangs etc..the details were never given and with good reason. She didn't want him knowing all that shit, it was a lot to take on..

The blonde gave a nonchalant shrug, bringing her shot glass to her lips as she spoke "..I put a guys head through a table....I turned my back for a second and wham..get knocked right on my ass, waking up in a cell..." she told him, necking the shot. She placed the glass down and slowly trailed her eyes back toward him to see his initial reaction "...He started it..I was merely defending myself..i swear.." She grinned at him, deviously as it were which hinted that it was possible she wasn't as innocent as she'd made out in her small brief description of what went on.

"Well," Andy said as he finished off his beer, she still had the majority of her first one left and he had just finished his second "I've got a good head start on ya, Gwen," She smirked at him, watching him as he slid the bottle across the bar joining the empty one. Scoffing, the blonde bought her bottle to her lips. "Better get a move on, killer." Pressing the bottle against her lips, the blonde retorted.

She turned to him "...Oh I wouldn't get ahead of yourself now, I always win...you should know that..." Gwen grinned at him. "Trust me..by the end of the night, you're going to be the one trying to keep up with me, darlin'.." She winked at him, tilting her head back guzzling the remainder of her drink. Gwen turned to the tender, ordering another round of shots and more beers.

[Andy Rizzo]

"I think they're suffocating," Andy replied in a somewhat serious tone. He looked at those three piece suits as a dog collar that was growing ever tighter every time that he put on one. It felt as if he was being wrangled into a world that he didn't know anything about and didn't care to know anything about. The entrepreneurial spirit that engulfed his late father had completely left Andy in the dark although it was something that he really didn't mind. Philanthropy was something that was completely lost on Andy in the business sense. This world of fiscal reports, businessmen and lawyers was completely foreign territory to Andy.

He thought about it a number of times, selling off his stake of whatever was left behind their departed father to Ruth. But the way things were left between the two of them was so rocky that Andy became flush red with anger even at the mere thought of his own sister. But despite his harsh feelings towards his eldest sibling, Andy had to admit that the whole business side of things was Ruth's strong suit.

The only thing that snapped Andy back into the current moment instead of getting lost in his thoughts was the story of how Gwen put a man's head through a table. Albeit the laughing, Andy had a rather impressive look on his face. He knew that Gwen wasn't the kind of lady to take the shit of others, but he hadn't the slightest clue of how far that actually went.

"Remind me to not piss you off at any point," Andy said, sipping on his drink. "And if he made you put his head through a table, he probably did something to deserve such a harsh punishment." Due to the fact that she was a friend of Ruth and friends of Ruth were off limits to Andy after the whole whats-her-name situation, Andy was kinda of in the dark when it came to Gwen's personality. At least now he knows that pissing Gwen off is one of the dumbest mistakes that one could possible make.

"You always win, huh?" Andy said, sipping on what now was his fifth bottle of beer. Getting completely shitfaced wasn't something that Andy constantly did, but the man did have some wild years back in high school, so he certainly can hold his own when it comes to booze. "If you even what a chance, you better start downing those things like they're going out of style."

[Gwen Matthews]

"I think they're suffocating," He replied rather seriously. Gwen laughed at him, rolling her eyes a little as she took another sip of her drink "Wow, you really don't know how to take a compliment, do ya?" She grinned at him. She appeared to get on with Andy quite well, and though she never said it out loud he was quite similar to Ruth in that way. Sure, he probably thought Ruth was nothing more then a mouthy, snotty, thunder cunt but..she was all right in Gwen's book. Andy would definitely disagree with that though. The thing about Andy was that he wasn't like most the men she'd met, they were either intimidated by her ballsy attitude or..they were arrogant mother fuckers. He was neither of the above, to be honest she wasn't sure what he was because she still had a lot to learn about him. She figured after a couple of drinks, she would get to know him better..

"Remind me to not piss you off at any point," Andy replied sipping his drink. She had become much more tolerant these days, people rarely pissed her off like they did back when she was running around kicking peoples asses just because she could. If Andy was anything like Ruth, or the other Rizzos for that matter there was a chance he could annoy her at some point. She rather liked the idea, it'd be amusing to see how that played out.

