Cherry was making a point of staring at Elon's face through it all, even though that was proving to be somewhat challenging, because his eyes just seemed to want to keep gravitating back down to her chest. Not his fault! She just seemed to keep doing things that made him want to look there, like just then when she started looking down at herself for some reason. And it was a rather nice chest, too, but Cherry was a gentleman and he knew it was impolite to talk to a girl's boobs. At least when she was looking.
Gentlemen...hah. And here he was working in a brothel. Well, he cold still be a gentleman, right? After all, he was only a bouncer and it was his job to protect the whores and whatnot. It wasn't like he sold his body or slept with any of the prostitutes, hell no, he'd never do that no matter how pent up the hormones got. He loved women, and only women, but when he slept with someone he liked to sleep with a woman he actually liked and who actually liked him, instead of someone who was paid to like him for an hour or so. Ick. He just couldn't get into it. It was tempting sometimes, no doubt, some of the whores were nice to look at and the damned incense they used sometimes didn't help, but no matter, it still wasn't his thing.
Especially not when all the whores seemed to view it all as a challenge and a joke to try and get him in their beds, just because he was adamant about not doing that. Especially the men. They seemed determined to gay him up since he was decidedly not gay. The owner included.
Shudder. Ah well. It paid well and had good benefits (not those benefits!) and he'd become pretty good at his evasion techniques!
"I...can't say I have," Cherry answered Elon's question slowly, one eyebrow raised as he was indeed looking steadily at her face. The answer to that should have been fairly obvious because the last time he checked he'd been wearing pants and a shirt, not a dress, and he wouldn't ever wear a dress, either. Just to be sure, Cherry glanced down at himself--you could never be too sure, he wasn't the best when it came to the whole waking up process sometimes--and then looked back up to her. Yup. Pants.
Still, what she said was a little worrisome...the way she talked about guys groping her, so casually. Customers, even! And she wasn't a brothel worker, she was just a normal...Cherry gave her a once over. Well, mostly normal woman. "If it's any consolation or comparison, though, working here I get nearly molested on a daily basis by women and--" Cringe. "--especially men. They can't seem to stand that I like women and just women, and specifically women who aren't paid to like me. 'Course, I knew what I was getting into and I'm a guy, I can handle it." Not that he was bragging of course. "But you...there's no excuse for those guys to take advantage of you like that," he added with a nod, frowning a little.
Hell, Cherry was just a country bumpkin but at least he'd been taught respect, unlike these city people it seemed...but...maybe it wasn't his business? She seemed nonchalant about it, so maybe she could handle it on her own? She didn't look like the toughest woman, but you never knew.
And of course right after he finished saying that, and trying his best to be all chivalrous, the girl would, in the midst of talking about her shop--and really saying nothing about it--she started to fiddle with her top, and Cherry's eyes wanted to wander down from her face again. With a start, he jerked his eyes back up to her face and made an effort of gluing them there. Ah, he couldn't help it! He was attracted to movement, what could he say? Not his fault!
Luckily she seemed to realize what she was doing and stopped and turned around. Whew.
And then Elon surprised him. Apparently she no longer needed him to lift things for her. Alright. That was kind of disappointing, he was curious to get out and see this shop of hers and hang around with a seemingly sane woman for a while. But then she invited him to come eat instead and even nudged him, and commented that he seemed sane.
That was the most wonderful compliment he'd gotten in a long time. Certainly better than being told that morning by a male prostitute that he had a nice ass. He was sane. Thank Gods, sometimes it felt like his sanity hung by a thread.
Still, going to lunch and helping her around her shop would take a while...it took time to make and eat a meal and moving things around would take time, too, certainly more time than just carrying stuff over there would take. And it wasn't yet his breaktime. If he was gone for too long...it'd be noticed. And he could get busted for it. "Actually, I think I'd better--" He cut off when she grabbed his hand and began to pull him along without waiting for his answer, having made up his mind for him, and Cherry just shook his head...and followed.
He could have easily pulled free and declined, he was stronger than her, but instead he found himself grinning at her as she looked around all stealthy-like, and it was an effort not to chuckle. Well...He glanced around as well, ducking down and following her lead. A few minutes couldn't hurt, right? It wasn't the busy time for the brothel, no one would know he was missing...
And he, too, wouldn't mind hanging around with the sanest person he'd met so far who was also not a prostitute, but just a normal woman. Besides, Elon had already made up her mind it seemed, and he...well, he did admire her boldness and openness, he had to say.
Besides...sneaking out like this was kind of fun. Kind of made him feel like a kid again, sneaking out his bedroom window.
Following her lead, he snuck out with her, shut the door behind him as quietly as he could, and followed her to her shop.