CHAPTER 17: GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER?

T HE SKYLINE WAS starting to sparkle below and around them, sundown coming quickly on this late fall night. Lake Michigan was a dark mass with only a few tiny lights from the boats and the piers dotting its surface. The private dining room of The 95th, an elegant restaurant situated in the Hancock building high above the streets of Chicago, was dimly lit, candles on the table set for five sparkling and glowing. Two bottles of Dom Perignon lay nestled in silver buckets of ice on two stands near the table, beads of cold water forming on the sides. One place setting was empty as the waiter came in with caviar and pate', setting them down in the center of the table. Another waiter dressed in black and white stood near the door, prepared for any requests.

"I think this calls for a celebration, don't you?"

Ari's low voice rumbled around the table as he smiled widely, his black hair slicked back at the sides. Wearing an impeccably tailored charcoal suit and red tie, he brought his glass of champagne up, raising his eyebrow at the table's occupants.

"I couldn't agree with you more, Ari. It's not every day we have such distinguished...guests."

Cirra's voice was saccharine sweet, clearly uninterested in schmoozing their dinner guests any more than necessary. Dressed in a short black dress that clung to every curve she owned, its neckline plunged down between her breasts in a delicious display of flesh. That fact alone impressed the two men seated across from her enough to raise their own glasses and nod.

"Here's to another brilliant deal, my friends."

Ari chuckled after he spoke and sipped his champagne, savoring the bitter bubbly liquid as he watched the others follow suit. Brokering alliances between international business associates was his specialty. With these two powerful men in his fold, he'd begin to corner the market on slaves in both the Far East and Middle East. Once that was done, he had plans for seizing control of the drug trade into the United States from the outside in before tackling the international market. The key to gaining that kind of worldwide power was first conquering or persuading the petty and disorganized drug lords to join him one by one. Once that was done, he'd have the States as his crown jewel and the rest of the world would fall under his thumb. It was indeed a brilliant deal, a brilliant plan, and of course, a brilliant idea if he did say so himself. Oh, and Cirra, she was a nice part of the package as well. Certainly not essential, expendable if necessary, but entertaining nonetheless.

Cirra let her eyes find the two men across from her as she drank from her glass of tonic water with lemon, her ruby painted lips practically caressing the glass. Such easily persuaded men. Pigs. All she had to do was flirt with them, bend over a few times during the business meeting, let a little leg show, and they agreed to the offer right away. If she didn't know better, she suspected they would have loved to have groveled at her feet. Ho-hum. It didn't much matter, really. They were simply pawns to be played for the fools they were. Ari had such lofty ideas; Cirra's were much more...immediate. It was all a part of her grand plan. Everything that came before this was just...foreplay. The blond smiled to herself at that. Indeed, an elaborate game of cat and mouse so stimulating, she nearly got wet thinking about it. This time, she would be the panther, and her mouse? Oh, her mouse was getting closer and closer every day. She could even taste it now.

"And here's to dinner. May we all eat well..."

The men all turned to look at Cirra who had purred out her toast with a rather seductive smile on her face. Raising their glasses, they followed suit.

"Zhu Ming, tell us how Bangkok is these days...still lucrative?"

Ari asked in a low voice as he reached over and spread some of the liver pate' on a small thin wheat cracker, smiling as he chewed it.

"Ah, as you know, Bangkok has been good to my family, Mr. Warinopolis. The people are lazy and don't care to challenge our trade. Buying the police is as easy there as it is here, yes?"

Zhu Ming was a surprisingly tall man, his light grey suit with a deep, rich green tie rested squarely on his shoulders. Bald, save for a ponytail down the back of his head, he had a thin moustache, clipped just below the corners of his mouth. His face was stern, appearing as if he was always scowling, especially when he talked. But, he controlled one half of the China trade and had ties to the communist party. Therefore, he was an important man, especially in his own eyes.

"I don't know why you bother buying the police. I simply purchase the politicians who control them and all is well and good."

Their eyes turned to a goateed man, his dark good looks coming across as he smiled jovially at the rest of them. He wore a black suit with a royal blue tie, his full black hair slicked back from his face. With a nod at Cirra, he took another sip of his champagne before holding his glass out for a waiter to fill it.

"Indeed, Drakkar, Morocco has never been known as a police state. I imagine they take a much more relaxed approach to your business in Marakesh."

Ari nodded as he spoke, his eyes taking in Drakkar El-Amin's lascivious looks directed towards Cirra before signaling for the waiter.

"Relaxed indeed. It's almost like taking candy from babies. And certainly, our commodities are just as sweet for the buyers."

Cirra took another sip of her water, assessing both men. Her main interest lay in the person who was not yet in attendance. She reached over for the cavier, spreading a bit on a cracker before nibbling the Beluga with delicate bites.

