Tease
Bailey sprayed her wrist with perfume before rubbing it in with her other. She then gave her neck a couple sprays too. She stepped back to take a better look at herself in the mirror of the changing rooms at the gym. She twisted to the left then the right to make sure she was looking good from all angles. Bailey ran her hands down the front of her red satin dress. It was one shouldered that draped down over her torso and gathered at the right of her hip, the leg was split up her left thigh. On her feet she wore black heels with dainty laces that loosely wrapped around her ankles a few times. Everything about this outfit was sultry, and this was why it was an old reliable.
Bailey knew how hot she looked when she needed to. She always looked good at work, whilst being appropriate and professional in her presentation. Bailey was attractive but not in that obvious sense. Other members of staff would never think she would look as good as she did right now when she did get done up for occasions. When she dressed up like this, it wasn't hard for her to attract the attention of men, and a few times she had been hit on by women. Bailey could have her pick of anyone in the bar in this dress if she so wished. She ran her hairbrush over the curls at the bottom of her hair one last time to ensure they were seperated. She had curled her white streak closer to the root than the rest of her hair to make it stand out more, she brushed this over gently and then held it all in place with hairspray. She leaned further into the mirror to wipe the very corners of her mouth to ensure her red lipstick was neat, and so, she was ready for the evening.
Patsy came out of the toilet stall, wiggling her long sleeve, black, sparkly dress back down over the middle of her thighs.
She gasped, "Shit, you look hot as hell."
"Why thank you," Bailey said as she spun around, "You're definitely going to be going home with someone looking like that."
"We shall see," Patsy winked.
The two laughed as they squeezed all their belongings into a gym locker where they would hopefully remember to collect tomorrow. Bailey looked around her makeshift makeup station and then under the sinks for her handbag, there was no sign of it.
"Oh shit, I've left my bag with my phone and purse in the complex. You go downstairs and book an Uber and I'll meet you there." She said.
___
"Wow," Bucky said as he hastily stood up from the couch he was laying on.
He tried not to look so eager, but he hurried over to join her in the kitchen. Bailey had caught him off guard. She had said goodbye and good night just less than an hour ago. Bucky presumed she was going to the hospital or home when she left with Patsy, he had yet to know Bailey have any social life or plans outside of work. He looked Bailey all the way up from her painted toenails, up her silky, exposed leg, to her accentuated hips, to her bare shoulder, to her red lips before admiring her hair which he had only ever seen tossed around in messy waves rather than perfect unravelled curls.
"You look fucking amazing." He said, he couldn't help himself.
"Thank you," she blushed.
It was the first time Bailey had heard Bucky swear this way, yes he had sworn at her before, but not in a way to intensify what he was saying positively. She could feel his eyes heavy on her, taking in every inch of her appearance, and she loved the attention.
"Go on, do a spin." He encouraged and smirked.
"Bucky," Bailey rolled her eyes, he was embarrassing her now.
"No I'm serious," he laughed and pulled out the gloves he now always kept in his back pocket. He put them on then confidently took her hand.
There was a moment of panic within Bailey, as she wasn't wearing any herself, but this didn't cross Bucky's mind. He was being careful but not quite careful enough. The times they have touched before, they both had a barrier of leather between their fingertips. He pulled her in but nothing triggered Bailey and her powers. She breathed a sigh of relief. Bucky lifted her hand up above her head and led her around to spin a few times like he did when they danced. He looked down along her back and to her behind each time he had the chance.
"What's the occasion? Some kind of awards or something?" He asked once he stopped twirling Bailey around, but still kept hold of her hand. "Or a date?"
She giggled at him and their whole encounter, "No, not a date, just a date with a friend. Patsy and I are going out for drinks."
"You look like that... For drinks. With a friend." He said in disbelief. He pushed his eyebrows up so high he wrinkled his forehead, "I'd love to see what you'd wear to a party or date or something like that then."
"Hmm, maybe I could try and get you invited to Stark's next party then, or you can take me out on a date, I bring out the best dresses for those." She teased.
Bailey couldn't quite believe what she had just said to Bucky. It was the dress giving her that alter ego that only ever revealed itself at bars. The red satin made her feel like she was already out on the town, flirting with whomever she liked. She tried to remind herself where she was and who she was talking to, but the thought disappeared as soon as she heard Bucky's voice again. She was enjoying this too much.
"By best dresses do you mean ones that show more leg?" He asked curiously.
Bailey laughed loudly, "Yes, and maybe more."
Bucky bit his bottom lip and exhaled through his nose. He thought of Bailey in something shorter, showing both her legs, but then this switched to the infamous Gilda dress worn by Rita Hayworth; strapless, satin, with a straight neckline exposing the tops of her breasts and leaving both shoulders bare. In Bucky's mind, his dress-up doll version of Bailey looked so fierce, and powerful, a lot like what she did now, but instead of giving her matching black long gloves like what Hayworth wore, he gave Bailey dazzling white gloves to match her piece of hair he loved.
He finally let go of her hand after absentmindedly playing with her fingers whilst they spoke, "So why did you come in here, just to wind me up?"
Bailey raised one of her dark, defined eyebrows, "Is this doing it for you?" she stepped her leg out further so the split in her dress rose higher exposing even more of her thigh.
