Saturday, April 08, 2017 - 00:02 PM | La Petite Mort - Lonely Hearts Club
Tobias killed the engine to the car after pulling up on the opposite side of the street to a well-known, and liked, brothel-house;
La Petite Mort. He'd driven an inconspicuous vehicle, plagued with minor scratches and dents so as not to draw too much attention. Sure, he could have been chauffeured in the Bentley Continental GT he'd been gifted from Raul, but Tobias wasn't the grandiose type and after what Lucio had said tonight he didn't need to be making any grand entrances. He exited the car, clicking a button on the key-fob to make sure it locked behind him. An orange flash accompanied by the audible
*bleep-bloop* of the central locking system being activated drew the attention of the two hulking bouncers that were stationed at the entrance to the brothel. Tobias crossed the street toward them, a slight swagger in his step. It wasn't long before the shorter of the pair recognised him, despite the dark.
"Mr. Tobias, good to see you tonight." He said, attempting to change the pitch of his gruff tone to one that didn't make him sound so aggressive.
"Is she in?" Tobias replied, launching his car keys towards the guard who struggled to catch them.
"Yes, Sir. Go right in." He strode right past the guards, barely acknowledging the larger of the two who's current look of confusion betrayed the information that he was relatively new to the job.
Upon entering the establishment through a set of black leather-cushioned doors, his senses were assaulted by a mixture of
heavy bass music, exotic aromas and the intensely red colour scheme of the dimly-lit reception area. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the low-light but in that time a young, scantily-clad brunette had already approached him to take his coat.
"Good evening, Sir. Will it be business or pleasure?" Tobias took his time examining the receptionist before replying.
"A little bit of both." He said with a wink, as he passed over his coat. She spun on the spot, making sure to accentuate the curves of her mostly-exposed figure, before placing his coat inside the cloakroom.
"If you'd just like to follow me, we already have a private booth setup for special patrons." She said, walking towards another set of doors to the right.
"No need for all that, doll. Just take me to the bar and let her know that I'm waiting." Tobias followed from a distance, appreciating the tantalizing sway of her hips as they entered through the doors.
La Petite Mort, though a well-established brothel-house, still had to remain to be seen abiding by the State's anti-prostitution laws. As such, the first three floors were decked out as an illustrious, upmarket gentleman's club, whilst the remaining floors were operated under the guise of a hotel. It allowed patrons and courtesans to purchase rooms for the night and even offered hotel-like services in order to subvert the law. Quite often a sex worker would rent a room at a discounted price so that they may use it to ply their trade. Customers would then liaise with the club staff to book a room, which didn't include a price for the girl or guy they wished to spend the night with. In order to pay for that a patron would select their desired cohort from a listed menu, much-like they would a meal or drink, and pay with cash. The money would then be placed in a Safe Deposit Box until it was picked up by the worker the next morning. This kept the money made by the hotel and the courtesans separate, allowing for an extra level of security.
As they approached the bar, the brunette motioned for a drink to be made with the utmost priority. The barman had already been notified, by the guard out front no doubt, and placed a single glass of his favourite brown liquor on top of a black serviette.
"My thanks." He said. The receptionist then disappeared to find her mistress. Tobias ignored the looks of the other patrons, wondering just
who exactly could demand a drink so rapidly from such a distinguished club. Business was the reason for this exceptional treatment. As an under-boss for the De Vitis Syndicate, Tobias handled the majority of the organization's import/export dealings. Whilst this mostly included firearms and narcotics, there were a few times where he'd had to organize the trade of livestock. Most notably, sex-slaves. Though unknown to most patrons of
La Petite Mort, the city's most famous brothel-house also operated a sub-level department, dedicated to the illegal import and sexual consumption of kidnapped slaves for those of a more demented nature. It had its' own separate entrance and used a similar monetary system to their above-ground ventures. The majority of the staff weren't even privy to its' existence. Only rumours were whispered about disappearing workers who'd been unable to afford their rooms. Not including the rumored few, Tobias had supplied every trafficked slave for the brothel's basement business. A business that undoubtedly made them more money than all services offered by the hotel proper.
He was distracted by his thoughts by the return of the receptionist.
"Madame Sasha will see you now." She stated. Tobias merely downed his drink before following behind the girl. More envious looks chased after him.