"Well, it simply makes our jobs that much easier, doesn't it, boys?"

Ari laughed as he looked over at the men before letting his hand rest on Cirra's thigh. He missed the look he got from the blond when the waiters brought them all their first course of salad.

"I've got a phone call to make. You'll excuse me, won't you, dear?"

Cirra lifted Ari's hand from her leg as she got up, smiling down at the dark handsome man next to her and over at their dinner guests. Ari raised his eyebrow and cocked his head at her actions and just nodded. They rose partially as she glided out of the room, her short dress showing off her legs, the black spiked heels making her appear taller than she was.

"She's a damn fine piece of ass, Ari, any thoughts of selling her too?"

Drakkar spoke hopefully, raising his glass over to the man who began to eat his salad. With a shake of his head, Ari chewed and swallowed before speaking.

"Trust me, you don't wanna buy her. She'd kill you before you knew what happened. Between you and me, she's a little..."

Ari waved his finger around his head in a circular motion, raising an eyebrow while he smiled. Taking another bite of salad, he washed it down with more champagne before he leaned back in his chair and regarded the two men across from him. With a smirk, he shrugged his shoulder before he spoke.

"But she's one hell of a fuck, I'll tell you that, my friends."

Ari and Drakkar laughed while Zhu Ming simply raised a corner of his mouth in a half-smile as all of their thoughts turned to imagining Cirra Callistone's naked body writhing beneath their own. Or imagining themselves being spanked by her very firm hand. Hell, the possibilities were endless with a body like hers.

* * *

"Teddy, dear, are things set there?"

The blond stood in front of the full length mirror in the restaurant's brightly lit and impossibly clean lavatory, her eyes glancing over to the towel matron before returning to her own reflection. She held her cell phone casually as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Yes, Mistress Cirra. Both of them are as you ordered. Lisa..she's had two more doses since this morning, she's cooperating a bit more. The other one..."

Cirra smiled at herself as she crossed an arm over her chest and held the phone in the other hand while she spoke in a delighted voice.

"The other one is ready to crawl out of her suffering pathetic skin, isn't she?"

Teddy's gruff voice came through the phone.

"Yeah, she's not doing very well."

Cirra tipped her head back and laughed, the towel matron trying to look anywhere else but at the statuesque blond and trying like there was no tomorrow not to listen in on the conversation. She had heard enough things in this bathroom to know that the less she knew, the better.

"Oh, that's perfect. I want that little bitch to suffer...thinking she could double-cross me? Please. What about the rest of it? Secured?"

Reaching up, the blond took a strand of her hair and twirled it around her finger as she listened to Teddy.

"Yeah, the place is secure. I called in more guys to make sure. All is as planned, Mistress."

Cirra came over to the mirror, standing a few feet from it before cocking her head, her brown eyes looking back at her while she spoke.

"And what about our little boy friends? What's the report on that, mission accomplished?"

She heard Teddy hesitate, her dark eyebrows narrowing at the silence before he spoke haltingly.

"They..uh..well, they.."

Cirra's expression turned annoyed as she spoke in the phone.

"Spit it out, for Christ's sake. Did they or didn't they do it?"

Teddy's voice came back softer through the phone.

"She..uh, caught them before they could do anything. They got away though..."

Angrily, Cirra whirled around in the bathroom, scaring the towel matron with her seethingly loud voice.

"God dammit! Those little shits! One simple thing and they can't manage to do it? Do you know how long it took me to get the information about her car!?"

Teddy said nothing, knowing when it was best to let Cirra blow. In a lower voice but nonetheless laced with fury, she spoke into the phone as she paced across the spotless white tiled floor, ignoring another restaurant patron coming in.

"There had better not be any more fuck-ups, Teddy. Do you understand? I want to hear from you the minute...no, the second you get word of anything from the club, do you hear me?"

Teddy's voice was softer still, boyish again as he spoke.

"Yes, Mistress Cirra."

Cirra paused in front of the seated towel matron, her eyes scanning the woman with casual indifference as she reached out her hand for a tissue. Using it to blot her lipstick, she smiled as she turned to the mirror, her gaze going somewhere far-off.

"Tonight's the night, Teddy dear. I've waited so long, planned so hard. Tonight...I feel it."

She abruptly clicked off the phone as she stood facing the mirror again, letting the lip-sticked tissue drop to the floor in front of the matron without a second thought. With a cock of her head, she smiled wider at herself, brown eyes glowing with glee. In a cheerfully scary voice, she spoke aloud to her vision.

"Come to me, Tina. Tonight..."

* * *

Returning to the dinner table, all eyes focused on the blond's svelte form as she came back into the private room. They all had finished their salads and were waiting on the next course. Cirra let her eyes take in the table, one seat still unoccupied. Damn. With an indifferent sigh, she sat down and put her chin in her hand as her elbow rested on the white table cloth.