Bucky looked to her leg just as she wanted him to, "Like you wouldn't believe."
The two looked at one another, playing a waiting game to see who was going to flirt and take it even further, but neither did.
Bailey chickened out and was conscious of leaving Patsy downstairs, "I had forgotten my bag, but I'm glad that I've caused," She motioned her hands in circles, "all this."
She picked up her bag from the kitchen chair and double checked she had everything she needed. Keys, phone, purse, ID; she was ready to head out.
"Won't I be seeing you tomorrow then?" he asked, disheartened.
Bailey put her bag on her shoulder, "I'll be in at around one o'clock. Patsy and I have half a day in tomorrow, to recover."
Bucky gave her a smile, "Well enjoy yourself. Honestly, have fun, you deserve it with all the work you've put in with me. I couldn't be more grateful."
Her heart fluttered, "Thanks Buck, I'll see you tomorrow."
___
Patsy and Bailey were making their way through the cocktail menu in no time at all, they had ordered cocktail number four just under one and a half hours of entering the bar. The strengths of the drinks and the pace they were consuming them meant that they were feeling the effects of the alcohol already. They were laughing louder, making ruder jokes, and generally loosening up from their work personas they have worn for so long now. The two were sat in a small booth to themselves at the side of the bar, it was adjacent to the dancefloor; a prime spot to get the best view of everyone in there.
"What about that guy?" Patsy asked, she nodded towards a man in a suit with one too many buttons of his shirt open.
She slid the prosecco shot that came paired with their pornstar martinis towards Bailey. These were their favourites to drink. The pair clinked the shot glasses and swallowed them whole, these were the only kind of shots Bailey could ever manage to do without throwing it straight back up.
Bailey carefully dabbed her lipstick with a napkin, "What, him?" She said as she analysed him, he was leaned against the bar, something about him seemed arrogant, "No, no thanks."
Patsy sat up straighter to peer into the crowds, "How about that one in the navy shirt?"
Bailey had just taken another sip but almost spat her drink back out when she looked at the next guy, "Patsy look at his shoes! He's wearing heels bigger than mine!" She exclaimed and the two burst out laughing.
"Right, him, over there," Patsy pointed drunkenly. Bailey quickly grabbed her hand and pulled it back down to the table whilst laughing some more, "He keeps looking over at us."
Bailey groaned before complaining, "He's got a ponytail for God's sake!"
"What, suddenly you're not into long hair?" Patsy asked before taking a big sip of her drink, she forgot there was a short straw in the glass and it nearly poked her in the eye.
Bailey would have laughed at this but she was caught off guard by her question."What's that supposed to mean?" She sounded a little short and irritated, and she was slightly, but more so she wanted to know what her friend's perspective was.
"You can tell me if you're into James and his fabulous, luscious, long hair you know." Patsy slurred on 'lucious' and said this without looking directly at Bailey, instead she swirled the straw around her drink.
"No, no, I don't like Barnes like that." Bailey said quickly before taking a couple of gulps.
"Bailey," She said slowly, Patsy looked up and waited until Bailey put the glass back down on the table to look her in the eye. "I'm your friend before your member of staff, please remember that."
She sighed and gave in, "Yeah, I think I do like him and his hair," She tried to make light of the conversation, "But, you know, it's complicated."
"I knew it," she laughed, "I didn't even need you to confirm it with me, I've seen how you look at him and how he looks at you, it's obvious. I just needed you to admit it to yourself."
Bailey felt like a weight was lifted from her shoulders saying this outloud, allowing her to acknowledge the feelings that she had been harbouring and growing for weeks now, but there was an ache in her heart.
"There's no good in admitting it to myself because there is nothing I can do about it." She said as she ran her finger around the edge of her glass.
"Sure there is, eventually..." Patsy tried to be supportive, "You can once he has been discharged from your service, surely."
Bailey sighed, "We're still not quite there yet Pats."
"I know, but there's no denying there is something there between the two of you. Has he ever..?" She let her sentence drift off.
"There's been a few occasions where he's been very suggestive but, like, that subtle kind of flirting where it's not obvious whether he's flirting or just his personality; he's so charming. But, to be honest, when I went to get my bag, that was undeniably flirting." Bailey confessed.
Patsy was visibly excited with Bailey opening up this way about Bucky, for a while now she had suspected something more than doctor/patient, and honestly, she could see them being good for one another.
"I do worry it's one sided though," Patsy shook her head almost aggressively at Bailey's comment before she continued, "What if it's just a bond he's made with me because of the treatment and he is mistaking it for romantic feelings?"
"Nuh-uh," She disagreed, "James is an intelligent man, he's very capable of distinguishing his feelings, it's the controlling of them he can struggle with sometimes. I think he knows how he feels, but he feels the same as you, like he cannot do anything about it."
Bailey sighed, "Well there's nothing either of us can do about it now, let's forget about it and when the time comes, I promise I'll talk to you about it."
Patsy reached out to take her friends hand and smiled, happy that her friend was now comfortable to talk to her about this internal conflict she had been battling alone for weeks, Bailey's eyes glowed momentarily but she shut it down.
"Come on," Patsy said, "Let's go dance."