She was at it again. The redhead with the fierce green eyes. I'd seen her a few times before in this bar, playing her little game with the rest of the women who came here to find someone. I knew her game because I played it too. And she was good. By my count, she was four for five - and given that she was picking up straight women made it even more impressive.

I knew her game because I played one like it. Like every other guy, I came to this bar to meet women, and I didn’t always leave alone. But I wasn’t a stalker. When she wasn’t here, I had other things to do. When she was, though, I watched.

She was intriguing to me. I watched her work and could see that she had an assertiveness that she kept camouflaged. She was toned, but not muscular. Her hair was in a bob cut - more cute than beautiful. She wore pretty strapless dresses like a disguise.

More and more, I started to wonder what would happen if I played her own game on her. Not coercion, not force, just offering something different - just like she did. And maybe that would change her.

She was a tigress. And I’d always preferred taming tigresses to collecting house cats.

Tonight, I decided I was done watching. I picked up my drink off the bar and approached her as she scoped out the room to pick her target.

“I’ve been watching you for a while now. You’re very good at it.”

She turned, clearly annoyed. "Excuse me?"

I continued, “You pick women who are already waiting on someone. You wait until they’re disappointed or bored, then you move in. You’re patient. Most men aren’t.”

She blinked and stared into my face, probably trying to guess my intentions. I just smiled back.

At last, she gave a haughty little sneer. "What’s it to you? Can’t stand the competition?”

I chuckled. "No. There’s plenty of fish in the sea. I just thought I’d compliment your game.” I lifted my glass slightly and tilted it in her direction. “Call it professional courtesy.”

She cocked her head. Was it curiosity or annoyance? I couldn't quite tell.

“And what exactly do you think my game is?”

I shrugged, “Like I said before, you watch. You wait. You pick the ones who are already disappointed in their evening. Then you step in and give them something better than whatever they were hoping for when they walked in.” I took a sip of my drink and added, “You’re very good at it.”

Her mouth opened just for a moment before she recovered. I could see her trying to regain control of the conversation and realizing she wasn’t quite managing it.

“How do you know so much about me? I don’t remember seeing you in here.”

I laughed, “Of course not. You’re single-minded. You haven’t noticed me because you’re not looking.”

She stared back at me, speechless for the moment.

Check.

She finally spoke again, “You seem very sure of yourself."

“I’m observant,” I countered. “And you’re interesting. Most people in here are just… performing. You’re actually playing a game. That’s rarer than you’d think.”

“Okay. If you’re as observant as you claim, then you know you’re not my type. So what exactly do you hope to get out of this?”

I laughed again, "'Get?' I'm not trying to get anything from you. I just wanted to meet the woman behind the familiar face. You’re in here a lot. You always look like you’re on a mission. I got curious.”

She raised an eyebrow and repeated, "Curious?"

I nodded, "Yup." I took another pull from my drink and then added, "At least... for now."

She froze again.

Check.

The air between us filled with awkward expectation. I broke it by turning to find a waiter.

“Another round, please. Same as before.”

I turned back and gave a smile. The drinks came, and I paid immediately and raised my new glass in a toast, "To us - the hunters. May the prey be plentiful.”

She smirked and touched her glass to mine. We both drank. When she set her glass down, the awkward silence returned. She looked like she was about to try to fill it, but nothing came out.

I moved my hand across the table and rested my fingers near hers - close enough to take, if she wanted. Then I spoke, keeping my voice low and even.

“You don’t have to perform for me.”

Her face flushed. She stood up quickly, grabbing her purse.

“Will you excuse me for a minute?”

She practically ran to the ladies' room.

Check.

I stood up and waited. She didn’t have to come back. She could still walk out the front door if she wanted to. But if she did come back, that would tell me everything I needed to know.

She walked back toward the table, but when she saw me standing there, she stopped short. I smiled and took the last step to close the distance. I took her hand and pulled her in, sliding my arm around her waist as I kissed her. Or at least, that’s how it started. She kissed me back - fully, without hesitation - her eyes closing as she returned the embrace. When we finally broke apart, I kept my hand at the small of her back and looked down at her.

"My place, or we can call it a night. Your choice."

I took her hand in my arm and led her outside. I didn't drag her - that's not what leadership is, after all. I hailed a cab and held the door for her. When the cab pulled away, I turned to her and brought my hand up to caress her face while I kissed her. I didn't do more than that - I didn't want to spook her. But as she kissed me back, I felt her hand steal up my leg to find my cock. That was all I needed to know. I brought the hand down from her face and fondled her breast with it.

The cab pulled up to my building, and I paid the fare as fast as I could and led her through the door and through the front door of my flat. I shut the door behind us and embraced her in the middle of the front room, kissing her with my lips while my fingers searched for the zipper on her dress and tugged it down. Then I worked the catches of her bra and let that fall down too. Her breasts were a beautiful sight - perky and tipped with tiny aureolas and nipples that were already stiff.

I had planned things a little on the way from the bar. I knew she was used to women, so I was going to have to start by eating her out. I certainly wasn't likely to get a blowjob from her (probably not a very good one, at least). No, I would do what was familiar for her, then pivot to something less so.

I led her to my bedroom, then I grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her up to the edge of the bed, then urged her to lie back. I spread her thighs apart. She was wearing a sheer little thong, and I could see through it that she was completely shaved. I tugged the fabric to the side.

Her pussy was quite pretty. A pretty little pink flower. I moved in with my tongue and ran little circles around the hood that was hiding her clit. Not landing right on it—you can't rush these things. Then I pointed my tongue and ran it between her lips. She moaned and spread her legs wider for me and grabbed at her breasts while I kept up my mission. After a bit more, I took two fingers and gently pushed inside her, feeling for the spongy bit at the front. Her moans rose in intensity, and that's when I started tonguing her clit, and that set her off. She first thrust her head forward and then flung it back, arching her back and trying to mash her crotch into my face. I didn't slow down at first. I waited until her orgasm peaked and then backed off and waited for the eruption to subside.

When she came back to her senses and looked at me, I stood up and stripped. It's hard to tell for sure, but I think she liked what she saw. I took ahold of the thong and pulled it off her and tossed it aside. Then I moved between her thighs and slowly ran my cock all the way into her pussy with one smooth stroke. Her pussy was warm and wet and inviting. It would have been so easy to pump her and come, but no, I wanted this to be special for her. I felt like I was representing all men and had a duty to make a good impression. I took my time at first, exploring angles, watching her face. Then she tossed her head to the side and let out a loud, helpless moan. I grabbed her wrist, pinned it to the bed, and focused on that exact spot. Her moans got louder and her breathing faster, so I sped up my thrusting, and she came again, her pussy fluttering around my cock. And that was enough to set me off with her.

We were both spent. I lay down beside her and spooned her close. With all the drinks we’d had, we were out cold in minutes - but not before I heard her soft “Thank you.”

When I woke up the next morning, she was gone, and that was a little disappointing. Maybe I didn't make as much of an impression on her as I thought.

Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw a little piece of paper on the bed. I picked it up. It had her name, a little heart and her number on it.

I smiled.

Checkmate.