"Is everything ok, dear?"

Ari let his eyes take in Cirra sitting next to him, his voice rumbling. The blond rolled her head to the side and looked at him, smiling a fake smile.

"Everything's just peachy, Ari dear. So tell me, boys..."

She let her eyes drift across the table to the two men seated across from her. With a seductive curve of her lips, she let her eyes go smoky.

"Did you think about me while I was gone? Hmmm? Maybe wish you could have what Ari here had this morning...oh, and this afternoon too? A nice piece of my..."

Ari chuckled and sat forward, interrupting the blond.

"Now, Cirra, our guests are honorable men. Let's enjoy our dinner without causing them any discomfort."

Cirra laughed and rolled her eyes. As if. Zhu and Drakkar looked over at Ari and Cirra before Drakkar smiled and laughed as well. Holding out his glass for more champagne, he spoke while he smiled.

"Ms. Callistone, the discomfort you cause me in that dress is well worth it, trust me. Ari's a lucky man. Surely, he'd be willing to share the wealth.."

Before any other comments could be made, a man walked into the private room wearing sunglasses and a pair of khakis, sports coat, and tie. He was clearly underdressed for this place. Looking behind him first, he turned back around and glanced around the room, taking note of the two men he didn't know and the other two that he did. With a nervous gesture, he took off his glasses and sat down in the unoccupied seat, his eyes finding Cirra's across the table. She was smiling widely at him, the previous conversation long forgotten. With a purr, she nodded over at him.

"Ah, Lieutenant Cortesey, so glad that you could join us."

* * *

Lisa threw up for the third time today, her head leaning over the bucket in the corner before she dragged herself back to the cot she had been sitting on most of the day. They had just given her another injection, her body too lethargic to fight. Leaning her head back against the wall, she felt her hands and feet go heavy before her eyes half-closed, the seductive sensations running through her body making her mind forget the predicament she was in. Feeling wave after wave of numbness move through her, she simply held on and let it overtake her again.

Valerie, on the other hand, was practically curled in a ball on the other dirty cot, her body racked with shakes and sweating profusely. Even attempts at seducing the two leathered men when they had come in to shoot up Lisa had not worked. They just pushed her aside, backhanding her once when she desperately lunged for the syringe full of heroin. She herself had thrown up once already before dry heaves set in. She fucking couldn't take much more of it, the withdrawal painfully making her body feel like one big aching, miserable lump of clammy flesh. It even hurt to think, so she didn't.

With a glance through the small square dirty window into the room, Tara smiled at the two girls. Cirra's plan was working perfectly. She was simply a master at manipulating people and causing pain. Too fucking cool. The young juvenile hopped back down from the box she was standing on and swaggered down the hall before climbing the stairs that lead to what used to be the factory manager's office. Glass covered one wall and overlooked the cargo bay below where the van was parked. It also had a good view of the rest of the plant, the dead and silent tool and dye machines standing like dark steel giants in a field of cold cement. Metal catwalks above the floor crossed back and forth over the machines, used for checking controls, pouring the chemicals, and monitoring the activities below.

"Boy, those two are really fucked up. Cirra really knows what she's doing, huh?"

Tara's voice fell on deaf ears when she entered the room. Adam and Bud, the two leathered men assigned to smack duty, were seated around a small TV, Teddy's bulky form standing behind them watching it as well. Leon was on the other side of Teddy, peering intently down at images too. Going over to the small dirty refrigerator under the control table running along the big window, she pulled out a beer and opened it before coming over to see what the guys were watching. Teddy glanced at her and grabbed the beer from her hands, taking a big gulp before turning back to the TV.

"Hey! That was mine, you big lazy-ass."

They ignored her. On her tip-toes, she tried to peer over their shoulders to see the screen, but couldn't quite make out the images. Nudging Teddy with her elbow, she spoke.

"What the hell are you all watching? I can't see a thing."

Teddy's eyes didn't budge from the TV as he growled over at her.

"Shut up, Tara."

She huffed and leaned around Bud's shoulder, just barely making the flickering action on the screen. Adam's voice was excited as he talked, pointing to the screen with his finger.

"Ok, here's the cool part. When she stabs them, they just kind of explode into a million pieces. There! See that?"

The guys grunted in agreement, watching as kicks and punches flew across the screen. Teddy smiled, chuckling just a little before his voice rumbled.

"She's a hot one, huh?"

Leon nodded and while Adam and Bud just shrugged indifferently. The action paused for commercial break, the station's announcer informing the audience that the show would be right back after these messages. Tara stepped back and looked at the four guys before she crossed her arms in front of her chest, speaking with a certain disdain in her voice.

"What the fuck kind of a name is 'Buffy' anyway?"

Date: 2015-12-17; view: 516