Book 3 Chapter 7: Aside From the Obvious?

Book 3 Chapter 7: Aside From the Obvious?

Dantes arrived back at his club as business was hitting its peak for the evening. He cut past the crowd waiting to enter, and the bouncer gave him a respectful nod as he walked inside. He made his way to the bar, where Zilly was slinging drinks quickly, but she stopped what she was doing to go to him. The other patrons didn’t complain, they knew who was meant to be served first.

She looked at him questioningly.

“Some of that crab soup if there’s any left, and that bottle of wine Decker sent, the white, have that brought up to me.”

She started to move, but Dantes gently tapped her arm before she could move too far.

“Your father was my muscle this morning. He said he wouldn’t want me to just give him money, and that he’d prefer to earn it. Do you have any idea what for?”

Her eyebrows went up, then she quickly brought them back down to hide the expression. “That’s odd. My father has strange standards though.”

Dantes smiled. Vampa fought in deathmatches in underground pits. He certainly had a kind of honor, but Dantes doubted he wouldn’t accept money freely given unless there was a very specific reason.

“You know, but you don’t want to tell me.”

“Oh, is there some kind of problem about secrets now? I don’t really think you have any room on that front.”

Dantes sighed. “I deserve that. I won’t push. Thank you for your work today. Oh, and please send Vera and Jayk to me when you get the chance.”

She nodded, and got back to work, though her expression didn’t soften at all. It would take a bit of time to fix that, but what’s done was done.

Dantes moved to the stairs and made his way up to his small secluded section from which he could watch the bar.

Vera arrived shortly after, wearing a long flowing blue dress that Dantes wondered how she kept from tripping over when she walked around the busy club.

“Hello Auntie, had a chance for dinner yet?” he asked.

“Yes, I had it with Sera. She’s been asking more about how we run this place.”

“Trying to sell our secrets, or genuine interest of her own?”

“The latter.”

“Well, if you think she’s got what it takes I’ll invest in her. Don’t know how girls would react to a Madame so young though.”

Vera shrugged, “We’ll put some points on her ears and pretend she's three hundred.”

Dantes chuckled. “Where’s Alessa? I thought she didn’t leave until the end of the week.”

“The sickness she has has caused her feet to hurt, I told her to just go ahead and leave. I’ll find a temporary replacement as soon as I can, but tonight there’s no music.”

“And what is this bold woman full of self knowledge’s name?”

“Sevryn,” she said as she took a second, deeper sip of her wine. “Oh, that’s excellent.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Dantes.”

“I know who you are. I’d be a fool not to know you.”

Dantes shrugged, “True, but I’ve never had a problem with beautiful fools.”

“Maybe not for a night, but I have a feeling you get tired of them shortly after that.”

“And you want to keep my attention longer than that?”

She smiled, saying nothing, but looking into his eyes as she had another sip of her wine.

Dantes had gotten used to this since he’d started his club and taken things over. Women who were attracted to power, who wanted something, even a few ladies from Uptown would make their way to his booth. He refused a number of them, they tended to be young and he preferred women his own age, but he hadn’t been averse to it aside from that one rule. Sevryn seemed a bit different though. She wasn’t nervous, or afraid of him, nor did she seem unaware of what he was. This was definitely the most directly he’d been approached though, so he sensed that she wanted something aside from a night with him. What he didn’t sense was anything amiss with the woman, no flickers that indicated she was a changeling, no tingling fingers from magic, even that part of his brain that had become more like Jacopo as he’d grown in power sensed no menace from her, only attraction.

“So, since you’re so certain, why don’t you tell me what it is that you want?”

“Aside from the obvious?”

“Aside from that, yes.”

“I want to sing.”

Dantes kept his expression neutral, which at this moment meant maintaining a half lidded stare and wolflike grin. He’d only found out about Alessa being out only an hour ago.

“How do you know we need a singer?”

She laughed, gesturing to the empty stage. “It doesn’t take a Mage to figure that out. Even if she had waited to leave until the end of the week though, a woman has her ways. Especially a woman who wants to perform.”

“How well do you sing?”

She leaned closer, whispering in his ear. “You’d be amazed at what sounds I can make.”

Dantes felt an electric jolt work its way up his spine as he felt her breath in his ear, but he didn’t show it outwardly. He was a professional, he didn’t let a seductive woman just waltz up to him and hold him like putty in her hands. He’d been raised in a whorehouse, he knew women better than his peers, knew they could be just as manipulative and menacing as any man. That’s part of what he loved about them.

“Let’s go over the details in the morning, shall we?”