"And if he made you put his head through a table, he probably did something to deserve such a harsh punishment." Part of that was right, but it had been a little extreme of an attack and Gwen really hadn't needed to be so harsh. She just found her temper getting the better of her at the time and she couldn't control herself.

"You always win, huh?" Andy inquired, chugging down his beer. She simply watched him, a grin playing her lips as he drank. He was ahead of her, she knew that and he was right she'd have some catching up to do if she wanted to beat him. With a grin, she picked up her bottle. The blonde shrugged slightly "Oh, I never said anything about drinking.." She crooned back at him with one shit eating grin. She finished her drink and ordered a few more.

[Andy Rizzo]

"Compliment or not, those things are still suffocating. Women say beauty is pain . . . but I say fuck that shit," Andy said, his serious tone giving way to one more humorous in nature. He didn't care how well he looked in those monkey suits because to him, they always felt like a pair of shackles that were on far too tight.

"Ya know what, from this moment on . . . never wearing another suit and tie again. I'm the boss, I'll do as I please," Andy said as his lips curled up a little to form a grin. He was, indeed, the boss of the whole shebang-a-bang. If he didn't want to wear suits anymore, than he was not going to wear suits anymore. Andy was certainly the king of the company and it was certainly true that it was good to be king. "But don't get me wrong, everyone else has to wear suits and look professional."

"Ya know what else . . . fuck going in tomorrow too," Andy said as he started on . . . whatever number beer he was currently on. He's lost track at this point, so if Gwen really did want to win, the window was wide open. All she had to do is make him think that he was behind her when it came to slamming down alcohol and in Andy's current condition, that wouldn't be too hard to accomplish. When Andy beings to get a little buzz going on, Andy is going to do what makes Andy happy. If he didn't want to put on a coat and tie again at work, he wasn't going to. If he wasn't going to go into the office the next day, than by god he was not going to go into the office the next day. "Gwen, here's to a night that both of us will enjoy now and will definitely regret in the morning."

[Gwen Matthews]

"Compliment or not, those things are still suffocating. Women say beauty is pain . . . but I say fuck that shit," Andy replied, the serious tone slipping from his voice as a more humorous approach seeped through. Gwen smirked at him, tilting her head sideways as she eyed him. "Hey, you don't know what kinda pain we women have to go through to keep you guys happy. You go get yourself a bikini wax an then you can come back to me with your fuckin' shit" The blonde remarked playfully, taking another sip of her drink. She got along well with Andy, more then she thought she would with all things considered. The fact was she got along with Ruth and Ruth hated Andy, she figured it'd be the same for her. But, he was a nice guy..and he was smoking, so that helped a lot.

"Ya know what, from this moment on . . . never wearing another suit and tie again. I'm the boss, I'll do as I please," Andy declared with a wide grin. Gwen pouted at him, it was kinda sexy when he got all assertive and all. She couldn't imagine how he'd be as a boss, probably the opposite of her because most of the time she didn't give much of a shit for orders. Then again, she could consider that had he been her boss, he'd be more lenient with her..she'd make sure of it.

"I like ya attitude, especially when you start talking about being the boss and all. But, I gotta say I like the suits. Without it, you might not be as attractive to me.." Gwen joked with a smirk. To be honest, she wasn't really too bothered about all that shit. She didn't exactly have what you'd consider a type at all..just someone she could have fun with and Andy sure did provide that. "I'm starting to wonder what kinda boss you are and if I should be grateful that you aren't mine." She chuckled lightly, finishing her beer off before starting her next one. She was still behind him, but fuck it, she'd ensure by the end that she'd caught up or was ahead.

"Gwen, here's to a night that both of us will enjoy now and will definitely regret in the morning." Watching him carefully, she grinned taking a sip of her drink before replying "Maybe you should slow down, we don't want you forgetting it all now do we? I wouldn't want you to regret absolutely everything that could happen tonight." she smirked.

