It always annoyed her how the scent tended to linger all around the house.

Cordelia eyed the empty spot next to her in the bed. The scent of her previous partner still clung to the sheets. She'd launder them tomorrow. He wasn't coming back and the one who had made sure of that was her. That side of her that kept sabotaging things anyway.

At this point she was under no illusion that she would be able to form a lasting relationship with anyone. Things would go smoothly for two or three weeks, then the familiar urge crept up on her.

She rolled over and ran a hand over his spot. What would her next partner smell like? Would it be a man? A woman? Someone who identified as neither? Not that it particularly mattered. In time they were all equally forgettable.

Oh, she'd had some good runs. Partners she retained memories of to this day, memories that made her smile when they crossed her mind. But what had their scents been? She had long forgotten. There was a time she'd been frustrated about the loss but nowadays she was content to remember the pleasant times.

Not to mention she could always create more memories. Pick someone up, have several nice dates, chase them off. Cruel? Certainly. The issue was that she didn't know how to do it any other way by now, if she ever had known.

Cordelia dressed for a night out on the town and got into her car. She was wearing a black dress that ended short of her knees, simple, classic, and well-tailored. Custom made, like most of her wardrobe.

Which place was she in the mood for this time? She spent most of the drive pondering the question. Different locations had different clientele, which in turn affected the type of relationship she was going to be in for. She decided on a high-end club for now. Her last date had been an elementary school teacher. The man had a heart of gold but she'd had enough of dinner dates at cheap pizza places for now.

The club was already packed by the time Cordelia made her entrance. Music was playing but it was still possible to carry a conversation without shouting. She looked around the locale, checking out her available options. There were quite a few lookers. A woman with stunning black hair arranged into an elaborate updo, several people who would have no problem making a living as models, and several who showed off expensive status symbols. Cordelia's attention eventually settles on a blonde man who was wearing a bowtie. A rather unusual choice.

She moved closer, pretending to have a different objective. The times she managed to make the other person notice her without needing to speak to them first were the most satisfying ones.

He eventually walked over to her, showing a smile. She noted that he looked just as good up close as he had from a distance. Still keeping up the act, she pretended not to notice him before he spoke to her.

"I couldn't avoid noticing that you seem to lack company for the evening. I'm Chad Morris. What might your name be?"

Cordelia chuckled softly in response. "Cordelia. I take it you're on the prowl as well?!

"Indeed," Chad confirmed. "But perhaps my search could come to an end here, if a lovely lady such as you would have me?"

"I'm not entirely opposed," Cordelia smiled. "You're quite the looker."

"That isn't all," Chad said as he pulled out his wallet. "Barkeep, a drink for the lady over here." He turned to Cordelia. "Take your pick."

Cordelia accepted the offer and the two spent some time exchanging flirty comments over a drink. This was boding well so far.

"What do you say we take this somewhere more private?" Chad eventually suggested. "My home isn't far and frankly I think you'll like what you see," he winked at her.

Cordelia tapped her nearly empty glass as she considered the offer. She wasn't looking for a one night stand. "Are you sure you want to rush it?"

"Aw, c'mon. You're a gorgeous lady, so can you blame me?" Chad asked, giving her a quite convincing charmer look.

Cordelia suppressed a smirk. This man was clearly used to playing the game. However, she knew better than to fall for that. "So that you can run off after one night of fun?" she challenged. "I was hoping for something a little more long-lived."

Chad mimicked taking a blow to the chest. "Ouch, my pride. I'm not that much of an animal, give me some credit. I know a keeper when I see one."

"Mm, is that so?" Cordelia said, raising an eyebrow. "Do I want to gamble on you being truthful, I wonder?" She didn't entirely hate the prospect of leaving this one up to chance. A little gamble didn't hurt… most of the time. But that risk was what made it interesting in the first place.

"Simply discarding a beautiful woman such as you would be a crime," Chad said, meeting her gaze all the while. When he finally broke eye contact it was in order to place a kiss on her hand.

Cordelia chuckled. He was laying it on thick… but he had already managed to prove himself to be more interesting than her previous date. "Very well. I'm in."