____________________
"And to what do I owe this pleasure?" Came a female voice from behind a black & silver damask dressing screen as he entered the supposed office of Madame Sasha Raphaelle; Owner of
La Petite Mort and one of the most reliable Information Brokers in the City Triad. Tobias waited for the receptionist to leave before speaking.
"Nothing owed this time." He stated.
"In fact, I need a favor." Tobias thought he heard her gasp at that.
The woman stepped out from behind her dressing screen in a sultry manner, as if she were performing just for him. She'd prepared herself for this meeting by wearing a curve-loving bustier of sheer black mesh layered with exquisite lace patterns and matching black stockings. Tobias had to steel himself in order to remain focused. Her choice of garments alongside her exceptional beauty and luscious dark locks, complimented by the olive tan of her unblemished skin, made her dangerously attractive.
"A favor, you say?" She asked, inquisitively, cocking her head ever so slightly to one side whilst keeping her gaze firmly affixed upon his. She was beginning to weave her usual web of seduction, a normality during every one of their prior meetings. Tonight would be no different.
"I'm not here to play games with you, Sasha." Tobias replied, his short temperament evident in the exaggerated
*sigh* he let out afterward.
Sasha moved towards him swiftly, instantly invading his personal space and infecting it with her perfume; Lilac & Gooseberries.
"Oww, but I like playing games. Especially when favors are involved." It was from this distance that Tobias could see the flecks in her pretty green eyes. They sat like emeralds, surrounded by a smokey, black haze of eye-shadow, eyeliner and mascara. It was obvious how a lesser man might fall so easily to their charm. Even he himself had once been that lesser man before now, but not tonight.
His hand shot up to grab her exposed throat with venom. The speed of it causing her body to jolt back violently, making her choke at the same time. He held her there, struggling to breath as she tried to fight against his grip.
"I said no games." He growled slowly, speaking through gritted teeth. Then he let her go, pushing her away as he did. Sasha stumbled backward, immediately grasping her throat and descending into a coughing fit. Tobias made no effort to help her, a grim look on his face.
A girlish laugh could be heard coming between coughs, as Sasha looked up to him, now on her knees after regaining her composure.
"I just love it when you play rough." She laughed, her makeup having streaked down her face from the tears induced by Tobias' choking.
"Your next breath better be about helping me, or next time I'll keep going until you've no breath left." Tobias warned.
"Fine." Sasha replied, standing up gingerly.
"What's an impatient asshole like you need anyway?""A few days ago, one of my trades with the Fierro's went bad. Lucio barely made it out alive.""Well there's nothing new." He could tell by her tone that she was more than a little pissed off about his earlier actions.
"He says the Fierro's were asking after me. Not personally, but they knew Lucio wasn't the man in charge." Sasha raised an eyebrow at that. Tobias had worked hard to keep news about himself relatively low-key, in order to protect his status as a Black Lotus member. Normally he worked behind closed doors, operating and managing deals through several proxies to obscure his identity. It was the reason why everyone only ever called him by his first name, he hadn't allowed his last name to be known. Sasha Raphaelle remained the only person in Crescent City, other than Raul De Vitis, to know of his true identity. She'd gained his trust early on, only a few months after him coming here. But before divulging one of his closest secrets, Tobias warned her of the danger it would place her in. The Society would know instantly of her new-found affiliate status. And whilst it would bring in volumes of business for
La Petite Mort, she could also just as easily be destroyed if that information were to leak.
"A mole? Working for the Fierro's?" She seemed a little shocked by the realization, Tobias wasn't surprised that she'd figured it out so quickly.
"Didn't seem possible to Lucio either." He replied.
"I'll need you to keep an ear to the streets.""Don't I always?" She questioned. Tobias walked over to her, this time invading her personal space. She almost seemed to flinch as he raised a hand to touch her cheek.
"I'm sorry." He said, staring into her green eyes once more before kissing her on the lips. Sasha had closed her eyes as he did so but as quickly as she had, it was over with Tobias making for the exit.
"What will you do now?" She asked after him.
"Lucio said he made it to a solo-doc immediately after the deal went south. There's only one that close to where the trade was located. I need answers on a strongman named Tito.""You think he might be the mole?""It's too early to tell, but it's a good place-" Tobias' sentence was cut short by the buzzing of his phone.
A text from Lucio:
LIVESTOCK ARRIVED. CORROTTO'S RAIDING THE WAREHOUSE. GET HERE ASAP!"Shit..."
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