Disclaimer and Notes
* * *
'What in God's name am I doing here?' For not the first time was this thought crossing Kevin's mind as he stood outside the door of the Stardust dance club, under a bright, flashy neon sign. Pulsing, loud music blared out from within. Kevin wore in a sheeny white silk shirt shot with silver threads, the collar unbuttoned, gray pants and a forbidding expression. 'I am here waiting for my rather--- what was the word that James had said that once?---CHIPPER and extremely gorgeous partner.' A horrified look entered his pearl-gray eyes. 'I did NOT just think that Miss Angell was gorgeous!' 'Oh yes you did. And it's true, the girl could pass for a modern-day Brigitte Bardot.' Kevin scowled. The woman, whom he had not spoken 10 words to, already had him arguing with himself! This was not good, this was not good at all!
"Oh, you're here! Good evening!" A golden, musical voice interrupted his thoughts, and the subject of those thoughts materialised in front of him, gracing him with a heart-melting smile. Kevin looked down at the lady, and almost choked.
She was dressed in a short, cream-colored miniskirt that showed off a pair of long, slim, gorgeous legs made to seem even longer with the strappy sunflower-yellow high-heeled sandals she wore on her feet. A pink crop top with a bright red heart, showing a finely muscled and graceful figure, and a filmy, wispy ladylike yet seductive golden chiffon wrap completed the ensemble. She carried a nice purse of buttery tan leather in one slender hand. Her golden mane flowed down her back, and Kevin felt the urge to bury his face in it and just inhale. Instead, he gave her a curt nod and said evenly and coolly, "Good Evening, Miss Angell."
Mina gave an unladylike snort. "Eww, call me Mina." Why did such a mouthwateringly good-looking man have to be so damn formal? "And may I call you Kevin?"
He nodded. "Mina, then. May I ask, why did you choose this particular place to discuss business? It's rather...loud."
Her cheerful, carefree self disappeared, and Kevin found himself looking into the sharp, resourceful eyes of a warrior. "Exactly. This case is a prostitution ring case. If we discuss it somewhere nice and peaceful, there are much greater chances of it being heard. Plus, if we're dancing, it will be easy to whisper to each other without appearing suspicious. Now, come on." And Mina grabbed his larger hand in hers and tugged him into the club after her.
~ ~ ~
Whereas Mina was obviously very confident in her surroundings, Kevin was just as obviously NOT. Looking slightly bewildered as Mina dragged him to te drink counter, her hips swaying slightly to the music.
"Hey Mina!" The guy at the counter greeted her. "You've brought another one, I see." He grinned, indicating Kevin.
"Hey Zeke!" Mina, obviously acquainted with the guy, greeted him back cheerfully. Kevin looked at him in astonishment. The guy had shaggy, long red hair, streaked with black and platinum. He had on a tie-dyed shirt and multiple piercings.
"What happened to the other ones that you've brought here?" The guy addressed as Zeke gave her a wink. Kevin suddenly felt an irrational twinge of jealousy at all the other guys that his fair companion had brought here before him, for pleasure, not business.
Mina laughed, "They're all losers, this one's special." Kevin felt a slight blush spread over his face, and was thankful that she was not looking at him. Mina continued talking to the Zeke. "Hey, could you get me a locker?"
"Sure thing, cutie." Zeke gave her a key and pointed to one of several blue lockers against the wall behind him, and Mina handed him a $5 bill, which Zeke gently shoved back. "It's on me tonight, for you finally getting a 'special' guy, sweet cheeks." He grinned. Mina thanked him graciously, and led Kevin off to the dance floor after depositing her purse.
Kevin looked at his partner with a mixture of shock and apprehension. This was most definitely NOT his sort of thing! A loud, fast song came on, and he simply watched, mouth agape, as Mina danced around him, that lustrous blonde mane flying around her.
Mina looked at him in most annoyance. "Lighten up!" She whispered, her soft breath tickling his ear. "Here, just do this." She took his hands gently in hers, and guided him through the steps. Soon, he was doing it with a tolerably convincingly, and Mina smiled. "Now, we'll just wait for the next slow song."
Soon enough, a crooning love song started playing, and Mina immediately shifted his hands around her waist and hers around his neck. The two softly swayed to the music, and Mina brought her lips to his ear. "I've done some research on Esmeraude this afternoon." To anyone watching, the two simply looked like a couple on a date, having an intimate conversation.
"Oh?" Kevin whispered back at her. Evidently, the warm, luscious golden-haired goddess in his arms did have some sensible qualities after all. "What did you find out?"
"Well, she takes in girls who have run away from home, friendless, penniless girls, usually, and then she offers them jobs as 'maids', and sends them off to private homes of men who..be ready to hear something disgusting..actually bid for.." And he felt her stiffen and her voice harden "who gets to fuck a girl first." Kevin's eyes filled with horror and disgust. "Predictably, the girl goes to the house, gets slipped roofies, gets raped, then sent back to Esmeraude's. After which the bitch tells them that when they were there they seduced their customers, and their customers' wives are suing. So then, the girls have to earn the money to pay for the supposed 'legal fees', by selling their bodies."
Kevin was speechless. "The evil BITCH!" He hissed into her ear. She nodded slightly. "Estrellita Noir is a very charismatic woman, and a very heartless one as well."
"And none of those girls go to the cops? Nothing?" He said in disbelief. Mina shook her head. "The girls are guarded by thugs at all times when they're not out fucking someone for money. There's a case where the girl told a 'client', and asked him to call the cops for her. He'd agreed, but it turned out that her clothes had been bugged, and when they had finished their 'business', a thug came and shot the poor schmuck, and the girl was taken back and gang-raped, then shot, before all the others, as an example." Mina's voice trembled slightly.
Kevin took a long moment to collect himself. "This is going to be a helluva case, isn't it?" More of a statement than a question. She nodded. He continued. "Now, how about we discuss this further at a more...unpopulated location? Although I admit your point about the dancing, etc. is a valid one, I think I still prefer a less noisy place."
Mina smirked a little. "Okay then, it's getting late anyway. Let's get some drinks and go home. We'll talk about this tomorrow." They walked away from the dance floor, and back towards the weirdly dressed Zeke. Mina requested a lemonade, and Kevin requested iced tea. They finished their drinks, paid, then walked out. Mina scribbled on a scrap of paper in her purse and handed it to Kevin.
"Here, this is my number. Call me tomorrow. Meanwhile, see if you can find out anything about the location of Esmeraude's hell-hole."
Kevin nodded stiffly, and stuffed the little piece of paper in his wallet. She walked him back to his car, a sleek, platinum convertible. "Well, I hope you had fun, Kevin, you look like you need to do it more often." She said smilingly, then surprised him by reaching up on her tiptoes to accommodate his towering 6'4" frame and give him a warm and friendly kiss on one sharp cheekbone. "Good night Kevin." He looked shocked, adorable, really, with a very faint, shimmery pink lipstick print on one tanned cheek. Despite the unpleasantness of what she would be up against, Mina smiled, and gave her partner a wave before walking off towards her own car.
* * *
Back to WRITINGS
Previous Chapter
Next Chapter
