elrhiarhodan: (Neal - S3.5 Promo)
[personal profile] elrhiarhodan
Title: Ripe for Exploitation
Author: [livejournal.com profile] elrhiarhodan
Fandom: White Collar
Rating: R
Characters/Pairings: Alex Hunter, Neal Caffrey (Nick Halden), Alex/Neal
Spoilers: Forging Bonds
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: None
Word Count: ~250
Summary: Alex loves beautiful things. Tag to Forging Bonds

A/N: Something I found in my “unposted fic” folder, written back in 2012. The prompt was “Beauty”.

__________________




She knew Nick Halden was a con artist when she first met him, a near silent presence in Vincent Adler's office. It was the shoes that gave him away - the suit was good, not bespoke but well-tailored, the shirt was handmade and the tie was first quality (ugly, but who cared when it was Dior black label). The haircut probably set him back a couple of hundred, and his nails were buffed and his cuticles trimmed.

But his shoes were just awful; scuffed and resoled and way too comfortable. Not the shoes of an up-and-coming young businessman. Not by a long shot. He was good, but not as good as she was, which meant he could be exploited.

Although Adler scared the crap out of her, she wasn't going to be put off. He was a man who had the resources, the power to get what he wanted - what she wanted, and she'd use whatever leverage she had, whatever tools at hand to get it.

Nick Halden, or whatever his name was, was just the tool she needed. He took her bait, swallowed it whole and never realized that there was a hook in there, sunk deep.

She probably could have reeled him in without fucking him. Sex tended to make things messy. But she was a sucker for beauty, and that was something that Nick Halden had in spades.

FIN

Date: 2014-09-22 08:49 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] riverotter1951.livejournal.com
Marvelous especially the bit about Nick Halden had beauty in spades.

Date: 2014-09-22 09:27 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dieastra.livejournal.com
Short but very nice! So I guess he needs the shoes to be able to run away when trouble hits, right?

Date: 2014-09-22 09:39 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] maiac.livejournal.com
Hmmm! I suspect Vincent Adler would also have noticed the shoes that don't fit the image. Although he probably knew already that "Nick Halden" wasn't who he claimed to be.

I blame Mozzie for the shoes. Neal was inexperienced in this level of con, but Mozzie should have paid more attention to every detail.

However Alex was planning to use Nick, she didn't get the chance to*, so at least she had fun with him.

* Or did she? Did Alex pull off a job against Adler, and that's what triggered his getaway? And Adler left the "nicetryneal" message because he thought Neal did it?

Date: 2014-09-23 12:17 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pooh-collector.livejournal.com
Ohhhh, a very interesting and perceptive look into Alex. Love the idea that she found him out via his shoes.

Date: 2014-09-23 10:30 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] elainasaunt.livejournal.com
Hmmmm, very nicely done indeed.

Date: 2014-09-24 01:02 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] caseyf123.livejournal.com
Interesting perspective.

Date: 2014-09-24 06:40 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] palombaggia.livejournal.com

Yes love it! I'm a sucker for Neal/Alex. I think Alex was perfect for Neal.

Date: 2014-09-24 04:40 pm (UTC)
sapphire2309: (Default)
From: [personal profile] sapphire2309
Oooh, this is *delicious*. I love this little sketch of Alex.

Date: 2014-10-08 10:19 am (UTC)
kanarek13: (Default)
From: [personal profile] kanarek13
Oh, yeah, he does have beauty in spades ♥

Love it :D

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