[Andy Rizzo]

Andy shrugged, "Maybe you can find yourself one of those guys that don't mind a it when it's a little untamed," he said, finishing his sentence off with a smirk. "I mean, I'm not one of those kinds of people," Andy said, the frankness of their current conversation not really catching on. That was the way Andy and Gwen were, the first time they met it was as if the both of them were old friends. They could have really in depth discussions about stuff that was extremely personal and neither one of them would give two shits about it.

"I don't really give a damn how things got done, just as long as they got done," Andy told her. It was true, he really did care how someone completed a task just as long as they got it done well and didn't break the law in the process. At the end of the day, if his employees produced results Andy was happy. If they didn't, than that was a whole different ball game.

"Although if I need to be a boss, I'll be one," Andy said. [color=FF5000]"But I'm tired of talking about work. Hell, I'm tired of it. I'm starting to think that maybe this whole 'running a corporation' is really my kind of thing,"

[/color] Andy confessed to Gwen as he took a small drink of his beer. Unlike his father and his eldest sibling, he didn't got to college. He never really was into the whole idea of running a multimillion dollar business. Maybe he should just cash out and live the rest of his life on a boat like a Kenny Chesney music video.

"Depends on what you got planned for the rest of the night, doesn't it?" Andy quipped. If Gwen has some ideas for fun that Andy didn't want to be forgetting, than maybe he should take it a little easy on the drinking but if she planned on the two of them ending up on the wrong side of a drunk tank, than the best thing to do would be drink to forget the night.[/blockquote]

[Gwen Matthews]

"Maybe you can find yourself one of those guys that don't mind a it when it's a little untamed," Andy finished with a smirk. Gwen grunted at him, offering a look of sheer disgust in response "I mean, I'm not one of those kinds of people," He assured her. Gwen smirked at him "Good to know. Then again, I'm guessing that there's gotta be something weird about ya, like a foot fetish or something just as bad. You Rizzo's are a weird bunch" she commented before taking a sip of her drink. She and Andy had known eachother for some time, though forbidden to talk to one another for the majority of it thanks to Ruth. The two got on, much to Ruth's dismay. They weren't kids anymore, Ruth was no longer able to get everything she wanted.

Andy had taken over the family business, another thing that pissed Ruth off and made her set out for blood. Had she known what was going on here, she'd have likely plucked all her hair from her scalp and made herself bald..she figured that wasn't a good look for her friend and so kept her meetings with Andy on the down low.

His work ethic was much like her own, Gwen didn't give a shit how things got done so long as they got done and no one on the team got killed. At first she struggled filling Travis's shoes, but after he'd simply abandoned his team, as his wife she felt it was her duty to step up to the mark. Of course, after the divorce she could have walked..but she grew fond of the team, grew close to Mitchell and Michael so she opted to stick around. She wasn't the boss, not really as it was a joint effort but to have the responsibility of a team...well that was something to be proud of.

]"But I'm tired of talking about work. Hell, I'm tired of it. I'm starting to think that maybe this whole 'running a corporation' is really my kind of thing," Andy confessed. Gwen nodded in understanding, listening intently before replying "..What would be your kind of thing then? I mean, running a corporation as big as yours well...a lot of people would give a limb for that chance. But, i guess the dream is better then the reality hm?...kinda like marriage.." She joked with a grin, god she knew that oh so well. It had been wedded bliss for a little while but sure enough the relationship fell stagnant and she no longer recognised herself.

She would always care about Travis, love him maybe but...she had lost herself in their relationship and now she was finally able to get her life back on track without becoming someone she no longer knew.

"Depends on what you got planned for the rest of the night, doesn't it?" Andy quipped, the blonde grinned deviously. She took another sip of her drink before placing it back down upon the bar, turning her gaze toward him. "I have a few things in mind. I'm certain that you won't have anything to regret though." Ever the flirt she was, Gwen rarely left anything a secret. The blonde stood up and necked the rest of her drink before nodding toward the door "Let's go somewhere else.."